Liberal in the Land of Conservative

There are three fundamental flaws in our current system for encouraging retirement savings.

First, it doesn't work effectively for nearly half of American workers who have no employer-sponsored retirement plan – 1.2 million workers in Minnesota.

Second, saving for retirement is far too complicated. Even when workers are given the option of joining employer-based plans, many do not take it because it is incredibly difficult to enroll, let alone to research the details of various plans and investment portfolios. And when they leave a job, they cannot take their retirement account with them.

Third, the system is upside-down and backwards. Because our current savings incentives are based on tax deductibility, a wealthy employee in the 35% tax bracket gets 35 cents for every dollar he or she saves, while an employee in the 10% bracket receives only 10 cents (and an employee who pays no taxes gets nothing). It is therefore no surprise that of the nearly $200 billion a year we spend to encourage retirement savings, about half goes to the top 10% of earners, while 10% goes to the bottom 60%.

Al's plan:

• Expand the Family and Medical Leave Act. Right now, FMLA covers employers with 50 or more workers. Al would extend it to cover firms with 25 or more workers – thereby offering its benefits to 13 million additional workers. In addition, he would support innovations such as expanding it to cover leave to care for aging loved ones and offering parents up to 24 hours of leave per year to participate in academic activities at their children's school.
• Create a State Innovation Fund for family leave. The goal is to ensure that every state has its own paid leave program – tailored to the unique needs of each state – by 2016. To achieve this goal, Al proposes a $1.5 billion per year innovation fund to help states offset start-up costs and costs for employers. This proposal would help the millions of private-sector workers in Minnesota who currently do not enjoy paid family leave.
• Provide paid parental leave for all federal workers to set a good example.

What would it cost?
Al Franken's plan will cost roughly $1.5 billion per year. Franken would pay for the cost of his plan without increasing the deficit by devoting a portion of the revenue raised from ending tax breaks for companies moving jobs overseas.

Al's plan:

• Increase funding through the Child Care and Development Block Grant to help working families make ends meet.
• Expand the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit to cover 35% of child care expenses for families earning up to $100,000 – and make the credit fully-refundable up to $500. More than half of Minnesota families with children would be eligible to take advantage of this more generous credit, and a great many more would be eligible to take advantage of existing incentives.
• Create a $2,000 Caregiver Credit for any individual with substantial long-term care needs or to his or her caregivers – that covers more than a third of the average costs to caregivers. The credit will not require families to engage in any complicated accounting of their out-of-pocket costs. It will be phased out for families earning more than $150,000. This new credit would help more than 100,000 Minnesota residents and families.
• Create a Family Flexibility Credit for the many Minnesota businesses who want to help their employees make ends meet. This credit would reward companies that provide family-friendly benefits, such as child care assistance or the opportunity to telecommute. Al would provide up to $1,200 per employee to cover expenses associated with making these benefits available. The credit could also be applied to company policies that help families address the long-term care needs of aging loved ones.

What would it cost?
The total cost of Al Franken's Kitchen Table Tax Relief Plan is approximately $6.5 billion per year. Franken would pay for the cost of his plan without increasing the deficit by dedicating money from implementing the GAO's recommendations for reducing improper federal payments; by enacting anti-tax-shelter reforms; and by closing the tax loophole that allows investment managers to use offshore tax havens to defer paying taxes on the money they earn.

“The current financial crisis threatens each and every one of us. I am supporting the Senate’s bipartisan financial stabilization package because the cost of inaction is simply too high. Doing nothing would threaten the financial security of every Minnesotan, as credit would freeze, loans would become unavailable, home values would continue to fall, jobs would be lost and retirement accounts would suffer. We must ensure the availability of capital, which is the key to our economy. This bipartisan plan will meet my chief concerns of protecting American taxpayers and holding Wall Street accountable by ensuring no blank checks, limiting executive compensation, ending golden parachutes and increasing needed oversight of the tax dollars being spent. I understand some concern remains over this bill, but I believe this action is needed to ensure our economic strength and vitality in both the short and long term.” Senator Norm Coleman

Norm Coleman has also been working to address the current challenges facing our economy, including high gas prices, the housing crisis and the rising cost of food. These challenges are sending ripple effects throughout our economy and Minnesota families are feeling the squeeze.

Norm was proud to support the bipartisan economic stimulus package in order to put money back into the pockets of working Minnesota families and encourage economic growth through small business tax incentives.

Additionally, Coleman is continuing to lead efforts to reduce our addiction to foreign oil through a number of measures including drastic expansion of domestic renewable fuels, increased mileage requirements, deep-water drilling off of U.S. coasts, and increased production of nuclear, clean-coal and additional domestic energy resources. Click here to read more about Senator Coleman’s work to make the U.S. more energy independent.

He is actively working to address the housing crisis through a number of initiatives, including making mortgage debt tax-free and reforming the Federal Housing Administration to enable more homeowners to obtain safer mortgages. And this past summer he voted for the Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008, which provided relief to veterans facing foreclosures as well as $4 billion in Community Development Blog Grants to assist communities hit hard by the sub-prime mortgage crisis.

