Hennen: Can Minnesota be saved?

I grew up in the Land of 10,000 Lakes — Minnesota born, Minnesota bred — and I can tell you without hesitation the state I once knew is slipping away. What was once a model of common sense and good governance has become a national embarrassment under one-party Democratic control, where incompetence, corruption, and a complete lack of accountability now define state government.

Start with the Gov. Tim Walz administration’s Housing Stabilization Services program — sold as a way to help people in need — which became so consumed by fraud that the Minnesota House voted unanimously, 134-0, to shut it down. Think about that. In today’s political climate, nothing is unanimous unless it’s a total disaster. That wasn’t a disagreement — it was an admission of failure.

Then there’s the Department of Human Services, where basic oversight has simply vanished. At the same time, every single House Democrat voted to block mandatory reporting to ICE when a criminal illegal alien breaks the law, despite the fact that 85% of Minnesotans support cooperation between local law enforcement and immigration authorities. A bill designed to focus on violent criminal illegal immigrants and prevent the chaos we saw earlier this year was rejected outright. So who are they representing?

Meanwhile, a program meant to help children with autism exploded from $38 million to $325 million in just five years, with providers jumping from 150 to more than 500, and when credible allegations surfaced that some providers were offering kickbacks to parents, three separate complaints were closed without investigation. The Walz administration’s excuse? A broken, 30-year-old rule written incorrectly, which they claim limits what they can investigate. They’ve known about it, they could have fixed it, and they didn’t. Now they say it could take two more years. That’s not governance — that’s avoidance.

And while fraud runs rampant, Democrats somehow found time to call emergency Friday hearings to push through 16 bills targeting your Second Amendment rights. Apparently, restricting your rights takes priority over protecting your tax dollars.

Speaking of tax dollars, consider this: Democrats blew an $18 billion surplus, grew the size of government by over 40%, and raised taxes by $10 billion—and now Walz wants to raise your taxes again. Even after all that, they still feel entitled to more of your money.

Then there’s the Feeding Our Future scandal, where Ikram Mohamed pleaded guilty to wire fraud involving $14 million, with over a million going into her own pocket, and federal investigators believe she was involved in efforts to bribe a juror. She even secretly recorded Attorney General Keith Ellison while seeking help, yet under her plea deal, she avoids prosecution for other potential crimes. What message does that send? This is what happens when no one is held accountable and government grows too large to manage.

So the question is simple: can Minnesota be saved? Not without restoring accountability, transparency and leadership that actually puts citizens first, because right now those principles are missing, and Minnesotans are the ones paying the price.