[Mpls] Republican Views of Minneapolis

[Michael Atherton]

Bill Kahn wrote:

> ... Homo sapiens sapiens evolved to do and what our 
> culture has derailed in favor of wasting both opportunity and 
> resource for a bizarre and abstract notion of "the bottom line."
> We've all got to start thinking in the long term and value 
> sustainability over generations for millennia to come. 

The notion of a "bottom line" is no more bizarre and abstract
than the notion of a "bottomless line."  One of my objections
to the NRP is that most participants think that government
funding is an unlimited renewable resource.  "It's OUR money."
Many people in the city also seem to lack an understanding of the
relationship between revenue and spending.  They place responsibility
for the city's budgetary problems on a lack of funding from the
state rather than irresponsible spending by our mayors and the city 
council.  The city's problems are not only due to the reduction in 
state revenue sharing and the recession, but to poor decisions related 
to unwise expenditures, inefficient management, TIFF, subsidies, and pensions.  
Many people also fail to recognize the relationship between taxes and 
economic well being, i.e., there is a point where growth in taxation limits 
the benefits returned to individuals by a healthy economy.

Mark Snyder wrote:

> As David pointed out, the current city administration is focusing on 
> "paying off the credit card" which means that cuts from city operations 
> are being shifted towards debt reduction. Anyone who looks at the mayor's 
> 2005 budget can see many cuts in department budgets since 2002/2003.  
...

> So I don't make anyone's head spin from how complex this budget stuff can
> be, I won't even go into the fact that skyrocketing health care premiums can
> easily wipe out budget cuts made in operations...as any good business owner
> already knows.

Although budget analysis and planning is complex, there is a simple
question that needs to be answered.  Is the debt being reduced or is
it continuing to grow?  Is the city's budget just treading water and
keeping the creditors at bay, shifting the problem into the future
or are we actually reducing the portion of the city's budget that is 
financing the debt?  I'd like to hear an explanation from the Mayor.  
While it is not likely to change my vote in the next election (the 
current alternative candidate seems even less interested in reforming 
the city's finances), it would give me more hope that additional 
increases in my family's property taxes will not force us into the 
suburbs.

Michael Atherton
Prospect Park