Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Below are a few items debated on the House floor last week.
Budget deficit
Only one year after having a $2.2 billion budget deficit, Minnesota now faces a $935 million budget deficit. What happened in between to cause the $3 billion flip from a surplus to a deficit? Several things: The housing market continued to decline; energy prices went way up; the credit market tightened as banks felt the ripple effects of rising foreclosures and mortgage defaults. But there is more to the story than the national economy. State government spending also grew by $3 billion. The entire budget surplus and $1 billion more went to feed the growing appetite for more government while taxpayers got $0 in tax relief.
Taxes
Tax relief is not in sight this year either, from state government at least. Even the politicians in Washington realized that tax relief is the best thing for American families. But in Minnesota, liberal politicians have a laser-like focus on raising taxes on everything - gas taxes, sales taxes, utility property taxes, mortgage and deed taxes. It totals at least $6 billion right now, but there are still three months left in the session.
Transportation
The Legislature voted to override the governor’s veto on the transportation bill on Monday. Courtesy of its success, you’ll now find higher taxes when you buy a new car, put gas in it, and when you stop to do some shopping on the way home. Registration taxes, gas taxes and the sales tax all went up. Even the Star Tribune, which heaped lavish praise on the legislators who supported this bill, said the average commuter in Scott or Carver county could expect to pay upwards of $230 per year, per automobile. If you’re a two-car family with a teenager or two that also needs to get around, you’ll feel the toughest impact.
Working to fix our ailing economy should be job #1 during this legislative session. Hopefully, we'll come to our senses soon in St. Paul and do just that.
As always, please contact me if you have any questions, comments and/or concerns with what is happening at your state capitol.
Sincerely,
Mark Buesgens
State Representative, 35B
Room 307,
State Office Building
(651) 296-5185
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2 comments:
Mark Buesgens, you have no sense of how anything works at all. How can you possibly believe that "tax relief" will help the state when thanks to Pawlenty and people like you we have bridges falling down, roads in disrepair, schools not being funded, and our state basically falling apart? Do you understand that taxes are what allow us to live in a civilized society? You and your homeboy Pawlenty love to throw out the old buzzphrase "tax and spend" Democrats; how are "borrow and spend" Republicans any better? They're far worse! Destroying our economy and mortgaging our children's future by never paying for anything and pretending that that makes good financial sense? And yes, fixing our economy should be a top priority: but we don't fix it with historically proven wrong ideas like "trickle-down" economics, borrowing more money, and handing out tax breaks to (primarily) the wealthiest people. We do it with providing a working wage to all folks, keeping our jobs from going overseas, penalizing companies like Wal-Mart that destroy the economy by importing the majority of their stock from China - thereby undercutting American jobs, and working to build a "green" state that is a leader in renewable energy sources. Quit mouthing the same stupid platitudes that the Republicans have been saying for years, pull your head out of the sand, and start earning your salary by HELPING Minnesotans. Nobody is getting killed by taxes - we're getting killed by losing our jobs and not educating our children!
Michael, Michael, Michael....
Do you have any remote clue as to why those jobs just might be leaving Minnesota? Do you have the SLIGHTEST inkling as to why low tax states like Utah have more jobs than high tax states like Minnesota or California do?
Stop and think just for a moment OK?
LL
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