Check out this email from Denise Cardinal, ABM’s Executive Director, about the need to get the word out about the major differences between Tom Emmer and Mark Dayton’s vision for education in the state:

As a mom with one of my two kids about to start Kindergarten, I think
about November’s election in terms of how it’s going to affect the
opportunities available to them.

Minnesota’s next governor will have to openly and honestly deal with
the six billion dollar budget deficit being left by Tim Pawlenty — a
deficit that has the potential to cut into many of the essential
services Minnesotans rely on, like health care and schools.

Last
week, the two major candidates for governor outlined their education
proposals, and the differences between them couldn’t be clearer:

Tom Emmer	Mark Dayton
* Won’t begin repaying the $1.4 billion education funding shift until 20141 * Cut $1.8 billion from scheduled K-12 education funding2 * Pay for early childhood by cutting other state child care funding3 * Cut $400 million from higher education4	* Committed to fully funding K-12 education ($15.6 billion) for the next biennium5 * Will pay back money borrowed from schools as soon as possible6 * Invests $2 million in early childhood building projects7

The comparison chart above is exactly why we’re using the next week
to have a conversation with Minnesotans about how strong schools help
create a better, more prosperous Minnesota.  We
kicked off this conversation on Monday, with a TV ad featuring Heidi, a
mom from Eagan, sharing her concerns about how Tom Emmer’s $1.8 billion
cuts to education will affect the opportunities available to her son.

But this is just the beginning and we need your help to spread the
word.  One of the easiest ways you can help is by writing a letter to
the editor of your local newspaper contrasting the candidate’s plans for
education.

Can
you take a minute to write a letter about the big differences between
Tom Emmer and Mark Dayton when it comes to investing in Minnesota’s
future?

With just a few more weeks until Election Day, November 2nd, we know
this is going to be a close race.  And it’s up to all of us, working
together, to get the truth out about Tom Emmer’s decision to cut
billions from education to finance corporate tax breaks for his special
interest friends.

Isn’t it time Minnesota had a governor who put working families first?  Speak up today.

Thanks for doing your part to create a better Minnesota,

Denise Cardinal
Executive Director
Alliance for a Better Minnesota Action Fund

P.S.  Writing a letter is really simple and you can do it easily right from our website — it’ll only take a few minutes.  Click here to get started!

Sources:
1. MN
Independent, 09/10/10
2. Minnesota
Department of Management and Budget, accessed 09/24/10 (.pdf);
emmerforgovernor.com/budget/chart, accessed 09/24/10
3.  MPR,
09/24/10
4.  MN
Daily, 09/15/10
5.  MN
Management and Budget; Star
Tribune, 09/22/10
6.  Star
Tribune, 09/24/10
7.  Dayton
for a Better Minnesota