On June 28, 2004, Rebecca held her first "One Minnesota Get-Together."  It drew 400 people of four party persuasions and was co-chaired by Walter Mondale and Arne Carlson.  These comments relate to that event, and to Rebecca's vision of "One Minnesota" - a Minnesota focused not the politics of division and no new taxes, but on the politics of unity and being the best.  ___________________________

It used to be we worked together in this state, Democrats and Republicans, to get good things done for the people of Minnesota. For thirty years, legislators agreed on a common vision of making our state a great place rather than a fly over state.  We developed some of the strongest schools, highest paying jobs and most innovative and prosperous economy in the nation.

But now we seem to have gotten lost at the Capitol.  There no longer is discussion about our vision and where we want to be in 10 years.  Partisan bickering, a my-way-or-the-highway attitude, and divisive social positions now rule the day.  Instead of working together on policy, legislators spend a lot of time trying to undermine each other on politics.  A selfish, destroy-anyone-not-like-me, far-right attitude has taken root, and it has focused mainly on no new taxes.

But no new taxes is governing backwards, adjusting a state's budget to fit a catchy bit of rhetoric.  What does it really buy us?  No new taxes is not a vision for the future, and those who fail to plan for the future will have their future determined for them.  All taxes are is how we fund our priorities.  The real solution is that we have to have an honest discussion about what our priorities are, and then we have to cut or fund them fully, not part-way, then adjust expenditures and revenues accordingly.  We can't rejigger government to fit a slogan.  That's just bad policy.

The focus has to go back to Vision.  To being the best.  And to One Minnesota.  On remembering that we're all a team in this state - not just with others of the same party, or community, or economic status, but all of us, Minnesotans.  We need to get back to the common goal of being number one.  By learning to work together again we can get back to actually solving problems instead of debating whether things are taxes or fees, improving our lives instead of letting the politics of a tax pledge determine and redefine public policy. 

We don't want to be average in this state.  That's not a goal.  That's not leadership.  That's coasting.  By working  together, we can be number one again.

Watch the video of Walter Mondale & Arne Carlson's comments here

Read Arne Carlson's speech here   Read Walter Mondale's speech here