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Editorial: Partisan math clouds budget debate – Post Bulletin

May 31, 2011 by seanolsen 0 Comments

Minnesota used $30.2 billion of its own money in the current two-year cycle, but we actually spent $34.5 billion. To make the books balance, we didn’t pay schools $1.9 billion that they’re owed, and we used $2.3 billion in federal stimulus funds.

As far as we know, Minnesota didn’t spend those federal dollars on a statewide pizza party. We spent them on education, transportation and health care, and without that money, we would have been in a world of hurt.

Unpacking the GOP’s creative accounting when trying to explain their budget plan.  Read more at:  Editorial: Partisan math clouds budget debate – Post Bulletin.

Economy, Legislative Watch, State Legislature, Taxes
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preexisting-condition

Nohealthcareville and other “highlights” of the 2011 legislative session

May 26, 2011 by seanolsen 0 Comments

Well, that was fun, wasn’t it?  We’re a couple of days downstream from the end of the official 2011 legislative session, and it’s a marvel to look back at the last four months and see everything that didn’t get done. 

Republican majorities in the House and Senate offered no meaningful compromise from their pre-session position, while Governor Dayton changed the substance of his proposal significantly.

Let’s look back at some of the budget bills that were passed (and vetoed) and some of key provisions.  All of these were voted for by the Carver County legislative contingent of Sen. Julianne Ortman, Rep. Ernie Leidiger, and Rep. Joe Hoppe.

These sorts of budget provisions are not in character with what has made Minnesota great place to live for decades.  The Republican majorities are undercutting the things that have given Minnesota a competitive advantage — well-educated people, well-maintained infrastructure, and a safety net that protects the most vulnerable in our society.  You can’t out-Mississippi Mississippi, and we shouldn’t even try.

It wasn’t just the budget that made news during the session, though.  Despite their alleged focus on jobs and the budget, Republicans used their majorities to jam through numerous bills on divisive social issues.

And, of course, no recap of the session would be complete without a reminder of Leidiger’s Bradlee Dean fiasco last week.

These are not the values that Carver County residents believe in.  We don’t believe in dividing.  We don’t believe in focusing on the sideshow while critical problems go unaddressed.  Let’s hope that cooler heads will prevail over the next month and both sides can agree to a sensible, balanced solution to our budget crisis.

(Cartoon from the StarTribune via about.com.)

Economy, Legislative Watch, State Legislature, Taxes
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ernie

Leidiger invites Bradlee Dean to give explosive invocation on floor of MN House [UPDATED]

May 20, 2011 by seanolsen 13 Comments

On the floor of the Minnesota House this morning, anti-gay pastor Bradlee Dean gave a controversial invocation, where he made comments excluding non-Christians and implying that President Obama is not a Christian.

For background (and video) of the invocation, see this account on Minnesota Progressive Project.  Here’s a transcript of the end of the prayer:

I know this is a non-denominational prayer in this Chamber and it’s not about the Baptists and it’s not about the Catholics alone or the Lutherans or the Wesleyans. Or the Presbyterians the evangelicals or any other denomination but rather the head of the denomination and his name is Jesus. As every President up until 2008 has acknowledged. And we pray it. In Jesus’ name.

Who would invite someone like Dean to give such an invocation — on the day that the House is expected to take up the constitutional amendment banning gay marriage?

Mayer’s own Ernie Leidiger – according to Minnesota Public Radio’s Tom Scheck.

http://twitter.com/#!/tomscheck/status/71609675073851393

Leidiger should be embarrassed to bring such hatred onto the floor of the Minnesota House.  He owes all of us an apology, fast and heartfelt.  That’s the very least he can do to make up for this shameful situation.

UPDATE:  For those of you just becoming familiar with Rep. Leidiger, check out what us locals have been saying about our first-term Representative by reviewing our archive of Leidiger coverage.

UPDATE 2:  According to the Chanhassen Villager, Leidiger is pleading ignorance of Dean’s views.  Given Dean’s prominence in conservative and Tea Party circles, as well as his connections to Michele Bachmann and Tom Emmer (Leidiger is proud of his early support of Emmer), and Dean’s presence at the 2010 state GOP convention, that claim is not very credible.

UPDATE 3 (5/21):  With the heat of the moment passed, I’ll take Leidiger at his word that he didn’t know about Dean’s history.  But it shows that he didn’t even bother to do a simple Google search on Rev. Dean before promoting him to speak before the entire House.  That would be consistent with Leidiger’s history supporting short-sighted legislation, making dubious claims about transportation funding,  protecting his patrons at expense of the people, backing unprecedented theft of dedicated local sales tax revenues to balance the budget, and putting party loyalty ahead of local concerns.

