June 22-28, 2011
Jun 22 19:04 Dayton's Unmitigated Disaster Jun 24 04:37 Dayton Holding Minnetonka, Minnesota Hostage Jun 25 13:40 Calling Moderate DFL Legislators Jun 27 20:12 Bachmann, Pawlenty Surprising Jun 28 04:32 DFL, JRLC Speak With Unanimity Jun 28 05:51 Rep. Winkler on Dayton Shutdown: Republicans Will Cave Jun 28 06:35 MAPE Planning Long Shutdown?
Prior Months: Jan Feb Mar Apr May
Prior Years: 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Dayton's Unmitigated Disaster
If, God forbid, Gov. Dayton's budget were to become law, it would be an unmitigated disaster economically. That there are few things in Gov. Dayton's budget that I agree with isn't surprising.
Gov. Dayton's tax increases won't strengthen Minnesota's struggling economy. I'm not discounting, nor have I ever said, that a well-educated workforce isn't important to a state's economic health. I'm simply saying that a well-trained workforce is only one leg of a three-legged stool.
Reasonable marginal tax rates are as important as a well-trained workforce to economic vitality. Trumping both those things, combined, is overregulating businesses.
Yesterday, I came face-to-face with Gov. Dayton's economic brethren in the person of Bruce Mohs. Mohs thinks that educational experts' advice should be treated like they're words etched into stone tablets on Mount Sinai. When it comes to experts who've actually created jobs, though, Mohs has a dramatically different perspective which he stated with eloquence and passion. He said "When a businessman tells me that higher taxation will slow job growth, I don't believe them."
It's apparent that Gov. Dayton shares Mohs's distrust of the private sector.
Gov. Dayton's tax increases won't strengthen Minnesota's economy. Gov. Dayton's tax increases won't improve Minnesota's competitiveness regionally, nationally or internationally. Gov. Dayton's tax increases won't create prosperity. Gov. Dayton's tax increases won't persuade entrepreneurs to put their capital at risk.
Gov. Dayton sent a chilling wind across the business community's bow by picking Paul Aasen, the militant environmentalist who headed MCEA, as his MPCA commissioner. Does anyone think a guy whose organization sued the Big Stone II powerplant into oblivion will be friendly to business when he's controlling the levers of power in the MPCA? I certainly don't.
There's something else that people haven't talked enough about, which is that we'll be facing another oversized deficit 2 years from now even after raising taxes. That's what Tom Hauser asked about last Sunday on At Issue With Tom Hauser:
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?
According to State Demographer Tom Gillaspy, we'll be facing another $5,000,000,000 deficit in 2013 and another $5,000,000,000+ deficit in 2015. Gillaspy attributes it to the number of people retiring or leaving Minnesota adversely affects revenues at a time when spending is increasing by 15% per biennium.
In other words, the Dayton economic disaster will cripple Minnesota's economy for half the decade, if not longer. If that's true, why consider the Dayton budget?
First, no economy can grow fast enough to sustain a 15% biennial growth rate to the budget. Second, government that grows at a 15% growth rate is pissing away 10's of millions of dollars if not more.
We aren't ATM's. We deserve a growing economy and a state government that doesn't overextend itself. We deserve a state government that doesn't raise taxes to pay off the DFL's special interest allies. We deserve a state government that doesn't keep expanding because the DFL thinks we aren't generous enough with other people's money.
Let's tell people that the DFL's budget calls for unsustainable spending increases that requires job-killing tax increases. That's scary enough but that isn't the worst of it. What's scary is that Gov. Dayton hasn't put a spreadsheet telling the legislature how he intends on spending this money.
Signing onto Dayton's unmitigated disaster would be awful. The only thing worse is signing onto DUD without knowing how it's being spent.
Posted Wednesday, June 22, 2011 7:04 PM
Comment 1 by steven Erickson at 22-Jun-11 09:30 PM
I am really starting to wonder if people actually read, what is being talked about. Or if they just like to hear themselves talk. You need to read everything you can her your hands on from BOTH sides and then have an open mind, you may then start to see how foolish the GOP leadership sounds in print. The more I read from the GOP leadership, the more I am glad I am a former member of the GOP.
