RE: [Mpls] re: Council passes budget 11-2; Praising R.T.;Unfunded Mandates;a nd Homeless issues: keep your eye on the ball

[Steve Sumner]

Title: re: Council passes budget 11-2; Praising R.T.;Unfunded Mandates;and Homeless issues: keep your eye on the ball

First… Rick writes: “Frankly, I'd rather that the Mpls council _not_ follow Pawlenty's "leadership" model ... they'd probably call for the death penalty the next time there's an emotionally charged situation or some other attention-grabbing stunt.” The Governor is displaying leadership by addressing an issue that most are afraid to tackle, it’s hardly an “attention-grabbing stunt”.  It is really shameful for you to classify it as such!  We may not agree with him on the death plenty for these crimes, keeping them locked up maybe the better alternative but at least he is addressing the issue of letting them out.  In fact, he is taking a great deal of flak from even his friends on this issue.  They think it’ll create too many problems for them to tackle, but the Governor is trying address a real public safety issue and should be patted on the back for it.   Second…. There are some good reasons for local aid to government, but Minneapolis has always used the state kitty to escape from being fiscally responsible and that practice has to stop.  I can give you a short example of Minneapolis’s bad spending habits, Bad Development Deals.  From the Target giveaways, bad TIF deals, retail center problems, and carelessly throwing away money on deals that never had a chance in the first place.   The answer is never “let’s stop this practice”, no, it’s (in a cry baby’s voice) “we can’t pay the police because the state won’t give us the money”.  There are certain things certain branches of government are responsible for, and other things other branches are responsible for.  It’s not the state’s responsibility to pay for Minneapolis Police and Fire, that is what local taxes are for!  This is only one example. I did address your issue about unfunded mandates .. they need to be reviewed on a case by case basis.  Get rid of the ones that aren’t needed, can be achieved by other means, or don’t need in the first place.   Regarding David’s comment on the homeless…. Can’t we address the issue of homelessness by addressing the root causes of it instead of just funding more shelters?     Steve Sumner Waite Park