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Johnson undeserving of re-election

Waupaca reader questions senator’s decisions

The gun-toting Republican apologist, Ron Reynolds, has been shilling for Sen. Ron Johnson, saying he has earned the right to be re-elected. I think a review of some facts might cast doubt on that.

Reynolds holds that the senator has used his accounting background to rein in wasteful spending. For example, he has twice voted to prevent student loans to be refinanced at lower rates, as with mortgages. Given the $1.3 trillion student loan debt, this is big business. That interest revenue flow will benefit the national treasury and boost the bottom line of the money lenders. So what if it straps these young people for 20 years. Score one for the fat cats and zip for thousands of Wisconsin students struggling with their debts.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is having a tough time, as are the veterans themselves. Some have had to wait six months for an appointment. In the attempt to alleviate this log jam, Congress proposed to allow the DVA to contract with private medical facilities to help vets get timely care.

Johnson, after sharpening his No. 2 pencil, was one of only three to vote against this measure. It would probably cost more. So what if the veterans have to wait. So much empathy and support there.

As our wounded warriors return from ideological conflicts like Iraq and Afghanistan, we see that these are endless and unwinnable. There is no military solution. That’s why our superior war machine did not prevail and why we are still mired there, unable to extract ourselves.

Johnson, as chairman of the Senate Homeland Security committee, wants to invade Syria with American boots on the ground. Far from honoring and caring for our veterans, he wants to throw them back into the breach. I think these decisions make him undeserving of re-election.

D.P. Lamers
Waupaca

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