June 17-21, 2011
Jun 17 08:26 MN2020: The Think Tank That Didn't Listen Jun 19 10:16 BREAKING NEWS: Taxes Might Be Raised in 2013, too Jun 20 08:18 Questioning MnSCU's Importance Jun 20 16:12 More Taxes Message Isn't Working Jun 20 23:57 Where's the Budget? Jun 21 01:18 Townhall Meeting Exposes Explosive Truth About Budget Jun 21 07:18 Gov. Dayton Gives Shutdown Orders Jun 21 09:43 Gov. All-Or-Nothing? Jun 21 16:06 Double-Talk From Beginning to End
Prior Months: Jan Feb Mar Apr May
Prior Years: 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
BREAKING NEWS: Taxes Might Be Raised in 2013, too
I just finished watching the Face-Off segment of At Issue With Tom Hauser. Suffice it to say that today's segment is pure gold to Republicans. Here's the key exchange:
HAUSER: No matter how this budget is resolved this year, can you guarantee that in 2 years that there won't be another request for another tax increase , maybe on these same wealthy taxpayers?
HARTNETT: It could happen and it depends on what services we need.
HAUSER: At what point does this spiral end?
HARTNETT: I have not seen the Democrats say they want to drive every rich person from the country. There are plenty of rich Democrats who get the same taxes as those rich Republicans.
Admitting that raising taxes this year might not prevent Gov. Dayton from asking for another tax increase two years from now is stunning for a couple reasons.
First, it says that raising taxes won't help grow the economy. Why on God's green earth would we do something that grows Minnesota's government but doesn't grow Minnesota's economy? It's an admission that the DFL puts a higher prioritiy on funding Minnesota's government than it puts on growing Minnesota's economy.
Second, it's a straightforward admission that the DFL worries more about spending, spending, spending than about the taxpayers' wallets.
Shouldn't the focus of the budget be as least as much on building a strong economy as it is on balancing the budget? In fact, shouldn't it be focused more on building a strong economy than on balancing the budget?
The Dayton administration hasn't shown any interest in building a healthy economy. The Dayton administration's attitude, along with the DFL's attitude, has steadfastly been about government, not the economy. That's a trainwreck waiting to happen.
Gov. Dayton is intent on proving Margaret Thatcher's old saying right, that the problem with socialism is that, sooner or later, you run out of other people's money to spend.
The other stunning thing about Ms. Hartnett's admission is that she apparently thinks most Minnesotans think that funding government programs is more important than building a strong economy. A thoughtful listener couldn't make that conclusion because they'd know that creating alot of private sector jobs is Minnesotans' top priority.
It's time the DFL and their media shills woke up to what Minnesotans want most: a thriving private sector economy. Raising taxes and increasing spending won't create a thriving private private sector economy.
It's just that simple.
Posted Sunday, June 19, 2011 10:16 AM
Comment 1 by Rex Newman at 19-Jun-11 02:23 PM
Kudos to Hauser for pointing out that in effect, Dayton isn't compromising at all. He'll be back for the rest next biennium, maybe even 2012. And CH had no answer for when the spiral ends, tacitly admitting yes, there is a spiral.
Response 1.1 by Gary Gross at 19-Jun-11 02:51 PM
If the RPM or an independent expenditure organization is paying attention, & I'm betting they are, they'll turn this into an advertising campaign.
Comment 2 by walter hanson at 19-Jun-11 09:22 PM
Is it in the state constitution let alone the US constitution that we have to spend money that we don't have and we harm the economy by taxing it to death.
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
Comment 3 by Gary Hanson at 20-Jun-11 09:47 AM
Not only do I not think its accidental I think the DEMs think that if they play the poor class warfare card. You see it in the national and state talking points. My question to all their whinning is. Why don't you all take the guess work out of it. Go flat tax across the board indivduals and business, no loop de loops. then you know what you have coming in and stick to it for spending. What will this do. Well open up some office space as the IRS should be able to down size, along with a bunch of ambulance chaser Lawyers. And then if you have the Flat tax no one rides for free, even the poor class as you want to call them. But they make or get a buck they pay in say 23 cents for all. Then lets see how they vote. When you have 45+% paying nothing into the pot of gold. Because they don't have anything to lose do you think they would pay attention if it costs them some change. But no that wouldn't pass the libby people. And throw in a IQ test as well. If you can not figure out that if you have more peope retiring than are putting into the system, that it will go broke eventually then you go sit in the corner here are some crayons. Maybe they should give them coffee vouchers.. so they can wake up and smell the coffee.
