MN Democrat Rep. Laurie Halverson introduced a bill in the State House to create a whole new bureaucracy—and a payroll tax to fund it. The bill is H.F. 5. It would birth a state-run program to pay up to 12 weeks of family and medical leave benefits to Minnesota workers. The bureaucracy would be called The Family and Medical Benefit Insurance Division. The proposed new payroll tax would operate just like the social security tax. Employers would pay a percentage of the tax based on wages paid and employees would pay a matching amount, taken right out of their wages. The tax would be withheld just as social security taxes are. The rate of tax is not yet specified. The benefits available to employees are based on a monstrous formula tied to one’s average weekly pay. It is clear to me that there is no limit to the size and scope that Leftists in St. Paul are willing to grow state government. Make no mistake. Entitlement programs have a cost. In this case, half that cost will come directly from your pay check. And I rather doubt it will be cheap.
