Candidate Sees Need For Fresh Face In House

Candidate Sees Need For Fresh Face In House

Jeff Tyberg was born in 1969 — the same year Dave Obey was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Tyberg, 37, of Grantsburg, is hoping to challenge the 67-year-old Obey, D-Wausau, in the Nov. 7 election.

He'll first need to defeat two other Republicans: Nick Reid, former secretary to U.S. Rep. Jim Ryun, R-Kan., and Dave Robinson, a pilot who operates a custom log home business. They will meet in a Sept. 12 primary.

"I believe part of the problem (in Washington) are those career politicians," said Tyberg, who left his job at a coffee shop in January to campaign full time.

He has done mission work, worked in construction, at a grocery store and as a teen counselor and truck driver.

If elected, the Grantsburg native promised to serve a maximum of 10 years and fight to limit future representatives to serving five two-year terms and senators two six-year terms.

"It was our founding fathers' understanding and intention that elected officials should serve their country for a short time, not as career politicians," Tyberg stated on his Web site.

He also supports a national sales tax, which would cover capital gains, death, Medicare, payroll and Social Security taxes.

Congress must secure the United States' borders, including the U.S.-Canadian border, Tyberg said.

"The Canadian border is the one that nobody is paying attention to," he said. "(It's the one) that we need to pay more attention to."

He suggested that border states have their National Guard units do their weekend training along the borders.

"If you can make (sneaking into the U.S.) more difficult, … so they have to plan more, take more risks, it becomes less inviting," he said. "Right now, it's wide open."

http://www.leadertelegram.com/story.asp?id=66114