Just imagine for once that you are someone who lives in the
suburban, exurban or rural area of the state. You have an
opportunity to reduce your property taxes by between $500
and $1,500 per year. And the biggest sacrifice is a program
in Minneapolis called NRP. First of all, do you actually
know what those letters stand for. I bet you don't. And
why? Because nothing has been done by political leadership
to educate the rest of the state on the program and it's
benefits to the entire state. And if per chance you do know
something about the NRP program, you probably have limited
or even second hand knowledge.
But for the moment, let's assume you actually know something
about the program. You have a dilemma - you have a chance
to save this huge amount on your property taxes, perhaps
enrolling your child in a better preschool, or to continue a
program in Minneapolis that essentially institutionalizes
volunteerism. You look around - where in Minneapolis is the
Jaycees or the Lions Clubs. If you lived in Minneapolis you
probably never saw those civic organizations doing something
in your neighborhood because they have been essentially
displaced by a government program called NRP. So you
wonder? Whatever happened to just do it because it's the
right thing to do instead of do it because the city will
help us pay for it?
Then you look at things that have been funded by NRP - you
know, those historic street lights next to the graffiti wall
and the overflowing garbage cans next to the beat up
newspaper stands at the falling down bus stop on the corner
where the weeds are 4 feet tall, or the house renovation in
front of the street that is falling apart, or the
neighborhood organization who's offices sit in front of
crumbling curb and gutter. And then you remember all that
diverted tax money Minneapolis spent on big wealthy
corporations. You know the ones on Nicollet Mall who just
made billions last year touting the Sign Of The Times while
they actually helped displace The Times, or that Steven
Spielberg subsidy on the block they moved that old theater
from, or better yet those high end stores at 50th and France
that sell the $200 designer vases that you just saw
advertised in MPS/St. Paul magazine. And does it make you
feel good that you have subsidized with your tax dollars a
$200 vase sitting on the grand piano of a wealthy
entrepreneur on a lake next to the country club who just had
a few moments to pick up a some things at 50th and France
after her manicure. Oh, but remember they bought it on the
Minneapolis side!
And then you ask yourself the big questions - Minneapolis
can't even keep it's basic infrastructure together, but can
spend millions of dollars on wealthy corporations and
government programs to institutionalize civic activity
creating a very large and expensive bureaucracy. And help
subsidize wealthy shops and profitable billion dollar
corporations with taxpayers dollars and then they want more.
So tell me, why should I spend $1,000 of my hard earned
money a year supporting NRP? This would be the big question
of the day. The question that Minneapolis leaders forgot to
ask themselves and then never answered.
This is why they got caught short changed at the end of the
legislative session. Unless we can truly understand the
other side, we are destined to fail.
Russ Peterson
St. Michael
former Standishite
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