eUpdate 12/30/08

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Why donate to the Taxpayers League of Minnesota?

Because without your support this year Minnesotans would have seen billions of dollars in new taxes or worse, a prolonged and destructive special legislative session that would have sent our national tax ranking back into the top ten.

But with your help, the Taxpayers League and a small group of conservatives were able to hold back the liberal tax and spend agenda. You know the liberals will be back when the Legislature reconvenes in February. And you know they will make another attempt to make Minnesota's income tax rate the highest in the nation. So until then we need to prepare for their next assault - we need to make sure that Minnesota taxpayers can rest easy knowing their life, liberty and property are safe for few more months.

Over the last ten years, the Taxpayers League of Minnesota has been at the center of the struggle to keep taxpayers from giving an ever greater share of their hard earned money to government. We can't claim to have won every fight, but ask yourself this: without the Taxpayers League, who would do the fighting?

If you're a past supporter and are coming back to help us again, thank you. And if you're a new supporter of the Taxpayers League, welcome. Your help is absolutely critical to our efforts as we promote a responsible agenda in Minnesota. But please stay tuned. The tax grab never stops.

Please keep in mind that contributions are not tax deductible for federal individual income tax purposes.

As always, we are delighted to call you a friend of the taxpayer.

eUpdate 12/30/08

1. A Great New Years’ Resolution

2. Stimulus Pork Feed

3. Government Shouldn’t Own Golf Courses

4. Happy New Year!

1. A Great New Years’ Resolution

This year, make a new years’ resolution to improve your economic future: join the fight for lower taxes and limited government.

Join the Taxpayers League in our fight to protect your wallet from the onslaught of tax increases coming in 2009. We will be fighting every day at the Capitol for government reform and spending reductions. We are also initiating local taxpayer watchdog groups acrossMinnesotain order to reduce government spending at the city and county level too.

You too can help reduce wasteful government spending and reform government at both the local level and the state level. Make your generous New Years’ contribution to the Taxpayers League today.

You can contribute in these three ways:

Click on the “donate” tab at the top right to contribute using a credit card via paypal.
Call us during business hours at 651-249-3590to make a credit card donation over the phone.
Send us a check to: PO Box 120444, St. Paul, MN 55112.

Donations to the League are mostly tax-deductible for business contributions. Donations made by or postmarked by Dec 31^st, qualify for 2008’s tax filings. Because of our lobbying efforts, individual donations are not tax-deductible.

2. Stimulus Pork Feed

President-elect Obama has promised a stimulus package after he is sworn in January 20^th. That means the feeding frenzy has started. Many politicians and special interest groups are buzzing around hoping to get their share of the free money.

St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman has asked for $186 million for city “necessities” like a new “green staircase” on Wabasha, a new gorilla habitat at the Como Zoo, and restoringComoPark’s “dutch oven” monument.

But St. Paul isn’t the only one asking for pork. TogetherMinnesotamayors want $805 million for nearly 300 projects. Half of that ($413 million) is for projects in Duluth alone, including $6 million for “snowmaking and maintenance facilities at Spirit Mountain.” Add to that 11,000 projects given to Congress across the entire country, and Obama’s stimulus package is no doubt a Christmas wish list for special interests.

Supporters of the pork-barrel Christmas list claim it’s about “creating jobs.” The problem with government funded jobs is that they are always created on the backs of taxpayers. Soon enough the projects are finished and those people need jobs again. The best way to create permanent jobs that actually create wealth is to cut taxes. With fewer taxes, more capital will flow into the economy and more profits will be produced, which will create jobs that last long-term.

3. Government Shouldn’t Own Golf Courses

At the same time that many of Minnesota’s mayors and special interests are looking for more taxpayer money to buy goodies via Obama’s stimulus package, Governor Pawlenty is trying to fix a little thing called a $5.2 billion budget shortfall!

Pawlenty has hinted at privatizing some of the state’s assets in order to balance the budget. A huge benefit of privatizing anything is that businesses, unlike governments, have to make a profit, and so they tend to find unique ways to streamline and make things run more efficiently (i.e. The UPS Store vs. the Post Office right before Christmas).

Among his ideas are the airport and the state lottery, which could bring in $2.5 billion and $500 million respectively for the state.

And there’s also talk of things which should never be in government hands in the first place: Giants Ridge Golf & Ski Resort and Ironworld. What’s ridiculous about these things becoming privatized is that it’s obvious why they don’t turn a profit. If they could turn a profit, a private business would have built them in the first place. Now let’s try telling that to our mayors who are asking for more government funded projects at the same time that these things may be privatized.

4. Happy New Year!

Thank you once again to our dedicated eUpdate readers. We wish you a joyous and prosperous New Year!

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The Taxpayers Legaue of Minnesota

A non-partisan, non-profit grassroots taxpayer advocacy organization for Minnesota

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