While other members of the Republican majority in the Minnesota House are considering shrinking the size of the Governor's bonding package--and substituting measures while keep some projects, Representative Steve Drazkowski, R-Mazeppa, declared on Facebook:
Minnesota has bonded debt of over $8 billion on the books. It consumes $1.3 billion of taxpayer money each biennium (debt service). There is not a dime of spending in this borrow-and-spend proposal that we need. Not a dime. It's time to stop spending our kids' future, while trying to convince them that it's good for them.
The comment appeared over his sharing of a Bill Salisbury article at the Pioneer Press, Mark Dayton pitches borrowing $1.4 billion for construction projects.
We interpret the headnote to mean that it's not just spending on Dayton's proposal that Draz finds offensive. "It's time to stop spending our kids' future" means no bonding at all, even on projects like the Lewis & Clark Regional Water System in Southwestern Minnesota, the National Guard Armory in St. Cloud, or those items that Dayton didn't include, like a new Veterans' Home in Montevideo or a fix for the Lanesboro Dam.
Here's the screengrab:
Rep. Tim Miller, R-Prinsburg, shared Draz's post on Facebook, along with this headnote:
Well said Representative Steve Drazkowski
Here's the screengrab:
That leaves us to wonder if Miller doesn't think the $3.2 million for flood mitigation in Montevideo in the governor's spreadsheet shouldn't be funded:
Or if Miller's praising the notion that "It's time to stop spending our kids' future" on bonding at all--for things like the proposed veterans' home in Montevideo. Miller didn't seem to share Draz's no borrowing values when he authored a bill last spring for bonding for veterans homes in Monte and Bemidji, so prepares he'll stop being such Draz fanboy on social media.
On the other hand, Draz's 2014 campaign finance report reveals that the veteran Mazeppa lawmaker contributed $4500 cash and $2,452 for a field worker for the Renville County RPM, so maybe it's just gratitude on Miller's part, however much he's forgetting promises to his constituents.
But we're getting used to this sort of steadfastness on Miller's part. Having campaigned against public broadband grants in 2014, he now claims to be BFF for Border-to-Border Broadband. During the campaign, he also told three debate audiences that he supported Minnesota's medical cannabis law, while opposing legal medical cannabis on a Minnesota Family Council questionnaire.
Then there's that bit about K-12 education funding.
It seems that Miller might be as constant as the prairie wind in March--and as shifting. We'll keep an eye out on whether he changes his mind about the value of helping Montevideo out with its flooding.
Photo: Rep. Tim Miller, R-Prinsburg, via Facebook. He wants bonding for projects or maybe not.
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