My friend Kristina Rasmussen from the NTU was visiting her family here in Minnesota this weekend. They pointed out a visual curiosity known locally as "the big poo". She posted at the NTU blog yesterday:

This fall Minnesota voters will consider a sales tax hike (equal to about $300 million annually), with the higher taxes slated to go toward public bankrolling of conservation and the arts.

Sounds nice, but let’s consider what public funding for the arts already goes toward in my home state.

Yesterday, I took this photo of an installation found at the Franconia Sculpture Park (near my parents’ home). Apparently, the locals call it “The Big Poo.” You can see why. 

The Park’s own website says “This activity is made possible in part by a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, through an appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature and a grant from the National Endowment of the Arts." According to the Minnesota State Arts Board, the Franconia Sculpture Park received almost $53,000 in “institutional funding” grants over the past five years.

Do more Minnesotans really need to pay higher sales taxes in order to fund projects like this? I'm going to guess that most taxpayers would prefer to a) see their tax dollars go to other functions of government (e.g., improving roads), or b) keep their tax dollars for personal use.

When my family goes to vote on the sales tax hike ballot question this fall, they’ve told me “The Big Poo” will be at the forefront of their minds as they vote no. If you need more reasons to turn this tax hike down, here are more than a few.