Sago » Entries tagged with "Mark Dayton"
Gov. Dayton, what about the miners?
Earlier this week, Gov. Dayton joined DFL lawmakers in Duluth to pretend that building a new Vikings stadium was all that was needed for a great Minnesota economy: “Thousands of people are going to be working on that stadium, and on the transit center in Duluth. Those aren’t just words, those are real jobs,” Dayton said, referring to $6 million included in the state bonding construction bill for the $27 million downtown transit hub supporters say will link bus, taxi and train passengers with hikers and bikers. Senate Minority Leader Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, said Republicans seemed content the past two years with passing little or no legislation to create jobs or move the state forward. “We saved the Republicans from what would have been the largest do-nothing session in state history,” Bakk said, … Read entire article »
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Which Minnesota do the people want?
One of the few things that I’ve ever agreed with Chris Matthews about was his questioning GOP presidential candidates in 2000 what type of America they wanted to live in. It’s a great question which is scalable to state and local levels, too. The DFL’s special interest allies started their barrage of lies against the GOP legislature by accusing the GOP legislature of being a do-nothing legislature. Those attacks took another hit thanks to Mark Sommerhauser’s article: Rep. King Banaian, R-St. Cloud, sponsored a provision included in a broader colleges and universities act, which he says should help students shop for textbooks. The provision requires the price of textbooks and other key information be posted online with a college or university course schedule, and requires that information be available to students longer … Read entire article »
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Gov. Dayton vetoes another jobs bill
Gov. Dayton is learning quick how to veto job-creating bills. MNGOP Chairman Pat Shortridge issued this statement after Gov. Dayton vetoed another job-creating bill: “Governor Dayton had a one track mind this legislative session, the Vikings Stadium, and in the process, he let several great opportunities slip by. The bipartisan tax bill that Governor Dayton vetoed today would have helped our state’s economy grow and put our people back to work. Unfortunately, it joined other common sense items, like the end of the Last In First Out policy that governs teacher employment decisions, paying back the school shift, tort reform legislation and several other key jobs bills, in the Governor’s veto pile. Governor Dayton should have been a little less obsessed with building the Vikings a stadium and a little more concerned with … Read entire article »
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A Better Legislature: Already misleading Minnesota
Minutes after the legislature recessed, a new progressive organization joined in misleading Minnesotans. The people writing ads for A Better Legislature made it clear that they share ABM’s disdain for telling the whole truth. If history was written based solely on their first video, you’d think that nothing positive got accomplished during the 2011-12 legislative sessions. ABL didn’t waste time before ignoring the GOP legislature’s positive pro-jobs and pro-taxpayer accomplishments. If we based our votes on who accomplished and/or proposed positive things this session, the decision would be over within minutes. The DFL refused to propose a budget. The DFL didn’t put a set of redistricting maps together. Sen. Bakk and Rep. Thissen wanted a government shutdown because they thaught they could force Republicans into a tax increase during a special session. Another … Read entire article »
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Session highs and lows
Thursday night, the Minnesota legislature adjourned sine die. Now that the 87th Session of the Minnesota Legislature is history, it’s time to take a look back at the highs and lows of this legislative session. King Banaian’s HF2 legislation will have a substantial impact on the structure of state government. That’s long forgotten because it was passed during the special session that ended the state government shutdown. Dan Fabian’s HF1 legislation was one of the first bills signed into law in 2011. Its impact will be felt for years to come. In fact, the impact is already being felt. It’s a shame that this legislative session’s highlights are the historic state government shutdown and passing the Vikings stadium bill. The bill that Gov. Dayton signed into law in mid-July, 2011 was the bill … Read entire article »
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Paul Thissen, House Minority Spin Leader
