Minnesota Hindsight 2020: Shutdown Responsibility in Three Paragraphs

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http://mn2020hindsight.org/view/shutdown-responsibility-in-three-paragraphs

There’s been a lot of comparison charts going around since the shutdown. In case you missed it, MPR released a June 30th video on how to understand the state budget mess in 3 minutes.

It does a great job illustrating the budget differences between Governor Dayton and the state legislature. While the main divide centers around health and human services. Conservatives are proposing a vision for Minnesota that strips much of what made our state strong.

In the spirit of MPR’s 3 minute theme, I’m taking a crack at showing you—in 3 paragraphs—how we wound up in this mess.

1. Conservatives’ Unicorn offers. As we neared a shutdown, conservative lawmakers decided sending unrealistic offers to the governor would be good for progress. On June 16th, conservatives offered a “big compromise.” They eliminated their tax cuts proposal, many of which went to middle-class Minnesotans and small business operators. Shifting this $200 million they thought would erase the $1.8 billion gap between them. On June 29th, 28 hours before the government shutdown, another proposal was introduced that asked the governor to accept a variety of non-budgetary agenda items, including a conservative redistricting proposal, voter identification laws, additional abortion regulations, and reducing collective bargaining rights.

2. Distractions and publicity stunts. Among the many things that could be placed in this category, a few truly stand out. A classic bill that would have eliminated eight state agencies, including the Department of Transportation, Department of Management and Budget, and the Department of Revenue. The “shoot first” bill attempted to radically change the landscape of our gun laws in Minnesota. Proposing and passing the voter I.D. bill which would have seriously impinged on voter rights. They also voted to put a constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage on the ballot for 2012.

3. Millionaires, not Minnesotans. In the waning hours of budget negotiations, Governor Dayton backed off taxing the top 2 percent, opting to only tax Minnesota millionaires, roughly 7,700 people. Evidently, there was no room for negotiations of that kind, and that proposal was promptly rejected.

With all of the finger pointing, remember these three paragraphs. Credit should be given where credit is due. Conservatives’ hard work produced this shutdown. The governor has made seven reasonable and balanced offers to solve our budget deficit. Conservatives have offered gimmicks and “no-new-tax” ideology, but no compromise, to protect the state’s wealthiest.



More at link.