An analysis of Minnesota’s spending between 1999 and 2017 shows a terrible trend and something that is unsustainable. In 1999 Minnesota spent $31.87 billion and $68.64 billion in 2017.
Now some people might ask but how much did our population increase, did the spending increase with the same rate as our population increase? The answer is no! Our population in 1999 was 4.86 million people and in 2017 it was 5.56 million.
Between 1999 and 2017 the trend of spending more was broken only four times. Now while this is a good thing it wasn’t nearly close to the jump that it took when the spending increased. These four times when the spending decreased all had one thing in common. Republicans had control of either the Legislature, governorship or both.
It is important we the tax paying citizens of Minnesota examine this trend and critically think about how much we are spending as a state. Ask yourself these questions as well. Is our Minnesota government twice as productive compared to 1999? Is our government twice as useful? Is our government twice as effective? Or is our government here in Minnesota just twice as wasteful, twice as controlling and twice as bloated?
Kenneth R. Toole
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Baxter
