Dear Neighbor, Good day from the Capitol in St. Paul, where the facemask mandate recently was lifted in the House Chamber and soon the State Office Building which houses our legislative offices will be open to the public for the first time in two years. While these are positive steps forward in our return to normal from the pandemic, inconsistencies within these changes also make it clear it’s not about science. Never has been, never will. I guess you just make it up as you go. While the State Office Building has been closed to the public the last two years, constituents have not been able to schedule in-person visits with their State Rep. in their legislative office. Meanwhile, the Capitol has been open to the public this session and constituents have been able to schedule meetings with their State Rep. in that building – directly across the street as if golden horses are COVID-19 inoculators. Also, while the facemask mandate has been lifted in the Capitol, it will remain in effect over in the State Office Building until further notice. Again, directly across the street. All the while, House committees continue to be conducted remotely via Zoom. And the House majority continues abusing the system by prematurely shutting down important discussions with the click of a mouse. It’s a disservice to the public to prevent the tough questions from being asked. One burning question we’d all like answered is when the House majority is going to stop playing games with legislation to prevent businesses from suffering a tax increase during a historic state surplus. The governor, House Republicans, Senate Republicans, and Senate Democrats all have supported full repayment of our state’s depleted unemployment insurance fund. The Senate already passed a bipartisan UI bill, yet the House Democrat proposal falls short and would mean six years of tax increases on businesses. We have until March 15 for a bill to be enacted to fix this problem so businesses are not the victims of a tax increase at a time the state has an overabundance of revenue. Exactly how much the state has over-collected in taxes will be known next week when the February economic forecast is issued. The November forecast called for a $7.7 billion surplus and tax receipts have continued to exceed projections in the months since then. Those who speculate on these things wonder if the new surplus total could be in the $10 billion range. We’ll see. On a final note, only a couple of years ago, America produced its own energy, exported it for sale and gas prices were half of what they are now. Lots of factors at play today, but we now are no longer energy independent, gas prices are soaring, and America is importing oil in the Biden-Walz economy. This once again underscores the importance of an all-of-the-above approach to energy so that we can maintain a reliable, affordable supply that is less susceptible to foreign influences. Yet, I continue hearing liberal proposals that make us look more and more like California, a state that has become increasingly dependent on oil imports and has further exposed itself as vulnerable. Sincerely, Shane |