MN2020: The Think Tank That Didn't Listen
John van Hecke's post is almost surreal in its observations. Here's what I'm refering to:
We were kidding ourselves, in retrospect, watching Wisconsin's political and policy ugly turn mean. We told ourselves, it can't happen here. That kind of angry division just isn't Minnesota. Despite substantive public policy differences, we convinced ourselves that Minnesota's legislative leaders wouldn't take the Wisconsin beat-down road. We thought that, given Minnesota's public support for a tax increase, a balanced approach could work.
Now, just a couple of weeks away from a Minnesota state government shutdown, it's increasingly clear that conservative policy advocates were never interested in a balanced approach, pairing spending cuts with a modest tax increase. They were just marking time, waiting for their disruptive conservative policy implementation moment.
What part of "It ain't happening" didn't van Hecke understand? Republicans understand that raising taxes in a recession kills private sector jobs. Republicans understand that private sector jobs are what's needed to restore prosperity to Minnesota. This wasn't difficult to understand.
Second, the notion that a balanced approach must include raising taxes says that the DFL wasn't serious about examining state budgets, trimming budgets and eliminating agencies that didn't serve a useful purpose anymore.
For example, the money wasted on duplication in MnSCU alone would close a major part of the deficit. What van Hecke is essentially arguing is that we should keep spending money on things that don't improve educational outcomes. How foolish is that?
That's before discussing the justification for keeping all of the tech colleges and community colleges. Keeping all the schools open isn't justifiable. Apparently, the DFL hasn't figured out that money doesn't grow on trees. Perhaps, that's because they think of people as ATMs, not private citizens.
I don't understand how forcing pay cuts on state government clerks and prison guards, for example, while functionally forbidding them from having a labor union creates jobs or even stimulates Wisconsin's economy. But, I understand what happened next. Wisconsin, already roiling in discontented, recession-stressed populist upheaval, turned that anger outwards. The opportunity to heal and move forward disappeared as tens of thousands took to the streets, choking the state capitol's halls and grounds.
Wisconsin didn't force pay cuts on PEU's. They simply said that they couldn't negotiate anything other than wages. Wisconsin's PEU's understood that they had a lavish retirement plan. They understood that eliminating the right to negotiate those lavish retirement plans would help eliminate their defined benefit plans.
Having unfunded liabilities the size of Wisconsin's couldn't be sustained. Funding the pensions through general fund money would've cost Wisconsin's taxpayers of hundreds of millions of dollars annually.
Yes, overburdensome government that benefit the few kills jobs. PERIOD. What part of that doesn't van Hecke understand? Better yet, what part of that reality does van Hecke understand? Apparently, not much.
Posted Friday, June 17, 2011 8:26 AM
Comment 1 by walter hanson at 17-Jun-11 11:46 AM
Gary:
Why don't we point out that this John lives on another planet. 99% of the people will say that if you make $34 billion you spend just $34 billion. That's an increase of $4 billion. He only thinks this way because he wants $37 billion and he thinks it's main stream to spend $37 billion.
I've been going over my budget trying to balance it not helped by an unemployed roommate which means I'm not getting several hundreds of dollars per month in income I should get. And he thinks it's okay not to have the state budget cut let alone grow by $4 billion.
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
Comment 2 by Rex Newman at 18-Jun-11 06:50 PM
If Tom Emmer had been elected Governor, we would have seen at least some of Wisconsin here. We may yet, when Dayton concedes, quits, is overridden or impeached.
Comment 3 by walter hanson at 19-Jun-11 09:20 PM
Rex:
To override the governor we will need 8 Democrat Senators not to mention 18 Democrat House Members. They are so loyal to the Democrats and the union they will flee to Wisconsin instead of voting.
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
Response 3.1 by Gary Gross at 20-Jun-11 03:06 AM
Actually, if we do our jobs of telling the DFL's constituents that they're shutting the state down when they don't have to, pressure will increase on DFL legislators in swing districts.
