June 9, 2010| Posted in Articles, Front Page Slideshow, Health Care, In the News, In the News, News Media, Paul's Viewpoint
The Republican TV ads for November must already be filmed and ready to go. Republicans running for state offices have clearly decided to jump on the bandwagon of opposition to the national health care bill.
And so Republicans in the Legislature — led by gubernatorial candidate, Tom Emmer — walked away from $1.4 billion in health care investments that would have immediately shored up struggling hospitals and clinics and held down your health care premiums. This is cynical politics at its worst and Minnesotans should be outraged.
Here?s the background: Minnesota currently pays the cost of health care for about 82,000 of the poorest, most vulnerable Minnesotans without children using only state tax dollars. But this year, we are being given the opportunity to immediately move those individuals to Medicaid, which means that the federal government would pick up half of the cost of their health care. Taking advantage of the offer would be incredibly beneficial for Minnesota.
Indeed, the deal is so good for Minnesota that Gov. Tim Pawlenty (no fan of federal health care reform) initially offered to include the Medicaid option as
part of the final state budget agreement — until Republican legislators raised such a political ruckus that the governor retreated.
So what does the Republican?s decision to kill the opportunity mean?
First, thousands of health care jobs in Minnesota will be lost at a time when we can ill-afford more unemployment. Local hospitals and clinics will miss out
on dramatically improved reimbursement rates and will suffer millions of dollars in losses instead. And every one of us with private health insurance will experience higher premium increases in the future to make up for those losses.
Moreover, by refusing the new Medicaid option, a cash-strapped state of Minnesota will miss the chance to draw down $1.4 billion in federal funds, money that will now go to other states to help balance their state budgets. Passing up the federal help makes little sense for Minnesota which today only gets back about 76 cents for every federal tax dollar paid to Washington, D.C.
Moreover, we could draw down the $1.4 billion with an investment of $190 million state dollars. It boggles my mind that Republicans, who seemingly pride themselves on their business acumen, would have passed on the opportunity to get back $7.45 for every dollar invested.
But that?s not the worst of it. The same Republicans in the Minnesota House who vehemently oppose the Medicaid option today actually offered and supported an essentially identical proposal to move those 82,000 Minnesotans into Medicaid just one year ago!
So why did the Republican legislators flip-flop and reject the chance to preserve good jobs, hold your health care premiums down and get back some hard-earned federal tax dollars to Minnesota?
The answer is obvious: Electoral politics. The Republicans, from Tom Emmer on down, want to scare the people of Minnesota with the specter of “Obamacare” to gain votes in November.
Don?t buy into the fear-mongering. The Medicaid option is not government take-over of health care. It is simply a fuller utilization of a health care program that began in 1965 and is largely administered by private health insurance companies.
In other words, when a Republican legislator or candidate says he opposes “government take-over of health care”, what he?s really saying is that he wants to get rid of a program that already provides coverage for more than 500,000 Minnesotans each month; more than half of them are children and families, the remaining are seniors and people who have disabilities.
So next time you see Tom Emmer or a Republican legislative candidate, ask him why he doesn?t want Minnesota to get more of your hard-earned federal tax dollars back. Ask him why Republican legislators were overwhelmingly for the Medicaid option before they were against it. And ask him why he is unwilling to stand up for Minnesota hospitals and clinics and fight to preserve Minnesota jobs. And when you go to the polls in November, remember the answers.
April 26, 2010| Posted in Front Page Slideshow, In the News, Uncategorized
Despite falling short of the DFL endorsement, it is time to be profoundly thankful.
I am thankful for my amazing opponents – statesman and moral compass John Marty, gutsy and outspoken advocate Tom Rukavina, inspirational and hopeful leader RT Ryback, and smart and diligent worker Margaret Anderson Kelliher.
It seems like such an incredible understatement to simply say thank you for your support. I am humbled, thrilled and inspired by those of you who got involved for the first time because you wanted to work together to take back the governor’s office. I’m heartened to the longtime activists who through their experienced eyes, saw someone that they could trust in me.
I am thankful for my family’s constant support and encouragement. My dad and my wife, Karen, made literally thousands of phone calls. My mom and my sister were my rocks as I traveled Minnesota, taking care of everything from my children to feeding my campaign staff. My kids have been patient while they waited for their dad to get home from being on the road campaigning with my team. My family was and is the foundation of our team.
