The Mankato Press reports in Walz aims to pass tax bill this year:
Two years ago, geography teacher and congressional challenger Tim Walz said the Bush tax cuts tilted too heavily to wealthy Americans, proposed returning tax rates to pre-Bush levels for people making more than $330,000 and wanted to use the resulting revenue for deficit reduction and middle-class tax cuts.
Now Congressman Walz, DFL-Mankato, has proposed legislation that would take a step in that direction for the next two years.
The bill would target corporate tax loopholes, tax advantages for hedge-fund managers and other tax regulations that benefit wealthier taxpayers. The resulting revenue would be split between deficit reduction and tax cuts aimed at the middle class. . . .
As for the Republicans:
Walz’s Republican opponents haven’t put forth detailed tax plans as part of their campaigns, but Dr. Brian Davis, R-Rochester, and state Sen. Dick Day, R-Owatonna, both oppose tax increases of any kind — including increases aimed at wealthier Americans. . . .
. . .The Republicans also agree that further large tax cuts such as the ones passed early in President Bush’s first term need to wait until federal deficits are reined in.
Go read the whole thing at the Free Press. MinnPost's Daily Glean calls the Walz bill:
a rare bit of Democratic political theater that might make the GOP squirm, sort of a reverse offshore drilling.
The West Central Tribune reports Farmfest, annual ag exposition, to begin Tuesday. There will be a congressional candidate forum:
Then at 1:30 p.m. it’s U.S. House members and candidates’ turn to discuss agriculture. U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., and U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., are slated to appear. Candidates expected to participate in the discussion include Glen Menze, a Republican challenging Peterson in the 7th District; Brian Davis and Dick Day, both Republicans, who are seeking to unseat Walz in the 1st District; Elwyn Tinklenberg, a Democratic candidate in the 6th District; and Steve Sarvi, a Democrat seeking the 2nd District seat.
The New Ulm Journal reports Political forums featured Tuesday at Farmfest. For more background on the panel of ag leaders and the organizations they represent, see our post from yesterday.
The PiPress asks Candidates' conundrum: Is risk of debating worth the reward? Representatives Kline and Bachmann apparently think not. For those candidates who are attending, this question should be most interesting for Day and Davis. Not only will each will seek to contrast himself with Walz, but each will also have to highlight his strengths for the Republican base.
Congressman Walz helped launch the Obama field office in Rochester, KAAL reports in Presidential Hopefuls Set Up Local Offices. Video is available. Happy birthday to Senator Obama.
Photo: Former congressman Gil Gutknecht and Tim Walz in the 2006 Farmfest congressional candidate forum in 2006. One of the topics was the value of manure, according to the Mankato Free Press coverage from which we swiped John Cross's great pix. Audiences can expect a drizzle of horse apples from at least one of Walz's challengers, and protests against foo-foo dust from the other. Good times.
The Buffalo Chip Tossing contest will be on Wednesday. We're cheering for the MFU's lovely Katie Pass to fling it for accuracy if not distance.
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