A hole in the pond

"The 600-pound ape in the corner is education."

I have been on a rant as of late. Yesterday, I penned yet another article about the unfairness of the Minnesota tax system. How it is anti-senior. Anti-business. Then I started asking the age old question - why? What is wrong with this state? Then it hit me - spending. It is like a drunk who has not taken the cure. It is addicted to spending and it can't stop. And what is the liquor of choice? Education.

We have two ponds in our back yard. When we installed them it was a lot of work and a lot of expense. But we enjoy them every summer. One of my fears is always one of the ponds would develop a leak at the bottom. If one should ever do that, so matter how much water we put in, the pond would continue to drain. It would be inefficient and a waste of quite a bit of water.

Many people complain that our welfare benefits are too high. And compared to other states, they are generous. That being said, welfare is only 4% of our state budget. The 600-pound ape in the corner is education. At $19B per year, it is about 1/3 of our state budget. Wow! And here is the punch line - our government education system is broken. Especially in the inner cities. They get the most per student and have the worst results. The solution of many of our statists? Throw more money at it. In my words - due to education, there is a hole in the bottom of the pond.

One of my favorite state senators said something this morning in social media that I TOTALLY agree with. It is time to break up this cabal in Minnesota. Education Minnesota is nothing more than an evil, selfish, self-serving organization. And they hold hands with one of the biggest waste of space organizations in the entire state - the Department of Education. So we are stuck with a $19B tab to continue to educationally cripple many of today's students.

Because many in our state government are products of this broken system, they have become so nearsighted they cannot see the forest through the trees. Rather than "think outside the box" to fix this mess, now they want to add more dollars to fund Pre-K for everyone. And who pays? Veterans, who should not have to pay state income tax (as in many states). Seniors, who should not have to pay state income tax (as in many states). Plus snowbirds, cabin owners, businesses, you name it.

This "Progressive" state has proven itself to be anything but. It is a slave unto itself. The statists are ruling the day resulting in a nationwide reputation of Minnesota being anti-business, anti-senior, and anti-growth. What has happened to my state makes me sick. Sick enough to leave if it is not fixed. All because we cannot find the hole in the bottom of the pond.