State Representatives serve in the Minnesota House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the state legislature. They write and vote on legislation to create, repeal, or change state laws affecting many issues, like health care, the environment, and the economy. They also vote on state taxes and the state spending.
I will be focused on these priorities: affordability, business, and education. The American Dream is slipping away from too many people, and I want to help make the dream a reality again by making life affordable. There are specific ways we can improve affordability in targeted areas like healthcare and housing than can benefit many people. I have worked for some of the largest companies in the country, and I have owned my own very small business. I have seen how government can unintentionally harm business, and I want to remove those barriers. Regarding education, I believe that it is the best way for people and states to advance. I support fully funding schools, but I do know throwing money at problems is not usually a solution.
Unfortunately, there is little a state government can really do to address inflation. What we can be do is remove costly unnecessary regulatory barriers. We can easily make healthcare, housing, and education more affordable, it we have to political will. SG&A expense is way too expensive in healthcare and should come down to Medicare levels. Permitting should be granted for affordable housing, particularly for seniors. The educational model could take advantage of scale with virtual learning.
I believe that the best way to address these issues it by first identifying the actual disparities. Until I know the exact type and scope of a problem, it is difficult to offer any specific solution. What I can definitely say is that current law must be followed, and if the law is not followed, there should be consequences. Once a problem is identified, then an action plan needs to be created to ensure that the underlying issue is correct and does not have the ability to reoccur.
i would support the Equal Rights Amendment. I believe that EVERYONE should be treated equally under the law. This means that no one is given preferential treatment, and no one is left behind. This is absolutely a core message of my campaign, and I support any efforts to codify this guiding principle.
I have been endorsed by the DFL Environmental Caucus because of my commitment to the environment. Everyone wants to live in a clean environment. The real question is what tradeoffs are we comfortable with for possible economic gain? To that end, I support business, but at the same time, I do not support any environmental degradation. If a company is responsible for environmental contamination, they should fully clean the site and be subject to heavy fines not just "cost of doing business" fines.
Much like with the environment, everyone wants to live in a safe community. I fully support the police force and other first responders. They have an incredibly difficult job, and their actions are under heavy scrutiny. Their actions, however difficult in the moment, need to reflect the best of us. Current police force staffing levels do need to be increased, so we need to provide qualified individuals with the proper incentives to consider policework as a viable career choice.
Big money in elections is not typically a problem for local elections as much as for national elections, but it is a huge problem at that level. The Citizens United decision was possibly the most harmful decision in Supreme Court history in the way that it allowed for big money to control elections and thereby control the entire political process. I would do anything in my power to reverse Citizens United.