When Gov. Dayton vetoed the GOP tax reform bill, he vetoed a bill that would’ve created lots of jobs. He then had another hissy fit about the rich not paying their fair share and how the middle class is getting shafted, blah, blah, blah. House Minority Leader Paul Thissen quickly issued this statement: In this tax bill[,] Republicans made it crystal clear that corporations and big businesses are their top priority. But cutting taxes for corporations and big businesses while ignoring homeowners, seniors and farmers is the wrong priority. Governor Dayton made the right choice for Minnesota’s future by vetoing it. Republicans are simply out of touch with middle class Minnesotans, seniors and farmers. Last year they squeezed Minnesotans with higher property taxes when they eliminated the Homestead Credit while protecting corporate special … Read entire article »
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Three blind mice (Bakk, Thissen & Winkler) won’t find jobs in tax bill
It isn’t surprising that Rep. Winkler’s tax bill is a jobkiller. What’s surprising is that he got Reps. Thissen, Hortman, Greiling, Hornstein, Anzelc and Ward to sign onto the bill as co-sponsors. This op-ed does a great job of explaining why this bill is a jobkiller: So why is Rep. Ryan Winkler, D-Golden Valley, supporting a 900-percent increase in taxes on corporations for increasing a firm’s payroll as the chief author of H.F. 2480? Minnesota taxes its corporations on an average of three items: sales; property value; and payroll. It has wisely relied mostly on the sales factor, and indeed had planned to use it alone in 2014. Thus, adding another worker would not add a dime to the corporation’s tax bill. Rep. Winkler’s tax increase is a job killer because it … Read entire article »
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Spoken like a true socialist, Part II
Saturday, I wrote this post to highlight Sen. Anderson’s statements about how tax cuts don’t create jobs. Here’s what Sen. Anderson said early in the roundtable: The Governor was clear from the beginning that he wasn’t going to support this proposal. He wasn’t going to support something that was all about corporate tax cuts and very little, tiny bit of help for average people in the form of property taxes but most of it in the form of tax breaks for corporations. Never, ever work to create jobs and adding to the budget deficit. As foolish as that statement is, Sen. Anderson wasn’t finished. Later, she got into this fight with Andy Brehm: BREHM: The biggest problem we have in Minnesota right now is jobs and I wish this was as obvious as … Read entire article »
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Gov. Dayton sides with unions…again
It isn’t surprising that Gov. Dayton has sided with the PEUs each time he’s had the chance to side with working class people. That’s why it’s disappointing, not surprising to read about this: St. Paul – Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman Pat Shortridge issued the following statement regarding Governor Dayton’s veto of the Last In, First Out (LIFO) legislation that would have allowed schools to make teacher employment decisions based on more than just seniority, including teacher effectiveness. If we thought it was all about our children and providing them with the best possible education, we were wrong. Governor Dayton has once again sided with the teacher unions over our children. Minnesota children deserve the best possible education, and eliminating the Last In, First Out policy is an important reform that would … Read entire article »
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Did Senate kill Vikings’ stadium bill?
The Senate Finance Committee unexpectedly voted to include Racino in the Vikings stadium bill. Julie Rosen’s expression says it all: But adding racino gambling would cost needed political support, said Sen. Julie Rosen, R-Fairmont, sponsor of the stadium bill in the Senate. She called its addition “a serious blow to the bill.” “It will have to be taken out,” Rosen said. A spokeswoman for Dayton said she couldn’t say whether the DFL governor would sign a stadium bill that included racino gambling. Earlier Wednesday, Dayton said he didn’t think racino should be in the stadium plan. If it’s challenged in court, he said, the sale of construction bonds would have to be postponed until the legal process had concluded. Rep. Morrie Lanning, R-Moorhead, sponsor of the bill in the House, said … Read entire article »
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Gov. Dayton sides with unions…again
It’s almost like this isn’t news. Gov. Dayton sided with his union thug allies rather than with parents: St. Paul- Governor Mark Dayton announced Friday his rejection of efforts by the legislature to ensure child care assistance dollars are not diverted to unions. Senate Assistant Majority Leader Ted Lillie (R-Lake Elmo), chief author of House File 1766 (SF 1630), gave the following statement after the Governor’s veto. “I am surprised and disappointed by the Governor’s decision to leave dollars meant for the care of our children unprotected from union hands. Our priority is to act as faithful stewards of taxpayer dollars and also to protect private businesses from government overreach. With his veto today, the Governor does nothing to prevent unions from capturing tax payer dollars intended for the care of our children,” … Read entire article »
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Bagley is Vikings enforcer?
