Forging the State Vision

07/13/2007

Paul Munnis


As Washington realigns its priorities and deals with the immediate future we are in a challenging period at the State level. We have entered a post-war planning period when the goals and objectives of America are pretty foggy and yet we must forge a biennium budget for Minnesota. We are caught in a transition and an election with a Lame Duck governor making it hard to accomplish much of lasting value. That is complicated by the coming 2008 elections.

As we start the session we have three key problems to deal with. The first is our teetering transportation infrastructure. Thanks to Rep. Jim Oberstar we are in a position to overcome those problems if we can set-aside the “No New Taxes,” attitude of the GOP and come up with matching funds. The second is our schools, they are in a declining quality cycle that must be reversed and fixed. We have a generation entitled to a good education and a State in need of quality well educated workers as we enter the reconstruction phase of the Iraq War. The third is our State economy. We are undergoing shifts there and thus the emphasis is changing.

In spite of the problems mentioned above we also have some great strength to build upon. The first is alternative energy. Again we are well positioned since agriculture is a linch-pin in alternative energy. With Rep. Colin Peterson well positioned and crafting a farm bill for our nation, we can craft a good outcome for Minnesota. Our Legislature has put a good down-payment on our energy future in the last session and must now make decisions that propel us forward to achieving those goals.

Another challenge is to help our manufacturing sector reset itself to become a flexible manufacturing entity capable of rapid retooling to meet short-term manufacturing needs on a national basis.

In the medical and health sector we have great opportunity to blaze research trails and form new companies to take advantage of those research breakthroughs.

The key will be to abet a focus on R&D with venture capital while providing a capable workforce that can master the new technologies.

When Minnesota chose to build itself around the three legs of Agriculture, Industry, and High Tech, we picked a solid foundation for ourselves. We do not need to throw away these foundations but rather we need to strengthen them, get cross feeding going on between them, and provide the infrastructure to interlock them.

In this biennium budget we need to look ahead to the changes that will come in terms of national funding, position ourselves to take advantage of them, and get short-term fixes to key roads, bridges, and rail. Our port at Duluth and our canals and locks and damns will take on new importance as we focus upon economy-of-scale. We will create more new jobs than we can fill thus challenging us even further.

The mid-west in general and Minnesota in particular has golden opportunity just ahead. We have honed our skills and our ability to cope, now let’s sharpen our vision and set our goals on a bright future for our children. We have good leaders and have weathered the conversion back to a largely bipartisan government now let's strengthen our committment to doing what's best for our future regardless of Party.

We own the future if we are brave enough to face it.