Issue Position: Prisons

Issue Position

You Decide: Prisons or Gorilla Cages

Around the first week of July, when four sexual predators attempted to escape from the Moose Lake Correctional Facility, I was reminded of one core responsibility of state government: maintaining law and order and keeping the public secure. The officials at the facility who prevented the escape have my admiration and gratitude for their service on our behalf.

If current expenses remain unchanged, the state treasury is expected to be $6 billion short. When they assemble our next two-year budget, the legislators we elect to the State Legislature in November will have to have a very precise notion of what our priorities should be for spending more than $30 billion of Minnesotans' tax dollars.

Unfortunately, our 30 year State Senator Keith Langseth has a history of funding "pork barrel projects" costing hundreds of millions of dollars instead of concentrating on core governmental functions. He recommended projects in the 2010 bonding bill totaling more than $1 billion. They included volleyball courts in Rochester, gorilla cages in St. Paul, and sculpture gardens in Minneapolis, but Langseth said NO to necessary spending to expand and enhance security at the Moose Lake facility, proof that he has a serious case of mistaken priorities.

If elected as your State Senator, I will make the tough decisions that are necessary when it comes to separating "wants" from "needs" and investing for our state's future. The safety of our children and families will always be my first priority.

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