If we note that they'll likely be in more competitive districts in 2012, I think that causes a number of them to flip. I'd further argue that the unions are praying that Republicans fold quick because they won't hold out that long without a paycheck.
Questioning MnSCU's Importance
Readers of this blog know that I've been critical of SCSU President Potter and of MnSCU in general. I've questioned MnSCU's decisionmaking, too. That's why I'm critical of anything talking about how essential MnSCU is in its present configuration. That's why I'm critical of this St. Cloud Times YTE .
While Minnesotans entered or returned to school for training in a number of career fields, 33 percent of non-traditional students graduated with degrees from health programs, comprising MnSCU's highest proportion of non-traditional graduates.
Steve Hine, with the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), believes the trend of non-traditional students enrolling into health programs will continue.
Training and staffing well-skilled health care professionals statewide is critical in the coming decades, as retirements and aging baby boomers create a double crunch on demand. DEED predicts health fields will lead the next decade's labor market growth, specifically jobs in personalized and home care and registered nursing, with a combined 51,000 new jobs.
There isn't a thoughtful person who objects to training people for a high-paying career, whether it's in health care, agriculture, heavy equipment operation or aviation.
It's the crap degrees that I have a problem with. For instance, the Masters Degree program in Social Responsibility at St. Cloud State seems like a questionable use of limited resources. Here's the synopsis for Social Responsibility:
This interdisciplinary Masters Degree in Social Responsibility addresses a citizen's responsibility to others, to society and to the environment.
Simply put, it's a graduate level indoctrination program. What's the justification for spending $1,218,000 in teacher salaries alone on this class? BTW, that's before pensions and health care are factored in.
Another program within MnSCU is the ecotourism degree from Central Lakes Community College in Brainerd:
The CLC AAS degree in ecotourism is designed to enable the graduate to use sustainable tourism to expand economic development and to improve the quality of life for your destination. As one of the few colleges in the nation to offer an ecotourism degree, our program meshes a range of disciplines for a well-balanced start in nature travel. Fourteen program areas at CLC blend the required 48 credits, and a host of electives allow the student to emphasize special interest areas such as nature viewing, culture or business. At the core of this program is respect for the environment.
WOW!!! Another indoctination program involving the environment. Who would've thought that on a modern college campus?
How about the Nail Care Technician certificate from Century College in White Bear Lake? Here's the synopsis on that course:
This Nail Care Technician certificate includes instruction in theory and practical application techniques of cleansing, shaping, polishing, massage of hands and feet, and also the application of artificial nails. Completion of this certificate prepares students for state written exam and certification of skills as required by Minnesota cosmetology laws and rules for licensure. Program costs listed below are approximate, and books and other fees are not included for general education coursework.
I'd love hearing why this is taught at a community college and not at a private trade school. Whatever money is being spent on this program is too much.
The point to me highlighting these programs, and I could go on alot longer, is to tell people that MnSCU wastes alot of money on degrees that shouldn't be offered. If they disappeared from the MnSCU menu of degree programs, the money could be saved but the programs wouldn't be missed.
It isn't that conservatives hate MnSCU. It's that conervatives know that too much money is spent on soft degrees. It's why there's a growing number of conservatives that are warming to the idea of reforming MnSCU. In fact, it isn't just conservatives that are warming to that idea.
During the Clinton administration, liberals would just mention the word education and think that we should spend more. Those days are grinding to a halt. We've accumulated too much debt to spend recklessly.
A reformed, accountable MnSCU is worthy of support. MnSCU in its present form is worthy of support with the condition that it be significantly reformed.
Posted Monday, June 20, 2011 8:18 AM
Comment 1 by eric z at 20-Jun-11 09:46 AM
Do you then support the trade unions having instructions in the trades they represent in order to assure competence of practitioners? It is private sector. It is not teaching carpentry in the State funded institutions.
What about teaching computer programming? It seems more a trade than a profession, but either way, it could be priivatized. What about law? It used to be that one clerked and then took the bar exam. I think that is how Lincoln got licensed.
Now it is law schools? Is that something you like or dislike? If law schools and medical schools were all private sector, schools like Case-Western Reserve, U. Chicago, etc., would you favor that, and if so, what about the grant money going into such programs?
You seem to have no beef with medical school, or graduate school in the hard sciences and engineering, but what of graduate school in history, political science, or other "social sciences?"
