ISSUES IN THIS CAMPAIGN
My promise to you, as candidate and future representative of House 51B, is to honor the Minnesotan values of ACCOUNTABILITY and COMMON SENSE throughout state government. The people of Minnesota have experienced the Democratic Farm Labor (DFL) trifecta government failures in four critical areas:
- Spending at uncontrolled and unsustainable levels.
- Investigating and holding everyone involved in the fraudulent use of state/federal funding accountable to the highest standard of the law.
- Supporting public safety and our law enforcement community.
- Failing test scores in math and reading for students in the state’s public school system.
Spending and lack of a reasonable budget
The current path of “TAX AND SPEND” is unsustainable in our economic realities of high inflation, high interest rates and stagnant wage increases. Those who are the “working poor” are experiencing major difficulties affording ever-increasing food prices, housing and energy costs. Our Bloomington food shelf VEAP notes the explosion of need since 2022.
State spending increased 40% in the past two years with full support from your current Minnesota House representative. Not only did he vote in favor of the general fund spending but also obliterated a $17.6 billion budget surplus. This spending passed by the 2023 DFL-controlled House and Senate, signed by Governor Walz included tax increases of $1 billion in the bill along with other taxes tucked throughout other pieces of legislation.
What occurred at our state Capitol demonstrated a total lack of respect for Minnesota taxpayers in general and specifically Bloomington taxpayers. By refusing to return your money and have a transparent conversation about how or if the over-generated tax revenue should be spent, returned or saved – the DFL trifecta decided to steal the money from its rightful owners (taxpayers) and spend it. Are the new programs benefiting Bloomington residents working two and three jobs to survive or the two-income wage earners needed to make ends meet? No, because 30% of the state budget now funds the welfare state.
Rampant Fraud
Minnesota has the unwelcome designation of having a very high level of Covid-19 funding fraud across the country. Our state officials also show very little interest in holding state directors and employees responsible for their roles in allowing these schemes to prosper. This is especially the case within the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) bearing responsibility for the oversight of the federal children’s nutrition program. The total impact of the scams perpetrated by Feeding Our Future defendants, whose theft cost taxpayers, is $250 million. The United States Attorney’s office took over the investigation and prosecution of the 70 defendants. Even so, Willie Jett, MDE Commissioner announced during a Legislative Audit Commission hearing, “You’re not going to hear me place blame…” when challenged by Representative Duane Quam (R) Byron, to say how many people at MDE were disciplined or fired for the lax oversight.
On July 11, 2024, Alpha News reports Minnesota’s Attorney General uncovered widespread Medicaid fraud equally $26.2 billion dollars.A representative of The Texas Harris County District Attorney’s office said it well, “People hate public corruption and that’s because we expect the employees of government, the elected officials of government, to treat our tax dollars the way they would their families own life savings.” The FBI names public corruption as its top criminal investigative priority because “it poses a fundamental threat to our national security and way of life.” DFL legislators and their leadership are absent in calling for and conducting hearings about the fraud costing taxpayers billions of dollars. I plan to hold bad actors, elected officials and state employees accountable for every tax dollar spent on behalf of hardworking Bloomington residents.
Public safety
I promise to deliver fair and just legislation that is both tough on crime and supports law enforcement acting within their jurisdictional training. While most of the violent crime in the Twin Cities does not occur on the east side of Bloomington, we live near the borders of the violent crime cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Spill-over crime poses safety threats to our adult residents and kids. Recently, a driver was knifed by a car jacker at a Bloomington gas station. Mall of America calls our district home requiring on-site officers and back-up during crisis situations. Law enforcement needs both funding and public support from state leadership. I intend to provide both important segments of law enforcement for a safer community to live, work and play.
Education funding and failing student test scores
I also believe in a strong public-school education with the opportunity for all students in Bloomington to receive the best teaching and learning experience in all grades. Money keeps getting thrown at the public school system; however, students are not getting the education they need to be successful in work and life. Despite the DFL spending ever-increasing revenue to fund schools, test scores and enrollment in ISD 267 Bloomington Independent School District continue to plummet. According to state test scores, 63 percent of Bloomington students are not proficient in math and 51% are not proficient in reading.
My opponent may be proud of supporting quality education but the main focus on student rights, a Diversity Equity and Inclusion and activism are not serving our students well. And, if the public school system is failing students and parents, then parent taxpayers should have the right to choose a private or charter school and have the funding follow their child.
When my opponent says, “Let’s get to work!” – is he representing you – a conscientious taxpayer and hardworking resident of east Bloomington? My opposition’s voting record says “No” by supporting:
- Out-of-control state spending.
- Rising taxes and fees with a regressive delivery tax, as one example. All residents must pay this same tax rate without regard to their personal incomes. Seniors and single parents, depending on deliveries to live safely and comfortably in their homes, are hit especially hard by this extra tax and others passed in 2023 and 2024.
- A radically left-of-center agenda. The trifecta government ignored and silenced concerns from representatives of centrist and conservative voters in Minnesota, carrying on with a less-than-democratic governance system.
- Fraudulent use of federal funds and lack of accountability exploded under the DFL-controlled state leadership
In fact, you and your family are not top-of mind with the House 51B representative in office the past two years. Instead the voting record has supported the hardline and radical agenda of the DFL. Your hard-earned money is not managed with the same care as a family’s own budget must be treated. Now is the time for Your Voice to be heard, and Our Vote to be counted.
1 https://veap.org/blog/call-to-action/minnesotas-hunger-crisis/
2 https://minnesotareformer.com/2023/06/01/whats-in-minnesotas-2023-tax-bill/
5 https://www.youtube.com/live/PICRKDwATsM?si=X6Br3DViUy7q6TIE
6 https://alphanews.org/investigations-reveal-widespread-medicaid-fraud/
7 https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/public-corruption