Thank you for your support of my campaign for MN State House of Representatives for District 20A.
I believe when an opportunity exists for public service, and it fits a person’s life circumstances, they need to do it. From the time I first started helping my dad count money after our church dinner while still in grade school, until now, I’ve always been involved in activities that serve. I feel this is what I am called to do now and therefore am excited and committed to serving as the State Representative from District 20A.
I am a conservative who brings values and disciplines to state government. I have over 40 years of experience operating a family business, and have also worked with public sector budget and policy issues. I understand both the short and long-term consequences of spending money and making commitments for the future. I believe it is important to objectively set priorities that are consistent with a fiscally conservative agenda, and then have well detailed accountabilities so they are measured and accomplished.
Issues
I have made a commitment to be a member of the MN House of Representatives because I believe it is important to give back to the community. Throughout my career I have always placed an importance on public service to express thanks for all the blessings which have been bestowed on us both as a family, and citizens of our great nation. I believe the experience I have gained in leading and managing a local business gives me a unique opportunity to contribute in state government.
However, my most important driving force in public service has been the influence of my family since I know I must make decisions not only based on the impact of today’s economy and community, but also the impact it will have on my children and grandchildren many years from now, which will not only impact them, but all who share our great state with them.
Fiscal Responsibility
Government is unique because it’s able to balance its spending by deciding how much to take from people in the way of taxes, instead of being limited to spending the amount of money they can earn from sales or production as in business. It often seems the view of government officials is “How much can we get?” as opposed to “How can we do the best with what we have?”.
This focus on raising taxes as much as possible, rather than on how efficient government can operate with as modest a revenue stream as is necessary, leads to a shift in decision making taken away from the people and given to the government. If not held in check, this eventually causes people to lose the desire to work hard and produce, since more of every dollar they earn seems to be going to increase the bureaucracy, rather than allowing people to keep their hard-earned money to better their family, business and eventually retirement.
Because of this, I believe we need to address this endless cycle of ramping up taxes, spending the money (often called “investments”), and then forcing people who the pay taxes to find a way to live with the long-term costs and debt service driven by what seems to be a never-ending increase of tax collecting.
My approach to state spending is much the same as when I was a Scott County Commissioner. I was/am committed to studying the budget issues intensively and then to dig as deeply as possible to see if things are being hidden within that budget, and if desired spending is cost-effective. Although this is a very time intensive process, I learned it is necessary because it’s not uncommon for budget makers to complicate the budget in an effort to divert elected decision makers away from what they need to know to make a good decision.
Recently I have become a leader in the effort to initiate the Legislative Budget Office for the Minnesota legislature. As a result of that effort a commission has now been enacted so the legislature will now have a bi-partisan operation to develop fiscal notes which are used to determine the projected cost for proposed legislation. What this means is the legislature will now have an independent body to study the financial effects of bills to be voted on, which will then help with building more confidence in how much they will cost. It will also put accountability for cost projections where it belongs in the legislative branch so those who are appropriating the tax dollars will have information from an office accountable to them.
When it comes to your tax dollars, I will always do my best to ensure there are objectively stated outcomes tied to accountabilities. These outcomes will be tracked and reported so budgets are adhered to and cost estimates are scrutinized thoroughly.
Taxes
First, I believe taxes need to be used to balance the equation on sensible & necessary spending. They should not, however, be used as a wealth redistribution technique, or to grow government beyond its necessary functions. Therefore, although I recognize a tax system where people with greater resources do pay more, I do not believe we should be using taxes as a method to penalize success, or build a system to take from the rich and redistribute to others.
Secondly, as I look at taxes I believe it should be recognized that when taxes are taken from individuals and families it infringes on their freedom to spend the money they earn. That is why it is so important to respect their right to keep as much of what they earn as possible so not only are they rewarded for constructive behavior, but also because they can help build a healthy, productive economy. This is also true for businesses, since businesses look at taxes as an operating expense in their budget. The taxes businesses are charged are passed along to consumers in ways such as increasing their prices for their goods. Although taxes on businesses are part of our economic culture it’s important to remember ultimately, they are paid by the customer, so are just another form of personal taxation.
Finally, I believe the focus of our government needs to be on controlling spending rather than constantly trying to find additional revenue sources. Our problem is not that we are taxed too little, but rather we are spending too much. I believe we need to proceed by defining both short & long-term priorities which are consistent with the constitutional duties of state government, and then come up with strategies to efficiently accomplish those priorities. I believe primarily those priorities should be education, infrastructure, caring for the vulnerable and public safety.
Healthcare
Just like everyone else I am faced with increased premiums, higher out of pocket costs, and smaller provider networks than has been the case anytime in my life. Although we are generally provided with better outcomes we are now in the unfortunate situation of having an aging population who will need more care, as well always desiring more care options, which will lead to higher costs.