It is easy to snipe here and there for easy kills.
But where do you draw lines and shade the nuances of funding policy, and in particular, how would you have a set of policy criteria on deciding to budget for one use vs. another?
Junk degrees are easy targets; but that's really dodging the real, difficult questions. And on the "doing nails" schooling, those graduates do make a living, not being burdens on the state requiring welfare assistance.
Is it that you dislike a system where there are inequalities so that a proportion have discretionary cash for doing nails while others worry over mortgage foreclosures? I have not seen that line of thinking prominent here.
Response 1.1 by Gary Gross at 20-Jun-11 03:13 PM
Junk degrees are easy targetsThen let's eliminate the low-hanging fruit ASAP. If money is being spent foolishly, whether it's for a Social Responsibility Masters degree program or for a nail-polishing certificate, it must be eliminated. It isn't right that private citizens that are having a difficult time making ends meet have to pay higher taxes & tuition to pay a professor that gets paid $60,000+ to teach these junk degrees.
And on the 'doing nails' schooling, those graduates do make a livingFirst, is there a demand for manicurists & pedicurists? If there isn't, then we shouldn't be pissing money away on the subject. Next, if there is a demand for manicurists & pedicurists, could these people be trained at a private business college at a cheaper price than what we're paying for it through government schools? I suspect that a trade school like St. Cloud's Model College of Hair Design could meet the marketplace's demands without a penny of taxpayer money.
I'm perfectly willing to let private schools compete with government universitie. Competition is good & should be encouraged. It isn't the be-all-end-all solution but it certainly works wonders with technology.
Comment 2 by Alan at 20-Jun-11 10:17 AM
Eric truly lost me. A social responsibility program goes well beyond a philosophy or some other typical humanities degree program. Quite frankly, there are presently academic degree programs that are highly questionable here in MN and beyond. How do you truly equate the importance of law or medical schools to a Social Responsibility master's degree program that has less than 40 students? This program studies animals, social justice, and peace. Please tell me the name of actual companies who recruit these graduates. As Seinfeld said, "Good luck with all that!"
More Taxes Message Isn't Working
To those on the left, support for raising taxes isn't changing. Their trolling for votes campaign might be popular with the DFL's base but it isn't winning over independents. Still, the DFL persists in trolling for legislators:
With the state edging toward a historic and wide-reaching government shutdown, the road to resolution could lead straight to a handful of GOP freshmen who barely won election and veteran legislators intent on preserving a Republican majority.
Supporters of DFL Gov. Mark Dayton's proposal have identified more than two dozen lawmakers who they think could be persuaded to cross over to resolve the state's budget deficit, raise some revenue and avert, or at least shorten, a bruising government closure.
Dayton supporters have been making lists of Republicans they consider least ideologically driven, or the most electorally vulnerable, and picking away at them one by one with a barrage of phone calls and local television advertisements.
"I've gone back to work; now is supposed to be down time," said Sen. Roger Chamberlain, R-Lino Lakes, a target of many of the calls. "Now it's like campaign-level activity."
For Democrats, the math is pretty simple. If DFLers stick together, they need just five of 37 Republican senators and six of 72 GOP House members to pass a budget compromise.
The math is straightforward. The DFL's path to that mathematical solution, though, couldn't be more difficult.
I've spoken with a number of legislators and conservative newsmakers since the end of the regular session. The thing that I've told them is that Republicans have the superior policy positions on the most important issues, namely on spending and creating jobs. That's because Gov. Dayton and the DFL don't have a plan for creating jobs.
Truthfully told, Gov. Dayton doesn't have a real budget. The budget Gov. Dayton submitted was rejected by the DFL legislature, not because they didn't agree with Gov. Dayton's increased spending and tax hikes but because they didn't want their fingerprints on something that unappealing to Minnesotans.
If I were advising Leader Koch and Speaker Zellers, I'd tell them to be willing to negotiate but only if Gov. Dayton and the DFL put a real budget together, complete with spreadsheets outlining how much money is spent on each agency or bureaucratic boondoggle.
I'd suspend negotiations until Gov. Dayton got serious about spending the taxpayers' money wisely. At this point, there's no proof that Gov. Dayton and the DFL wouldn't spend the taxpayers' money foolishly.