UPDATE 4 (5/23):  On his radio show Saturday, Dean asserted that Leidiger did in fact know of Dean’s views.  Dean says that Leidiger was at a screening of Dean’s “My War” documentary last fall.   (Audio at 31:00 of the link.)

Legislative Watch, State Legislature
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compromise meter

Minnesota Budget Compromise Meter

May 19, 2011 by seanolsen 3 Comments

There’s been a lot of talk by Republicans regarding Governor Dayton’s unwillingness to compromise on the budget.  So I thought it might be useful to look at how the budget proposals by the Governor and the GOP majority in the Legislature have changed over the course of the session.  There are three points that we’ll look at — the original proposals when the revenue estimates showed a $6.2 billion deficit, the revised proposals after the revenue estimates were updated to show a $5 billion deficit, and where the parties stand today.

(For the purposes of this analysis, a “spending cut” is defined as a reduction in spending from current law.  In some cases, that may mean that actual funding for programs is increased over the previous biennium, but is less than if there had been no change in law.  Additionally, I am counting the continuation of the $1.4 billion K-12 funding shift implemented in the last session as a spending cut.  Both parties have agreed to continue the shift.)

Original proposals:  Governor Dayton’s proposal to close the then-$6.2 billion deficit consisted of $4.1 billion in tax increases, the $1.4 billion school shift, and $0.7 billion in other spending cuts.  Republicans had not offered a specific budget at this point, only indicating that they would not be including any new revenues in their plan.  As such, their proposal (by default) was $1.4 billion in the school shift and $4.8 billion in other cuts.

Revised proposals:  After the Revenue Department updated the forecast to result in a $5.0 billion deficit for the next biennium, there were tweaks to the Governor’s proposal.  He removed $900 million in tax increases, and restored some of the spending cuts.  His new proposal resolved the deficit through $3.2 billion in tax increases, the $1.4 billion school shift and $0.4 billion in other spending cuts.  Republicans revealed their budget proposals after the updated forecast.  Their budget targets consisted of the $1.4 billion school shift and $3.6 billion in other cuts.

Current proposals:  Earlier this week, Governor Dayton revised his budget proposal again, continuing the $1.4 billion school shift and then offering to split the remaining $3.6 billion as half tax hikes and half spending cuts.  So the net result of Dayton’s proposal is $1.8 billion in tax increases and $3.2 billion in spending cuts.  Republicans have stayed with their previous budget figures.

So, let’s sum this up.

Governor Dayton has moved significantly since the start of the session.  He has gone from a budget solution consisting of 34% spending cuts to a budget proposal consisting of 64% spending cuts.  The legislative majorities have made no movement in their position over the course of the session.  They have no standing to complain about what they perceive as the Governor’s unwillingness to modify his position.  It’s time for them to sit down at the table and get to work on crafting a real budget solution.

State Legislature, Taxes
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A 3-Step Plan to Legislative Victory (and Public Ruin)

May 17, 2011 by seanolsen 0 Comments

The legislative session thus far has been a disappointing display of short-sighted thinking. As we’ve seen for much of the last decade, many legislators have focused on a devotion to political ideology over real-world results. Instead of focusing on facts, they have taken to declaring their positions with little backing. It’s played out in a three-step process; let’s see how it works in the K-12 education arena…

Read the rest here at Minnesota 2020.

MN2020, Schools, State Legislature
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MN Progressive Project: It’s as if Amy Koch is refusing to understand taxes

May 17, 2011 by seanolsen 0 Comments

It seems intuitive that if business owners pay more taxes, they’ll hire fewer people, so Republicans play on that, and don’t tell people that businesses actually avoid taxes if they invest. Legislators, however, are supposed to understand this stuff, and even if they don’t to begin with, it has been explained over and over again to them during the debate.

Read more at:  MN Progressive Project:: It’s as if Amy Koch is refusing to understand taxes.

Legislative Watch, State Legislature, Taxes
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penny

Not one more

May 17, 2011 by seanolsen 0 Comments

Yesterday, Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton issued his second revised budget proposal.  This proposal would balance the remaining $3.6 billion deficit (both parties have agreed to extend the K-12 school payment shift) through an even split of spending cuts and tax increases — a reduction of $1.6 billion from Dayton’s original tax increase plan.  The plan would limit income tax increases to those making over $250,000 and filing jointly or $150,000 for individuals (the top 2% of taxpayers), and Dayton also removed his proposed property tax increases on homes valued at over $1 million.

