Fun Was Had By All at Our Annual Picnic

“It was such a great afternoon!” That is how people will describe the SD 49 / 50 Republican picnic that happened on Sunday the 13th at Bush Lake Park in Bloomington.

By Eric Strobel

A generation ago, electricity was less expensive in Minnesota than in other states. This low-cost energy provided Minnesotans with a significant benefit and was a rare expense break for beleaguered state businesses. If you feel as if you have been paying more and more for your monthly energy bill, that is because you are, a lot more.

The cost of energy in Minnesota has increased 12.5% over just the past eight years compared to an average reduction of 1.5% in the rest of the nation. The primary cause of the price increases was a mandate passed in 2007 which requires all state utilities to generate 25% of their energy production from so-called “renewable energy” by 2025. This is even more aggressive than the federal mandate of 20% “renewable energy” production by 2030. As disastrous as this state mandate is, however, it is made significantly worse by a series of wrong-headed and costly subsidies handed out to so-called “green energy.”  

While everyone is in favor of renewable energy, the issue is at what cost to the public will these energy programs be implemented? As Warren Buffet noted, "…we get a tax credit if we build a lot of wind farms. That's the only reason to build them. They don't make sense without the tax credit." This is also why Bill Gates has said that the costs of reducing carbon emissions with current technologies such as wind and solar power are “beyond astronomical.” Simply put, without massive taxpayer subsidies and mandates, “green energy” is not currently viable.

As an example of the increased costs necessary to support “renewable energy,” Xcel Energy and other electrical providers are required by state law to purchase excess solar energy at retail prices. What this means is that the electrical providers must reduce their own output of less expensive electrical energy and purchase higher-cost solar power at the exact same rate as the electrical providers then charge their customers.

This is called “net-metering” and results in significant increased costs as well as inefficiency at the producer because the available solar power fluctuates depending upon the available sunlight. The effect is that utilities, and naturally their customers, must subsidize solar and other “green energy” by paying more than the market will bear for their products. Of course, the fact that utilities must subsidize their competitors by paying retail prices for electricity that they previously produced at wholesale cost also helps drive up costs.

In addition, because of state energy mandates, utilities must spend more money to promote “green energy” technology. Xcel Energy customers currently are paying a 5% surtax to permit Xcel Energy to promote so-called “renewable energy” programs, a direct tax to every rate payer.

Minnesota’s current energy program, focused on renewable requirements, raises electricity prices yet demonstrates little environmental benefit, especially when compared with other options.  The best answer is not more state and federal regulation and taxes on existing energy. It is a sensible environmental policy that embraces an “all of the above” approach to energy usage.  

Bloomington residents Lew Coffey and Bill Reichert opposed the city council's request for authority to issue bonds without asking voters. Here's the story.

Reading Corps, a program designed by our former state representative and Minnesota commissioner of education Alice Seagren, has been successful statewide and in 11 states in closing the achievement gap for at-risk students from three-years-old to third grade. Alice says, "In Bloomington, 90 percent of 4-year-olds enrolled in the Minnesota Reading Corps made great gains on three key literacy measures, helping them be ready for kindergarten." Read more here.

Only the Mayo Clinic employs more people in Minnesota than the State of Minnesota and the federal government. See the list here.

Minnesota's Constitution states that "No law shall embrace more than one subject, which shall be expressed in its title." Our legislature consistently violates this requirement. Why does this harm the voting public?

The tenth amendment to the United States Constitution states, "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." Why does this matter?

June Full Committee Dinner Meeting will be held on June xx

Mark Your Calendars



Friday, May 29:  Social hour with the Minnesota Young Republicans,
5:30pm at Poor Richard's Common House. 
Hang out for a while with Young Republicans who are doing some really impressive work to spread our message to their peers and to grow our party.
click HERE to see an example of what the younger generation of Republicans is doing.
Special guests Andrew Lee and Jack Tomczak from Up and At Em Show
will host a podcast on site.
Suggested donation for "elders" and others who are not members of the YR is $10.

Tuesday, June 16:  Our May monthly SD 49 Dinner and Conversation has moved
into June.
Please join us for the YR Happy Hour instead (see May 29 event, above)!

Saturday, July 4:  SD 49 Republicans march in Edina's annual 4th of July parade.

Friday, July 17:  SD 49 hosts Congressman Tom Emmer for an evening of lively political conversation, 6:30 pm at the Edina Country Club.

Sunday, July 26:  Join us for our annual SD 49 family picnic at Bush Lake Park.

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