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 Amy talking to an employee at American Crystal Sugar in Moorhead My grandpa was a miner, working 1,500 feet underground in the iron ore mines in Ely. He knew about the virtues of hard work, and he knew that the rewards of hard work and prosperity should be fairly shared. He passed this same work ethic down to my dad and me.
Minnesota has always stood for opportunity through hard work. We believe that no matter where you come from, if you work hard, you can give the uplifting gift of education to your children, you can take care of your parents and have security in your later years. To make the most of this opportunity, we must have an economy that produces good-paying jobs and delivers prosperity for all. Too many hard-working Minnesotans and Americans now struggle to make ends meet -- squeezed by rising health care costs, soaring home mortgages, skyrocketing gas prices and mounting bills for child care and college. Families confront these rising expenses even as jobs pay less, provide fewer benefits and offer less security. The current administration just doesn't seem to get it. We need leaders in Washington who will fight to protect the middle class and preserve the opportunity for everyone to share in the American Dream.
With the global economy, American workers are now competing against cheaper labor overseas. I believe we must put an end to this administration's policies that reward American companies for taking our workers' jobs overseas. Instead, we should provide incentives for creating new, good-paying jobs here at home. Technological innovation will be key to our future prosperity in this ever more connected world. Minnesota has always been on the cutting edge of science, technology and new products -- from the pacemaker to the Post-It Note. National investment in basic and applied research must continue to be an important force for turning bright ideas into real, marketable products that give rise to new industries and new jobs.
A key part of maintaining a healthy economy is a safe and efficient transportation system. The movement of goods and people is an essential part any sort of economic activity. Minnesota companies need to get their goods to markets, and our workers need to get to their jobs. Transportation is the link that helps Minnesota's economic development to thrive. Federal investment in Minnesota's highway and transit systems is crucial if we want our communities to grow and prosper.
To make these investments and ensure a prosperous economy, we need a federal government that is able to gets its own fiscal house in order. Every day, our government spends over $800 million dollars just to pay the interest and principal on the federal debt. Instead of piling up more expenses to pay even more unneeded debt, we could be putting our money to much better use for college scholarships, roads and investment in renewable energy. Instead, the president has sacrificed financial common sense, pushing our nation unnecessarily deep into debt while giving special tax breaks to the richest of the rich.
The priorities in Washington need to change.
As your U.S. Senator, here's what I'll fight for:
• I will fight to make sure that Minnesota gets the resources we need to grow our businesses and create new jobs. I will fight to expand efforts to invest in renewable energy and other innovative technology to fully harvest Minnesota's ingenuity and resources. These efforts have the potential to generate an abundance of jobs in Minnesota for decades to come. I will fight to make sure that Minnesota communities get the support they need to maintain and update their infrastructure -- whether it's traditional roadways or high-speed broadband on the information highway -- to bring new opportunities for economic development.
• I will fight for fair trade, not just free trade. International trade can provide access to important new markets for Minnesota's products, and it is crucial to our state's future prosperity. But our businesses must have fair access to these markets and we must have a level playing field for our farmers and workers. I will insist that labor and environmental standards be a part of the trade agreements we negotiate with other countries.
• I will fight for fiscal responsibility in our federal budget. Our current and future prosperity is endangered by the reckless fiscal policies of the current administration. We will always need to spend what it takes to secure our country and to respond to disasters like Katrina. But the lack of discipline in Washington since President Bush took office has led to a record level of debt -- much of it owed to foreign entities. In just a few years, this administration turned a $200 billion dollar surplus into a $300 billion dollar deficit. This deficit means every child born in America today is stuck with a $26,000 tax -- their share of the federal deficit. I will fight for a return to the "Pay-As-You-Go" rule which worked so well to create budget surpluses and a prosperous economy during the 1990s.
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On the Issues 
