The popular notion of energy independence for the United States continues to gain ground in hearts and minds, yet nearly every legislative action being taken on energy policy moves us further from that objective.

Reacting to high gas prices, President Bush finally came out swinging at legislative actions that got us where we are today, calling for Congress to remove roadblocks to expanding domestic energy production and to drop plans to increase taxes on energy.

Nuclear power is inexpensive, clean and efficient, yet due to actions by the federal and state governments, a new nuclear power plant has not been constructed in the US in over 30 years. The US has been called the Saudi Arabia of coal, because of the tremendous abundance of the fuel present within our borders, yet states are enacting moratoriums on the construction of new clean coal-fired plants. A 2,000 acre plot of land in the 19 million acre Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) holds the potential to increase domestic oil production by 20%. That’s the equivalent of 27 million gallons of gasoline and diesel per day, and would rival Saudi Arabia’s exports, but Congress has forbidden drilling for oil in ANWR. Increased domestic oil-drilling and construction of new oil refineries would undoubtedly drive gas prices down, but thanks to irrational policies, we’re paying $3.50 a gallon or more at the pump and the price is expected to continue rising.

Bio-fuels not only spectacularly fail to move us closer to energy independence; they simultaneously threaten our food supply and exponentially increase prices. Even if every acre of farmland in the US was converted to bio-fuel production, we would not achieve energy independence through bio-fuels and we would produce no food. Because of intense lobbying by big agricultural interests looking for short-term payoffs, a significant portion of national and state energy policies rely on these fuel sources even though it is becoming increasingly apparent that bio-fuels don’t live up to their promise.

The move away from coal-fired power generation in favor of wind and solar power is a major contributor to escalating energy costs. Xcel Energy estimates that Minnesota’s renewable energy mandates will lead to an average household electric bill increase of $300 to $400 per year.

Further exacerbating the cost problem is an increasing reliance on natural gas to generate electricity because of its perceived environmental benefits. Use of natural gas to fire Minnesota power plants has increased nearly 7-fold since 1997. Xcel Energy’s two new gas-fired power plants will increase natural gas consumption even more dramatically in the next year. The two new plants, which will generate about 1,000 megawatts between them, will consume more natural gas than is now used to heat every home in Minneapolis and St. Paul combined.

The trend pits electricity production against heating in competition for the same resource, driving up the cost of both. Natural gas price increases have already had a significant impact on Minnesota families and businesses. Center Point Energy reported 208,000 gas bill delinquencies in 2007 and Minnesota’s Home Energy Assistance expenditures rose 33% between 2005 and 2007.

Although the US has increased domestic output of natural gas in recent years, we import 16% of our natural gas supply. Increasing reliance on natural gas will mean more imports, and therefore less energy independence.

MN House debate on the Hackbarth amendment to lift the nuclear power plant moratorium.

Legislators, who by and large profess a desire to foster energy independence, are moving us farther and farther away from that vision by falling in with socialism veiled in pseudo-environmentalism, giant agricultural financial interests and irrational fears of nuclear power.

We are witnessing examples of this even within state-level policy proposals.  Debating an energy bill (SF3337) in the Minnesota House on April 23rd, Representative Tom Hackbarth (R – Cedar) introduced an amendment that would remove Minnesota’s long-standing moratorium on new nuclear power plants. Predictably, the amendment was defeated, continuing the cycle of calling for energy independence while simultaneously working against it.

It’s no real wonder that rural economies are sluggish and good paying outstate jobs can be difficult to find in Minnesota. Businesses in lower-population areas of the state are overburdened with taxes.

 

The Minnesota Taxpayer’s Association conducted a 50-state study comparing state to state property taxes and found that Minnesota’s rural commercial property is taxed at the third highest levels in the nation. A typical $25 million commercial property pays nearly $1 million in property taxes, compared with a national average of just over $500,000.

 

Smaller properties, in the $100,000 and $1 million ranges fare slightly better, ranking 9^th and 4^th highest taxed nationally. Any way you slice it, Minnesota’s rural commercial property owners are in the top ten most taxed, a dubious distinction.

Four state legislators explain flaws in health care bill

A health care 'reform' bill will be landing on Governor Pawlenty's desk within the next several days that would dramatically expand the government's role in Minnesota's health care system.  The bill creates new layers of government bureaucracy, adds thousands of people to taxpayer-subsidized health plans, grants government access to our private medical records, co-opts schools into monitoring the weight of our children and allows Katrina-style bureaucrats to decide which treatment options will be available to you and your family.

 

The bill that ultimately emerges from conference committee will be an amalgam of House File 3391 and Senate File 3099 each of which were passed within their respective bodies.

 

The costs of complying with the new regulations imposed by this bill will especially threaten rural hospitals and clinics. Medical facilities in greater Minnesota may be forced to cut back services or close down entirely.

  

Excerpts from the House floor debate

Governor Pawlenty has been eager to improve access and affordability of health care in Minnesota.  He has tried to work with the legislature to craft a bill that respects market demands and protects patient rights.  But the bill that has emerged from the legislative process fails to deliver on these objectives.