Legislative Republicans were dismissive of the Governor’s proposal.  Over 30 members of the GOP delegation have started the “Not a Penny More” caucus, indicating that they won’t approve any budget proposal that goes over the projected $34 billion in revenue.  They’ve even got shiny new lapel pins!

When I hear about this caucus, it makes me wonder.  Who’s going to start the “Not One More Kid Who Can’t Go To College Because Tuition Went Up Again” caucus? 

Is anyone going to be a part of the “Not One More Senior Citizen Who Can’t Get Meals on Wheels” caucus? 

Where do you sign up for the “Not One More Working Family Without Health Care” caucus?  

How about the “Not One More Bridge in Substandard Condition” caucus? 

Whose interests are being served by this agenda?  Why is it more important to eliminate the renters’ tax credit for working families or stop buying eyeglasses for people on Minnesota Care or cut tax credits for adoption than to protect the top 2% from a modest tax increase?  When do we start protecting the things that made Minnesota great instead of tearing them down and racing to the bottom?

Economy, Legislative Watch, State Legislature, Taxes
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Waconia to host 2012 governors fishing opener

May 16, 2011 by seanolsen 1 Comment

Congratulations to Waconia, which will be hosting the 2012 Governors Fishing Opener.  Should be a great chance for Waconia and the rest of Carver County to shine!

Carver County
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ernie

Will the roads build themselves?

May 16, 2011 by seanolsen 1 Comment

Minnesota has a serious transportation funding problem.  We’ve underfunded our roads for a generation, and we’re paying the price for it.  Since 2002, we’ve slipped to 29th in the amount of roads rated as substandard by the U.S. Department of Transportation.  MnDOT projects (based on current funding) that we will be about $2 billion short per year over the next 20 years to both maintain our current roads and keep up with population growth.  Increasing fuel economy in our automobiles also will decrease the utility of our gasoline tax — a Toyota Prius, for instance, uses half the fuel of the similarly sized Toyota Corolla, but the Prius weighs more and actually does more damage to the roads as a result. 

The costs of our failure to properly maintain our roads comes directly out of our pockets.  Not only do we spend more time idling in traffic, but the products that we buy in stores do the same.  Wasted fuel and wasted time add to the cost of every item in your local grocery, discount, or department store.  Good transportation infrastructure has always been a key differentiator for this state, and we are watching it literally crumble away underneath our feet (and tires).

Both parties have failed to adequately address the depth of the problem as it currently exists, and nobody has yet articulated a complete plan for the future.  To prepare for the future, though, MnDOT has been recruiting drivers to do a test of a potential means of data collection for a mileage tax.  There’s obvious downsides to a mileage tax — it’s harder to collect, and depending on the means of collection there are potential privacy concerns.  But at least someone is looking forward and looking for solutions.

Of course, that means there are people who are still looking backwards.  Included are many Republican members of the state legislature, including Carver County’s own Rep. Ernie Leidiger.  Leidiger has signed on as a co-sponsor of H.F. 1713, which would prohibit MnDOT from going forward with the mileage tax study.

A mileage tax may or may not be part of the solution going forward.  But if Leidiger and his colleagues want to slam the door on even looking into it, it’s then incumbent on them to develop their own solution for Minnesota’s transportation funding problem.  Given that the GOP caucuses in the Legislature opposed any new revenue for transportation before the 35W bridge collapse, opposed new revenue for transportation after the 35W bridge collapse, oppose Gov. Dayton’s bonding proposal which included some road projects, and still oppose any new revenue for transportation purposes, I’m not holding my breath but would really like to be pleasantly surprised.

If they can’t come up with a plan of their own, then the logical question is how they intend to keep our state competitive — do they expect the roads to build themselves?

Legislative Watch, State Legislature, Transportation
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Scroogeswim

Good news for Scrooge McDuck

May 12, 2011 by seanolsen 0 Comments

Rep. Kurt Bills (R-Apple Valley) has introduced a new bill that will be of great benefit to those of you with stashes of gold and silver coins.  H.F. 1664 would make gold and silver coin legal tender in the state of Minnesota. and exempt transactions using gold and silver coins from taxation.

The rationale for the bill is that the Federal Reserve (along with the banks of every other industrialized country) have devalued our currency by not linking directly to gold, silver, or some other tangible resource.  This has been a plank in the Ron Paul platform, for instance.  In the real world, there’s little fear that the global economic order is going to collapse to such an extent that American dollars and all other fiat currencies are going to suddenly become worthless.

But perhaps Bills has stumbled onto an economic development strategy.  Perhaps Scrooge McDuck will move his Money Bin from Duckburg to Minnesota.  Maybe we can build it next to the new Minnesota Vikings stadium…

Legislative Watch, State Legislature
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