I joined Sen. Dahle and Rep. Fritz recently for a talk with Rice County commissioners and staff. Kevin already blogged about the conversation on his website capturing the mood and some of the questions they had during the meeting. Among them how will they continue to provide the vital and necessary services their residents have come to expect. They wondered about the intent of the Governor and his continued cuts to LGA without relieving mandates that they must meet.
Some might wonder why these mandates exist and why it is so difficult to cut back on government spending. One of the issues we face as all government officials contemplate priorities, mandates and government spending was expressed by Mark Shaw, director of Social Services, “We have to be careful not to be penny wise an dollar foolish.” Meaning that some expenditures are good investments and have good financial returns on that investment at the same time being of help to needy people.
The question I guess is how do you balance good investments with the fairest way to make those investments. Some argue we can’t ask taxpayers to pay for all this, while others say it is the taxpayers who benefit from good investment why shouldn’t they pay. It is the cost of civilization and a good society. We do at various times figure out ways for various reasons to exempt some from paying their fair share. Like the Governor’s JOBZ program, which is a tool to promote economic development by exempting new business from certain tax obligations that old businesses may well end up paying. If it is a worthy investment maybe those businesses won’t mind, it depends of course.
This conversation got me thinking about a very interesting presentation I heard some months
ago by Rep. Anne Lenczeswki, the House Tax Committee Chair about taxes and how to reform them in a fair way. Here is the link to that conversation. I think you will find it very enlightening. We are lucky to have someone as knowledgeable and dedicated as Rep. Lenczewski over seeing the Tax committee.
Budgeting is always an exercise in prioritization; there’s never enough money to accomplish everything we’d choose to undertake perfectly. The vast majority agree we want government to exist, to manage highways and immigration and mutual defense and make sure our toys don’t have lead paint and our drugs aren’t snake oil and prevent monopolies and so on.
Accordingly, it’s the leaders we elect who have to run government well, although many lately seem to run on the premise that government can’t do anything cost-effectively, let alone well.
We’ve seen what happens when big business calls the shots, from Wall Street’s calamitous collapse which hurt most of us considerably more than it did them to the slip-shod operation of an oil rig that threatens to ruin the livelihoods of millions along the gulf coast and savage the oceans and shores for decades to come. The short-sighted profit motive aspect of capitalism is best balanced by governmental regulation on behalf of the greater good.
True leaders don’t sit back and watch as our jobs move overseas and huge corporations prey greedily on those outside their inner circles, they work on behalf of those who elected them despite the constant temptation posed by special influence money. I’m delighted to have so many true leaders working on behalf of Minnesotans, and I congratulate you and your peers working on everything from the MN Health Plan to the budget deficit, David. Your tireless, selfless effort is an inspiration to us all.
Hopefully this current election cycle will give us more people pursuing common sense approaches in the state and national legislatures, and fewer intent on political posturing and sound-bites, although the media lately seems inclined to let the latter dominate their “reporting” rather than observing that time-tested reporter’s rule for research: follow the money.