Tim Walz?
Yeah, that guy from Minnesota. (Shout out to my Girl Jen in Blue Earth)
Now the far-right and the happy go lucky mainstream media is boo-hooing because that can’t believe this guy doesn’t make big dollars. They seem upset that Walz nor his wife, Gwen, own any investments. No stocks, ETFs, or mutual funds. That Walz and his wife, Gwen, have no cryptocurrency, REITs, or even any personal real estate. He sold his house to move into the governor’s mansion, so he technically doesn’t even own a home, hey like one-third of most Americans. That Walz does not have a 401(k), IRA, or taxable brokerage account. One thing he does have, and that’s a pension, this seems to be his sole source of retirement funds.
According to financial disclosures reported by The Washington Post, Walz and his wife, Gwen, earned $166,000 in 2022. This includes income earned from renting out a room in their Washington, DC, townhouse, the outlet reported, and Walz's $115,485 annual salary for his role as governor.
Facts:
Only about 15 percent of private-sector workers have access to a pension, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Teachers and other government workers are the most common types of employees to receive pension benefits. Members of the military may also qualify for lifetime pensions. VP Nominee Walz served in the National Guard for 24 years. I want you guys to think about this when Project 2025 says it will purge some millions of employees that work for the Federal Goverment and when it states it wants to get rid of the Department of Education.
Does this make you pause and think, why these people are so upset about Walz’s finances. Could it be that when he was a member of the House of Representatives, he was a huge proponent of the STOCK Act, which was signed into law by President Barack Obama in 2012, The STOCK ACT.
Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act of 2012 or STOCK Act - (Sec. 3) Requires the congressional ethics committees to issue interpretive guidance of the rules of each chamber, including rules on conflicts of interest and gifts, with respect to the prohibition against the use by Members of Congress and congressional employees (including legislative branch officers and employees), as a means for making a private profit, of any nonpublic information derived from their positions as Members or congressional employees, or gained from performance of the individual's official responsibilities.and tries to make congressional investment trades more public to improve transparency.
U.S. Congress. (2011). Public Law 112-105.
Tim Walz is among the least wealthy candidates to ever run for vice president.
According their tax returns of 2022, VP Nominee Walz and his wife Gwen’s, they brought in $166,000 in 2022.
The Walzs rent out a room in their DC townhouse, their financial disclosures show. Yes you read that right. They rent out a room, you gotta make money somehow.
Most of the income, $115,485, came from Walz's salary as governor, while $51,234 was earned by Gwen Walz's salary as an educator, which she lists as business income.
The Walz’s paid $24,062 in federal income taxes.
When Walz won his seat in Congress in 2006, Forbes reported Walz told an aide his $165,200, salary "is four times what I've ever made in my life." Walz was a Social Students Teacher, think about this. Teachers don’t get paid their worth and we know this. I for one am glad that he is not trying to hid his finances.
Facts:
Minnesota's average starting teacher salary:
The average starting salary for teachers in Minnesota is $43,181, which ranks No. 25 in the nation, according to the NEA.
In Wisconsin, the starting salary is $41,151, which is No. 38 in the nation, according to the NEA.
The minimum living wage in Minnesota is $63,957, the Economic Policy Institute says.
Minnesota's average teacher salary :
The average teacher salary in Minnesota is $70,005, which is No. 15 in the nation, according to the NEA.
In Wisconsin, the average teacher salary is $62,524, which is No. 25 in the nation, according to the NEA.
National teacher salary average:
The national average starting teacher salary in 2024 was $44,530, according to the NEA.
The national average teacher salary in 2024 was $69,544, according to the NEA.
VP Nominee Walz is a decent man, who earns an honest living. I don’t know what’s so terrible or unusual about this. He went to school on the G.I. Bill. So did I and millions of other veterans. He is an educator, a listening, a fighter, and an advocate for our youth and they love him because he can speak their language and not sound condescending.
VP Nominee Timothy James Walz Biography:
Born April 6th, 1964 in West Point Nebraska - On the tailend of Babyboomers and the cusp of GenXers, he graduated from Chadron State College in Chadron, Nebraska. Walz was a high school social studies teacher and high school football coach. Married his wife Gwen in 1994, they have two children, his eldest (Hope) is a Social Worker at a homless shelter. Walz joined the Army National Guard at age 17 after graduating high school, serving in the Texas National Guard, Arkansas National Guard and the Minnesota National Guard from 1981 to 2005 before retiring to run for Congress.
Fun Fact:
While working as a geography teacher at Mankato West High School, he also was the football coach. The team had lost 27 straight games when he joined the coaching staff as a defensive coordinator. Three years later, in 1999, the team won its first state championship.
The Education Governor:
Walz attributes his decision to switch from educator to legislator to an incident that happened in 2004.
President George W. Bush was in Mankato to give a speech, and Walz brought a group of children to listen to him, hoping to give them a unique educational experience. But the students were denied entry because they had previously volunteered for the Democratic Party, according to Walz.
“Gov. Walz is known as the ‘Education Governor’ because he has been an unwavering champion for public school students and educators and an ally for working families and unions,” - Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association.
Last year, Governor Walz signed a bill into law that enabled all K-12 students in Minnesota to receive free school breakfast and lunch, regardless of their families’ incomes. His legislation followed a Covid-era federal waiver that had temporarily made universal free school meals available to all students nationwide during the height of the pandemic; only a handful of states other than Minnesota have made the free school meals permanent.
“The haves and the have-nots in the school lunchroom is not a necessary thing,” he said at a news conference last summer. “Just feed our children.” - Governor Tim Walz-
Yep - Tim Walz is the real deal. I like him and maybe if other folks do their homework they might like him too or not!
CellyBlue - I Do Know This!
CellyBlue does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations corporate or government beyond their academic appointment.
Everything I learn about this guy makes me think he's a great choice and good for this country
I live in Minnesota, and I'm proud to say Tim Walz is my governor. He led us through the pandemic, despite huge and unreasonable push back from Republicans in our state legislature. He'll be a great Vice President and assistant to President Kamala Harris!