Among the more controversial bills being considered by our lawmakers at the Capitol are the Dream Act, which entails higher education tuition status for illegal immigrants (SF 528) and a proposal for the funding of health care benefits for domestic partners of state employees (SF 1369).
Before dividing ourselves over the merits and consequences of these bills, a closer look of what has and is happening in our state, and more broadly our nation, would be more beneficial in confronting these and other
social/economic issues and implementing practical and ethical solutions.
As rising costs for our most basic needs, including health care and education, have well outpaced the average earnings for most Minnesotans, the necessity for entitlements have also grown right alongside the rising costs. Financial aid, tax credits, welfare, tax deductions, corporate subsidies and give-aways, government bail-outs, etc. have increasingly been woven into the fabric of our economy.
Instead of recognizing the larger issue at hand, our past and present representatives have chosen to address economic challenges through pacifying the various special interest groups with these and other entitlements. This approach, evidently, has only complicated and compounded our problems. Worse yet, animosity and resentment toward each other and toward our government takes the place of respect and harmony.
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Both Republican and Democratic leadership have overseen the manipulation, abuse and monopolizing of our free enterprise economy. Our present and future leaders must take the bold steps necessary to slow, stop and reverse the economic imbalances that have been escalating during the past three decades. With certainty, the net result would be a more fair, more just and more free Minnesota.
John Saviano
Bemidji
