Gas tax increase for roads, bridges, etc. (Duluth, Grant: section 8, rent)

[laplander]

I wouldn't want to be judgemental about the wefare system, like all gov. systems, im sure there are some who take advantage if it. I grew up poor, son of a single parent,
a farmers wife whose husband, my father died when i was about two, she didnt have work experience outside of the home. We had to move into town, ( small town) where
she had to work at anything she could find. I guess what i'm leading up to, is this, we had to go on food assistance, given to us by the county, paid for by tax payers, even though she was to proud to take it at first, it was sink or swim. I had to get that off of my chest, but i digress. I assume, and don't pretend to know, all the low priority pet projects out there, but i would be willing to guess, that their would be enough money from that, to take care of roads and bridges.

[catluvr]

We moved to TX.

Welfare is fine as long as there is an end to it. In MN, all you need is a PO Box to collect. You do not need a permanant address. If you move from a foreign country, you can live in MN tax free for 7 years (including tax free car purchasing, taxes, food stamps, etc.). You can bring your whole entire family to MN and they can collect SS even though they have never paid a dime into it. You can use the ER as a primary care provider when you don't even have a social security number. Meanwhile when I was in MN and my husband was going to school and I was contracting, we had no health benefits and weren't even allowed to temporarily use a free or fee per care clinic because we made too much the year before. We couldn't afford health insurance or anything, yet we had to keep paying more for taxes to assist other people on welfare.

I worked at a medical facility and a lot of the clientelle said they came here from Detroit to follow their baby's mammas so they didn't have to work. MN covers all people that have any ties to a child...so all the fathers follow their baby's mammas and they too can collect without regard to marriage or residency or ability to work.

I am an Army veteran and when I got out I became a full time student. I didn't have health insurance and had to wait in line for medical assistance until I could collect my veteran's benefits. I have used welfare in the past so I feel the pain. I was only on it for a short while until I got on my feet. I got the 5th degree for being on it from some lady in the Medical assistance line that told me to get a job (this lady was also collecting genuine long term welfare, and told me that if too many people get on welfare, her benefits might get cut)!

I didn't share this to drink from the pitty punch bowl because I have done quite well. My point...there is a lot of abuse and if MN would clamp down on who receives benefits and spent some money on enforcement, you all could have your roads, schools and money left over to be distributed back to the tax payers. New Bridges for all 10 times over. I was born and raised in MN and love that state (except for my aging body can't take the cold weather)

[kuan]

Personally I don't have a problem with welfare system abuses. Our record shows that Minnesotans on a whole do quite well. As for the abusers themselves, they will never fare well and that's fine by me. Trash will remain trash, to hell with them, they will end up dead from the cold or in the penal system. For the bright ones who emerge out of welfare the future can not look better.

[laplander]

Hey catluver, you and i are in the same boat, im retired and looking to live in El Paso or Las Cruces. I was stationed in E.P. back in the sixties for three yrs.(Air Force). My mother in-law lives in E.P. now, so we know someone there.I grew up in MN also, but it's
very expensive to live here, compared to the E.P. L.C. area. I feel the cold a lot more now then in my younger yrs. also.

[nick is rulz]

Originally Posted by catluvr

We moved to TX.

Welfare is fine as long as there is an end to it. In MN, all you need is a PO Box to collect. You do not need a permanant address. If you move from a foreign country, you can live in MN tax free for 7 years (including tax free car purchasing, taxes, food stamps, etc.). You can bring your whole entire family to MN and they can collect SS even though they have never paid a dime into it. You can use the ER as a primary care provider when you don't even have a social security number. Meanwhile when I was in MN and my husband was going to school and I was contracting, we had no health benefits and weren't even allowed to temporarily use a free or fee per care clinic because we made too much the year before. We couldn't afford health insurance or anything, yet we had to keep paying more for taxes to assist other people on welfare.

