In the Sweat of Thy Face
I want to share with you a brief thought on the following passage from the Bible:
In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat
bread, till thou return unto the ground; for
out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou
art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
Genesis 3:19
Our nation, which proclaims "In God We Trust," is in a sad state of affairs. Over 22% of Minnesotans earn less than $35,000 per year, meaning they qualify for Medicaid and SNAP. According to the Midwest Economic Policy Institute minimum wage workers in MN cannot afford a modest apartment. Currently the minimum wage in Minnesota is only $11.31 per hour, meaning that people who work a full time job often cannot afford their daily bread. This is deeply tragic.
To make matters worse, ICE activity in Minnesota drained our economy by over $600 million, and stripped real wages from working class Minnesotans by $240 million. At the same time, the Trump Administration withheld over $350 million in Medicaid reimbursements to our State which threatened to bankrupt one of our State's most important healthcare providers, Hennepin County Medical Center. The affordability of healthcare was made worse by Trump's Big Billionaire Bill and, in Minnesota, has cost taxpayers (especially greater Minnesota taxpayers) almost a billion dollars in bailouts for our healthcare providers.
The cost of the war in Iran and the skirmishes in the Pacific Ocean have cost all of us hundreds of billions of dollars, and the Pentagon is now asking Americans for $1.5 trillion dollars in 2027, a record breaking amount of military spending. That's not to mention the quickly increasing costs of every day items, spurred by the grave military blunder of losing control of the flow of oil out of the Middle East. All of this while Donald Trump continues to trade stocks and has earned more than a billion dollars since stepping into office.
We were already struggling, but MAGA Republicans have cost Minnesotans billions of dollars in additional real damages.
I trust in the morality of our nation, but I don’t trust in the morality of our current leaders.
That is why I’m running to be State Representative. My life's work is to help guide our society towards a state in which everybody has the opportunity to earn a living wage, achieve their dreams, and retire with dignity.
I am in this race to fight for good public schools, affordable healthcare for everyone, and increasing state investments in Minnesota-based companies to increase livable wage jobs, improve workers rights, family stability, and local prosperity.
I was honored to speak at the North Branch Area Indivisible meeting.
North Branch Area Indivisible
At the North Branch Indivisible meeting, I talked about working across the aisle with Republicans for solutions to public schools funding, healthcare, and Minnesota-based economic growth. I talked about real incremental changes that can be achieved on the way towards our larger goal of equality and justice, and the importance of a politics focused on solutions, not polarization.
One of the audience members asked a very important question, which I want to share with you all: they asked, "If you're willing to compromise on one thing, then are you willing to compromise on everything? What are you unwilling to compromise on?"
I thought this was a great question and I want to expand on my answer here.
There are two things that I will never compromise on: First, I will never compromise on human rights. Racism, xenophobia, transphobia, Islamophobia, misogyny, and classism are pervasive in our culture today. I am a firm believer in America's promises of personal liberty, religious freedom, and the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. One of our government's most important jobs is to ensure the freedom of Americans to be who we are in the safety of our own skin. Otherwise, this would not be America.
The second thing that I will never compromise on is the health and well-being of our Mother Earth. Clean water, air, and soil are the bedrocks of a healthy people and a wealthy nation. There is nothing more important than caring for the common futures of our children and grandchildren. Whether it’s nuclear power plants, data centers, or mining near the Boundary Waters, I will always advocate for consistent environmental monitoring and swift action to curb pollution if our shared natural resources are at risk.