Steven Erickson
Response 1.1 by Gary Gross at 22-Jun-11 11:29 PM
What are you babbling about? First, your grammar & spelling sucks, which means your comment is largely incomprehensible. What, exactly, are you thinking when you say I should read everything you can her you hands on from BOTH sides" & then "have an open mind"?
I've seen what doesn't work. Based on what's happened in New York, California & Michigan raising taxes while your state's economy is in the shitter leads to more people leaving the state, which then required more tax increases 12-18 months later. Even that didn't eliminate their deficits. New York & Michigan have stopped their craziness & started cutting spending.
In his limited wisdom, Gov. Dayton has chosen to follow California's path.
I'd further question you after you said that you're seeing "how foolish the GOP leadership sounds in print. The more I read from the GOP leadership, the more I am glad I am a former member of the GOP."
There's nothing in this post that talks about the GOP. Considering the fact that you can't even get the most basic facts straight leads me to question whether you're a Republican. I suspect you aren't, that you're actually a DFL partisan hack posting a comment to make it look like 'moderate Republicans' are getting disillusioned with party leadership.
Comment 2 by C Quigley at 23-Jun-11 08:11 AM
People like Steven have something to gain if Gov. Goofy gets his way by adding another $1.8 billion to the budget and it is as simple as that. No clear headed republican says they are "former GOP" unless they are receiving more from the government than they can make on their own, in essence making them a DFLer and a drain on society.
I will agree that the GOP hasn't done a very good job of getting their message out (except on blogs). The gov and the DFL have every media outlet just begging for a sound bite or opinion on how to solve the budget issue and that is what the general public hear on TV and read in the paper. People are surprised to hear what is actually going on when you give them the facts.
Dayton Holding Minnetonka, Minnesota Hostage
There's no doubt who the culprit is if there's a state shutdown. If people think it's anyone other than Gov. Dayton, they didn't read this MPR article . Thanks to John Gunyou's letter to MnDOT Commissioner Tom Sorel, we now see who's pulling the strings:
Perhaps more importantly, the 169/Bren Road project is a locally contracted and managedproject. Unlike state highway projects, the city of Minnetonka is fully administering all phases of construction, including inspection and testing, and has already received all necessary project approvals from MnDOT. This leaves a very limited role for MnDOT during the actual construction phase, which is now well underway. In short, the Minnetonka project is not dependent on any legislative or administrative action , and is wholly independent of and unaffected by any state shutdown. Construction can clearly proceed according to the already authorized schedule and standards, whether or not MnDOT is fully or partially staffed.
After reading that paragraph, you'd think that this project shouldn't be affected by a state government shutdown. That's what I thought. This paragraph shows who's sabotaging the project:
I hope you appreciate how troubling it was to be informed by your staff on June 21, just yesterday, and only a few days before scheduled demolition of the Bren Road bridge that MnDOT is unreasonably exercising a little-known clause in the state contract, and forbidding the city from using state right-of-way for this project during a state shutdown. Your staff gave no reason for why they are exercising this right. Given the limited amount of space in which contractors have to work on this project, it would be all but impossible for work to continue without utilizing the state right-of-way.
Suffice it to say that Sen. Gimse, the chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, wasn't happy with Gov. Dayton:
Gimse says the letter is proof that MnDOT is telling contrators that they won't have legal access to state right of way, the room they need to work, if the state shuts down.
"They have thousands and thousands of miles of road right of way across the state of Minensota," Gimse said at a Capitol press briefing this afternoon.
"They don't supervise every mile of that road right of way. These contractors know what they're doing, they understand what they're doing. It's simply a way, I believe, for them to inflict additional pain. It makes no sense. It's simply grass area on the sides of the road where equipment will stand, where materials will stand. And maybe a staging area.
Here's MnDOT's flimsy excuse for shutting the right-of-way down:
MnDOT is the legal owner of trunk highway right-of-way and is responsible for its condition. By state law, it is illegal to do work in state right-of-way unless it is authorized by the state road authority. MS 160.2715.
