Michael Ziomko

Issues

What I will work to accomplish for you

Lower your income taxes

Reduce your income taxes 90% on the first $85,000 of taxable income.

I will also work to eliminate taxes on  Social Security benefits and Veterans pensions. All these ideas seem like the simplest practical way for you to have more money in your bank account to spend on groceries, gas, and other necessities.

Free childcare!

Provide universal day care for your children.

An expense that many have, and if the state provided it, you’d have more money in your bank account.

Senior benefits

Address the needs of the growing senior population both in institutions and with at-home care.

Right now 15.9% of Minnesotans are over 65. It is even higher in the rural counties – 26.2% in Traverse, 23.3% in Grant, 19.7% in Wilkin, and 25.6% in Otter Tail. The proportion and number of seniors will only grow in the next 40 years.

What programs can we create and what support can we offer so that people can afford to live comfortably and happily in a senior care residence or at home?  My 5 years of work at Ebenezer, the largest senior care organization in the state, only made me more aware of the needs — now, how do we solve them — for the seniors and their families?

Fund Schools

Greater state funding for public schools to reduce your property taxes.

Our smaller population in rural areas often times isn’t enough to provide a strong public education for our kids.  We should give ourselves a break on individual property taxes and have the state be the bulwark of support for our children’s and grandchildren’s education.

Reduce Hunger!

We already have free breakfast and lunch for children at school. Add an afternoon snack and weekend food packs.

I’m also thinking about the larger issue of hunger in our society – there are so many who just don’t have enough to eat.  I’ve spent many years helping with Empty Bowl events that help to feed people.  I’d like to look at what we can do as a society that puts more resources into making sure we all eat well.

Energy Conservation

Create a state-sponsored program to provide solar cell  (photovoltaic) installations for homes to reduce your electric bill.

In addition to this immediate economic benefit, it will provide an overall conservation of energy which will provide benefits to us now, as well as our children and grandchildren. I first became involved with solar work 40 years ago and have watched it blossom since then. We have the technology – we can do this! 

Pro Choice

I think this right needs to be in our constitution, not just in our laws.

If the state can tell someone what they can or cannot do with their body, then they’ve taken away that person’s freedom – and freedom is our primary, political value in this country! Let’s put pro-choice in our constitution!

Pass the ERA!

Equal rights for all is something we’ve been working to perfect since the founding of our country.  Once again, it is basic to our core value of freedom – let’s pass it!

The US Constitution begins with “We the people…” We have over the last 235 years gradually become more inclusive. It’s time that “all” of us – regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation – become part of the “we.”

Expand free college!

Expand the North Star Promise Scholarship program to include more Minnesotans by doubling the eligibility from family adjusted gross income of under $80,000 to $160,000.  

Even more Minnesotans will be able to go to college tuition free, and therefore start their lives after graduation free of debt to live more easily — and to dream!

Position Statement

Running for the House 9A seat is important to me, because it’s an opportunity to promote ideas that show us at our best – programs that show us looking out for each other, accepting each other, and doing for each other. We’ve got problems – no question about it, and issues that need attention – I just want to sit down and have conversations to come up with solutions that help us take better care of each other.

First thing I want to do is help you keep more money in your bank account, by…
  • Reducing the income taxes 90% on the first $85,000 of taxable income.
  • No taxes on your Social Security checks.
  • No taxes on Veterans’ pension benefits.
  • A photovoltaic installation program that will reduce your electric bill.
  • Greater state aid for K-12 education to reduce or stabilize your property taxes.

Beyond taxes, I want to help with two important programs…
  • Free child care.
  • Greater support for seniors – in a facility or at home. The senior population is 20-25% here in rural Minnesota – let’s take care of them.

A third issue, just should not exist – so let’s do away with it:
  • Hunger and lack of housing.

And then, for younger people and those who want support in college…
  • Increase the North Star Promise at Minnesota State Colleges and Universities from 2 to 4 years of higher ed and the family eligibility from $80,000 to $160,000.

All these ideas could be supported by increasing the taxes on the wealthy. In Minnesota the wealthiest 10% of the population controls 50% of the wealth.

Beyond the issues that cost money, there is one extremely important one that addresses how we accept and treat each other.
  • Pass the ERA amendment to the MN Constitution. The US Constitution begins with “We the people…” We have over the last 235 years gradually become more inclusive. It’s time that “all” of us – regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, or any other personal differences – become part of the “we.” And specifically as part of this amendment, a woman’s right to choose is included, and therefore embedded in the constitution.


Thank you for your support.

Ziomko for MN House District 9A

© 2024 Committee to Elect Michael Ziomko