rural healthcare

Healthcare in America is a failing system. There is no acceptable reason for the richest nation in the history of the world to rank 18th among developed countries.
Healthcare costs continue to rise, forcing many people into bankruptcy (over 14,000 in the last 2 1/2 years).We need to provide a sensible alternative to the current  way of doing things, focusing on preventative care and lowering the cost of prescription medication.

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Rural healthcare fails at an unparalleled level, further compounding an already an egregious violation of human rights. The Rural Health Disparities Overview reports on a number of these violations.

1) "There are higher rates of uninsured individuals residing in rural or nonmetro counties compared to their counterparts in urban or metro counties."

2) "Healthcare workforce shortages are prevalent throughout rural America."

3) "Specialty and subspecialty healthcare services are less likely to be available in rural areas and are less likely to include specialized and highly sophisticated or high-intensity care. This exacerbates problems for rural patients seeking specialized care who are faced with traveling significant distances for treatment."

4) "Reliable transportation to care can also be a barrier for rural residents due to long distances, poor road conditions, and the limited availability of public transportation options in rural areas."

It's easy to brush these off as statistics. At the root of these statements lies an ominous fact. Rural people get less care and it spells a loss of life. These facts are politicized and blamed on those who receive poor care.

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The people of rural Minnesota are not lazy. Working harder is not the answer. It is not the result of anything that Minnesotans have done wrong. Anyone who would try to convince you otherwise is not representing you.

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When we elect Jill Abahsain to represent the 7th district of Minnesota, we have elected to live longer, fuller lives have a US Representative who truly cares about quality rural living standards.. Minnesota, and the nation, deserve better. Healthcare is a human right. It is time to recognize this fact universally.

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rural education

Education is the key to unlocking the future potential of America. With the high cost of education today, that is becoming a decreasing option for many of our brightest young people. To fix this problem we need to focus on student loan debt forgiveness, which will allow more disposable income to go back in the economy, spurring consumer spending and leading  to economic growth.

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Rural people aren't as educated as urban people.

If it struck a nerve when you read it, then you understood it correctly. It struck a nerve for me when I wrote it. People in the areas that provide the country with its most important commodities, don't have the access that they need.

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There was a time when we lead the world in learning. As a result, we became the most prosperous nation the Earth has ever seen. We built railroads and highways. We innovated and invented. Most importantly, we built a strong middle class in the heartland and the people of small town America could pay all of their bills.

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The first step to removing a peoples' control of their own future is to end critical thinking. There has not yet been complete success in this endeavor, but it's on the rise. Coming generations won't even know that there is a problem if we don't take action now.

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According to statistics available at ers.usda.gov, 21% of rural Americans over 25 have a bachelors degree. That same demographic in urban areas has 35% of it's population with the same level of education. Bachelors degree median income in 2021 was $52,000 per year. For high school grads, that's only $29,000. This doesn't even account for those who didn't finish high school.

I've found that the easiest way to lose readers is to do math. We're about to do some anyway.

.21 x $52,000 = $10,920
.79 x $29,000 = $22,910
$10,920 + 22,910 = $33,830 per person in rural areas

.35 x $52,000 = $18,200
.65 x $29,000 = $18,850
$18,200 + $18,850 = $37,050 per person in urban areas

$37,050 - $33,830 = $3,220

7th district population = 666,735
666,735 x $3,220 = $2,146,886,700

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Rural education is getting better. It still doesn't measure up and it's time to fix that. Is it worth it to you to educate all of our children? Do you think that two-billion dollars would help the 7th district economy? Can we afford not to invest in the future our children ? Please show your work.

Jill Abahsain stands with the facts, even when they aren't pleasant. Jill stands with education because she stands with our children's' futures and bringing about the quality educational standards the people of CD7 should expect.

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child care & preschool

Low cost, quality childcare for all Minnesotans is the way forward.  As wages remain low due to corporate insistence to provide income for shareholders rather than employees as workers struggle to pay for, or even find, quality care for their pre-school children.  The COVID era demonstrated to many that staying at home and caring for one’s own children was better than paying for high-cost childcare.  I advocate for high quality, government monitored childcare and Pre-K for rural Minnesotans which will help young parents explore and secure jobs and careers while knowing their children are well cared for

 

protecting the farm bill

The Farm Bill: Key Components to a Thriving Minnesota

Title 1 covers commodities.
It provides price support and pays the bills for farmers across the country. Without it, when crops are harvested the prices drop like a rock. When the supply is high, the value drops. Title 1 keeps this more stable. It ensures that you can pay the bills.

