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State Representative Tim Kelly
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-8635
For more information contact: Jason Wenisch 651-296-2317
NEWS COLUMN
LET’S FOCUS ON EFFICIENCY AS WE SOLVE BUDGET CRISIS
This is the time of year when legislators craft, or “author,” bills that they believe will move Minnesota forward in a positive way. Some would make an impact on the entire state, others could be written solely to benefit a 200-resident town. But the ultimate goal of legislation is to make life easier for those who are negatively affected.
Personally, I have signed on to author 15 bills so far this session. To me, some are fairly common-sense. Currently, Minnesota law bans the Minnesota Legislature from discussing the idea of creating additional nuclear power facilities or developing nuclear technology in our state as a way to provide more affordable energy to consumers. Understanding how important the Prairie Island Nuclear Power Plant has been to Red Wing, and to the many area residents who are employed there, I have signed on to legislation that would repeal this ban.
The majority of the bills I’m supporting so far deal with creating more efficiencies in state government, from areas ranging from public safety to health and human services.
As we face a nearly $5 billion budget deficit - a number that many Capitol insiders expect will rise - I believe we must rely on the guiding principle of making government more efficient in order to solve this crisis.
We can do that by prioritizing government spending and reforming the way our tax dollars are spent.
We can also do that by giving a boost to the economy. That’s why I’m supporting bills that would lower income and business taxes. Here are my thoughts on the matter: Forcing you to pay more in taxes in order to increase government spending won’t turn the economy around, but allowing you to keep more of your paycheck and using it to buy goods and services just might.
When it comes to solving this deficit, it appears we are in a holding pattern. I am frustrated by the lack of budget solving proposals put forward by the majority party. There should be a sense of urgency regarding the situation we are in and yet we sit and wait for another budget projection.
Everyone is in agreement that the deficit is not going to go down with the February forecast due out in March. Therefore, getting to work on solutions would be a good use of our time rather than the positioning and posturing. In my opinion, too much time is spent on arguing about what will not work.
I realize we are waiting for the next forecast to get the down-to-the-penny quote from state economists as to how immense the problem is going to be. Still, it seems to me like we are wasting valuable time just waiting rather than beginning the budget reduction process.
It really doesn’t matter whether the number is $5 billion or $7 billion - an excruciating problem awaits. I’d prefer to begin some of the productive work now and find some common ground instead of leaving everything to the last minute.
The House and Senate are taking the Governor’s budget proposal on the road in the coming weeks, hoping to hear opinions from residents around the state. Here’s hoping many of them will ask lawmakers to create a government that is more efficient and fiscally responsible to its citizens.
News Items
- CONFERENCE COMMITTEES SHAPING IMPORTANT BILLS AT LEGISLATURE - (Posted: 2012-04-05 00:00:00)
- TAX RELIEF AND JOB CREATION BILL APPROVED IN MINNESOTA HOUSE - (Posted: 2012-03-22 00:00:00)
- MORE GOOD NEWS FOUND IN LATEST STATE BUDGET FORECAST - (Posted: 2012-03-06 00:00:00)
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