MINNEAPOLIS, MN--This lame duck session will be the last for outgoing 18-term Congressman Jim Oberstar (D-MN). But old habits die hard, including requesting tens of millions of dollars in earmarks in the omnibus appropriations bill before Congress. Oberstar leads the Minnesota House delegation in the appropriations process that’s come to be called pork barrel spending, attaching his name to 29 …
Wasteful Spending
FFM Bulletin 9/17/10
Northstar Commuter Rail runs operating deficit of $1 million per month According to new financial and ridership figures obtained by the Freedom Foundation of Minnesota, taxpayers are taking a $1 million-a-month hit to cover the operating deficits of the Northstar Commuter Rail line. Despite projections that passenger fares would cover 20% of Northstar’s operating costs, as …
FFM Bulletin 7/16/10
City of Ramsey throws good money after bad Since its inception, the Ramsey Town Center “economic development” project has been a spectacle for all the wrong reasons. During the life of the project, the RTC has faced a defaulted loan due to mismanaged funds, three indictments of bankers involved in the project, bankruptcy, and foreclosure. …