Defending the status quo

06/22/2005

I find it ironic that Speaker Steve Sviggum wants to end the status quo (Commentary, June 14). For generations of Minnesotans, status quo has meant excellence, which is a tradition I would like to see protected.

Excellence in public education has been a mainstay in our state. We have always taken pride in the success of our students and believed that by investing in our schools, we could continue that pattern of success into the future.

Under this administration, we are going backward. School funding has not kept up with the rate of inflation, resulting in layoffs, closings and elimination of classes and activities, as well as, higher property taxes. Because of their legislation, our “status quo” of excellence in education is rapidly fading.

Health care hasn’t always been considered just an expense, but rather an investment. We worked to make health care available to all, recognizing both the human need and the economic benefit. Since 2001, the number of uninsured in Minnesota has risen by 30 percent, with another 30,000 to be cut under the governor’s current plan. The average family is already paying an extra $900 a year in insurance premiums to help cover the cost of medical care for the uninsured. As more people lose their insurance, this cost will continue to rise.

Finally, our state has a rich tradition of compromise, with leaders working together to find reasonable middle ground. In the recent years that Minnesota has had special sessions, there have been two governors and three Senate majority leaders. The only constant was that Tim Pawlenty and Sviggum held leadership positions. It is their leadership and their refusal to compromise that has led us to the “status quo” of special sessions that Sviggum is denouncing.

The governor’s pledge of “no new taxes” is wearing thin. We need to stop the gimmicks, shifts and fees, and call a “tax” a “tax.” Minnesotans deserve an honest solution to our budget deficit. Let’s give our children a future where we adequately fund education, affordable health care is available for all and a robust job market supports a high quality of life. These are not DFL values, these are Minnesota values.

Rep. Irv Anderson,
DFL-International Falls, Minn.