Letter: 'Vote for Selcer If You Want More Taxes and Debt'

To the editor:

As Europe and the US choke on debt, DFL-endorsed Yvonne Selcer continues proposing tax increases and more government borrowing to spend on education and light rail. Future generations won’t be able to pay this debt off, but DFLers don’t care.

Kirk Stensrud knows this and that’s why he voted to rein in $5 billion of State spending. This is spending that, if it had been allowed, would have remained in each subsequent budget cycle compounding our debt.

While every Hopkins resident now owes $3,000 or more in debt thanks to Yvonne Selcer, Kirk Stensrud voted to return over $300 million to schools and voted for approximately a $675 million increase in school funding. Kirk’s own children received their education in the Minnetonka system and his wife works for the Minnetonka Schools. They are a middle class family and know that an extra $3,000 in debt will crush families.

Stensrud has the right spending priorities.

Kirk strongly supported kids with his votes by supporting almost $1 billion in cash funding to schools in the current budget.

The DFL’s solution at every level of government is to raise taxes and increase debt. However, remember that taxpayers will end up borrowing the construction costs to build, and will forever subsidize, the operating costs of all light rail riders. The DFL makes little mention of actually growing the economy through the private sector, the actual engine of the economy. And when it comes to the private sector, Kirk Stensrud’s small business voting record has been recognized by the National Federation of Independent Businesses as outstanding.

Keep the right priorities at the Capital – spend within our means, get quality education through performance, not seniority and stop burdening middle income families with more crushing debt. Vote for common sense, vote for Kirk Stensrud.

David Webb, Minnetonka
Vice Chair of SD48 GOG Executive Committee

Sources:
The $675 mill. increase: Current 2012-13 biennium ($14.5 bill) http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/hinfo/sessiondaily.asp?yearid=2011&storyid=2845 vs. previous 2010-11 biennium ($13.9 bill.) http://www.mmb.state.mn.us/doc/budget/report-pie/general-feb09.pdf

Hopkins debt increased by $3000
Page 102 of CAFR for Hopkins School District 270 FY ending 6-30-2011.