Posted Monday, June 20, 2011 4:12 PM
Comment 1 by walter hanson at 20-Jun-11 05:23 PM
Gary:
Isn't the math tigther than that. If there are 37 Republicans and 30 Democrats in the senate they need four votes not five. In the house if it's 72 Republicans and 66 Democrats don't they need just four votes there.
Mind you I think they should ask Dayton for a special session and vote on two things. The first is the continuing resolution for 90 days to avoid drama. The second is put the Dayton plan up for a vote again and watch as not only every single Republican votes against it gets votes against from Democrats.
Dayton doesn't dare call for the special session because of that!
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
Where's the Budget?
This op-ed , co-written by Sen. Koch and Speaker Zellers, is a welcome shot of reality for Minnesotans who haven't followed the budget battle that closely. This paragraph summarizes things perfectly:
The problem with Gov. Dayton's budget is that it does not exist. Since revising his tax proposal a month ago, the governor has failed to identify how he would spend the $1.8 billion in additional revenue. Thus far he has not proposed any reductions in spending to close the budget gap. Even with his increased tax burden on small business owners and job providers, Gov. Dayton still doesn't have the money to fund his proposed spending.
It's impossible to negotiate against something that isn't as authentic as a unicorn. Until Gov. Dayton and the DFL put together a real budget, complete with fiscal notes and spreadsheets, I'd advise Republicans to meet with Gov. Dayton but refuse to call the meetings negotiations. I certainly wouldn't change anything else from the budget they passed during the regular session.
In light of Cathie Hartnett's admitting that there might be more tax increases 2 years from now, I'd demand that Gov. Dayton promise to work sign King Banaian's priority-based budgeting bill, complete with a sunset commission. It's long past time to change how budgets are put together and what priorities we set. Thus far, Gov. Dayton hasn't showed that he's willing to explain what his priorities are beyond raising taxes.
His non-existent plan isn't anything he or his administration is apparently worried about. During a recent Commission on Planning and Fiscal Policy meeting, the Minnesota Management and Budget Commissioner said a plan did not exist. That simple statement defines the governor's. He has no plan. He just wants to raise taxes, and he is getting ready to shut down government in a careless attempt to force the issue.
The veil is thus ripped to shreds. In official testimony, MMB Commissioner Showalter admitted that Gov. Dayton hasn't put a complete, comprehensive budget proposal on the table. That's pretty ironic considering the fact that Gov. Dayton demanded that Republicans put a "complete, comprehensive budget proposal" together before he'd negotiate with them.
The reality is that Gov. Dayton is demanding from Republicans what he won't do himself. Meanwhile, Gov. Dayton is on the brink of letting 23,000 state employees go over a cliff of his making because that's what his ideology demands.
That isn't leadership. It's time that Gov. Dayton showed some statesmanship instead of exhibiting his brinksmanship.
Posted Monday, June 20, 2011 11:57 PM
No comments.
Townhall Meeting Exposes Explosive Truth About Budget
Monday night, I attended a townhall meeting hosted by Rep. King Banaian, Rep. Steve Gottwalt and Sen. John Pederson. A crowd of over 100 people packed the Haven Township Meeting Hall for the event.
The meeting started almost on time, with Rep. Gottwalt arriving late after attending a meeting on the HHS budget.
The accusations and misinformation flew fast and furious from the start. Bruce Stocke said that Republicans had based their campaigns "on jobs, jobs and jobs. Where are the jobs?" Later, Mark Jaede said that the cuts in higher ed funding were real and that the uncertainty of the shutdown was hurting enrollment at St. Cloud State. Jaede later said that funding for higher ed was "at 1999 levels", a number repeated by two other professors.
The crowd applauded numerous times after repeating the DFL's talking points. The applause ratcheted up the intensity bit-by-bit until it reached a tipping point. That came when a man stepped to the microphone without identifying himself, then saying to the GOP legislators that "You guys should be fined."
After the questions were stopped at a predetermined time (the Haven Township commissioners were meeting that night at 6:30.), the legislators addressed some of the questions.
Rep. Gottwalt said that he'd arrived late because he'd attended what he'd hoped would be a negotiating session. Rep. Gottwalt said it was disappointing that the commissioners there told the legislators that Gov. Dayton hadn't given them the authority to negotiate on his behalf.
