Thriving Communities.
Paul Wellstone was right when he said, “We all do better when we all do better.” Despite the ubiquity of this statement in Minnesota politics for the past two decades, we still fall short of a society that commits to the well-being of all.
Building thriving communities takes dedication, organization, and collective action. We need to fight for well-funded public education from cradle to college by offering universal childcare and free college tuition at public institutions. This is an investment in our present and our future: it allows young parents to pursue their goals free from the crippling cost of childcare and ensure that all Minnesotans get the benefits of education.
We should offer student loan forgiveness to release young families from the burden of predatory student debts.
We need to have the courage to act decisively to end homelessness. We can start by expanding public mental health resources and working toward affordable housing for every Minnesotan.
Thriving communities also require that every person has rights over their own body. Abortion and Trans rights are under attack. Only with vigilance can we protect these precious freedoms of choice and self-identity.
To achieve these goals, legislators need to hold large corporations and rich individuals accountable for how they’ve rigged the tax system. Many of our public programs, from education to housing, have been underfunded for decades, while corporate profits and CEO pay have soared. A just tax system is the first step towards the promise of government being achieved in Minnesota.