As Mayor of St. Paul, Norm Coleman made it his number one priority to create quality jobs for hardworking Minnesotans. As your U.S. Senator, he's again made it his top priority to create jobs, grow the economy, and help more Minnesota families achieve their American dreams.

After his election in 2002, Norm immediately got down to business and worked to enact landmark tax cuts that provided critical relief to working middle class families and spurred an economic recovery including a record 52 straight months of job growth.

In 2010, many of the President's tax relief provisions are set to expire, resulting in an unacceptably heavy tax burden on Minnesota's hardworking families. The child tax credit will be cut in half from $1,000 to $500, couples will be hit again by the marriage penalty, fixed-income seniors will face higher taxes on their retirement incomes, and the dreaded death tax will come back to hit small family-owned businesses.

As your U.S. Senator, Norm Coleman will fight to make the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts permanent so you can keep more of your hard-earned money and help grow the economy.

Since his arrival in Washington, Norm Coleman has worked to help Minnesota taxpayers by supporting critical tax relief and fiscally responsible budgets. In an effort to protect Minnesotans from high taxes and runaway spending, Norm has voted against reckless tax-and-spend budgets, which would result in an unacceptable tax burden on the average taxpayer. He will continue to oppose wasteful Washington spending and the tax increases proposed to pay for it. As the top Republican on the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, Senator Coleman has led the way on exposing $81 billion in waste, fraud and abuse of government spending of taxpayer dollars, returning billions to the Treasury already.

I advocate repeal of sodomy laws and I support efforts to pass federal, state and local legislation to prevent hate crimes and employment discrimination. I will work tirelessly so that GLBT people are not denied custodial, adoptive or foster parenting options, workplace or housing opportunities, domestic partner benefits and equal marriage rights due to their sexual orientation or gender identity.

I oppose any efforts to use legal or constitutional means to discriminate against GLBT persons.

As a religious person, I am deeply troubled by the use of religion to justify discrimination, hatred or exclusion of GLBT people, including denial of dignity and civil rights. I have marched proudly with PFLAG families and will use my personal and public voice to encourage a culture of respect and a politics of equality and fairness.

First, when my wife Sara and I lived in Nicaragua for two years in the 1980s, we learned that many Nicaraguan women died as a result of illegal abortions. Criminalizing abortion doesn’t result in fewer abortions but it often results in needless trauma and death.

Second, I believe the number of abortions will drop as we empower and educate women, provide safe and affordable family planning options, reduce the costs of adoption and achieve greater justice in our economy.

Third, I believe the decision of whether or not to have an abortion lies with the mother and not with the state.

Fourth, I believe it is possible for groups who hold different views to find common ground on some aspects of this issue by focusing on policies that would result in fewer abortions. Examples include:

• The Bush administration’s refusal to fund United Nations’ family planning programs has resulted in millions of additional abortions worldwide. We need to restore those funds.
  
  
• The Republican Party’s “abstinence only” approach to sex education has resulted in many unwanted pregnancies and increased abortions. We need to fully fund broader sex education efforts.
  
  
• Economic insecurity is a significant factor for many women as they make reproductive choices. Achieving greater economic justice and providing quality health give families a realistic chance to adequately care for a child that may result from an unexpected pregnancy.

Today, I think we need a new “Apollo project” – this time to fundamentally change our energy policy and end our reliance on foreign oil.

The natural resources we have right here in Minnesota – not just corn and soybeans and biomass and wind, but innovation and creativity and brainpower – can lead to amazing breakthroughs if we commit to this undertaking.

This “Apollo project” should provide financial support for research into new forms of renewable energy and development of currently-identified sources to make them more efficient. Of course I’m talking about corn ethanol. But I’m also talking about cellulosic ethanol and other biofuels. I’m talking about solar power. And, especially here in Minnesota, I’m talking about wind power. We live in a windy state!

It’s going to be a huge project, but it will pay off in so many ways:

• We’ll dramatically improve our environment.
• We’ll finally be taking steps to address global warming.
• We’ll make our nation more secure and less dependent on an uncertain global fuel economy.
• We’ll revitalize our manufacturing sector. The Ford plant in St. Paul that’s closing down should be making wind turbines, and we should be putting them up all over Minnesota.
• We’ll create high-tech, high-paying jobs in conservation and R&D.

Renewable energy is win-win-win-win-win, and we should back it not only with our words, but with our resources. We should also invest in conservation – energy efficiency, light rail, and increased CAFE standards are all part of that.

We must fund the initial investment by redirecting subsidies paid to the highly profitable oil and gas companies. The 2005 Energy Bill provided billions of dollars to the largest oil and gas firms in our country. These special interests have a stranglehold on our nation through record prices, record profits and at the same time, an undeserved share of our tax dollars. Subsidies for the rich do nothing to change our dependence on foreign oil or our need for rural revitalization. Investing in local farmers and universities does create positive change.

Minnesota must lead the way. We have the natural resources, the educational facilities and the initiative to lead the nation in this effort – as proven by our leadership in ethanol. Not only can Minnesota lead our nation, we will bring needed dollars back to rural Minnesota to develop a vibrant economy. A strong economy will allow us to improve rural healthcare and education, and provide young people the opportunity to work and raise a family in rural areas.

