Tax hikes devastating
While the State of Minnesota recently received some great news about the financial situation of our state, local property tax payers didn’t see the same good news. Many taxpayers saw significant increases — resulting from the majority party’s elimination of the Homestead Credit, and cuts to Local Government Aid.
When I opened my own Truth-in-Taxation statement, I saw that my property taxes had increased 25 percent, even while my home’s market value actually decreased. And from what I’ve heard from constituents, I’m not alone. Homeowners in north-central Minnesota towns are stuck, on average, with a 9 percent property tax hike. Due to elimination of the Homestead Credit, $3.8 million in market value credits for Crow Wing County that were paid by the state in 2011 will now be paid by property owners.
These tax hikes are devastating to seniors and families. Furthermore, property taxes are already the greatest burden for many small businesses. These hikes will only make it more difficult for companies to hire new workers or purchase new equipment.
Members of the majority party have said they were blindsided by these increases and they want to tweak the property tax changes they passed. All of this is a result of them ignoring statistical analysis that showed that property taxes would increase if the Homestead Credit was eliminated or LGA was cut. Members of the minority party warned them, the Department of Revenue warned them, and local officials around the state warned them, but were ignored.
This is what happens when a state budget steals from schools, borrows from our future, and puts the deficit on the state’s credit card. The short-term budgeting needs to stop. It’s time to get back to responsible budgeting with a balanced approach and long-term solutions so that we can deliver a more prosperous Minnesota to our citizens.
Rep. John Ward
DFL-Brainerd
District 12A
Our new threat
It is no wonder our world is changing to a more liberal lifestyle and way of thinking. This was exemplified by our glorious local newspaper with their complete lack of acknowledgement of the day of infamy that took place on Dec.7 at Pearl Harbor, a day that should never be forgotten. We were attacked by an enemy and many Americans lost their lives and it plunged us into many years of struggle and war.
Today we struggle with an even more dangerous enemy, political correctness, we must wake up and call the enemy what it is, Muslim extremist and Sharia law threaten us more than the Japanese ever did. Our current administration, led by Barack Obama, is leading us down the slippery slope, we must wake up and remember Dec. 7 and begin a new path to eliminate the sleeping giant that threatens us now. Call it what you may but political correctness is complete incorrectness.
I admonish the Dispatch for their lack of will to remind us of our past and the loss of so many American lives.
Daryl Bahma
Brainerd
Thank you Brainerd lakes area.
I just want to thank everyone in the Brainerdlakes area for the generosity during the radiothon against child abuse. It was an emotional day for me to watch the donations continue to rise until the final second if the event!
As a survivor of child abuse, I know first hand how painful and debilitating the abuse can be to a person throughout their lives. One can only imagine what it is like being burdened with such an awful act. Well Brainerd and surrounding areas, you are doing a wonderful job at trying to make it possible that children never have to feel the pain and sadness associated with child abuse. Be proud of yourselves, I know I am proud of all of you!
I would like to throw a few thank-yous out: first and foremost the organizers of this wonderful event; you people are living saints if you ask me. I would also like to thank every single bidder (even if you didn’t get the donation), pledger and all the volunteers, please know your efforts are making a huge difference in this wonderful cause. To the winning bidder of the Babe Winkelman guided fishing trip, I am truly honored to be able to fish with you and your guest in the near future. Now lets just hope the fish cooperate!!! And the final thank you goes out to Babe Winkelman, Kris Winkelman, Donna Klimek and Jamie Hauge at Babe Winkelman Productions for the help in making our donation of a day guided fishing trip possible. I am truly honored to be employed by such a wonderful company!
Good fishing and God bless.
Nate Berg
Brainerd
Comments (14)
Add commentThat's why the GOP needs to
That's why the GOP needs to tell us over and over and over that they are the party of business and claim to support small businesses as they quietly undermine those same businesses.
If they didn't claim to support small businesses we'd never know it by their actions.
Mr. Bahma, nice post, Mr. Berg thank you too
Mr. Bahma, however I disagree that we are changing to a more liberal country. I think the poles are showing it otherwise. This current president has shown how being on the extreme left side of things can destroy a country.
Mr. Berg, a huge thank you goes to you as well. We need more people like you in this world You are walking talking proof that one can succeed in life even after cruel acts. How did you over come such horrible acts and beat the odds?
Also a thank you to everyone who helped out in the radiothon.
As for Mr. Ward...you say you want a balanced approach, sorry but you have proven time and time again you want quite the opposite
Pudnut
and Fish have something in common.
Symptoms
Political correctness and Sharia law are just symptoms of the real problem. Which is narcissism. Its become acceptable nowdays to be one and there is one living in each of us. We've lost so much control of our lives and future everyone is turning to trying to control others behavior instead of our own. In so many ways it shows up in society, occupiers, tea partiers, PC'ers and we even have our own form of Sharia law. It takes on a different form, salt bans, smoking bans, Happy Meal toy bans, the Planned Parenthood debate, taxes, etc. But its really no different than Sharia law. Its in our lives everyday and everywhere we turn.
Its in the comments you read here everyday. Every conversation now turns to Liberal or Conservative. I'm right and you're wrong. Its getting old. Its not really logical or rational.
According to the way its viewed today, its amazing the human race made it this far, because if you believe everything you read and hear we've been doing it all wrong since day 1.
suicideispainless - Good
suicideispainless - Good post!
