With optimism about the future of the country, 1st District U.S. Rep. Tim Walz is seeking re-election to his third term in office.

Walz, DFL-Mankato, was born in Nebraska but moved to Mankato with his wife, Gwen, 15 years ago. The couple has two children, Hope, 9, and Gus, 4.

He said he and his wife were drawn to Minnesota because of the quality of life here. Both in the teaching profession, they were especially interested in the education system in the state. When they first moved here, no state in the union had a better education reputation, he noted.

Walz taught social studies, geography and a public service class and was also a coach. He said in his spare time he enjoys spending time with his family, hunting and reading. Before he was elected to Congress he also loved to travel.

It has been almost four years since he was first seated in Congress, and Walz said since then he has been able to stand out on many issues, never letting partisanship get in the way.

He wants to show people what can be done to bring people together, noting it should not be about small government or big government, but effective government.

The following is a description of Walz’s beliefs on several key issues:

Education

Regarding No Child Left Behind, Walz said it brought out both good and bad factors for teachers.

Having taught under NCLB himself, he said it forced teachers to look in a mirror and do an honest assessment of where there were doing well and where they were failing. It also forced teachers to say that there had to be accountability and it taught him, personally, how to use testing in a positive way, he added.

Walz said NCLB was well-intentioned but has been far too punitive. It has also been narrowly focused.

He said he’s not a U.S. representative who said get rid of all of NCLB, and he noted he thought it took too much control out of local hands.

It did, however, make him a better teacher, he said.

When Congress reconvenes, they need to take the lessons learned and do a better job, he added.

Health care

Regarding the health care bill that he voted in favor of, Walz said he did so after meeting with constituents and providers, including the Mayo Clinic. After talking with each side, he weighed the sides.

“I felt it was a core belief that we could do better,” he said.

He said he’s seeing a system that’s on the verge of collapse.

Eighty percent of the money in the system is used on 15 percent of the people at the end of their lives. He said money should instead be on wellness and preventative measures such as the Blue Zones project.

Though there is still work to be done, he and Mayo clinic leaders have called the bill “a good first step.”

Transportation

Walz said he thinks the country needs to pass a long-range plan for transportation.

He said having good roads is the key to commerce and the key to growth.

“We have to do better on that,” he said.

He noted that transit needs to be a part of the discussion, along with the locks and waterways along rivers such as the Mississippi River.

“We need to get it done,” he said. “We need to pass a long-range bill.”

Veterans

Walz said during his past 3 1/2 years in office, he is proud of the work he’s been able to accomplish on behalf of veterans.

“We will not leave a veteran behind here,” he added. “We will not ask someone to serve our nation and get injured or killed and leave their family behind.”

He said making sure veterans have access to a good-paying job to support their families when they return is the least the country can do.

He supports creating a simplified certification process for recently discharged veterans who qualify for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit. He also wants to make it easier for the servicemen and servicewomen who have been recently discharged to provide documentation from the Department of Defense to prospective employers.

The Department of Defense will educate service members on how to market themselves to employers with the tax credit.

Energy

Walz’s energy plan promotes increasing oil production in the United States, speeding the transition to clean energy and giving tax breaks for homeowners for energy-efficient homes and car owners.

He said the United States controls 3 percent of the world’s oil, but it uses more than 20 percent.

“The biggest thing we can do to get out of trouble in the Middle East is to lower prices for energy providers and move to a new energy standard,” he added.

What’s next?

During the time leading up to the Nov. 2 general election, Walz said he will be busy talking with people and encouraging them to vote.

“I’ll spend the next two weeks showing them what we can be,” he said.

He added he thinks he has not betrayed his values thus far in office and said he thinks he’s done the job with passion.

He noted he’s also going to show people what can be done to bring people together.