Card,  6" x 4".

Minnesota can
Turn the Corner
with Tom Horner
 
The Bemidji Pioneer said Horner is
"...running on a party ticket more middle-of-the-road, where most Minnesotans are, and could break the St. Paul gridlock" (May 2, 2010).

The Minneapolis Star Tribune said Horner
"weighed in thoughtfully on a plan to balance the state's budget (May 30, 2010).


It's time for a governor who will put common sense solutions before political agendas!
 
Tom Horner's Background
• Successful small business owner – not a professional politician
• Helped shaped public policy in MN for more than 30 years
• Community volunteer
• Minnesota native
• Endorsed by the Independence Party

Learn About Tom Horner
•  www.Horner2010.com
•  www.facebook.com/Horner2010
• Toll Free: 877-998-2010
• Email: Campaign@Horner2010.com

A Governor for ALL Minnesotans
Independence Party Endorsed

Prepared and Paid for by Horner2010
10760 Highway 55, Plymouth, MN 55441-6112

Cards, 5 1/2" x 8 1/2".

Improving Education

Few investments are more important than education. About half of all Minnesota students - students from every community and from every background - are entering kindergarten unprepared to learn. Meanwhile, high school graduation rates among many of our fastest growing populations are dropping below 60%. At a time when our economy demands more college graduates, a falling high school graduation rate is an economic crisis that affects everyone.

We can't keep asking school districts to do more with less. That doesn't mean that education deserves a blank check. Minnesota deserves leadership that focuses on keys to successful education supportive families and community and teachers. We need to make investments in making sure that all parents have the tools to help their children succeed in school, then hold families and students accountable.

We should pay good teachers salaries that compete with jobs in private business and work with less effective teachers on improvement. We need parents, teachers, superintendents and policy makers to come to the table and create an honest and fair plan to identify the good teachers.

We need to hold school districts accountable. Resources need to go first and foremost into the classroom. We need to work with the innovative programs that are adapting n·ew ways of learning to today's students. And, we need to invest in technology.

Learn more at: Horner2010.com

Prepared and Paid for by Horner2010 • 10760 Hwy 55, Minneapolis, MN 55441


Keeping the Vikings

Tom Horner has outlined a plan to keep the Minnesota Vikings in Minnesota. Homer's proposal is based on a private-public partnership to build a new domed stadium.

Timing - The stadium decision needs to be made during the 2011 legislative session. However, funds for the stadium will not come at the expense of funding core services, including economic development and job creation, education, health care, human services, infrastructure, and the environment.

Partnership - A plan will require a cooperative effort among the Vikings, NFL, business community, and public. The Vikings must commit to providing taxpayers with greater security at lower cost by signing a 40-year lease, paying 40 percent of the costs and paying one-third of a new stadium's operating costs. Such commitments would demonstrate leadership from the Vikings and go beyond what other teams have done. In addition, the public owners of a new stadium will receive all the revenue from all non-Vikings events, including ticket sales, concessions, suites rentals and in-stadium advertising

Funding - Those who benefit most from a new stadium should pay more for its construction. Multiple funding options need to be considered to meet the estimated $32-to-$34 million per year state cost on 40-year bonds. Funding needs to come from a statewide source that does not include income, sales or property taxes. Options could include a penny-per-drink tax on liquor, a ticket tax on all stadium events including Vikings games, revenues from a Racino, and stadium revenues from non-Vikings events including concessions, advertising, and suite sales.

Equity Interest - If the team is sold, any increase in the value of the team would be shared proportionately with taxpayers on the basis of their contribution. This would remain in effect until the stadium is paid in full.

Learn more at: Horner2010.com

Prepared and Paid for by Horner2010 • 10760 Hwy 55, Minneapolis, MN 55441


Creating Jobs

In 2009, both Republicans and Democrats proposed a broad package of economic reforms to create new jobs. The reforms included smart policies to make it possible for small businesses to grow and prosper and to encourage our Fortune 500 employers to create new jobs in Minnesota and not in other states or countries, as well as policies that support investments in the start-up companies that are the businesses of the future.

What happened? The substance of the reforms was lost to politics. In spite of broad agreement on the core issues, neither party would let the other score a "win" - even if the biggest winners would have been working men and women in Minnesota. Minnesota has great economic strengths to build on if we have the right leadership.

Look at just one example: No other state has the concentration of brainpower Minnesota has at Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota combined with the diverse base of medical companies already here. With good public policy and smart leadership, Minnesota could become the Silicon Valley of biosciences.

Minnesota could have the jobs that are leading the way into the 21st century - not just science and technology jobs, but good-paying jobs in all the businesses that support a world-class industry.

Government shouldn't pick economic winners and losers. But government can and should create an environment for success by giving every Minnesota student the opportunity to succeed in post­high school education, including college and job training; eliminating unnecessary regulations; and creating smart tax and investment policies, assuring that Minnesota continues to attract the entrepreneurs that will build tomorrow's global companies.

Learn more at: Horner2010.com

Prepared and Paid for by Horner2010 • 10760 Hwy 55, Minneapolis, MN 55441


Accessible, Affordable Health Care

Real solutions to managing the rising cost of health care, expanding· access and maintaining quality include the following:

• Hold people accountable for preventive care and good health habits. Good health starts with personal responsibility, and provide the support of good public policy that reduces tobacco consumption and promotes healthy nutrition and exercise.

• Continue the work already underway in Minnesota to pay for outcomes not procedures. That is, health providers should be compensated for improving the health of people, not just providing more treatments.

• Make the upfront investment in technology (including personal health records.) Give people ownership of their own health records, making them smarter about their own care.

• Reform public health programs, but don't eliminate coverage for those in need and pretend that it is a cost-saving. For many people, health coverage simply isn't affordable.

• And, start now to reform older adult services. In a society where people are living longer, people need to take more responsibility for financing their own long-term care needs. We also need to create more community- based alternatives to expensive nursing homes, but provide facilities with fair reimbursement so they can invest in new care technologies that can reduce costs and improve the quality of life for those in nursing homes.

Learn more at: Horner2010.com

Prepared and Paid for by Horner2010 • 10760 Hwy 55, Minneapolis, MN 55441

Protecting the Environment

With funding and land needed for water quality improvement, floodwater retention, fish and wildlife habitat enhancement and the spin off social benefits of recreation, tourism, and safe, health communities; the state must prioritize programs and projects that can accomplish multiple goals at the same time and at the same place.

Even with large portions of northeastern MN in public ownership, 78% of MN land is privately held. The conservation and clean water needs of the state cannot be fulfilled only on public lands; therefore a greater emphasis on working with private landowners to give them incentives to accomplish projects and adopt best practices that will benefit others is crucial.

Minnesota is blessed with very productive land and abundant natural resources. The state is also blessed with high quality educational institutions. Minnesota can use the data and technological advantage coming out of the University system to assure that the state is getting the most beneficial and the cost-effective results with conservation efforts.

Local implementation with state oversight, assistance and policy development is the model of the most successful Minnesota environmental programs and should be the norm of the future.

Learn more at: Horner2010.com
 
Prepared and Paid for by Horner2010 • 10760 Hwy 55, Minneapolis, MN 55441