In pushing for the Governor’s proposed $775 million bonding proposal, it looks like the Dayton administration will focus on the proposals’ abilities to jumpstart private spending and the creation of permanent jobs. On Friday, the Governor’s team posted an example — a $25 million project to revitalize Nicollet Mall:

The revitalization of Nicollet Mall as a signature business, pedestrian, and retail corridor will help leverage $2.7 billion dollars in private investment to Downtown Minneapolis, creating 13,000 new permanent jobs by 2025. These jobs will generate $174 million dollars in direct revenue to the State of Minnesota. Additionally, reconstruction and redevelopment along the mall will create 22,000 construction related jobs.

Governor Dayton’s bonding proposals strengthen the Minnesota’s economy by using state resources to leverage increased private investment. Reinvigorating Nicollet Mall will help bring new jobs and investments to downtown Minneapolis, continuing a trend towards a more vibrant downtown. Governor Dayton is committed to growing our economy, improving quality of life, and Building a Better Minnesota through important projects like Nicollet Mall. [Emphasis added]

The administration’s focus on leveraging private investments is smart, because it really emphasizes the point of a stimulus program. It’s not just to spend money directly to create jobs — it’s to provide sparks to jumpstart the private economy. The Nicollet Mall project is a perfect example of that.

Even if the estimates above end up being significantly over-confident, a small public investment will jumpstart private investments many times larger than the relatively small cost of the project. This small public investment could leverage billions in private funding, creating thousands of jobs and ultimately paying for itself. How many Minnesotans would really object to that?

Hooray! This is the sort of thing I’m enjoying hearing more of from Barack Obama:

President Barack Obama on Thursday tied his proposal to raise taxes on wealthy Americans to his faith, telling leaders gathered for the National Prayer Breakfast that Jesus’s teachings have shaped that conclusion.

The rich should pay more not only because “I actually think that is going to make economic sense, but for me as a Christian, it also coincides with Jesus’s teaching that ‘for unto whom much is given, much shall be required,’” Obama said…

It’s really important that Democrats stop ceding the moral high ground on issues like taxes. That can mean tackling taxes from a religious perspective, like Obama does here, or simply discussing our moral imperative to provide for the poor and sick.

For years, the right has somehow made giving millions of dollars to the super-rich seem like the height of morality. They’ve tarred progressive taxation as un-American “socialism.” That’s absolutely absurd, but for decades, we have refused to push back.

One of the reasons I voted for Obama in 2008 was that I thought he could make our case effectively. In 2012, he’ll have that chance, and I hope he’ll rise to the occasion.

While there have been organizations working on opposing the voter suppression amendment, there hasn’t been an official campaign to oppose the amendment. Now, Our Voices Count MN is launching a campaign to protect Minnesotans’ voting rights:

We are a broad coalition of progressive organizations and concerned Minnesotans who have come together to protect our voice and our vote.  Voting is one of our most fundamental rights, and the core of our democracy.  Minnesota has long been proud of its excellent voting system – one of the best in the country.

We should be expanding access to voting for eligible Minnesotans, not creating new barriers.  We oppose a photo ID requirement for voting in Minnesota, and stand against legislation that would institute such a requirement.  We stand against any amendment to the state constitution that would restrict access to voting, and are organizing to defeat such an amendment should it be placed on the general ballot in November 2012.

The agenda of the 1% stole our economy, and they are not going to steal our democracy.  We stand against all of the proposed constitutional amendments that would shut Minnesotans out of our collective good – including the amendment to deny marriage  to same-sex couples.

The fight against voter ID is going to be an admittedly difficult one. Show your support for this effort and commit to vote NO on the voter suppression amendment.

The Republican majority in the legislature, despite being a majority with the capability of passing legislation, has apparently decided not to do any legislating. Oh, there are plenty of laws they want to pass, but they’ve decided not to. Instead, they’re going to put a seemingly endless parade of constitutional amendments on the ballot this November.

We’re already going to be voting on the marriage discrimination amendment, and at least three other amendments have a lot of momentum right now: amendments to suppress voting, bust unions, and bankrupt our government. And it could get even worse. There are a whopping 33 constitutional amendments currently proposed in the House. Here’s a list:

This isn’t how our system of government is supposed to work. We have a representative system of government. We elect our representatives, and they pass the laws. This legislation by constitutional amendment is a disgrace.

We can’t stop the Republicans from making a mockery of our system, but we can reject their effort to rewrite our constitution. This November, vote NO on the entire Republican Overreach Agenda.

The MNGOP is upset that some cities and counties have raised their local levies to compensate for the millions of dollars the GOP took away from them. And doggone it, they’re going to do something about it! That’s why Rep. Greg Davids (R-Preston) is sponsoring the Stay Down, Cities! Act of 2012*:

Local units of government could find their ability to raise levies curtailed….

Last year the Legislature re-crafted the market value homestead credit, leaving some communities with less state aid. Davids said while most local governments “acted responsibly” and did not raise their levy, approximately $413 million was raised by others who “went overboard.”…

The bill, which has no Senate companion, would allow a local government’s levy limit to grow by 1.9 percent annually.

Quite a racket they’ve got going, huh? First, they take away millions of dollars from cities and counties. Then, they express their outrage that local governments increased their levies to make up the difference. Finally, they gallantly propose to put a stop to property taxes by legislative fiat.

If the GOP wants to do something about rising property taxes, they should look in the mirror. Stop slashing aid to local governments. Stop taking from the poor and giving to the rich. Stop trying to dismantle our state government and force its responsibilities on our cities and counties. Instead of trying to mandate the impossible, just stop demanding more from local governments while simultaneously cutting their funding.

*No, that’s not currently the official name. Maybe Rep. Davids would like to consider it, though?

In the past quarter, you contributed $350,000 to prevent Minnesota families from having the right to civil marriage. That’s $350,000 that will not go to help the poor, sick, and elderly. What a shocking rejection of the tenets of your own faith.

As you may or may not have noticed in the New Testament, Jesus seems to have had a bit of a fixation with justice for the poor. He had little to say about homosexuality. Can you possibly believe that He would want you to divert $350,000 from Good Works to attack Minnesota families?

I hope this year you’ll think a bit about what priorities your own faith sets out for you. Can you really justify this when Minnesotans are going hungry?