Free Republic

It is too early to tell how a recent round of tax hikes and a minimum wage increase will play out in Minnesota, a state where liberal and conservative forces have often swapped control and policies. But the state's experience may give pause to a crowded field of Republican presidential hopefuls who largely swear by tax cuts and small government as a recipe for prosperity. Judged by those standards this state on the Canadian border should be a train wreck in process. Instead, Democratic Governor Mark Dayton's Minnesota could become a touchstone in the national debate over how to bolster...

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota's Senate added language to a bill Thursday that would legalize gun silencers — a surprise development as majority Democrats had shown little interest in changing the state's gun laws and a direct challenge to Gov. Mark Dayton's promise that such a measure would meet his veto pen. The silencer language was added to a grab bag of policy changes that would also mandate external investigations for officer-involved deaths, set ground rules for law enforcement's use of drones and restore voting rights to felons after they're released from prison. The full bill passed 39-22, with...

The Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party will present a unified front this year in favor of a transportation funding package, including about $1 billion of increased taxes and fees. Legislative DFL leaders unveiled a proposal Monday that dovetails closely with Gov. Mark Dayton's plan, along with that of advocacy group Move MN: almost $600 million per year in new gasoline taxes, plus $125 million in vehicle registration fees and hundreds of millions of dollars more for metro-area mass transit. The plan forestalls the possibility of a three-way fight among Dayton, the DFL majority in the Senate and House Republicans -- who oppose any...

After three hours of noticeably civil debate and personal, sometimes emotional speeches, the Minnesota House passed a bill Thursday, May 9, that would make it legal for same-sex couples to marry. The bill is scheduled for a vote Monday in the Senate, where leaders have said they have the votes to approve it. Gov. Mark Dayton has said he will sign it. If approved, the law would make Minnesota the 12th state in the nation to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry. It would take effect Aug. 1. The House vote was 75-59. All but two of the 73...

House DFLers are going after "The One Percent" in a big way. Make that the 1.1 percent of Minnesotans who earn the highest incomes. The DFL-controlled House passed a tax bill -- 69-64 with all Republicans voting "no" -- Wednesday, April 24, that creates a new, fourth income tax bracket with an 8.49 percent rate -- up from the current 7.85 percent rate -- for the top-earning 1.1 percent of Minnesotans -- couples with taxable incomes over $400,000. On top of that, the bill would impose a temporary 4 percent income tax surcharge on the 0.5 percent of taxpayers making...

Legislation to create a Minnesota marketplace for buying health insurance cleared a final hurdle Monday, March 18. The state Senate voted 39-28 along party lines to send the DFL-sponsored bill for a health exchange to Gov. Mark Dayton for his expected signature. The exchange is meant to make it easier for people to buy coverage, all while helping increase the number of people with insurance. The 2010 federal health care overhaul law of 2010 calls on state-level exchanges to be operating by October. "This is a cornerstone of the federal Affordable Care Act," said Sen. Tony Lourey, DFL-Kerrick, before the...

Months in the making, Gov. Mark Dayton's two-year state budget plan is set to be released Tuesday, Jan. 22, and will likely rely heavily on tax increases to solve a projected $1.1 billion deficit and boost spending on his other priority programs. His plan is the starting point in a tax-and-spending debate that will reach well into spring. With fellow Democrats now in charge of the Legislature, Dayton's plan carries tremendous weight and a high likelihood that much of it will be enacted. Lawmakers must approve a budget by July 1 to avoid service interruptions. Barring unexpectedly deep spending cuts,...

I've never seen this much attention given to child care," Clarissa Johnston, a 24-year home day care provider, told a Minnesota Senate committee hearing Thursday night. The reason for the attention was the possibility that Minnesota's 11,000 in-home child care providers might be unionized. The providers who testified were deeply divided over the issue. During the three-hour hearing, they argued passionately for and against being organized into labor alliances. Proponents contended that forming a union would enable them to negotiate the state rules and regulations that govern their operations and affect their wages, benefits and working conditions. "Recognize our right...

For the second time in the past week, hundreds of laid off state workers rallied in the hot sun on the steps of Minnesota’s closed State Capitol to protest the state government shutdown. Wednesday’s rally again took aim at familiar theme: Taxing the state's wealthiest residents to help solve the state’s $5 billion budget deficit. One man held a sign that took his frustration a step further – he had changed it from “Tax the Rich” to “Eat the Rich.”

Those trying to understand the issues involved might find the following summary offered by a friend to be of use. The total budget proposed by the legislature for the next biennium is approximately $34.2 billion. This is up from $32.3 billion currently spent. $34.2 billion is the amount generated by the current tax system based on forecasted economic growth, plus money carried over from the biennium that ends June 30. The Republican budget thus lives within our means. It requires no new money even though it is able to spend 6 percent more than before.

During this contentious legislative session, we've seen rallies and protests against cutting from state government programs that help the disabled, elderly, and low income residents. But with Governor Mark Dayton insisting to raise taxes on the top 2% of the state's money makers, Republican lawmakers say those are small business owners who create jobs. We went out to see how a potential tax increase would effect them. "Don't worry, we won't tax jobs out of state," exclaims republican House Speaker Kurt Zellers. It's been the campaign and legislative slogan for State republicans: "No new taxes", citing small businesses as the...