Working together to keep Minnesota working

The Coalition of Minnesota Businesses (CMB) is a non-partisan, grassroots organization comprised of 11 employer groups representing more than 20,000 Minnesota employers with hundreds of thousands of employees across the state.

We don’t agree on all issues. But we all agree that a strong economy is the foundation for the high quality of life that Minnesota enjoys.

• Jobs today: Minnesota families and employers – like people across the country – are struggling in an economy weighed down by falling home values, high food and energy prices, tight credit and rising interest rates.
• Jobs tomorrow: Long-term, Minnesota needs to find its role in a global economy where the fastest growing markets are on the other side of the world.

To maintain Minnesota’s high quality of life, state lawmakers need to support and encourage business expansion and private-sector job growth. Making it more difficult or more expensive to operate a business in the state hurts Minnesota families and employers – and tax revenues in the long run.

But can government address Minnesota’s priorities without adding to the pressure on families and employers? Yes, by applying a few common-sense principles. (Spend Smart Principles)

Candidate Responses to Key Questions
Regardless of who wins the 2008 race for the Minnesota House of Representatives in your district, two large issues will dominate the 2009 Legislative Session:

• An expected state budget deficit that could exceed $2 billion for the next two-year budget cycle.
• A proposal to increase K-12 funding by $5 billion per biennium – a roughly 35 percent increase.

Where do your State House candidates stand on these two issues? Visit the Minnesota Prosperity Project to find candidate responses to these and other questions.