It's State Fair time, and we all have our favorite memories of Minnesota's largest gathering. Mine include: (1) the time I chipped my tooth on a frozen-chocolate-covered-banana-on-a-stick only three days before I started college; (2) asking one of the Dairy Princesses what they do with their butter sculptures after the Fair is done (answer--it varies...one kept hers in the freezer forever, another donated hers to her town's annual corn feed where they'd dig their corn in the sculpture for the butter); and (3) watching the "Ladies' Lead" event where participants and their sheep promenade around a ring in matching sweaters knitted from the sheep's wool.

Now it's time for a new all-time-favorite State Fair memory! Come visit the Klobuchar for Minnesota booth on Cooper Street across from the Kidway and a half block from the DFL booth. And if you really want to make it a memorable experience, volunteer to work at our booth by emailing Lizzie Nelson, our volunteer coordinator at This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it or call Lizzie at 651-714-2006.

A Visit to Crookston

For anyone who needs some open air, big vistas, and a sense of endless possibilities, I suggest a drive from East Grand Forks to Crookston on Highway 2. From soybeans to sunflowers, you get a firsthand look at just what Minnesota is giving back to the world. Visiting throughout western Minnesota--with folks at Farmfest, sugar beet farmers in Breckenridge, educators in East Grand Forks, and small business owners in Crookston, you learn pretty quickly that the people want to elect a Senator in 2006 who is going to put Minnesota first in Washington. When you listen to the farmers betrayed by promises of politicians who voted against Minnesota on CAFTA, open up the Crookston paper to see a nun from Mount St. Benedict calling for the resignation of Karl Rove, and repeatedly hear people whose friends and family members are courageously serving our country in the Mideast ask why George Bush said the "mission is accomplished" when it wasn't, you know something is afoot.

One of the highlights of the trip was the privilege to spend some time in Crookston with Representative Bernie Lieder, who served our country in World War II, worked as a highway engineer, and for 22 years has represented the Crookston area in the state legislature. Bernie loves his district and is proud of the ingenuity of the people of Crookston. Behind every business--the American Crystal sugar beet plant, the New Flyer bus manufacturing company, the aluminum alloy manufacturing at Dee, Inc. -- there is always a story of how the business got there and how many people they employ. Bernie understands the connection between investing in schools, colleges and universities (like the University of Minnesota Crookston campus), training our young people for jobs in an ever-changing world economy, and finding innovative ways (like ethanol, transportation) to produce goods and services to employ the people of this state.

Bernie treated us to the famous "chippers" chocolate-covered potato chips produced at George Widman's Candy Shoppe, one of Crookston's many small family-owned businesses. You can see a picture of Bernie, George and me by visiting and clicking on "Amy Across Minnesota."

Accountability in Public Leadership

In recent years it's become almost routine for newcomers in elections to boast of their inexperience with government and run on their claims as "outsiders." Everyone starts from somewhere, but when you see someone like Bernie Lieder, who has basically donated his life to public service, first in war and then to our state government, you get a different sense of what accountability in public leadership means in this country. This is a guy, who after 22 years, still makes the five-hour drive back and forth to St. Paul over 40 times a year, someone who has used his experience and leadership to bring jobs and education to the citizens he represents. In a very straightforward and no-nonsense way, he is accountable to them.

Before being elected to public office, I spent 14 years in the private sector. I am proud of that work just as I am proud of my work as County Attorney. But the fact that I know what it really takes to stand for election and win a tough race, to work in local government and make decisions that affect people's lives every day, and to swear an oath to serve the public and make government work, is going to make a difference for the people of Minnesota in Washington. I just don't buy that one Senator can't make a difference in Washington. Working on the front line every day, representing over 1.1 million people and leading an office of nearly 400 employees has given me faith that government can get things done. It's also made me see the value of drawing the line in the sand, and standing up and fighting for what's right. People need a senator who will not just stand by them, but also stand UP for them.

Accountability is something that Minnesotans expect and deserve from their government. From the very first day I took office as County Attorney, I said that we would focus on results rather than process. We now publish clear goals each year and we measure our results. We encourage employees to share their ideas on how to make government more efficient and responsive to the people we serve. We assign prosecutors to individual communities to increase accountability. We've saved taxpayers millions of dollars by reducing the use of outside law firms. Working in partnership with law enforcement, neighborhood groups and businesses, we've reduced serious Part I crime in our county by over 20%--double the number for the rest of the state. We've reduced staff by reorganizing our office, streamlining functions and reallocating cases. These initiatives didn't require a lot of bells and whistles--but they required innovative thinking and the will to get results.

With your help I will bring the simple notion that results and accountability matter to the halls of Congress. I will bring our shared Minnesota values--opportunity through hard work, a level playing field, and responsibility to Washington. I will focus on the issues that make a difference in the lives of the people of our state--security, health care reform, education, fiscal responsibility, and energy and farm policies. And I will not just stand by you, I will stand UP for you.