MN Alert:
The legislative session in Minnesota has shed new light on tobacco politics this year.
Coming forward with pro tobacco tax and anti smoking legislation influenced by non other than lobbyists funded with public money allocated by the Minnesota legislature in 2003.
A grant sum of 3.4 million dollars distributed by the Commissioner of Health Mandernach to "pre selected anti smoking groups has reaped legislation from two Democrat's Representative Ron Latz and Senator Scott Dibble, Senate file 2381 and the house companion bill 2411. This legislation is an attempt to amend State Statute 144.414 (the Minnesota clean indoor law) to ban smoking every where the public is present to all workplace including restaurants , bars, Senator Dibble was nice enough to allow us to still smoke in our homes.
As usual this annual attack on smokers and private businesses comes from public funded and non profit anti smoking groups and not from a public outcry, or even whimper.
Under federal and state laws all principled expenditures to influence legislation by direct lobby or referendum must post the expenditures on the state run website.
Along with expenditures of 42 million to influence legislation is the two non-smoking grant recipients that each spent $20,000 of the peoples money to purchase the best legislation that public money can buy. Can I prove the bank account of Latz and Dibble have increased by $40,000 ? If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck… but the question will always remain. Who received the 40 large to author friendly legislation for the public funded constituents?
Minnesota is the only state with socialized health care that is provided by three non profits that purchased all private health care in Minnesota in 1994 under an anti trust exemption issued by the appointed Commissioner of Public Health. Because the appointed health committee of non profits and activist legislators were unable to put a $2.00 per pack on cigarettes to fund health care for poor people that commission was forced to pay a 2% provider tax to fund the health care. Again this year the lobbyists from the monopoly of non profit health care groups are upset at having to pay the provider tax. Representative Fran Bradley (r) Rochester) Mayo Clinic and front man for health care providers is attempting to raise tobacco tax by .29 so smokers can pick up 24% of the provider tax, This is called a "neutral tax" because it shifts taxes from the non profits and loads it on the back of smokers, Remember this slang when you pay your taxes, just pay the "neutral tax" and have your neighbor pick it up.
The only remaining safety net is a governor that promised to not raise taxes, And the final safety net would be for a principled legislature to stop funding activists with the peoples money, until then annual attacks on smokers and their finances will continue.
Archie Anderson
President
Minnesota Property Rights