FIGURES ANNOUNCED FROM STATE FAIR SURVEY

Call it food for thought on a stick. Nearly 7,500 visitors to this year’s Minnesota State Fair graciously took a few minutes to participate in a nonpartisan survey conducted by House Public Information Services. The informal, unscientific poll included many topics that are of local interest. A rundown of the results is below. See you around, Dean 1. This November, voters will be asked whether Minnesota should increase the sales tax by three-eighths of 1 percent with the money dedicated for the environment and the arts. Do you support this? (Note: A non-vote will be a no vote in November.) Yes 49.0% (3,640) No 42.9% (3,188) Undecided/No Opinion 8.0% (595) 2. Should voters be required to show a picture ID before casting their ballot? Yes 67.0% (4,986) No 27.1% (2,017) Undecided/No Opinion 5.8% (432) 3. A motorist can now only be cited for failure to wear a seat belt if they are stopped for another infraction. Should law enforcement be permitted to stop someone solely for not wearing a seat belt? Yes 47.1% (3,504) No 47.0% (3,499) Undecided/No Opinion 5.8% (431) 4. Should the state’s 14-year moratorium on nuclear power plant construction be lifted so new facilities can be considered to help meet the state's electricity needs? Yes 61.0% (4,511) No 26.4% (1,952) Undecided/No Opinion 12.6% (935) 5. Clothing sold in the state is not subject to sales tax. Should it be? Yes 11.6% (864) No 84.6% (6,285) Undecided/No Opinion 3.7% (276) 6. Should public school students be required to say the Pledge of Allegiance each day? Yes 46.3% (3,436) No 45.9% (3,406) Undecided/No Opinion 7.8% (578) 7. The state is expected to face a deficit in excess of $1 billion next fiscal year. Do you generally support budget cuts as opposed to increasing certain taxes in times of economic distress? Yes 46.5% (3,444) No 43.0% (3,188) Undecided/No Opinion 10.4% (773) 8. Should undergraduate students at a state college or university have their tuition locked in so that any semester during a four-year period it could not exceed the price the student was charged during their first semester? Yes 62.1% (4,604) No 26.7% (1,981) Undecided/No Opinion 11.1% (826) 9. Should grocers and large retailers who use plastic carryout bags be required to make in-store bag recycling available? Yes 76.0% (5,635) No 19.7% (1,462) Undecided/No Opinion 4.3% (323) 10. Hospitals are permitted to set staffing levels for registered nurses. Should the Legislature set a maximum number of patients a nurse can care for during a shift? Yes 50.8% (3,770) No 36.8% (2,725) Undecided/No Opinion 12.4% (918) 11. Should a 25-percent investment tax credit be made available for investments in qualifying new bioscience business ventures? Yes 40.6% (2,999) No 29.0% (2,145) Undecided/No Opinion 30.3% (2,243) 12. Should lawn care companies and other commercial applicators be required to post 48-hour advance warnings before spraying city yards or farm fields with weed killers or other pesticides? Yes 60.0% (4,445) No 29.3% (2,177) Undecided/No Opinion 10.7% (797) 13. What should be the state sport? Fishing 28.3% (1,931) Football 4.6% (316) Golf 2.2% (150) Hunting 3.6% (245) Ice hockey 35.2% (2,403) Water skiing 3.2% (218) Other 22.9% (1,564)