MnDOT inspectors insure that contractors are meeting contract specifications when constructing any type of infrastructure. Not conducting the inspections could put taxpayers at risk financially if the work needs to be done over. And, if work does not meet appropriate safety specifications, it could put the driving public at risk.
MnDOT's explanation isn't a serious explanation. It's a PR dodge used to deflect criticism from Gov. Dayton. The right of way isn't getting rebuilt. It's merely being used as a staging area for supplies.
According to Gunyou's letter, MnDOT isn't responsible for this project's inspections. MnDOT knew this because they were reacting to Gunyou's letter to MnDOT Commissioner Sorel in which Gunyou stated that the city of Minnetonka was doing the inspecting.
Simply put, this is Gov. Dayton acting like a vindictive spoiled brat because, for the first time in his life, an adult told him he couldn't have his way.
Pressure is mounting on Gov. Dayton. Gunyou isn't just anybody. Last year at this time, he was Speaker Kelliher's runing mate. That isn't the only pressure, either. Gov. Dayton knows support is crumbling beneath his feet because MinnPost is running this article , which is critical of raising taxes.
Will Gov. Dayton back down? With the DFL starting to criticize him, there's hope.
Originally posted Friday, June 24, 2011, revised 11-May 10:21 AM
No comments.
Calling Moderate DFL Legislators
Alot of things have been talked about, including whether taxes should be hiked, whether a $4,000,000,000 spending increase is enough and whether Gov. Dayton's tax hike will strengthen Minnesota's economy. (They won't.)
The thing that hasn't been talked about is whether DFL moderates would step in and tell Gov. Dayton that his policies would hurt Minnesota's economy without putting Minnesota's budget on a sustainable path.
The DFL has called for Republicans to compromise by giving into Gov. Dayton's tax increase. Nobody has called on John Benson, Denise Dittrich, Andrew Falk or Patti Fritz to compromise. Why is it automatically assumed by the Twin Cities media that only Republicans should make major compromises? (Yes, that's a rhetorical question.)
The reality is that so-called moderate DFL legislators haven't stepped forward and acted like statesmen and women. In Realityville, people of all partisan stripes understand that you reform government by eliminating redundancies and agencies who've experienced mission creep.
It's predictable that hardliners like Sandy Pappas, Ryan Winkler, Larry Pogemiller and Paul Thissen would reject the GOP's reform agenda. I couldn't picture them voting to change the status quo that's been in place since the 1970s.
Still, I'd hoped that moderate DFL legislators would stand with Dan Fabian, King Banaian and Keith Downey in reforming government. By supporting their common sense reforms, they could've forced Gov. Dayton to expose his extremist agenda or force him into signing legislation that would've helped Minnesotans for a generation.
I don't doubt that there are relatively moderate DFL legislators. What I'm having my doubts about, however, is whether these DFL legislators will stand up to leadership and start changing the political landscape.
With that said, there's one DFL legislator who hasn't hesitated in bucking DFL leadership is Rep. Gene Pelowski. To his credit, Rep. Pelowski has frequently done the right thing. Here's hoping that Rep. Pelowski gets lots of reinforcements soon.
Posted Saturday, June 25, 2011 1:40 PM
Comment 1 by Chad Quigley at 26-Jun-11 08:01 PM
It's just like the Obamacare and "blue dog" democrats debate in 2009, "blue dogs" turned into yellow bellies and hid. I don't believe there is such a thing as a moderate (or logical) democrat.
Comment 2 by Steve at 27-Jun-11 10:56 AM
I think the fact that moderate DFLers (and a majority of the population) are standing with the governor is proof that Governor Dayton is right about this budget issue.
Comment 3 by markmwhite at 27-Jun-11 02:51 PM
whether the majority is standing with Dayton is debatable. the folly of continuing to grow government at unsustainable levels is not. good luck to Steve and the rest of the looters. let the class war continue
Comment 4 by Steve at 28-Jun-11 09:12 AM
Anybody can say something is 'debatable' to create a vague question, but you need proof. This is my proof:
Startribune Minnesota Poll May 2011:
Solve budget:
Primarily with service reductions 27%
Tax increases and service reductions 63%
Don't know/refused 10%
Public Policy Polling (Raleigh, NC) June 2011
Would you support a tax increase on the wealthiest 2% of Minnesotans to help balance the state budget, or do you think the budget should be balanced through cuts only?
