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State Representative Kelby Woodard
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-7065
For more information contact: House GOP Communications 651-296-5520
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Discovering more gimmicks in Gov's budget plan
By Rep. Kelby Woodard
As we sift through the governor’s budget proposal, we are discovering more and more gimmicks and budget shifts. As an example, a good portion of the minimal cuts initially claimed by the governor was not reductions at all. These reported “cuts” are instead “reallocations” created by shifting costs to other state agencies.
The bottom line is that Dayton’s budget includes $22 in tax increases for every $1 in actual spending reductions. Another example is his decision to “kick the can” down the road on re-paying the education shift. The failure to address this issue in the current budget cycle will cost our schools an additional $151 million in new shifts.
Beyond the gimmicks and shifts, most of the Minnesotans I talk too are rendered breathless by the governor’s historic $3.7 billion tax increase to fund unprecedented state expenditures in Minnesota. As if that wasn’t enough, members of the House DFL caucus this week challenged the administration to go even further and increase the already high taxes on liquor as well. While I challenged the administration to consider the impact of his tax increases on families, businesses, and our state’s economy, the DFL chose to seize the opportunity to call for even more tax increases.
The governor will deliver his annual State of the State Address on Wednesday evening. I have asked Robert Wagner, owner of Jim’s Apple Barn and Blakely Township Supervisor, to join me on the House floor for this event. I will provide my thoughts on the governor’s comments following his address. For now, you can click here for a brief audio clip of me previewing the governor’s speech.
Dairy Day was Wednesday in St. Paul, providing us an opportunity to highlight how important this industry (and agriculture in general) is to Minnesota's economy. A few interesting facts are that dairy production was up 4 percent last year despite suffering drought conditions in many parts of the state. There are 455,000 cows in Minnesota on 3,900 licensed dairy farms and Minnesota exported $218 million in dairy products last year alone.
Supporters of the 2nd Amendment are also invited to attend the Public Safety Committee hearing in St. Paul on Tuesday, Feb 5. The committee will be hearing several bills that would greatly curtail our right to keep and bear arms. Supporters of our 2nd Amendment rights will meet in Room 400S of the State Office Building from 8:30-9:30 a.m. and then head to Room 10 for the committee hearing. I hope to see you there. It would be great to see a few local faces in the crowd!
As always, I look forward to your thoughts and ideas on how we can make Minnesota an even better place to live, work, and play.
News Items
- $2.4 billion in taxes for a $627 million shortfall - (Posted: Apr 5 2013 12:00AM)
- Perspective on Dayton’s latest budget proposals (audio) - (Posted: Mar 15 2013 1:04PM)
- Details emerge re: Gov's tax reversal - (Posted: Mar 15 2013 12:56PM)
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