I worked at a medical facility and a lot of the clientelle said they came here from Detroit to follow their baby's mammas so they didn't have to work. MN covers all people that have any ties to a child...so all the fathers follow their baby's mammas and they too can collect without regard to marriage or residency or ability to work.

I am an Army veteran and when I got out I became a full time student. I didn't have health insurance and had to wait in line for medical assistance until I could collect my veteran's benefits. I have used welfare in the past so I feel the pain. I was only on it for a short while until I got on my feet. I got the 5th degree for being on it from some lady in the Medical assistance line that told me to get a job (this lady was also collecting genuine long term welfare, and told me that if too many people get on welfare, her benefits might get cut)!

I didn't share this to drink from the pitty punch bowl because I have done quite well. My point...there is a lot of abuse and if MN would clamp down on who receives benefits and spent some money on enforcement, you all could have your roads, schools and money left over to be distributed back to the tax payers. New Bridges for all 10 times over. I was born and raised in MN and love that state (except for my aging body can't take the cold weather)

Im pretty sure a lot of the welfare laws of the past have been clamped down now. MinnesotaCare, for example, is a thing of the past. Provide from sources to back up some of those statements because Im fairly certain they're either no longer the case or hearsay. Ive used reduced cost health clinics many times when I have been without insurance.

[catluvr]

I sure hope you are right. I absolutely love MN and all that it has to offer (except the cold). The people are wonderful. It got so expensive to live there and it is so frustrating to see all the money you make just flow out like water. It would be nice if education money could go to education, transportation money go to transportation, etc..not excess welfare, not feeding the Senate and House of Reps, not Pork projects, etc.

In health care, you see the abuses more than the average person. The average person goes to work and takes for granted things are running as they should. People constantly abuse the system and it is the frequent fliers of the ED. No one is turned away nor is anyone ever caught doing it. Insurance companies (like United Health Care) are making billions and people in between jobs or contractors cannot even afford insurance. Sometimes it is easier to choose not to work and just leach off others (which doesn't happen all the time, but a good chunk of it). Also, MN is the most expensive place for daycare, so moms can't always work (but dads could if only they would divy up the child support...not the welfare system!)

Meanwhile, the abuse is not just welfare recipients. Members of the House and Senate get like 80.00 a day per diem to eat lunch on. If I had 80.00 to spend eating out at lunch, I could eat for a few weeks!

There are so many things wrong with where your money is going. MN has so many people having financial issues that are honest working people. MN has to reform or the honest money making citizens will go for the IA or Dakotas border (WI is also expensive)!

All I know is nothing really changed with our job status yet I am now making twice as much money as I did in MN and I can get the same house here in TX as I can in MN for half the price.

Reform definately needs to be done so you all can have a new bridge and not go broke in the process.

BTW: MN nice does not mean handing your wallet over and smiling.

[nick is rulz]

It bothers me a lot more when wealthy government officials are using tax dollars for their benefit/luxury than it ever will some welfare recipient.

[kuan]

We'd be OK if we just got a dollar back for every Federal tax dollar we put in. In 2005 we got back $0.73 on the dollar.

[catluvr]

I would rather keep more in my own pocket and give to charities than to let the government do my charity work.

If I could choose where they want their money to go, I would personally choose charities such as Union Gospel Mission, better roads and bridges, schools and programs that support going back to work which would include enforcement of Welfare fraud and Health Care fraud.

If the MN government would quit raising taxes on everything, more Minnesotans would have more money to pump into the economy, retire,choose their charities, etc.

If MN wanted a bridge, they could pay for a bridge. If they wanted to fix a bridge, they could fix a bridge. The Government can cut a pork project and just get a bridge. It's not a justification for raising taxes. There is so much junk that your money is being wasted on like...say for instance the millions of dollars spent by the U of M on office furniture and things they cannot even account for due to never receiving it, theft, or poor bookkeeping. How about the Government officials and school administrators that give themselves endless raises? This list goes on.

When do the taxpayers get a raise?

[Huckleberry3911948]

more taxes sure but how bout the wages that go with it?
stop importing black market cheap labor.