Hello from the State Capitol,
Recently, Minnesota’s economic officials gave lawmakers their analysis of where our state’s economy is headed.
Unfortunately, it is headed in the wrong direction.
Let’s do a comparison with previous budget forecasts. The February projection found our state will see a $456 million budget surplus for the upcoming budget cycle. In December, budget analysts thought we’d see a $616 million surplus. A year ago, they thought we’d have a $1.7 billion surplus.
But it’s the next budget cycle that is truly bad. There, the projected budget deficit has grown significantly, from a $5.1 billion projection in December to what is now a $6 billion deficit. That would be near the largest deficit in our state’s history.
It cannot be argued that the reckless tax and spend decisions made by an all Democrat-led legislature and Governor Walz have caused this chaos. They did not need to waste a nearly $20 billion budget surplus last session. They did not need to raise your taxes by $10 billion. They did not need to grow state government spending by an absurd amount – nearly 40%. Had they shown even limited restraint, our future budget outlook would not be nearly as dire. Instead, they went hog wild and we are now seeing the ugly results.
Anyone with some common sense could have predicted that incoming revenues would not be able to keep up with the insane amount of spending Democrats passed into law last session. When the other side tries to blame President Trump for spending decisions that were made by Minnesota Democrat lawmakers, first, try not to laugh, then remember they have now turned a nearly $20 billion surplus into a $6 billion deficit in just two years.
PROMOTING PUBLIC SAFETY
One of my priorities this session is to see the House approve legislation that supports our law enforcement and first responders and keeps violent criminals off the streets.
I’ve talked to more people than I can count that refuse to go to Minneapolis anymore, fearing for their safety. It’s incredibly sad.
A series of proposals are moving forward in the House that address increasing crime rates. Included are proposals requiring mandatory minimum 10-year sentences for predators engaged in first-degree sex trafficking; predatory offender registration for offenders engaged in criminal sexual conduct who receive a stayed sentence from the courts; new and enhanced criminal offenses including blocking a freeway, highway, transit, or the road to and from the airport; and increased penalties for fleeing a police officer in a reckless manner, and assaulting someone from law enforcement. Individuals who conspire to trespass on or damage critical infrastructure such as pipelines, utility lines, and water lines would also see strengthened penalties.
The proposal would also give better access to the public on prosecutors’ charging and dismissal decisions, and court sentencing departures. It would also provide additional transparency to the practices of some criminal justice organizations that far too often provide a revolving door that puts criminals back onto the street without any public scrutiny.
Over the years, there has been a mindset by some radical lawmakers in St. Paul that police are the bad guys. We need to start recognizing that criminals are the problem, and violent repeat offenders should not get a second chance to destroy someone else’s life. It’s time for legislators to show law enforcement support and prioritize public safety.
Have a good weekend,
Tom