[Winona Online Democracy]
Well said, Scott. I agree and there seems to be a large percentage of our
populations who haven/t witnessed the realities you described. When we came
to MN forty years ago, the quality of life attracted us. I regret to say
that I have witnessed the deterioration of that quality --especially in
education.
Lee
-----Original Message-----
From: Scott Lowery <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Monday, February 19, 2001 11:15 PM
Subject: [Winona] re Mime-Version: 1.0 (tax protest0
>[Winona Online Democracy]
>
>I was happy to read quick responses from Dean Lanz and Carol Mateland to
>Paul Double's call for protesting taxes. The more I read about Governor
>Ventura's budget proposal, and the apparent enthusiasm with which it's been
>received by Republican legislators, the more I wonder what direction
>Minnesota is headed.
>
>As far as I'm concerned, the budget surplus is not a result of unfair
>taxation. Instead, it seems to me to be directly related to a relentless
>ratcheting down of many of the state educational and other human services
>with which I'm familiar.
>
>People with disabilities languish on waiting lists for services for which
>they are eligible but can't receive because of funding. High school
>students find themselves in classes of 35 or 40 other students, with
>inadequate supplies and technology. State parks must reduce days they are
>open, and cut back on naturalist programs. Tuition at state universities
>continues to balloon. These are just a few examples--others could add many
>more.
>
>A friend of mine likened the push for a tax rebate to someone whose roof is
>leaking voluminously and chooses to buy a big-screen TV instead of fix the
>problem. I replied that I thought the rebate was closer in monetary
>magnitude to a couple of pizzas, but otherwise agreed with the analogy.
>
>Would the Republican leadership in the legislature truly like to see
>Minnesota emulate low-tax, low-service states like Arizona, or Mississippi,
>or Nevada?
>
>My wife and I moved back to the midwest when our children were young,
>largely because of the quality of life here, the positive attitudes toward
>education and environmental stewardship and a decent safety net for those
>in need. From what I can tell, the majority of Minnesotans continue to hold
>those values, but maybe they do so quietly, even passively. Those of us in
>that majority need to be communicating with Governor Ventura and Speaker
>Sviggum that (1) we have high expectations for what state government should
>accomplish, and (2) that we understand a basic principle of the
>marketplace--"you get what you pay for."
>
>Scott Lowery
>461 Sunnyview Drive, Rollingstone MN 55969
>home phone: (507)689-4532
>school phone: (507)453-3888
>home email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>school email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>"Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be
>counted counts." Albert Einstein
>
>"You can fool too many of the people too much of the time." James Thurber
>
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