I know we need a system which allows people to have the best health care solutions possible for themselves and their families, however it needs to be a system that is sustainable for generations to come which greatly complicates how it needs to be developed.
Although not as bad as when it started we continue to live with the effects of the Affordable Care Act (Obama Care) and the MNSure. Statutorily we must work within those enacted systems to find ways to make MNSure work as well as it can, so it will be important to monitor the work of the staff and governing bodies to provide as much efficiency and structure possible to minimize operational expense and make it as efficient and user friendly as is possible. We also need to recognize we will need to work within those networks until changes can be made, and then find ways to transition to a system that again provides the type of care we had prior to their passage.
Beyond the MNSure system I advocate for true transparency in pricing and service delivery. Although single payer (Medicare for all) might sound like a good idea, I (as well as many financial experts who have analyzed the long-term cost) have many concerns from both the provider side, and the ability of the government to efficiently to act as the payor. From the provider perspective I have grave concerns that if we allow the government to determine the balance between collecting revenue from people and the pay providers fairly deserve, we will come to a time where there is a provider shortage because they will no longer feel the education and experience necessary to practice is worth what they can earn. As for the government administering the payer side it is difficult for me to look at the rollout and continuing difficulties with the MNSure systems and process and expect the government will be any more efficient than the private sector in providing those services. I do believe it is important to have cost effective and efficient websites that work for everyone, so if there is a way for government to partner in that process those opportunities may exist, but I believe in the long run the private sector who had already had pricing networks in place before ACA are better at doing that job than the government.
Recently passed efforts such as stabilizing the reinsurance market, legislation allowing Coop’s to offer member networks, and the emergency assistance to individuals when the MNSure premiums increased over 50% for a few years have helped but are not realistically sustainable. The key going forward will be to continue to innovate and encourage the use of information by individuals in making decisions based on what is best for themselves and their families, while trying to overcome the shortcoming of Federal and State exchanges so people can transition back to plans they can freely price and choose.
Finally, I want to find ways to encourage as much fact-based decision making as possible. This can be accomplished by encouraging the use of products and resources like HSA’s and consumer information about providers. Another is free market competition among insurers offering what consumers want (including purchasing insurance beyond state lines) opposed to bureaucratic care mandates or centralized health care. In the end consumers ultimately need avenues to make better decisions about their health care rather than a government based system which does it for them. To do this the consumer needs the information and resources necessary to make those decisions, and then when necessary to provide for the vulnerable ways in which government can assist.
Met Council
The Met Council is an appointed rather than elected body, and they have broad powers including the ability to tax, borrow, and intervene in land use and local jurisdictional areas. To ensure the people who pay the taxes and live in an environment under which they have influence, it is important to have their governing board directly responsible to those people. I believe we need to do everything possible to harness the Council’s power and authority, not the least of which is its ability to tax. I am totally opposed to the “mission creep” the council has taken over the decades, and I believe the scope of the council has far overreached its original purpose.
I do believe a body like the Met Council can have an effective role in the greater metro area if it is limited to certain activities. An example is wastewater treatment management, because there is a need for an overall public infrastructure of that type, and a centralized approach can make projects such as this more efficient and cost effective.
I believe the mission creep over the years has been driven by a host of what I refer to as “urban visionaries”, who believe they can plan the future better than our local governing bodies. An example of this are projects such as Light Rail Transit which have usurped resources from other transportation projects which could have benefited the metro area as a whole. I believe it is unfair when an unelected body is able to implement major economic development projects in areas of the core cities, and then burden the entire metro area in paying the bill for both the capital cost today, as well as the long-term operating cost subsidies into the future. We need to be smart and fair with our transportation dollars and remember transportation is about moving people and goods, which will drive economic development, verses driving it where planners believe it should go with a LRT line.
My vision is to work towards limiting the Met Council’s scope, which would certainly include their taxing authority, their ability to drive development through socially oriented infrastructure, and their mission creep in things like comprehensive planning intervention and grants and assistance which advantage some, and disadvantage others.
Education
A strong education is the first step in enabling a productive people and providing a strong workforce that supports the State’s economy and contributes to its success. I believe the most important way to achieve this is to recognize the value of local control and equity in funding. We have the ability to elect our local school board members or choose not to elect them if they are not doing their job. When too much control is centered in state or federal government, it diminishes the ability of the local school boards to make the best decisions for their district. This decrease in control creates inefficiencies and less desirable outcomes for our children.
I also believe the funding formula used should be revisited to more fairly distribute resources to all areas of the state. It is not right when some schools receive nearly 50% more funding yet produce lackluster results. We need to make sure the money that is being spent on education is used for the educators, which is directly invested back into the students as much as possible, rather than excessive administration or overly burdensome mandated compliance. In conjunction with this, we also need to focus on student and teacher achievement. I believe the best way to have successful schools is to have student and teacher standards that demand excellence, are measurable, transparent, and require improvement when those measurements are not met.
This content was originally published at https://www.bobjvogel.com/