When Everything is a Priority, Nothing is a Priority
Most everyone is aware that our state budget currently overtaxed residents to the tune of $17 billion plus change. Some of this money is from one-time COVID-relief funds received from federal taxpayers but a substantial portion is from Minnesota.
And yet, in spite of this generous windfall, our Democrat governor and Democrat legislature are raising over $2 billion in new taxes for the next biennium. And, while they’re at it, they’re spending the vast majority of the budget surplus on new pet programs for the progressive special interests that worked so hard to turn the state over to their fellow travelers.
So here we are.
The DFL will come out of this legislative session and look you straight in the eye and tell you that unless you’re rich, your taxes won’t increase.
Don’t. Believe. It.
For example: every citizen of the state was thrilled when it was announced last year that the long-awaited “988 Crisis Hotline” was up and running. This has been a long-time coming but the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (as it is known nationwide) is an important priority for Minnesota and we need to be a part of this vital link for our fellow citizens if/when they experience a mental health crisis.
Many states are using state general fund revenue (you know, the one that has a $17 billion surplus in Minnesota?) to fund the biannual cost of the suicide hotline. They are pledging tax dollars because suicide prevention is a priority not an afterthought. You see, the Minnesota legislature and governor doled out billions of surplus dollars to their pet projects and special interest groups. But not Minnesota.
Instead, Governor Walz and his DFL cronies found a way to raise taxes on cell phones AND landline users to fund the hotline: Included in the Health & Human Services Finance Omnibus bill is a new annual tax that will increase your phone bill every month…even when the state has a multi-billion-dollar surplus.
So, the next time the governor and state leaders hold a news conference saying they’re doing all they can to stop the deaths of despair and the tragic loss of life to suicide, remember what they did when they had the chance: a true priority of the state would be funded by the state, not by a regressive and on-going tax just for having a phone – the same phone you will need to call 988 if you or a family member is ever in a mental health crisis.
