Elmer L. Andersen, “Minnesota’s leading citizen” died last night.
Nov 16, 2004 News
“A man’s reach should exceed his grasp.” – R. Browning.
Andersen borrowed this quote to use for the title of his book A Man’s Reach and it sums up how he wanted to be remembered. It is the kind of message we should all strive to live out. Learning more about Elmer Andersen was one of the pleasures of this last campaign. It is sad to see some one with such a great spirit leaving the rest of us to our small mindedness. Here are a couple of quotes from his collection of speeches, I Trust to be Believed, that really impressed me;
People need quality services from government, and the way to provide them is through industrial development. Industrial development is built around education and investment in people, not tax cuts. Anyone who knows business knows that taxes are really not the issue that decides where firms locate. The crucial issue, after consideration of market, is the adequacy of the available workforce. An industry surrounding new development goes where people are trained and skilled in that development. The firms that choose low tax states are those that can tolerate poor education because they rely on low-wage, unskilled labor. Desirable industries, those that pay high wages and seek to maximize the per capita production of each employee, need the things that a high-tax state provides. They need a fine workforce of well-educated, healthy people who are attracted to a place because of its culture and amenities, not its cheapness.Minnesota has enjoyed great success with a high-services strategy. When I ran for governor in 1960, personal income was below the national average, and population was declining. Not long afterward, the state’s average income began to climb, until it reached fourth-highest in the nation in 2000. It’s so sad that some people in my own Republican Party seem not to have learned the lesson that taxes do not harm the economy. They help it, by creating a better workforce and place to do business . . .
Paying taxes is like going to a store. You don’t go to a store with the purpose of spending money. You go to obtain something you need or want. Taxes aren’t a loss of money; they are the price of essential services. It’s been an easy political game to promise tax cuts, and to make people feel sorry for themselves, when as matter of fact the taxes people pay are probably the best investment they make. They can be proud to pay the price, if it lifts the standard of social life in their community and state. People need to be educated about government budgets, so they understand that tax money goes to services they want, and that if they don’t pay the price they suffer.
After acknowledging he did not support the president’s premature invasion of Iraq, Elmer L. Andersen said, “while giving our leaders the support they need to carry on a difficult mission, we shouldn’t go overboard in restricting fundamental rights of our own people. It’s going to be a difficult time.”
I think there’s a certain American spirit that is called forth by necessity, frequently in trying situations . . . it’s part of my own belief that in every incident, there’s something to be learned. When something happens that seems to be a tragedy or a disappointment, there is something to be learned. When something happens that seems to be a tragedy or a disappointment, there is a something to turn to advantage . . . any person can make a difference, any person can add to the culture of the country, any person can add to the happiness of the unfortunate. If we all do what we can where we can, the we’ll have a good country. I think it was Eisenhower who said, “America will be great as long as it is good. If she ceases to be good, she’ll cease to be great.”
Andersen is a different kind of Republican in the tradition of Lincoln and Eisenhower, who had a concern for the common good and its precedence over individual gain. His legislative and administrative records show a career of introducing initiatives to help people. He would agree with Lincoln who said,
Corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed.
Abraham Lincoln, Nov. 21, 1864 (U.S. President 1861-65)
In one of Elmer Andersen’s last speeches, he summed up his views on life in Minnesota. What follows is the end of a speech he gave for the Minnesota Book Awards on April 20, 2001. 
I think we’re coming to the end of a materialistic age, where money was more important than anything else and the heart of a future is going to be in meetings like this. And in Minnesota, the heart of the culture is right here because it’s in the expression of the poetry in the lives of people, the history of politics, the generations that have gone before that should stand as a springboard for future citizenship that will be more appreciative of our government, more respectful of the views of others, dedicated not to private gain but to public service for the welfare of all. That should be the mission of all of us.
Both Minneapolis St. Paul papers had cover stories celebrating Andersen as well as MPR. Here are some links to those stories:
MPR: Elmer L. Andersen dead at 95
Elmer L. Andersen: Why this Republican ex-governor will be voting for Kerry
Former governor, philanthropist Elmer L. Andersen dies by GREGG AAMOT
A link to the Univ. of Minnesota Anderson Library He was a great book lover and collected a personal library of over 12,000 volumes, something I can certainly identify with.