Would support a tax increase on the wealthiest 2% of Minnesotans 63%
Budget should be balanced through cuts only 32%
Not sure 4%
KSTP Survey USA Poll May 2011
Minnesota has a five billion dollar budget deficit. Should Minnesota
Raise Taxes on Wealthy 31%
Raise Taxes on All 4%
Cut Spending 36%
Both 27%
Not Sure 2%
(That is 62% that would support Dayton's proposal for the math challenged)
I'm no looter, but I am fine if a class war begins. At the rate we are becoming more and more lopsided economically, if something does not change class war will happen eventually. History is repeating itself, it happened a century ago and we have forgotten those lessons.
Bachmann, Pawlenty Surprising
The big news in Minnesota politics today is rightly assigned to Michele Bachmann , particularly after surging even with Mitt Romney in Iowa. That said, Tim Pawlenty made noteworthy news today, too. First, here's CNN's take on Michele Bachmann:
Forget political pedigree, executive experience or ties to deep-pocketed donors.
No Republican presidential candidate is better positioned to capitalize on the recent tide of conservative anger toward President Barack Obama than Michele Bachmann.
Her charisma and crossover appeal to both social and fiscal conservatives have the three-term Minnesota congresswoman rising in the polls and primed to make a serious impact on the GOP nomination fight.
Bachmann, unlike several of her rivals making appeals to the Tea Party movement, has the resources and fundraising potential to steer her campaign beyond the crucial early states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.
Though firmly on the insurgent side of the Republican field, she is also taking steps to position herself as a credible alternative to the crop of establishment-friendly White House contenders with deep pockets and long political resumes.
Quite awhile ago, I thought that Michele Bachmann's name didn't belong in the same sentence with U.S. president. It wasn't that I didn't think she had the chops. I knew early on that Michele was a conservative superstar long before her getting the CD-6 GOP endorsement :
This past Sunday, I had the opportunity to meet State Senator Michelle Bachmann. To say that I was impressed with her is understatement.
She was articulate in her presentation. She had a ready answer for all of the questions posed to her. Most of the people I talked with said that they were either impressed or very impressed with her speaking skills. Her energy was impressive, too.
It's because I thought the DNC would mercilessly attack her in much the same way then-candidate Obama and the Obama shills in the media attacked Sarah Palin.
In the years since, Michele has given us plenty of reasons to be impressed. The reality is that, despite the noise her detractors make, she's an impressive policy wonk on fiscal and national security issues.
Here's Ed Morrissey's take on Pawlenty's good news:
For Pawlenty, his strong performance in a state-wide poll is rather remarkable, since Democrats here have been trying to dump blame on him for the current budget impasse in order to deflect criticism of the in-over-his-head new governor, Mark Dayton. Pawlenty wins majorities of voters between 35-64, although he trails with independents 39/51. He also wins big in the top two income demographics and ties Obama among $50K-$75K earners. Most impressively, Pawlenty comes within four points of Obama among Twin Cities voters, which are usually a Democratic stronghold. He also wins all other regions, including an 11-point margin in southern Minnesota, which is represented by Democrats in Congress (Peterson and Walz).
However, another way to look at this is that Obama has suddenly become very, very vulnerable in a state where he should be showing considerable strength. Despite efforts in the last three electoral cycles by national conservative organizations, Minnesota hasn't come very close to going red in a presidential election. Upper Midwestern progressivism still thrives in Minnesota, even if it has seriously waned in Wisconsin. Republicans didn't win a single state-wide office in the 2010 elections despite taking control of both chambers of the state legislature and scoring an upset in MN-08 with Chip Cravaack's win over 18-term Rep. Jim Oberstar. Now, suddenly, Obama can't score better than a tie against a candidate who has yet to gain significant national traction?
If I was Tim Pawlenty, I'd be encouraged by these results. If I was in Obama's White House, I'd be very, very worried about them.
I agree with Ed saying that this is both good news for TPaw and terrible news for President Obama's campaign. It fits, though, with my belief that President Obama is facing an uphill re-election fight. If President Obama has to spend tons of money to keep Minnesota in the blue column, then he's a one-termer.
