Did you expect something surprising other than knee-jerk reaction from these sources?

Thoughtful reflection on the Pawlenty budget finds reason for criticism in that it doesn’t aggressively seek fundamental government reforms. Arbitrary spending cuts and arbitrary tax increases — neither solve the fundamental budget problem: too much government trying to do many things for too many people and doing little of it very well. Accounting shifts don’t get the job done either.

The opportunity presented by the budget situation, which neither the DFL nor the GOP have the cajones to face, is whether going forward we want to be a state where we sacrifice the dynamics of a market economy and individual decision-making in exchange for free government services where decisions are made for us or becoming a state with limited government intervention in the economy and personal choices while accepting that it is not the responsibility of government to remedy the inevitable inequality of outcomes that necessarily occur in a free society.

There really is no room for balance here. Balance is what we have now, and it necessarily leads to ever-expanding government. If that’s what we want, let’s be honest and say private property no longer has any meaning and government, society, the collective, or whatever language you want to use has exclusive right to every citizen’s labor in whatever quantity the majority, or those who claim to speak for the majority, say it needs (or simply wants). At least that gives productive people the option of taking their brains elsewhere. Or, we could just build a wall ….

- the most intelligent post I have read in years.

In other breaking news, the Sun rose today above Melbourne, Australia while it was still dark over North America. Observers are quoted as expressing, well, nothing.

to all the above posts

Pawlenty should be ashamed of himself!!!!!!!!!! but.. he doesn’t have to worry about being able to go to the Dr, or send his kids to college… he will do just fine.. .so why worry about us ‘little people’ or how he’s going to pay his mortgage/rent….or feed his family…. he’s not ‘one of us’, so why worry?

For shame, Gov. Pawlenty… For shame…

Business taxes are regressive.

From the 2007 Tax Incidence Report

” Although the legal impact of each of these taxes (business taxes) falls on the business entity, each is partially shifted to consumers (in higher prices) or in some cases to labor (in lower wages). Only a portion of business taxes are borne by capital owners as a lower rate of return on their investment.”

and

“Overall, the burden of Minnesota business taxes on Minnestoa households was regressive”

This is the report that is frequently referenced by groups like Growth and Justice and MN2020 because it shows that Minnesota’s tax burden is slightly regressive. This regression is only due to our excessive corporate tax rate.

They are like old time doctors who thought every problem could be solved by bleeding the patient. Now matter how sick the patient bacame, more blood was drained. Inevitable result is that the patients dies, which only proves how sick he was. The bloodletting came too late and was not done vigorously enough.