ISSUES

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Lorie believes that we need to FUND our law enforcement agencies, not defund them. We need to provide them with the resources and tools to recruit and retrain law enforcement officers. These are the men and women who courageously run into the danger, not away from at. As crime is skyrocketing out in our suburban communities, now more than ever, we need to support our men and women in blue.

With the onset of inflation comes the rise in prices - from gas, to groceries, and back-to-school supplies. It may seem like those rising costs are out of our control - but they're not! We can take a deep dive into our tax code. As we are the sixth-worst taxed state in the Union, we should analyze our options with respect to reducing our taxes. With a budget surplus of nearly $12 billion, clearly, WE ARE OVERTAXED. We must reduce our tax rates and eliminate Social Security taxes as soon as Session begins.

We must address our out-of-control spending. Minnesota spends an inordinate amount of money on programs and agendas that do not move Minnesota forward - it's time to evaluate our budget with scrutiny unlike any review we have ever conducted. It is time to stop this disregard for our tax dollars. Waste, fraud, and abuse have NO place in our budget. Minnesotans work way too hard to have their tax dollars squandered on projects and initiatives  for which they receive no value.

Parents are no longer feeling secure that their children are learning how to read, write, and do arithmetic. Today, our graduation rate is not commensurate with our grade-level literacy rate, yet we spend a lot of money on education . We have to evaluate this disconnect - and do better to ensure that our kids are learning the fundamentals. If a child cannot read early on, their ability to learn is at risk as they mature - this gap must be closed.

Too many students are not feeling secure in their school settings. Many are suffering  from mental health issues related to the recent (unnecessary) school closures. We need to provide students and teachers the support they need to feel safe and secure in their schools - policies that do not foster safety  and security in schools have no place in our education  system.