With Congressman Charlie Rangel formally charged with 13 counts of breaking House Ethics rules, it’s time to ask the question again: Why is Congressman Kagen keeping all this dirty money?

“We should demand more of our elected officials and Congressman Kagen’s refusal to return $21,000 he received from Charlie Rangel is not what Wisconsin residents deserve,” Ribble said.  “Congressman Kagen, what is so difficult about this for you to understand?”

It’s time to “Clean the House.”

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Reid Ribble is a former Kaukauna area small business owner who has created hundreds of jobs and balanced budgets. He is running for Congress against Steve Kagen.

Democrat ‘jobs’ policies bring few to WI, but record numbers to Washington

(Green Bay, WI) – Earlier this week Politico ran an article detailing economic growth and federal spending in Washington, D.C since the beginning of the recession. To paraphrase authors Jim VandeHei and Zachary Abrahamson, new regulations and expansion of the federal government, pushed by Congressional Democrats and the Obama Administration is causing regulators, government implementers, and even private businesses to relocate to Washington.

“With the nation’s unemployment rate at 9.5 percent, Congress should focus more on growing the economy in the rest of the country, rather than just in their own backyard,” said Reid Ribble, a candidate for Congress in the 8^th Congressional District.

According to Politico, the federal government spent more than $20 billion on federal procurement money in Fairfax County, Virginia – the county just outside Washington D.C. In contrast, Wisconsin, actually shed private sector and government jobs in June, according to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development.

“Actions like these are exactly why the general public is upset with government,” Ribble said. “Politicians in Washington are more focused on passing laws that stifle job creation in the rest of the nation than helping the districts they represent. Voters are sick of politics as usual, and it’s long passed time to change that mentality in Washington.”

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Reid Ribble is a former Kaukauna area small business owner who has created hundreds of jobs and balanced budgets. He is running for Congress against Steve Kagen.

For the complete Politico article visit: http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=DC341545-18FE-70B2-A82B27D1E792DF6A

For Immediate Release:
July 8, 2010
Contact: Kerry Niemcek (920) 499-4000

Ribble Gets Over Twice the Number of Signatures Required;
On The Ballot For Wisconsin 8^th Congressional District Race

The Reid Ribble Campaign for Congress officially submitted nomination papers to the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. Ribble submitted more than twice the required amount of signatures to place his name on the ballot for the Eight Congressional race.

“I am deeply honored to receive this amount of support from voters.” Ribble stated. “With so many citizens volunteering to fill out and collect signatures for my nomination, it speaks volumes about how much voters are concerned about the direction of this country. Receiving so much support from voters in the 8^th District underscores the momentum my campaign has been building. I cannot thank my supporters enough for their encouragement and help,” Ribble concluded.

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Today, Wisconsin Right to Life endorsed Reid Ribble’s campaign for Congress against Dr. Steve Kagen.

“I am deeply privileged and honored to receive this endorsement. Wisconsin Right to Life has a proven track record of defending life, from conception to natural death,” Ribble stated.

Ribble has actively participated in religious and philanthropic organizations – whose missions include protection and dignity of human life – in the Northeastern Wisconsin over the past thirty years.

“I have supported right to life causes in Wisconsin and the nation my entire adult life, and I will continue to support federal policies respecting and defending life in Washington,” Ribble concluded.

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Reid Ribble is a former small business owner running for Congress against Dr. Steve Kagen.

Earlier today, the U.S. Department of Labor released their monthly unemployment numbers, showing that the U.S. economy shed 125,000 jobs in June. However, the unemployment rate dropped to 9.5 percent from 9.7 percent in June. This drop is largely attributed to the amount of discouraged workers who stopped looking for work.

“The latest unemployment report shows exactly how the policies President Obama and Congressional Democrats have worked for the American family. The unemployment rate falls only because too many Americans have flat out given up searching for work. That’s the wrong way to reduce our unemployment rate,” stated Reid Ribble, reacting to the latest jobs report.

America currently has 2.6 million discouraged workers – meaning they have not searched for work in the past four weeks.¹ The job market has added 415,000 discouraged workers since June 2009.

“American businesses and employees are stagnant simply because they don’t know what the government will do next. It’s time for government to create sensible growth policies rather that create more uncertainty and confusion within the job market,” Ribble ended.

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Reid Ribble is a former small business owner running for Congress against Dr. Steve Kagen.

1.   Bureau of Labor Statistics, The Employment Situation — June 2010

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm

President Obama visited the Racine area today to discuss his plan to create jobs and grow the economy in Wisconsin and the rest of the country.

“After being in office for over 18 months, passing the $787 billion “stimulus” package and massive omnibus spending bills, Wisconsin has lost over 72,000 jobs, and President Obama, Steve Kagen, and other congressional democrats have added $3 trillion to our national debt,”¹ stated Reid Ribble, a former small business owner, in response to the Obama visit. “There could be no clearer sign that the federal government’s spending policies have not worked.”

Obama also made plugs for Wisconsin Democratic candidates, as they face tough elections this fall.

