WHY CONSIDER VOTING FOR PAUL THISSEN FOR GOVERNOR?

Why consider voting for Paul Thissen for Minnesota's next governor? Here's some reasons:

1. Paul Thissen has done excellent work as a legislator, particularly with health care issues. He's currently the chair of the Health Care and Human Services Policy and Oversight Committee. He's instrumental in trying to help the GAMC recipients who are about to lose their coverage. He's also a member of the Health Care and Human Services Finance Division committee. He knows a lot about health care in Minnesota and all the issues involved in reforming it. Democratic Health Chairs Berglin and Thissen rolled out their "Cover All Kids" legislation in January of this year. Kudos for caring about the health care of children. See Thissen's website for more information about his stand on health care.

2. Paul Thissen is good on seniors and aging. His vision is "We should build communities that allow all ages to thrive and help older Minnesotans live independently and with dignity." This sounds excellent to me. For however many years I have left, I'd love to live them with dignity, even though I'm living with a potentially fatal disease. Read more about his views on seniors.

3. What will Paul Thissen do about our economy? Watch this video to find out.

4.  He believes in using Legacy funds wisely and intelligently. Read more about this on his website.

5.  He's smart. Indeed, he's highly intelligent. He graduated from Harvard University with high honors in 1989. He then graduated from the University of Chicago Law School in 1992, also with high honors.

6.  Although Paul Thissen is way up there intellectually, he's still a real person who relates well to everyone. He treats everyone as though they really matter, because to him, they do.

7.  Thissen has a healthy interest in all aspects of life. If someone tells him about a certain topic, he asks questions to find out more about it. For example, when I mentioned Toastmasters, he wanted to know more about it, such as what District 6 emcompasses, how big Eastern Division is, and where the clubs meet that I attend. Kudos to Paul Thissen for being interested in the largest communication and leadership organization in the world. Toastmasters would gladly welcome him to visit any club.

8.  This candidate knows that every individual is important not only as a souce of information, but also to his campaign. He has a certain apparent respect for bloggers, too. He actually reads my blogs and comments on them. Blogging is a powerful tool to bring in votes. For example, I put links to my blog on every newspaper in Minnesota that has an online comments section.

9.  Paul Thissen responds to emails. I've heard so many Minnesota voters complain that some candidates rarely respond to letters, phone calls or emails. Why would anyone vote for you if they feel you don't care about their opinions and thoughts? Everyone should at least get a form letter response stating that their query was received and will be considered. This is just basic common courtesy. I've also heard complaints that if the email or letter has more than one question in it, many candidates only answer one of them, if they respond at all. When I read an email that asks questions or comments on certain things, I respond to each item in order without omitting any. This makes the other person feel that you at least read what they had to say and even care about it.

10. Also important is how a candidate signs off on any letter or email that is sent. Voters are sensitive in how they are treated. The typical "yours truly" or "my best" is nauseatingly generic. Try to be a little more personal. Just signing your name with nothing else is better than such a generic ending. Paul Thissen understands this, which makes me feel that he truly understands people.

11. One other thing I want to mention is that Paul Thissen shows up at events where there is no sign of the other candidates. For example, when TakeAction Minnesota sponsored a protest in front of the Governor's Mansion yesterday, Paul Thissen was there. This was an event to protest the elimination of GAMC. He made it clear to reporters that he was there not as a legislator or a gubernatorial candidate, but as a concerned citizen. He was the only candidate who cared enough to come. It was very cold and damp yesterday as we stood there for nearly an hour. The fact that he joined us in our endeavor spoke volumes about his dedication to fighting against poverty and injustice.