Still, this shouldn't just be seen as President Obama's weakness. TPaw is a formidable opponent who simply hasn't caught fire yet. I wouldn't be surprised if he gains momentum as people start deciding who they're supporting.
Michele can tout her finish in the recent Iowa poll :
Romney, the national front-runner and a familiar face in Iowa after his 2008 presidential run, attracts support from 23 percent of likely Republican caucus-goers. Bachmann, who will officially kick off her campaign in Iowa on Monday, nearly matches him, with 22 percent.
'She's up there as a real competitor and a real contender,' said Republican pollster Randy Gutermuth, who is unaffiliated with any of the presidential candidates. 'This would indicate that she's going to be a real player in Iowa.'
The fact that Michele's running that strong this early says she's doing something right. It says she'll do well in the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses.
All in all, that's a pair of pretty promising surprises for Republicans of national prominence.
Posted Monday, June 27, 2011 8:12 PM
No comments.
DFL, JRLC Speak With Unanimity
If I had a sawbuck for each time the DFL used the term "all-cuts budget", I'd be a wealthy man. This morning, this LTE was published in the Tuesday edition of the St. Cloud Times. I note that because it cites an organization called the Joint Religious Legislative Coalition. I have a habit of questioning any organization that I'm not familiar with. This search, like so many other searches, turned up interesting fruit. I found this on the JRLC's current action alert page :
Background
The 2011 legislative session officially ended on May 23. The legislature offered their cuts-only budget and Governor Dayton vetoed the bill. Without a final budget solution, the state is headed toward a special session and potentially a government shutdown on July 1 if a compromise is not reached before the deadline.
Isn't it interesting that the DFL chanting point and the JRLC's chanting point are equally inaccurate and similar sounding? Actuallly, it isn't as odd as you might think. Any organization with an innocent-sounding name automatically jumps to the top of my "Suspicions List".
First, this post highlights the inaccuracy of the DFL's chanting points and the JRLC's chanting points:
SEN. COHEN: We're going to be passing a budget that is billions and billions and billions and billions of dollars and at a level that we've never done before in the history of the state. The 12-13 budget will be $34.33 billions of dollars in general fund dollars taxed to the citizens of Minnesota. The 10-11 budget two years ago was $30.171 billion, I believe.
So the difference is over $4 billion, I believe. The largest state general fund budget ever, ever, ever, in the history of the state of Minnesota.
It's impossible to say that a budget that's the "largest state general fund budget ever, ever, ever, ever" in Minnesota history is a cuts-only budget.
It's impossible to simultaneously argue that a budget that's the biggest in state history is a cuts-only budget.
I looked at other likeminded organizations mentioned on the Joint Religious Legislative Coalition's website. This pdf gives advice on how to right letters to the editor. It also has this advice:
Talking Points:
Talk about why saving Homeless Programs are important to you.
One of the sister organizations to the Joint Religious Legislative Coalition is the Minnesota Homeless Coalition . One of the Minnesota Homeless Coalition's Resource pages relates to curriculum to be taught in schools . Here's a little glimpse into that curriculum:
The Coalition provides a one-of-a-kind curriculum series to help teachers, young people, and their families will gain a greater awareness of the causes of homelessness and the devastating impact it has on people's lives.
We also hope that this curriculum will be a valuable resource for your school to increase the sensitivity of staff and students, so that this school is a welcoming and caring place for those children who do not have a home.
First, the MHC can't put a priority on basic punctuation and grammar because those paragraphs are filled with poor punctuation and terrible grammar. Instead of saying that "The Coalition provides a one-of-a-kind curriculum series to help teachers, young people, and their families will gain a greater awareness of the causes of homelessness", it should read "The Coalition provides a one-of-a-kind curriculum series to help teachers, young people, and their families gain a greater awareness of the causes of homelessness."
Instead of saying this "We also hope that this curriculum will be a valuable resource for your school to increase the sensitivity of staff and students, so that this school is a welcoming and caring place for those children who do not have a home", that sentence would read like this "We also hope that this curriculum will be a valuable resource for your school to increase the sensitivity of staff and students so that this school is a welcoming and caring place for those children who do not have a home" if it was using the proper punctuation.
