Imagine If You Will…

…that your credit card company overbilled your automatic payments, and you opened your statement to find that your credit card balance was -$1,000. You had literally paid them a thousand more than you needed to.

Is that extra thousand dollars something the credit card company can – or should – then put into more coffee for the break room? Or executive bonuses? Or a new monitor for their accounting department? Or tack it onto someone’s salary, forcing them to keep overbilling you?

Seems absurd, right?

Well, that’s what the DFL is doing with the news that the budget has a “surplus”:

They are Capital One, and they are looking at that overpayment and drooling like a wolf tracking a pack of sheep.

Better idea, Ms. Lucking: have the waves of overpaid, largely deadwood administrators that the schools have been hiring with previous waves of “surpluses” that got turned into permanent education spending, to (judging by the results) negative results, look those students in the eye and tell them what f****** good they’ve done.

We’ll wait

But I digress.

The surplus is a mirage, of course; it includes federal “Covid Relief” money that hasn’t been spent (yet), and other temporal fruit of a distorted economy. It isn’t permanent…

…any more than that overbilling from Capital One.

17 thoughts on “Imagine If You Will…

  1. Libturds do not know the true definition of “budget”. What makes you think they know how to spell “surplus”?

  2. Except the difference between Capital(“What’s in your wallet?”) One and the DFL is that you will get your money back from Capital One. The DFL adhere sharply to the Ferengi First Rule Of Acquisition: “Once you have their money, you never give it back.”

  3. It’s not a real surplus, it’s a ‘projected surplus’ based on a set of assumptions. From a WCCO article: “The forecast assumes that supply chain woes are resolved and inflation decreases by the end of next year . . . ”

    The technical term for this forecasting technique is ‘betting on the come’ and it was considered a poor financial strategy before it became official DFL policy. That’s why it traditionally carried the admonition ‘don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.’

    In related news, I’m eyeing a new sports car to impress the babes after I lose all that weight this year. And I’m throwing away my hats because they won’t fit after this new hair-growing tonic does its work. Yes indeed, 2022 is going to be the best year ever, assuming things work out perfectly.

    What could go wrong?

  4. “Every single lawmaker should have to go to a school, look struggling students and staff in the eye, and tell them there’s a massive state budget surplus. Every one.”

    Wouldn’t it be great if you could make Winkler and Lucking go before a group of low paid MN workers who are living pay check to pay check and explain that the DFL is going to keep the taxes that they over paid?

  5. Didn’t I read that the State also has a massive Unemployment Insurance debt that it owes to the Feds? Shouldn’t some of this “surplus” go to that? And by using the lege’s own reasoning, shouldn’t they assume that this debt is always going to occur, and budget accordingly?

  6. Every single lawmaker should have to go to a school, look struggling students and staff in the eye, and tell them there’s a massive state budget surplus. Every one. #mnleg

    ….except they can’t, the staff are off on one of their 30 or so yearly vacation days and even when they’re not, most of the kids are at home.

  7. Just threw a wad of dollars out the window and the wind blew three times as much right back into my face.

  8. Hey!!!

    I’ve got an idea.

    Why don’t we invest the whole thing in our children’s education!!!!

    [snarf]

  9. Never forget the immortal words of the only honest legislator in Minnesota history:

    “When you guys win, you get to keep your money. When we win, we take your money.”

    — Cy Thao

  10. You know, even people who don’t believe a temporary surplus represents an overcharge ought to remember that a temporary surplus is temporary, and hence ought not be spent in ways that will generate permanent expenses. Our government officials need a serious dose of Dave Ramsey.

  11. This is a projected surplus for the two year biennium. Most of it has not been paid in yet.

  12. Pingback: In The Mailbox: 12.09.21 : The Other McCain

  13. Macarthur’s right. At least with a credit card company your account gets credited. At worst, even if they won’t pay you the excess back or pay you interest while they hold your money like a bank, you can always “recoup” your money by buying something or paying off another bill.
    This is more like the Mafia expecting a surplus of Protection Money, complete with the “pay or else” and a lack of actual protection.

  14. Wouldn’t it be great if you could make Winkler and Lucking go before a group of low paid MN workers who are living pay check to pay check and explain that the DFL is going to keep the taxes that they over paid?

    A good chunk of those low paid workers will still vote DFL. The brainwashing is strong. The DFL are masters at it.

    Our government officials need a serious dose of Dave Ramsey.

    Dave’s instructions would be roundly ignored, tut-tutted with mocking disdain, and likely accompanied by fake aghast at the implied White Supremacy of financial responsibility.

    We are being financially bullied. The only way any of this will change is to cause pain to those who act this way. The only way to cause that pain is to cause them to lose their jobs. However, as I said above..A good chunk of those low paid workers will still vote DFL. The brainwashing is strong. The DFL are masters at it.

  15. Yes, Bill, Dave Ramsey’s wisdom would be ignored by the politicians….hopefully until they got voted out of office. At least I can hope.

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