5 Things Randy Bryce Means For The Middle Class: A Patch Report

RACINE COUNTY, WI -- Randy Bryce is a 53-year-old Caledonia Democrat who is seeking to succeed longtime opponent Republican Paul Ryan for the right to serve in Wisconsin's First Congressional District.

Wisconsin Patch reached out to he and his opponent, 37-year-old Janesville Republican Bryan Steil, to hear the five things they would mean to the area's middle-class population if they were elected. The two candidates will be on the ballot in select communities in southeastern Wisconsin during the Tues. Nov. 6, 2018 general election.

We asked both candidates to formulate their positions and responses in two paragraphs on the following five topics:

1) Access to post-secondary education
2) Tax Relief
3) Area Employment
4) Public Safety
5) National Vibe

We are defining the area's middle class along the following lines:

Population: 25 years of age and older.
Education: A high-school diploma in addition to at least some college and/or tech school education.
Income: A median household income of $41,178.

Here are Bryce's answers in his own words:

1) Access to post-secondary education

I have a son that is in public school-- and I want him to be able to get a good education, from elementary school all the way to college, apprenticeship, or technical school. Our federal government currently places an extremely high interest rate on federal student loans-- which stops students from even attempting to get a higher education.

The government should not make a profit off of these students and their families. We should cap the federal student loan interest rate and ultimately look to lower it. We also need loan forgiveness and scholarships so students don't have to go into massive debt to get an education.

2) Tax Relief

This past year, Donald Trump and Paul Ryan have given a tax scam to the millionaires and billionaires on the backs of working people. Paul Ryan has spent a lot of time touting the tax cuts middle-class families will receive in his so-called “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.”

What he consistently fails to mention is that those tax cuts are set to expire in ten years. As a member of Congress, I would lobby to make those tax cuts permanent, while eliminating tax loopholes for corporations and the very wealthy.

3) Area Employment

Wisconsin workers are facing a time of increasing automation, outsourcing & downsizing of jobs, and contractual employment without benefits. We can have good paying jobs and bring them back to the district. Additionally, No one working full-time should live in poverty.

People have to work two or three jobs in order to make ends meet. I support efforts to increase the minimum wage to $15/ hour. I want to use my on-the-job experience working with Ironworkers Local 8 to improve workforce development and training in all these areas.

4) Public Safety

I am proud to be the son of a police officer, and I respect the job of law enforcement in our community. But I also know there are areas where we can work together to make our community safer and fairer. We must transform our criminal justice system to end the state of violence perpetrated against people of color.

Right here in Wisconsin, the incarceration rate for black men — 13 percent — is nearly double the rest of the country’s rate. Our justice system must be one that recognizes the dignity and humanity of all people. This will require action within our communities and on all levels of government.

5) National Vibe

We have a unique opportunity to see a working man truly represent working people. I know what the people of Southeast Wisconsin have been facing, because I have been struggling alongside them. I having been standing up for working families and those that have been forgotten for years, and that has driven my campaign.

I want to represent the working families from Wisconsin’s First Congressional District-- not the special interest groups that have been funding Republican for years. Our campaign is fueled by small dollar donors-- not millionaires and billionaires. I am going to Washington to represent the people-- and that means working on their behalf. I am open to working with anyone in Washington, regardless of party affiliation, in order to make the lives of working people in Southeast Wisconsin better.

Image Via Randy Bryce Campaign