Minnesota Majority - Standing Together for Traditional Values

Author:	Jeff Davis	Created:	10/17/2007
Highlighting stories of interest to those who embrace traditional values.

There's Still a Chance of Blocking a Portion of the Tax Increases
	By Jeff Davis on 2/28/2008

Minnesota Majority has learned that each of the seven metro County Boards must adopt a formal resolution in order to put the sales tax and vehicle excise tax into effect within their respective counties. This means that should a Board fail to adopt the resolution, the tax increases will not go into effect within that county. Nearly 100% of the $1.1 billion sales and excise tax increase will be dedicated to boondoggle mass transit programs which will have very little, if any benefit for residents in some counties. If enough citizens revolt and contact their County Commissioners, there's a chance they could block these tax increases from being implemented in their counties. We have established an Action Alert providing individuals with the contact information for their County Commissioners.

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Budget Forecast Predicts Nearly $1 Billion Deficit

By Jeff Davis on 2/28/2008

What a difference a year makes. Last year, Minnesota was sitting on a $2 billion budget surplus. Today Governor Tim Pawlenty announced that Minnesota is facing a projected budget deficit of $935 million. State revenues have slowed as both individual and corporate income tax collections have fallen. At the same time, state spending has increased. By all accounts, Minnesota is currently in a mild recession which is expected to last for at least the next six months.

Minnesota is required to balance its books every two years, suggesting that the state must now either cut spending or raise taxes. On the heals of the DFL-controlled state legislature just passing the single largest tax increase in the state’s history, Pawlenty was clear – he intends to cut spending. “Raising taxes is not the answer to balancing our budget. Like families and businesses are doing in this tough economy, government needs to tighten its belt and live within its means. I will not allow this session to turn into a parade of DFL tax hikes", said Pawlenty.

DFL legislative leaders may have other plans. They announced at least two initiatives to raise new tax revenues: going after corporations that operate overseas and collect taxes on business executives who work in Minnesota but declare residency elsewhere. For now, however, DFL leaders appear to be holding off on re-introducing last year's proposal for an income tax rate hike. They appear wary to propose more tax increases given the intense negative public reaction to their massive transit tax increase that was just passed by an override of the Governor's veto.

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Legislature Passes Largest Tax Increase in State's History

By Jeff Davis on 2/25/2008

Today the Minnesota State Legislature voted to override Governor Pawlenty's veto of the $6.6 billion transit bill, thus passing into law one of the largest tax increases in our state's history. Legislators voted in favor of this massive tax increase in spite of recent polls showing the majority of Minnesotans opposed this bill. Legislators voted in favor of this bill in spite of receiving thousands of phone calls and emails from their constituents urging them to support the Governor's veto.

As a result of this vote, Minnesota will now have one of the highest gas taxes in the nation. A new sales tax will be imposed upon a majority of Minnesotans without a referendum allowing the people to have a voice in this decision. And those who purchase a new vehicle will pay a significantly higher personal property tax each year over the life of the vehicle. In the end, all Minnesotans will pay more - an average of $300 to $400 annually per household. And these new taxes are regressive, hitting those who can least afford it the hardest.

Some legislators tried to exploit the tragic I-35W bridge collapse to justify this bill, even though NSTB reports indicate the bridge collapse was likely due to a design flaw, not a lack of maintenance. Some legislators tried to sell this as jobs bill, claiming that over 33,000 high-paying jobs would be created when, in fact, further investigation revealed that fewer than 2,000 construction jobs would actually result. Many legislators who voted for this bill told constituents that MnDOT said it needed an additional $2 to 3 billion dollars a year to fund its needs. What these legislators did not share with their constituents, however, is that these figures represented a "wish list" of every conceivable transportation project MnDOT thought it might ever do. Many of the projects on this list would never be completed because they were infeasible. An example of one such project is the addition of lanes on I-94 between Minneapolis and St. Paul which could never happen because it was too expensive to “take” all the private property – residences and businesses – that would be necessary to expand the highway).

The bill passed today allocates 100% of the metro sales tax increase to the mass transit boondoggle (a total of $1.1 billion over ten years) versus fixing our roads and bridges. The bill pass today still relies upon pork-barrel allocation formulas for channeling gas tax revenues to areas other than those which need it the most.

There were other options available to finance Minnesota's transportation needs. But the state legislature decided to raise your taxes instead of cutting spending or making use of bonding. What may be most disappointing about this vote is that it suggests that a majority of our state legislators do not have the people's best interests in mind. It suggests that they care more about special interest groups that stand to benefit from this bill than their constituents who will be forced to pay for it. Perhaps it's time for the people to get serious about taking back their government. Perhaps it's time for a change in whose representing your interests at our state capitol.

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It Now Comes Down to Upholding the Governor's Veto

By Jeff Davis on 2/24/2008

Six Republicans State Representatives and two State Senators have broken ranks with caucus leaders, voting in favor of a massive $6.6 billion tax increase, one of the largest in the state's history.

