Mike Hatch (DFL)
www.hatch2006.org
Mike Hatch grew up in Duluth and attended the University of Minnesota Law School, practicing law and becoming state DFL Party chair, serving as commerce commissioner, and being elected attorney general in 1998 and in 2002.
(12) Higher education is more important today than ever before. Under our current governor, however, it is becoming out of reach for many families. Tuition and student fees have skyrocketed - doubling over the past six years.
I propose to roll back the cost of college tuition by closing a $300 million corporate tax loophole that, under current law, allows corporations to move passive income offshore to avoid paying taxes.
We must also make sure that our higher education institutions are attuned to the needs of the market. For example, Minnesota is facing a critical shortage of registered nurses. The future of Minnesota's economy and quality of life is dependent upon the accessibility of higher education and superior vocational programs.
(13) Minnesota is a strong agricultural state - consistently ranking in the top five nationally in the production of corn, soybeans, sugar beets, and dairy products. In recent decades, however, increasing land prices, rising production costs, and out-of-control property tax hikes are tightening the producer margins.
Although the state cannot directly interfere with land prices and production costs, as governor, I will do everything I can to lower property taxes and control the skyrocketing cost of health care.
I will also develop a long-term plan to encourage new producers.
(14) Over this term, the state terminated health care coverage for nearly 40,000 working Minnesotans, raised college tuition by 50 percent, cut K-12 education funding, and has pushed through increases in property taxes and fees to the tune of nearly $3 billion. Our roads and highways are broken down, dangerous, and gridlocked, and the Department of Transportation is unable to claim millions of dollars in federal highway funding because of poor fiscal management. In this environment it is hard to justify public funding of a Vikings stadium.
(15) Transportation gridlock, which already costs Minnesotans over $1 billion a year in wasted fuel and lost time, will only intensify as the metro area gains another one million people by 2030. The quality of our roads, both in the metro area and in Greater Minnesota, is worsening.
The reality is that no one solution will be sufficient to solve our transportation problems. Instead, we need a multi-faceted plan that combines building new roads with giving Minnesotans more transportation options. Although I am troubled by its language, I support the Motor Vehicle Sales Tax ("MVST") Amendment. Currently, only 54 percent of tax revenue from motor vehicle sales is spent on roads, bridges, and transit. But we must not adopt a metro-centric mindset and neglect to improve rural roads.
(16) Why is Minnesota government too often gridlocked? In a word, "leadership." Taking a "my way or the highway" approach to governing has pushed us into expensive special sessions and the first government shut down in history. A governor needs to take responsibility and not blame failures on predecessors and the legislature.
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Peter Hutchinson (I)
www.TeamMN.com
Peter Hutchinson has worked in the private sector as an executive with the Dayton Hudson Corporation, served the state of Minnesota as its finance commissioner and the Minneapolis school system as its superintendent, and has worked the past 15 years in a small business he co-founded.
(12) Higher education cannot meet our workforce needs until we deliver students to them who are prepared for the rigors of higher education. Nearly 36 percent of Minnesota's high school graduates require some remedial education before jumping into regular coursework, increasing the costs of college.
So, to make higher education more successful, we must focus our efforts on the early years. If our kids are learning what they need to know to make higher education a real alternative for them, then we need to ensure that they have the resources to go.
(13) Agriculture's basic strategy has been to achieve the lowest costs/ highest productivity per acre through mass production. The next strategy is to achieve the highest value added per acre through specialty products and renewable energy. Both strategies require first class ag-related research and development at the U of M.
Then, we can focus our energy policy on home-grown solutions. We should expand our opportunities for wind and biomass energy and develop the technology to effectively produce ethanol from perennials and other native plants.
(14) I would treat private sports teams the same as any other private business in Minnesota. Businesses should not expect taxpayers to make the investments in private companies to enrich the pockets of private investors. But, Minnesota should invest public dollars in transportation and education - and other public infrastructure - which benefit not only private companies, but assure prosperity for all Minnesotans.
