Hot Topics

They Did What? MN Legislature's Actions You Like ... or Dislike

What's your take on Minnesota's higher cigarette and income taxes, same-sex marriage law, all-day kindergarten funding, gun control measures, minimum wage and more?

What do you like—or dislike—in what the Minnesota Legislature did or didn't do? Leave a comment below. The Star Tribune posted a handy list of issues the Minnesota Legislature did and didn't tackle in the session that ended Monday at midnight. Love 'em? Hate 'em? Leave a comment below. DID: DIDN'T DO: See the full post at startribune.com. Which actions the Minnesota Legislature took do you support or oppose? Leave a comment below.

•  2 Comments
• Photos (1)
• Videos (1)

Dayton's Tax Plan Stirs Readers' Debate

More than 100 reader comments have been made since governor's plan unveiled last week.

When Gov. Mark Dayton last week unveiled a proposed state budget and tax plan that would, among other things, lower Minnesota's sales tax from 6.875 percent to 5.5 percent, the plan sparked a vigorous debate among Patch readers. Patch has had more than 100 reader comments on our story that asked people to take our poll, then share their thoughts on Dayton's tax and budget plan. Here's a sampling of some of the comments: George P. Burdell:  A simplistic response to this comment would then be; Democrats want to clean out our wallets and institute socialisim... which really worked well for the USSR...hmmm. Brad Koehn: I'll be curious to see if Minnesotans spend enough on clothing worth more than $100 to bring in $2B in revenue. I'm a bit …

•  8 Comments
• Photos (1)

What Issues Should the Minnesota Legislature Focus on in 2013?

With so many challenges on the table, Patch wants to know what issues you think are most important.

  With another legislative session just around the corner, senators and representatives have no shortage of challenges ahead of them. Lawmakers plan to convene hearings on gun control in the wake of the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, CT. They’ll review a recommendation from a governor-appointed task force to increase gas taxes and tab fees in response to a projected $50 billion shortfall in transportation funding. The DFL majority and defeat of the marriage amendment in the 2012 election could even prompt the Legislature to take up the issue of gay marriage. And looming over everything is a projected $1.1 billion deficit that legislators will have to close before adjourning for the year. With so many issues on the …

•  52 Comments
• Photos (1)

yomammy

7:25 am on Monday, March 18, 2013

I am ALMOST for it...jsut get rid of the duplicate friggin systems we have!!!! we dont need a dozen agencies doing the SAME thing!!! too much overhead!!! ---that and ANY .gov program is doomed to massive overruns and mismanagement.   more ›

Twin Cities Reaction: Who Won the Presidential Debate?

Barack Obama and Mitt Romney duked it out in Denver, CO.

Barack Obama and Mitt Romney duked it out tonight in their first presidential debate in Denver, Colorado. Patch live-blogged the debate, which featured the candidates touching on domestic issues like health care, PBS funding, and America's energy sources. You can watch the entire debate on YouTube Politics. Some of the points that resonated with our live-blog panelists were split on who came out on top: Here's a sampling of responses on Twitter:

•  160 Comments
• Photos (2)

rob_h78

11:30 am on Monday, October 8, 2012

A couple of points. 1) Almost every incumbent President has lost the first debate since they have been televised, the only exception was Bill Clinton. 2) I remember in 2008 watching folks talk about how Obama lost debates to Hillary Clinton and how he lost debates to John McCain and yet he was the guy who took the oath of office at the end. I don't know if he will be re-elected, but, so far there…   more ›

Fridley in D.C.

Ellison Report: Asks IRS to Help LGBT Pairs with Taxes

Fridley's rep in Congress, Keith Ellison, said the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) complicates taxes for some.

U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison (DFL-MN) joined Rep. Betty McCollum (DFL-MN) in urging the IRS to provide same sex couples with assistance when filing their tax returns, according to an article in The Minnesota Independent. Same-sex couples who have legal relationships in at least 15 states through marriage, civil unions and domestic partnerships aren’t recognized by the federal government because of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), according to the article. This makes filing taxes much more complicated for those couples because of the inconsistancies between the states and federal laws. The letter stated: “The IRS has the ability to provide specific guidance to ease the complexity and uncertainty surrounding these couples ... While full …

• Photos (1)

Document: Fridley City Council Agenda for Aug. 22

Taxes and assessments are among the topics the council will discuss.

• Documents (1)