Dayton’s Smoking Guns – Gun #2
By Mitch Berg
Yesterday, we discussed the email in the Department of Human Services that indicated that it’s common knowledge among higher ups in the DHS that Governor Dayton is actively promoting the government shutdown to cause all the misery it can, to try to turn it toward the Legislative majority.
But that’s just the beginning.
A highly-placed source with intimate knowledge of Minnesota’s public heath system contacted me over the weekend. (A similar source contacted Janet Beihoffer; she ran the email at Freedom Dogs). My source an assortment of high-ranking officials in state public-health agencies and non-profits received the email last week from one Michael Scandrett, a lawyer with the firm of Halleland and Habicht, a term that works in health-care policy consulting.
Accoring to my source, Scandrett’s email said that – I’m paraphrasing, here, so feel free to read the whole thing over at the Dogs – Governor Dayton’s shutdown plan will involve terminating payments to health care providers working with all government programs, as of July 1.
Also according to my source, the email said that the intent of this action appears to be – my source quoted the email – “to create create the greatest possible pain and resulting pressure on the Legislature to resolve the dispute“.
In other words, the Governor is using the executive branch to ratchet up the pain of the shutdown on the state’s workers and those dependent on the state – his supporters – to feed his mania with raising taxes at all costs.
I’ll be seeking comment from Mr. Scandrett, as well as other top DHS officials on this email.
The upshot, though? If you depend on the state of Minnesota – as an employee or as a client – Governor Dayton is holding you hostage.
June 14th, 2011 at 8:19 am
Why go sifting through private emails to confirm the obvious? Democrats and government bureaucrats have been unabashedly using the Washington Monument strategy for decades — when Republicans propose budget or program cuts, Dems threaten the public with the direst consequences and the loss of highly popular government services.
The only mystery is why Republicans still get caught playing Charlie Brown every time Lucy drops the football.
June 14th, 2011 at 9:48 am
Mom, Republicans seriously want to negotiate in good faith. Democrats? Not.
June 14th, 2011 at 11:10 am
Dayton must be taking the wrong kind of anti-depressants if he thinks he’s going to win this one. For the first time in my short political life it looks like the state and national Republicans have grown a frickin spine
June 14th, 2011 at 11:13 am
Also, how can people that depend on the state be considered non-essential. Maybe Lori Swanson will investigate… wait nevermind.
June 14th, 2011 at 11:44 am
Will the bureaucrats get paid during a shutdown?
June 14th, 2011 at 12:57 pm
If Dayton has his way no, THAT would be a positive though.
June 14th, 2011 at 1:14 pm
Well Scott, the last time Minnesota government “shut down” all of those “non-essential personnel” got paid retroactively when it started back up again. So they essentially got paid for not working. An ideal AFSCME outcome.
June 14th, 2011 at 1:34 pm
[…] You depend on government. You are a walking, talking country western song, only it’s just not funny; you’ve been laid off, your significant other bailed leaving you with three kids to feed and clothe and try to insure. One of them has chronic, serious health problems – and in your current state, you have no choice but to try to get help from the state. But Mark Dayton has opted to stop all payments via Health and Human Services to health-care providers during the shutdown – indeed, he has specifically engineered that result from the budget battle. […]
June 14th, 2011 at 4:00 pm
I know the main stream media will never print any of this info or the info from Janet Beihoffer from 6-12-11 or from Derek Brigham on 6-11-11. But shouldn’t the news media such as 1280 the Patriot radio station and KTLK FM be receiving this and reporting this? If this was a Republican governor, this information would be front page on the Pioneer Press and Strib yesterday as well as all around the U.S. on CNN and MSNBC. My Plymouth MN House Rep. has told me they are aware of this info but the news media will not print it. If it does not get out there, then you are all preaching to the choir and the real people who need to see this are not getting the message about the insane, unethical things this governor that they think is wonderful is doing. I have tried letters to the editor. They do not get published. How can we get this info broadcasted? It needs to be SOON and OFTEN!
June 14th, 2011 at 9:31 pm
MLG send me and every active MOB member a PDF, we will print it. Also talk to mitch and see if you can fast track it to Ed’s HotAir site. Then it will catch fire.
June 15th, 2011 at 7:38 am
[…] is emerging from various Human Services and Department of Transportation sources that Dayton planned this shutdown all along. The fact […]
July 9th, 2011 at 9:34 am
[…] by the Times (or any of the Twin Cities media); the evidence is overwhelming that Governor Dayton rigged the shutdown to cause as much pain as possible, specifically to drive […]
September 1st, 2011 at 7:35 am
[…] by the Times (or any of the Twin Cities media); the evidence is overwhelming that Governor Dayton rigged the shutdown to cause as much pain as possible, specifically to drive […]
March 6th, 2013 at 12:30 pm
[…] Right here in Minnesota, during the 2011 State Budget shutdown, when Minnesota bureaucrats did their level best to make the shutdown disproportionally onerous. […]
July 14th, 2021 at 2:32 pm
[…] evidence coming out of the state bureaucracy that Dayton is not only pushing for the shutdown, but actively trying to make it “hurt” as much as possible, there will be not one word on the subject from the Strib, WCCO, the PiPress, the KARE Bears (whose […]