Saturday, March 25th, Faribault Middle School, 704 SW 17th St.
Here is my speech from the Rice County DFL convention:
Thank you all for being here and for doing the hard work of the party. I am a candidate for the Minnesota House in district 25B. For those who may not know me, I am a teacher in the Northfield School District where I have taught at risk students for the last 20 years. This year I was honored to be recognized by my fellow teachers as Northfield teacher of the year.
I’m running because, after a decade of false promises and broken commitments to our schools, our children, our towns and communities, we need a change – and this is the year we will elect a Democrat to the house from our district.I’m running because I believe we must promote education and not merely force school districts to cut budgets – or force communities to raise their property taxes. As a teacher and parent, I believewe cannot wait to reduce the size of crowded classrooms.
We need to have good schools so we can compete in a global economy, and not be told yet again that tattered textbooks must wait to be replaced. We must not watch idly while tuition and fees at colleges and universities continue to climb.
I am running for my neighbor who tells me in desperation she must choose between buying groceries and her ailing husband’s prescription drugs; and for the businessman who explains how he decided to go without health insurance because he couldn’t afford it for his family – only to discover he now pays much more than the insurance company paid – for the same basic services.
I am running for the worker in Belle Plaine who chased me down after he looked at the flyer I had given to his son. “Will you help me?” He said, “I’ve lost my job twice because of outsourcing, and I can’t find a decent paying job.
I’m gonna lose my house and savings. Will you help?”I am running because I am angry at politicians who say they are for the environment, and then fail to deliver on a clean water initiative – and refuse to address the real source of mercury pollution in our lakes and streams.
I am running because I have had enough of politicians telling us they believe in working together, but instead shut government down over partisan bickering – over issues that will do nothing to improve our lives — but stir people up and divide us.
My campaign is about Hope, Fairness and Building Community.
Hope because I believe in a politics of our common future, a future we will all want to live in, which means good public schools, clean air and clean water – clean energy and sustainable agriculture – a belief in confident success, not fear and failure — securing a future of opportunity for all.
Hope because I believe in a politics that is about improving people’s lives. I believe in facing up to real problems we must confront, not those designed just to get votes.
Fairness because healthcare should be a right, and single-payer universal health care is the most cost effective way to do it. Some folks say it’s a Federal issue.
But if you study our history, you know that many initiatives come up from the states, and Minnesota is not alone in considering universal coverage.Fairness because I believe in a commitment to educational equity – it shouldn’t matter where you live. You should have access to the same quality education.
I believe in good jobs and creating an economy that supports living wages.Fairness because, when we tax our citizens, it should be based on the ability to pay, and we should expect all citizens to contribute. Tax incidence studies show that the wealthiest Minnesotans pay 8 or 9% and middle class pay 12 or 13 %.
This is an injustice that needs to be corrected.Building Community, because we must join together to create that future we will want to live in. Our world is changing, the clock is ticking on the world we once knew – oil supplies are dwindling, wages are falling, pension funds are failing.
Politicians keep telling us to be patient, to believe in the direction they are taking us, to just wait and things will get better. The problem is that they are the same folks who brought us a war without a plan and showed what they couldn’t do when the winds of tragedy hit in New Orleans. It’s time we opened our eyes and took account of how our leaders act – saying one thing and doing another.
We need a change to create a community where dreams can be realized, where children can grow and learn from the beginning of life until they are ready to enter the work force; where waters are clean and air is fresh. Where the energy we create does not rain down on us in Mercury and sulfur.
I will work hard to provide a better education for our kids – one that prepares them for the challenges ahead; I will work hard to protect and preserve our natural heritage and the environment; to encourage safe, clean renewable energy development; to provide funds to improve roads and increase transit options; and to provide healthcare to all citizens.
I will win because I will knock on every door, and I will carry my message to the people of the district from Nerstrand to Northfield to Lonsdale and Belle Plaine. I am the best candidate because I know the issues, I know the people, and I know what it takes to campaign from the Minnesota River to the Cannon River Watershed. I ask for your support at the April 11th endorsing convention and for the campaign beyond. Let’s pull together and win in November.