With a $4.6 billion deficit in the state of Minnesota, Republicans and Democrats are continuing the age old debate between cutting spending and raising taxes.  With these dark times in the economy it is time for our government to start getting creative.

State Senator Geoff Michel (R-Edina) and State Representative Laura Brod (R-New Prague) have attempted to use this entrepreneurial innovation.  These state legislators have proposed privatizing some of the state owned amenities that could be run just as easily within the private sector.  Chicago's Midway Airport is approximately half the size of the MSP airport and was bought by Chicago Mayor Richard Daly for $2.5 billion.  Michel and Brod are proposing this same type of action by leasing MSP and privatizing the Minnesota State Lottery (http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/members/pressrelease.asp?pressid=2731&party=2&memid=10756).

This type of creative government solutions are exactly what we are in need of right now.  Our country was founded on this type of innovative spirit and this can help us jump out of the slump we are in.  If we could privatize other state owned amenities such as the energy sector, that would take a burden off of our state budget and would allow for revenues into the private sector which are lacking right now.