The Free Press, Mankato, MN

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August 18, 2010

Our View: Candidates need to be brutally honest

The Free Press

MANKATO — Some candidates for office have now shifted into their drive gear fueled by the comfortable slogans and cliches they hope will be enough for most voters.

And in many elections, this works. That’s why they do it.

But we live in different times. Slogans and cliches and sound bites won’t do. But if we want candidates to put it into overdrive, to get to the core of the issues, voters must demand that it be done. They need to ask tough questions and candidates need to give brutally honest answers.

With regard to Minnesota government races, brutal honesty and substantive policy discussion do not appear to be happening just yet. Some of the gubernatorial candidates are sniffing at the edges of forthrightness, but remain on the sidelines nonetheless. Others are still in the locker room.

Voters need some ammunition to get candidates to come clean. There’s plenty of that in a recent report on state spending.

Health and human services spending in Minnesota grew by 95 percent between 1998 and 2008, 60 percent more than income growth, according to figures from a recently released U.S. Census report. Our spending in this area is 44 percent above the national average.

These costs may be driven by demographics — more people qualifying for health care and welfare spending — or maybe Minnesota benefits are more generous than other places. Either way, we need solutions.

Human service spending growth crowds out our resources for investments elsewhere. Minnesota has dropped far below national averages in spending on police, fire and corrections, by 47 percent below in fire alone.

We’re ranked 25th in spending on higher education, 18th in education — two areas experts say are crucial to our economic future. Some 20 years ago Minnesota had spending or investments higher than the national average in 14 of 18 categories, according to an analysis of Census figures by the nonpartisan Minnesota Taxpayers Association. Today, we exceed the national average in only five areas.

The tough questions for candidates become: Where and how will we cut spending? Will raising taxes cover the steep rise in human service spending? If not, where will we cut? Are we willing to reduce benefits, reduce eligibility?

While we need our candidates to be more realistic and forthcoming, we also need to be realistic as voters. Are we willing to take cuts to programs that support our livelihood?  Many surveys of voters show they want fewer taxes but also oppose cuts to education, public safety and human services — some of the biggest areas of spending.

These issues need to be put on the table now by voters, businesses, nonprofits and the media. We don’t have time for slogans.

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