I had really hoped the Legislature would begin this very important legislative session by sending a message that we are putting the well-being of Minnesota's citizens ahead of politics. It hasn't started out that way.
The House passed a $1.1 billion bonding bill this week, borrowing money to pay for projects all across the state. I think we should have found a way to erase our $1.2 billion deficit before borrowing more money, but that's only one of my concerns. The non-essential pork in this bill and the way some legislators conducted themselves on the floor also spells trouble.
We're all feeling the pinch of the current recession and that includes government. We need to be very careful with how much we borrow through a bonding bill or we will put ourselves in an even bigger bind down the road. But we also can't afford to neglect our infrastructure, so the right thing to do would have been to draft a no-frills bill that focuses on the essentials. Instead, the legislation which passed in the House included spending for volleyball courts, a performing arts center and zoo projects.
Plain and simple, there is just a lot of waste in this bill, but some legislators did all they could to prevent us from revealing that on the House floor. People on the street tell us they want us to work together and do what's right, but instead Washington-style politics came into play. Debate was cut off immediately after the amendments were introduced so we never got to discuss the bill in its entirety, which is the usual process.
The bill now will go to a conference committee where I would advise them to get rid of the wish-list items and trim the cost to a more practical, affordable and appropriate amount given the tight economy. It will be interesting to see how things play out the next time this bill comes to the House floor.
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We may have different philosophies, but most of us want the same thing in the end and it would be nice to have more people involved. I will continue working to make that happen.