I'd further add that that sentence wouldn't read "We also hope that this curriculum will be a valuable resource for your school to increase the sensitivity of staff and students, so that this school is a welcoming and caring place for those children who do not have a home." Instead, it would be broken down to say "We hope that this curriculum will be a valuable resource for schools. We hope that schools would be sensitive to the needs of those students who don't have a home."
The point is that the JRLC and the Minnesota Homeless Coalition are low-profile parts of the DFL. The JRLC represents the DFL first, the religious commmunities a distant second.
That's why they speak with near unanimity.
Posted Tuesday, June 28, 2011 4:32 AM
Comment 1 by walter hanson at 28-Jun-11 06:03 AM
Gary:
Maybe they can learn how to do math. Last time I looked $34 billion is greater than $30 billion. There's no way on Earth something wasn't cut. Where did that four billion go then?
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
Comment 2 by Steve at 28-Jun-11 10:53 AM
Yeah, what a crazy group! An advocacy group that has been around for at least 30 years and is led by highly regarded Minnesota religious leaders including pastors, rabbis and ministers. They are obviously wrong about everything since they and the DFL agree on this one issue.
Rep. Winkler on Dayton Shutdown: Republicans Will Cave
According to a tweet by Rep. Ryan Winkler, Republicans will "cave". It's a matter of when, not if. Here's the text of Rep. Winkler's tweet from last Wednesday:
Rep. Ryan Winkler (DFL-Golden Valley) has said he believes that if courts refuse to fund 'core services' during a shutdown, this would force Gov. Mark Dayton and GOP leaders to reach a budget agreement.
' The GOP will cave. Only question is if they do it [before] they cause shutdown,' Winkler Tweeted last Wednesday.
If Rep. Winkler were a professional athlete, his tweet would be posted on his opponent's chalkboard before the next game. It's what's known in pro sports as chalkboard material. When a player predicts his team's win, he'd better back it up by winning. Otherwise, his prediction serves only to motivate his opponent's team.
Prior to reading Rep. Winkler's quote, I'd talked with numerous GOP legislators. Frankly, I don't think they'll cave. After finding out about Rep. Winkler's quote and after putting a complete, balanced budget together, I'm betting that Republicans will stand their ground.
The likelihood of Republicans caving goes down if you factor in the Pi-Press's anti-Dayton op-ed :
Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton has attempted to position himself as interested in compromise. Though both sides have compromised, the governor seems to have had the better of the "I compromised and they didn't" spin.
But it's not that simple. Rather than work out differences and sign off on large portions of the budget on which agreement is within reach, Dayton has as of this writing refused to get deals done and preserve operations in those parts of government. This is not compromise. This is hostage taking.
The governor is threatening to unnecessarily shut down portions of government to have his way on other, more contentious budget matters. We understand his desire to bring the greatest possible pressure to bear on the Legislature in support of his promise to raise taxes on higher incomes. Politics ain't beanbag. But the unnecessary infliction of pain is not consistent with an attitude of compromise.
For a Twin Cities newspaper to say that Gov. Dayton is "threatening to unnecessarily shut down portions of government" is unthinkable most days. In fact, it might be unprecedented.
Regardless of whether it's unprecedented, it should be enough to stiffen the spines of any wobblies that might still exist. I've talked with activists around the state. That they're calling and emailing their legislators telling their legislators that doing the right thing will be rewarded is making a difference, too.
Rep. Winkler is likely considered a rising star in the DFL. If that's the DFL's version of a rising star, the DFL is hurting.
Posted Tuesday, June 28, 2011 5:51 AM
Comment 1 by walter hanson at 28-Jun-11 05:59 AM
Gary:
This is another example of the DFL and their unions AFSCME don't care. I'm going to be given a layoff notice (at least I hope it's temporary) because governor Dayton refused to sign the transportation bill which has over 99% of what Dayton wants. I was sent an email by my union president blaming the Republican legislators for not doing their job.
Um didn't they pass the whole budget?
