I sorta spiked the ball in the endzone yesterday with the news that Gov. Dayton had, more or less, accepted the GOP’s budget deal.
Was I premature? Of course. But as I noted yesterday, even if they call the play back, spiking the ball is fun. And what the heck – I was happy, and there’s nothing libs hate more than unsanctioned happiness.
The deal – accepting the GOP’s budget, in exchange for an eduction budget shift (a bit of accounting flummery), $500 million in bonding, and backing off Keith Downey’s “15 by 15” plan to reduce the state workforce by 15% by 2015, and of the “social bills” – everything from stem cell research restrictions to Voter ID.
Dayton did not get his big goal – a tax hike to chastize entrepreneurs. He got his “compromise” budget number, sort of – by using the shift, not via his pride and joy, the highest income tax rate in the nation.
Gary Gross over at LFR notes:
I don’t have a problem with the removal of the so-called social issues from the budget bill. There’s plenty of time to debate those issues. I’m ok with removing Keith Downey’s 15 by 15 reform with one condition: that Rep. King Banaian’s HF2 priority-based budget reform legislation, including his Sunset Commission provision, be part of the final package.
That’s the money line right there; beyond making government “live within its means” – which the GOP did, albeit not as far within its means as I’d like – we need to get budget reforms out of this session.
Getting serious, significant budget reforms out of this session has got to be the deal-breaker. I’m hoping our legislative freshmen come back for the special session loaded for bear.
I give a 75 as well. It has a nice beat, and the Governor can (now) dance to it. He used the Shutdown nuclear option and it blew up in his face.
As I understand the agreement, it is for the GOP to remove only the NON-budget “policy issues.” Otherwise, it WOULD be a deal breaker, I agree. I also don’t like promising a bonding bill. They should say they’ll take it up next session and adjourn. He can throw all the fits he wants but wants their in session, they do what they want.
This morning Fox 9 News ran a story about the deal. They put up a graphic:
* Borrow 700 million from schools
* Sell 700 million in tobacco settlement bonds
* Governor Mark Dayton closes budget deficit
Those gosh darn right wingers!
The bond bill I think I can accept if come next year there is no bond bill which by tradition when the bond bill is passed because we can say it was passed a couple of years early. Not to mention if it’s a very tight bill with real projects such as road construction. You make those two points that can be sold quite easily to the public.
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
I think the GOP should hold out voter ID.
15 by 15 is a strategic goal, the end state of a larger process. There is no reason that we can’t pursue the goal of streamlining state government without calling it 15 by 15.
And I agree with Walter-next year’s bonding bill should include this year’s 500 mill as a down payment on next year’s amount.
“Keith Downey’s “15 by 15″ plan to reduce the state workforce by 15% by 2015”.
You have to question the motivation of the unions here. Or should I say loudly question them in a public forum.
Early retirement incentive CLEARLY benefit the membership, yet CLEARLY do not benefit the DFL or the union leadership. So whose interests were served?
I hope this latest betrayal will convince more of my colleagues in public service to de-certify the unions and realign civil service in the direction of non-partisanship.
Matt Dean & Michael Brodkorb were talking gibberish on Davis & Emmer this morning. Talking about “all funds” makes me think the general fund spending is now around $36 billion. Budget was balanced before at $34 B, where is “new” Dayton money going?
It would be great if MN was a Right To Work state, but I don’t know if that will happen.
I would hold off on spiking the ball before pen meets paper. I just don’t trust Mister “Good Deal In The Morning; Bad Deal In The Afternoon”.
Troy, I too would like MN to become a RTW state. Unfortunately, that may not help anything either, if you look at what the pathetic losers at the NLRB are doing to Boeing because they want to open a plant in the existing RTW state of SC!
Rumor is that if Boeing loses this battle against the meddling government that is doing the union’s bidding, they are moving the plant to Mexico, just for spite.
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