Minnesota's Promise

For many years, the state of Minnesota has stood as a testament to what a free people can achieve, balancing individual liberty with a just and caring society in a way seldom seen in history. It is a record built not by chance, but by the steady hands of hardworking, trustworthy, and compassionate citizens. It is a record in which we can take rightful pride. But let us speak plainly: in recent decades, that balance has begun to strain. The burden placed upon the working men and women of this state has grown heavier, even as the rewards of their labor have grown lighter. Today, Minnesotans rise early, work long, and give faithfully, yet too often receive less in return. Worse still, they have watched as billions of dollars, earned through their effort and sacrifice, have been lost to mismanagement and failure in government. This is not the promise of Minnesota. And it is not the promise of America. As John F. Kennedy once reminded us, government is meant to serve the people, not stand apart from them. One of the clearest and most immediate ways we can honor that principle is simple: we must take less from those who earn it. For as the government grows larger, the distance between those who make decisions and those who live with their consequences grows wider. When that distance grows, accountability fades. We must do better. In every endeavor, we should demand not only good intentions, but effectiveness and efficiency. I am convinced that the resources already entrusted to our Nation are sufficient, not only to meet our obligations, but to ease the burden on our citizens and improve the benefits they receive. The task before us is not to ask more of the people of Minnesota, but to do more with what they have already given.
(Pics are links)

They Don't Care About You!!!!!(Yes, You)

Are the increases in spending proportional to the increases in the quality of Your life?