Didn't they propose to spend 13% more when the people according to a KSTP say 87% of the public wants the budget to remain at $30 billion or cut.
Dayton, AFSCME, and the others want that tax increase on the rich so bad they don't care about the damage they are doing!
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
Comment 2 by Greg Lang at 28-Jun-11 12:58 PM
"The Revenue Department would keep a skeleton crew - 40 of its 1,400 employees - on the job to collect taxes, but it wouldn't send taxpayer refunds, including about $90 million scheduled to be paid to 70,000 renters next month."
Note: The Circuit-breaker checks for renters are supposed to be out by mid August and are used by many renters for "back to school" supplies. (Homeowner credits go out in mid-October). The renter payments are based on property taxes paid as part of rent and income. More renters than homeowners tend to be democratic. The payment is largest for lower income renter of housing that is not subsidized. The larger refunds to lower income are more important to them than people with higher income. Market renters with lower incomes (IE: tend to vote democratic) are at times LITERALLY banking on this mid Aug...ust money.
The payments to homeowners is scheduled for mid October. The logic here is that it can be used to pay second half-property taxes due 10-17-11. If a late penalty is applied because people depended on the circuit breaker homestead refund here is the penalty schedule. https://www16.co.hennepin.mn.us/taxpayments/ratestable.jsp
Basically renters will be affected worse than homeowners by payment delays. The renters are more likely to be vote democratic.
MAPE Planning Long Shutdown?
Based on information contained in MAPE's statement , thinking people must ask these simple questions:
- How long have MAPE and other PEU's been coordinating with Gov. Dayton and the DFL on Dayton's shutdown?
- Have MAPE and other PEU's planned on a lengthy shutdown?
Here's the information on the MAPE website:
Shutdown Eve Vigil and Cookout Join your fellow state employees and concerned citizens as we witness a solemn and historic event, the literal closing of the Capitol symbolizing the state government shutdown. Prior to the vigil, there will be a cookout at 411 Main from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm.
Shutdown Eve Vigil
Pre-Vigil Cookout Thursday June 30th
9:00-11:00 PM
State Capitol Steps
St. Paul
Shutdown Eve Cookout
Thursday June 30th
6:30-8:30 PM
411 S Main St
Saint Paul
We know this is a very stressful time for state employees. If you have questions about the memorandum of understanding, health insurance or other issues please call our information line at 651-287-9672.
In addition, MAPE is working with other unions to hold a shutdown resource fair where members can seek guidance and assistance. The Resource Fair will be 3:00-7:00 PM on Wednesday June 29th at 411 S Main St in Saint Paul.
Ongoing Events: Throughout July, MAPE members will continue to show solidarity and put pressure on elected officials to end the budget impasse.End the Shutdown Rally As we approach the one-week mark of the shutdown we will return to the Capitol to ask our elcted leaders to compromise and find a solution.
Wednesday July 6th 4:30 to 6:30 PM
State Capitol Front Steps
Team MAPE Legislative Phone Bank Help us contact MAPE members in key legislative districts and ask them to call their legislators.
Tuesday July 5th
3:00-6:00 PM
MAPE 1st floor 3460 Lexington Ave North Shoreview, MN
Coalition Ring of Fire Lit Drops Drop literature in targeted districts asking constituents to contact their legislators.
Saturday July 9th 10:00 AM
Multiple locations around the state
Contact kkillian@mape.org for more info.
Team MAPE Legislative Phone Bank Tuesday July 12th
3:00-6:00 PM
MAPE 1st floor 3460 Lexington Ave North Shoreview, MN
Coalition Ring of Fire Lit DropsThe most noticeable thing in MAPE's statement is what isn't there. Notice that these dates didn't include the routine disclaimer that all dates are subject to necessity. The next most noticeable thing in MAPE's statement is that they've got these events scheduled out over the next 3 weeks. That's pretty extraordinary event planning for something that might be concluded without a shutdown.
Saturday July 16th
10:00 AM Multiple locations around the state
Contact kkillian@mape.org for more info.
Posted Tuesday, June 28, 2011 6:49 AM
Comment 1 by KevinD791 at 28-Jun-11 11:38 AM
Nothing in there about contacting Dayton? Huh.
