Heavy Flak Over Saint Paul
By Mitch Berg
Buckle in. There’s gonna be flak:
It’s Steve Perry, formerly of the City Pages, Daily Mole and The Minnesoros “Independent”. These days, he’s working for Sarah Janecek’s essential Politics In Minnesota.
And – mirabile dictu – he’s discovered that, as a result of the DFL’s “listening tour”, people really are happy to pay for a Better Minnesota government that wants for nothing whatsoever:
Last night I spent some time talking to a DFL House member who has attended some of the budgetary road shows (“listening sessions”) that legislators have been staging around the state in the past week-plus. There was an air of surprise about his words. “Look,” he said by way of preface, “the people attending these things are a self-selected group. It’s not scientific. But it really struck me that people get the fact we can’t do this”–fix the state’s $6 or $7 billion budget gap, that is–“with spending cuts alone. Revenue has to be up for discussion. Real people are saying that, not just organized interests or the official representatives of groups.”
Was he saying the public is ahead of the politicians on this one?
I’m sure he was saying exactly that.
Or at least, the carefully–stacked selection of the public that the DFL is pimping out at these “listening tour” stops.
Danger! Flak!
February 27th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
I attended the Plymouth Magical Mystery Tour last night and I have to disagree with Perry.
The people who spoke up about gladly paying for a “Better Minnesota” were people on the receiving end of the payment, or in the public services industry. Other than a few odd ball cases, the majority of the non-handout attendees wanted cuts and NOT tax hikes. Most wanted the legislators to work harder at cutting out wasteful programs and needless bureaucracy.
One other note: Terri Bonoff looks and sounds like a garden gnome.
February 27th, 2009 at 1:20 pm
one more note: My wonderful Mayor Kelly Slavik spoke first. She artfully pointed out to the legislators that the city of Plymouth is fiscally frugal, has the lowest property tax of any city its size, has never taken a penny of LGA and was named by Money magazine as the best city in the USA.
February 27th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
I would point out to any and all that anyone who thinks THEY should pay more in taxes has been perfectly free to do so for many years, and has, we assume, already sent in their extra payments to the MN Dept. of Revenue. What we are discussing at these sessions, presumably, is what to do when all of these extra payments are not enough!
February 27th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
MON, are you suggesting that Steve Perry, a member of the “alternative media”, is not being entirely truthful?
Is that what you’re saying?
Better watch yourself, sport. You really don’t want to piss Sarah Janecek off; trust me here.
February 27th, 2009 at 4:19 pm
I suggest that Steve Perry should actually attend one of these sessions, ’cause it sure seemed like he only heard what he wanted to hear from somebody else who only heard what they wanted to hear.
February 27th, 2009 at 5:06 pm
Yeah, someone who didn’t want to be quoted.
Pfffft. These assnozzles crack me up. I can’t wait until they have one near me!
February 27th, 2009 at 8:51 pm
I liked the MNGOP’s take on this: The Magical Misery Tour.