A long headline for this post, to be sure. But an accurate quote.
Last week, the Mankato Free Press profiled the three candidates in the SD26 race. Veteran political reporter Mark Fischenich's feature on Parry included the following gem:
He would cut even some of the most popular state spending in rural Minnesota — programs that directly reduce homeowners’ tax bills, that help fund rural cities, that pay the costs of running local schools.
He disagrees with efforts to ensure wealthier Minnesotans pay the same percentage of their income in state and local taxes as middle-class taxpayers, saying that undermines the state’s business competitiveness and will cost jobs.
In short, Parry not only wants to defund Greater Minnesota, but wants the middle-class to pay a greater percentage of their incomes than wealthier Minnesotans do.
A Free Press article two days later, LGA issue divides candidates, laid out Parry's answer to those who would want quality schools and services in Greater Minnesota:
And if people don’t like the level of services or the property tax bills they face, they can move to one of those wealthier cities that offers more for less, he said.
Staff writer Fischenich pointed out that the handful of state senators who supported this draconian approach represented wealthy suburban districts:
Parry, the Waseca Republican looking to replace former Sen. Dick Day in Tuesday’s special election, mirrors the position that five years ago was aggressively pursued only by a few Republican lawmakers from wealthy Twin Cities suburbs.
Like those suburban Republicans, Parry said LGA is an unfair transfer of wealth and that it undermines accountability by allowing rural city councils to spend money they don’t have to tax for.
“LGA to me is nothing but a credit card,” said Parry, who has also called it “a hammock” for city officials.
Parry looks to be changing his tune--or at least his focus--in today's MPR feature on the race, Special election will seat new state senator in southern Minn. Now instead of targeting small town officials and rural Minnesotans who want quality public schools, the target is "welfare":
Parry said he will not support any tax increases and he'll look at every portion of the state budget for areas to cut. He said the state should look carefully at welfare benefits.
"If it continues to grow a program like that, where is the money going to go?" Parry said. "It will create cuts to other departments. It will create cuts to K-12, to public services, to our veterans, and that's the problem I have with it."
Parry seemed fine last week with cutting state spending to help pay for the costs of running local schools.
During last Friday's ag forum, which I attended, Parry carried on about fraud in the administration of state programs. Only once did he name a specific program--which he called Health and Human Services, though the Pawlenty administration has no such department, only a Department of Health and a Department of Human Services--in a question about how he would fund county and township roads and bridges.
I'll hazard a guess that he meant the DHS, run by former representative Cal Ludeman, a Southwest Minnesota Republican, and funded via the Health and Human Services Omnibus bill. Somehow, I doubt we'll see Ludeman behind bars, nor come up with enough savings from fraud reduction to funnel into any meaningful funding for county and township roads and bridges.
Is there enough "fraud" in this department to pay for county and township roads and bridges--and maintain the share of funding for K-12 education? And are "welfare benefits" the driver of costs for Ludeman's department--or something else? For an example of how important providing a clear definition of "welfare" can be, check out Minnesota Public Radio's report from last spring, Minnesota among leaders in welfare spending. Health care costs and nursing home care, take an increasingly large slice of the pie.
Fischenich's profiles of Engbrecht provides a different view. In District 26 race: Engbrecht prepared for 'reality':
Even the health and human services budget, often depicted as a euphemism for “welfare” by proponents of smaller government, receives a defense from the DFLer.
Much of that budget goes to small-town nursing homes and hospitals struggling to survive, and some of them won’t be able to ride out another round of deep cuts, Engbrecht said.
“We have lots of small communities in this district, and they’re vibrant communities that I want to protect.”
While Srp's general ideas about fiscal discipline are examined in Srp touts experience, independence, his specific notions about "welfare benefits" aren't explored in the MFP article, a companion to the two other profiles.
As a recent article in the Star Tribune points out, solving the budget crisis is a tough one.
Image: On Planet Parry, the middle-class should hand over a larger percentage of their coin jar, while "welfare" fraud will fund county and township roads and bridges. Okay then.
"Only once did he name a specific program--which he called Health and Human Services"
Being kind, one could consider that Parry must be assuming that he will serve in the next legislature with Tom Emmer as Governor since Emmer's plan to erase a budget deficit that could reach $6 billion in the next biennium includes merging the Department of Health and the Department of Human Services.
However, it is more likely that Parry has no real idea how government operates and who receives services. Does he realize that in Minnesota, nursing home residents are the true face of government assistance programs. Medicaid nursing home residents comprise over 59% of the typical nursing home’s clients. Medicaid and Medicare comprise nearly 68% of nursing home resident days and are paid for by the State of Minnesota and the Federal Government. In effect, every cut has a triple whammy to nursing homes as every cut in state reimbursement will also mean a similar reduction in federal matching dollars, as well as reimbursements from private insurance plans since Minnesota has a rate equilization program. The future viability of the nursing home industry is severely impacted by votes that Parry could make.
Posted by: Minnesota Central | Jan 25, 2010 at 11:15 AM