This op-ed was originally published in the Mankato Free Press and the Grand Forks Herald.
The one big winner during Minnesota legislative session was government
Democrats spent every penny and then some of the $18 billion surplus. Greater Minnesota got some benefits, but all of us will be paying more.
By: Senator Mark Johnson
An editorial by the Mankato Free Press — reprinted as a guest editorial in the Grand Forks Herald — recently claimed Greater Minnesota “fared well” after 2023’s highly partisan legislative session. I’m sure the writers were not trying to put a gloss on the session for their hometown delegation. However, the editorial was nearly as one-sided as the session was at the Capitol this year.
They conclude there are no losers this session, but I say there is clearly one big winner: Government. State spending on bureaucracy grew by nearly 40% from $52 billion to nearly $72 billion in one year. Inflation has put pressure on government budgets, but it also stressed Minnesota family’s budgets. Unlike state government, families are unable to vote themselves a 40% raise.
To add insult to injury, the editorial skipped over the fact Democrats increased taxes on those same families by nearly $9 billion. The increased taxes don’t just apply to the metro rural and metro alike are going to pay more in taxes and fees. Fishing licenses, car registrations, gas taxes, are all dramatically more expensive, taking money from rural Minnesotans just as much, if not more, than from metro residents.
The editorial praises Democrats’ decision to give the surplus back through funding for schools, health care, childcare, education, and a bevy of other programs. Yet we see schools struggling under expensive mandates, health care is becoming more expensive, childcare is just as hard to find, and our university system enrollment is down nearly one third. It comes down to a fundamental question: Who do you think can spend your money better — you or your government? While state government spends millions of your dollars across the state, you probably see just a fraction back from benefits and services. Let’s go through some examples.
Under divided government, Gov. Tim Walz promised rebate checks of at least $1,000 for millions of families. This session Democrats could only fund a measly $260 per person returnable tax credit. The surplus stayed the same, but with Democrats in control the last thing they wanted was to give the money directly back to you.
Despite increases in local government aid (LGA) to help Greater Minnesota, guess which cities still get the biggest dollars from LGA? That’s right, Minneapolis and St. Paul. With a growing population and a diverse tax base, the Twin Cities still get more LGA than any other city. While LGA is a vital resource for Greater Minnesota, the metro area has plenty of other options to fund their necessities than to rely on state dollars, but that’s how inefficient government spends.
Democrats promised to “fully fund” schools but instead made things harder with mandates for teacher prep time, sick and safe time, and paid leave. The last two budgets under Senate Republicans included historic student funding, no strings attached. This year’s Democrat budget came with so many strings attached, schools voiced concerns the massive spending wasn’t enough.
Finally, this needs to be abundantly clear: Gov. Walz had absolutely nothing to do with the nursing home money secured by Senate Republicans. The writers from Mankato might be shocked to learn Gov. Walz and Democrats have previously proposed cutting nursing home funding, and barely mustered up $100 million in loans to nursing homes, which is just kicking the can down the road. Greater Minnesota will see a huge benefit as our population is older and less affluent, with more of our parents and grandparents dependent on government-subsidized care. Democrats could not have cared less about making sure our vulnerable seniors have the care they need to live their final days with the dignity they deserve.
Democrats spent every penny and then some of the $18 billion surplus. Greater Minnesota got some benefits, but all of us will be paying more through gas taxes, delivery fees, income tax hikes, healthcare fees, car sales, auto and boat registration, sales taxes when we visit the metro, local levies for schools. … If you need any more proof that government is terrible at responsible spending, just remember, we went from an $18 billion surplus, to $9 billion in tax increases. Only Democrats could be that bad at spending and Greater Minnesota will pay the price.
Mark Johnson, a Republican from East Grand Forks, represents District 1 in the Minnesota Senate. He is the Senate minority leader.