Letter to the Editor: Rep. Doug Wardlow's Claims Misleading

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To the Editor:

Representative Doug Wardlow continues to mislead Eagan residents about his record on our state budget. He claims he helped balance the budget not only responsibly, but also in such a manner, that Minnesota now has a budget surplus. Borrowing against our children’s education is hardly responsible.

The Republicans love to compare state budgets to household budgets. Let’s do that!

With Mr. Wardlow’s votes, our Minnesota “family” did indeed give the kids a raise in their allowance (he voted for a small increase in per pupil aid), but he paid for it by voting to make the school districts lend the state $2.4 billion (raiding the kids college fund). This $2.4 billion plus $1.5 billion raided from the state’s tobacco settlement (also supported by Mr. Wardlow) represents the vast majority of his “balanced budget.” We won’t have a balanced budget in future years. We have cost shifts that will need to be addressed in 2013 and beyond. All families know that paying as we go is ultimately cheaper than putting our needs on a credit card. What our children will forgo in the meantime is inestimable.

Eagan residents have invested in our school districts and are proud of our public schools. We need a representative at the state legislature who will look out for the best interests of our children and our state budgets, not a representative who plays shell games with our hard-earned tax dollars and then brags about his cleverness.

I will be voting for Laurie Halverson for State Representative on Nov. 6, and I encourage all voters to do the same. We can insure our public schools continue to be some of the best in the state only if we have legislators willing to be good stewards of our state. I believe Laurie Halverson is the representative we need.

Laura L. Spartz

Want to submit a letter to the editor to Eagan Patch? Email your submission to Editor David Henke at david.henke@patch.com.