New York Times calls out Minnesota’s ‘anti-tax extremists’

Only four honorable GOP members, Kriesel, Murray, Kelly and Smith.

There was hope for Hamilton and Kieffer, but they are lost to the wrong side of history.

Jeff Wilfahrt, Rosemount, MN

I hate to admit it, but I doubt Mr. Dayton has a choice. The Taliban won’t budge no matter what the outcome to the rest of the state. Hell I won’t put it past them shooting some hostages if they had the choice.

That leaves only one option – vote ‘em out next time around, but by that time people will have forgotten all this. The disadvantage of our ever growing short attention spams I guess.

In addition, Democrats don’t know how to fight. They never did and I guess they will never learn how. (That little fact really ticks me off!)

He can’t yield to their stonewalling lack of compromise, because all they want is to keep eroding his position until they have leverage to hold it hostage for their rights-endangering social agenda. It’s never been about the budget for them, it’s been about that, and they see this as a way to drive it through. Otherwise, they could go for the veto override. They may be backing him into a corner, but I don’t believe it’s one he should give in on to get out of, because giving in without GOP concessions just fuels their tactics even more.

The Republicans have a moron chip that’s programmed to do the most damage to our state while rewarding their rich, immoral donors! The only hope this state has is to vote them out of office in 2012. We’re fast becoming the Mississippi of the north. What a bunch of selfish bastards!

Going to agree with Chapter&Verse here.

Good on ya’, GOP. 6% increased spending in the new budget is more than should have been allowed in this economy. Dayton’s proposed 24% spending increase is about as extreme and irresponsible as it gets.

This is predictable result of all the GOP’s anti-government rhetoric over the past few decades.

It’s possible to dialogue and reason with someone who begins with the modest impulse to restrain spending and regulatory excess. It’s not possible to reason with the current crop of right-wing zealots who have made their anti-tax and anti-government positions into holy dogmas sanctioned by god.

Indeed, the belief that tax cuts and radically reduced government will generate better human outcomes is now a free-floating axiom divorced from considerations of consequence for peoples’ lives. Who needs evidence when you have faith?

How the hell is a 6% increase in gov’t spending even remotely “extreme”, but Dayton’s proposed 24% increase isn’t?

HG,

Numbers by themselves are meaningless without a context.

HG – that “6% increase” does NOT include the Federal Stimulus funds that TPaw spent last Biennium. The GOP actually proposed a CUT of 3% or so.

I think we all know the context. A $5b deficit, 6.6% unemployment,.Minnesota is 44th in business-tax climate, 38th in income tax burden, 38th for sales tax, and 39th for unemployment insurance tax ( http://www.taxfoundation.org/files/bp60.pdf ).

What’s obvious here is the overreaction and typical exageration of the left. The last budget Dayton vetoed contained a 6% spending increase. Dayton wants a 24% increase. A 24% increase is extreme by any measure, 6% is reasonable.

You folks on the left might carry a little more credibility if you’d honestly represent other’s positions and quit redefining key words in an attempt to mislead your audience.

2010/2011 budget = $32.5 billion

2012/2013 GOP budget = $34.4 billion

5.8% increase in spending

HG, that’s a load of hooey. When federal stimulus dollars and the K-12 payment shifts are factored in, the 2010-2011 budget was about $34.5 billion. The $32.5 billion figure you have been told you must repeat includes only state tax revenues. The budget for the state, in case you don’t know what the big words mean, is the total the state spends, not the total it takes in from taxation.

Thanks Randy. That is so true, but the “talking points” from T. Sutton ring across the state. The other “main” argument is what people pay in dollars not percent of their income. Those who make more do pay more dollars, but they KEEP more dollars too compared to the lesser earners. Likewise, percent is important when you want a raise, so percent IS an important measure of the progressive tax system.

The ” Grande ole Tea Bag Party ” lie is that they WONT RAISE TAXES!! NO NEW TAXES!! This is clearly a Crock of Sh1t !! Taxes will ultimately be raised for the rest of us with the exception of a handful of multi- millionaires..

http://www.mnbp.com/files/General%20Fund%20Summary%206-2-2011.pdf

That’s a nice link to a misleading chart. If you had read it closely, the $30 billion figure is projected revenue, not spending. That figure includes the shifts in K-12 funding. The $2 billion in federal stimulus funding is not factored in.

Nothing misleading about it. It says “spending”. Bray all you like, the facts are there.

The 2 million in one-time stimulus is hardly somthing you’d include in your next budget.

The $2 billion in stiimulus money was spent in the last biennium. The Republican budget cuts state spending, since that money is not there. It really isn’t hard.

Perhaps, HG, you can answer a question for me: Why is any supposed “increase” in the state budget such an important talking point for Republicans? I thought they wanted to cut government spending, so it seems to me that they would be touting their deep, deep cuts in spending with pride. Why, then, the cock-and-bull story that their proposed budget is an increase over last year?

Of course, it could be that no one has told you the answer to that one, and you’re probably not allowed to ask questions, so I won’t hold my breath waiting to hear what you have to say.

Contrary to the Republican rhetoric, it is a REVENUE problem, not a spending problem. When a household has a drop in income, and the budget is ‘fixed’ – they get additional income, such as an additional job. Just like a 2 year, incremental tax 2% increase on the top 7700 MILLIONAIRES (net income) in Minnesota.. In other news, remember, Reagan raised taxes 7 times in 8 years.