Johnson has served state well

It’s concerning when a writer purposely distorts a public record strictly for political purposes. That’s what Emily Mills did in her Feb. 7 column with her attempted hit piece on Sen. Ron Johnson (“Ron Johnson is still a blank slate,” Crossroads).

Johnson, after being in Washington less than five years, has distinguished himself as the chairman of the chief oversight committee in the U.S. Senate, the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. In a short time, he has earned the respect of his colleagues and constituents.

He has authored and co-authored laws helping veterans find jobs, get better health care benefits and get access to private doctors and facilities. This month, he has convened national security listening sessions on domestic terrorism. Having personally visited all 72 Wisconsin counties, he is very responsive to his constituents and keeps them up to date through mailings, town hall meetings and social media.

Russ Feingold’s greatest feat was co-producing the McCain-Feingold Act, which was supposed to regulate political campaigns. Instead, it shifted money from campaigns controlled by the candidates to independent groups that can now donate without the public knowing where the money is coming from. After 18 years in the Senate and getting removed from office, he wants to return. He wants to continue the government’s growth, taxation and government entitlements.

Johnson, on the other hand, has demonstrated how to control government spending, pay down our national debt and focus on economic growth, which will produce jobs for the struggling middle class. Instead of just assailing Obamacare, he has detailed its faults and then recommended exactly what to do to improve it.

The contrasts between the two could not be more stark.

Paul A. Gruber Sheboygan