Re-Elect Michael Paymar for State Representative District 64B

Dear Friends and Neighbors:

For the future of Minnesota, we must change the political landscape at the Capitol. Despite having the majority in the Legislature, the Governor has used the veto and misused the allotment statute to stop any meaningful way to balance the State budget. As you know, this recession is the worst since the Great Depression and there are no easy solutions. We must erase a $1.2 billion deficit in 2010 and then we are facing an enormous challenge - a $5.6 billion deficit in the next biennium. I believe we must do the following:

• Reform our tax policy: Last session, I was chief author of a bill that would have rolled back the 1999 income tax cuts that benefited the wealthiest Minnesotans. I still believe this is the right and fair thing to do. While this will not be enough to resolve our massive deficit, it will help. We should also consider other tax reforms that assist small businesses to create jobs. We must make bold changes in our tax system to avoid continued boom and bust cycles by having a more stable source of revenue.


• Be innovative: We must plan for an aging population and a changing economy. All units of government should be thinking outside of the box by redesigning service delivery systems, setting priorities, and being innovative to ensure we provide essential quality of life services. For the past three years, I have been the chief author of the Omnibus Public Safety Finance Bill - not just being tough on fighting crime, but being smart about fighting crime through prevention and intervention programs.


• Invest in Minnesota: I am the co-author of the MN Health Plan (single payer), the New MN Miracle (increasing State funding for education while decreasing local property taxes), and will be a strong supporter of the Capital Investment bill that will provide needed jobs while protecting State resources. A key to turning around our economy is to invest in education - from early childhood programs to higher education.


• Balance the budget: We are constitutionally mandated to balance the budget. Next year, we will need to make reductions, but we should prioritize. I will not support a budget bill that cuts General Assistance Medical Care for the poorest of the poor or that contains further cuts to Local Government Aid.

I will continue to be a strong voice for Minnesota families and DFL principles. I've stood up against attacks on the GLBT community by the radical right in the House. I have repeatedly received 100% ratings from environmental groups, the Children's Defense Fund and labor. Last year, I was the chief author of a bill to confront human trafficking, co-author of a bill to put checks on copper-nickel mining near the BWCA and received awards for working to minimize cuts to the Courts, sexual assault programs and battered women's shelters.