It's pretty easy to see how
It's pretty easy to see how the GOP trots out the defense of small businesses to justify tax breaks for the wealthy even though the facts don't support their argument because most small businesses are unaffected by the tax breaks they propose. The real reason is to provide more income for the truly wealthy but they can't admit it.
Whatever, Fish. It's all
Whatever, Fish.
It's all Bush's fault, blah, blah, blah...
ward is a hypocrite
get off the white horse-it has a lot of tarnish! you are the same one who stuck us with a 13 year property tax of 15% with no vote on our part, it pays for your own retirement! you can't cut spending and of cousre your teachers retirement was more important then our property taxes! you are owned by the unions!
Fish...
where the heck do you get your info from, a union newsletter??? there are some for real news outlets available to check out...try it some time!
Fish next post
I'll save you the time, Fish: "What we need is 100% public funding of elections." We all know that post is inevitable.
Balanced Approach?
Rep Ward,
What is your definition of a balanced approach? You have never voted for a tax decrease, you have never voted to decrease regulations on businesses to spur job creation, you don't even consider it, and you have never taken a vote to, in any way, decrease the size of government so Minnesotans can pay less in taxes and have more money left over at the end of their month.
How can you possibly call budgeting that produces a budget surplus of $1 billion in decent economic times in 2005 and 06, and a budgeting strategy that produces $876 million in surplus after facing a $5 billion deficit, short-term budgeting. This makes no sense, John. A balanced approach doesn't include raiding the piggy bank to fund your union buddys' coffers. We had a surplus! And your first year in office you carelessly and thoughtlessly spent all of it.
You have voted to increase taxes time and time again. You have voted to protect the unions time and time again. The only representation you give is representation of the DFL Party and their platform and the union machine that drives your campaign, not the people of House District 12A. Here's a great example...back when YOU were in the Majority YOU personally voted to increase taxes on Minnesotans by $435 million by voting for HF 2037:
https://www.revisor.mn.gov/revisor/pages/search_status/status_detail.php...
Ironically, this was maybe Tarryl Clark's most definitive Congressional campaign losing vote, so take note.
Oh, you recently touted publicly a 100% Pro-Life voting record...Rep Ward, according to MCCL, Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, you do NOT Have a 100% voting record. Your Pro-Life voting record is 50%.
This can be verified at
http://www.mccl.org/admin/document.doc?id=478
Page 12.
You have also stated publicly that you believe in the sanctity of marriage as being between one man and one woman, yet you voted against the Marriage Amendment and are quoted during the debate on the House floor "If you think there is a tiny bit of discrimination in this amendment, I beg you, I ask you, I implore you to vote no." But John, didn't you tell your constituents that you believe in the sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman? Do you think that your constituents can't hear you when you're way down there?
Star Tribune
http://www.startribune.com/politics/statelocal/122401039.html
Marriage Amendment Vote
http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/cco/journals/2011-12/J0521062.htm#4916
Tell us, John, please, because as your constituent, I deserve to know. Do you believe marriage should be defined as between one man and one woman? Or do you believe that is discrimination? Your answer would sway my vote (I think you know what my vote is anyway), but it may change my vote if you would give a direct, and honest answer to your constituency and the same answer to your House colleagues and reporters 150 miles away from your constituents.
Personally, I believe your actions could be condoned if you would just be honest about what you stand for, everyone has that right. But it is inexcusable for a legislator to double-talk his constituents to make his agenda look better than the other guy's with misleading information.
Please consider only giving the facts to your constituents and stop this double-talking nonsense. Until you do, I will assume that what you have to say about anything else is also inaccurate and deliberately misleading.
It is shameful that you would go on record in front of your constituents, give false information to them, and then call your opposition thieves and liars. Not at all a class-act, Mr. Ward.
Thank you.
Mr Ward, didn't Obama barrow
Mr Ward, didn't Obama barrow a whole lot of money that we didn't have and also [filtered word] it away? Y0u Dems are all the same, take in $3 spend $7, take in $3 spend $7, ask to barrow more money and repeat the cycle. I love how you baboons just yesterday used hundreds of millions of our taxpayer dollars on gay rights in other countries! Outstanding! we are broke paying freekn stupid high property taxes, and Mr Rainbow Blue in khasakstan now has American tax dollars in their pockets so that they can learn...........................................???????????? I don't know either but thanks again. I seriously believe our entire GOV needs to be replaced, from the bottom to the top, every single one of them. I trust not one of them to make even the simplest of common sense decisions, I'm talking Republicans, Democrats,all of the country killing greedy professional politicians.
Lamigra,
you're totally misinformed and incoherent. Try educating yourself or else seek professional help.
you all stink
first off, Berg's letter goes from 2 to last, and your "savior" liberal Ward goes from last to first in the order. Thanks Brainerd Dispatch.
Then NO ONE other than me has a comment on the good deed that Berg and Babe Winkelman Productions done.
Are you all so blinded by politics that you can not see a good deed and give credit where credit is due?
Said, all of you are sad.
And for the record, Obama does borrow $7 for every $3 received from the tax payer.
Either way, I would expect at lest some of you so called "conservatives" to notice a good deed. I am ashamed of you.
Once again, thank you Nate.