While the debate over immigration law boils over in Arizona, it’s likely Minnesota could face the very same debate next year over a proposed law that is similar. Part of the argument is over two words: “reasonable suspicion.”
Tom Hauser, from KSTP, talks to Steve Drazkowski about the debate.
A gas tax increase would cripple the economy in House District 28B. Families and businesses are struggling with today’s high gas prices, and raising the gas tax would exacerbate the problem. Steve supports the Governor’s plan to bond for $1.7 Billion in road improvements and to pay the bonds back with the constitutionally-dedicated motor vehicle sales taxes that are currently collected from Minnesotans.
Steve favors using the $250 million surplus to help counties repair and improve roads. He would move to devote all road- related state fees to road projects. Steve will work for transportation funding that keeps locally generated transportation taxes working on projects right here, rather than exporting them to the metro area.
The last session of the legislature began with a $2.2 billion surplus, sufficient income to make critical investments in education, health care, transportation and the environment. However, many DFL lawmakers wanted to increase income taxes on hard-working families and small businesses, and dramatically increase state spending.
Thanks to Governor Pawlenty and House Republicans, the budget was balanced without raising taxes. Given the growth in our Minnesota economy, and the corresponding increase in tax revenues resulting from this growth, tax increases are not necessary to balance the state budget. Government must learn to live within its means just like families in Goodhue, Wabasha and Winona counties do every day.
Double digit increases in property taxes are severely impacting homeowners, senior citizens and farmers. Rep. Steve Sviggum proposed a sensible property tax rebate program last year which would have used some of the $2.2 billion surplus to provide an immediate 10 percent rebate while significant property tax reform measures were debated. Unfortunately, his plan was not passed and the problem has worsened. Recent revenue forecasts indicate another surplus may be accruing which provides an opportunity for property tax rebates similar to the Sviggum proposal when the legislature convenes next February.
Steve will work vigorously to draft legislation that protects private property from being taken for illegitimate purposes by state or local governments through eminent domain or regulatory takings.
There are few topics in the world today on which nearly everyone has a strong opinion. Illegal immigration — or better said, how we deal with illegal aliens — is one that actually makes the short list.
As we’ve seen in presidential debates by both Republican and Democratic candidates, the issue is significant as millions of foreign residents who are not supposed to be here currently live inside our borders.
Anyone who enters illegally, for whatever reason, violates federal law. Yet dealing with illegal aliens is not solely a federal issue, as tremendous impacts are felt at the state level.
Gov. Tim Pawlenty recognizes this growing problem and is trying to do something about it. Recently, I and other concerned lawmakers stood alongside Pawlenty as he unveiled his illegal immigration package that’s designed to better enforce our laws and encourage law enforcement agencies to work together.
As part of this agenda, the governor would like to increase penalties on businesses that knowingly hire residents who live here illegally; create tougher penalties for forging public documents; and force cities who forbid police officers to ask about a person’s immigration status to stop that practice, or else face a 10 percent reduction in Local Government Aid.
I plan to author a bill that would make English the official language in Minnesota, a measure that would also require people to write and speak English in order to get a driver’s license.
Make no mistake, immigration has been a tremendous asset for our state and country. All of us should welcome and be thankful for those foreign-born residents who choose to enter this country legally and become productive members of our society. They are truly living the American dream, and we are all better off for it.
But illegal immigration is a problem.
First of all, it’s a safety concern. In this era of terrorism, it is unconscionable that we allow thousands of foreign-born residents to live in this state illegally. It’s more appalling that cities like Minneapolis actually have sanctuary ordinances that forbid police from asking lawbreakers about their residency status. If you take away the ability to enforce laws, aren’t you putting your community at risk?
Then there’s the cost to the state. Health and welfare costs are spiraling out of control. Without reform, these programs will cost Minnesotans billions of dollars more over the next several years than what is currently spent. Those costs rise every time an illegal immigrant utilizes these services.
In addition, you could argue that illegal immigration diminishes our state’s overall economic security and puts financial pressure on funding our schools.
Some have argued that we should be more lenient toward illegal immigrants as they often hold jobs that many Americans don’t want. Inevitably, they pay state and federal income taxes and help keep this country running smoothly.
If that is the case, then why have federal immigration standards in the first place? No matter how nice or productive the person is, each and every illegal immigrant has broken the law by entering this country.
To me, illegal immigration is not a gray area. There is no doubt that federal reforms need to be made. Hopefully our next president and the new Congress can accomplish this task.
But the repercussions of illegal immigration are also being felt at the state level. Pawlenty recognizes the problem and wants the Legislature to enact some needed, common-sense reforms, and I stand ready to help him achieve this goal.
Health care costs continue to grow at average rates of about 15% per year. These growth rates are not affordable or sustainable in the budgets of most Minnesotans. Draz believes that personal choice and personal responsibility have been removed from our system, creating a government-driven momentum for health care price increases.
Reduce government mandates. Minnesota government mandates on insurance companies and health care providers is costing Minnesotans in both the prices they pay for health care and the choices that they have in receiving it. We must eliminate many of these mandates in order to restore market forces, which will bring pricing integrity back to the system and will lower health care costs.
Reform tort liability for health care providers. Doctors are people. They are not perfect. Although we have the very best health care system in the world, and health care providers work very hard to become even better, some mistakes are still made. The ability for people to become rich off of the health care system by suing doctors must stop. These costs are passed right on to consumers contributing to high health care costs.
