On Tuesday, (for those who have yet to vote) you’ll make the decision as to who should represent you in the Minnesota State Senate for the next four years. It won’t surprise you that I believe I’m the best candidate, and worthy of your vote. But why? That’s a legitimate question. Why should you...
Ethics That Go Beyond Rule 56 Rule 56 of the Permanent Rules of the Minnesota Senate outlines the standards of ethical conduct members are to follow. In the first section, 56.1, it reads as follows: “Members shall adhere to the highest standard of ethical conduct as embodied in the Minnesota...
The Heartbeat of our Communities If you drive through Northfield, New Prague, Le Center, Le Sueur, Belle Plaine, Elko-New Market or any of the other small towns that make up Senate District 20, you’ll quickly see what makes up the economic heartbeat of Minnesota. Small business owners. Whether a...
We’re almost #1…and that’s not a good thing Founded in 1937, the Tax Foundation is an independent, non-partisan Washington, D.C.-based think tank that collects data and publishes research studies on U.S. tax policies at both the federal and state levels. Last week, the group came out with its 2017...
It’s Not a Suggestion The Second Amendment was adopted on December 15, 1791, as part of the first ten amendments contained in the Bill of Rights. It reads: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be...
Safe Roads and Bridges The Minnesota Constitution spells out our rights, liberties, and how government is to be organized. Very few sections of the constitution outline how money is to be spent. Transportation is one of those sections, so we have a constitutional obligation to get it right....
How about a little waste, fraud or abuse? Waste, fraud and abuse. There’s a fair share of it in government. Take the MNsure website, Minnesota’s version of Obamacare, strongly supported by my opponent, Kevin Dahle. It has taken hundreds of millions of dollars to “fix” the site, and it still...
Lowering Health Care Costs We all know the problems. Health insurance costs continue to skyrocket, making health care unaffordable for families, farmers and small business owners. Here in Minnesota, the state’s MNsure program has been plagued by huge cost overruns, delays, computer glitches,...
It’s back to school time! Issue #3 – Keeping the Quality in Minnesota’s Education System Rich Draheim grew up in a family of educators. His grandmother was a teacher in a one room school house in southern Minnesota, his mom a teacher in Mankato, his uncle taught in Owatonna, his aunt in Faribault...
Issue two – Preserving Agriculture as Minnesota’s Best Natural Resource Rich Draheim is blessed to be a life-long Minnesotan, born and raised in Mankato. After graduating from Minnesota State Mankato with a business administration degree, Rich went to work full time as a Manager at John Deere...