Tag Archive for 'Dave Senjem'

Let me get this straight — Republicans in Minnesota are adamantly against tax increases, but they’re also adamantly against spending cuts. Maybe they’re not aware, but we have a $6.4 billion budget deficit, and the budget needs to be balanced. Something has to be done to solve the budget crisis, and it needs to be something responsible, not just billions of dollars in budget gimmicks that put the solution off until the next budget cycle.

The Senate DFL yesterday showed that nothing was off limits, with a preliminary budget plan that would make steep cuts to health and human services, and even education, which could lose over $300 million after considering federal stimulus money.  Republicans expressed outrage at the DFL plan, but at least the DFL is making an honest attempt to solve the problem. The Republicans’ solution? $1.3 billion in K-12 “payment shifts” [PPT] — what you and I would call IOUs.

If you were the administrator of a school district, which would you choose? A small decrease in funding during the recession, or Tim Pawlenty’s promise that you’ll be getting an increase someday, as soon as he comes up with the money? Would you put your district’s share of that $1.3 billion on a credit card while patiently waiting for the money? As they say, better the devil you know than the devil you don’t.

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