This Pioneer Press article depicts Lester Bagley as playing the role of Vikings heavy: As Gov. Mark Dayton and legislative leaders tried to hand each other responsibility for the fate of the Vikings stadium bill Tuesday, April 17, the day after a major defeat in a House committee, Dayton raised the possibility that a new football stadium might have to wait till next year. To which a team official responded: “There is no next year.” “The last governor said in 2006 we’ll come back and work on yours next year. That was six years ago,” said Lester Bagley, Vikings vice president of public affairs and stadium development. “No action this year is a decision.” Bagley struck the same slightly aggressive tone Monday night after the House Government Operations and Elections committee … Read entire article »
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DFL legislators kill Vikings stadium in committee
In the end, the funding mechanism was too complicated, too volatile to work. Tonight, 5 DFL legislators serving on the House Government Operations Committee essentially killed the Vikings stadium bill for this session: After clearing two House committees with relative ease this month, a bill to use public money to help build a Minnesota Vikings stadium in Minneapolis was defeated Monday night, April 16, in a third, dealing a potentially fatal blow to the project’s chances this legislative session. In a 9-6 vote that was bipartisan in its opposition, the House Government Operations and Elections Committee declined to go along with even a watered-down motion to pass the bill “without recommendation” to the House Taxes Committee. Bill sponsor Morrie Lanning, R-Moorhead, called the vote “very disappointing” and said that for the … Read entire article »
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Dayton mocks Minnesotans by ‘vetoing’ constitutional amendment
Proving yet again that he’s out of step with Minnesotans on an important issue, Gov. Dayton staged a mock veto of the Photo ID constitutional amendment that the Minnesota legislature just passed: In a symbolic gesture, Gov. Mark Dayton on Monday, April 9, vetoed the photo ID bill that the Republican-contolled Legislature sent to him last week. But the issue will be on the Nov. 6 statewide ballot anyway. “Although I do not have the power to prevent this unwise and unnecessary constitutional amendment from appearing on the Minnesota ballot in November, the Legislature has sent it to me in the form of a bill,” the DFL governor wrote in a letter to lawmakers. “Thus I am exercising my legal responsibility to either sign or veto the amendment.” Gov. Dayton, like the vast majority … Read entire article »
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How much proof of voter fraud will it require?
The DFL, starting with Mark Ritchie but continuing with Gov. Dayton and corrupt special interest groups, insist that a) voter fraud doesn’t exist in Minnesota and b) Minnesota has the most corruption-proof elections in the nation. Both theories don’t withstand reality. First, Rick Smithson’s testimony at the House Local Government and Elections Committee provides proof that voter impersonation voter fraud exists. Here’s his testimony: RICK SMITHSON: We had an incident. I live in a small town of about 900 people and we had — I’m not sure. I called one of the city council members to ask him. It was between 10 and 13 people came into the same day registration table. And by the way, I election judge all the time so I’ve seen situations like this, not necessarily exactly like … Read entire article »
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Questions for AFSCME, Gov. Dayton
After Judge Lindman ruled that Gov. Dayton had overstepped his constitutional authority in ordering a unionization election, AFSCME issued a statement on the lawsuit. Here’s the heart of AFSCME’s statement: Today, Ramsey County District Judge Dale Lindman overturned Governor Dayton’s executive order giving certain child care providers the right to decide for themselves whether or not to join a union. AFSCME Council 5 spokesperson, Jennifer Munt, responded with the following statement. “This ruling is disappointing, but not unexpected. Right-wing legislators and their tea-party allies sued to score political points. Their victory denies child care providers their democratic right to vote. “A union exists wherever workers pull together with a common purpose. We’re united to increase the quality of child care, to improve access for working parents, and to stabilize our profession. No judge … Read entire article »
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Carlson-appointed judge throws out Dayton executive order
Ramsey County Judge Dale Lindman ruled today that Gov. Dayton’s Executive Order calling for the Bureau of Mediation Services (BMS) to oversee the unionization of child care providers is unconstitutional. Judge Lindman, an appointee of Gov. Arne Carlson, said that Gov. Dayton’s EO is “an unconstitutional usurpation of the Legislature’s right to create or amend laws”, which “is a violation of the Separation of Powers principle.” This is a stinging defeat for Gov. Dayton, AFSCME and the SEIU. Judge Lindman said that the BMS doesn’t have statutory authority through Chapter 179 to get involved in this dispute, adding that they only have the authority to mediate in employer-employee disputes. Judge Lindman said that there isn’t an employer-employee relationship between the state government and the child care providers, most likely because of Minnesota’s definition … Read entire article »
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Lanning plan unraveling?
Before its first committee hearing, it’s possible that Rep. Lanning’s Vikings stadium plan might be unraveling: The new plan offers more tax relief to the charities than Dayton had offered. Charities pay taxes on they raise money through gambling operations, and groups have complained for years the burden is too heavy. According to Revenue Commissioner Myron Frans, allowing electronic forms of pulltab and bingo, which are now played on paper as fund-raisers for charities, would generate a total of $125 million per year. Seventy-two million dollars of that total would flow to the state as tax revenue, but Dayton offered to give $10 million of that to the charities as tax relief. The bottom line was that the state would get $62.5 million for stadium bonds and the charities would get $62.5 … Read entire article »
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Wasn’t it ‘for the children’?
