Mail time!
Three of the DFL candidates for governor sent updates to supporters today. State Sen. Tom Bakk, state Rep. Tom Rukavina and state Rep. Paul Thissen all focused on different topics.
Bakk focused on fixing the state's budget situation:
I know there are no simple solutions to the state's financial problems. The state's budget deficit is a symptom of a larger problem - our economy is underperforming.
There are not enough taxes we can raise or spending we can cut to address the next state budget deficit. Until we get people back to work, Minnesota will not have the resources needed to invest in the things we value most, namely education and health care.
As a candidate for governor, I will continue to press for an honest conversation with citizens about what kind of Minnesota you want and then work with you to take the steps needed to grow our economy and create opportunities to improve our quality of life.
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Rukavina focused on education:
This state and this country became leaders when we started pushing universal education and stressed the importance of educating as many people as possible to the highest levels they could achieve. Now Minnesota is falling behind other states and the U.S. behind other countries in our education because somewhere along the way we took our quality for granted and decided it wasn't worth more investment. In just the last month the U.S. lost 29,000 jobs in local education- 10% of all the jobs lost in the country! Since the beginning of the summer 150,000 education jobs have vanished. Those jobs may not all be critical, but they signal the loss of quality in OUR most important job: preparing our children to be our future.
How do we return to Minnesota's rightful place as a national leader in quality, cost-effective education? First we need to start appreciating what our teachers do and give them what they need - reasonable class sizes and materials and resources to do the job. Then we need to get out of the way. We have dedicated so much of our time and money to criticism and "reform" that we haven't supported what teachers and students can do. Let's support our teachers and schools, remove the testing requirements that are not effective, eliminate the time-consuming, unproductive mandates, and invest resources for our students and teachers in the classrooms across Minnesota.
In higher education, we need to give students and families better options for financing their education. When I was in college I could work my way through school at minimum wage working about 15 hours a week. Students now would need to work over 60 hours a week to pay their way. A program that would give students the option to work as tutors, mentors, or advisors to other students; assistants to faculty in exchange for college credits; or, alternatively, a state service program along the lines of AmeriCorps in which students could have loans forgiven after college through community service would allow a new generation to work their way through or embark upon their adult life with little debt.
Thissen focused on how hard he's working:
In addition to these large events, I've been spending a lot of time meeting in smaller settings with Minnesotans. Last week, we were in Bricelyn, a town about a half-mile from the Iowa border, and Oakdale, just to name a few.
This week, we'll be in Blooming Prairie, Nisswa, North Branch, and Farmington. The days can get a little long, but they are always incredibly energizing. Last month, we filmed a typical day from start to finish. Our video, "A Day on the Road" follows us through 300 miles and 15 hours in central Minnesota, and relates well to the City Pages article.
But we aren't easing up, either. Our volunteers are motivated and ready to get to work and we're eager for them to. Our campaign is focused and already showing Minnesotans that I am the DFL candidate who can win next November and will move our state forward.