Three critical concerns of Minnesotans are replacing welfare with
workfare, putting a stop to violent crime, and reducing the heavy tax
burden on families. Minnesotans know we need national-level policy
changes in these areas in order to improve our local communities.
Minnesotans realize it's time to fix our broken welfare system, which
wastes billions of tax dollars and hurts the very people it is supposed
to help. Since 1990, Minnesota's welfare costs have soared.
Here in Minnesota, we understand that showing compassion for poor people
means giving them a ladder of opportunity to escape from dependence on
government programs. Compassion does not mean more and more government
spending. We want workfare, not welfare. We want to require able-bodied
recipients of federal assistance to work in exchange for their benefits.
My opponent, Senator Paul Wellstone, rejects his constituents' views on
the issue of welfare reform. Not only has Paul Wellstone opposed efforts
to impose reasonable deadlines (two to five years) on the receipt of
federal assistance by able-bodied Minnesotans, he embarrassed our state
by being the only Senator up for re-election to vote against workfare.
The only one. Minnesotans know that Senator Wellstone's liberal record
on welfare is completely out of touch with the needs of our local
communities.
Long know as one of the safest states in the Union, Minnesota also
suffers from a growing epidemic of violent crime. Last year, the city of
Minneapolis witnessed a huge increase in its previous record for
murders. Without a doubt, Minnesotans fear becoming victims of violent
crime, and we want our legislators in Washington to help us establish
effective deterrents to criminal activity such as the death penalty and
tougher mandatory-sentencing guidelines.
Sadly, Senator Wellstone again shows a remarkable insensitivity to
Minnesotans' concerns on local crime-related issues. Over the last five
years, Wellstone has voted against toughening penalties for repeat
offenders and carjackers. He has opposed the death penalty over ten
different times and has voted to liberalize the appeals process for
hardened criminals. Minnesotans know we simply cannot address our
state's growing violent crime problem with Paul Wellstone's liberal
approach.
Finally, Minnesotans are growing tired of paying higher and higher taxes
to fuel big-government spending in Washington. Minnesotans realize that
our state ranks close to dead-last in the return on federal tax dollars
paid. And we realize it's time to balance the federal budget.
Minnesotans want federal tax relief and a Balanced-Budget Amendment, and,
once again, we expect our legislators in Washington will represent our
local concerns as they shape national policy.
Here again, Senator Wellstone demonstrates a tin ear to the views of
Minnesotans. In 1993, Wellstone twice cast the deciding vote in favor of
a record-breaking tax increase. Even though the President now admits
this tax hike was a mistake, Senator Wellstone stands behind these votes,
along with the dozens of other votes he cast to increase taxes on
Minnesota's families. Even worse, if it weren't for Senator Wellstone's
vote, the Senate would have passed the Balanced-Budget Amendment. As
Minnesota's voters go to the polls in a week and a half, Senator
Wellstone's free-spending liberalism and insensitivity to Minnesota
families' need for tax relief will surely prove a big factor in their
decision.