During the course of a marathon 10-hour floor session in the DFL-controlled House, Republican legislators introduced numerous amendments to incorporate increased competition and fiscal responsibility into the legislation.  But none of these ideas were adopted into the bill that emerged (see video at right).

Real health care reform will only happen by getting government out of the health care business and putting the patient back in charge of making their own health care decisions.  True health care reform measures must incorporate free market principles that will allow competition to drive down costs and improve quality.  Today, Minnesota is on the cusp of taking our health care policy in exactly the opposite direction.

Action Alert: Contact Governor Pawlenty and urge him to veto the health care 'reform' bill.

 UPDATE: Read this recent editorial from the Rochester Post-Bulletin:  Latest DFL Health Plan Reckless

Minnesota legislators concerned with reducing automotive emissions of greenhouse gasses have devised a drastic plan. Evidently, state lawmakers don’t trust themselves to establish pollution standards for Minnesota, because the bill they’ve crafted abdicates that authority to the California Air Resources Board (CARB).

 

CARB is a division of the California Environmental Protection Agency and consists of 11 members appointed by California’s governor (Arnold Schwarzenegger). They set emission standards for vehicles sold in California that are twice as ambitious as federal guidelines, requiring 30% lower emissions in less than eight years.

 

Representative Hortman (DFL – Brooklyn Park) wants to permanently entrust the 11-member California panel with regulatory authority over Minnesota. The bill she introduced (HF863) directs the Minnesota’s Pollution Control Agency to adopt rules that “must be identical to and must incorporate by reference the California low emission vehicle regulations adopted by the California Air Resources Board under the California Code of Regulations, title 13.”

 

Not only does Representative Hortman intend to adopt current known California regulations, but she intends to do so in perpetuity, giving appointed California bureaucrats the power to enact unknown future regulations for the state of Minnesota.

 

The bill states that MPCA’s rules “must be amended as necessary in a timely fashion to minimize the time during which Minnesota's rules are not identical with California's regulations, as required under United States Code, title 42, section 7507. Amendments under this clause must be made under section 14.388, subdivision 1, clause (3). Any portion of California's regulations requiring a federal waiver under the Clean Air Act in order to become effective may not be enforced in Minnesota unless and until California receives the requisite federal waiver.”

 

In their rush to “save the planet,” they forgot to save Minnesota’s sovereignty. A UCLA student would have more influence over Minnesota’s vehicle regulations than any voter or politician in Minnesota would!

 

"We're talking about an 11-member panel in California, that's going to be regulating the state of Minnesota,” said Representative Tom Hackbarth (R – Cedar), “That's not the way to operate in our state. I don't think our legislature wants to give away that kind of authority."

 

Auto makers say the California emissions standards (which aren’t even in force in California, since they contradict federal regulations) would sharply increase the cost of automobiles, and limit the number of SUVs and trucks that could be sold in a state where they were implemented.

 

According to the Minnesota Automobile Dealers Association, Minnesotans buy more trucks than cars, which poses a problem with California Standards. Higher demand SUVs and trucks would have to be rationed. Ford Dealers would have to sell a certain number of Focuses before they could sell an F-150, for example. 

Congratulations to Levi Strand of Anoka, Minnesota who took the time to sign the Tax Cut Petition and was entered in a drawing sponsored by Minnesota Majority to win a brand new 4GB iPod Nano.

"That's awesome. I never win anything," said Strand.

The drawing was conducted on April 15^th by generating a random number to correspond with a record number on the petition. Over 1,200 people had signed the petition, calling on lawmakers to refrain from introducing any new tax, and instead work toward reducing and capping taxes.

Signing the petition automatically identifies and faxes one’s state senator, house representative and sends a copy to the governor.

The taxman cometh. Income taxes are due on Tuesday, April 15^th. Tax Freedom Day (the day that marks when an average worker has earned enough money to pay his taxes for the year) is April 23^rd this year on a national average, but Minnesotans have to shoulder their tax burden for a few extra days. Tax Freedom Day is April 27^th this year in Minnesota according to the Tax Foundation. They say that's the 8th latest nationally.

 

On a blustery April 12^th, thousands of Minnesotan taxpayers braved icy winds and snow to converge outside the State Capitol and demand relief from the burden of working nearly 1/3 of every year to fill the government's coffers. Talk host Jason Lewis, backed by his home radio station 100.3 KTLK, organized the Tax Cut Rally with Minnesota Majority as a premier partner. Taxpayer’s League, the Minnesota Free Markets Institute, and the Center for Parental Responsibility also had booths there.

 

The Tax Cut Petition went high-tech this year. Minnesota Majority set up a large tent with 40 laptop computers allowing attendees to sign the petition online and instantly send a fax to their state representative, senator and the governor. 904 people used the setup to send their tax-cut message to their elected officials. Hundreds more took printed copies of the petition to sign at home, opting not to wait in the unrelenting long lines for a turn at a computer (thus far, 3,300 messages have been sent via TaxCutPetition.com).

