Letter to the Editor:
October 23rd, 2008Amendment to our State Constitution for Clean Water, Wildlife, Cultural Heritage, and Natural Areas.
I would like to raise a concern I have about amending our State Constitution to appropriate funds. Our Nation and each State adopted a constitution to direct the powers of the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches of the respective governments. In other words, it states what each branch has jurisdiction over. Our Legislative branch has the authority to appropriate funds and the Executive branch has the authority to approve such appropriations. We as citizens of this State have the authority to elect Legislators and Governors to appropriate funds and we also have the authority to lobby each Legislator and Governor to appropriate funds per our personal flavors.
I am deeply concerned when we start to amend our Constitution to appropriate funds. The purpose of having the Legislature appropriate funds is to address our State’s needs as they arise. Establishing a constitutional amendment to appropriate funds - no mater how noble the cause may be - creates a Socialistic Government and erodes the very freedoms our forefathers gave their lives for.
In 2006 our Constitution was amended to appropriate the Vehicle Excise Tax to give a minimum of 40% and up to 100% of these tax dollars for mass transit. Now two years later in 2008 we have yet another Constitutional Amendment before us. The cause may seem noble but we must ask ourselves - do we want our State Constitution to become a funding appropriations document?
If your answer is yes, then I ask you - why not amend the State Constitution to appropriate 100% of the State’s budget? If it’s good for a select few causes then it must be better for all of our funding needs. Just think, no more bickering at the State Capitol over who receives what amount of the budget. It would all be locked in, set, no changes allowed. And if one segment needs more funding and taxes needed to be raised, why all segments would receive their allotted percentage of the tax hike. Do you think the tax hike would be smaller or higher before the initial segment would receive their required funding status?
Dear Voter, I urge you to take into consideration the ramifications of implementing Constitutional Amendments to appropriate funds. What will be the effect on our children and our grandchildren with such amendments? There will be many noble causes which will need funding both now and in the future. Is a Constitutional Amendment the right way to fund them?
My personal opinion is NO. If these causes are indeed noble then let’s voice our concerns to the Legislature where all noble causes can be considered and those deemed most worthy are then funded. This maintains freedom and hope for we can elect different Legislators but we have a much more difficult time reversing Constitutional Amendements.
I voice these statements not as a representative of the Sibley County Republican BPOU but as a concerned citizen who loves the freedoms our forefathers granted onto us and which I intend to extend to my children and grandchildren. Please vote responsibly on November 4th.
Daryl Thurn
Rural Green Isle
