Column: My Point of View, by Robin Brown

It’s been a long and expensive winter at the Brown house. The emergency replacement of a furnace, as well as a water softener, combined with extremely high propane bills has really challenged our budget. Yet we’re fortunate to have good jobs, reliable insurance, and a safe place to live.

My dad always said, “It doesn’t matter how much you make, you still spend it all taking care of the ones you love.”

That’s probably true, but I can’t imagine going through this winter with the additional worry of a sick child, the loss of my home, or a tragedy that would render Joe or I unable to work.

If we were really honest with ourselves, we might admit that each of us is just one catastrophic event away from living in poverty. A tragic car accident taking the life of the major financial provider, or an expensive extended illness such as cancer or mental illness could leave us financially insecure in the blink of an eye.

With the loss of security (home, food, health, warmth, etc.) lives change very quickly. Yes, faith, family and friends can help, but I wonder if there is something we could or should do as a society to secure the necessities of life to all people? Is there something legislators should do?

The Minnesota Legislature convenes today. This year’s goals include a bonding bill that promises 22,000 jobs, and an increased minimum wage supporting the belief that people working a 40-hour week should not have to live in poverty. It’s interesting to note that on a federal level, the current minimum wage is worth 20 percent less than it was under President Ronald Reagan.

To answer my earlier question, “Is there something legislators should do?” Yes, there is something legislators should definitely do. They should create policies that secure success in areas they know they can make life better for all of us — long term. They should be brave and visionary.  They should stop paying for failure and start investing in success.

For example, according to the U.S. Department of Education, National Institute of Literacy, 63 percent of prison inmates can’t read as compared to 14 percent of the general population. Further, third grade seems to be critical. Currently, how well a student reads in third grade is a predictor of whether or not he or she will graduate, go to college, etc.

It seems that we could stop building prisons if we would just start doing everything we can to see that every third-grade student is reading at grade level — support areas that will produce success. It should go without saying that the work begins long before the child reaches third grade and involves more than simply teaching the child to read.

Another example is infrastructure. When asked, the same people who would never support a gas tax increase also believe we should pay to replace a bridge after it has fallen. Is it more expensive to pay a few cents on a gallon of gas or to lose lives on a bridge in need of repair? Is it more expensive to pay a few cents on the gallon of gas or to pay for tires and an alignment after hitting a major pothole? Frugal people take care of what they own knowing that it will save them money in the long run.

When considering long-term policies, the environment should remain a top priority. Clean air, land and water are a legacy we will leave our children. Many are impatient with current permitting policies that regulate practices that may be harmful to the environment. Businesses should definitely be a part of the conversation, but care must be taken when long-term damage to the environment is a possibility. Those afraid to scare businesses away should remember that in 2013 Forbes magazine named Minnesota the eighth best state in which to do business.

What should the Legislature do this session?   Let’s encourage them to put policies in place that support success in the areas that matter in a way that we will see long-term results. Let’s demand long-term security in the areas that matter most: education, equity, environment and infrastructure.

 

Moscow Township resident Robin Brown, an art teacher at Albert Lea High School, is a member of the Freeborn County DFL Party.