House Minority Leader Paul Thissen (DFL-Minneapolis) has had it with the MNGOP’s refusal to give a straight answer regarding their constitutional amendment to suppress voting. At a hearing where Majority Leader Matt Dean (R-Dellwood) cut off debate, even preventing one DFL representative from speaking, a frustrated Thissen quipped:

On a vote to suppress voting, it’s interesting that you’re suppressing debate, Mr. Chair.

Of course, the GOP’s refusal to allow debate — or answer any questions asked during the limited debate that was allowed — shouldn’t surprise anyone. After all, they want to stop thousands of Minnesotans from voting. Why should they respect the legislative process?

You can see some clips from the hearing below, courtesy of The UpTake.

Minority Leader Paul Thissen (DFL-Minneapolis) has been vocal in calling for the Republican legislature to abandon their focus on constitutional amendments and make jobs a priority instead. He made his case again in the pages of the Duluth News Tribune on Sunday:

After last session, in which we had a government shutdown and focused on divisive constitutional amendments, it’s more important than ever we focus on the issues that matter most to Minnesotans. That’s why our top priority should be creating jobs and strengthening Minnesota’s middle class….

In addition to a relentless focus on jobs, DFL legislators will continue our fight to reverse the middle-class property tax increases that resulted from the Republican budget of last summer. The Republican’s elimination of the market-value homestead credit translated directly into residential and small business property tax increases across Minnesota, including substantial hikes of 7 percent or more in Duluth.

Our DFL focus on the middle class is not just election-year rhetoric. We fundamentally believe the single most-important way to revive our economy and set the stage for long-term prosperity is with a strong and vibrant middle class and with a state where middle-class families have basic economic security, realistic chances to get ahead, and enough money in their pockets to enjoy the great quality of life Minnesota has to offer.

That is why we are so disappointed the Republican majority has continued to pursue policies that squeeze the middle class in order to protect the very richest Minnesotans and special interests.

The GOP, of course, claims they’ll focus on jobs, too. I’m skeptical, to put it mildly. But you never know. They’ll have a chance to prove that they care about the middle class, beginning today.

The Republican-led legislature, after rejecting seven different budget offers, eventually agreed to a budget that borrowed $1.4 billion so they could continue offering the rich special treatment. That fiscal irresponsibility led one credit agency after another to downgrade our state’s credit. Now Standard & Poor’s, the only agency that hadn’t done so, has downgraded us as well.

This downgrade will cause immediate pain. The same budget that caused the downgrade also forces our schools to borrow money; that debt will be more expensive because of our lower credit rating. 

Minority Leader Paul Thissen (DFL-Minneapolis) put it well in a press release:

Every day that passes, the consequences of the Republicans’ beg, borrow, and steal budget solution become more glaring.  Our kids started the school year in debt, with nearly half of their schools asking taxpayers to fill their budget gaps. Now the Republican-forced loans that schools, cities, and counties are seeking will come at a higher cost.

Even the Republicans are having a hard time denying their culpability. Speaker Kurt Zellers offered one of the weakest defenses I’ve ever heard from him:

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Minority Leader Paul Thissen had some strong words on the Republicans’ irresponsible budget:

Republicans had not 1, not 2, but 7 opportunities to agree to a better budget – a budget that actually solves the state deficit now, has the support of a vast majority of Minnesotans, and defends middle class families.  Republicans could have supported the Governor’s plan that cut $2 billion from state government and asked millionaires to pay their fair share.

However, the Republicans refused every single attempt at a fair budget, forcing this borrow-and-spend non-solution on the people of Minnesota in order to end a painful government shutdown. 

The lengths to which this Republican majority will go to protect corporate special interests and the richest of the rich are astounding.  Their budget forces the state to beg from seniors and the disabled with draconian budget cuts, borrow money to temporarily fill the deficit with one-time funds, and steal from our children’s future by expanding the K12 school shift [via Press Release, emphasis added].

That pretty much sums it up. The only thing I would add is that when everything was on the line, the Republicans threw their supposed concern for fiscal responsibility under the bus to save their number-one priority: special privileges for the super-rich.

I’m glad the MNGOP finally agreed to ditch their draconian all-cuts budget. That’s certainly a good thing. What’s not good, though, is the way they went about it. I can’t support their solution of going into debt to avoid taxing the super-rich.

I don’t think DFLers should support it either. While both parties agreed on spending, the Republicans were the only ones who wanted to get there so irresponsibly. In the “family budget” analogy they love to tout so much, the GOP chose to raid the kids’ college fund.

I’m hopeful that the GOP may indeed be forced to take responsibility for their irresponsible budget, at least based on this quote from Minority Leader Paul Thissen:

GOP leaders may have to rely on their party to make sure bills become law. DFL House Minority Leader Paul Thissen said it’s unlikely that his caucus will support the measure.

“It’s the Republican plan. They should accept it,” Thissen said. “They’re the majority and they should be able to pass their own budget.”

Amen. This is their choice. They chose to raid our kids’ school funding instead of asking the rich to pay their fair share. As the majority party, they should take responsibility.