Minnesota Independent

Mark Dayton to concede to GOP on shutdown compromise

By Andy Birkey | 07.14.11 | 10:45 am

At a speech at the Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota on Thursday, Gov. Mark Dayton announced that he is prepared to concede to most of the demands offered by Republican legislative leadership on June 30 in order to end the 14-day government shutdown. The Republican demands included a shift of $700 million in payments to public schools and borrowing another $700 million from the state’s tobacco settlement fund. Dayton will also drop his proposal to tax the wealthiest 2 percent of Minnesotans. He excoriated Republicans for not offering any compromises during the shutdown.

Cathedral of St. Paul. Photo: jpellgen, Flickr

Catholic bishops seek budget solution that helps poor, includes abortion ban

By Andy Birkey | 07.13.11 | 11:21 am

Archbishop John Nienstedt and the Minnesota Catholic Conference, the public policy wing of Minnesota’s Catholic bishops, said Tuesday that they want a resolution to the state shutdown that protects poor Minnesotans. But their request also contains a slew of controversial social issues, including vouchers for private school students and a ban on certain forms of stem-cell research. The bishops didn’t back either Gov. Mark Dayton or legislative Republicans, but did criticize cuts to the social safety net.

Did abortion politics derail budget talks, lead to shutdown?

By Andy Birkey | 07.01.11 | 4:32 pm

Debate continued on Friday over what killed the budget talks between Gov. Mark Dayton and Republican leadership. Certainly, a no-taxes pledge by the Republican majority in the Minnesota Legislature and Dayton’s insistence that new revenues be raised by wealthy Minnesotans played a significant part, but social issues — especially abortion — seem to have played a part in the stalemate as well.

Minnesota Capitol. Photo: Paul Weimer, Flickr

GOP pressed for abortion, stem cell research bans during budget negotiations

By Andy Birkey | 07.01.11 | 10:35 am

During budget negotiations the week before Friday’s government shutdown, Republican leaders pressed Gov. Mark Dayton to include a ban on abortions at 20 weeks gestation, a ban on taxpayer-funded abortions and a ban on some forms of stem cell research. Even as the shutdown of Minnesota government had begun, the principal anti-abortion lobby, Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, continued to push its agenda.

Gov. Mark Dayton. Photo: Kathy Easthagen for the Minnesota Independent

Union rep calls Dayton’s shutdown letter ‘exemplary’

By Sam Lane | 06.17.11 | 11:20 am

A representative from a union that represents 13,000 state employees said Gov. Mark Dayton’s letter to public employees in the wake of a possible government shutdown was a “class act” and “exemplary.”

Citing lack of compromise, Dayton vetoes GOP budget bills

By Andy Birkey | 05.24.11 | 1:45 pm

As expected, Gov. Mark Dayton vetoed all budget bills Tuesday that were submitted by the Republicans. His message to the GOP: “Compromise.” Dayton also hit Republicans for including divisive social issues in their budgets.

Minnesota delegates react to Ryan budget proposal

By Andy Birkey | 04.06.11 | 8:19 am

Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin introduced the Republican budget proposal on Tuesday, a budget that would spend $6.2 trillion less than President Obama’s budget, repeal funding for the Affordable Care Act, phase in a voucher system for Medicare, and cut $700 billion from Medicaid over the next decade. Minnesota’s political leaders were quick to respond to the proposal, with reactions falling along partisan lines.

Deem and Pass: Bachmann was against it before she was for it

By Andy Birkey | 04.04.11 | 8:34 am

House Republicans passed a bill on Thursday that calls for a budget bill containing $61 billion in cuts to become law if the Senate does not pass a spending plan by Wednesday. Bachmann, along with all but 15 Republicans, voted for the bill that would “deem” the budget bill into law, also known as a “self-executing rule.” One year ago, Bachmann called a similar bill “violence to the Constitution” and suggested impeachment if Democrats “deemed and passed” health care reform into law.

Rep. Michele Bachmann chairs the House Tea Party Caucus

Tea party, Bachmann attack federal budget compromise

By Andy Birkey | 04.01.11 | 9:10 am

Leaders on Capitol Hill have given indications that they are close to reaching a compromise that would prevent a shutdown of the federal government. The speculative compromise would include $33 billion in cuts, well below the $61 billion the Republicans in the House have proposed. Rep. Michele Bachmann criticized the deal saying that the Democrats want the government to shut down and that they would not compromise. Bachmann said she and the tea party would not compromise either.

Franken, Klobuchar among signers of deficit-reduction letter to Obama

By Andy Birkey | 03.22.11 | 8:26 am

Sens. Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar are among 62 U.S. Senators — 32 Republicans and 32 Democrats — who’ve signed a letter urging President Obama to do more to reduce the federal deficit. Drafted by Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado and Republican Mike Johanns of Nebraska, the letter left many pundits scratching their heads: If so many senators are pushing Obama to engage in deficit reduction ideas, why haven’t they done it themselves?