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Introduction from Norm Coleman - 
Republican Party Candidate

Thank you for the opportunity to participate in this e-debate.  We are
just now beginning to see the potential that the Internet plays in
making our democracy even more vibrant, and I am excited to take part in
a debate in this medium.

I love Minnesota.  It's the greatest state in which to live, work and
raise a family.  As your next governor, I will work with you to make our
state even greater.  We can have a state where all children, regardless
of income, have access to a world class education.  We can have a state
where all can enjoy the beauty of our natural surroundings without fear
of crime.  We can have a state where we can live and work without the
hardship of an unfair tax burden.  Working together, there is no limit
to what we can achieve.

Minnesotans are overtaxed - a burden we live with every minute of the
day.  You roll out of bed and switch on the light; you pay a utility
tax.  You buy a newspaper; you pay a sales tax.  You fill up the car;
you pay a gas tax.  You go to work; you pay income tax.  You drive home;
you pay property tax.  You watch TV; you pay a cable tax.  You see a
doctor; you pay a sick tax.  And when you die, you pay a death tax.  We
are literally being taxed to death in Minnesota.  Under a Coleman
administration, we are going to change that.

Cutting taxes is like watering your garden: it makes things grow.  To
help Minnesota grow, I have proposed more than $3 billion in tax cuts
over the next four years.  My tax cut proposal includes returning any
budget surplus to Minnesota's taxpayers, reducing income tax rates
across the board, eliminating the 2 percent sick tax that you pay to
your healthcare provider and erasing farm property taxes for the first
half of 1999.  The Coleman tax cut plan is fair and equitable -- we
won't ask you to spend your money a certain way then offer you tax
credits after the fact.  

Reforming education is vitally important to our state's continued
success.  Either we can accept the status quo -- and look forward to a
declining quality of life - or we can improve our schools and offer
every child a world class education.  Reforming education doesn't mean
simply throwing more money at the problems we face, it means focusing
our efforts on involving parents in the education of their children and
targeting our investments to the classroom.  I intend to build on
Governor Carlson's innovative program of educational tax credits and
deductions to allow parents more choice in how their children are
educated - but not at the expense of public education, of which I
support full funding.

Making certain that our schools and streets are safe is one of the first
priorities of government.  As a former criminal prosecutor, I know the
importance of protecting all citizens.  I will fight for tough laws and
mandatory sentences to keep repeat violent criminals where they should
be -- locked behind bars.  In addition to tough prosecution, I will
focus on preventing crime.

I am confident that we can all pull together and reach our shared goals.