A few YouTube Ads from MNLG Endorsed Candidate, Rick Karschnia

From the Star Tribune: MNLG member Craig Westover's Commentary

Craig Westover: Taxing the rich would cost us all

Targeted tax hikes would miss their mark and do collateral damage.

DFL gubernatorial candidate Mark Dayton proposes to balance the state budget largely through "tax fairness." Minnesota's richest citizens, he declares, ought to pay their "fair share" of state and local taxes.

But tax fairness is a moral argument, not an economic one. Dayton's "tax the rich" plan collides with the economic reality that "ought" doesn't necessarily imply "can." We ought to have a fair tax system, but can taxing the rich actually lead to tax fairness? It cannot.

Dayton believes targeted tax hikes will produce only the desirable outcomes he predicts. He ignores a fundamental lesson of economics, which author Henry Hazlitt ("Economics in One Lesson") reduced to a single sentence: "The art of economics consists in looking not merely at the immediate but at the longer effects of any act or policy; it consists in tracing the consequences of that policy not merely for one group but for all groups."

That is the difference between good and bad economics, and it's why Dayton's belief that his tax hikes targeting the wealthy will only affect the wealthy without any collateral damage to the rest of us is contrary to reality.

High wage earners tend to be individuals with unique skills and knowledge highly sought after in the marketplace. A nationally known college professor, a talented engineer, a successful school superintendent, a CEO with a proven track record, an entrepreneur with a great idea looking for a place to start a business -- such people are highly mobile and can live and work just about anywhere they choose.

All other things being equal, they choose to work where net income (after taxes), not gross income, is competitive. So to lure highly productive individuals to high-tax Minnesota, and to keep them here, Minnesota employers must pay higher gross salaries so in-demand individuals' net incomes compete with those in lower-tax states. If high-end taxes rise further, so will the high-end wages state employers must pay.

Paying higher wages due to higher state taxes, Minnesota companies are left with only three options.

First, a company can hold down wages for less-skilled workers who have less mobility and negotiating power -- that is, the rest of us. Thus, while everyone might pay the same percentage of their incomes in state and local taxes in Dayton's Minnesota, his tax-the-rich scheme would actually create a greater and more inequitable salary differential than currently exists.

As a second alternative, a company facing higher costs in Minnesota can raise the price of its products, selling fewer units but at a higher margin to maintain its profit. That, too, has negative consequences for the rest of us Minnesotans. As consumers, still paying an average 11.2 percent of our incomes to state and local governments, all Minnesotans will now pay more for the goods and services we purchase, and we will purchase less. When consumers purchase fewer products at higher prices, companies maintain their profits by reducing the size of their workforces. Existing jobs are lost, and new jobs are not created.

Finally, to the extent that competition limits how much a Minnesota company can increase its prices, lower profits from Minnesota operations would be the inevitable result. At the margins, relocation or expansion outside of Minnesota becomes the alternative of next resort, which further diminishes Minnesota's tax base.

The logical economic consequence of Dayton's higher taxes on productivity is less productivity. Less productivity equates to less taxable activity. The higher and narrower the tax rate, the more dampening is the effect on the business climate and economic development, and the less business expansion there is translates into fewer jobs created and more jobs lost.

Emphasizing economic principle in tax policy is not to ignore moral questions about a "fair" tax system. It is about understanding how best to achieve that fairness. No matter how strongly Dayton believes that raising taxes on the rich will create a fairer tax system, the economic reality remains that his plan would most harm the average Minnesotans he most intends to benefit.

Craig Westover is a Republican activist and writer.

Source: http://www.startribune.com/opinion/commentary/101507154.html?page=1&c=y

MNLG Endorsed Candidate-Terry Pearson needs our help!

From Mark J. Westpfahl, Campaign Manager for Terry Pearson for MN House District 39B.

I just wanted to give you a heads up on an event that Terry's campaign would greatly appreciate the Minnesotans for Limited Government being involved in.

On Saturday, September 11th, Inver Grove Heights will be having their Inver Grove Heights days parade. The lineup will start at 9:30 am at Simley High School. The parade actually starts at 11am.

We are working on filling a slate of 30-40 volunteers. There are four different lit pieces that will be distributed throughout the parade. So we will need eight to ten people to do that. Then we want to have a unit of twenty to thirty people to help with that. We'll have many people carrying signs and wearing "Pearson for MN House" Shirts. Our goal is to have many people carrying their own signs advocating limited government so that my campaign's message is tied to that idea. Any volunteers that could help with the parade would help us get closer to filling the lineup and be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

http://www.TerryPearson.com/

Pat Anderson needs YOUR help at the MN State Fair!

Hi everyone! I am looking for volunteers to help with our state fair booth. We have 4 hour shifts from 9-1, 1-5 and 5-9. We will pay your admission into the fair (send you a ticket in advance). I plan to be there everyday, all day. We are giving out/putting on free "Taxpayer Watchdog" bulldog tattoos and will have lots of info on the state budget.

The booth is right around the corner from the Party booth near Ye Old Mill/and in front of the Epiphany diner. It's pretty open - just a few sides with the bulldog on the roof. (17 feet high with the dog). It's a great location and very interactive. It's on the grass between the sidewalk and the street and open to both sides.

Please contact me if you can volunteer a shift or two. It's great fun and will get you into the fair for free. (The fair is $11 this year)

info@patandersonforauditor.com

Thanks everyone! Pat

MNLG on Twitter

Just wanted to let everyone know that we've entered the "twitter-verse" by creating an MNLG Twitter Account.

Follow us @MNLG_ORG for events, meeting notices, news articles, and other important stuff!

August Meeting notice

Hello MNLG Members and Friends,

MNLG will be having their August meeting (better late than never) on Saturday, August 28 at 11am at the Davanni's in East St. Paul.

Meeting agenda to be posted shortly.
...
Date: Saturday, August 28
Time: 11am
Location: 310 White Bear Avenue North
St Paul, MN 55106-6016
(651) 738-6992

Map of the Location: http://tinyurl.com/25x8b5t

Cost: $5/person (to cover the cost of pizza. Room rental is free, but it is requested that we purchase $5 of food/person)

Lorri Barnett
MNLG Vice Chair

Meeting Minutes for July 14, 2010

MNLG July Meeting, July 14, 2010
Davanni’s-East Side

Meeting was called to order by Chair Jake Barnett at 6:41pm.

There was consideration of endorsement for the following candidates:

Andy Noble-Ramsey County Commissioner
Don Lee-HD 39A
Dale Helm-HD 51B

Don Lee and Andy Noble earned endorsement.

Motion was made, seconded, and approved to set up a twitter account. Our account is @MNLG_ORG .

Motion was made, seconded and approved to spend $100 to get a booth at the Conservative Issues Fair, being held on October 16, 2010.

Motion was made, seconded, and approved to have Mitch Imbertson be the communications chair. Communications Chair will oversee our website, twitter, and facebook accounts.

Motion was made, seconded, and approved to adjourn at 8:00pm.