MONROE - Twenty-three people packed in to the Monroe Public Library conference room on Tuesday to question U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan on Social Security issues and encourage the legislator to avoid the Republicans' plan of privatizing the system.
Attendees also focused on policy directly affecting their lives, such as the gender wage gap and the cost of college education, though they focused more on campaign finance and secondary education within Wisconsin.
Pocan, representative for Wisconsin's 2nd District, stopped in Green County for an hour-long listening session to hear concerns from constituents before moving on to Darlington. He opened the session with talk of Congress and ways in which he hopes the legislative body can create movement rather than continue with little action. He said the method in which bills are introduced is "the greatest barrier to things getting on the Congress floor," with all but a tiny percentage introduced only through the Speaker of the House.
"This is a really a great time to get rid of the Hastert Rule," Pocan said. "However, it was renamed as of last week to be called the "Majority Rule.'"
The Hastert Rule refers to an informal method of bill introduction created in the mid-1990s under then Speaker Dennis Hastert. It was begun by Republicans to maintain speakerships and limit the power of the minority party to bring bills to floor. It is also known as the "majority of the majority rule." Pocan said especially since Hastert is going to prison, it would be the right time to change the rule's standing. Hastert was sentenced to 15 months in prison for restructuring bank transactions to avoid reporting requirements as a way to hide now admitted sexual abuse of young boys when he was a teacher in Illinois.
Pocan said until Congress is functioning once more, introducing legislation with the enacted rule will continue to be difficult.
A focal point of discussion among questioners was the state of Social Security. Pocan talked about his 87-year-old mother and how he frequently referred to her Social Security payments and cost of living while presenting on the floor of Congress.
"I would agree we should be strengthening Social Security," he said.
Pocan added that an important step would be to lift the cap on how much an individual making high income can pay into the Social Security program, which he claimed if lifted completely would add 75 years of stability to social security within the United States.
Derek Hoesly of Monroe asked Pocan what the future holds for gun control and background checks to purchase a weapon. He specifically wanted to know which fellow representatives have expressed interest in working together to create comprehensive reform of gun laws and which refuse to compromise on the issue.
Pocan explained that he was not going to name individuals but said that each time a mass shooting occurs, Congress holds a moment of silence.
"People are saying, "Why don't we just have moments of action rather than moments of silence?'" Pocan said.
The representative said Congress should bring a measure regarding gun violence prevention to the floor within a week of each mass shooting in the U.S. He added that he was going to miss the "pragmatic" Rep. Reid Ribble, R-Neenah, because all of the state lawmakers work together supportively.
Jeanette Kelty, co-chair of the Monroe United to Amend campaign, asked whether Pocan supports an amendment to the Constitution stating that corporations are not people and do not have the same rights as individuals in election spending, essentially reversing the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2010 stating they are allowed those rights, as well as the ability to anonymously donate large sums of money through the use of super political action committees. Pocan said he agreed with the effort put forward by United to Amend and liked the grassroots simplicity of the movement to gain traction through referendum voting.
"We want to at least know where the money is coming from," Pocan said. "The anonymity is the real problem."
However, he hit a sticking point with a handful of constituents when questioned about term limits. Pocan said he did not think limiting the amount of times an individual can serve within an office is the correct method of governing, and that it empowers bureaucracy and the lobbyists while harming lawmakers.
Public education was a topic of broad discussion. Debbie Fairbanks of Monticello indicated the state decisions regarding teachers' salaries created a shortage. She asked, "What does the law of demand say now?" and said that teachers had been undervalued. Pocan agreed and said though the country has seen a lack of interest in teaching, Wisconsin has a significant problem, mostly rooted in a lack of respect for educators.
"I see multiple problems at the Wisconsin level, and people just don't want to go into teaching right now," Pocan said. "We've got a lot of fixing to do."
Attendees also focused on policy directly affecting their lives, such as the gender wage gap and the cost of college education, though they focused more on campaign finance and secondary education within Wisconsin.
Pocan, representative for Wisconsin's 2nd District, stopped in Green County for an hour-long listening session to hear concerns from constituents before moving on to Darlington. He opened the session with talk of Congress and ways in which he hopes the legislative body can create movement rather than continue with little action. He said the method in which bills are introduced is "the greatest barrier to things getting on the Congress floor," with all but a tiny percentage introduced only through the Speaker of the House.
"This is a really a great time to get rid of the Hastert Rule," Pocan said. "However, it was renamed as of last week to be called the "Majority Rule.'"
The Hastert Rule refers to an informal method of bill introduction created in the mid-1990s under then Speaker Dennis Hastert. It was begun by Republicans to maintain speakerships and limit the power of the minority party to bring bills to floor. It is also known as the "majority of the majority rule." Pocan said especially since Hastert is going to prison, it would be the right time to change the rule's standing. Hastert was sentenced to 15 months in prison for restructuring bank transactions to avoid reporting requirements as a way to hide now admitted sexual abuse of young boys when he was a teacher in Illinois.
Pocan said until Congress is functioning once more, introducing legislation with the enacted rule will continue to be difficult.
A focal point of discussion among questioners was the state of Social Security. Pocan talked about his 87-year-old mother and how he frequently referred to her Social Security payments and cost of living while presenting on the floor of Congress.
"I would agree we should be strengthening Social Security," he said.
Pocan added that an important step would be to lift the cap on how much an individual making high income can pay into the Social Security program, which he claimed if lifted completely would add 75 years of stability to social security within the United States.
Derek Hoesly of Monroe asked Pocan what the future holds for gun control and background checks to purchase a weapon. He specifically wanted to know which fellow representatives have expressed interest in working together to create comprehensive reform of gun laws and which refuse to compromise on the issue.
Pocan explained that he was not going to name individuals but said that each time a mass shooting occurs, Congress holds a moment of silence.
"People are saying, "Why don't we just have moments of action rather than moments of silence?'" Pocan said.
The representative said Congress should bring a measure regarding gun violence prevention to the floor within a week of each mass shooting in the U.S. He added that he was going to miss the "pragmatic" Rep. Reid Ribble, R-Neenah, because all of the state lawmakers work together supportively.
Jeanette Kelty, co-chair of the Monroe United to Amend campaign, asked whether Pocan supports an amendment to the Constitution stating that corporations are not people and do not have the same rights as individuals in election spending, essentially reversing the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2010 stating they are allowed those rights, as well as the ability to anonymously donate large sums of money through the use of super political action committees. Pocan said he agreed with the effort put forward by United to Amend and liked the grassroots simplicity of the movement to gain traction through referendum voting.
"We want to at least know where the money is coming from," Pocan said. "The anonymity is the real problem."
However, he hit a sticking point with a handful of constituents when questioned about term limits. Pocan said he did not think limiting the amount of times an individual can serve within an office is the correct method of governing, and that it empowers bureaucracy and the lobbyists while harming lawmakers.
Public education was a topic of broad discussion. Debbie Fairbanks of Monticello indicated the state decisions regarding teachers' salaries created a shortage. She asked, "What does the law of demand say now?" and said that teachers had been undervalued. Pocan agreed and said though the country has seen a lack of interest in teaching, Wisconsin has a significant problem, mostly rooted in a lack of respect for educators.
"I see multiple problems at the Wisconsin level, and people just don't want to go into teaching right now," Pocan said. "We've got a lot of fixing to do."