Building the future Minnesota needs is going to take a team effort. While there are some principles we already know are proven winners, we’re going to need everyone’s input if we’re to make the 2010s the decade in which our state bounces back and reemerges as the guiding North Star for the rest of the country.
Please share your ideas with us at hal@halkimball.com
Here are the values you can expect me to uphold in St. Paul:
Small- and medium-size businesses are the backbone of our economy. We must do more to encourage and promote new startup companies by ending over-taxation and reducing the amount of bureaucratic red tape our entrepreneurs face. Our small family farms are the most profitable small businesses here in SD 18, and we’ll work hard to ensure those family traditions carry on.
We cannot solve the state’s budget deficit on the backs of homeowners. The property tax is the most punitive and regressive tax levied against Minnesotans because it’s in no way based on ability to pay. We must ensure people are helping support our state based on what they can afford rather than the assumed value of their home.
It’s time to change the culture at the State Capitol. Partisanship, grandstanding and win-at-any-costs games have produced a toxic climate that’s resulted in too many challenges left unanswered. We must come together, unite around our shared values and deliver for the people of Minnesota.
We must focus on the next 10 years. During tough times it’s always tempting to re-fight the debates that led to this, but that doesn’t serve our state well and it won’t help us meet the challenges of the coming decade.
It’s time to listen. While there are a lot of smart people in government from both political parties, many of the best ideas come from Main Street rather than the halls of power. We must never forget it’s Minnesotans who make this state great. It’s the government’s job to help foster an environment in which people are free to succeed and fully participate in building the future our state needs and deserves.
