Hello from the State Capitol,
Should cities and counties be financially punished for refusing to fly the new Minnesota state flag? Minnesota House Democrats say yes, as a new bill would reduce state funding to a local government that chose to recognize the state’s previous flag.
In 2023 when Democrats had complete control of state government, they cherrypicked a handful of supporters and told them to design a new state flag. People in this state value history, and cities shouldn’t be punished for supporting that.
The bill would require state government to reduce a county or city’s local government aid (LGA) amount by 10 percent if that locality flies any flag other than the new flag. Worth noting: under current Minnesota law, local governments are not required to fly the official Minnesota state flag, so House Democrats are just looking to punish those who don’t align with their way of thinking.
In 2023, Democrats established a 13-member commission to redesign Minnesota’s state flag and seal. The commission later introduced new designs for both. However, these designs were never formally approved by voters or the state legislature. Instead, the law that created the commission specified that its final flag selection would automatically take effect as the official state flag.
The maneuver irritated many across the state who thought the flag redesign process should have been more open to public and legislative input. Because of this, numerous communities across the state are choosing to fly the 1983 version of the Minnesota flag on city owned property.
It is interesting that people who want you to believe the nation is ruled by a dictator think state government should punish those who refuse to comply with their partisan decisions. We are a nation of freedoms, and cities and counties should have the freedom to fly the state flag that the majority of their residents support.
Have a good weekend,
Marj