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Klobuchar says she will fight for rural Minnesota Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Amy Klobuchar says she'll fight for rural Minnesota if elected the state's next U.S. senator.
"The problems facing our farm families certainly aren't easy to solve," Klobuchar said, "but to get started you have to have the political will to be there, fight the fights and win them."
Klobuchar said she'll seek a seat on the Senate ag committee and work to be sure the interests of Minnesota's farmers are represented in farm policy.
She says the 2002 farm bill should be extended and opposes cutting price supports by 60 percent, as recently proposed by the Bush administration.
"It would be irresponsible and unjust to allow the safety net set up in the current farm bill to lapse before knowing if the WTO talks will result in a level playing field for our farmers," Klobuchar said.
When the farm bill is rewritten, Klobuchar said it must include strong price supports, permanent disaster relief, a full extension of the Milk Income Loss Contract program and implementation of Country of Origin Labeling.
She also supports the inclusion of an energy title that emphasizes renewable, homegrown energy.
Minnesota's renewable energy industries of ethanol, biodiesel and wind power are a success story, Klobuchar said, creating thousands of new jobs and providing an economic boost to rural communities.
Congress needs to continue investing in renewable fuels by setting standards, including 10 percent renewable fuel use by 2010 and 20 percent by 2020.
"The energy path for America 50 years from now is under construction today," Klobuchar said. "Minnesota's renewable energy plants are laying the groundwork for the next generation of homegrown energy."
On health care, Klobuchar says universal health care coverage is her goal. It will take time to achieve that goal and small steps must be taken to reach the mark.
To begin with, she supports tax credits to allow small businesses and the self-employed to buy into the Federal Employees Health Benefits program. This idea will reduce the cost of health care by giving small businesses and the self-employed a chance to pool their risk, she said.
It will also be helpful for people who change jobs and lose their employer-provided coverage.
"People in this country deserve the same kind of coverage that members of Congress get," Klobuchar said.
On the estate tax, she supports a $5 million tax exemption level.
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