Vision:
Minnesota House District 60B is made up of people who come from many different walks of life; with such a diverse people comes a unique opportunity to make a decision that could shape the District and the State of Minnesota for generations to come. Do we remain as we are or do we become the District that pursues a tech industry economy, that makes poor hearts wealthy, and that rebuilds the belief that it doesn’t matter where one started because they can become and do anything they set their hearts and minds to? Are we ready to become creators, innovators, and doers? Our answers to these questions will determine the future of our District and our State.
List of Issues:
IMMIGRATION
Minorities:
As the son of a immigrant father and Hispanic mother, I have seen how my parents have been treated differently because of their ethnic background as they raised my siblings and I, however, they taught me some important lessons from how they lived their lives.
Lesson 1: Minorities don’t need to be looked at as helpless or a project that needs to be worked on; we need to be seen just as capable as anyone else.
Lesson 2: We will achieve the amount of success we desire based on how big we set our dreams and by how committed we are to those dreams, day in and day out.
With that being said, I believe in honoring and sustaining the law like my father did when he immigrated from Lima, Peru to the United States. Only the Federal government can change the immigration laws. However, as a state representative I want to:
-Work with national leaders in reforming the immigration policies for all immigrants.
-Reinforce that the State of Minnesota stands with the DREAMERS.
-Help illegal immigrants in Minnesota participate in paying their taxes, being producers in the economy, and help change their negative image.
-Strive to help every minority community succeed by having adult and youth leadership programs, wealth accumulation education programs, and English classes.
EDUCATION
An educational system should strive to create an environment where individuals of all ages can create an appetite for learning. Learning should not be a K-12 experience, rather a lifelong pursuit. We have the opportunity to make this happen by:
-Reducing the number of standardized tests that students are required to take.
-Limit the number of students in a classroom.
-Emphasize student development through traditional STEM courses, in conjunction with, art classes, music classes, and an adequate amount of time for recess.
INCREASING TEACHER’S SALARIES
More to come soon!
HOUSING FOR STUDENTS
Housing costs for students cannot continue to rise. The rent that students currently pay on a monthly basis does not allow the student to obtain any financial success while in school. Additionally, it takes a toll on the budgets of many families who are striving to help their student achieve a degree. We have the opportunity to make this happen by doing the following:
-Establishing a working relationship with each apartment owner/investor group individually in the Dinkytown and Stadium Village areas.
-Understand the expenses that are paid by these apartments on a monthly/yearly basis by reviewing their financial reports.
-Propose legislation that would allow the apartments to still earn a profit while being able to reduce the rent prices for students who are currently enrolled at a University.
HIGHER EDUCATION LIVING
While tuition is a major issue to address we cannot forget how expensive it is to be a student outside of the classroom. We must create as many paths as possible to lighten the burden of college living. Let’s:
-Propose legislation that creates a tax exempt student status that allows for students to make any purchase without having to pay the tax on those goods or services while enrolled in a Higher Education institution.
-Propose legislation to not tax tips that are earned.
TUITION
Tuition cannot continue to rise. Any Higher Education institution in the State of Minnesota must be subject to review to see how the tuition for that institution can be frozen and then reduced. We can start by:
-For out of state students: Set up a temporary residency program that allows for out of state students to become temporary residents of Minnesota upon acceptance to any Minnesota Higher Education institution. The temporary status would be for one year. After one year, the student would be able to apply to become a permanent resident of Minnesota.
-For in state students: 1. Allow for Minnesota Higher Education loans to be broadened to middle class families. 2. Allow families of students to have their taxes reduced while their student is enrolled in a Higher Education institution.
-Review the financial statements of each Minnesota Higher Education institution to ensure that money is being properly appropriated.
-Negotiate with Minnesota Higher Education institutions to determine how many tax dollars will be given to that institution if tuition continues to rise. If the institution continues to raise tuition then less tax dollars should be given to that institution.
MENTAL HEALTH
Increasingly, many residents in District 60B are dealing with depression, anxiety, stress, and many other mental health issues. With no exact cure discovered, we should:
-Work to promote the idea that it is okay to be struggling with these kinds of issues.
-Increase the opportunity to visit with a counselor.
POVERTY
The Minnesotans in House District 60B have the greatest opportunity to create and generate wealth due to the location of where they live. I look forward to seeing this District becoming the wealthiest District in the State of Minnesota as we:
-Teach principles from successful business leaders from America and across the world.
-Teach wealth creation strategies (how to create passive income) in conjunction with holding a full-time job.
-Connect with investors from the United States and across the world to create innovative businesses in this District, as well as, in other parts of the State, country, and globe.
-Allow new businesses to be tax-exempt for their first five years.
-Promote a self-sufficiency mindset.
MINNEAPOLIS POLICE
The Minneapolis Police Force is central to providing a sense of security for residents in the District. Some changes I would like see implemented:
-Increased communication between the local police stations and the different communities that they cover.
-Providing funds for interpreters to help eliminate the language barrier between residents of our District and our Minneapolis police officers.
-Engage more community members to help in neighborhood watch programs to assist our Minneapolis police.
WELFARE
Having a safety net is necessary. Minnesotans shouldn’t be homeless, hungry, and left without proper clothing for the changing seasons. People need a chance to restart their lives or begin their lives if they are new to our State. We want to use welfare to help people become financially secure so that they can provide for themselves and their family. Some reforms I would make to welfare are:
-Expand welfare to help sustain more middle to high middle-class families when unexpected events take a toll on the finances of these families.
-Monitor the use of welfare checks on a monthly basis with welfare clients.
-Have the welfare client repay the funds that are borrowed, as income is earned, so that other Minnesotans can receive the same help.
ENVIRONMENT
The Earth is a beautiful place. The environment we have been given by those before us have given us the responsibility to preserve this natural beauty for those who come after us. It is a top priority to:
-Promote recycling.
-Work with businesses to ensure that businesses can provide jobs and services, as well as, help protect our greatest asset, our environment.
-Lead our District in using new ways of preserving our Earth, from the cars we use to how we power our homes and apartments.
This content was originally published at https://www.patinofor60b.com/