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Posted on 01/10/2003 10:17:36 AM PST by That Subliminal Kid
January 10, 2002
Dear Friends,
This week marks the beginning of the new session for legislators at both the state and federal levels. The challenges our state and nation face are well-documented and require strong leadership at all levels of government.
Although Tim Pawlenty insists cuts to local government aid will mean needed reform to local government, the reality of his plan means severe shortages in the areas Minnesotans care most about. ``In many communities, particularly in Greater Minnesota, state aid is anywhere from 25 to 50 percent of city budgets,`` notes House Minority Leader Matt Entenza.
In St. Cloud, for example, where there are already plans to close three elementary schools and lay off teachers due to budget cuts, Pawlenty`s cuts to local government aid could mean an additional $20.5 million the people of St. Cloud will have to pay in property taxes to fund K-12 education alone. Also in St. Cloud, average folks will have to fork over an additional $2.9 million in property taxes just to fund the community`s nursing home facilities. To read more about the beginning of the 2003 legislative session, visit the news portion of our web site (www.dfl.org).
At the federal level, hopes that the Bush Administration might extend assistance to states, which are $70 billion in the hole for this fiscal year alone, were dashed this week as Bush unveiled his so-called economic ``stimulus`` package (minus the promised aid to state governments). The Bush administration`s disregard for Minnesotans who will see our property taxes sky-rocket as local government aid is cut, and his disregard for our jobs, our safety, our children, our elderly and our pocketbooks has never been more apparent. Here are just a few of the real effects of Bush`s ``stimulus`` package.
-Number of seniors who will be cut off of meal programs because of Bush budget...36,000 -Number of workers who will be cut off of unemployment insurance because of Bush budget...1 million -Number of families who will be cut off of heating assistance because of Bush budget...532,000 -Number of kids who will be cut off of after-school programs because of Bush budget...50,000 -Number of kids who will be cut off of child care because of Bush budget...33,000
Indeed, as Bush continues to push tax cuts for the wealthiest while bilking the middle and lower class for our hard-earned dollars, his favorite excuse is to blame government. How convenient.
In Bush`s brother Jeb`s inaugural speech this week, the ``government`` scapegoat couldn`t be more clear, ``There would be no greater tribute to our maturity as a society than if we can make these buildings around us empty of workers; silent monuments to the time when government played a larger role than it deserved or could adequately fill.`` When police officers, firefighters, our military troops, our children and our elderly fill these buildings, what is Bush`s true message here? To read more about Jeb Bush`s inaugural speech, go to the news portion of our web site at www.dfl.org. On the same site, you can also read Paul Krugman`s December commentary ``When pain is a tool to make citizens hate government.``
Additionally, Bush`s tax cuts to the wealthiest rely on a long-disproved theory of trickle down economics and his plan offers little change in policy over the plan he promoted in 2001, when our economy looked vastly different and the war against terrorism had yet to begin. The reality is, the Bush Administration has no economic policy, Bush has the worst job growth record of any president in 58 years, and in the words of Senator Dayton, the Bush plan is ``more of a reelection stimulus than an economic-recovery stimulus.``
The Bush dividends proposal for example, would give $45,000 a year to a family with an income of more than $1 million a year and a meager $76 a year to a family earning $40,000 a year. And, as the Star Tribune reports, ``Bush`s plan to eliminate dividend taxes overlooks a huge population of taxpayers: more than 40 million people who put money into tax-deferred individual retirement plans... Tax-deferred retirement plans cater much more to ordinary salaried employees, while the great bulk of taxable dividend income currently goes to a small segment of the population.`` Indeed, the Urban Brookings Tax Policy Center, a nonprofit research group in Washington, says 64 percent of the benefit from eliminating dividend taxes would flow mostly to the wealthiest 5 percent of taxpayers.
There is serious business at hand, and I am proud of the work our leaders are doing. Dayton, Hatch, Hottinger, Entenza, McCollum, Oberstar, Peterson, and Sabo are on the right track, fighting for average Minnesotans and for the quality of life we expect in our state.
Thanks for all you do to keep our party strong.
Best,
Mike
Mike Erlandson, Chair Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
Wrong. Minnesota has been transformed into a Republican stronghold (Pub Guv, Pub Senator, Pub House, close to Pub Senate.) A vast majority of Minnesotans want spending cuts to balance the budget, and Pawlenty will be more than happy to provide that.
These demorats are so good with numbers.....this is just more crap from the old "a cut in the increase is a decrease" strategy. I luv watchin em implode. Here's to their continued lack of success. from the iron range of northern MN sign me...
What a bald faced lie. He retroactively extended the unemloyment benefits.
WE WILL WIN! WE WILL WIN! WE WILL WIN!
What on earth are you talking about?
Ventura complained about how hard it was to make budget cuts the very first week he was in office, and never made a serious attempt to do so afterward. The Republicans continually proposed cuts, and never got Ventura's backing, while Democratic spending increases frequently met with enthusiastic support from the governor.
Jesse was happy to take credit for giving rebates and balancing budget during an environment of surplusses generated by a booming economy. But as soon as there was a projected deficit, Jesse didn't propose budget cuts beyond the purely cosmetic (shutting down the governor's mansion, where he didn't live anyway). He proposed tax increases. His tax increase proposals were defeated by Republicans and Democrats. Of the three deficit solutions on the table, Jesse's was the most tax-and-spend style of all.
Not only did he not "do his best to hold the line." He was frequently the primary cause of moving the line in a liberal direction.
ANYTIME a Demosocialist uses a number, any number, you can be sure that number is one of two things...exagerrated or falsified.
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