Dear Neighbor,
The Legislature is scheduled to adjourn a little more than one week from today, yet no agreement on a new two-year state budget seems imminent because Democrats refuse to budge on their over-the-top proposals for:
- Increasing taxes by $12 billion (while also spending up the billion-dollar surplus).
- Raising the gas tax 70% (20 cents/gallon) as part of $4 billion in transportation tax increases.
- Extending a $2.5 billion Sick Tax, which literally makes getting sick a taxable event. The House DFL is going to take these dollars out of the HEALTH CARE ACCESS FUND and put them into the GENERAL FUND and use the money to fund ONECARE MINNESOTA (socialized medicine)
The gas tax would hurt those of us who live in 15B far more than those who live in the metro. But let’s remember the gas tax isn’t the only Democrat price hike that would wallop drivers. They also propose raising:
- $193 million for the New Vehicle Tax.
- $986 million for a Metro-wide Sales Tax to fund light-rail.
- $1.13 billion increase in the Vehicle Registration.
Even the governor’s own administration points out these tax increases would hurt lowest-income earners the most, as reported by the Star Tribune in this article.
Meantime, the House Democrat majority is ignoring Greater Minnesota’s needs in important areas of budget planning. On the Conference Committee dealing with Jobs and Energy issues across the state, Democrats shut out Greater Minnesota — with ZERO House members from outside the metro serving on the committee.
Then, in the education budget, House Democrats are looking to increase disparities in school funding between districts in the metro and Greater Minnesota by another 4 percent. Democrats also want to put Planned Parenthood activists in our children’s classrooms to teach sex ed.
As if all those reasons aren’t enough to scrap the Democrat budget plan and start all over, House Democrats are still trying to infringe on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens with gun-grabbing legislation.
This is only the tip of the iceberg regarding all that is wrong with what Democrats in St. Paul are proposing. I haven’t even mentioned the Democrats’ 100 percent renewable mandate that would result in increased costs for energy consumers and create a less reliable energy grid.
There’s a long way to go in finding agreement on a state budget and a little more than a week to do so before the session is set to end May 20. I’ll keep you posted.
For now, have a happy Mother’s Day and good luck in this weekend’s fishing opener.
Sincerely,
Shane