I'm running for Congress as a Democrat in an open district here in Northeast Wisconsin. We're best known for the Green Bay Packers and their green and gold, but, in political terms, this district is both red and blue. As the swing area in a swing state, we've gotten used to presidential candidates spending quality time here. This is the kind of district we need to carry if Democrats are ever to return to power in Congress.
This is a largely working-class district, with a lot of manufacturing and dairying. (I grew up on a dairy farm myself.) By the numbers, we're doing just fine - our unemployment rate is relatively low, our schools are good by national standards, and people like living here, despite the impending retirement of Brett Favre. But there's a lot of worry about whether we can continue to depend on the kinds of jobs we've come to take for granted.
Procter & Gamble today announced they were siting a new paper machine in Green Bay. (As the former head of the state's economic development programs, I helped them decide to do so.) That's terrific news - P&G's several hundred million dollar investment in their plant here will guarantee the future of the several hundred union jobs it provides for years to come. But it won't create a single new job.
The biggest question we face is whether we can make our economy work better for more of us. Here in Green Bay, a job at a paper mill has long been a ticket from high school graduation to a comfortable retirement. As mill jobs slowly dwindle over time, we need to build an economy that works for the high school graduate as well as for the professional. And we have a lot of work to do on that front, both here and throughout the country.
Please keep in touch with me and offer suggestions over the coming months. I'll check back in with you soon. In the meantime, visit my website at http://www.wallforcongress.com.