Political Contribution Refund program

If you haven't already heard the Political Contribution Refund program which as citizens contribute to candidates for state office will end on June 30 as part of Gov. Pawlenty's plans to balance the state budget through unallottment.

Let's face the truth , the 10 million dollars that the state will save over the next two years isn't really going to make a dent in the multi-billion dollar deficit were facing. But what it does is it takes the peoples voice out of our government. Many citizens that now give to political party's or to candidates may now think twice in doing so because the refunds will no longer be coming in the mail. That means that special interest groups with deep pockets will be buying there influence in St. Paul. Is this a good thing for the citizens of our state????

But there may be a challenge to this abuse of power by the Governor.

According to the Mpls Star Tribune, Mike Dean, president of Common Cause Minnesota, said Monday that the group has been talking with lawyers and law professors over whether Pawlenty can make his unallotment "We're very concerned about the abuse of power here," Dean said. "We have consulted legal experts to make sure we're correct, but we think there are grounds. We would engage someone who would be injured -- a legislative candidate -- to file the actual lawsuit."

This abuse of power by Gov. Pawlenty needs to be challenged. The peoples voice needs to be kept in our state government.