Dear Friend:

Thank you for responding to my recent Legislative Issues Survey. Your views, along with many others from our 25th Assembly District, have been compiled from nearly 2,700 responses. I thought they might be of interest to you.

Again this year the response has been terrific, producing a number of interesting results. I really appreciate you taking the time to fill out the questionnaire and sending it back to me. Most importantly, thank you for letting me know your opinion on these issues. It is an important step in making government work a bit better for all of us.

Your thoughts and views are important to me. As always, please do not hesitate to contact me on these or any other matter of importance to you. You can contact me in any manner that is convenient to you from the list of contact numbers and addresses listed below. Thanks again for your important input.

Sincerely,

Bob Ziegelbauer
State Representative
25th Assembly District

HEALTH CARE:

1. Are you covered by Health Insurance?

   6% No
   94% Yes

2. How much do you pay for your health insurance per month?

   25% $0-$100
   35% $101- $250
   19% $251 - $500
   12% More than $500
   9% Don't know / not applicable.

3. Does your health insurance include coverage for prescription drugs?

   32% No
   68% Yes

4. Do you support proposals banning research on stem cells derived from human embryos (research which is aimed at finding therapies or cures for diseases such as juvenile diabetes, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, cancer, spinal cord injuries, and other chronic diseases)?

   46% No
   21% Undecided
   33% Yes

5. Which of the following statements most closely reflects your opinion about abortion and the law?

   14% Abortion should remain legal without restriction.
   18% Abortion should be legal except for partial birth abortion in the third trimester when the mother's life is not in danger.
   33% Abortion should be illegal except for rape, incest, or if the mother's life is in danger.
   17% Abortion should be illegal except if the mother's life is in danger.
   18% Abortion should be illegal without exception.

TRAFFIC & PUBLIC SAFETY:

6. Recently the standard for blood alcohol content for intoxicated driving in Wisconsin was reduced from .10% to .08%. Would you favor reducing it further?

   77% No
   8% Undecided
   15% Yes

7. Would you support proposals allowing for primary enforcement of Wisconsin's mandatory seat belt law (motorists could be stopped and ticketed for this alone)?

   67% No
   6% Undecided
   27% Yes

8. Do you support proposals which would require older drivers (over 75 years of age) to be tested for vision and physical driving ability more frequently than once every eight years as is required of all other drivers in Wisconsin?

   21% No
   8% Undecided
   71% Yes

9. The City of Manitowoc is considering construction of a section of Magnolia Avenue between North 8th Street and the 2 Malls at cost to local taxpayers estimated to exceed $2 million. Do you favor this project?

   67% No
   18% Undecided
   15% Yes

10. Wisconsin has not had the death penalty for over 100-years. Should the death penalty be available as a sentencing option for first degree murder?

    30% No
    14% Undecided
    56% Yes

11. Do you support a proposal that would allow people to obtain a permit to carry a concealed firearm if they have passed a specified training program, paid a fee, and have no history of crime or mental illness?

    46% No
    9% Undecided
    45% Yes

12. The most recent 'concealed carry' proposal allowed concealed weapons to be brought into private homes and businesses. Governor Doyle vetoed that bill. Regardless of how you feel about the issue of concealed carry, should future proposals require that anyone carrying a concealed weapon must get permission from the private home or business before entering?

    17% No
    12% Undecided
    71% Yes

13. Currently, employers can consider the criminal history of job applicants only if it relates directly to the job they are seeking. Do you support proposals to allow employers to consider the criminal history even if it does not directly relate to the job being applied for?

    26% No
    12% Undecided
    62% Yes

EDUCATION:

14. With the passage of a recent referendum in Manitowoc, all schools in our area will have a school lunch program. Would you be in favor of the addition of a school breakfast program at our local public schools?

    65% No
    11% Undecided
    24% Yes

15. Would you be in favor of requiring that all junior high students take a tour of a state prison facility as part of their school curriculum as a deterrent to crime and gang influences?

    70% Yes
    19% No
    11% Undecided

16. Currently the Manitowoc Public School District has a separate Kindergarten Center. Do you think Kindergarten should move back into the applicable local neighborhood school?

