Building bridges

U.S. Senator Ron Johnson brought a message of Memorial Day nonpartisanship as he spoke at the Medford VFW post on Monday afternoon.

Johnson spoke of the million service men and women who died fighting in America’s wars since the start of the United States and of the 620,000 who died in the Civil War.

“That was a war that pitted sometimes family member against family member, it was a terrible moment in American history and during that time it was president Lincoln, quoting scripture, who said ‘a house divided against itself cannot stand,’” Johnson said.

See SEN. RON JOHNSON on page 16 He noted that if someone had asked him a few years ago about the challenges facing America he would have talked about debt and the deficit, and while he said they remain important, he said, “The greatest threat to America is how horribly divided we are politically.”

Johnson said that the good news is that Americans are not a naturally divided people. “Don’t we all want the same things to live in peace again?” Johnson asked.

“We want safety and security. We want to have enough economic opportunities so we can take care of ourselves and family,” Johnson said. “These are universal goals.”

He challenged the standing-room only crowd of people to not allow themselves to be divided. He referred to times of local, state and national tragedies when Americans have come together to help. “We send truckloads of building materials and we send trucks full of volunteers to help our fellow Americans rebuild,” he said.

He noted the actions of firefighters and responders during the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York and the determination of those on United Flight 93 over Pennsylvania that day. “They weren’t concerned about themselves, they were concerned about their loved ones,” he said.

“That’s who we are as people. America’s a good country because we are good people,” he said, noting that while there will always be less than perfect leaders, “Americans are good people, that’s what unites us. And that’s what I just want everybody to dedicate themselves to this Memorial Day.”

Following his comments, Johnson asked for questions from the audience.

He was asked about the abortion issue as being one that divides Republicans and Democrats.

Johnson responded praising the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade and stating there is no privacy right in the Constitution. He said the Supreme Court turned the issue back to the people.

He cited his own Pro-Life beliefs, however, he said “We live in a secular society and people have different moral positions.”

He advocated for a single issue referendum to go to Wisconsin voters to decide at what point as a society we have the responsibility to protect life. “I think we all agree at some point we have the responsibility,” he said. He noted that places like Florida have set this at 6 weeks, while Europe, which he described as being very secular, have set it at 12 weeks.

He noted that under Gov. Scott Walker, the state passed legislation setting it at 20 weeks, suggesting it could be tightened up to 14 weeks.

Other questions were asked about why Social Security is referred to as an entitlement when it was something retirees paid into. Johnson noted that was the terminology people used, but noted that a major reason he remains concerned about debt and the deficit is on the ability of the country to continue to pay out benefits not only to retirees but also veterans.

He said one of the problems is that everybody keeps asking for federal benefits. “Most politicians are happy to vote for benefits because that helps them get reelected. That is why we are in such dire straits financially,” he said.

The visit was cut off by Johnson’s staff member stating a need to go to another appointment after a resident raised allegations about Johnson’s role in the January 6, 2021 riot in Washington, D.C. Johnson denied any wrongdoing.