My name is Michael Northbird, North like the direction and bird that flies, and I’m the DFL endorsed candidate for House District 2A in the upcoming 2018 midterm elections. First and foremost – I’m a father, a husband, and I’m dedicated to my family. I’m a Native American, a constituent, a Minnesotan, and an American.
I decided to seek the opportunity to be your representative because I don’t believe our current leaders are truly advocating on behalf of all of us in the district. The priorities our District’s current legislators are pushing in St. Paul don’t match those of our community. We have a ways to go to make Minnesota a state that works better for all of us and not just those already at the top.
I’ll never lose sight of where I come from or the people who got me here. My culture and heritage are strong enough to keep me respectful and appreciative. I wouldn’t be here without people like you and I’m not running for this seat for me. I want to hear YOURviews and I want to know what matters to YOU. Please do not hesitate to email me at NorthbirdForMN2A@gmail.com.
I have inherent roots in this area dating back hundreds of years and, knowing how beautiful our area is here in Northern Minnesota, I would like the opportunity to help us keep it that way. District 2A is a great place to work hard and raise a family. It’s a great place to get an education; a place for individuals and families to be safe; a place of diversity and a place we all call home. We should have a community that we want to live in, that others want to play in, and that has a strong economy worthy of the hard work we as Minnesotans put into this State every single day.
If granted the honor of being your representative, I will continue to advocate for rural Minnesotan ideals, and never stop fighting for liberty and justice … FOR ALL!
Miigwech/Thank you
Issues
Below is information about my positions on issues that have come up during conversations with constituents.
Firearm Safety
Common-sense reform that protects our families and 2nd amendment rights, such as criminal background checks and gun violence protective orders. We have to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people, domestic abusers, and those who may harm themselves — and we can do it without infringing on the rights of law-abiding, responsible gun owners.
Human Rights
Administration of prisons should be by the State of Minnesota and not by private entities, whether they’re for profit or non-profit, and furthermore that those types of entities be banned in our State. Ensuring that fundamental rights of the people are not infringed upon and that we protect our freedom from unlawful imprisonment, torture, and execution.
Civil Rights
We as Minnesotans and Americans have an inalienable right to equality and quality of life. We need to guarantee protections from all forms of discrimination, including but not limited to: race, gender, sexual orientation, identity, origin, age, political affiliation, ethnicity, religion, or disability; and individual rights such as privacy and the freedoms of thought, speech, press, assembly, and movement.
Consumer Rights
Net neutrality should remain a nationwide issue, but we as a State must also work to protect the fundamental system we have today. We should also be ensuring product stewardship is at the forefront of our rights as consumers in order to ensure accountability by the generators of the insurmountable amounts of waste we produce as a progressive civilization.
Education
We need to oppose charter schools that profit off of our children’s education and increase efforts to make state and federal financial aid grants, loans, and tax credits available in order for public college & job training to be affordable and accessible for every Minnesotan. Also, we should all oppose public tax dollars for private schools and should be investing so all of our children can receive a world-class education.
Energy
We’ve all seen the success of community renewable energy and the devastation of continued fossil fuel use first hand. We should be working collectively to increase our use of renewable energy in order to guarantee a cleaner future for our children and our children’s children. Our air, our water, and our land also depend on it.
Government Accountability
We need binding, non-partisan, independent redistricting by a commission and not by those who are able to gerrymander for the benefit of just themselves and their future, but for the future of all Minnesotans. We also have far too much money in politics. I support greater disclosure laws so we know more about who’s trying to influence our elections. Also, elections should be determined by individual support, and not just the 1% of us, therefore I also oppose Citizens United and would support legislation that overturns it.
Healthcare and Social Security
Hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans go without insurance, and thousands more have coverage they can barely afford or use. I believe all Minnesotans deserve access to high-quality, affordable care. Protecting Medicaid and Medicare from privatization should be a priority, as well. Social security belongs to the people and we need to build protections that prevent the abuse and misuse of the funds that we as taxpayers pay throughout our entire lives.
Natural Resources/Environment
We value our great natural resources and pristine environment — slashing protections so corporations can make record profits is the wrong direction for Minnesota.
Transportation and Infrastructure
We need to ensure that our public dollars are spent in meaningful ways in order to improve our transportation system and reduce accidents, wear and tear on our vehicles, and increase efficiency. Minnesota must remain as a leader by supporting Electric Vehicle (EV) infrastructure.
Marijuana
We need to legalize recreational marijuana and begin pursuing the economic and social benefits of licensing and regulating marijuana for production and distribution. This would inevitably reduce incarceration rates, save lives, and allow law enforcement to focus on more important issues facing Minnesotans such as the opioid epidemic. This would also create an increase in revenue for the state than can be utilized to better education, create sustainable good paying jobs, and provide housing and healthcare for us Minnesotans which would in turn allow us to strengthen our economy.
I continue to hear the voices of District 2A and look forward to many discussions regarding these issues and more. I would appreciate your vote in November and the opportunity to continue to build on the momentum of these issues in our rural and urban areas, our state and our nation.
This content was originally published at https://michaelnorthbird.com/