Accessibility menu
State Representative Tom Hackbarth
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-2439
For more information contact: Austin Bleess 651-296-5529
NEWS COLUMN
IT’S CALLED A SPENDING PROBLEM
By Tom Hackbarth
State Representative
In just one year of controlling both floors of the house, the DFL has turned our mountain of reserves into mounting debt.
Minnesota boasted a $2.2 billion surplus entering the last legislative session. Now the state’s pockets are turned inside out to the tune of a $373 million deficit. Meantime, our schools, cities/counties, nursing homes and transportation system still are starving for financial support.
Imagine how deep this hole would be if Republicans hadn’t derailed the DFL’s attempt to legislate an additional $5 billion in taxes last session. What’s perplexing – and equally aggravating – is trying to determine where all the money was shoveled. Apparently the DFL’s priorities include funding program wants rather than supporting our infrastructural needs.
Oh, and let’s not forget about members of the DFL increasing their own per diem rates and further entrenching our status as a welfare magnet along the way.
Expect DFLers to use our shortfall as fuel for their propaganda machine, evidence of the need to increase taxes. To reiterate: The DFL has irresponsibly turned a surplus into a deficit and now we’ll all have to tighten our belts just to make ends meet.
The reality is that we have a spending problem and taxing our way out of a deficit is not a solution, rather a bubble-gum patch. The DFL’s spending strategy is so out of line it’s hard to believe anything would change even with another $5 billion in the bank. You may as well help a gambling addict gain financial bouyancy by handing them your credit card.
Until we acknowledge that fact, our financial ground will continue to erode.
Fortunately, the state will be able to shuffle its financial resources to protect its credit rating and allow our checkbook to show we broke even for the fiscal year. But please don’t let the DFL rhetoric fool you into thinking that’s the bottom line. In fact, we’re robbing Peter and Paul.
A budget shortfall isn’t new ground for Minnesota. We faced a deficit in 2003 but, after four years of careful spending, we were operating in the black. The state must return to that model of responsible spending.
We need to focus on sound decisions in how we distribute our limited – emphasis on the word “limited” - funding. It won’t be a quick fix like increasing taxes would be, but it’s a worthwhile tradeoff if we gain long-term solvency in return.
After all, it’s your hard-earned money.
News Items
- Our state is pointed in a better direction - (Posted: 2012-05-17 00:00:00)
- DNR's implementation of new wolf season falls short - (Posted: 2012-06-13 00:00:00)
- Gov. vetoes good bills - (Posted: 2012-05-09 00:00:00)
- Archived News Items
- Subscribe to RSS News Feeds
- Read more about RSS.