The I-35W bridge wasn’t the only thing in Minnesota that collapsed last week. I believe last Wednesday’s tragedy will mark the beginning of the end for the ideology of something for nothing.
For more than a decade, the state of Minnesota has been held hostage by a small band of would-be revolutionaries committed to reshaping the state’s political priorities. I’m talking about men like David Strom, whose overheated fax machine and rhetoric at the Minnesota Taxpayer’s League set the stage for the emaciation of Minnesota’s public sector. And I’m talking about men like Tim Pawlenty, who served as primary cheerleader for the something for nothing crowd and whose "no new taxes" pledge has undermined not just our highways and bridges, but our schools and even our compassion.
Those of us over 40 who grew up in Minnesota, all remember when our state received national attention for the right reasons. Who can forget the picture of Gov. Wendy Anderson holding the northern pike in National Geographic under the headline: ‘The Good Life in Minnesota."
What our parents and grandparents achieved in Minnesota was exceptional and we were rightly proud. Certainly, our taxes were a bit higher than other states, but the people who made this state extraordinary had grown up on farms and in small towns, worked hard, and had survived the Great Depression. They knew nothing worthwhile ever came without effort.
For decades, from the 1950s well into the 1980s, Minnesotans shared the notion that by investing in our state, by providing the best schools, the best infrastructure, the best amenities, that we would enjoy the highest quality of life. We would attract the best and the brightest and would prosper as a result. And it worked. Our students excelled, our businesses grew, and our quality of life was practically legend, despite the coldest winters in the country.
Remarkably, this common vision was bi-partisan. It made little difference which party controlled the Legislature or the Governor’s Mansion. Minnesotans of both parties understood that you couldn’t have the nicest house on the block, without being willing to pay for it.
But that Minnesota consensus broke down in the 1990s, with the arrival of a new generation of anti-government conservatives, many of whom had grown up in the suburbs with all the blessings of this state, but were nonetheless blind to all that we had achieved in Minnesota through public investment. They preached lower taxes and smaller government. They said by making government more efficient, we would see all the benefits of life in Minnesota, without the high cost. It was fundamentally a selfish message, but it was a seductive one to many. After all, who doesn’t want something for nothing?
While Pawlenty and his fellow Republicans were among the early boosters of this new vision, their philosophy, like a virus, soon spread to others.
In 1994, DFL Sen. John Marty ran for governor promising higher taxes and a reinvigoration of public investment. When he lost in a landslide, even the DFL fell into line, despite the reservations of many in the party. Solid public investment might be sound policy, but it was political suicide they decided.
In 1998, the virus spread to the Reform Party in the guise of Jesse Ventura, a self-centered blowhard whose primary motivation was lower license fees for his Porsches. And Minnesotans eagerly checked their mailboxes for their "Jesse checks," tax rebates sent out because our lawmakers couldn’t think of anything better to do with state surpluses- even as the state’s most-heavily traveled bridge sank further into disrepair.
While last week’s tragedy was an unmistakable wakeup call, there had been plenty of other warning signs. Just the week before the bridge collapse, the state’s Dept. of Education reported disappointing student test scores for the second year in a row. Minnesota had been among the leaders for years when it came to investing in education and we had the results to show for it. Under something for nothing, our ranking in education funding has now slipped into the bottom half among states- and our schools are hurting.
Earlier this year, we learned that Minnesota’s job growth had fallen below the national average for the first time in 30 years. The something for nothing crowd told us our high taxes killed jobs. Their philosophy would bring more jobs to Minnesota, they said. But like that bridge, their arguments aren’t holding up. The good life in Minnesota is disappearing.
In a press conference last week, Lt. Gov. and Transportation Commissioner Carol Molnau angrily defended herself from criticism in the wake of the bridge collapse. She dismissed charges that her agency had been too stingy on repairs despite the 2006 warnings of a consultant that the bridge needed major structural reinforcement.
She said she always put safety first.
But for the past four and a half years, Molnau and her mentor Tim Pawlenty have made their top priority abundantly clear...and it wasn’t safety. It was "No New Taxes." It was no new taxes even as our schools lost ground. It was no new taxes even when it meant single, working adults had to lose their state-sponsored health insurance and our nursing homes sunk to critical condition. And it was no new taxes even as the state was forced to return millions in critically-needed transportation dollars because we didn’t have the matching money.
We now know the consequences of something for nothing. The fallout is as unmistakable as that wreckage lying in the river.