Rod Grams: “when Minnesotans gather to talk about the issues that matter to them most, as they did on Tuesday at their precinct…”

“when Minnesotans gather to talk about the issues that matter to them most, as they did on Tuesday at their precinct caucuses, there is a common theme that weaves between nearly all of them, especially when they are speaking directly from their hearts. They are looking for a better life. They want a good job that pays a decent wage. They want to put enough food on the table. They want a strong roof over their heads, for many, a place they can call their own. And after the bills have been paid, they would like a little extra at the end of the month to squirrel away in a savings account. The most striking truth about seeking that better life is that most folks aren't doing it just for themselves. They are pursuing it for their children, too, in the hopes of offering them the best opportunities for success. In other words, they are searching for prosperity. It is interesting that prosperity and the struggle to achieve it has spread across the Nation to become a major theme of the 1996 presidential campaigns. The media have just begun to focus on the troubles facing working people, and the stagnating wages and high taxes that have pushed prosperity out of reach for many middle-class families. But where have the media been? Working families have been feeling the pinch for a long time. ``Our economy is the healthiest is has been in three decades,'' announced President Clinton in his State of the Union Address. Is it really?…”