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There have been a few letters to the editor recently which laud and celebrate the legislation passed during this year’s legislative session in Minnesota.

As an Independent and concerned citizen, I must express my viewpoint.

While there were some positive bills passed such as ending the Minnesota taxation of a good portion of Social Security, money for the further dredging of Fountain Lake, money for the updating of both Austin and Albert Lea wastewater treatment facilities and some additional funding for nursing homes, all of which were supported with bipartisan participation, there were also too many laws passed in a total partisan manner by the Democratic majority, which I believe will prove to be detrimental.

1. Legislation was passed to effectively end all barriers to aborting human life from the time of conception right up until the moment of birth. While this was lauded as a protection of women’s rights, in my mind it is a death sentence for a completely separate life.
Incidentally, the claims that all immigration is necessary because the U.S. has a labor shortage, are rather hollow when you consider the 60 million plus “workers” whose lives have been ended by abortion in the past 40 years.

2. Legislation was passed which legalized a mind-altering drug (marijuana). There have been efforts for years to get people to stop the health harmful habit of smoking tobacco, and now a substance even more harmful than tobacco has been legalized and is being promoted in our state.

3. While the legislation passed for an additional $2.3 billion for education sounds good, after funding the 65-plus new mandates added as part of the legislation most schools will actually have less money for educating the students.

Check with your local school superintendent for more information.

4. The legislation passed for free college tuition for certain individuals is both discriminatory and an unneeded extra burden on state taxpayers. The Legislature instead should have acted to stop colleges from raising tuition at the unreasonable and inflationary rate that they have been.

Most of the noted legislation and others not listed have common denominators. They tend to reduce or do away with personal responsibility and integrity.
Millions of people from many countries are still running huge physical risks, using life savings and even breaking the law to get into our country while we appear to be giving up on ourselves with ever increasing, unlawful, immoral and irresponsible manners of behavior.

God has greatly blessed the USA and its citizens as we have enjoyed freedoms, rights and prosperity which the citizens of most other countries can only dream about and hope for. It is time, however, too change the current trajectory of our behavior and embrace again the personal responsibility, integrity, lawfulness, faith and effort required to ensure that our freedoms and rights continue to exist.

Dave Horning
Albert Lea