An Interview with Congressman Kimble on Wisconsin Union Riots

I’ve been hoping to put an interview with Congressman Jack Kimble (R-CA) up on the site for awhile now.  As you may know, Congressman Kimble is Last Stand for Children First’s Honorary Director.  What you may not know is that Congressman Jack was the only member of Congress to attend the tea party counter rallies in Madison, WI.  You can read about his travels and the gut-wrenching sacrifices his courageous band of heroes faced to help spread the cause of freedom at the following links:

• Congressman Kimble Arrives in Madison for Counter Protest
• Congressman Kimble Calls Madison, "Our Valley Forge Moment"
• Congressman Kimble Remembers Ill-Fated Madison Trip as a Shining Moment

Myron Miner: Thank you for agreeing to this interview Congressman.   I know you have a busy schedule, so I'll get right to the point.  Are you really calling what's going on in Madison a riot?

Jack Kimble: Thank you Myron.  What I saw in Wisconsin will forever haunt me.  As we walked with our signs I could see the harsh looks that many of the union protesters gave me and I must say, even if they weren't rioting in the streets, they were most certainly rioting in their minds.

MM: That had to be hard for you.  What was the worst moment for you.?

JK: On Saturday, we were driven inside by a ferocious blizzard.   We went to a local Denny's and the chicken noodle soup I ordered was luke warm and watery.  I drank it anyway and I was happy to have it.  Once those Koch buses left, the Tea Party protesters were trapped and I knew I had to act tough for them. There were good parts to though.  I met a man named Leo who was 82 years young.  He was part of a contingent of 5 Wisconsin Tea Partiers we met up with.  He had brought with the club that his father had used to disperse strikers in a 1935 strike when he was a strike breaker. 

MM: As a legislator, what do you think of the Wisconsin Democrats who left the state to stop the legislature from being able to pass this needed reform bill?

JK: I think it's just terrible.  The Democrats love to say that Abraham Lincoln tried the same tactic in 1840 in an unsuccessful bid to save the Illinois Bank, but I've never been a fan of Lincoln.  Only one President ever caused a civil war in this county and we lionize him.

MM: As an education reformer, I think this is great.   However, why does Governor Walker feel that he needs to end collective bargaining?

JK: Working in county government, Scott Walker saw unions refuse to make concessions and instead tell him to lay off workers.   He feels that these tactics drive salaries up and lead to layoffs and that is a tragedy.  That's why he's willing to lay off workers if the Democrats continue to fight him on this.   In fact, Governor Walker hates the negotiation process so much that this bill also contains language to allow him to sell off the state's utilities in a non-bid process.  I mean, who needs all the stress of a closed bid?

MM: Thank you for your time Congressman.

JK: Thanks Myron, I believe strongly in what you do for the children of this country.