Health Savings Accounts. Most people and many businesses are not aware of the availability of health savings accounts as a tool for reducing the cost of their health care. We need to step up the education effort by introducing these to people. Health savings accounts help reduce health care expense by bringing personal responsibility into the equation.
Elderly care and families. Any families would like to care for their elderly parents, but most cannot afford to. Under the contemporary practice of placing the elderly into assisted living facilities or nursing homes, care of the elderly is very expensive for families. We need to encourage families to care for their elderly parents by adjusting policies to provide incentives to do so. These incentives may include, but would not be limited to providing tax incentives and reforming rules for the distribution of government payments dedicated to elder care so that families can be paid for the care they provide to their elderly parents.
Steve highly values gun ownership, personal protection, and the second amendment. He believes that our right to own and bear arms shall not be infringed, period.
Children of divorced, separated, or unmarried parents overwhelmingly find themselves in situations where they are placed into the sole physical custody of one parent. Healthy children require the love and attention of both parents in order to become healthy and productive adults. Steve will author legislation establishing a presumption of joint physical custody in Minnesota’s family law statutes. This will ensure that more children are able to spend equal time with both parents.
Marriage is a time-tested and sacred institution between one man and one woman. Steve firmly believes that Minnesotans should be given the opportunity to vote upon the constitutional definition of marriage for our state.
Declining enrollment and the state funding disparity between rural Minnesota schools and Twin Cities schools continues to cause operational challenges for our district’s schools. State mandates threaten the ability of our schools to provide high quality education at reasonable funding levels. Steve strongly favors reducing state mandates for schools, simplifying the state’s funding formulas to make them easier for all to understand, increasing local school board control, and introducing performance pay for teachers. He will fight for schools in rural Minnesota – to bring equity in education funding with the Twin Cities.
The chart below compares the dollars per pupil received from state tax dollars by the schools in House District 28B to Minneapolis and St. Paul school districts:
| School District | 2009 per pupil funding | 2010 per pupil funding | 2011 per pupil funding |
| Minneapolis | $13,002 | $13,951 | $14,404 |
| St Paul | $11,882 | $11,704 | $11,924 |
| Cannon Falls | $8,019 | $7,964 | $8,025 |
| Goodhue | $7,676 | $7,492 | $7,504 |
| Lewiston-Altura | $8,774 | $8,385 | $8,524 |
| St. Charles | $7,244 | $7,175 | $7,218 |
| Winona Area | $10,808 | $10,665 | $10,822 |
| Pine Island | $7,718 | $7,566 | $7,614 |
| Rochester | $9,218 | $9,077 | $9,117 |
| Wabasha-Kellogg | $9,273 | $9,253 | $9,394 |
| Lake City | $8,660 | $8,596 | $8,746 |
| Triton | $8,578 | $8,647 | $8,816 |
| Plainview- Elgin-Millville | $7,562 | $7,568 | $7,777 |
| Kenyon-Wanamingo | $8,797 | $8,709 | $8,954 |
| Zumbrota-Mazeppa | $8,545 | $8,332 | $8,673 |
Not long ago, Minnesota motorists topped off their gas tanks paying $4 for a gallon of gasoline, and natural gas companies told customers to expect record high rates. Many people are afraid that they won’t be able to afford what the supply-starved markets deal them this winter.
The demand for reliable electricity is also going up, as is the cost of our electric bills. In our area, the CapX 2020 plan, which is a joint transmission planning effort among 11 utilities that own transmission lines in Minnesota and the surrounding region, will attempt to ease this burden.
But more long-term, cost effective methods need to be implemented on a national and statewide basis in order to curb the overall rising costs of energy and gasoline.
In short, we need to declare our energy independence. And the time to act is right now.
The time has come to allow and encourage the private sector to expand the supply of our energy sources – including oil, nuclear power, wind, solar, clean coal technologies, gasification, and hydrogen.
This means we need to take some bold steps, beginning by lifting the moratorium on constructing nuclear power plants in Minnesota. It means encouraging Congress to end the restrictions on offshore drilling. It means bringing forward state tax exemptions for companies that conduct research, development, and production of alternative energy sources.
These solutions will increase the energy supply in Minnesota and place downward pressure on energy prices. Our economy will respond and begin firing on all cylinders again.
Minnesota has a new law in place requiring that 25% of Minnesota’s energy be derived from renewable resources by the year 2025. While this creates a high renewable energy standard, we can achieve these goals by introducing the needed incentives for research, conservation, and efficiency.
From 1980 to 2000, our electricity use increased 2.9 percent each year.
Minnesota is not building any base load power plants to supply the growing needs. It’s clear that the future demand for energy will outpace production, if we fail to act.
Part of this problem is the outright refusal by many of our leaders to consider nuclear energy in the renewable category. This is despite the fact that nuclear power plants do not pollute the air with nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, dust or carbon dioxide, and is the second largest source of safe, affordable electric power in America today.
It is time for Minnesota to be a leader in establishing energy independence, not simply establishing an energy standard. Minnesota’s working families are paying more than ever before for energy – and there are no signs of that trend reversing. We must declare our energy independence and have the courage to take long overdue action.
| Feel free to contact Steve with any suggestions or ideas that you may have: |  |
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Steve Drazkowski |
Phone/Fax: (507) 843-3711
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| Prepared and paid for by the Drazkowski Volunteer Committee, 1646 Cherry St. E, Mazeppa, MN 55956 | |||
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