Last week, the Minnesota Legislature and Governor agreed on a bonding bill that will fund several public works projects throughout the state. It’s the first major bipartisan agreement since Pawlenty took office. At nearly $1 billion dollars, there’s something in the bill for everyone. I’m especially pleased to see that approximately $22 million has been set aside for a new planetarium atop the under-construction downtown Minneapolis library. I’m a firm believer in the power of museums, theaters, parks, and other public attractions to bolster a city’s quality of life and economic vibrancy. I wish I could be confident that this new spirit of bipartisanship will carry over to the budget negotiations, but I think the Republicans are so entrenched in their pledge of no new taxes that any kind of compromise will be exceedingly difficult. To be fair, the Democrats need to be realistic; we can’t restore funding to 1990s levels. But we can set priorities to ensure that the services on which Minnesota has built its reputation as a desirable place to live, services like education and health care, are adequately funded. The Star Tribune had an editorial proposing one solution to the deficit; a $1 tax on cigarettes and extending the sales tax to clothing. I’d like to think that most voters would go along with such a modest proposal.
Or we could extend the sales tax to legal services, making it a progressive tax, rather than the regressive idea of taxing clothes. Bad enough that we pay sales tax on books and newspapers, but paying it on essentials seems like a major step in the wrong direction.