Law & Government
May 24, 2013
In the waning days of the Minnesota State Legislature’s 2013 session, unfinished business stemming from a Watchdog Minnesota investigation surfaced on the Senate floor. The issue: How to rein in a State Arts Board program that’s sent dozens of Minnesota artists on taxpayer-funded trips around the world?
“At a time when we’re asking taxpayers
May 21, 2013
Even as the Minnesota Legislature passed a bitterly contested bill Monday authorizing a vote among home-based child care business owners and personal health care attendants on a collective bargaining unit, union opponents already were preparing to mount a constitutional challenge.
May 21, 2013
Despite significant opposition from affected citizens, the Legislature rewarded a multi-year campaign by public unions AFSCME and SEIU to open the door to the unionization of both day care workers and personal care attendants (PCAs or home health care aides).
May 21, 2013
Introduction: As I write this, the Minnesota House is set to vote on a proposal to unionize independent, self-employed business owners who heretofore worked primarily for families of small children. Some of these business owners have customers who receive public subsidies. AFSCME, the powerful union of state and local workers, has been seeking to unionize, and enrich its coffers with the dues of, these business owners for several years now. Thanks in part to the union’s backing of today’s majority party, the Legislature will say “thank you” to AFSCME. And the union, in turn, will of course say “thank you” to the DFL with future contributions of time and treasure.
While it’s true that
May 13, 2013
“It's easy enough to levy costs when it's ‘somebody else’ who pays, but levy too much and we'll discover, down the road, that we don't like the price.”
May 9, 2013
This week, the Minnesota State House of Representatives issued a news release that said the following:“The Elections Omnibus Policy bill (HF 894), authored by Rep. Steve Simon (DFL—Hopkins), passed by a vote of 74-60 with support from both sides of the aisle.”
May 6, 2013
All of you have constituents who have lost retirement savings in the Great Recession, either in whole or in part and will have to work much longer than they planned to make up those savings. How will you explain this legislation to them?
May 6, 2013
The old defined benefit model is not working and I have lost confidence that it can be saved. These pensions are supposed to be a secure, prudently managed retirement savings vehicle for public employees. Instead they are a political tool.
Apr 29, 2013
The “Happy to Pay for a Better Minnesota” crowd is fully in charge. This does not position Minnesota to compete for the top talent and capital that is shopping the country (and world) for good economic opportunities.
Apr 29, 2013
Kim Crockett at 2013 Tax Rally