Here’s What We Should Do With Minnesota’s Budget Surplus

The news Tuesday out of St. Paul that the state had a budget surplus of nearly $1.65 billion dollars was good news. But what should we do with all that extra money? Well, here's what I say:

Now, seeing as I'm no expert when it comes to the economy or finances or budgets, this TwinCities.com breaks down how it is that Minnesota is looking at a surplus of $1.65 billion dollars over the next two years.

Now, if you're like me, that's such a big figure, it's hard to even comprehend. $1.65 BILLION dollars. Wow. So what are we going to do with all that money?

Politicians, of course, are saying we should use it on roads, tax relief or additional funding to local cities and counties. That makes sense, and is probably a good way to allocate the extra funds.

But here’s a way that might put things into perspective and make a little more ‘cents’ (see what I did there?). What about if we spent that money by refunding it to you and me? After all, we ARE the taxpayers, aren’t we?

If you take the $1.65 billion surplus and divide it by the 2106 population of the state of Minnesota, which is 5,519,952, that would mean every citizen in the Land of 10,000 Lakes would get $298.92! That's not too bad!

Now, I’m guessing that while the latest economic forecast does, indeed, call for a surplus, that amount is actually spread out over the next two fiscal years– and the taxes the state expects to collect in that time.

So, it’s not like there’s a big pile of Benjamins sitting there at the capitol building in St. Paul the state could just divide up and send out to us, as I’ve outlined above.

And I wouldn't be looking for that almost $300 check from the state anytime soon, either. It’s not quite like winning the Powerball, but it’s fun to dream, isn’t it?