Title 2 keeps land usable.
If we salt the soil, we can't grow crops. We saw a disaster of poor land management during the dust bowl. Over grazing, poor rotation, and over-fertilization all contribute to crop failure. Conserving your farm and the surrounding land are imperative.

Title 3 keeps us viable on the world stage.
Competing with underdeveloped countries that have low quality and cheap products requires subsidies. It keeps your bottom line higher and America competitive.

Title 4 is supplemental nutrition.
Every time we use $1 to feed those in need, we add $1.67 to our economy. An enormous part of this lands directly in the pockets of America's farmers. It amounts to 1.8% of taxes and allows family farms to continue to pay the bills.

Title 5 extends credit where credit is needed.
Every family farm has had a bad year. Sometimes these occur back to back. The federal programs that provide loans in these cases are essential.

Title 6 builds rural economies.
Rural economic development is needed to build an economy that aids financial growth in Minnesota's 7th District.

Title 7 keeps us up to date.
Minnesota's farmers will never lose their grit. We are Minnesota Strong. The research portion is about innovation. Any edge we can get in protecting our land and producing our crops, helps to ensure that the next generation can thrive.

Title 8 keeps our land viable.
The soil washes away when it's not anchored. The forest is directly responsible for keeping our land from being barren. If we neglect to be good stewartds, soon we have nothing left.

Title 9 opens the energy market.
When we develop biofuels, we open a new avenue for sale, there are greater opportunities for proffit. Developing new revenue streams lifts farmers across the country.

Title 10 is to improve horticulture.
Certifications, infrastructure and research fuel the advantages of the next generation of farmers. Learning and applying that knowledge creates an environment where our children can succeed.

Title 11 prevents total loss.
The crop insurance title provides money to farmers to insure their crops. It helps cover losses in yeild and whole farm loss.

Title 12 is miscellaneous.
It lives here if a different title didn't cover it.

These are the parts of the bill. They provide a living to our hard working farmers, the energy producers that supply them, and the communities that grew up around them. It is job producing legislation and empowers rural Minnesota.

Protecting this bill and the people who have built their lives in the 7th District are Jill Abahsain's top priority. We can not allow Fischbach to bankrupt our communities by decimation of the Farm Bill. Protect your farm and your future in the voting booth on November 8th.

 

Social Security
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With the economy struggling and prices on the rise, those who rely on the government pension (Social Security) are being hit hard by the economic impact. This leaves many of our elderly being victimized twice by both poverty and inflation. While it is true that it is gauaranteed income paid by the FICA deductions from our paychecks, it in no way related to the national debt. Republicans want to eliminate Social Security to hide the fact they "borrowed" some $3 billion + from the Social Security fund back  in the 1980s and are unable to pay it back. I won't let the Republican's inability to pay back the money they "borrowed" from Social Security to use as an excuse to destroy on of the founding intuitions of the New Deal. We can ensure that Social Security remains viable for years to come by removing the $140,000 cap on Social Security taxes to ensure that the wealthy pay their fair share.

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HOUSING

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Housing is a fundamental right and we need to figure out how to provide it at an equitable rate, especially rental housing. Fixed rate leases and increasing the limits for Section 8 are a start, but I will work on providing a sensible expansion of affordable housing options because no one deserves to be left out in the cold.

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Environment

We are integrated with our environment. The pure enjoyment of pristine natural habitats allows us to be a part of nature, to enjoy the pure wonder of it all. For sportsmen, it provides a variety of meat for the table that would not be available otherwise. A clean environment is essential to the quality of life in western Minnesota and we need to protect it.

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Terrorism

Terrorism is constant threat. All we have to do is watch the January 6th committee investigations on TV to  prove this point. Domestic terrorism is something i have witnessed first hand in both Cairo and Riyadh. The fundamentalists threats against those who would not conform, violence in the streets, good people afraid to speak out for fear of retaliation. We cannot let this happen here, even though there is a growing movement to a White Nationalist Christian Fundamentalist state growing like a cancer within the Republican party. We must stand together and say ENOUGH to extremist views.

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