The vision of Minnesota Milestones

This vision for the future of Minnesota grew out of the ideas and suggestions of hundreds of Minnesotans. It is presented here in summary form; the full version is found in the original Minnesota Milestones report, published in 1992.

We Minnesotans like our state. We believe Minnesota is a good place to raise a family, go to school and enjoy life. We appreciate the natural beauty, the friendliness and sense of opportunity, the good government and the diverse economic opportunities. We believe strong values are important — spiritual values, individual responsibility, volunteering, a strong work ethic and sharing with others. We appreciate our cultural diversity. These are the personal values we cherish and want to carry forward into the next century.

We do not want growth and change to overpower our quality of life. We want to plan for the future. Yet we recognize that we will have to make tough choices, as we have in the past. We want to deepen the values that have guided earlier generations and made Minnesota a leader in the nation. We want to begin now to build an even better place to live, a Minnesota to pass on proudly to our children and grandchildren.

When we talk about our hopes for the future, we share a vision with these common themes:

• Minnesota will be a community of people who respect and care for one another.
• Our economic activity will create wealth and provide a good standard of living for all our people.
• Our citizens will be good thinkers, creative, always learning, with the skills to compete internationally.
• We will protect and enjoy the natural world.
• Our government will be responsive, effective and close to the people.