Josh Heintzeman, our newly elected state representative, has hit the ground running, working for the people in the Brainerd/Baxter area.
We sent him to St. Paul to be a good steward of our tax dollars. Josh knows that. Last week, the first bill that passed in the 2015 House put more money back in the pockets of taxpayers. I'm glad that Josh supported and voted for this. It offers nearly $20 million dollars in tax relief for Minnesotans. This legislation, known as tax conformity, will save us time and money when we file our taxes this year as well as ensure that we are eligible for important tax deductions. Josh worked hard to make sure this bill passed quickly so Minnesotans have more certainty as they begin to file their tax returns.
With the 2015 session being so new, I am more than mildly irritated that Democratic Rep. Paul Marquart, who represents a district almost 100 miles from Brainerd, wrote a letter to the Dispatch attacking Rep. Heintzeman. While Josh is working hard to see that we keep more of our hard earned money, Rep. Marquart and the Democrats seem more concerned with scoring political points than with working on ways to better serve their constituents. Perhaps Rep. Marquart should consider working constructively with Rep. Heintzeman to find areas of common sense reform before he attacks him in our local paper. After all, the election ended in November and we voters deserve a bit more respect from other politicians. Remember Obama's line, "Elections have consequences."
Tony Bauer
Nisswa
