SAINT PAUL, MN – Rep. Jim Joy, R-Hawley, has invited businessman and “Shark Tank” star Kevin O’Leary to be his guest at Governor Tim Walz’s State of the State address on Wednesday. The invitation follows recent remarks from O’Leary who has praised North Dakota’s taxation and regulatory climate in comparison to Minnesota, which he has called a “not investable, no-go state.”
“We need to keep Minnesotans in Minnesota,” said Joy. “Unfortunately, these high-tax, heavily mandated policies that are being pushed this session by Governor Walz and the DFL-controlled legislature are forcing our businesses and people across the border to North Dakota. Investors like Kevin O’Leary don’t want to do business in our state and that’s a problem for the future of Minnesota.”
In a recent interview, O’Leary compared the differences between Minnesota and North Dakota saying, “What’s the difference? Only one thing: policy. They have no-go policy, they have unstable policy, they have unstable everything, unstable energy policy… If they don’t get their act together, it’ll just keep getting worse.”
“I hope Mr. O’Leary will join me for Walz’s State of the State address, and I hope the Governor will hear the concerns of him and all Minnesotans,” said Joy. “With a nearly $18 billion surplus, we should be doing everything we can to make our state a great place for families and show investors like Mr. O’Leary that Minnesota is open for business.”
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