As your U.S. Senator I will:

• Support and encourage strong conservation policies and practices
• Invest in clean energy technologies such as wind, solar, ethanol, and biomass.
• Bring America to energy independency by 2020 by creating an Apollo-type project. By investing in energy efficiency technology, investing in “green buildings” that are energy efficient, creating tougher mileage standards and investing in alternative fuels to power our automobiles we can reach that goal.
• Create a tax system that gives entrepreneurs and businesses incentives to develop clean energy technologies.

I call for the United States to announce immediately its intention to end the occupation of Iraq, with the goal of withdrawing all US troops (and all private contractors) in a period of approximately six months.

The Bush administration never had an exit strategy for Iraq because it does not plan on leaving. The Bush administration invaded and occupies Iraq in pursuit of two principle goals: to establish permanent military bases and to control Iraq’s vast oil supplies. Responsibly ending the occupation depends on rejecting these goals.

Most Iraqis oppose the US occupation and will never agree to the United States having permanent military bases or controlling Iraqi oil. The Bush administration’s recent escalation (surge) does nothing to address Iraqi grievances. We are no closer to a political resolution of conflicts that separate Iraqi factions and the reasons Iraqis are hostile to US forces continue to fester.

Ending the occupation is the essential first step to reconciliation within Iraq. The United Nations, international community and Iraq’s neighbors could help promote Iraq stability and reconciliation but they will not help the United States establish permanent military bases or control Iraqi oil. Their assistance depends on ending the US occupation.

We have a moral and fiscal responsibility to help reconstruct Iraq, to help the more than 4 million Iraqi refugees created by the war and to fully support returning US veterans.

All of our hopes and dreams are held hostage to the Iraq war. The $12 billion per month we spend on the war not only hurts Iraqis, it also cripples domestic efforts to address pressing environmental, health, education and other needs at home. It is shameful that the Bush administration demands hundreds of billions of dollars to continue an unnecessary war while refusing to adequately fund programs for returning vets or health care programs for uninsured US children.

I say it’s time to leave Iraq. Our troops have served magnificently, but even General Petraeus has stated that military action alone cannot fix Iraq.

It’s been clear for years that this war was a mistake, and that mistake after mistake has been made in the conduct of it. And in my books, on my radio show, and all over this country, I’ve been speaking out for years about this sad, tragic mess. Now it’s time for all of us to come to terms with the truth about the situation there.

• There is no reason to believe that the Maliki government is able, or even willing, to meet the political benchmarks necessary to make progress in Iraq: devising a fair plan to share oil revenues among ethnic groups, reversing the disastrous de-Baathification and putting Sunnis back to work, engaging and eliminating sectarian death squads, and starting a reconciliation process to defuse sectarian tensions.
• Conversely, there is every reason to believe that the Maliki government just wants us to stay there so that they can consolidate their power. Our troops should not be there to make that happen.
• The best way to convince the Iraqi government that we’re leaving is to actually start leaving. I support immediately beginning the process of bringing our troops home. Our withdrawal should not be precipitous, and we should have a national conversation about the best way to complete our disengagement – we should put more thought into how we get out than we did into how we got in. But we should start now.
• At the same time, we should be convening a regional conference including Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey, and Egypt to come up with a long-term plan for Iraq and ensure that a regional conflict does not arise. Jordan and Syria have over a million Iraqi refugees. Nobody wants Iraq to devolve into utter chaos. It’s inconceivable that the Bush administration hasn’t roused itself to initiate regional diplomacy.

As your U.S. Senator I will:

• Never send American troops to war unless there is a clear and present danger to our national interests.
• Never send American troops to war without a plan and without sufficient equipment and force to win the peace.
• Vote to rescind the original war resolution bill.
• Support a surge in diplomacy and an international peace conference covering Iraq and the Middle East.
• Support a withdrawal plan that gets us our combat troops out within 8 months.
• Support a plan to redeploy our troops into training functions and on to the borders of Iraq to interdict people who are coming in from either Iran or Syria.
• Require Iraqis to stand-up and defend their own country in this civil war and meet economic and political benchmarks calibrated to our troop redeployment.
• Direct our troops to combat terrorism and seek out al-Qaeda.
• End our involvement in a war that does nothing to stabilize the Middle East.

In addition to funding issues, I believe that the No Child Left Behind law must be dramatically reformed or scrapped altogether. I'm for accountability, but I'm not for the deeply-flawed NCLB system.

End arbitrary performance standards and replace them with models that measure and reward progress achieved during the school year.

Encourage more flexibility in measuring student achievement. Allow teachers to participate in the evaluation of their students' progress over the course of a year instead of at a single point in time (for instance, by assembling student portfolios).

Shifting the costs of education from general taxes to property taxes also strains budgets, aggravates inequalities and erodes financial support for public education.

I support increased state and federal funding for k-12 public education. I support a federally funded universal preschool program for 3-5 year-olds to be paid for with reductions in military spending. I also call for ending tax breaks given by the Bush administration to the richest 1% of US families and redirecting those resources to make college and university education affordable to all students.