Laws should stem from the basic principle of protecting personal liberty, not limiting it. Increasingly, government is encroaching on our personal freedom and touching seemingly every aspect of our life. This is a trend that must be reversed.
Taxes, Spending and Budget
Our current path is not sustainable. Over the last 40 years, Minnesota's spending has increased by an average of 20% per biennium. This far outpaces personal income growth and our ability to pay these expenses. We simply cannot spend more than we can afford. If we do not make serious changes, Minnesota will soon be experiencing the same problems that we now see in California, or worse. The keys to a sustainable solution include:
Let’s have honest language. A reduction in the rate of a scheduled spending increase is not a cut, it is still an increase. Only a decrease from the prior budget is a cut.
Focus only on those things government should be doing and do them effectively and efficiently. Reduce overall spending.
Reduce the amount of State debt. Debt is nothing more than a tax levied on a future generation.
Shift from income and business taxes to consumption and use taxes. This encourages savings, and will reduce the wild swings in revenue from year to year.
Zero based budgeting. All spending must be justified and approved each budget, no “automatic” expenditures.
Business, Jobs and the Economy
Minnesota is one of the most expensive states for business to operate. This is not just due to having the 2nd highest corporate tax rate, but also to excessive regulation. Minnesota needs to be more competitive in order to keep and grow jobs. It is impossible to be “pro-jobs” without also being “pro-employer”.
Reduce business taxes to be more competitive with other states and globally. It always sounds better to tax business and corporations rather than individuals. However, the truth is that the businesses pay very little of that tax. Most is either passed on to the consumer in terms of higher prices or to employees in the form of fewer jobs or lower wages.
Reduce regulations, streamline permit processes and reduce licensing fees and other barriers to entry. Regulation is a hidden tax on everyone. Businesses often never get off the ground due to our highly restrictive environment.
Encourage private investing and entrepreneurship.
Education
Primary and secondary education costs are rising faster than inflation and our ability to pay for them. Despite this, we are getting less for our money. High school drop-out rates are rising, test scores are declining and Minnesota is losing an important competitive advantage. Tweaking things on the margin is no longer acceptable. The system is in need of courageous and real reform:
Create an environment that fosters competition and encourages innovation.
Put education decisions in the hands of parents not the government through reduced mandates and by attaching funding to students, not to institutions.
Support bi-partisan recommended “Teach America” program which allows qualified subject matter experts to teach, particularly in fields where teachers are difficult to find such as science and mathematics.
Freeze or reduce tuition at University of Minnesota and MNSCU institutions. It is wrong for universities to be unwilling to curb spending while asking students and their families to sacrifice more.
Health Care and Health Insurance
Give individuals freedom to choose their own doctors, type and level of care and to customize insurance that best fits their needs. Often we hear that the current “free market” insurance system isn’t working. However, the current system is far from free market and hasn’t been for decades. The problem has been too little competition, too few choices and too many mandates for far too long.
Reduce health care industry and insurance mandates.
Drive costs down and provide more choices through increased competition. Allow in-state and out of state, profit and “non-profit” insurance providers to all compete in Minnesota.
Reduce waste, expenses and bureaucratic red tape in current programs to hold costs down for those who cannot afford care.
Legally resist federal laws which violate constitutional rights and principles.
Voter’s Rights
The constitutional principle of one person, one vote is critical to our representative republican form of government. I support election reforms that will preserve this basic principle, including a mandatory voter identification card.
State Assistance and Welfare Reform
The best way to ensure that those who truly need government services get the assistance they need is to eliminate fraud and abuse of the system by those who are not in need and to cut waste.
Require a 6 month or greater waiting period for a person who has moved to Minnesota from another state, before they can receive assistance. Cap assistance at the same level as the state from which they moved.
Restrict Minnesota assistance debit cards from being used in other states. Do not allow cash back on transactions. Do not allow cards to be used for alcohol, tobacco or lottery items.
Where possible, combine programs or agencies to reduce redundancy, streamline bureaucracy and trim waste.
Energy
Remove the moratorium on nuclear energy. Nuclear power is clean, efficient and waste can be disposed of safely.
Discontinue ethanol subsidies. Ethanol is an example of politicians reacting to a perceived problem by doing something for the sake of doing something. We have since learned that not only is it more expensive, but it accomplishes nothing environmentally and drives up food costs.
Reduce regulations, limitations and barriers to entry to all businesses including those that invest in alternative energy sources. This will encourage development of cost-effective solutions that are sustainable long term, instead of solutions that can only survive if subsidized or mandated.