And that campaign team– the whiz kids who made up my staff proved that with countless hours, a little heart and a lot of moxie – that the future of the DFL is filled with potential and that they will not be out-worked, out-organized, or out-shone.
Most important, I am thankful to all of you for seeing the same vibrant future for Minnesota that I do. Over a year ago, when I started this campaign, I was the tall guy with the white hair and the hard-to-pronounce last name.
The past year was filled with thousands of miles, traveling from Hawley to Rochester, Marshall to Bemidji, the Twin Cities and finally here to Duluth. Over all of those miles, I heard over and over again from people who knew that it was Minnesota’s time.
My campaign’s story is a Minnesota story. It’s a story where the person with fewer advantages who is less well known becomes successful with hard work, grit, and sheer determination.
For an entire year, I had the overwhelming opportunity to envision a better Minnesota with all of you. Even though I fell short of becoming your nominee, I am lucky and blessed to share that vision of a vibrant future. With that in mind, I have no regrets and I leave this election in your capable hands.
Thank you all for your incredible support.
April 18, 2010| Posted in Karen's Corner
This last week or so before the Convention, Paul and I are criss-crossing the state, holding meet and greets in various locations so that delegates can get to know Paul better and get his views on the issues that matter most to them. From Duluth to Stillwater, Moorhead to Rochester, both the turnouts and discussions have been great! At our Mankato meet and greet this weekend, we had the honor of having Congressman Tim Walz, his wife Gwen and their family stop by to participate! Even their adorable 3-year old Gus chimed in! It was an incredible way to connect on the ways that federal and state legislation intersect on issues like health care and education. Check out the Events Calendar on the website to find an upcoming meet and greet in your area!
April 16, 2010| Posted in In the News, In the News, Paul's Viewpoint
Paul Thissen: Minnesotans need solutions, not patience
The times demand action, persistence and fresh ideas from political leaders.
By PAUL THISSEN
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Last update: April 15, 2010 – 7:55 PM
There is more brewing in Minnesota than tea. The recent Tea Party rallies and counterprotests by labor organizations are a less-than-subtle sign that under the surface, Minnesotans are fed up. They are frustrated because establishment political leaders are not addressing the real problems that they are facing every day. Many worry about how to keep their jobs and how to provide for their families with fewer hours and less pay.
The response to these real concerns from the establishment and cynics is too often that we should wait and be satisfied with what we have. They say that it’s not our time and it is not our turn.
Be patient with a jobless economic recovery, Minnesota. Wait and see if federal health care reform helps control soaring costs in our state. Stand by as your child’s class turns into a warehouse. Let do-nothing politics fester for another four years.
My response to those cynics is simple — Minnesota cannot wait any longer for strong leadership. The DFL certainly cannot wait another four years to win an election. The stakes are too high to simply wait in line.
These times do not call for patience. They demand action, persistence and fresh ideas. They demand leadership that is less about doing things — and more about getting things done.
I’m staking my campaign to be governor on the fact that Minnesotans are ready for that kind of leadership. I’ve been more of a workhorse than a show horse over my legislative career. From extending health care to 40,000 Minnesota kids to securing a decent retirement for tens of thousands of police officers, firefighters and teachers, I’ve built a record as someone who takes action to fix problems rather than wait around talking about what we could do.
That combination of hard work and a clear vision is the way we built our state, grew our economy into one of the most robust in the country and made Minnesota tops in the nation in education, quality of life, job growth and most other measures. We’re slipping, but Minnesotans are ready for the hard work and hard choices it will take to regain our proud standing.
Sometimes in this disjointed political process, we forget what elections are really about. Minnesotans don’t care about bickering within and between political parties. They have grown wary of sound bites and political point-scoring. They don’t care about who has paid their dues or who the media assumes is a so-called front-runner.
For over a year, our campaign has been challenging Minnesotans to do an unconventional thing. I’m not running for governor because I was ever a presumptive front-runner. I’m not here out of name recognition or institutional position or entitlement. I’m not in the race because it is my turn. I’m running because it’s Minnesotans’ turn to have a governor who will engage them in actually solving our problems.
And I know Minnesotans are ready because our campaign is breaking through, due to hard work, good ideas, honest conversations and sheer determination. There is nothing more Minnesotan than that.
Rep. Paul Thissen, Minneapolis, is a DFL candidate for governor.
You can read the original article here.
The Republican TV ads for November must already be filmed and ready to go. Republicans running for state offices have clearly decided to jump on the bandwagon of opposition to the national health care bill.
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