Herb Kohl: “we in the Senate spend a great deal of time arguing about the appropriate role of the Federal Government. Certainly this…”

“we in the Senate spend a great deal of time arguing about the appropriate role of the Federal Government. Certainly this past election has shown us that the American people are changing their opinions about the role that the Federal Government ought to play in our lives. That debate will continue long into the future. But one thing that we can probably all agree on is that one appropriate role of the Federal Government is to rectify its past mistakes, whenever possible. I know that my colleagues of all ideological stripes can list specific instances in which Federal intervention has caused undue pain and suffering to individuals or communities. Today I join with my colleague from Wisconsin, Senator Feingold in introducing a bill to address one of those mistakes that occurred some 30 years ago in the Kickapoo River Valley of Wisconsin. And I'm proud to say that the "fix" to this problem also saves the taxpayers millions of dollars. In the mid 1960s, Congress authorized the Corps of Engineers to build a flood control dam on the Kickapoo River at LaFarge in Vernon County, WI. In order to proceed with the project, the Corp of Engineers condemned 140 farms covering an area of about 8,500 acres. To LaFarge, a community of only 840 people, the loss of these farms dealt a significant blow to the local economy.”