Rep. Gottwalt said that the people criticizing the legislators shouldn't stop with the legislators, adding that Gov. Dayton won't negotiate with Republicans. Gov. Dayton won't put a concrete budget proposal together complete with spreadsheets and fiscal notes.
Without those, Gottwalt said, it's impossible to tell whether the budget that they'd be negotiating on would even balance.
Rep. Gottwalt stunned the crowd when he said that Republicans had agreed to Gov. Dayton's spending levels for K-12 Education, the courts and Public Safety.
One person I spoke with outside the hall after the meeting told me that this was the first he'd heard of that news. I took that as a clear indictment of the Twin Cities media for not doing its job.
Sen. Pederson brought up another stunning point when he asked the crowd when the last time was that Gov. Dayton had held a townhall meeting. Sen. Pederson's reply was that Gov. Dayton hasn't held a townhall meeting with the general public since taking office.
Rep. Banaian was the last of the legislators to speak. One thing he addressed was one gentleman's statement that the legislators' refusal to raise taxes on the rich caused his property taxes to increase by 13%. King said that you can't take one set of statistics, combine them with another set of statistics, then automatically call them facts.
King said that this application of statistics proved that the gentleman didn't know much about facts or statistics.
The fact that Gov. Dayton keeps calling the legislators into meetings without giving his commissioners the authority to negotiate is a stunning admission. Frankly, it's more than a little disheartening, too.
It's a clear indication that Gov. Dayton is intent on shutting state government down on July 1. That's deeply disappointing considering the growing bipartisan support for a lights-on bill that keeps construction projects progressing and that would prevent a mass layoff of 23,000 government employees.
UPDATE: Those of you who appreciate reporting that doesn't go through 'the Strib/MPR filter', a little change in the tip jar will go a long ways in keeping first source reporting in the hands of this citizen journalist.
Posted Tuesday, June 21, 2011 7:39 AM
Comment 1 by Mary at 21-Jun-11 11:07 AM
At the close of this town hall meeting, did you get the feeling that ANY of these people "saw the light"? PLEASE -- tell me there is some hope!
Response 1.1 by Gary Gross at 21-Jun-11 02:33 PM
I got a tiny sense of that but it's difficult to read in a live situation. I can state with certainty that people heard real facts about the Dayton administration's negotiating (or lack thereof) for the first time.
Gov. Dayton Gives Shutdown Orders
Yesterday, Rep. Steve Gottwalt asked if the Dayton administration would prepare a budget that included spreadsheets and fiscal notes. What he was told is stunning and disappointing.
One of the commissioners told him they were busy with shutdown preparations so he couldn't guarantee anything. Let me repeat that. The Dayton administration is too busy shutting government down to find time to avert a shutdown.
Let's understand that this means that Gov. Dayton isn't doing everything possible to prevent the laying off of 23,000 state employees effective July 1. Public employees need to comprehend what's happening. The governor that they financially supported through ABM is giving them the finger.
Gov. Dayton is telling them that they'll be unemployed indefinitely. He's put a higher priority on raising taxes than he's put on keeping state employees employed.
In his drive to raise taxes, Gov. Dayton is sending 23,000 state workers to the unemployment lines for an indefinite period of time.
Last night, a retired union worker asked Sen. Pederson, Rep. Gottwalt and Rep. Banaian where their jobs were. If I'd had the opportunity, I'd tell him that they're missing thanks to Gov. Dayton's shutdown is slated to wipe out 23,000 jobs in a single day.
Gov. Dayton is long on brinksmanship and short on statesmanship. He's acted like a spoiled brat throughout these negotiation-free budget negotiations.
Gov. Dayton supporters, kick back in your recliners. You'll have the time because you'll be unemployed. That's because, in Mark Dayton's Minnesota, you get hurt while Gov. Dayton declares his chef and gardener as essential operations.
UPDATE: Those of you who appreciate reporting that doesn't go through 'the Strib/MPR filter', a little change in the tip jar will go a long ways in keeping first source reporting in the hands of this citizen journalist.
Posted Tuesday, June 21, 2011 7:38 AM
Comment 1 by ashamedof mbachman at 21-Jun-11 06:15 PM
Or it could mean the republicans are lying!! Shocking!!! I trust Dayton much more than any damn republican! Governor Dayton don't give into the republicans. They are greedy swine! The republicans across the country do not care about this country or 98% of the people in it. They are all clouded by their own greed! They are despicable!
