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MADDOG 
Group: Moderator
Posts: 7821
Joined: Aug. 2003
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Posted on: Jan. 27 2004,12:28 pm |
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Is this possible? Would our legislators actually be willing to give us a Taxpayers Bill of Rights? | Quote | Upcoming legislation may give back 'power to the people' When the 2004 Minnesota Legislature session begins Feb. 2, there will be an effort to return the power to the people.
State Rep. Phil Krinkie will introduce the legislation.
On the other side of the aisle, Sen. Michele Bachman will also champion it.
The time has come, say the pair.
A constitutional amendment dictating the rate of spending growth for both state and local governments is needed. The two agree the people should decide how much government should grow and how much money government should spend.
Tax and spending limits are the next big thing on the 2004 Minnesota Legislature's agenda. Krinkie and Bachman, among others, will see to that.
Who should decide how much government, Minnesotans can afford? The people, who earn the money, or the politicians who want to spend it?
"This would be a constitutional amendment," said Krinkie. "Minnesota is not an initiative or a referendum state. This spending growth limit would be done by the Legislature. It would be a legislative decision. Once adopted, it would be in place and unlike our balanced budget amendment which is designed to restrict debt, our TABOR would take the power from the politicians and return it to the people to decide how much government should spend.
"Some elected officials may find that discomforting."
Both Bachman, a Stillwater Republican, and Krinkie, a Shoreview Republican, cite Colorado's own Taxpayers Bill of Rights as an example how Minnesota can endure and succeed.
Bachman and Krinkie say Colorado's TABOR (the Taxpayers Bill of Rights) program can work.
The tax-spending limitation was passed by Colorado voters in 1992.
Like the Bachman-Krinkie proposal, it sought to reasonably restrain the growth of government. Only tax rate increases approved by voters and limited to the state's to growth of Colorado's population-plus-inflation in the previous year were allowed by the state constitution.
Colorado's TABOR was regarded as the nation's strictest tax-and-spending limitation of the 50 states.
In the 10 years before TABOR, Colorado's state revenues and spending grew well over twice the population-growth-plus-inflation-rate formula.
With TABOR, the revenues and spending figures slowed. Instead of government jobs increasing, jobs in the private sector increased.
The TABOR surplus rebate mechanism returned to taxpayers some $3.25 billion over five years (1997-2001) amounting to about $800 per capital -- $3,200 for an average family of four.
Analysts call it a success. Government growth was restrained, not halted, and taxing and spending contained.
Listen to Bachman's unwavering praise for the spending limitations.
"Before TABOR," she said, "Colorado had a sluggish economy. Now, their economy is number one in growth. Before TABOR, the public sector was responsible for the largest growth in jobs -- government! With TABOR, job creation in the private sector outpaced that in government."
Wisconsin is looking at its own TABOR, which Bachman said is one of the reasons Minnesota should be seriously considering a TABOR of its own and remove government from the "price of doing business" equation in the state.
"This will enhance the business climate in Minnesota and make us more competitive than we have been for the last 35 years," predicted Bachman.
JOBZ won't do that. At least, that's what the Stillwater Republican said of the new Job Opportunity Building Zone economic development tool hailed by Gov. Tim Pawlenty, local government officials and economic development gurus.
According to the senator, JOBz will create a less-than-level playing field for businesses.
"The city of Austin and Mower County expect local businesses and industries will pick up the slack for the new ones they expect to attract," she said.
JOBZ offers businesses and industries, who agree to locate at designated sites, tax savings and credits in the areas of corporate income tax, sales and use tax, property tax and job creation credit.
The total average annual benefits are estimated at between $50,000 and $150,000.
Over the lifetime of the JOBZ 12-year zone to business credits and savings, the benefits are expected to reach $449,999 to $1,631,000.
"If businesses come to a JOBZ site, they will be there on the backs of existing businesses and industries, as well as every other taxpayer, paying the taxes the new ones won't be asked to pay. That's not economic development."
Krinkie is less out-spoken about the Minnesota TABOR effort. Gauging the current level of interest, Krinkie admitted, "I think everyone is a little tentative."
Krinkie said he believes Minnesotans can be won over with the TABOR proposal.
"We have to take the sand off the edges," he said. "The TABOR proposal I will take to the legislature is not a carbon copy of Colorado's TABOR."
For years, Minnesotans have gone through the Truth In Taxation process each fall in anticipation that what they said would influence school board members, city councils and county boards to restrain government spending and raising taxes.
It didn't work.
"This amendment will put the power back in the hands of the people," Bachman said.
"It's like the question: Which came first the chicken or the egg?" she said. "In this case, which came first: taxes or spending? Government can't have it both ways. You can't spend without taxes."
There is also a fundamental question at stake, according to Bachman, when it comes to deciding who decides.
"That question is 'Who should vote on taxes? Politicians or the people?'" she said. "I would prefer to allow the people to vote."
Lee Bonorden
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This a chance for our state politicians to step up to the plate and give the people that voted them into office back what we deserve, responsible government spending.
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Actually my wife is especially happy when my google check arrives each month. Thanks to douchbags like you, I get paid just for getting you worked up. -Liberal
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Goodyear Pimp
Unregistered
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Posted on: Jan. 27 2004,3:26 pm |
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Politicians voluntarily give back power to the people? The same politicians who each and every year take more and more power away from the people are going to be the same ones to suddenly give it back?
This thing has about as much chance as term limits. Remember the promises made about those?
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truth
Unregistered
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Posted on: Jan. 27 2004,6:55 pm |
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so how big of a raise is buried in this for themselves?
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| Post Number: 4
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MADDOG
Group: Moderator
Posts: 7821
Joined: Aug. 2003
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Posted on: Jan. 28 2004,8:37 am |
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Some how, government has got to be slowed down. Can Minnesotans afford an ever-expanding state and local government? Since 2000, the private sector lost 48,183 jobs, while the public sector increased by 23,438 jobs.
I can clearly see a battle ahead on this one, both at the state and county levels. Could you see the possibility this bill would pass; the state looks at our county population and average median income and tells our city and county government that the new legislation demands that they have to cut back and reduce taxes? Yeah, right.
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Actually my wife is especially happy when my google check arrives each month. Thanks to douchbags like you, I get paid just for getting you worked up. -Liberal
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