As others see it: Horner's good growth office

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Horner

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Even with the state facing a $6 billion budget deficit, gubernatorial candidate Tom Horner has plans for economic growth that make the most of assets we already have and are smart about developing new strategies that give taxpayers the biggest bang for the buck.

He notes we already have tremendous assets and brainpower in the Mayo Clinic, the University of Minnesota biomedical schools and burgeoning biomedical industries like Medtronic.

But there needs to be coordination, and yes, resources. Huge cuts to higher education that are being proposed by Republican candidate Tom Emmer won’t likely help bring these synergies together. Horner wants a line item in the state budget for basic research and applied research at the state’s institutions of higher education. That would help bring together these assets to help develop Minnesota into a Silicon Valley-like region for biomedical science and industry. But it also would put them front in center in the discussion on funding priorities.

Horner’s budget plan isn’t one that just pours money into such ventures or other areas. He calls for solving the budget by at least $2 billion in cuts. But, as he rightly points, out, we can’t just cut our way to prosperity.

Few would argue about the existing assets of Mayo, the U and places like Medtronic. Already, there is news the two educational institutions will be working to solve the diabetes problem. It’s exciting that something that costs Minnesota and the U.S. billions in health care dollars could be solved in 10 years according to credible researchers. Now is not the time for us to wait on that huge opportunity and relinquish it to some other state willing to invest.

Horner is realistic about one of the other engines that drives Minnesota’s economy: higher education. He believes in its purposes and notes that 70 percent of Minnesotans will need some training beyond high school to succeed in the new economy. ...

Horner is also realistic in his vision for growth. He knows it can’t all be accomplished in the next four years, and in fact, notes solving the state’s financial problems comes first. But Horner’s growth philosophy and his ideas for accomplishing a solid vision for Minnesota’s economic growth make a lot of sense.

Tags: opinion, editorials, politics, minnesota, horner