The cost of groceries and gas have gone up making it harder for families to survive. Many people drive long distances to work and the increase in gas prices are putting pressure on their bank accounts. With the increase in house prices and more of the costs to fund our schools placed on property owners, property taxes have increased significantly for many of our neighbors.

Fraud is wrong and I will write legislation to prevent it. Fraud has been happening in Minnesota since 2013 with the first investigations of day care fraud. It's only recently received more attention, including national attention. Fraud is wrong and, based on the history of fraud, there are insufficient protections in place to prevent it.

Education creates a better society for all. I will work hard to strengthen education by fully funding K-12 education.  I will work hard to provide free early child care and childhood exploration programs with high quality staff who are paid well with great benefits.

The Boundary Waters and Voyageurs National Park are a Minnesota treasure. It's important that we do all we can to preserve the Minnesota Boundary Waters and Voyageurs National Park while as the same time ensure the wealth from the mine is kept in the Arrowhead.

The federal invasion and terrorizing of Minnesota by ICE . Minnesota, with half the per capita population of undocumented aliens as Illinois had eight times the number of ICE agents. With their quotas driving their illegal actions, they ambushed and kidnapped legal citizens and combat veterans. Their actions caused many people to stay in their house and many restaurants to shut down.

I support the second amendment and responsible gun ownership. I'm a gun owner and I fully support the Second Amendment and also enforcing the laws on the books.  I also believe most gun owners are responsible gun owners and wouldn't commit violence against another person with their guns.  I also believe responsible gun owners don't want kids gunned down in schools or churches or synagogues or anywhere.

Therefore, where the laws are not strong enough or there are no laws, we need a serious politician to take a serious look at what we can do to reduce gun violence, protect kids, church goers, and all Minnesotans, and protect the second amendment.  I believe we can do all at the same time.

We need to trust women. Too often, the lives of women are impacted and ended due to domestic and sexual abuse and violence. We need to trust women, promote examples of what it means to be a man in the 21st Century, educate law enforcement to enforce the laws already available to prevent domestic and sexual violence, and, where laws don't exist, create laws that do more to prevent violence and hold people accountable.

Our government should be transparent. Therefore, elected government officials should not be allowed to sign non-disclosure agreements. Democracy dies in darkness and a non-disclosure agreement brings darkness to the discussions and decisions government officials make that affect our everyday lives.

Disabled veterans have given a lot to our country. The Disabled Veteran Market Exclusion has never been increased since it was created in 2008. Housing prices have increased by 75% since then. When it was enacted, a $300,000 exclusion covered more than the entire value of a typical Carver County home but today it only covers about two-thirds. Approximately 28,000 Minnesota veterans would be impacted by increasing the market value exclusions. Therefore, I would write legislation to tie the market value exclusion to the median purchase price every year.