Feingold Talks Jobs in Milwaukee

U.S. Senator Russ Feingold spent some time yesterday in Milwaukee, where he spoke at the Working America Canvass Office and joined Working America, the AFL-CIO’s grassroots organization for workers who don’t have unions on the job. Here’s a YouTube clip of Sen. Feingold speaking to Working America:

In addition to his remarks supporting Working America, Sen. Feingold also announced his plans to introduce a package of economic development legislation that would benefit Wisconsin and particularly the Milwaukee area. According to JSOnline, Feingold told Journal Sentinel editors and writers his bills would focus on ways to encourage innovation by small businesses, to create jobs related to energy conservation, to provide additional training and transportation opportunities for workers, and to forge partnerships between schools and businesses.

What I found interesting is the fact that Feingold said the legislation was developed after he consulted with prominent business leaders and philanthropists in the Milwaukee area, including Sheldon Lubar and Joseph Zilber

Although the legislation will be national in scope, Feingold said, he developed it after consulting with prominent business leaders and philanthropists, such as investor Sheldon Lubar and developer Joseph Zilber, about what was most needed to stimulate the southeastern Wisconsin economy. In my opinion, this is what we need more of – public officials like Sen. Feingold who aren’t afraid or unwilling to sit down and talk with folks in the private sector – like Joseph Zilber and Sheldon Lubar – to figure out how government can augment the work already being done by philanthropists and other folks in the community. It’s obvious there’s no one easy answer as to how to tackle joblessness, underemployment, homelessness, and poverty, and so it’s going to take more than a “one size fits all” approach. It’s going to take government working with the private sector collaboratively to find the solutions to fix the problems that ail our society.