{"id":26543,"date":"2012-03-01T07:03:45","date_gmt":"2012-03-01T13:03:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/?p=26543"},"modified":"2014-10-05T14:39:20","modified_gmt":"2014-10-05T19:39:20","slug":"chanting-points-memo-unclear-on-the-concept","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/?p=26543","title":{"rendered":"Chanting Points Memo: Unclear On The Concept"},"content":{"rendered":"

You just knew the DFL had this one planned either way.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

If the budget forecast had come in in the red, there would have been caterwauling about how the state needed to raise taxes to make the state’s economy stronger. \u00a0The incongruity would have escaped the media.<\/p>\n

Of course, it came in in the black; about a third of a billion.<\/p>\n

And the regional DFL-prop media was quick to pee in the Legislature’s Wheaties; “It’s All Spoken For<\/a>!”, they were quick to append to the news.<\/p>\n

Dayton’s Management and Budget commissioner\u00a0was quick with the Administraiton’s spin<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Management and Budget Commissioner Jim Schowalter said the $323 million surplus is already spent. By law, $5 million will go to refill the state’s budget reserve. The rest will start paying back the schools. At this rate, Schowalter said it could be quite some time before the state breaks even.<\/p>\n

“It’s going to be a while before we have a positive forecast balance even if we have good news rolling forward for years to come,” he said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

That’s going to be the DFL’s line about the surplus: “it’s not really a surplus! \u00a0We owe!”<\/p>\n

And when it comes up around he water cooler, every Republican, every conservative, every Real Minnesotan should have two responses:<\/p>\n