SF5289 appropriates approximately $783 million for “jobs and economic development,” including grants to “LGBTQ+-owned small businesses,” “African Immigrants Community Services,” and the “Black Women’s Wealth Alliance.”
The House passed SF5289 on May 18, 2024, by a vote of 83 to 47. We have assigned pluses to the nays because providing “jobs and economic development” is not the legitimate object of government. This phrase is simply a cliché used to coerce taxpayers into subsidizing various types of crony, corporate-sponsored projects. Likewise, Minnesota has no business granting public funds in support of the LGBTQ+ movement, mass migration, or race-based groups. Instead of unconstitutionally and unethically engaging in identity politics, the state’s government should focus solely on securing the basic rights and liberties of its citizens, which afford everyone the opportunity and dignity to take care of themselves and their family. The Bill of Rights and the 14th Amendment were intended to promote the “general Welfare” of all Americans and guarantee to each person within its jurisdiction the “equal protection of the laws.”
