Bad Media

KSTP sank to a new low yesterday. Teasers for their news said that "40% of state tax revenue is disappearing," implying that almost half of all taxes are disappearing into a black hole of waste and mismanagement. Those darn Republicans who think we can cut spending by eliminating waste are right! Except their story doesn't say anything of the sort. 40% of revenue doesn't go to the General Fund, instead going to other funds. It's not wasted, it's not disappearing, it's just not in the General Fund. As a slightly more factual story points out, some of those other funds are huge, like the Highway User Tax Distribution Fund, which gets gas tax money and license fees, and the fund that pays for Minnesota Care, the Health Care Access Fund, which is funded by the provider tax.

My first thought when I heard this teaser was that it was over-the-top lying typical of the new KSTP. Of course, I was right. If there is a scandal anywhere, it's not that money goes to funds other than the General Fund, it's that people don't understand how our government is funded. You can go to http://www.budget.state.mn.us and on the first page see a report listing all these funds. These aren't funds hidden away by legislators who use them as slush funds.

If KSTP wants to educate the public, they can do without the anti-government rhetoric.