BYE!!!

Sometime you get a perfect storm; an absolute idiot proposes and absolutely idiotic idea.  When it happens, magic occurs.

The latest example of this involves the idiotic Minnesota Representative Jeremy Munson.  There have been a lot of dumbs things this clown has done, but prior to this, probably the stupidest was when he started dishing out medical advice to diabetics.  Munson does not have (to my knowledge) diabetes, nor is he a licensed medical professional, but neither stopped him from handing out insulin advice in a WalMart parking lot.  

Wow! That's stupid!

Munson has outdone himself with his latest suggestion, that basically the western 2/3rds of Minnesota should secede from the state of Minnesota and join South Dakota. 

Munson is likely proposing this for two reasons.  One, this is one of those red meat Righto talking points which Republicans use to try to fire up their base, something which on the outside looks like a tough guy stance, sticking it to the Libs!  

The other seems to be an attempt at trying to get South Dakota Kristi Noem's attention.  Noem, who has gleefully sickened and killed tens of thousands of her own citizens through her atrocious Corona Virus response, is getting some talk in circles regarding a Presidential run in 2024. Munson seems to be trying to get her to pay attention to him.  Mission Accomplished!  Noem did respond, although it's not clear if this was a full throated endorsement of the idea.  If this wasn't partially about sucking up to Noem, then why not try to secede to North Dakota, or split the purged MN counties, with parts going North and parts going South?

For the record, I FULLY ENDORSE THIS IDEA!  Seriously I do.  Don't get me wrong, I love all of Minnesota, and have spent a lot of time in the southwestern part of the state, Brainerd area and in Bemidji.  Those places all have some wonderful elements to them, and would be a loss for Minnesota, but we'd still be able to access them, so it's not like they would no longer exist.  

I LOVE this idea for the comedic potential of watching Munson and his allies faces when they realize what they have really done.  I also love it for how the Twin Cities metro would benefit GREATLY from getting rid of these rural western Minnesota moocher counties who drain our tax payer dollars.

Munson doesn't suggest the western part of Minnesota becoming a brand new state, only that they'd get folded into South Dakota.  Like I said earlier, it feels like there's a suck up to Noem strategy here, but I'm going to guess Munson already has done the math on what the costs would be to start the 51st state.  The region he's suggesting jettison itself from Minnesota wouldn't have the financial where with all to start a state from scratch. 

You need to build a Capitol, Departments of Health and Human Services, Transportation, Natural Resources, Agriculture and quite a few more.  Those will all be pricey.  Just the launching of license plates and new signage will cost tens of millions.  

A western Minnesota new state wouldn't be able to afford itself, as these counties DESPERATELY need the Twin Cities tax dollars to pay their bills.  By trying to join South Dakota instead of starting their own state, they're admitting that.  But the real ugly truth is even with Munson's SD plan, South Dakota won't fund you guys like the Twin Cities does, and frankly, my guess is South Dakota wouldn't take you. 

From an Axios Twin Cities story from earlier this year, the city of Minneapolis alone pays more than 1.9 billion in state taxes per year, but only gets back 543 million in state aide.  The seven county metro area (all of which is omitted from Munson's run for the border) pays 3.46 billion more in state taxes than they get back in return.  Where does this extra money go?  Right into the moocher counties in the western part of the state, counties who spend FAR more than they take in in local state tax payer dollars. 

Take Munson's district, which includes Waseca, Wantonwan and Blue Earth (but NOT including Makato proper) Counties.  Waseca and Wantonwan both receive far more in state aid than they pay into the system.  Although the reports I found don't break down counties even further, my suspicion is that Blue Earth County minus Mankato is also dependent on metro area tax dollars to pay their bills.

Many of the counties Munson is wanting to peel off from the state spend FAR more in tax dollars than they pay into the system. My guess is Munson thinks South Dakota would pick up the slack and cover their over the top spending habits.

Probably not! According to Ballotpedia (and to be fair these numbers are a little old [2015/2017]) South Dakota spends about 1/10th Minnesota does on state aid to counties.  They don't have a personal income tax, and their property taxes are a set rate, so most of the money comes from sales tax.  According to what they pay currently, South Dakota will immediately cut your K-12 education, public assistance and Medicare budgets (dramatically too!), but good news; they pay more than Minnesota does for prisons.  Overall a former Minnesota county is going to get a double whammy.  First they lose the Twin Cities tax dollar gravy train, and then they get more cuts to their county's budgets. 

And frankly, South Dakota won't want you! Not only will they see a whole bunch of moocher counties they have to try to prop up, but the threats to current SD businesses and industries would be a non-starter.  Let's look at a lesser category like tourism.  You think South Dakota hunting and fishing tourism wants to see their dollars and resources go to help promote hunting and fishing hundreds of miles away from them?  No way, and that's a lesser issue.  Go to Rapid City or western South Dakota and tell them they're either going to have to raise their taxes or take massive cuts to the limited services the state provides so South Dakota can subsidize a bunch of Minnesota counties who are foolishly ungrateful for all the tax payer dollars the Twin Cities gives them.

But say South Dakota did take you, and you are foolish enough to think the massive cuts to your county's budgets are worth it.  Then you have to watch as the state plays favorites.  Your ex-Minnesota counties will always be the last served, and you'll have to give up your resources without complaining.  When your lakes become fracking water dumping grounds, or your state and county park land is sold off to South Dakota Republican donors for cents on the dollar, you'll find it harder and harder to convince yourselves you're still 'owning the the Libs!'

Meanwhile the remaining part of the state which will still be Minnesota will be a freaking utopia! Look at Musons's map again: 

Minnesota would consist of the Minneapolis/St. Paul seven county area, Duluth, Rochester, the Iron Range and all parts in between.  Maybe not all of the the 1.4 billion in Minneapolis tax dollars, or the 3.46 billion in the seven county metro area tax dollars, will come back, but a MASSIVE influx of tax dollars will come back to the Cities.  The Twin Cities will be the best funded metro are in the country, with immediate infusions of 100's of millions of dollars into roads, schools, parks and other programs.  The still loyal state counties will also see a massive increase in dollars coming into their folds.  The quality of life in the new Minnesota will be on par with that of Europe, while the new South Dakota struggles to get by.

I hope Jeremy Munson goes through with this.  I seriously do!  Nothing will be funnier than watching the County boards of each of these counties having to look at the real catastrophic financial consequences of leaving Minnesota and vote yeah or nay.  My guess is they'd all suddenly adopt a "while we disagree with the out of control Liberals in the Twin Cities, the truth is we appreciate Minnesota and would rather stay than leave."  Sure, one or two counties might vote to go, and let them!  One less moocher county means more money for the Twin Cities. 

I can't wait for the mass exodus of moving vans leaving the traitor counties and driving back to Minnesota in shame, while we all laugh at belligerent anti-Minnesotans screaming about "how much better their lives are now."  Sure it is buttercup! 

Please, do the Twin Cities a MASSIVE favor and secede western Minnesota to South Dakota.  It'll be the dumbest thing you'll ever do!

By the way, if Jeremey Munson hates Minnesota as much as he seems to, maybe it'd be best for him to pack up a truck and move to South Dakota.  It'll save you a lot of time and headache, and we won't miss you!

BYE!!!