Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, and Happy New Year! As we gather with friends and family during the holiday season, let us be mindful of one of the greatest gifts of all: the gift of freedom in our great nation. Yet as President Ronald Reagan reminded us: “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” Thank you for supporting the Freedom Foundation of Minnesota in 2011 in our fight to make Minnesota a freer, more prosperous state. With your help, we look forward to continuing our mission in 2012. From your friends at the Freedom Foundation of Minnesota: Have a Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, and a safe and blessed new year!
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| Sen. Coburn’s “Wastebook” and the St. Cloud airportTitle 2
One of the most wasteful and low priority government spending projects listed in Senator Tom Coburn’s (R-OK) “2011 Wastebook” has a Minnesota connection. Number four on Senator Coburn’s list is the subsidy program for small airports and the failure of this government program to help most recipients achieve sustainable air service. Sound familiar St. Cloud? According to the report, the federal airport assistance program spent $6 million in 2011 to subsidize community airports. Despite millions in funding, a federal audit shows half of the projects never even get off the ground. In October, the Freedom Foundation of Minnesota reported on the grant program and the status of St. Cloud Regional Airport. Even after pumping in millions of funding from federal stimulus funds, federal grants and other subsides, the airport is still without regular commercial service.
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| Local Officials Acknowledge $63 Million Telecom Network Involves Risk for Taxpayers – Accountability Alert
Local officials promoting a sprawling fiber optic broadband network agreed that the $63 million proposal could be a substantial risk for local taxpayers. The proposed government-backed system would connect some 7,500 homes, farms and businesses in eight southern Minnesota cities. (You can see if you’re on the list by clicking the link below.) Local elected officials from two counties (Sibley and Renville) have been promoting the venture currently known as RS Fiber. But is this admittedly risky project worth it or, most importantly, necessary? Read our latest Accountability Alert on our website.
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| FFM in the news
On Tuesday, FFM CEO Annette Meeks was featured on FOX 9 News to talk about the payroll tax proposals currently being debated in Congress. As Annette says in the segment with host Heidi Collins and AM-950 radio host Nancy Nelson, businesses and the American people want to see long term solutions to our country’s unemployment problem and that the lack of leadership in Washington is having an unfortunate effect on businesses and job creators. Watch the entire segment here.
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