Chippewa Herald: Johnson touts job creation, reduced government in Chippewa Falls visit

By Alicia Yager

U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson visited SGI in Chippewa Falls Monday to tour the facility and see the company’s latest product, due to be shipped out in about a month.

Johnson received a first-hand look at SGI’s newest technology: a high-performance computer server which SGI Vice President Dick Harkness said allows for better speed and interconnectivity in systems.

Harkness said the company spent 18 months developing the server and has already seen a substantial demand for it.

“It will test our production capability,” Harkness said.

Johnson said he chose to tour SGI Monday because of its growth and success in Wisconsin, despite not being a native company.

“It’s a positive sign,” Johnson said. “It’s a company … headquartered in California that is growing (in Wisconsin).”

Johnson highlighted the need for government to decrease regulations on companies and create a more attractive business climate.

To help with his goal of reduced government, the Republican said he is currently working on a bill that would place a moratorium on new federal regulations on companies — at least until the monthly unemployment rate drops below 7.7 percent.

“We need to take the burden off of job creators,” Johnson said.

Another bill in the works for Johnson is aimed at reducing the federal workforce. For every three federal employees retiring from a position, there will only be one new rehire.

This adds into his overall goal of reducing federal government spending and resolving the country’s mounting national debt. He said every program and agency can and should be looked at for cuts, even the Department of Defense, though he added that proper national security should still be maintained.

Johnson did not specifically say if his quest to reduce federal spending would include decreased government contracts with SGI or other Chippewa County companies, but he did say companies should not focus on government funding as a business model.

Despite 2012 being a year of high-profile elections, Johnson declined to give an endorsement to either a Republican presidential candidate or anyone in the race to replace outgoing U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl.

“I’ll let voters decide,” Johnson said. “My first priority is … people that don’t want to be “president” or “senator” but will seriously work for solutions.”

This article was posted on The Chippewa Herald.

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Sen. Johnson tours Chippewa Falls business, holds jobs roundtable during visit

By Trent Artus

Chippewa Falls (WQOW) - A U.S. Senator makes a stop in the Chippewa Valley.

On Monday, Sen. Ron Johnson visited SGI in Chippewa Falls.  The company is currently producing a new type of computer server and Johnson wanted to learn more about the product.

In December, the national unemployment rate dropped to eight and a half percent.

“Sure it’s good news, it’s better than having a net decrease in jobs,” says Sen. Ron Johnson, (R) Wisconsin.

However, Johnson says the numbers come with caution.

“Part of the bad news in the numbers is we’ve lost 170,000 people to the workforce,” says Johnson.  “They’ve been so discouraged by economic progress they just dropped out of the workforce.”

Another topic Johnson weighed in on was the payroll tax holiday extension approved by lawmakers at the end of 2011.  Johnson voted against the measure.  He believes the tax holiday has had little impact on the economy.

“We can target tax relief for middle and low income families, that would be a better approach, it wouldn’t cost that much, we wouldn’t have to find as many cost off-sets, but I think we need to restore the payroll tax to where it should be long-term so we actually fund America’s retirement program,” says Johnson.

As for the 2012 presidential race, Johnson says he isn’t throwing his support behind a specific Republican candidate just yet.

“I’ve been watching the debates and over time, the Republican candidates are honing their message and they’re listening to people, that’s kind of a natural progression of campaign,” says Johnson.  ”I think I’m happy to give these candidates a little more time, I will say that any Republican candidate will be a vast improvement over President Obama.”

While in the area, Johnson also visited the veterans homeless shelter in Chippewa Falls, spoke with high school students in Eau Claire and held a roundtable on job creation with the Eau Claire Chamber of Commerce.

This article was posted on WQRO.com.

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