For the past several winters, we have been privileged to live in the panhandle of Florida, close to the Alabama border. It amazes me how different it is from Minnesota.
We don’t see people marching in the streets, kids being encouraged to stay home from school, teachers being instructed by their unions to march in protest, work stoppages, or political hostilities. We see happier, more-polite people who like their governor and respect law and order. The state economy and job growth are booming here.
Why is this? Is it the weather, the Scandinavian ancestry, or the political climate?
Florida is a pro-growth red state with no income tax and a surplus. Florida has had a Republican governor and legislature for years.
Minnesota, meanwhile, is the 11th-highest-taxed state,
, and it squandered a $17.6 billion budget surplus in 2023 with little left beyond tampons in boys’ bathrooms. And, guess what? Minnesota has had Democratic governors for 15 years.
When I watch the news, I am embarrassed for the state of Minnesota. We are the laughingstock of the country. I have to explain over and over how our state has gone down the toilet.
The reasons are simple, but the solution is tough.
Jim Gerdes
Sturgeon Lake
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