The natural rivalry that exists between Wisconsin and Minnesota is already tense enough. Between contested lake numbers, Paul Bunyan’s origin and one gunslinger from Hattiesburg, the two states have more than enough tired one-liners to throw at each other. But Tim Pawlenty, the Minnesota governor who can be aptly described as a no-nonsense, no-taxes, no-queers-on-my-watch politician, treats civility with the same disdain as the needs of the impoverished: He doesn’t care. As such, by ending the agreement between our two states to allow tax reciprocity for citizens who cross the border to work, Pawlenty has thrown down the political gauntlet. The Badgers may have the ax, but it looks like the North Star State just cut us off.
At issue here is the relationship between western Wisconsin and Minnesota’s metropolitan area. With both Madison and Milwaukee in the southeast, the western half of Wisconsin is without a major job hub, so many residents commute to the Twin Cities and Duluth for work. In return, Minnesotans make frequent trips into Wisconsin to purchase fireworks and their Sunday booze. Evolution couldn’t have created a more symbiotic relationship. In order to keep Minnesota’s job force strong and keep Wisconsinites out of the poorhouse, the two states agreed that if a resident from one state commutes to work in the other, the resident only needs to pay taxes in his home territory. It’s a friendly gesture on the part of both states, although the number of Wisconsin residents crossing over to work (33,500) heavily outweighs that of Minnesotans (13,000).
But it was too good to last. With almost every state facing an MC Hammer-like budget deficit, governments need to find ways to generate revenue and, naturally, most are using the go-to political tactic of being horrible human beings. As a politician, acting in favor of any sort of additional tax is akin to being sympathetic toward Barry Bonds or the Khmer Rouge, but that only applies to your own constituents. Tax the good people of my own state? Never. Tax those inbreds across the Mississippi? I’m on it.
But to paraphrase Andy Kaufman, this doesn’t matter to us. We’re smart; we live in Madison. We’re not like those hicks over in Menomonee or Rice Lake. And to a degree, that’s right. Maybe. But there is a tax agreement that affects many of us in Madison, and if states are willing to go for the jugular to balance budgets and the relationship between Minnesota and Wisconsin gets rockier, we might need to take out a few more student loans.
The tuition reciprocity agreement between Minnesota and Wisconsin has been on shaky ground for the past few years, most likely because of Pawlenty’s Scrooge mentality. And yet everyone from proponents of higher education to believers in free-market economics understands the importance of keeping college tuition prices comparable. College football teams take pride in stealing a neighboring state’s best athletes — why wouldn’t a university want to appeal to its better students? Madison has a great appeal for many Minnesotans because of our strong academic standing, Bo Ryan and the fact that it costs the same as attending the University of Minnesota, thanks to tuition reciprocity. I know that’s why I came here. And if the number of Twins shirts I see on a daily basis is any evidence, I’m not alone in that decision. (Conversely, if one were substitute “Twins” for “Timberwolves,” I wouldn’t be able to claim to have seen a Minnesotan in the past four years).
Young Wisconsinites are programmed to hate the University of Minnesota, and that’s probably for the best. But for high school seniors living in Wisconsin, it’s nice to know they have the option of attending a large state university that might not be half an hour from their parents’ house for the same price as UW. As students, we know reciprocity is smart. Administrators know it, too. But those people inside the capitol buildings in Madison and St. Paul are capable of some goofy logic, and it’s not out of the question that the reciprocity agreement could end very soon. And after that, it’s only a matter of time before Wisconsin cuts those Gopher fans off their Roman Candle pipeline.
Sean Kittridge ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in journalism.
