I got an "honorable mention" in the Star Tribune endorsement for Senate District 62 on Saturday. The Strib endorsed Julie Sabo, and went on to say: Her most interesting challenger is the Independence Party's Steve Anderson, 30, a computer programmer who wants government to foster more innovation in addressing social problems. It's a worthy notion, and Anderson is an affable advocate, but he has made odd choices in stressing so-called personal rapid transit and decriminalization of drugs. The Republican candidate, 33-year-old Kelly Bailey, has offered an incoherent political philosophy and an anemic campaign. I would respond that my choices of emphasis reflect the areas where new approaches offer immediate and drastic improvement over current policy. PRT, unlike conventional bus and train transit, is an on-demand transfer-free system, which means riders can walk into a station anytime day or night and get a ride non-stop to their destination. The construction and operating costs are a fraction of those for light rail. We could have subsidy-free transit that would be as fast and convenient (in many cases) as the automobile. That's a recipe for substantially reducing our auto dependence and replacing it with cheap, energy-efficient transit. I believe that our current prohibition of drugs does little or nothing to alleviate the problems of drug abuse, but it creates a black market that's a direct cause of much of the violence in our cities. These deaths are easily preventable. Because of our "zero-tolerance" approach, we don't even allow marijuana for medical reasons, where it could literally make a life-or-death difference for cancer and AIDS patients. This is an area where a policy change (that the democrats and republicans are unwilling to consider) could make a drastic difference on crime and health care. If I had such simple, exciting innovations that would solve the affordable housing crisis, or create peace in the middle east, I'd be promoting them. I don't. But I do have solutions in transit and drug policy, and an abiding commitment to seeking creative new solutions in all areas. I hope district 62 voters find that an approach worth voting for. -- Steven C. Anderson 612-722-6658 [EMAIL PROTECTED] The Independence Party Candidate for Minnesota Senate, District 62 http://www.SteveAnderson.org/
