Johnson Statement On DoJ Decision To Deny Overseas Military Members Full Voting Rights

Oshkosh, WI… After Attorney General Eric Holder and the Department of Justice today determined to uphold the State of Wisconsin’s waiver to allow overseas military voters the mandated 45 days to return their ballots, U.S. Senate Candidate Ron Johnson issued the following statement:

“The decision today by Attorney General Eric Holder to deny our brave men and women in uniform serving overseas the full opportunity to vote is unacceptable.  Members of the military should not be punished for serving their country overseas and deserve every effort on their behalf to be granted to opportunity to exercise the rights they are working so hard to protect.

“This is just one of several reprehensible decisions that we have seen from Attorney General Holder in recent months.  The Attorney General has shown no hesitation to put his own political beliefs ahead of the rights of American citizens.  This has been apparent through his decision to lead a lawsuit challenging the rights of the people of Arizona, followed by his total disregard for our military members.  Our Department of Justice should stand for fairness and execute the rule of the law, but Attorney General Holder has ignored these guidelines and followed his own political course.  Senator Feingold owes the people of Wisconsin, and members of the military and their families, an explanation as to why he stood strong with his Democrat leadership and voted such a reckless Attorney General into this powerful position in our country.”

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Stimulus Buys Brand New Buses For Two Riders An Hour

[Oshkosh, WI] In 2009, Russ Feingold voted for a stimulus bill he said would create jobs and pontificated that the funds should be spent wisely. But since that time Wisconsin has lost more than 78,000 jobs, Feingold is defending his vote, and a new report details 100 egregious examples of unwise stimulus spending.

The White Haven Area Transit system in Florida on average transports about two to three riders an hour, but that did not stop the federal government from sending more than $2.3 million to purchase five new buses for the fleet.  Even City Commissioner Jamie Beckett said he was “not convinced” the new buses were needed for the low amount of riders.

After both saying stimulus dollars should be spent wisely and subsequently defending his vote, it looks like Russ Feingold has no problem spending millions on wasteful projects.

“I have to believe there are better ways to improve our economy than Senator Feingold’s solution to spend nearly $2.5 million for two riders an hour,” said Juston Johnson, Campaign Manager for Ron Johnson for Senate.  “It’s no surprise that career politician Senator Feingold would think that wasting taxpayer dollars on projects is a way to create jobs.”

The Johnson Campaign will be highlighting wasteful stimulus spending projects Russ Feingold believes are getting the job done for Wisconsin families until Election Day.

Stimulus Facts:

Feingold Said “Stimulus” Must Be Spent Wisely. “Now that the economic recovery package has been signed into law, our focus must be on the challenges ahead, including getting our fiscal house in order and making sure that there is strong oversight of these taxpayer dollars. These funds must be spent wisely if they are to truly work for Wisconsin’s families.”  (Editorial, “Russ Feingold: Stimulus Package Makes Sense,” La Crosse Tribune, 2/25/2009.)

Three days prior to the signing of the stimulus, Senator Feingold issued a press release saying the stimulus would create 2.4 million jobs in the first year, and about nine million jobs in the first three years. (Senator Russ Feingold, ”Statement of U.S. Russ Feingold On The Economic Recovery Package,” Feingold Press Office, February 10, 2009.)

Feingold Provided the 60th Vote for the Stimulus Package. (H.R. 1, 2009 Roll Call #64: Adopted 60-38, 2/13/09, Feingold Voted Yea)

The National Economy has lost over 2.5 Million jobs since the stimulus was signed. (Source, Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov,, Accessed August 6, 2010)

Since the Stimulus was signed, the State of Wisconsin has lost more than 78,000 jobs. (Source, Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, Accessed August 20, 2010)

Feingold Defends Stimulus Vote. “I don’t apologize for those votes. Those were the right votes.” (“Feingold defends voting record, Hudson Star Observer, 7/28/2010)

New Report Details Misdirected Stimulus Spending. “Stimulus money is going toward iPods for high school students in Utah, cell phones for smokers trying to quit in Washington, D.C., and advertising devoted to the promotion of … the stimulus. The findings are part of a 74-page report put out by a pair of Republican senators who contend the $862 billion program is fraught with needless spending.” (“New GOP Report Details Misdirected Stimulus Spending, Associated Press, 8/3/2010)

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