Agenda Packets - 2013/09/23 - Laserfiche WebLink

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September 18, 2013 Members of the Mounds View City Council: I am Thomas Kosel, a resident of Mounds View for 26 years, living at 8120 Jackson Drive. Since I will be out of town on September 23'd and unable to attend the City Council meeting that evening, I am writing to urge your support and your "Yes" vote for the Minnesota Arms Spending Alternatives Project (MN ASAP) resolution regarding Pentagon spending which appears on the agenda for the meeting. I do so because I am a firm believer that it is in the best interests of our nation, our state, and our local communities for the federal government to make the wisest use of taxpayers' dollars. It is widely known and accepted that there are a good many unnecessary and/or wasteful expenditures within current Pentagon spending, expenditures which could be cut with no adverse effect on national security. Such spending funnels federal tax money away from attending to local needs, such as roads and bridges, education, and yes, even in Mounds View, a much-needed and overdue sound wall which could be built about 120 yards from my house, thus lessening the noise and air pollution from US Highway 10 for my family and especially our neighbors along Laport. I believe that every elected official, at whatever level of government, has the opportunity and the obligation to oversee the proper use of taxpayers' money. I applaud such efforts of past and current Mounds View officials that I have witnessed in my 26 years here. Our ongoing street project is just one good example of wise use of our tax money. But while the first responsibility of city government officials is toward their local community, it is also appropriate for them to be concerned about how state and federal dollars are being spent, especially if reducing wasteful or unnecessary spending at those levels could result in more dollars coming back to the local community for its needs. The MN ASAP resolution encourages Congress and the President to constantly be alert to eliminating wasteful and/or unnecessary spending within the Pentagon budget, so as to be able to shift more dollars to meeting the needs of local communities. I urge your support and "Yes" vote on this resolution. Although the results of a resolution encouraging the shifting of funds may not be seen in the very immediate future, passing such a resolution is a positive step in the right direction toward maintaining and improving strong local communities. And strong local communities make a strong state, and a strong nation. Sincerely, Thomas Kosel