– but it took too long to get here, because know where we got??? No where!
You may have noticed the Pioneer Press article last week by Jim Ragsdale, “Legislature’s inaction not well received.” In the article was this quote:
“At this time, we need to be more unified than ever before, because of our world situation,” she said. Her husband, Larry, was angry about the legislative non-finish. “People used to have a work ethic,” he said. “These guys, I don’t think they know what work is.”
This is the kind of attitude that could work against House incumbents, particularly in close districts like 25B. Cox, the Republican incumbent, argues that the Democratic-Farmer-Labor-controlled Senate was intransigent. Bly, the DFL challenger, said his party stood up for people hurt by budget cuts last year.”
This article did a good job of presenting the hopes that people have that government can take stock of the problems we face and look at long term solutions that will make Minnesota a better place in the future. The people also understand that it is not a partisan problem – a divorce lawyer suggested that what we need are more divorce lawyers at the legislature, since now a days you can find different type of lawyers online at sites like jnlawoffices.com/burglary/. Looking at the Governor’s all-or-nothing posturing over a special session, I doubt that lesson was learned. Both parties, and the entire state, will be hurt by their inability to hammer out a bonding bill. When I am elected, I will work hard to bring people together find the points we have in common and come to an agreement, because whether we are Republicans, Democrats, Independents or Greens our state needs a bonding bill, and our purpose should be about improving the lives of the Minnesotans we represent.
And now there’s talk of a special session, again. It’s encouraging to think some important bills may advance, but it is also scary to think what further damage might result at taxpayer expense. I hope legislators can find common ground and move ahead on those things that will truly benefit people and not just those who usually benefit.
If both sides can openly look at what is best for Minnesotans and put aside political agendas, such as the drive for a constitutional amendment on the ballot to turn out certain voters, there would be lots of room for compromise. But in a hotly contested election season that may, sadly, be beyond reach. As politicians we must be willing to argue for what we believe in, but I hear far too much ducking of issues, circumlocution, waffling, and attacking the character of others – oppositional behavior to force an extreme political agenda. It is trite but true that we are in a defining moment in our political history. As Americans and Minnesotans, we voters must be willing to educate ourselves and discuss, debate and look deliberately at what the future holds for us in our present situation and what we must do to build the future we want for our children and grandchildren. We aren’t going to get there without investing in people and people-focused resources like education, transportation and health care, and by creating a healthy and reliable environment in which people can take advantage of opportunities to better their lives. . .