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State Representative Paul Anderson
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4317
For more information contact: House GOP Communications 651-296-5520
GUEST COLUMN
Inching toward the 2010 legislative session
Notes From the Capitol
By State Rep. Paul Anderson
As the New Year begins, activity at the Capitol in St. Paul is on the upswing in preparation for the Feb. 4 opening of the 2010 session. Various committees will be meeting to look at budget numbers again as we face a $1 billion deficit in the current biennium. There are signs the economy is beginning the slow process of recovering from this recession, the deepest in the post-WWII era.
Some fear, however, that the recovery is artificial, pushed along by federal government spending, the likes of which cannot be sustained. The ceiling on our national debt needs to be raised because we have nearly pushed through the currently allowed limit. According to figures supplied by the National Inflation Association, the Cash for Clunkers program accounted for 42 percent of the 3.53 percent rise in the third quarter GDP (gross domestic product). However, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis revised the increase in the GDP down to 2.24 percent, which means the Clunkers program accounted for well over half the increase in the economy during the third quarter.
After the wet fall we experienced here in Minnesota and throughout the Midwest, those involved in agriculture need to keep in mind that water – or the lack thereof – is still a major limiting factor in the production of food in this country and throughout the world. California, the leading agricultural state in America, has just endured its third-straight year of below-average rainfall. Many of its reservoirs are filled to less than 30 percent of rated capacity. The state’s Water Resources Department estimates, in the coming year, that they will deliver only 5 percent of the water promised under their allotment system. That figure compares to 68 percent going back over the last 10 years. The lack of water for irrigation has serious consequences for the state’s agricultural industry.
In another part of the world, the country of India is experiencing year-over-year food price inflation of nearly 20 percent. The Indian government blames the run-up in food prices on a weak monsoon season that saw much less rainfall than normal. This illustrates once again how important agriculture and food production are to the world economy.
With discussions taking place that gambling should be used to help fund a Vikings football stadium, it’s interesting to read about other states also debating the future of gambling. According to the magazine GOVERNING, a legal skirmish is playing out in Alabama, where most forms of gambling are banned. Many counties in the state, however, allow an exemption for charitable bingo games, and this has turned into a huge loophole. Gaming companies, looking for a way around the state ban on slot machines, came up with the idea of electronic bingo games. Those games evidently caught on because they’ve become extremely lucrative in some counties and cities.
In October, though, an Alabama circuit judge ruled that bingo machines were simply slot machines that happen to have a bingo format. Other judges have issued similar rulings, but because counties have differing laws, casino operators are keeping the doors open as long as possible. It’s expected that the Alabama Supreme Court will eventually step in and settle the issue statewide.
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Rep. Anderson encourages constituents to contact his office with input regarding any state legislative issue. He can be reached on the web at www.house.mn/13A and via email at rep.paul.anderson@house.mn. To contact Anderson by phone, call (651) 296-4317. Mail can be sent to Rep. Paul Anderson, 239 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, Minnesota 55155.
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