Thomas Manninen
Thomas Manninen, a young man with plans to serve in politics, visited Cook County last week and he agreed to sit down and do an interview with the Cook County News- Herald.
Q- First, please tell a little about yourself. Do you fish? Play sports? Hike? Ski etc.?
A-I grew up in Littlefork, Minnesota. I played football, basketball, and baseball throughout high school. These days I like to golf, fish, and bike. I am also an avid reader who is always looking for book recommendations.
Q- Why are you running for the District 3A house seat?
A- I am running for the District 3A house seat because for too long, the Twin Cities DFL has catered only to Metro interests, and has left this district behind. I am tired of seeing layoffs and business closures and will work hard to pass legislation that addresses these issues.
Q- Minnesota is one of 11 states that tax Social Security. Would you like to see that stay or go away?
A- The tax on Social Security should end immediately. The tax on Social Security benefits funds the Twin Cities DFL Metro projects. This is a clear example of how our government has abandoned this district in favor of the Metro area.
Q- Minnesota has more than 50 tax codes for real estate. I believe North Dakota is second with 13, and most states have 6-7. And currently, the Minnesota legislature is looking at adding another one to address short term rentals. Would you like to see this mess cleaned up or just keep piling on more and more exceptions to the exceptions for the way the state taxes property?
A-I am in favor of simplifying the tax code for real estate. This complicated tax structure makes no sense and hurts the industry as a whole. When we look to our neighboring states, we see a better, simpler system. Much time is spent on the so-called “housing crisis” in American inner-cities. While this is not an issue in my district, the direct cause of this housing shortage is these codes. Legislation passed, which dramatically reduces these burdensome regulations, improves the housing situation in urban areas. Pertinent to my district, it would certainly lower the cost of new construction and make northern Minnesota a target for investment. It is time we ask ourselves why would we adopt such a complex tax structure that hurts industry.
Q- Do you support mining? If so, why?
A- I am an ardent supporter of mining. We have a rich history of iron mining in this district. PolyMet and Twin Metals are two mining projects that will supply thousands of good-paying jobs to this district. Talking with leaders in both of these projects, I am confident they will be able to operate safely and supply necessary materials that will benefit the United States.
A major source of revenue for this area is tourism to the boundary waters. The concern for the health of these waters is entirely justified, but rooted solely in emotion. The simple facts of these mining projects do not support the conclusions drawn by the Twin Cities DFL. I’ve spoken to leaders of these businesses, and many of them live in the very areas the DFL proclaims will be hurt. This is not so. The true environmentalists, educated in the complex processes of modern mining, are not opposed to these projects, simply because the impacts on the environment are negligible. People who oppose these projects are quite simply opponents, tired of the traditional methods of earning a living and desirous of a society whereby the sole method of supporting a family is “learning to code.”
Q- Do you support the timber industry? If so, why?
A-Growing up in Littlefork, I know many families who have spent their lives working in the timber industry. Right now, timber is struggling in this district and they feel abandoned in St. Paul. When elected, I plan on being a zealous advocate for the timber industry. Timber will remain an integral part of our economy.
Q- Do you have any ideas on how to help grow the economy in the Northland?
A-It is time we put our interests above Metro interests and bring back the north. I have been able to talk with business owners across the district and they have diagnosed several problems that we can change. Minnesota has some of the highest taxes in the country. The income tax and corporate tax have kept jobs out of the district and taken money from each and every one of us.
Minnesota also has a burdensome and costly regulatory system that discourages entrepreneurship. We should adopt policies and a tax system that encourages economic growth rather than fights it. Fostering these changes will encourage people to remain in our area, instead of the Twin Cities DFL method of forcing us to move away from our homes and into decrepit urban slabs for jobs and opportunity.
We’re not just a tourist destination – we are a home for thousands of people. Redirecting our hard-earned tax dollars away from light-rails and Minneapolis bike lanes and toward projects that actually bring benefits and job opportunities to our district are what make a true difference. It’s not an overnight process, but it begins with building coalitions with representatives of both parties in greater Minnesota.
Q- Tourism is huge in Tip of the Arrowhead. More than 80 percent of Cook County’s economy is tied up in some way to tourism. Do you support tourism?
A- We live in the greatest part of Minnesota. Our lakes, trails, and forests are second to none. We must support tourism in the Arrowhead. This means we must provide adequate environmental protections and continue the fight against invasive species. Smart conservation and lower taxes will allow tourism to flourish in the Arrowhead.
Tourism requires gasoline, which is taxed too high. It requires hotel stays, which are taxed too high. It requires a multitude of expenditures, each of which St. Paul gets a healthy taste of.
The costlier it is to travel, the less travel occurs. This is simple. Modernizing our approach to taxation, eliminating the draconian regulatory schemes dreamed up by St. Paul, and maintaining smart and non-burdensome environmental protections restores northern Minnesota to the national tourism destination it once was.
Q- At times, the governor has been using his executive power to shut down small businesses while keeping large ones like Walmart/Target, etc. open through the COVID- 19 pandemic. He cites science behind his reasoning, but does that mean that the big box stores don’t attract the coronavirus and just the smaller stores do attract the virus? Now everyone is required to wear a facemask. Do you think he is going too far in his mandates? And what do you think about the school’s opening up?
A-The governor has acted without the legislature’s input for over three months. It is time for the legislature to stop abiding by the governor’s every word and reclaim its role as a coequal branch of government. Our district has not been hit as hard as other parts of the state and it is unfair to punish small business owners. The question of whether or not to open schools should be left to school districts, not politicians down in St. Paul.
As citizens, we vest certain powers in certain branches of government, with the understanding that each branch serves a unique purpose. The purpose of the Executive is not to write his own laws and craft society into the vision he dreams of. If a mask mandate is something the legislature wishes to entertain, let the political process of checks and balances begin. This is not what we have today. One man does not govern Minnesota, and he who tries ought to be met with a heavy-handed check and balance – but that takes a degree of courage we do not have in our current representation. I am open to discussions about how we address this pandemic, but it is precisely the absence of discussion that has resulted in one man making laws for five million – a concept that would make our founders nauseous, to say the least.
Q- Do you support law enforcement (the police)?
A- I am a complete supporter of our police. The push by the Twin Cities DFL to defund the police is a perfect example of how out of touch today’s DFL is. I’ve talked with many lifelong Democrats and they have told me the party they once belonged to has abandoned them.
Police are what holds our community together; they are peacekeepers of our streets. When we turn on our televisions, it’s easy to watch the videos of rioters on Lake Street in Minneapolis and simply say, “Well, they have it bad there…” It’s not going to stay there. We are secluded away from this violence for now, but the abolition of police (which is advocated by our leaders at the highest level, both directly and indirectly) brings that chaos up here. Highway 61 is a beautiful scenic highway – for now. Giving in to the DFL’s police-less society dream makes Highway 61 look like Hennepin Avenue in a very short period of time. It’s only because of our finest men and women in blue that prevent this. If elected, I will support our law enforcement officers in whatever capacity I can.
Q- Minnesota is one of the highest taxed states. Do you support smaller government or growing the government and increase taxing local citizens?
A- It’s time to provide much-needed tax relief to the great people of this district. The Twin Cities DFL has taken far too much of your money and wasted it. Every time I hear about a new light rail project, I know they plan to pay for it with your hard-earned money. I will fight against any tax increases and work hard to alleviate the monstrous taxes you pay.
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