Gov. Dayton’s statements on LIFO indicate that the DFL version of education reform isn’t about the children. Here’s what he said that enunciates the DFL’s priorities on education reform: Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton today (March 30) indicated he would not sign a Republican marque education initiative, Last In, First Out (LIFO). Indeed, Dayton styled LIFO, a push for allowing school boards to determine the order of teacher layoffs based on teacher effectiveness rather than seniority, as part of a Republican “onslaught” against teachers and public employees. Teachers feel “demoralized,” said Dayton. Rather than celebrating recent accomplishments in education in Minnesota, Republicans focus on “negative stuff,” the wrongheaded premise that the state’s education system is a wreck, Dayton explained. I don’t give a damn if teachers feel demoralized. My first priority in this is giving school … Read entire article »
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Rules Committee debate on Photo ID gets contentious
During yesterday’s Rules Committee hearing on HF2738, DFL Rep. Norton asked some questions that HF2738 Chief Auther Rep. Kiffmeyer answered. Here’s a partial transcript of their exchange: REP. NORTON: As I looked at the bill, it seems to me that, if you show up same day voting, you’re going to have to be verified if you don’t have photo ID. How will that happen? REP. KIFFMEYER: In regards to same day voting, first of all, there will be a very strong voter education effort, mailings, hotlines, working with Catholic Charities, Lutheran Social Services. I’m confident that if this passes the voters, that we will enact it in a bipartisan fashion to make sure that we are inclusive to get every single voter to get them the ID. I’m confident, Rep. Norton, that … Read entire article »
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Photo ID doesn’t have bipartisan support?
DFL politicians consistently say Photo ID doesn’t have bipartisan support. It’s true that Photo ID doesn’t have bipartisan legislative support. That doesn’t mean rank-and-file Democrats don’t support Photo ID. It just means DFL politicians aren’t listening to their constituents. Rep. John Benson is the latest DFL politician making the claim: Democrats argued against inserting political policy in the constitution. “Constitutional amendments ought to be bipartisan. This one is very partisan,” said Rep. John Benson, DFL-Minnetonka. I wrote here that Photo ID has bipartisan support: Party affiliation – Yes, 92% of Republicans support voter ID. So do 76% of independents…and 59% of those wingnutty Democrats in Minnesota, too. With near-unanimous support amongst Republicans and three-fourths of independents, it’s impossible to claim this constitutional amendment doesn’t have bipartisan support. Even 60% of DFL voters support Photo ID. If … Read entire article »
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Rep. Kalin: Vikings funding plan ‘held together with duct tape and bubble gum’
During Almanac’s roundtable Friday night, former Rep. Kalin said that the Vikings stadium financing plan was “held together by duct tape and bubble gum.” Of course, he agreed with Ember Reichgott-Junge that Speaker Zellers wasn’t showing leadership on the issue. This is clearly a DFL chanting point. I wrote here that charities hold the key to whether the Vikings stadium is built. The Minneapolis City Council needs to get on board, too. If they don’t, this plan is history. The only momentum this plan had was DFL and media-manufactured. Another thing Rep. Kalin said was that people want legislators that are willing to take on the tough issues. If that’s true, then the DFL is in trouble. Sen. Bakk and Rep. Thissen are personally responsible for the government shutdown. When asked if the DFL would … Read entire article »
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Vikings stadium: Time for backup funding or Plan B?
I had a recent conversation with a former state legislator on a variety of topics. One topic we talked about was the Vikings stadium. One thing I said, which I’ve harped on many times, is the unstable funding mechanism to the existing plan. Wednesday’s hearing provided proof of that: Sen. Benjamin Kruse asked what would happen if revenues weren’t enough to meet the state’s bond payments. “Money would have to come out of the general fund, right?” Frans insisted that there would be enough, and Rosen told legislators that they should trust the projections but then finally admitted that “we’re looking at that.” The solution, she said, might be some sort of backup user fee. The stadium’s funding mechanism is like Gov. Dayton: more than a little unreasonable. Gov. Dayton’s unreasonableness shined through yesterday: Gov. … Read entire article »
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Rep. Thissen: longterm debt key to creating jobs
Apparently, Rep. Thissen thinks that taking on longterm debt is the key to creating jobs. Apparently, most DFL politicians agree with him. For months, DFL politicians, from Gov. Dayton to Rep. Thissen to backbench bombthrower Rep. Ryan Winkler, have talked about a “jobs bill.” In the same breath, they’ve talked about a bonding bill being their first choice of a jobs bill. Legislation that takes away money from the private sector in terms of banks’ borrowing capability while not producing meaningful demand for new purchases create jobs? That’s what bonding bills do. The DFL’s definition of a jobs bill is unknown in some respects. The DFL, especially Carrie Lucking, has talked plenty about Gov. Dayton’s amazing jobs bill. They just won’t explain how jobs are created. It’s as if this is their explanation … Read entire article »
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