By Sara Adams, 350 Madison
In November 2018, Wisconsinites will vote for a governor. This post is the eighth in a series on the environmental views of the candidates. This series is for information only. 350 Madison does not officially support any candidate.
Ryan Cason, a resident of Solon Springs in northern Wisconsin, is a write-in candidate for governor, challenging Governor Walker for the Republican nomination. Cason is originally from Guam, and served in the Navy in South Carolina and Hawaii for six and a half years. He moved to Wisconsin in 2014. He is also currently a full-time seminary student at Wesley Biblical Seminary. Cason biked to his interview with 350 Madison.
On Why He’s Running for Governor
“After getting out of the military much earlier than I thought I would, I still wanted to serve this nation. I still want to do civil service, I still care about people, and I feel that as governor, this is the way I can make the most impact in the state and the nation. Because we are going into an economic crash, and because I do study the cycles, I can prepare us to get out of that.”
On Running as a Republican
“I’m running under the Republican ticket. I’m not a Republican, I’m a human being. You don’t win as an independent candidate, you win either as a Democrat or a Republican. I’m not a Republican, I’m not a Democrat, if anything I don’t fit in a box very well, and I lean both ways. Because I agree with the idea of a republic, I ran under the Republican ticket.”
What are the most important issues that you would take on if you were elected governor?
Cason believes an economic crash is imminent, and his number-one priority is addressing it – conclusions he’s drawn from reading and studying cycles, including the connections between climate cycles and business. He says a public banking system is part of the solution. He also said addressing climate change is a priority for him, because the combined impact of an economic crash and climate change will be devastating.
“What’s the most important issue of my campaign? It really is this whole climate change deal, and the economic crash, because when you combine those two, it’s a terrible recipe. It’s a massive amount of baking soda that never got mixed up. It’s terrible, it’s bitter, it’s impactful for all.
“And I don’t hear anyone else talking about it [the economic crash]. Everybody’s talking about ‘I’m going to do free internet or universal healthcare or cut taxes.’ What about what we’re really going into? Are you going to do free internet and universal healthcare when you don’t have money? I hope people take seriously the crash that we’re going into.“
If elected, implementing a public banking system would be his first act once in office.
Within the broad topic of the environment, what do you think are the most important issues?
Clean water, pollution, and excessive deforestation are the environmental topics most important to Cason. He also said these concerns must be balanced with economic concerns, and the reality of an impending economic crash.
Cason also expressed concern about the impact of Foxconn on water quality, but said he hasn’t read enough about the project to make a definitive statement about how the project will impact the environment.
On Line 61
350 Madison asks all the candidates we interview if they know what Line 61 is, but Cason brought up Line 61 before he was asked about it.
“I see both sides of the argument. I don’t want an oil spill, but I want the economic impact from [the pipeline], you know? I see it firsthand in Solon Springs, on how much income it brings to our little town.
“Maybe there’s a way to tighten the stipulations around Enbridge, and whomever else. Maybe there’s a way to ensure that accidents are few and far between. Because I think that accidents happen no matter what. We are okay, to a degree, with car crashes. We say, okay, they’re few and far between, and they pollute, they take up labor, we lose state money trying to clean this stuff up, and worst of all we lose lives. But we’re not going to cut out cars. But there’s far more motor vehicle accidents than Enbridge’s oil spills. Oil spills are dramatic, but they are not worse than the loss of a life.”
Cason also said that while accidents are inevitable, as governor he wouldn’t be willing to look the other way when it came to enforcing safety requirements for oil pipelines.
Is there anything else you want our members and voters to know?
Cason said voters who want Walker out of office should make him a household name, because Republicans in the state are unwilling to vote for a Democrat, but want to vote for someone else.
He also said his understanding of checks and balances, and using them to protect the environment, is something no other candidate in the race offers.
“I just want the voters to know, Walker understands that legislation is the key, because he gets to enforce legislation. I understand that same fact. And I am willing to do what nobody else is willing to do, including Walker himself. Enforcing legislation is the key to protecting the environment.“
Since our interview, Cason has withdrawn his candidacy for governor of Wisconsin.