2013 Turkeys of the Year & Legislative Update

Below, in my opinion, are the 10 worst political moves of the year, earning "prestigious" Turkey of the Year Awards.

10. HF 913 in the Minnesota House would have allowed a 10-year-old to buy beer and booze in a bar, so long as the child is accompanied by a parent. This would be true whether the parent approves of the child's purchase or not, so long as the child is accompanied, under the proposed legislation. The bill did not pass, or even get a hearing. 

9. When Florida voted to ban internet cafes, they worded the law so poorly that they effectively banned all computers in the state.

8. Barfing in a taxi is now illegal in Illinois.  (They needed a law to discourage this?)

7. In parking lots near the San Diego Chargers' football stadium, it is illegal for tailgaters to toss a football around.  A fan actually pled guilty to this offense last week, which is punishable by up to a $280 fine. 

6. A new Minnesota law allows lobbyists to buy expensive meals for legislators, so long as they offer the meal to all legislators.  I voted no.  I'd rather have dinner with Julia anyway.

5. In Cottage Grove, you can land your plane in city parks, as long as you get a permit, under Ordinance 7-3-3.  I'm not sure when, how, or why this is a law in Cottage Grove, or if the person who told me about it is just pulling my leg, or if it is truly a "Turkey" or not.  I just got a kick out of it.

4. Not to be outdone by Americans, Britain's House of Commons made my list of Turkeys for passing the "Transparency of Lobbying Bill," which doesn't actually require any more transparency in lobbying.  It was laughed at by lobbyists and was described by one lawmaker as "a dog's breakfast." 

3. In the country of Turkey, stealing olives before they are ripe is now punishable by up to two years in jail.  I can only imagine how severe the punishment is for stealing a ripe olive :)

1 (tie). The Obamacare rollout.  This was originally #2 on the list, but multiple blunders moved it into a tie for #1.  The clumsy implementation of the federal health exchange illustrates why we opted to create our own health exchange marketplace here in Minnesota, rather than allow the feds to impose one upon us.

1 (tie). The federal government shutdown.  Duh.

Fortunately, while the the above items are examples of some of 2013's "Turkeys," we have some things to be thankful for this year. too.

MN JOB GROWTH AMONG THE BEST IN THE NATION. The state jobless rate is now down to 4.8%. While the national rate disappointed experts by rising to 7.3% this past month, Minnesota's job growth remains strong and our unemployment rate is now better than the rate before the Great Recession.

BIGGEST CUT IN BUSINESS TAXES EVER... Wait a minute, a business tax reduction with Democrats in charge?  I'm not kidding.  The $346.5 million reduction in the unemployment insurance tax kicks in in Minnesota on January 1, 2014.  I was one of the chief authors of this legislation.  According  to Thor Construction Co., a fairly typical small Minnesota company, the 30-year-old business will save $500 per employee.  The company's CEO said they expect to use the thousands saved to expand and hire more employees.

IS IT WORTH AN EXTRA $584.76 TO LIVE IN MINNESOTA?  The average American family pays 9.9% of their income in state and local taxes.  The average Minnesota household pays 1% more than that to live here, or about $584.76/year.  While the state is among the leaders in almost every quality of life ranking - from schools (#1) to health care (#1) to business climate (#8) - my question for you is this: is it worth an $584.76 per household to live in Minnesota?  Weigh in by commenting below, or at www.facebook.com/State.Rep.Joe.Atkins.

PROPERTY TAXES GOING DOWN?  The 2013 legislature worked hard to put counties in a position to lower property taxes.  So far, however, only six out of 87 counties have approved tax reductions.  Dakota County is one of those six that has already approved lower property taxes for 2014.  Other counties still have until early December to join Dakota County in lowering taxes.  

Comments are welcome, either by posting below, by email at Rep.Joe.Atkins@house.mn, or by phone at (651) 296-4192.  

Best wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving!