You’ve heard the term a hundred times; “we want a ‘level’ playing field.” It’s an old axiom that refers to a flat playing surface so that one side is not advantaged over the other. The term is also used in business jargon to discuss the desire for fair and equal treatment from the government. Businesses and unions alike spend hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to lobby the government in order to tilt the playing field to their advantage through government regulation or to preserve an economic advantage they’ve already established through legislation.

One such economic advantage that has been an issue for years at the state legislature is tribal gaming.

Years ago the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that sovereign Indian tribes could conduct gambling on tribal lands without interference from the state, but the Federal Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 added a requirement that in order for tribes to operate casino-style gaming they must enter into a compact with the state to provide some measure of control at the state level over Indian gaming. 

Minnesota tribes were the first in the nation to negotiate and sign gaming compacts with a state government. Then-Governor Rudy Perpich signed the compact that permits video games of chance (slots) and blackjack ( a class of gaming illegal in the rest of the state) to be operated on tribal land and a gaming monopoly was born.

With the turning of the calendar page from 2011 to 2012 comes an onslaught of thousands of new laws and regulations. Most people were unaware that as they worked, played and lived their daily lives throughout 2011; legislators around the country were toiling to create new rules and regulations to govern the lives that others will live in 2012.

The total of new laws that took effect at the stroke of midnight on January 1^st was over 40,000; so much for the idea of less government. Everywhere across the Unites States, state legislators passed new laws regulating everything from drink specials to music therapy. There is no comprehensive list; just a mountain of paper in state capitol buildings across America that will confine and confuse citizens and businesses with the new rules and regulations.

As the daylight hours start to grow and the New Year approaches; it is time for Minnesotans to hunker down for yet another legislative tug-of-war.Yes; in just a few weeks lawmakers will return to St. Paul and start the 2012 legislative session.

By all predictions it should be a rather non-eventful affair. There is a $876 million budget surplus for the first time in years and most legislators are still weary from the marathon 2011 session that ended in July after a three week state government shutdown.With the start of the legislative session on January 24^th there are two big unknowns: one; what will the new legislative boundaries look like when the judicial redistricting panel releases their plan on February 21^st and two; what will the budget forecast show when it is unveiled in late February?

After these two events; there appears to be little on the horizon for a lot of potential controversy. But as in any gathering of state politicos; the only thing that is certain is that nothing is certain.

So with the New Year just days away, it seems like a good time to suggest a few New Year’s resolutions for our state’s leaders.

Every legislative session for the past 40 years many state legislators have had the urge to dress-up in the proverbial red suit, don a fake white beard and play Santa Claus for Minnesota homeowners. The charade that has been played out every year since 1967 is commonly referred to as the "Homestead Property Tax Credit." Legislators don't want voters (especially homeowners) to blame them for rising property taxes; so they invented the term "homestead credit." Like most Ponzi schemes it's just another method of moving the money around so no one really knows what is happening.

Freedom of speech is one of our country’s most revered and cherished rights.  The ability to express ones political views on any topic is a right that sets the United States apart from most other places in the world.  Freedom of speech combined with the right to assembly, allows for the public to have a powerful force to protest against the government.  The combination of these two rights is what has allowed the “Occupy” movement to gain a voice in the current political dialog.

In a recent newsletter from a state lawmaker, there was a declaration opposing the use of state general fund money for a Vikings stadium. However the lawmaker went on to assume that state tax revenue from gambling activities such as electronic pull tabs and Racino (slot machines at Minnesota’s two horse tracks) would not be considered general fund dollars and therefore an acceptable source of revenue to fund a new stadium.

This interpretation of state tax revenue from gambling activities has been well orchestrated and sold to legislators over the years in order to create the illusion that their vote to fund a new Vikings stadium with new revenue from the expansion of gambling has no affect on the general state budget.

But once you put the rhetoric aside and look at the lack of rationale to back up the statement; it becomes clear this argument that “new tax revenue from gambling is not general fund dollars” is not derived from valid reasoning. It is no different than declaring “It’s not a tax because I said it’s not a tax.”

The answer is ‘yes’ unless you vote ‘no’ on Tuesday, Nov. 8^th.  

Recently there has been a lot of talk about a referendum on a half a percent sales tax in Ramsey County. The proposed sales tax would fund $350 million of the $1.1 billion for a new Vikings stadium in Ramsey County. The debate has focused on whether citizens should have the opportunity to vote on the sales tax increase. The issue has drawn heated discussion from both sides, with a majority that strongly support a referendum.

Putting the stadium issue aside; the point is citizens want the opportunity to make decisions. On Tuesday, November 8^th, Election Day across the state, citizens will have the opportunity to vote on a tax increase.