TO THE EDITOR:
What to do with MN’s $7.7 billion budget surplus? Should we give it to every household in MN? No, we give it to actual taxpayers by the following proposals to be executed in order. 1). We should not have a traditional bonding bill. Rather set a cap of $1.4 billion for infrastructure projects and pay for them in cash instead of taking out a loan and running up the debt with interest charges. 2). We stop making retired taxpayer pay taxes on Social Security. MN is one of 12 states that do this. 3). Reduce all 2022 taxes by 5-10%. That would mean a smaller tax payment for all in 2023 on 2022 earnings. 4). Next, we verify an adequate rainy-day fund and continue pay for our infrastructure with cash. 5). Lastly, in two years, we review the sustainability of these proposals and verify that state’s budget does not grow beyond the revenue increases caused by higher incomes, increased property taxes on greater home values, and more sales tax revenue. Do not give me the little Walz check ($175-single/$350-married) check. Do not let the Democrats go on a one-time, extra-large spending binge.
Barry VanBuren
Clearwater, MN
TO THE EDITOR:
The State of Minnesota has a budget surplus of seven billion dollars (some say nine billion). Our governor wants to give taxpayers back $150 (of our money). This is an insult! I got out my pencil and paper and divided both amounts by the adult population of Minnesota. I got more than $150. A lot more! Do the math! If the governor wants to treat us like children, why doesn’t he just give us a shiny new dime and pat us on the head? Come November, I’m voting for anybody else.
Howard Osgood
Becker, MN
TO THE EDITOR:
I would like to comment on the Patriot’s January 29th letter to the editor, regarding electric power generation. I don’t believe that it was just ‘steam’ that the writer saw coming out of the Sherco power plant. Sherco has been exhausting coal contaminates into our communities for nearly 50 years. I remember when my son was very young, he saw the power plant and said “look dad, that’s where they make clouds.” I spent my career in engineering and the advancements made over the past 50 years is nothing short of incredible. I am confident that the bugs will be worked out of the new cleaner technologies and our power grids will continue to work just fine. Once the infrastructure is built out for storing energy to cover our needs when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing, the unlimited ‘free’ energy from the sun might even save us some money. Mankind most always has done what is the cheapest and most convenient at the time, until the next best thing comes along. I believe that time has arrived for our electrical system. We are finding out that building taller smoke stacks to get the pollution out of our community isn’t working out very well. Lets not just say: “Adversity builds character in our grandchildren, and why would we give up our cheap fossil fueled power, just to make things better for those who inhabit this space after us?
When we know better, let’s do better!
Ronald Geurts
Big Lake, MN
