By Sara Strong
State candidates joined a local forum Monday to help give Rock County voters a clearer picture of their options in the November election.
The Luverne Chamber of Commerce sponsored the forum, which included State Senate candidates Ñ Jim Vickerman, DFL, and Alex Frick, Republican, and State House candidates Ted Winter, DFL, and Doug Magnus, Republican.
They addressed specific questions from moderator Matt Crosby.
On prescription drugs
Frick said, "I really feel this can;'t be solved on the state level."
Vickerman said, "I think the state has to take some part of it." He said the disparity between different insurance coverages or Medicare is too variable.
Winter said it's important to pass the Fair Drug Pricing Act.
"We have to tell these pharmaceutical companies that they canÕt sell at such a high price here and sell it cheaper to Canada and Mexico."
Magnus said senior citizens are a key group to pay attention to when talking prescription drugs.
On the state's $2.5 to
3 million budget deficit:
Magnus said taxing isn't the answer to solving the deficit. "That hinders the economy," he said.
He said he wouldn't rule out a tax raise, but said running the government like a family or business, trying to cut costs, is the key to balancing the budget.
Winter said cutting budgets and finding more efficiencies in government is important to balancing the budget. He said the state should be careful where it cuts, however, because county, township, city and schools are affected by state aids.
"We donÕt want to shift the burden to local units who will pass on a levy," Winter said.
Vickerman said the state had a $900 million budget shortfall when he started in the legislature and the state managed to work through it before. He said the governor and both parties have to cooperate to balance any budget.
Vickerman said he saw some areas that shouldn't be cut when tightening the budget - schools, nursing homes and the Department of Natural Resources. He suggested different departments come up with cuts from within before more work is done on balancing.
Frick said the state has had a clear spending problem, doubling its spending in the past seven to 10 years and becoming the largest employer in Minnesota.
Before cutting existing programs, Frick suggested the state stop adding more costs. Specifically, Frick took issue with non-married partners of state workers getting state health benefits.
On health care
in rural areas
Vickerman said keeping local health care in rural Minnesota has been an important issue to him throughout his political career.
The Metro area of the state has drawn dentists, optometrists, nurses and doctors from rural areas.
Vickerman said a loan forgiveness program for nurses working in rural areas might help the situation.
Frick said the health care issue stems from the larger issue of rural areas steadily losing population.
"It's a basic problem and we can't support businesses or schools without population. We have to work hard to reverse out-migration."
Frick suggested recruiting workers in health care by advertising the high quality of life and schools in rural Minnesota.
Magnus said addressing population and looking into a loan forgiveness program would combine for better coverage in rural health care.
He said his wife worked at a hospital and quit because of the 80 to 90 hours of work expected of many workers. "That's not good for doctors or patients," Magnus said.
Winter said rural hospitals need to keep updated with technology to keep their patients from traveling to bigger facilities for their health care.
He said a key point for rural hospitals, and Minnesota hospitals in general, is the Medicare reimbursement rates.
"When many of the patients are elderly, the Medicare reimbursement keeps the hospital functioning."
Winter said rural hospitals get a lower reimbursement than Metro area hospitals, which get lower reimbursements than hospitals in some other parts of the country.
On education funding
Winter said education funding shouldn't be cut to help the state budget, because schools have to pass that cost on to local taxpayers through levies or ask for special referendums.
He said he thinks the state funding formula should be altered so that instead of per pupil funds, school are given progressively increasing funds. Winter said infrastructure costs are often the same in large and small districts with busing and building expenses. He said a progressive structure would mean Metro schools don't come out far ahead of rural.
Magnus said, "Without good education, our future is really doomed."
He pointed out that the state hasn't cut education funding, which he believed was a misconception. He said he thought the formula should stay as-is.
Frick said, "It has to be a top priority to fund education. But we have to have people living here if we're going to have people in the schools."
Frick said an option for saving education money would be combining small districts.
Vickerman said, "Wherever you live, you should have equal access to quality education."
He advocates smaller class sizes, aid for textbooks and technology, and early childhood education. He said some costs might be saved by sharing administration between smaller schools.
In closing statements
Magnus said, "The legislature needs to be run like a business by people with proven business experience."
Winter said, "I've always tried to be connected with people and issues they care about." He pointed out his past work in funding Lewis and Clark Rural Water System; working with ethanol and soybean plants and biodiesel and being a strong advocate for education.
Vickerman said he is one of the five most senior members of the DFL and prides himself on working with both parties to get things accomplished. He's been a supporter of wind energy and carried the bill to locate the Minnesota Veterans Home in Luverne. He said people should know he's honest and that his constituents come first.
Frick said he acknowledged that Vickerman did some good things in his years in office, but that the DFL leadership of the state had to change. They've been in control for 30 years, Frick said, and in that time Minnesota has increased taxes to be one of the top in the country and jobs have left Minnesota for other states.
NOTE: The Star Herald will publish Luverne Mayor and Rock County Sheriff candidate profiles next week.