Letter: Liberal policies have put Minnesota ahead

EDITOR: As Wisconsinites, we have a unique opportunity to compare ourselves to a state we know very well to see which works better: a liberal or a conservative agenda.

In 2010, Minnesota elected an old-fashioned liberal governor and a Democratic Legislature, while Wisconsin chose the polar opposite. Four years later, looking at the economic health of the two states, we can conclude the liberal agenda is superior.

Wisconsin has an unemployment rate of 5.8 percent while Minnesota's is 4.5 percent. Our very own "job creator" has overseen the creation of only 115,000 jobs, while at the same time, Minnesota — with a slightly smaller population — created more than 147,000 jobs. This discrepancy is compounded by the fact that in Wisconsin, if you're lucky enough to have a job, you will make on average $5,000 less than a Minnesotan.

Part of this gap was there when Gov. Scott Walker began his term, but his policies have made the income gap greater. It went from 7.4 percent in 2010 to 8.5 percent and now it's up to 9.1 percent. Clearly the liberal governor is doing something our conservative governor is not clever enough to try.

When our governor rejected Obamacare, we were again bested by Minnesota. Last year, Minnesota lowered its uninsured rate from 10 percent to 5 percent while we're still stuck at 9.5 percent. Also because Walker didn't set up a state exchange, which would have allowed bargaining with the insurance companies, we are paying as much as 99 percent more for insurance on the federal exchange than Minnesotans. Similarly, private health insurances rates run higher in Wisconsin due, in part, to the higher number of uninsured and under-insured Wisconsinites.

You can see for yourself Gov. Mark Dayton's liberal policies work for Minnesota. People in his state earn more per year and pay less for health insurance. Wisconsin deserves better. Mary Burke will be a better governor for Wisconsin. Vote for her November 4th.

Leigh Allgaier,

Stevens Point