Brown Votes to Keep Business Regulations in Place

During the 2008 campaign, now-Sen. Dave Brown (R-Becker) was fond of claiming that he would slash government regulation and expand the free market. His campaign website still claims, "I will give leadership to reduced government red-tape and excessive regulations that repress the growth of our businesses."

Yet, faced with an actual regulation that he liked, Sen. Brown voted Wednesday in the Commerce Committee against repealing Minnesota's prohibition of Sunday liquor sales. The bill would not force stores to be open on the 7th day, but simply give owners that option. With all four border states offering liquor sales on Sunday, Minnesota is doubtlessly losing business to the neighbor; nearby store-owners should be allowed to compete.

Not only would this have led to a freer marketplace for consumers and business owners, it would have raised revenues for the depleted state coffers: at least $500,000 (per the official analysis) but perhaps upwards of several million.

Still waiting for word on Sen. Brown's reasoning, but it clearly isn't based on the free marketplace or the health of the state budget.

Update: FWIW, Sen. Brown says he voted with what he heard from SD16 liquor stores. Presumably they don't want competition from other stores--closer to the border--to force them to stay open on Sundays. That's already the reality for border-area stores, though, and Minnesota as a whole loses out.

The question really is: would we rather add that competitive element to the liquor market or cut even deeper into local government aid, higher education and other state programs?

River-Crossing Campaign Cash

Political campaigns, even for small State Senate races, don't come cheap. Whole industries are kept afloat with political dollars and surely the billions spent in America campaigning each cycle support countless jobs.

During 2010, now-Sen. Brown raised $40,052, spent $39,844, and began this calendar year with just $208 on hand. His receipts included a public subsidy of $11,104, complements of Minnesota taxpayers. You can download a .pdf of Senator Brown's 2010 year end campaign finance report through the Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board here.

What's striking about his report isn't how much he spent, but where he spent it. Of his expenditures, $18,090 (45%) went outside of the district, of which $1,806 (5%) was shipped out of state.

While some vendors will doubtlessly be spread far and wide, the amount spent across the Mississippi River from SD 16 in Monticello is incredible -- $3,717. The vast majority of this went to buy office supplies, snacks for volunteers, and other basics that are readily available at retailers inside our own district. Instead, Wright County and Office Max, Walmart, Target, and other national retailers benefited from this largess.

With the economic troubles wracking our communities, Dave Brown tellingly decided to spend his campaign cash in Wright County and elsewhere rather than support local businesses and workers.

Sen. Brown Attacks Dayton Budget, Offers No Alternative

Following the release Governor Dayton's proposal to balance the $5-plus trillion dollar deficit left in Pawlenty's wake, Senator Dave Brown (R-Becker) chose to offer a canned attack line rather than a solution.

"You would think that Governor Dayton's family owned Slumberland, because he's dreaming." (St. Cloud Times)

So, while the Governor brings a grown-up, balanced solution that cuts spending and asks those who have the most to pay the same share of their income in state and local taxes as the middle class does, our State Senator brings lame puns. It certainly is easier, but it's not what Minnesota needs.

Brown, Kiffmeyer Target Urban Schools; No Broad Help for Rest

Senator Dave Brown (R-Becker) last month introduced legislation (SF 422) to effectively eliminate integration aid--which gives higher per pupil funding levels to school districts with high levels of poverty--from Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Duluth public schools. Representative Mary Kiffmeyer (R-Big Lake) is carrying a companion bill in House.

This bill doesn’t redirect the money to other districts that may have other, equally pressing funding needs, including many within SD16 with stressed finances. Apparently his policy is to tear down others instead of raising all up. In a separate bill (SF 475) , Brown would add a new per pupil ‘growth revenue’ for districts that use more than 50% of their levy on debt service and are using more than 50% of net tax capacity. This narrow funding stream would help districts that overbuilt in good times instead of broadly supporting districts throughout Greater Minnesota.