Minnesota's legislative session is over, no deal was reached, and Governor Dayton has vetoed all of the last nine budget bills sent to him.
Not that that is a bad thing.
The editorial board of the Mankato Free Press writes in Our View: Republican budget cuts hurt outstate:
The Republican no-new-revenue budget will cost Blue Earth and Nicollet counties 500 jobs and $28 million in wages for every year it is in effect.
Those figures equate to the 15 percent cut in state employment Republicans passed in their budget that Gov. Mark Dayton has vetoed.
There will be even more severe consequences in outstate Minnesota and Republican districts if the Republican majority in the Minnesota Legislature continues its intransigence on meeting the legal requirement to balance the state’s budget.
Schools, city, county and even hospital budgets would be disabled while a few folks keep an extra 2 percent of their income over a quarter of a million dollars. Property taxes on businesses and homeowners will rise. That cost of doing business will not only impact jobs, but also create an uncompetitive tax structure in outstate Minnesota.
The stakes for outstate Minnesota have never been higher.
Republican spin should be dismissed. . . .
Read the whole thing that concludes:
About a dozen chambers of commerce, from Worthington to Duluth, know the impact the Republican budget will have on their communities. They recently voiced their support for a balanced approach and keeping property taxes low, and opposed the all-cuts GOP budget.
Unfortunately, the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce continues to support the all-cuts budget of Republicans. Outstate members of the chamber should consider that position next time they’re asked to renew their membership or join with the Minnesota Chamber on other projects.
Republican leadership may have its so-called principles, however flawed, and maybe that keeps the big donor money flowing. But now is the time for outstate Republicans to lead, or their constituents will be on the bankrupt end of the spreadsheet.
The Republican spin is shared by the paper in GOP lawmakers take spin around the state.
Cartoon: Ed Fischer, "Oh Look, A Gay Marriage," via the Rochester Post Bulletin. Spot on.
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