Hall of Shame: Republicans Voting in Favor of Record Tax Increases

Rep. Jim Abler (Anoka) 651.296.1729

Rep. Heidgerken (Freeport) 651.296.4317

Rep. Hamilton (Mountain Lake) 651.296.5373

Rep. Erhardt (Edina) 651.296.4373

Rep. Peterson (Bloomington) 651.296.7803

Rep. Tingelstad (Andover) 651.296.5369

Sen. Dille
(Dassel) 651.296.4131

Sen. Frederickson (New Ulm) 651.296.8138

The only hope now is to convince these wayward Republicans to uphold Governor Pawlenty's anticipated veto. We have issued an Action Alert encouraging all Minnesotans to contact their legislators and ask them to support the Governor's veto.

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Driver of Vehicle Hitting School Bus Is An Illegal Alien
	By Jeff Davis on 2/22/2008

The driver of the vehicle which hit a Cottonwood school bus, killing four children, is an illegal alien. After days of speculation, federal authorities finally confirmed today that Aliannis Nunez Morales is in this country illegally and has been using an alias. The woman was arrested yesterday and charged today with four counts of criminal-vehicular homicide, running a stop sign and driving without a license. Morales had been previously arrested in June 2006 and charged with driving without a driver’s license. She was fined $182 and released. This terrible tragedy has underscored the fact that there are real costs of allowing illegal aliens to freely roam in the State of Minnesota. Officials must answer some very tough questions that will ultimately allow us to understand what went wrong allowing this tragedy to occur. Questions such as: Why was Morales not deported when she was originally arrested in 2006? Was this a situation of "sanctuary city" policies encouraging law enforcement agents to look the other way? How was she able to obtain a Minnesota state identification card? How many other illegals have been issued these cards? How was Morales able to gain employment at Jennie-O Turkey? Why wasn't her immigration status checked? How many other illegals are working at Jennie-O today? Here's a link to a petition drive we originally launched in 2007 calling for our elected officials to get tough on illegal immigration in Minnesota.

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House Minority Leader Marty Seifert's Speech on the Record Tax Increase
	By Jeff Davis on 2/21/2008

Marty Seifert does an outstanding job of attacking the DFL's record $6.6 billion tax increase. Thanks to Minnesota Democrats Exposed for the video.

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Senator Day Challenges the DFL Transportation Boondoggle
	By Jeff Davis on 2/21/2008

State Sen. Dick Day (R, Owatonna) did a marvelous job of arguing against the massive transportation bill tonight. Here are excepts of his statements: The Pawlenty-Molnau administration has invested more in transportation in Minnesota than any other administration in the state's history. In their very first year in office they successfully sponsored the largest ever transportation package: $800 million for more than 200 highway projects throughout the state, $100 million for road maintenance and safety, and $40 million for transit. Thanks to the work we have done, congestion has gone down, from a peak of 293 miles in 2003 to 267 miles in 2006, according to a brand new study by the Department of Transportation. In 2006 we also had the least number of fatalities since World War II (482). A list of the Pawlenty-Molnau Major Highway Projects in the Twin Cities includes: I-94/I-694 from Brooklyn Blvd to I-494 Hwy 100 north of I-394 I-394 HOV lane conversion to MnPASS I-394 westbound auxiliary lane from Louisiana Ave to Hwy 169 I-494 from France Ave to Hwy 212 I-494 from Hwy 5 to Carlson Parkway I-494 first portion of Wakota Bridge I-94 from McKnight Rd to Hwy 120 Hwy 100 auxiliary lanes from Hwy 7 to I-394 Hwy 169 at Anderson Lakes Parkway and Pioneer Trail In greater Minnesota, numerous projects have been completed as well: Hwy 371 north of Little Falls Hwy 53 in Duluth Hwy 52 in Rochester Hwy 63 in Rochester Hwy 14 from Janesville to Waseca Interchange on Hwy 10 at Hwy 32 in Clay County Interchange on Hwy 169 at Hwy 19 near Henderson Hwy 23 through Spicer Hwy 336 from I-94 to Hwy 10 in Moorhead Main Avenue Bridge in Moorhead Jesse Ventura was the one who reduced tab fees as his part of the three-way budget deal, taking millions out of transportation funding. We currently spend $298 million dollars every biennium on transit, subsidizing the 4% of people who don't drive cars and don't want to pay the cost of their own transportation. We learned from Sen. Dibble on the floor last night that they have a $30 million shortfall this year that we're going to have to cover. Sen. Day suggested raising fares and taking tickets, which they don't do now. He said, but I can't corroborate, that 50% of the rides are at night and on weekends. I think that may still be true but it's old information. Sen. Day talked about the 33,000 jobs that this bill is supposedly going to create. He spoke with FlatIron who have about 350 workers on the ground and may hire 100 or more additional workers this summer to complete this $350 million project. Sen. Day speculated that Sen. Murphy must be bringing bricks, 40 bricks at a time. in by rickshaw in order to hire 33,000 construction workers. The Democrats used a federal formula to come up with their numbers, and in fact only 19% or 6,200 of those jobs will go to construction workers. Over 47% (15,500) are indirect jobs such as suppliers of equipment and materials, and 34% (11,200) will be created or supported by the previous workers spending their money for fast food or a pair of shoes. He also mentioned all the transportation packages he has authored in the past which variously raised the gas tax a nickel, imposed a new car surcharge, raised revenue from slots (he said, we all know why that never passed, but he didn't say outright: a DFL bought and paid for by the tribes), and what we called a light rail TIF which would have captured some of the increased property value from areas along the Hiawatha line--which is in the bill as a captured value study. And last year he carried the governor's bonding bill, which leveraged the MVST money to get $1.7 billion in bonds. None of these ideas satisfied the DFL at the time, but they have all appeared in one form or another in the 2007 and 2008 transportation bill.