Response 1.1 by Gary Gross at 21-Jun-11 08:52 PM
Ashamed is a typical old-fashioned progressive. In his mind, Republicans are evil. They hate everyone except themselves. They'd throw their own mothers off a cliff rather than get them proper care. In other words, he's a shit-for-brains idiot who hasn't had a grasp of reality in who knows how long.
Why shouldn't I think that Gov. Dayton & the DFL are the cold-hearted bastards? They're the ones who fought against a budget that balances, that funds our priorities & that wouldn't get 23,000 people laid off 10 days from now. After the DFL legislators fought against the Republicans' budget, it still could've become law had Gov. Dayton not been intent on putting 23,000 people out of work.
Who's the heartless bastard? It's Gov. Dayton & the DFL. They're power-hungry maniacs whose ultimate goal is total control of as much of American life as possible.
Gov. All-Or-Nothing?
Gov. Dayton is quickly earning the title of Gov. All-Or-Nothing, thanks to his insistence on dealing with a complete, comprehensive budget :
WURZER: Is there a point at which you call the legislature back to pass a lights on bill?
SHOWALTER: That's part of the negotiations and a question of whether a part of a budget is worth it or whether we're trying to get to a lasting budget deal that would be good for Minnesota. The governor has been pretty clear from the very beginning. He's looking for a set of bills that are complete, comprehensive and solve the budget deficit but ultimately help Minnesota's economy today and in the future.
Gov. Dayton's unwillingness to sign a 'piecemeal budget' inflicts real life pain on the 23,000 workers who will be laid off on July 1. That intransigence isn't acceptable. What gives Gov. Dayton the moral authority to play a my-way-or-the-highway game of chicken with 23,000 people's jobs?
The truth is that Gov. Dayton doesn't have the moral authority to inflict pain on that many people in a single day. He might have the legal authority but that isn't the same as having the moral authority.
Thus far, Gov. Dayton's actions have been utterly corrupt. He hasn't negotiated in good faith. In fact, it isn't that difficult to make the case that he hasn't done much negotiating period.
Sen. Paul Gazelka said this about Gov. Dayton shutting down MnDOT :
Sen. Paul Gazelka, R-Brainerd, said the 2005 state shutdown affected fewer employees than those who may be a part of this year's potential shutdown. He urged those involved in negotiations to identify areas where agreement can be reached and take action there.
While Gazelka said Republicans are respectful of the governor, he disagrees with Dayton's call for a total package solution before acting on other bills. 'He wants all or nothing,' Gazelka said.
DFL Rep. John Ward doesn't disagree with Sen. Gazelka's statement:
Rep. John Ward, DFL-Brainerd, who attended the news conference, said that while the two parties are close on what state expenditures should be in transportation there are policy differences, particularly on transit programs that affect the disabled, the elderly and students.
The governor, Ward said, has made it clear he doesn't want to solve the budget problem in piecemeal fashion. 'He wants a total package,' Ward said.
Rep. Ward, Gov. Dayton's intransigence is showing by insisting that the entire budget be done at once. It's apparent that he doesn't give a damn about the 23,000 people he'll be laying off as a result of his brinksmanship.
What's worse is that Gov. Dayton's budget, such as it exists, doesn't really solve the biggest problems facing the state. If Gov. Dayton's budget passes, State Demographer Tom Gillaspy says we'll face a $5,000,000,000 deficit in 2013. And another $5,000,000,000 deficit in 2015.
That's because spending is the culprit.
Raising taxes won't strengthen Minnesota's economy. Passing Gov. Dayton's tax increases won't prevent property tax increases. Passing the DFL's tax increases won't cause entrepreneurs to start hiring again. In short, this is an exercise in class warfare that hurts everyone.
Construction projects on Minnesota's highways aren't just about jobs. They're about public safety, too. By playing his my-way-or-the-highway game of high-stakes game of chicken, Gov. Dayton is saying raising taxes is a higher priority than public safety.
For instance, the winding 2-way road between St. Cloud and Foley is one the most dangerous stretches of road I've ever driven on. Thanks to Gov. Dayton's shutdown, that project will likely be postponed another year.
