Doing more with less...

"However in the state of Minnesota, we seem to have village idiots in charge of our village."

Someone once asked me what I thought the main difference was between the public and private sectors. Thought about it for a brief second and then answered it this way - the private sector survives on doing more for less. The public sector does not. In particular (I went on), the government. They have NO CLUE on how to do more with less.

Now before I go any further, let me say this. Our county board in the county in which I live (Anoka) is an exception to the rule. They can squeeze more value out of every nickle than most could imagine. If every sector of government ran like Anoka County, I would not be penning this article.

However in the state of Minnesota, we seem to have village idiots in charge of our village. And they are dyslexic. Instead of doing more with less, they always focus on doing less with more. These are people who could not budget their way out of a paper bag. Every session we hear the same tired old tune. "Wah, wah, wah, blah, blah, blah. It is for the children. This is not who we are." We all know the tune, the very old story. We sure hear it often enough.

And somehow, many of our stalwart Republicans get sucked into the trap. Instead of reducing the size of government, right sizing it, doing more with less, they increase it. And they justify it by saying the increase was not as big of an increase as the other side wanted. This is the all too familiar result. It becomes a lose, lose outcome for the Republicans. The size of government goes up, and then the Democrats criss cross the state, painting the Republicans as the villains who cut valuable programs. 

It truly is time to change the paradigm. To change the game. All I heard in the day and a half I was in Duluth is how we are the party of solutions - and our solutions work. Well kids, it is time to put our money where our mouths are. We can have a better state, with more efficient services, for a lot less money. We can have reduced taxes, attract more businesses here, plus keep our seniors from fleeing the state. All we need to do is be brave. And smart - very smart.

It is time for a change. The Growth and Opportunity Party needs to strut its stuff. Not the go along, come along gang with the Democrats. We need to show how our government can be a model for the rest of the states to follow. Do more, with less. Four short words that will change everything. The party that I have signed up with will do brave things like that. Let's get going before this session is over.