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Republicans Unveil Alternative Transportation Plan with No New Tax Increases
	By Jeff Davis on 2/20/2008

House Republican leadership unveiled an alternative transportation proposal designed to address Minnesota's transportation system needs without raising taxes. A comparison chart illustrating the differences between the DFL and GOP proposals is provided in the diagram below: According to a press release issued by House Minority Leader Marty Seifert (R, Marshall), the GOP plan invests more than seven times as much in local road and bridges than the DFL plan and makes use of reliable, long-term funding to sufficiently build and maintain Minnesota's transportation systems without burdening taxpayers, while keeping healthy commitments to other areas of government.

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DFL Leaders Propose Massive $8.5 Billion Transportation Tax Increase

By Jeff Davis on 2/12/2008

Today DFL leaders introduced a new transportation bill calling for a whopping $8.5 billion tax increase over 10 years. At this morning's press conference, Senator Steve Murphy (DFL, Redwing), chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, tried to position the bill as a "jobs program", claiming the additional spending would create 33,000 new jobs each year for the next 5 years. The specifics of the proposal include:

-- 25% increase in the state's gas tax, with annual automatic increases pegged to the CPI

-- 1/2 percent sales metro sales tax increase (with the possibility for similar increases outside the metro area)

-- increases in motor vehicle registration tax.

Senator Murphy claimed that the indexed gas tax increase would avoid the state legislature from having to revist the gas tax issue on a regular basis. But Wisconsin recently rescinded a similar automatic gas tax increase because it resulted in the state having one of the highest gas tax rates in the nation.

Bill sponsors included a $25 tax credit to offer an offset for low-income households. But the proposed tax increase amounts to over $4000 per household over 10 years, eclipsing any proposed offset. Gas prices are already at record levels and Minnesota is in an economic slowdown. The proposed tax increase would further put the brakes on Minnesota's economy and place a huge additional tax burden on those least able to afford it.

The bill includes funding for light rail, a proposal that many people believe has more to do with social engineering versus addressing existing public needs. David Strom of the Free Markets Institute comments on light rail proposals in his recent column entitled, "A Boondoggle at Any Price".

Bill opponents also claim that there's plenty of money available to fund required improvements to Minnesota's transportation infrastructure. The basic issue comes down to better allocating state and federal tax dollars towards the highest priority projects.

Senator Murphy suggested that DFL leaders were planning to "fast path" the bill through the legislature so that it would be on the governor's desk by the end of February. When questioned about trying to comprise with those who might oppose this legislation, Senator Murphy seemed to suggest that comprises would not be considered.

You might recall that Senator Murphy was the legislator who went on a tirade after the I-35W bridge collapse last August, implying the collapse was due to inadequate funding for maintenance. Murphy used the incident to call for a substantial increases in transportation funding and the resignation of Transportation Secretary Carol Molnau. Recent findings by the National Transportation Safety Board, however, indicate that the bridge collapse was likely due to a design flaw, not a lack of maintenance. A review of the facts suggests Minnesota may have an issue with how tax revenue is being allocated, not a lack of funding.

Send a message to your elected officials to tell them to SAY NO to this massive spending boondoggle.

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March for Life

By Jeff Davis on 1/23/2008

Yesterday commemorated the 35^th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision of Roe v. Wade. Over 2,000 Minnesotans gathered at the State Capitol joining with others groups across the nation in the annual March for Life. Adults and children braved bitter cold temperatures to march for an end to abortion. The lives of over 45 million children have been "legally" terminated nationally since the 1973 ruling of Roe v. Wade. Here in Minnesota, over 500,000 children have been killed in the name of a woman’s right to "choose." What makes matters worse is that Minnesota taxpayers are funding many of these abortions. In 1995, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled in the case of Doe v. Gomez that the state of Minnesota must pay for abortions for those on public medical assistance programs. Since this ruling, Minnesota taxpayers have paid more than $8 million for abortions. Although most Minnesotans oppose abortion, nearly 30% of all abortions in Minnesota are now being funded through state tax dollars! The Minnesota State Legislature has the power to introduce new legislation that could result in a reversal of the Doe v. Gomez decision. There are two basic alternative approaches. The first approach would be passing a bill that would allow Minnesotans to decide whether our State Constitution should be amended to eliminate taxpayer-funding of abortions. The second approach would be to pass a law that would provoke a legal fight that will ultimately force the Minnesota Supreme Court to revisit their prior decision. Companion bills have been introduced in the Minnesota state legislature to do exactly that (HF0992 and SF0838). The bills were killed in committee last year. You can make a difference by signing the petition calling for state lawmakers to support these bills.

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