Cyndy Brucato wrote an interesting piece. MinnPost: Forge a budget deal and avoid a shutdown. The comments from Curt Johnson regarding the current situation seem relevant and balanced. And of course Hiram and myself have different views as usual.
Thoughts?
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18 comments:
An important correction. Jay corrected me over at MinnPost.
3 Minute Budget Summary
Budget History
$72 BILLION per 2 years is a lot of money to spend. I am sure there is opportunity for improved prioritization.
$36 Billion / 5.5 million ~ $6,545 / person
$36 Billion / $312 Billion ~ 12%
Stassen-Berger: Policy language weighs down budget bills, but it keeps hopes alive
my state rep called the GOP strategy playing with fire. So if the budget doesn't get passed on time I am ready to blame republicans.
Laurie,
No matter who did what, you would blame the Republicans. So I am not surprised.
By the way, that was meant as a warm hearted jest.
so what do you think of adding so many policy provisions to budget bills? My rep included some of the policy topics in an a to z type list:
abortion, ATV's, beaver trapping, crowdfunding, feral swine, gold bullion, greenhouse gases, guns, 84-year-old hunters, the Met Council, minimum wage regulations, MNsure, nuclear power plants, phone and internet regulations, plastic microbeads, remedial college courses, soccer stadiums, snowmobiles, solar power, student travel abroad programs, teacher layoffs, trout streams, truck washes, wild rice, and sprinkler regulations for 4,500-square-foot houses, among many others things.
Personally I thought Bakk's comment was priceless.
"The real work of this session is to get a new two-year state budget. I really don't want the conference committees to get bogged down."
After 2 years of the DFL screwing around with many many things beyond the budgets, now he decides to limit the scope of the session.
The following seems like a much more pragmatic view.
"Blame longtime Minneapolis Democratic-Farmer-Labor Rep. Phyllis Kahn for that, Republican leaders said. "It's the Phyllis Kahn theory," said Majority Leader Joyce Peppin, R-Rogers. "I haven't been here very long, but I did learn from Phyllis Kahn that you attach your legislation to everything that's moving," Daudt said. "That's how you keep it alive." "It's Legislation 101," said Peppin."
2014 Diversions
2013 Diversions
MPR GOP Plan for Tax Cuts
I thought this quote was interesting... You mean that people who pay almost no $'s in taxes would get little benefit from a tax cut???
"House Democrats quickly criticized the tax proposal. They contend the one-time exemption would provide minimal relief to lower income families."
I don't know much about legislation, but shouldn't most of those policy proposals be passed or defeated as bills separate from the budget?
I will hold off judgement until we see how the end of the session plays out.
about the GOP tax cut proposal, I agree with DFL senators:
"DFL senators, he said, did not want to repeat what happened in the early 2000s when the Legislature and then-Gov. Jesse Ventura passed "unsustainable tax cuts that caused us really to go into a deficit for a number of years. We're going to be very careful with regard to the out-years costs of these bills."
also, have I mentioned, I prefer more $ for education much more than tax cuts. I'd probable give most of the surplus to education.
I think the Teachers Union and Educational Bureaucrats need give up steps, lanes, tenure, employment contracts before we invest a lot more money into education. Otherwise the system seems to suck up the money before it gets to the kids who need it. (like the kids in your school)
"shouldn't most of those policy proposals be passed or defeated as bills separate from the budget?"
Probably, however then these changes would only occur like they did in the last 2 years when a slight majority held all 3 parts of government. Then that slight majority seized that opportunity to force their will / morals on the slight minority.
a slight majority forcing their will / morals on the slight minority is better than vice versa (like holding up the budget to further restrict abortion for instance)
about education, my school increased its pass rate on the reading MCA's from 12 to 14 percent. My principal admonished us not to cheer too much when we have so far to go.
As a compulsive book buyer I am going to school today to try to squeeze another 250 books on to my shelves. I think I am going to need to pass many books off to the school library.
"a slight majority forcing their will / morals on the slight minority is better than vice versa"
I am not sure I agree, look at what happened in Iraq when the Shiites tried to walk over the Kurds and Sunnis. Granted, it is a severe example, however the USA is stable because even the small states have some feeling of control and ownership of their communities.
Imagine the angst we would have in the State if a slight liberal majority could ignore the conservative slight minority for years on end.
just what do you fear the liberals would do?
I think liberals have more to fear from conservative governance. Take Kansas as an example.
as an aside, I read something recently about how people's voting is more based on fear of the opposing party rather than support for the party for which they vote.
2 political scientists have found the secret to partisanship, and it’s deeply depressing
I guess we could look forward to another year full of negative campaigning.
I suppose it makes sense. If people are for the most part happy with their lives, they feel little incentive to take action.
However if someone can convince them that there is a threat to that happiness, people will get motivated to protect themselves against the threat.
"so what do you think of adding so many policy provisions to budget bills?" -- Laurie
I think it is proof positive that government is trying to do too much, and taxes and spends FAR too much. We have come to the point where the budget discussion takes 15 months of every 12, and the policy decisions are based on what "pays off" the special interests, large and small, with bigger slices of the pie rather than what policies are the best.
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