Hang onto your wallet
Mark Twain warned no one is safe when the legislature is in session. He didn’t know that in MN we aren’t safe when they are out of session either.
Last Friday legislators in the MN House of Representatives pre-filed 222 bills to get a jump start on the 2010 legislative session which starts Feb 4.
Projects total over $2.6 billion and this is just the beginning. Clearly these Representatives did not get the memo the state is broke. I should mention everyone one of these legislators is up for reelection in November.
ONE bill survived my scrutiny of the submitted bills as needed legislation. Photo ID.
Emmer introduced: H. F. 2579, A bill for an act relating to elections; requiring voters to provide picture identification before receiving a ballot; providing for the issuance of voter identification cards at no charge; establishing a procedure for provisional balloting; amending Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 204C.10; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapters 201; 204C.
Under the quit wasting our time or the stupidest legislation to date I offer up this doozie that these two legislators deemed a top priority for the 2010 legislative session:
Gardner and Kahn introduced: H. F. 2512, A bill for an act relating to state government; discouraging use of bottled water in state offices; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 16B.
Under the ARE YOU NUTS category….Carlson, Loeffler, Ward, Newton, Masin, Hansen, Scalze, Laine, Mullery, Champion, Slocum, Paymar, Clark, Hayden, Solberg, Tillberry and Knuth introduced:
H. F. 2577, A bill for an act proposing an amendment to the Minnesota Constitution, article IV, section 12; adding a provision to allow legislators to call a special session.
Of course the usual suspects were back at the public trough asking to fund bike paths, trails, light rail projects, land acquisition, lighting and road signs. Ditto for waste water treatment facilities, education, health and welfare studies and projects, and more government intrusion into our lives. Minnesota loves to track us cradle to grave and a couple bills were introduced for data centers and equipment upgrades.
Annual repeat offenders with their hands out also include the always reliable MN Zoo, Target Center, Orchestra Hall and Peavy Plaza ($22 million), the Perpich Center for Arts Education. It should surprise no one to see the request for $10 million for Chicago high speed rail line which has been requested (and had MILLIONS granted) for at least 10 years. No one has ever been able to tell me where this money has been spent.
New this year is a request for Minneapolis Sculpture Garden funding and Theodore Wirth wants money to make snow. Iron World is back at the table too, it always is.
Below is a list of cities, towns and counties projects requesting our tax dollars:
- Mankato Civic Center
- Gaylord Area Regional Aquatic Center
- Carlton County Community Services Building
- Thief River Falls Airport Hanger
- Voyagers Heritage Center
- Bemidji Headwaters Science Center
- Two Harbors Campground
- Nashwauk Community Building
- Pine City Fire station
- Hinkley Fire Monument
- Winnebago Museum
- St Louis County Sport Facility
- Fergus Falls Ice Arena
- Princeton Public Safety Building
- Plato Community Center
- Battle Creek Winter Rec Area
- Steele County History Center
- Caponi Art Center
To the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul: get your priorities in order.
Loeffler and Hansen introduced: H. F. 2449, A bill for an act relating to capital improvements; appropriating money for shade tree replacement; authorizing the sale and issuance of state bonds.
Thao introduced: H. F. 2457, A bill for an act relating to capital improvements; appropriating money for a grant to the city of Saint Paul for streetscaping along University Avenue; authorizing the sale and issuance of bonds.
Read the bills submitted here.
An additional note on bonding from Norann Dillon who chimed in on our discussion of the upcoming legislative session on [Saturday’s] radio program.
A great paper from Cato, but the bonding commentary is exactly what I was saying:
"Governments are using debt to fund investments that used to be funded on a pay-as-you-go basis, and some governments are using debt to paper over routine budget shortfalls, which is the height of fiscal irresponsibility.
Cross-posted at Sue Jeffers' KTLK Blog.
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