Give the Surplus Back!
Earlier this week, Governor Tim Walz and his administration announced that Minnesota has a projected state budget surplus of $7.7 billion. That means government has fully paid for all its functions, but it still has $7,700,000,000 left over. Let me put that in terms that are more relatable. Imagine you have a check for $7,700. That’s a decent amount of money. For example, that money would allow your family to get a car, contribute to college savings, or make some important payments.
Now, imagine you had one million checks each worth $7,700. That’s a massive amount of money, and that’s how much money Minnesota state government has that it doesn’t need.
In my view, this is nothing short of highway robbery committed against hardworking taxpayers. We all know that government does not generate money or wealth. Government only collects money from the people. You are the engine that drives this state, not the government. Every dollar that is in state government accounts belongs to you, and every penny of the $7.7 billion projected surplus comes from hardworking taxpayers like you.
As such, we need to return all $7.7 billion to the people. There is no alternative. Democrats are already plotting how to spend this money on new programs that will only benefit wealthy people who live in the metro area. We cannot let this happen. Minnesota state government is already fully funded through June of 2023. Clearly, no more money needs to be spent, and government does not need its $7.7 billion surplus.
I propose that we give all this money back by gutting the taxes that hurt hardworking Minnesotans. I want to slash sales tax and income tax. I also want to eliminate taxes on Social Security. These tax cuts are the best way to give the money back and help those who cannot afford any more abuse from a tax-crazed government.
In many ways, government is like the hog that won’t stop eating no matter what. Even after a hog has been fully fed, it will still gorge itself if more hog feed is put in the trough. As a matter of fact, hogs will eat to the point they can no longer walk if they are allowed. Just like hogs, government becomes more and more incapable of basic function if you keep feeding it.
Mayo Clinic Avoids Accountability
As many of you know, Mayo Clinic is enforcing a tyrannical vaccine mandate on their employees. Many of my constituents who work at Mayo Clinic are concerned for their jobs and have applied for a religious exemption. As such, several legislators and I wrote a letter to the Mayo Clinic CEO and President, Dr. Gianrico Farrugia, requesting answers on how the religious exemption process works.
We wanted to make sure that Mayo Clinic was respecting the religious and medical freedoms that are protected by the Constitution of the United States. Our letter can be read here.
Last week, we finally heard back from Mayo Clinic. Dr. Farrugia wrote us a letter which totally avoided our questions. Instead of providing forthright answers, Mayo Clinic decided to dismiss the concerns of their employees and lecture us with a bunch of media talking points. Their full letter can be read here.
My fellow legislators and I were not satisfied with what Dr. Farrugia had to say. We believe that Mayo Clinic has a responsibility to describe exactly how their religious exemption process works. Furthermore, we strongly believe that Mayo Clinic must honor the individual rights that all their employees possess. As such, we sent a response to Mayo Clinic just today. You can read it here.
As stated in our most recent letter, I believe that Mayo Clinic must be totally honest and transparent with their employees. No more deception and avoidance. I hope that Dr. Farrugia answers the questions that his employees want answered. Refusal to do so will tell us everything we need to know about trusting those in positions of power.
Steve Drazkowski