People with Disabilities

Right now times are tough for a lot of people, but when bad economic times come, some people get hit harder than others. For many of the nearly one in six Minnesotans living with a disability, this is especially true.

As we’ve seen budgets shrink, we’ve seen a corresponding squeeze on funds for human services. We are better than this. Minnesotans recognize that our communities are stronger when all of us can contribute and use our abilities. Throughout my career I have worked to ensure people with disabilities have our support as they work to build the successful lives all of us want.

• I have been a leader on funding for special education and programs for people with disabilities. In the state legislature, I authored numerous bills expanding access to programs for people with disabilities and increasing support for them. These include aid to low-income families who have children with disabilities, workforce and skills development programs and resources to create better access to public libraries.

• I have championed equal rights of people with disabilities. I wrote and got passed a bill that expanded the definition of “disabled” to include deaf-blind citizens, authored bills to ensure charter and non-traditional schools complied with state laws related to equal rights and non-discrimination. I pressed for a bill of rights for deaf, deaf-blind and hard-of-hearing students and fought to ensure equity in transportation for students with disabilities.

• I increased consumer protections for people with disabilities. As a former white-collar crime prosecutor, I know that big business doesn’t always have our best interests at heart. That’s why I authored and got signed into law warranties for people buying or leasing assistive devices like hearing aids and wheel chairs. Before this there were none. I also pushed for state standards to increase and guarantee the competency of sign language interpreters.

• I helped create the deaf and hard-of-hearing services division within the commission of human services. I authored legislation that created the division and improved services for deaf and hard-of-hearing citizens.

• I received the STAR Award for Excellence in 1996 for my work on assistive technology for people with disabilities.

People with disabilities are a vital part of our communities. We need to do all we can to leverage everyone’s unique abilities and skills in order to make Minnesota work again.

Moving Minnesota’s Transportation System Forward

We need to rethink the way we approach transportation. Right now when we think of transportation, we think of the needs of yesterday and build upon the way things already are. It’s not merely a coincidence that our economy and the infrastructure that has supported it are both crumbling. Our approach to transportation has to be to think about a new system that fits a renewed economy.

We need to look forward. We need to envision the future we want and use our transportation infrastructure to help get us there. For example, we need to build rail not just where there are people today, but also where we want people tomorrow.

Minnesota is facing significant economic challenges. It is imperative that we build a transportation system – designed for maximum efficiency. Given projected increases in energy costs coupled with the challenges of keeping the environment around us clean and safe, we must view roads as part of the solution but not the only solution. We have made some progress in the last few years with both light and heavy rail, but one line here and one line there does not provide a real option people can choose over getting in their cars. We need to do more.

As governor I will develop two comprehensive, 20-year transportation plans – one for the metro and one for the state as a whole. These will be designed to complement and accelerate a transition into a new clean energy economy, and take advantage of our abundant renewable energy resources and manufacturing centers. The metro plan will include bus rapid transit, pedestrian thoroughfares, more paths for biking and light rail. I will also make the Metropolitan Council an elected body rather than an appointed one. The state plan will call for strategic investment in heavy rail and highways, with the objective of better connecting raw materials, manufacturing centers and markets.

As a legislator I consistently supported smart transportation choices like the North Star Commuter line. I advocated for appropriate funding to meet our transportation shortfalls, and fought for light rail projects that would reduce congestion and lower energy costs.

Right now Minnesota is falling behind other states in its commitment to infrastructure that works for both people and business. Together, our capital spending on roads and transit puts Minnesota 48^th per capita in the nation. Our vision for future economic development and quality of life should dictate our transportation, not visa versa.

We also need to end regional conflict when it comes to funding. It is not good for anyone if parts of our state do not take part in our transportation solutions. Roads and rail in one region move the goods and supplies from another, and neither is effective without the other. As one sector of the economy ripples through the supply chain and boosts others, our transportation system is the network that will hold it all together and facilitate the movement of material and capital.

Ultimately, the most important ingredient is neither asphalt nor concrete, but planning. Our economic prosperity depends upon a well thought-out, comprehensive state strategy based on the needs of our economy and what infrastructure plans best fit those needs.

Supporting Our Seniors

Seniors are some of the most important members of our communities. Their experiences working and living in Minnesota are invaluable resources as we move into the future. In Worthington I was fortunate enough to be supported by an entire community— a community held together in large part by its older Minnesotans.

I’ve never forgotten this. It’s been with me throughout my entire career in public service and is why I tracked down telemarketing scam-artists who were ripping off seniors and shut down their operations. It’s why as a white-collar crime prosecutor I threw perpetrators stealing pensions in jail.  And it is why as a legislator I worked with AARP to create Minnesota’s “Do Not Call List.”

During my career I’ve also stood up to drug companies who have taken advantage of seniors. I worked to keep drug manufacturers from giving gifts to doctors, work that resulted in the first such ban in the nation (and laid the groundwork for current legislation) and co-authored a bill for more transparency in pharmaceutical advertising. As DFL leader in the house I also spearheaded a plan to reduce drug prices by leveraging the state’s buying power to provide seniors with relief.

I have also consistently fought to keep housing costs down. Property taxes are among our most regressive and unfair taxes and hit many of seniors the hardest. When Tim Pawlenty cuts local government aid (LGA) it usually means your property taxes go up, and I’ve worked to make sure that doesn’t happen. In 2006, I toured the state advocating for permanent property tax relief and against the Republicans' gimmick proposals.  I have also consistently opposed cuts to renter’s credits and have worked to make housing more affordable

Right now times are tough for many of our seniors. Skyrocketing health insurance premiums, disappearing pensions and rising housing costs are squeezing our seniors and depriving them of their hard-earned retirement. Property taxes are going up, the cost of long-term care is spiraling out of control and drug costs are eating up more and more of monthly incomes. This is no way to treat the generation that helped build Minnesota into a national standard for education and innovation. My commitment to the right of our seniors to a secure and healthy retirement is unwavering.

As we move Minnesota forward we need to think about the implications and possibilities of our policies on older Minnesotans, not just in the traditional areas of health care, drug costs and transportation, but also how they factor into education, clean energy and economic justice issues. This means not just how seniors’ lives are impacted, but also how we work together to address other challenges we face. For instance, retired teachers who are interested in mentoring or tutoring opportunities should be engaged in sharing their vast knowledge, skills and experience.

Of all the resources with which Minnesota is blessed, our human resources are the greatest. We simply must ensure our senior citizens are as involved in shaping our future as they have been in shaping our past.