(15) We don't need an amendment; the legislature and the governor had the authority to do this at any time during the last four years. Due to the short-sighted no-tax pledge, they were unable to get it done.
Here's what I would do. I would re-pass the bi-partisan transportation bill from the 2006 session (the only truly bi-partisan action we've seen in the last four years), which was vetoed by the governor. It provided for a phased-in increase in the gas tax funds and secured the future we need for our transportation.
We have always used pay-as-you-go for our transportation, and I see no need to change it now. The multi-million dollar increase in debt that has happened under this governor will absorb our future maintenance dollars and put an even bigger tax burden on our kids. I'd increase the gas tax (as passed last year in the bi-partisan transportation bill), initiate better traffic management, and insist on more personal responsibility for individual driving. We need long-range plans for both road maintenance and transit systems.
(18) The voters can "throw the rascals out!" For different results, vote your independence. Independence Party candidates don't take money from special interests, PACs, or lobbyists, and they don't feel compelled to advance the partisan issues that are dividing Minnesotans. I call them the 5 Gs: God, Gays, Guns, Gambling, and Gynecology. These are issues upon which there is vast disagreement. They are used to divide and distract Minnesotans from the lack of progress on the issues that matter.
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Tim Pawlenty (R)
www.timpawlenty.com
Tim Pawlenty was raised in South St. Paul, attended the University of Minnesota, and became an attorney. He served in the House of Representatives before being elected governor in 2002.
(12) Currently, tuition at Minnesota colleges and universities ranks near the middle of tuition levels at peer group institutions nationally. The University of Minnesota recently announced a proposed tuition increase of four percent for next year. The Minnesota State Colleges and University System is expected to announce a similar increase. These increases represent a return to more reasonable tuition costs.
Now that the state's epic budget crisis is resolved, more financial support will be available for general aid to colleges and students. This will help keep future tuition increases in check. In addition, I recently announced a landmark program, so that all Minnesota high school students who graduate in the top 25 percent of their class, or post a comparable ACT score, will be able to attend their first two years of public college for free. Students' third and fourth years of college will also be free if they major in a math or science field. The program will apply to students in families with annual adjusted gross income at $150,000 or below. These students will be required to attend college full-time and maintain at least a B average each year.
(13) Agriculture is a cornerstone to Minnesota's economic health and our way of life. That's why we are committed to building a stronger rural economy through opportunity, innovation, and job development. Our efforts are encouraging growth and increased opportunities for farmers and the agricultural economy in Minnesota. We've increased ethanol fuel requirements from 10 percent to 20 percent by 2013. Moreover, we're building even more ethanol production facilities and needed E-85 infrastructure.
Minnesota became the first in the nation to require two percent biodiesel use. We continue to enhance and modernize Minnesota's livestock industry by providing greater certainty for livestock producers in the permitting process. We're also bringing Minne-sota closer to the world - especially China. Agriculture exports from Minnesota have increased substantially during my time as governor.
We're also developing a broader-based rural economy. Early in our administration, we created the JOBZ program which has launched 271 projects, resulting in over 12,000 jobs being created or retained, while bringing in almost $400 million in new capital investments. We can further help agriculture by keeping taxes and ag related costs low, so our farmers can be competitive. We also need to modernize our transportation infrastructure, so ag commodities can be transported efficiently at a reasonable cost.
(14) This will depend on the proposal brought forward by the team and a local government partner.
(17) Yes. Passage of the MVST amendment will allow us to build on our administration's success. We have pumped more money into transportation than in any four-year period in the state's history.
In 2005, I vetoed a gas tax increase because Minnesotans are paying enough for gas, and higher fuel prices can drive up prices on everything we buy. I don't support wheelage taxes or municipal sales taxes for transportation because they make the tax system more complex, less accountable, and more burdensome.
(18) My "Performance Pay for Politicians" plan would help keep the legislative session on track. This is a common sense proposal that says if the legislature and governor don't get their work done on time, they don't get paid. Unfortunately, some legislators blocked this plan in 2006, but I'm hopeful that it will pass in 2007.
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