Over the past few months, I have found it most interesting that our state representative has touted over and over again how the Republicans are solely responsible for raiding the schools of money and the Democrats are solely responsible for paying that money back.

If you have read or heard any of the political rhetoric lately, one would think that state Rep. Shannon Savick single-handedly repaid the schools their money. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, this is an outright deception. Both of these financial decisions were supported with bipartisan approval. The initial shift in school funding included the provision to repay the shift when it was approved. So this, in fact, was not just the Republicans’ doings, the Democrats equally had their hands in the schools’ cookie jar.

Another amusing fact is that our present representative and her supporters have tried repeatedly to deny that she supported the financing of the new $90 million Senate office building. Again, nothing can be further from the truth. Also, at a recent debate forum, she was asked about the funding for Minnesota light rail, which only benefits the metro area, and she said that this has had no state funding. Once again, nothing can be further from the truth.

It seems to me that there is a pattern of untruths that have been very delightfully fed to the voters of District 27A. Well, guess what? We see right through these political deceptions.

The new Senate office building is an atrocity and should not be built at this time given the state of our economy. This out-of-control spending is exactly what is hurting the good hard-working people of Minnesota and devastating the poorer families among us that so desperately need help. These kinds of metro driven inequities are what is counter-productive to outstate Minnesota.

It’s time that we have a representative who can go to St. Paul with real down to earth, common-sense approaches to our state’s challenges. I am not supporting Peggy Bennett because she is my friend, nor because she is running on a particular ticket. I am supporting her because I can believe what she says and because I believe she is truly one of us. I ask that you join me in supporting Peggy Bennett as our next state representative in District 27A.

 

George Marin

Albert Lea