“It is clear that Washington has chosen what to focus its time on. After Steve Kagen and other Washington Democrats chose to not submit a budget last week to avoid voting for more spending and higher deficits, they instead have chosen to focus on the November elections rather than fixing the economy for struggling families.” Ribble concluded.

Reid Ribble is a former small business owner running for Congress against Dr. Steve Kagen.

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1. Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis: FRED Graph: Gross Federal Debt

http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/?chart_type=line&s[1][id]=FYGFD&s[1][range]=5yrs

The Fox Valley Initiative (FVI), an Appleton group of citizens dedicated to preserving freedom, integrity, and accountability in government held an online straw poll for their members last week for the 8^th Congressional race. Overwhelmingly, FVI members chose Reid Ribble, a former small business owner. With 56.4% of the vote, Ribble received more votes than all the other candidates combined.

“I am honored to receive the support of so many members of the Fox Valley Initiative,” stated Ribble. “We’re going to continue to work hard connecting with voters and sharing my message of balanced budgets, limited government, and true job creation policies. I hope to continue earning the trust and support of Wisconsin voters throughout the rest of the primary and into the general election,” Ribble concluded.

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For more information about Fox Valley Initiative and the straw poll:

http://foxvalleyinitiative.net/2010/reid-ribble-wins-fvi-straw-poll/

Last week, Dr. Steve Kagen announced his support to help small businesses by lowering their tax requirements and easing their access to credit.¹ It’s interesting to see Kagen aiding Wisconsin small business, because since Kagen was elected in 2006, federal figures show that Wisconsin has actually lost 6,700 businesses.² In contrast to the last four years, before Kagen was elected, from 2001 to 2006, when Wisconsin businesses grew faster than the national average.³

“This type of double-talk from a politician is exactly what Wisconsin residents don’t want, “ Reid Ribble, a former small business owner and candidate for the 8^th Congressional District stated, responding to the jobs numbers. “Since Kagen has been in office, he has continued to vote for federal policies that hurt Wisconsin small businesses. Votes in support of the federal takeover of health care, cap-and-trade legislation, and massive omnibus spending bills create harmful regulatory and tax policies that drive jobs out of Wisconsin.” “It is clear Steve Kagen doesn’t understand how small businesses operate,” Ribble concluded.

Ribble ran his Kaukauna area roofing business for more than 25 years.

“Wisconsin needs a Congressman who understands how small businesses operate, and will work to create pro-growth, pro-job policies that will keep Wisconsin open, growing, and hiring,” Ribble continued.

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1.  Steve Kagen, M.D. Press Release, Kagen Pushes For More Help For Small Businesses, June 16, 2010.
2.  Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance, “Wisconsin Loses 4.3% of Business Establishments in 2006-2009,” February 15, 2010.
3.  Ibid.

Congress: We Won’t Pass A Budget This Year
More “fiscal responsibility” from Washington we simply cannot afford

House Democrats will announce later today that they intend to not propose a budget resolution – the first time since the 1974 Budget Act was signed into law. Instead, they plan to offer a “functional equivalent” of a regular budget resolution.

Offering this alternative budget measure does not require the Congress to factor in future deficit projections, safely allowing Democrats – including 8^th Congressional District Representative Steve Kagen – to avoid voting for an unbalanced budget that raised the budget deficit in an election year.

“This resolution is a brazen attempt to hide even more government spending without having to vote for it,” said Reid Ribble, after hearing the news. “Once again, Steve Kagen and his leaders in Congress look to continue their path of massive government spending, behind closed doors. Once again, Congress continues to spend money and pass the buck down the road, only to place this burden on the backs of the American taxpayer.  This is a very far cry from the ‘fiscal responsibility’ that Congressman Kagen campaigns on in Wisconsin.”

“Wisconsinites are sick of Washington politics-as-usual,” continued Ribble. “They want a Congressman who will stand up for common sense solutions that help their businesses and create jobs, not a Congressman who just falls in line with what is best for his party.”

Reid Ribble is a former small business owner who is running for Congress against Steve Kagen.

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For more information on the federal budget, please read:

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/104373-house-dems-prep-budget-alternative-that-would-avoid-deficit-vote

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/104635-dems-wont-pass-budget

Robert Keller, Chairman and CEO of J. J. Keller & Associates, endorsed Reid Ribble’s campaign for Congress today. Keller heads one of the largest safety and regulatory compliance firms in the nation. J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc. is based in Wisconsin.

“I have over forty years of experience ensuring that Wisconsin businesses are following safety standards and regulations required by law. I was always impressed with Reid’s concern for safety and the workers he employed,” Keller said. “His attention to detail, as well as his astute business practices will serve him well in Washington. We need more legislators who understand the ins and outs of running a business and can bring real world experience to creating policy. Reid has proven that he has those skills.”

“I am honored and humbled to have the support of such a well-known business figure in Wisconsin,” added Ribble. “If anyone understands how government regulation affects Wisconsin businesses, it’s Bob Keller. I hope to bring his support, along with the support of so many other small business owners from Northeast Wisconsin, to Washington to create sensible policies that foster job growth here in the 8^th district.”

Reid Ribble is a former small business owner who is running for Congress against Steve Kagen.

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