If Gov. Dayton dropped his I-won't-sign-anything-until-I-get-my tax-increase positions, that dangerous stretch of Highway 23 would be fixed. Apparently, Gov. Dayton thinks passing his tax increases is more important than improving public safety.
It's time that Gov. Dayton stopped acting like a spoiled brat and started acting like a statesman. Gov. Dayton's my-way-or-the-highway game of chicken is affecting public safety. That's utterly unacceptable!!!
Posted Tuesday, June 21, 2011 9:43 AM
No comments.
Double-Talk From Beginning to End
I just attended dueling K-12 press conferences at Tech High School. At the outset, Bruce Hentges said "We are willing to work with area legislators regardless of party." The clear suggestion was that this press conference would be solely about the policies contained in the K-12 bill that Gov. Dayton vetoed.
It didn't take long for that facade to disappear. As part of his closing remarks, Mr. Hentges said "While there are several things we like in this bill, the other parts of this bill are directly opposed to our platform". Hentges went on to single out Rep. Hosch as having voted against the bill, saying that "Except for Rep. Hosch, all our legislators voted against our platform."
After the DFL press conference, I caught a portion of the conversation between Rep. Gottwalt and Bruce Mohs. Mohs sits on the ISD742 school board. Rep. Gottwalt pointed out that the bill Hentges had railed against had changed significantly.
In a strange exchange after the press conference, Bruce Mohs said that, if he wanted to learn aviation, he'd ask Jeff Johnson. Mohs then said that he'd learn from King Banaian if he wanted to learn about the economy. Mohs finished by saying that legislators should listen to the superintendents if they wanted to know about schools' needs.
Mohs then said that he didn't believe businesses when they said raising taxes would harm job growth.
I then told Mohs that I thought his last comment was strange considering he'd just passionately lectured us about trusting experts. I said that businesses were experts in creating jobs, which he agreed with. I then asked why he'd believe education experts but not experts in creating jobs.
He tried interrupting me but I persisted. I asked him to explain why we should trust one set of experts but not another set of experts. I didn't get a response to my request.
Despite Mr. Hentges opening statement alluding to the need to work together and pass legislation that best helps students to learn, the partisanship was obvious and disappointing.
After the meeting, a woman approached Rep. Gottwalt and asked why he hadn't compromised with Gov. Dayton on the budget so the state could avoid a shutdown. Rep. Gottwalt said that he's been down to the Twin Cities 5 of the last 7 working days, hoping to negotiate a budget agreement.
Rep. Gottwalt then said that Gov. Dayton's commissioners tell the GOP legislators that they aren't authorized to negotiate. I asked Rep. Gottwalt if Gov. Dayton had put a specific budget plan together. Rep. Gottwalt said that Gov. Dayton hadn't. I then asked if there had been any negotiations during yesterday's meeting in St. Paul.
Rep. Gottwalt confirmed that there hadn't been because the HHS people in the room weren't authorized to negotiate a budget.
I asked whether he could characterize the meetings as negotiations or if they'd be more accurately characterized as meetings that didn't include negotiations. Rep. Gottwalt said that the latter description was accurate, the former wasn't.
The double-talk started with the opening statement and didn't stop until after the DFL press conference. It's disappointing that the DFL's press conference didn't live up to Mr. Hentges' opening statement.
Originally posted Tuesday, June 21, 2011, revised 22-Jun 9:14 AM
Comment 1 by King at 21-Jun-11 04:25 PM
Gary, Mr. Mohs and Mr. Baty, local EdMN official, said the same thing to me. Everyone trusts the economists until they don't like the answer, then "you're wrong", "I don't believe you" or "I read a different expert" (as if I hadn't read the same person.) It's common, actually. It's part of the common "anti-market bias" that unfortunately dominates the American electorate.
Comment 2 by Alan at 22-Jun-11 10:46 AM
Although having legislators listen to superintendents is important, I was surprised that Mr. Mohs failed to mention that listening to the front line workers (teachers and staff members) is equally important. Educators seem to consistently equate high academic achievement with more funding. As Rep. Gottwalt has said for quite some time, how about 1.) Quality teachers, 2.) small class sizes and 3.) parental involvement? Seems to me that many parents think it is the role of teachers to raise their kids.
