Governor Pawlenty had a press conference at the Capitol this morning where
At the end of the day I think the DFL legislature has done an amazing job of pushing out a budget
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24 Responses to “BREAKING: No Special Session, Pawlenty to Sign Most Major Bills”
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OMG! Can you take any longer to type up this story!!!!! Gosh!!!
Matt,
Want to wager a drink on whether anyone will see *any* property tax relief? I predict now, as I have all along, that the cities will continue to spend the money and nobody will get any relief at all.
But Chris, if you wagered a drink on it that would mean that whenever one of us lost you’d have to reveal your super-secret identity to me. And don’t think I’m above publishing a 4 page tell-all about the real “Chris” on the front page of Publius.
You guys are completely and totally full of shit.
1) Yes, it is outrageous that inflation be assumed for any spending. I know you clowns want Government to grow and grow until it consumes all of the private economy, but our legislators are charged with setting a budget every two years. The idea that we should assume any one single program should even exist, let alone grow automatically, tells us a lot about your bassackwards view of the role of government.
2) “The Strongest Energy Standards in the Country” was Pawlenty’s idea.
3) The DFL sold out on property tax relief by insisting on more Welfare, and by opposing a cap on property taxes. Without the cap, you would have gotten your income, sales, alcohol, etc. etc. etc. tax increases AND huge increases in property taxes over time at a local level. Don’t play this shell game so that you can increase taxes at all levels.
4) Nice work on the tuition caps (tuition is as pure a user fee as any form of revenue taken in by any public entity). Why the hell is it ok to cap a user fee, and not cap the property taxes DFLers keep hiking? Oh yeah, you all just like increasing any and all taxes.
I am so excited to watch the red ink flow on that tax bill, and on specific line items in each and every other bill.
You have HUGE DFL majorities and got totally rolled. Thanks Pogie and MAK. Congrats!
Uh, I don’t believe the interest groups who spent millions of dollars to elect a Democrat super-majority in the House and Senate are too happy with this result. After all the criticism and bashing of Republicans by Greiling, Schaubach, et. al. about education funding over the last few years, the best the Dems can do for education is 2% and 1%. Nice. Two years ago, 4% and 4% wasn’t enough, but now that Dems are in charge, the measly increases on the formula are OK. Unbelievable.
Matt, I think we need to stop pretending this that this was anything other than a near complete capitulation to Pawlenty, and need to focus on showing Kelliher and Pogemiller the door. What an absolute waste.
Factoring inflation into revenue projections and spending bills means the taxpayers will have a more accurate picture of state revenue. In other words, no more “surpluses” like the ones touted this year.
wtm — Who wins in your analysis? I agree — the majority came out badly. I wouldn’t call it much of a win for the Republicans, though. Voters are going to see that the reason the Democrats couldn’t deliver was because of the threat of a veto. Unless the voters are Seifert-level stupid, they are going to put the blame on both sides, where it belongs. The result will pretty much be a wash.
Randy,
But that’s not how average people balance their checkbooks. Government shouldn’t be any different.
Matt, Touche!
Chris: what do you mean that’s not how average people balance their checkbooks!? Are you telling me that people don’t look at the increases in their gas prices, water bill, electricity bill, insurance, and everything else when they pay? Because that’s what you’d have to be saying.
Not including inflation in budget projections is akin to you sending a check to Excel Energy for the amount they charged you last year.
Good comeback, Matt!!
Inflationary trends affects the prices of goods and services upwards. I charge my clients for Custom work (be it costuming or certain alterations that are time based) of $20 an hour, up from $15 an hour in 2006. This price will stay steady until costs of doing business cause me to raise rates again that the market will bear. Of course I take inflation in consideration when I set my prices for the services I provide. When my costs go up, so does the overall costs.
Same is true with the so-called surplus. in reality, inflation will eat up close to half of it.
No Matt,
People don’t get automatic pay increases when there is inflation. People get a paycheck and then make due with what they have. What you are suggesting is like Base Line budgeting used by the Congress — budgeting that includes automatic increases whether warranted or not.
That thinking does not carry very far, “making do with one has”. That does not stop Utilities, Drug Companies, Oil Companies, etc., from raising their prices when they deem necessary to do so to increase their profits. All we have to do is go to the grocery store and see what Produce is selling for each week and what the transportation costs were to have been. We pay ever increasing prices for Goods and Services in the end, while salaries remain the same.
Randy,
The Democrats are in a box based upon the rhetoric they used prior to the election. They claimed they would be able to end gridlock and to deliver on a host of spending promises. To claim that they couldn’t deliver on the latter admits that they couldn’t deliver on the former. The Democrats are not in the minority anymore, so they can’t blame their lack of production on a veto threat; this is where being able to govern enters the equation, and Pogey and Kelliher clearly weren’t up to that task.
wtm, I don’t entirely disagree with you on this. I’m very disappointed in this session.
I just don’t know that this loss for the Democrats translates into a victory for Republicans. Yes, the Democrats have a majority, but it is not enough to override a veto. The Republicans showed little, if any, interest in signing off on bills that might have proven palatable to the Governor.
There is no clear winner, and there is no clear loser. There is the point that Governor Pawlenty is still enthralled at the idea of national office, and so had no reason to take a more nuanced approach to the session, but I don’t know how well that will play.
Chris — Most people don’t budget two years ahead, either. If you did, the only realistic way to do it would be to take inflation into account.
I really think the DFL supporters line of “Pawlenty only interested in national office” is going to help them out. If a person barley paying attention can make DFL leadership look lost what does that say about DFL leadership? The governor did exactly what he has been saying he would do for months and the house and senate republican minority have been using the same tactics from the beginning of the session. If those in charge of the DFL can’t figure out another plan they don’t deserve to have the gavel.
That this governor will veto a bill because it puts back inflation into budgeting shows how much of a joke it is for Republicans to claim any, any sort of fiscal responsibility.
The CPI may have it’s worst year since maybe early Clinton under GWB this year, but oh, no, don’t factor inflation into expenses. Only revenue.
Its BOGUS, Gov. And we know it and we’re pissed.
The Democrats caved on pretty much every issue.
Domestic Partnerships does not equate to “every issue”. The got 800 million new money for education and 40k new kids in health insurance.
That 800 million will be referred to as “cuts” one year from now…
How much does Pawlenty’s job pay a year? All he’s done the past few months is say No No No. I do that every day with my kids and never see a dime. I want his job. (Although he’s probably been lunching with ‘Just Say No’ Nancy Reagan and I couldn’t stand that.)
Attila, are you comparing the DFL and their supporters to a group of children? Parenting is a lot of work, maybe Pawlenty needs a raise.
Attila - Pawlenty’s earned every penny he’s paid just from the fact that he saved the taxpayers of this state hundreds & thousands of dollars that the Dem’s wanted to spend.
The transportation bill was supposed to raise the average taxpayer’s bill by $250-500 a year.
Thank you Tim!