Ron “I have never lobbied for… a government payment” Johnson did — and got — just that

This is pretty big. Ron Johnson, the not-self-made-man who’s running for the Republican nomination to challenge Senator Russ Feingold, and claims not to have asked for government money, did just that.

“I’m in business,” Johnson told WKOW. “I have never lobbied for some special treatment or for a government payment.”

That’s quite a claim.

Too bad that’s not true. WKOW found this:

“According to a July 19, 1985, article published in the Oshkosh Northwestern, a $2.5 million industrial development revenue bond was approved by the Oshkosh Common Council on July 18, 1985. An article in the same newspaper, dated Feb. 16, 1986, said Pacur Inc., co-owned by Johnson, used the money to build a 40,000-square-foot addition.”

Congratulations to WKOW for doing their job as journalists. That may sound inane or condescending, but many politicians, and would-be politicians, hate it when you do that.

Now, if I were thinking of starting a business, I would investigate what government loans were available. That’s sensible. A low-interest loan can be a great way to help start your business. It’s a win-win for you and the government.

But if this is such a sensible business move, why does Johnson claim on his web site that the “Government doesn’t create jobs – the private sector creates jobs.”

That’s blatantly incorrect. Johnson’s claim that he never asked for government assistance is ridiculous revisionism. And now it’s been proven that he lied.

The incomparable illusory tenant has the finest derailing of Johnson’s claims that I’ve yet seen.