THANK YOU!!
Nov 6, 2004 News
Thank you for all your hard work and support. Your dedication and belief in me are much appreciated. I am proud of the effort we put forth and that we talked about the issues that matter to the future of our state and our country. We ran against a very well financed opponent, who to his credit worked hard. His party spent a lot to hold on to the seat and no doubt he will be beholden to them. The DFL almost took back the majority and we came close in helping in that effort. It will be interesting to see how a more closely divided house shapes the debate. Let’s hope they can get something done. Picking up the Bonding bill would be a good place to start.
I am hearing from many of you and it is gratifying to know that you appreciate what we did. One wrote, “You ran well, you had a fine team and you gave me reason to hope.” That pretty well sums it up. Although we came up short once again, I think we made a difference in bringing forth the issues that will shape the coming debate at the legislature. I intend to keep talking about them and using this blog to weigh in on the session as it unfolds. Feel free to join the discussion and offer your thoughts.
Election Night Gathering!!
Nov 1, 2004 News
Hogan Brothers Cafe
415 Division St., Northfield
November 2 from 8:00 p.m. until ???
Sponsored by the Rice County DFL
Join us!
For further information (507) 664-0155 or david@davidbly.com
Farmers Union County Convention
Nov 1, 2004 Agriculture, News
Thursday evening, after doorknocking, I went to the Farmers Union Rice County Convention. Farmers Union PAC has endorsed me in the 25B race. Some of their priorities last session were promotion of a “seed saver” bill, a lower percentage of permanent easements in the CREP program,ethanol and biodiesel manufacturing and use, restriction of alien ownership of dairy farms, elimination of the “Livestock Friendly Counties” designation. They’re very visible at the capitol and have some accomplishments to crow about, including legislative successes and broadening their outreach, all of which means a stronger voice for family farmers in St. Paul. I’m proud to have the Farmers Union – PAC endorsement.
I subscribe to the Center for Rural Affairs newsletter and was encouraged to see a number of the issues they promote coincide with the Farmers Union agenda. Both were represented at a Rural Legislative Forum I attended in Sioux Falls some time ago. In its October Newsletter, CRA says, “The National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture is sponsoring a sign-on letter to urge Congress to make agricultural competition and market concentration top priorities as Congress crafts agricultural legislation next year.” The letter calls for enactment of:
* Prohibition on Packer-Owned Livestock
* Producer Protection Act
* Transparency/Minimum Open Market Bill
* Captive Supply Reform Act
* Clarification of “Undue Preferences”
* Closing Poultry Loopholes in the Packers & Stockyards Act
* Bargaining Rights for Contract Farmers
* Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling
CRA’s theme behind these measures is that “today, a small handful of corporations overwhelmingly dominate the nation’s food supply. The market control of the top four firms in food retailing, grain processing, red meat processing, poultry processing, milk processing, and nearly every category of food manufacturing is at an all time high.” The Center is assisting the Campaign to gather signatures. See the sign-on letter on their website or contact Traci Bruckner, tracib@cfra.org for more information. 
The Land Stewardship Project is also a signator of the letter and count me as a member, have been for decades.
At the Farmers Union meeting, 
Doug Peterson spoke about their accomplishments, both at the state and federal level. They’ve encouraged member participation and are seeing the results at the capitol, where legislators are asking on the floor “What does Farmers Union think about this” and where they’ve been asked to present testimony on important bills. When I spoke, last year’s retiring Rice County Farmers Union President, Gene Werner, said it was the best political speech he’d ever heard — I know from our doorknocking talk that we view things very differently, so I took this as a great complement (and we’ll both admit that I was graded on brevity, not content!). The group held its annual meeting, formatted much like a DFL convention, where they debated resolutions and elected the new year’s officers, so I left them to do their business. Stephanie Henricksen will replace Werner as the President, Dean Franzen is now the Vice President, and Paul and Mary Donkers remain Treasurer and Secretary, respectively. I look forward to working with them in the coming session – only one day of suspense to go!