 

Minnesota Majority’s GlobalClimateScam.com bumper stickers were a hot commodity after the rally. Just as popular were the Freedom vs. Tyranny light bulb t-shirts. 1,500 People interested in purchasing the shirts took cards to place orders with.

 

This year’s speakers included KTLK personalities Chris Baker, Dan Conry and of course, Jason Lewis. Harold Shudlick gave the invocation and Jeff Davis, Twila Brase, Michelle Bachman, Barb Davis White, Marty Seifert, Phil Krinkie and John Kline roused the crowd on high-tax topics ranging from universal health care to global warming.

 

Despite the cold, wind, sleet and snow, turnout at the annual rally rivaled last year’s tax-cutting crowd, which garnered an estimated 7,000 attendees on a warm, sunny day. Regardless of the actual numbers, the Associated Press and the Star Tribune grossly underreported turnout.

 

“The Minnesota Tax Cut Coalition held its annual rally at the State Capitol on Saturday, drawing a crowd of about 1,000 people demanding that legislators stop ‘wasteful’ spending and allow Minnesotans to keep more of their paychecks.” Jean Hopfensperger of the Star Tribune wrote in an April 13^th article.

 

The Associated Press, followed by KARE-11, WCCO and other TV news outlets relying on the AP wire service reported a crowd that was under 1,000, saying “nearly 1,000 people rallied at the State Capitol against higher taxes.”

 

DFLer, Matt Entenza was quoted in the AP story claiming that Minnesota is actually ranked the 32^nd highest tax state, which isn’t even within the bounds of realistic debate. The United States Census Bureau Ranked Minnesota the 5^th highest in per-capita taxes in 2005 (the most recent year that per-capita data is available online from the Census bureau). Current data suggests that Minnesota may have momentarily dipped to number 6, but following a $6.6 billion tax-hike, Jason Lewis asserted that we’re probably back up around 4 or 5. Entenza is making up statistics from whole cloth and the media just ran with it.

 

The liberal media bias is alive and probably becoming more brazen, but thanks to alternative media like radio and the Internet, the truth still has an outlet. 

Passed by large margins in both houses of the state legislature, a whopping 114 page, $1 billion bonding bill landed on the governor’s desk last week. Today, after some extensive veto-pen editing, Governor Pawlenty signed the bill into law. The new price tag is $105 million lower than the governor’s original stated limit, and about $300 million less than the legislature sought.

 

“I find it inconceivable that legislators would fund a brass band music lending library and yet provide no funding for a much needed new nursing facility at the Minneapolis Veterans Home,” the governor wrote in a letter to House Speaker Kelliher.

 

Vetoed spending items included: 

The bonding bill as signed by the governor totals $717 million, keeping it well under the traditional 3% debt service budget limit. A good-sized chunk of the pork is gone, making the 2008 bonding bill leaner, and the smallest capital investment bill passed in years.

 

Contact the governor and tell him thanks for cutting the pork.

Click here to see the complete list of vetoed items.

Click here to see the governor's veto letter.

Illegal immigrants residing in Minnesota cost taxpayers $345 million in state revenues each year. That figure is projected to climb to over $1 billion by 2020 according to research conducted by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR).

 

In addition to the state-borne cost of local subsidies and expenses, Minnesotan taxpayers contribute $309 million dollars each year toward federal expenses incurred by illegal immigration.

 

With a total annual cost to Minnesota of around $654 million tax dollars, the average Minnesota household pays $284 per year to subsidize illegal aliens.

 

The price paid by the citizens of Minnesota to subsidize illegal aliens is primarily distributed across expenditures for education, emergency medical care and incarceration. There are myriad other costs associated with illegal immigration, as well. In the city of St. Paul, for example, 85% of subsidized housing is occupied by immigrants (according to author Sanford Ungar in his book, Fresh Blood). 

 

In what amounts to an acknowledgement of its culpability in exacerbating state expenses related to illegal immigration due to inaction, the federal government has established funds to assist states in defraying associated costs.

 

The State Criminal Alien Assistance Program was established to compensate states and local jurisdictions for incarceration of criminal aliens. In 2004, Minnesota received $1.78 million from the federal government under this program. This is only partial compensation, however, as Minnesota’s actual cost of incarcerating criminal aliens was about $13 million in 2004.

 

Emergency treatment of illegal immigrants was estimated to cost Minnesota taxpayers $17 million in 2004. The federal government compensated the state less than 10% of the cost with a payment of $1.4 million.

 

Illegal immigration cost Minnesota’s public school systems an estimated $146 - $276 million in 2004. This expense is borne by local property taxes as well as by the state treasury.

 

While it is true to some extent that some working illegal immigrants pay taxes, the average illegal immigrant household costs the federal government alone $2,700 per year, and the taxes contributed by the average illegal alien household equal only half that amount.