Dear neighbors,
With time off for the Easter/Passover break, I had time to sit down with the results of my 2017 Legislative Survey, which garnered almost 150 responses. I read through every response, absorbed your ideas, and thought critically about how to turn those ideas into concrete actions.
And this week, I want to spend some time talking about what I learned from you. So for now I will temporarily suspend my traditional "Push. Build. Resist." in favor of the structure of my survey:
Your Values. Your Barriers. Your Stories.
I learned that we are lucky to have many reasons to be proud to be Minnesotans. Many of you were proud of our excellent public schools, our top performing economy, and our strong sense of community. But it was our abundant natural resources that made you most proud to be Minnesotans.
Many of you offered your own responses to this question. One person said the Legacy Amendment made them proud. Another said it was our lakes, parks, rivers, and trails. And one of you said you just liked being a Minnesotan because it meant "I am not a Packer fan."
The state budget should also reflect our values as a state. And a plurality (30%) said that the best investment we can make is rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure.
As we gear up for the second round of budget negotiations, I will take that sentiment to heart and fight for a long-term transportation plan that reduces traffic congestion and makes it just a little bit easier for us to get around in Duluth. Other written-in ideas included clean water, clean air, non-degree job opportunities, and providing a safety net for our most vulnerable citizens. These are worthy investments, as well.
Finally, on the sometimes controversial topic of legalization of marijuana, a fairly solid majority of you backed ending the prohibition on recreational marijuana.
When some DFL legislators introduced the legislation ending prohibition this year, they said they merely wanted to start a conversation in Minnesota. That seems like a sensible first step to me, and I'm grateful that so many of you were able to contribute to that conversation through this survey.
Though we will not be hearing a bill on the prohibition of marijuana this year, I do expect the issue to resurface in future years, and I will keep your voice in mind as we continue this statewide conversation together.
While we have so much to be proud of in Minnesota, we also have barriers that still hold us back from living our lives to their fullest potential. The top three barriers you indicated were 1) a lack of good-paying jobs, 2) the high cost of a college education, and 3) a lack of earned sick or paid family leave.
Many of you also offered that the rising cost of health care and inadequate Social Security payments are preventing you from living the kind of life you've worked so hard to live.
On preemption, I learned you were almost universally opposed to Republican attempts to block cities and counties from passing earned sick leave, paid family leave, or an increased minimum wage.
And while a majority of you support Gov. Mark Dayton's proposed MinnesotaCare Buy-In, there were still quite a few who were unsure about how that public option would work.
To learn more about the MinnesotaCare Buy-In, consider reading my editorial in the Budgeteer or the Governor's MinnesotaCare Buy-In Frequently Asked Questions. If we want to bring down health care costs for those on the individual market, we need to make sure everyone in Minnesota knows and understands how a public option could bring down costs. Consider sharing these articles and your own health care stories with friends and family this week to help us move this policy forward.
Stories are powerful. They change hearts and minds, and they give a human face to the wonky policy proposals we debate in the state legislature every single day. By far, your stories were the most meaningful part of this experience for me.
For example, I heard some version of this same story over and over again:
"My wife and I are planning on having children in the near future. However, we are reluctant to take that step because of the potential cost, not just in terms of money but also being away from work to properly care for them. We are also concerned about being able to afford their higher education costs when that time comes."
"I'm a full-time teacher and a waitress (nights and weekends) and a musician. My mortgage is as cheap as they come (cheaper than rent) and I still live paycheck to paycheck and struggle to make ends meet because of student loan debt. How do people do it? How do they get ahead if they don't come from a family with money? I'm worried health care will get more expensive and I'll never be able to start a family."
"Student loan debt kept us from starting a family earlier. We almost didn't have children because of it. It is a constant strain on our economic future."
"I am a speech language pathologist. My husband has returned to school to be an RN. We love living in Duluth. We are able to enjoy our outdoor hobbies and stay close to family. We are looking forward to starting a family but have quite a bit of student loan debt & limited paid family leave through our employers."
But even when we've finally made the decision to start a family, too many Minnesotans work hard and still struggle to make ends meet.
"Raising a family with 3 kids, working full time and still not ahead - student loans & credit card debt burying me. Makes it hard to see an end to the chaos."
"Paid family leave is so foundational to everything we want to be as a country. Families need paid leave so moms can recover from birth, so breastfeeding can be off to a successful start, and so the all-important attachment relationship between baby and parents has a strong foundation. Parents shouldn't have to choose between putting food on the table and being home with their baby. It was a high priority for my husband and I that our babies have a parent home with them when they were born, so I had to quit my job to make that happen. We barely scraped by on what my husband was making, and I know that over the course of my lifetime I'll never catch up on the years of income I lost."
Housing and expensive rent also caused many of you to struggle to make ends meet:
"We need more affordable housing in Minnesota. My 23 year old daughter and her 1 year old son live with me because they can't find affordable housing. To have enough room, we had to turn the living room into a bedroom and we use the dining room as a small living room area. We're really cramped and yet actually fortunate to have the rental unit we do have. Please support both bonding funds to build and rehab affordable housing and support housing programs overall."
"I work in Duluth and love living here. I plan to retire and would appreciate if there were more affordable housing for seniors in our city. I currently rent and more than 1/3 of my income goes to rent. It will be hard for me to continue to live here after I retire in 6 more years."
And for far too many, health care costs eat up an increasing share of your monthly income:
"I was recently diagnosed with endometrial cancer and have incurred many thousands of dollars in medical expenses. My husband also has been fighting a rare form of leukemia for the past 19 years. Our medical expenses are through the roof. We need to keep health care available and affordable to all and protect Social Security. No one chooses to get sick with a devastating disease, it happens unfortunately to everyone."
"I'm a single woman, never married, and I have my own business. I rely on no one but myself. As I'm aging, I worry that health insurance will be absolutely necessary but not something that I can afford after making my mortgage payment."
Each one of these stories is important. They bring the economic issues we discuss at the legislature to life and make the work we do real for me and my colleagues.
I know in my heart Minnesota can do better. And when we come together around good ideas, we have the power to make something good happen. So despite the turmoil and uncertainty of today's political climate, I have hope. I believe in Minnesota, and I believe in Duluth. Together, we're going to work every day to make Minnesota an even better place to call home.
I hope you'll join me.
Rep. Liz Olson
221 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155
Phone: 651-296-4246
E-mail: rep.liz.olson@house.mn
Legislative Assistant: Madeleine Garces, 651-296-2955