This week, I had the chance to meet with business leaders and city council members from Jordan, Prior Lake and Shakopee for a roundtable discussion on job creation. Like many families and small businesses throughout our district, they are concerned with proposed policies in the state legislature that could slow down or reverse the job growth we’ve seen in the last several months. Instead of expanding the burdensome rules and regulations on local businesses, I am fighting to streamline the process of creating new businesses and expanding existing ones. New jobs bring prosperity and benefits that will never rival a government equivalent, and they spur more tax revenue for government to fund schools, roads, and other infrastructure. I have visited with dozens of entrepreneurs and hundreds of employees in our district and hope to continue collecting their ideas for real job creation to bring to the legislature.
While there’s a lot of elected officials “talking the talk” on job creation in St. Paul, few are “walking the walk.” Now in command of all state government, the DFL majorities at the Capitol have a simple formula for next year’s budget: tax, spend, tax more, and then spend more.
You elected me to be responsible and closely monitor state spending on your behalf. Since the mid-1990’s, Minnesota’s population has increased about 15 percent while our state spending has doubled. We have a spending problem, not a revenue problem. Under the proposed plan, our spending will continue on a reckless course we cannot sustain.
As we carefully craft the 2014-2015 budget this month, I will be targeting areas where the state can combine resources and drive more efficiencies. Did you know that the governor of Virginia has 15 cabinet members and top advisors and serves 8 million people while our governor has 29 commissioners and top advisors? Like a family or business must live within its means, so must our representative government. I cannot support a government of the people and by the people that doesn’t follow basic budgeting principles for the people.
When economic recessions hit, the private sector tightens it belt with no similar reaction from the public sector. No matter what economic circumstances we find ourselves in, my colleagues on the Democratic side believe government is too small and hardworking taxpayers are keeping too much of what they earn. After three months of total DFL control in St. Paul, we haven’t seen one legitimate proposal to grow jobs in the private sector without increasing government spending.
Under our noses, we can see signs of what is working. The Secretary of State’s office continues to report that new businesses are opening and starting at a historic pace in Minnesota while existing businesses finally feel safe hiring and expanding. This is not the time to destroy that confidence. Since Republicans passed a pro-jobs budget in 2011, Minnesota’s economy has been on a steady, positive path. While this is my first year in office, I’ve quickly learned that growing the economy means more than creation of new government programs. It is fueled by limited spending and competitive tax rates that keep pace with the average family and their economic circumstances. Government growth should never outpace average household income.
Thank you for your trust and input as we enter the busiest time of session.