    57% Yes
    17% No
    26% Undecided

17. Do you support the current limitations on annual salary and benefit increases for public school teachers and administrators (also known as the QEO)?

    58% Yes
    25% No
    17% Undecided

18. Do you support the current system of controls, which limits the annual increases in spending by public school districts (but allows exceeding the limits by referendum approval of the voters of the school district)?

    74% Yes
    13% No
    13% Undecided

19. Would you favor aggressive prosecution of the laws related to truancy (requiring children less than 18 to attend school)?

    74% Yes
    13% No
    13% Undecided

20. Should parents be penalized if their children are repeatedly truant from school?

    24% No
    20% Undecided
    56% Yes

ECONOMY:

21. Do you feel that the State of Wisconsin is generally "headed in the right direction"?

    36% No
    31% Undecided
    33% Yes

22. For the economic future of Manitowoc County, do you believe it would it be more desirable to increase our base of:

    83% Manufacturing
    7% Tourism/destination sites
    10% Other

23. Compared to 5-years ago, do you feel your ability to maintain or find a job in your field is:

    6% Better than before
    59% Worse than before
    35% About the same

24. In the past 25-years, the telephone industry has gone from being rigidly "regulated" by government as to price and services, to being generally "deregulated". Do feel deregulation of the telephone industry has:

    27% Lowered prices
    53% Raised prices
    20% Had no effect

25. Do feel deregulation of the telephone industry has:

    72% Increased choices
    10% Decreased choices
    18% Had no effect

26. Describe your Internet broadband connection:

    7% DSL (digital subscriber lines)
    4% Cable Modem
    44% Dial-up Connections (ISDN)
    1% Other:_____________
    44% Not applicable.

27. In regard to the speed of your Internet service: 11% Desire faster, but not available.

    34% Desire faster, but too expensive.
    6% Do not have, too expensive
    6% Other:_____________
    43% Not applicable.

ELECTIONS & LOCAL GOVERNMENT:

28. Would you support a proposal to require each voter to produce a photo ID in order to be able to vote?

    26% No
    10% Undecided
    64% Yes

29. Would you be in favor of on-line voting via the Internet if it insures anonymity, accuracy and security?

    62% No
    10% Undecided
    28% Yes

30. Do you favor spending controls on state and local government which would place a limit on the growth of expenditures from year to year that could only be exceeded by a referendum of the voters of that area?

    12% No
    11% Undecided
    77% Yes

31. In the City of Manitowoc, the outdoor swimming pool has broken down and swimming in Lake Michigan is often not allowed. Do you support construction of a new outdoor pool in the city, if primarily paid for by?:

    22% Private contributions
    3% Government funds
    63% Combination of private & government
    12% Do not support a new pool.

SOCIETAL:

32. In the past few months there have been a number of developments around the country dealing with the legal definition of marriage. Current law in Wisconsin states that marriage is between a husband and a wife. However court decisions in other states might make it possible for a court decision in another state to change our state law. As a result the Wisconsin Legislature is proposing changing the State Constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman. Do you favor this?

    15% No
    6% Undecided
    79% Yes

33. Some states (like Vermont) allow for "civil unions" which provide similar legal benefits to couples of the same sex as heterosexual married couples. Do you favor proposals to create "civil union" arrangements in Wisconsin, as long as the term 'marriage' is not used? Choose only one:

    20% Yes
    9% Yes, but I am also in favor of using the term 'marriage'.
    63% No
    8% Undecided

34. If you had a choice would you rather:

    32% Live near where you want to work?
    68% Work near where you want to live?

MISCELLANEOUS:

35. Which THREE of the following issues are of the greatest importance to you?

    #1 Taxes 23%
    #2 Local Economic Conditions 20%
    #3 Access to Health Care 17%
    #4 Crime & Public Safety 12%
    #5 Job Prospects 10%
    #6 Education 8%
    #7 Foreign Trade 6%
    #8 Other:________________ 3%
    #9 Traffic 1%