Interview with Ed Thompson

by Rick Braun

Ed Thompson is running for the Wisconsin State Senate as a Republican in the 31st Senate district. In Wisconsin, the Thompson name carries extra clout, as he is the brother of former Wisconsin governor Tommy Thompson.

In 2002, Ed Thompson made his own run for governor of Wisconsin, earning 185,085 votes – 11 percent of the vote – in the election was won by Gov. Jim Doyle.

Thompson also was elected to two terms as mayor of Tomah.

He is now running for the State Senate seat currently held by Democrat Kathleen Vinehout.

Thompson recently spent some time with Reality News for an interview.

Reality News: First off, can you cite some of Vinehout’s votes that you believe were wrong and why were they wrong?

Ed Thompson: The whole thing for me boils down to I’m for less government. She introduced a 10 percent payroll tax to pay for the health care that she proposed. Of course, that’s not there now because of the national health care. But that’s the type of thing that would break a small business like me. The National Federation of Independent Business (NIFB), they rated her an absolute zero for small, independent businesses. And that’s what I am. I’m a small, independent businessman. I’m not a politician. But from a businessman’s point of view, I can not take any more taxes, any more increase in taxes. I’m against how she has no problem raising taxes, how she can borrow more money, spend more money. Those are the principles where I find myself and Kathleen Vinehout on the opposite end of the spectrum.

Reality News: You have significant name recognition from your brother and your run for Governor in 2002. But some believe your entry in the race took votes away from Scott McCallum and helped Jim Doyle win the race. Do you worry about any kind of backlash? Or does the fact you’ve won Mayoral races since put those worries behind you?

Ed Thompson: That’s a good point. We did a survey five days after the 2002 election and the polls showed that 23% would have voted for me if they thought I had a chance to win. The other question was that it was roughly equal each way from Republicans and Democrats. I don’t think it would have made any difference in the election.

Reality News: You ran as a Libertarian back then and you’re running as a Republican now. What do you see as the difference between the two parties?

Ed Thompson: That’s a good question. I’m mayor of Tomah now, which is nonpartisan, and I ran (in 2002) as a Libertarian, which is pretty independent of the two parties. But Dr. Ron Paul, who I have great respect for, in 1988 ran as a Libertarian for the presidency. He went back to Texas and didn’t do anything for eight years and then he ran as a Republican for the House of Representatives and he won and he’s made a difference and he’s been involved. And he never voted for a tax increase and he’s never voted against the Constitution. And I read his book, The Revolution: A Manifesto and it’s so basic and back to the very principles of what our government is built on. And I thought, “Man, I want to make a difference, too.” And I really hate what’s going on in Madison in the Senate and how they just continue to increase the size of government. It’s not what I believe in.

Reality News: What do you believe government’s function should be as far as creating jobs?

Ed Thompson: I don’t think it’s the government’s job. I think government should get out of the way – make less taxes, less burden, give attraction to people to come and stay and not take all the money. When they take all the money away from businesses to do what they think is better, that chases businesses away. How can a business grow? I can’t pay my employees more, I can’t expand my business if I have to give the money I make to the government. There’s no way I can improve it. Their idea of socializing our country and giving away all these wonderful benefits has to come out of the back pocket of somebody. And when it comes out of the back pocket of the people who come to my business and I’m forced to give it to the government, how in the world can that create jobs? It costs jobs.

Reality News: Along the same lines, what do you believe government’s function should be as far as taking care of its lessfortunate citizens?

Ed Thompson: That’s a good question, too. I think government should always show kindness and goodness. Nobody should be cold in the streets. But when it comes down to it, I believe greatly in charity. I have a free Thanksgiving dinner I run every year here. For the last eight years I read to the care center. And that’s not in politics, it’s just because they’re human beings and I care for them. I believe I should be able to give to the charity of my choice. I don’t believe it should be forced on me by the government. I think it’s better done in the private sector; by the churches, by the communities. Make sure that nobody’s in the streets. I’d much rather buy blankets for the people on skid row than bombs for Afghanistan.

Reality News: From a generally anecdotal point of view, it appears that just about every unit of government – local, state, federal – is running out of money. Is the current system sustainable without a major change?

Ed Thompson: How could they not run out of money the way they spend money? Of course the current system is not sustainable. But the major change is not killing people or a revolution. It’s common sense: Don’t spend more money than you take in. There’s not a businessman in the world that’s been in any way successful who didn’t understand that basic principle. You’ve got to live within your budget; you’ve got to live within your means. They had a $58-billion budget last year, the biggest budget in the history of the State of Wisconsin, and they went $6 billion over that. Can you imagine that? Who in their right mind would vote for a budget like that and want more and think government should do more? It’s just lunacy.

Reality News: So how would you bring that change?

Ed Thompson: How would anybody? I’d be there. You have to vote against these things. I would never vote for anything that takes away freedom. I would never vote for anything that raises taxes. I would vote for ways to roll back, just as I’ve done as mayor and just like I do running the business. It doesn’t take a Philadelphia lawyer to figure that one out.

Reality News: As a small business owner, can you point out the government policies that have hurt you over the last eight years?

Ed Thompson: Where haven’t they hurt us? They force unemployment compensation on me, I have to pay more cigarette tax, I have to pay more liquor tax, I have to pay more property tax. Tell me how in the world they’ve helped me.

Reality News: What accomplishments as mayor do you point to with the most pride?

Ed Thompson: Well, taxes haven’t raised since I’ve been mayor. In fact, they’ve either been lower or stayed the same every time. I started a senior center in this town at no cost to the taxpayers. It’s self-sustaining, and they feed over 80 people a day there. It’s one of the most successful ones around. It’s caring for the people but knowing that you have to live within your budget. That’s a simple philosophy.

Reality News: Is there anything as mayor you would have done differently in hindsight?

Ed Thompson: No. I spent $17 to get elected and I ran against a three-time incumbent and beat him big, so the people like people who are not going to waste their money. Just look at things with common sense. I’m a common man with common sense. And that’s really what we need.

Reality News: I note on your website you use that phrase “common man with common sense.” In reality, hasn’t sense in government actually become uncommon?

Ed Thompson: That’s the problem. That’s the problem in a nutshell. Don’t you think it’s time for sense to become common again? To wake up to reality that you cannot do this? That you cannot be the benefactor to the world? That you have to take care of your own and live within your means? There’s no other way to do it. And you really don’t need a lot of this law and that law to come up with this kind of rational reasoning. Wouldn’t you like to have (government), before they start a new program that’s going to save the world, eliminate one of the last ones they started that was going to save the world? It didn’t work before and it’s not going to work now and I’ve never seen them start a government program that hasn’t ended up costing more money than they projected and not working as well as they said they would. I can’t think of one. And everyone of them has cost me more money and they’ve never eliminated one of the ones that didn’t work.

Reality News: I’m sure you’ve been asked this dozens if not hundreds of times. Any insight as to whether Tommy is going to run for the US Senate against Russ Feingold?

Ed Thompson: That’s a question reserved for Tommy alone. I think he’s going to, but that’s just my opinion.