Metropolitan Minority Outreach (MMO) is a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization founded in 1986. MMO's original goal was to increase the number of Twin Cities minority candidates for employment within the information systems field. I recently heard on a local morning radio show (KS95) that the Twin Cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul) have the highest daycare costs in the nation, right behind New York.

I have no idea why the Twin Cities daycare costs are so high. At least New York has world class entertainment (theatre, concerts, and restaurants) and a high cost of living in general (high taxes and real estate). The same can't be said for the Twin Cities, which has average entertainment and doesn't have nearly the high cost of living as New York. This shocked me. So much for choice for working parents in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Many women are leaving the workforce because of the high cost of daycare. Many parents don't qualify for government assisted programs, even when they earn barely over $9.00 per hour ($18,720 annually). Can you imagine having 3 or more children and paying over $2,400 per month for daycare ($28,800).

This situation is terrible for Twin Cities working parents and is another knife in the backs of hard working people. Some parents are better off on welfare then working. What a joke. Apparently, only 70 % of women are in the work force (KS95). It seems that the establishment is spitting in the faces of hard working parents in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Many Minnesotans blame Governor Tim Pawlenty for the reduction in assistance to working parents. While Pawlenty is partly to blame, both Democrats and Republicans need to share the blame.

Former Governor, Jesse Ventura should receive most of the blame for budget cuts. Ventura decimated Minnesota's economy by spending and throwing away the large surplus that Minnesota once had. I believe that something must be done to fix the problem of the high cost of daycare in Minneapolis and St. Paul. This is an outcry for a city that prides itself on diversity, tolerance and a high standard of living. If things don't change soon, it could be the beginning of social decay.

You might think that I'm starting to sound like a socialist/liberal. Au contraire mon amis. I'm not saying that we should throw money at the problem but like a true conservative, I believe in the value of hard work. Working parents should have the option of remaining in the work force. These is good family values. I think too often that government officials can't relate to the average person. They are usually financially well off and don't have the financial worries that the average family has, like feeding your children. It's time that working parents in Minneapolis and St. Paul are no longer kicked to the curb and spat on. It's time that they are given adequate consideration. It's time for change.