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[mb7588a]

http://www.barrett4wisconsin.com/index.html

Announcement:

"Today, I am announcing that I am filing papers to run for Governor of the great state of Wisconsin.

Less than three months ago, I stood here with my family to thank the citizens of Milwaukee and people from all over Wisconsin for their heartfelt and genuine well wishes and support in the aftermath of the incident that took place outside State Fair.

Frankly, at that point in time, I was not thinking about the governor's race. I was hurt. I had to heal and get my strength back. And most importantly, as a family we had to take the time necessary to make a thoughtful and reasoned decision.

I love being the Mayor of Milwaukee. Voters have provided me with a great opportunity to address challenging issues that impact the daily lives of hundreds of thousands of people. From introducing and managing balanced budgets, to addressing and lowering crime to reforming our schools and investing in jobs, I have tackled the issues just as families across Wisconsin tackle challenges every single day.

We are confronting serious economic problems. Our families, our neighbors and our friends continue to lose ground and our state's collective anxiety is high.

It is time to pull together to create jobs and get our state's fiscal house in order.

That's why I'm running for governor. I take a common sense approach to problem solving. I have led our community through difficult times and I understand that Wisconsin families and workers want solutions, not rhetoric.

The problems we confront are complex. Wisconsin workers didn't vote to deregulate the financial industry. Residents are justly disappointed with reduced state property tax relief. And, employers - large and small - are making difficult hiring and lay-off decisions because the economy has left them with few choices.

Government isn't going to solve these problems alone. The business community isn't going to do it alone.

When I helped found Milwaukee 7 - a regional economic development initiative that brings together government and private business partners we knew the benefits of working together. Through M7, we retained and created 1600 Republic Airline jobs. We did it because we knew that old way of doing business just doesn't work any longer. Creating jobs is not driven by hard right or hard left ideology. If we are going to solve our problems we're going to need more pragmatism and less rhetoric.

Our efforts to transform Milwaukee's Menomonee Valley from a near empty, isolated industrial waste land into a vibrant jobs center has been accomplished because companies and the city agreed to work in unison. In order to succeed, we all agreed to listen, cooperate, and invest together. Look at the results: the Valley is now home to nearly 2,000 jobs.

Cities, towns and farms throughout Wisconsin are facing tough times. Our families struggle to make ends meet. And in these times, we want the taxes we pay to be collected fairly and spent frugally.

At the same time businesses are complaining about an unfriendly tax climate, local governments are seeing less property tax relief and increased state fees. Just this year, to balance the Milwaukee budget, I cut $32 million in spending and eliminated over 350 positions.

In short, no one's happy - homeowners, business owners, and farmers are hurting.

Pitting taxpayers, regions, or organizations against one another will not lead to real and practical solutions.

Wisconsin families want to pay less in property taxes. Our families and businesses want state tax increases to stop, our job base to grow and our low performing schools to be turned around.

These are the challenges I work on every single day. These are the issues I'm ready to tackle statewide. I am committed to breaking through ideological walls and breaking down the old and tired political boundaries. Wisconsin working men and women are tired of that.

In the coming months, I will detail my plans for moving Wisconsin forward. I welcome ideas from people throughout our state. This campaign will be about solutions - real and serious solutions - not slogans.

I am running for Governor because I believe in the people of Wisconsin, the businesses of Wisconsin, and the future of this state. I am running for Governor because we can build a strong economy, protect what is important, and create a great future for ourselves and our children."

[eqfan592]

1. If he pulls his head out of his arse....

...and gets behind concealed carry in this state, he'd win in a heart beat, and he'd do it supporting our civil rights more than any other Dem in this state has besides Russ Feingold (mind you, I'm unsure of Feingold's support of CCW as this is not an issue I believe he's ever had to deal with, but he's good when it comes to our other liberties, and he even spoke a little against renewal of the defunct and useless assault weapons ban).