Education

The promise of our society is in our children. We need to prepare them for the global workforce of the future. We can only do this if Minnesota once again leads the nation in education excellence.

Currently, schools cannot create long term plans, because they never know from one year to the next exactly what the funding will be. Will your 3rd grader be in a class size of 25 or 45? Will that fantastic welding program continue? Will your grandchild get the special help they need in math next year? No one can be sure until schools have stable funding and are held accountable in a way that is effective.

It's in our best interest to rigorously educate our children and prepare them to be the innovators, entrepreneurs, and workers in the global economy. Let's lead once again.

Health Care

All Minnesotans deserve the right to affordable health care.

Between 1999 and 2006, the average enrollee's cost for a commercial health insurance policy in Minnesota increased by 205%. If costs continue to increase at their current rate, the average enrollee's cost of private insurance for a family of four will be over $10,500 per year by 2012.

I support universal coverage for all Minnesotans through health care reform that will lower costs, make health care more affordable for Minnesotans with insurance, extend coverage to the uninsured, and restructure health care payments to reduce costs for patients and reward high quality providers, instead of insurance plans or bureaucrats.

Budget

Minnesota has been very successful for many years. Since 1960, our personal income has grown faster than most states, and we have ranked high In the social and economic indicators.

However, from 2004 to 2007 our personal income growth has lagged behind the national average. And our economic indicators have been far behind the national average. The outlook for Minnesota's economy looks weak for the next biennium.

According to Minnesota's state economist, Tom Stinson, the most important factor to the success of our state is productivity. The key to productivity is education, and what we do, how we invest now will shape our economic future for the next decade and beyond.

With all these components in mind, I will work to balance the budget through spending cuts, using reserves if necessary, and increases in general taxes that will benefit our productivity.

Environment

Clean air and water are critical resources for all of us.

The Minnesota pollution control agency notes that about 40 percent of tested waters are found to be 'impaired'. Waters are deemed impaired when they cannot be used for swimming or fishing – typically because they have too high levels of phosphorous or mercury.

Hazardous air pollutants can cause many different adverse effects on people, from cancer to birth defects. Minnesota is 14th in the nation for hazardous air pollution according to Pollution Information.

We need consistent, effective environmental policies that protect our families now and into the future.
I support making Minnesota a leader in renewable energy. We can create new jobs and stimulate our economy by focusing on cleaner and safer energy production through bio-fuels, wind and solar power.

I also support a comprehensive, consistent water restoration and protection plan, including dedicated funding to clean-up impaired waters.

Consumer Protection

I believe that government exists to help the little guy. Here are a few examples of legislation that I would have supported, but our incumbent did not:

• I would have supported last session's “good faith” legislation that protects individuals and businesses from insurance companies who unreasonably deny claims. Not only is this legislation for the little guy - our large corporate businesses were also in support of this bill.
• Protecting our children is of utmost importance, I would have supported the legislation that bans the use of certain toxic chemicals that have been found in children’s toys such as soft cover books and teething rings. With the recent recalls of unsafe toys, and the chemicals in them that have been linked to various damaging health effects - we need to protect our youngest citizens from unintended harm.
• When you purchase a gift card for a friend or family member, you expect the business to honor your purchase for the full amount. I would have supported legislation that bans gift cards from having an expiration date or reduce the gift card amount through fees if they are not used within a certain period of time.