Minnesota predicts $5.28 billion deficit over next two years

Vikings starting right tackle Anthony Herrera was excused from a second consecutive day of practice after the death of his oldest brother.

[stop spending]

Hey, if I used MY credit card, the way these crooks in the legislature spend money ON CREDIT!!!

..........I'd be thrown in debtors-prison!

frog-walk them to the lockup for enslaving us!

[5 Billion]

Nice job, Timmy Boy!!!

[AARGH]

Is this the best job our governor can do? Why do we hear this every 2 years, he cuts and cuts and cuts and we still end up deeper in the hole and then he vows to fix it and we still hear the same thing. I thought this was fixed 2 years ago with his cuts. He never once told us that it wasn't enough. Face it the governor is not being honest with us.

[Eddy]

you idiots,quit p i s s i n g our money away!!

[Carol]

I have an idea, lets ban smoking and put the bars out of bussiness. That's good for commerace.

[40for60]

AARGH wrote:

Is this the best job our governor can do? Why do we hear this every 2 years, he cuts and cuts and cuts and we still end up deeper in the hole and then he vows to fix it and we still hear the same thing. I thought this was fixed 2 years ago with his cuts. He never once told us that it wasn't enough. Face it the governor is not being honest with us.

Has anything changed over the last two years?
One thing that is certain, if they cut 5 billion from the two year budget, our government friends will be up in arms. If they raise taxes to cover the lost revenue, the taxpayers will be up in arms. Just how much more tax cuts on the state level will magically appear at the city/local level because it squeezes them?
I agree that they need to start from $0.00 and work up toward their new target, but my confidence level just isn't accepting that this will actually happen.

[Sense]

Carol wrote:

I have an idea, lets ban smoking and put the bars out of bussiness. That's good for commerace.

Whiney smokers
Tell me again why the rest of society should pay for your vice?

[Choices]

A former member of the unbiased press - now always available for comment:

"Dane Smith, president of the progressive policy research group Growth & Justice, said a tax increase on the wealthiest Minnesotans should be considered to avoid cuts in education, transportation, public health and the environment.

As for Pawlenty ruling out tax increases, Smith said, "He always does, and we respectfully disagree, and we think most Minnesotans agree."

NOT THIS MINNESOTAN

Our taxes have already gone up - the sales tax commitment we just made.
Our property taxes go up every year.
As inflation pushes incomes up, the income tax structure extracts more.
We had a local levy go up two years ago.
In Washington County, we are paying a new transit tax.

ENOUGH!

The solution:
Cap spending by Government - only spend what we have. Index growth in Government to growth in the economy - if taxes grow faster than the economy, that's creeping socialism.

[Workaday Oakdale Brother]

T-Paw is a male Coya Knutson...when he was out stumping for McCain, M-Paw should have exclaimed "Timmy come home....and fix this burgeoning mess"!

[jgb]

Private bussines uses pay cuts to balance the books when times get tough. I've taken 3 10% pay cuts in my working life along with being layed off several times. The most logical way to solve this is a 10% pay cut for everyone from the governer down to the lowest village clerk.
The largest employer in this state is government.
What's wrong with this picture?

[GRT]

AARGH wrote:

Is this the best job our governor can do? Why do we hear this every 2 years, he cuts and cuts and cuts and we still end up deeper in the hole and then he vows to fix it and we still hear the same thing. I thought this was fixed 2 years ago with his cuts. He never once told us that it wasn't enough. Face it the governor is not being honest with us.

Ingnorance is bliss. Just how do any governor can truly implement root cause budget controls when the House and Senate have had Democrat majorities for decades. Go back and look at the last 4 years on how many things TP has vetoed and then do the math on the budget increases the Democrats put in place even with those vetoes since 2000 - 40% INCREASE. We have a spending problem people. We just can NOT support a model that continues to give unlimited funds to K-12 and social service spending. They are the #1 and #2 budget items and together they account for 65% of the budget. "B" as in "B" and "S" as in "S". 6th highest per capita tax rate in the nation. Time to cut spending!!!

[Resident]

Hey Sense - I believe Carols point was valid...smokers are willing to pay the "Sin" tax to help people like you.

[Katie]

What would a modern day depression look like? Would people drop their TV cable, cell phones, quit driving? Also how would we keep all of our individual homes going what with all the bills associated with heat, electric, insurance, etc. As to Pawlenty not wanting Federal help for state bailouts, think hard folks, why don't we, as MInnesotans, want Federal bailouts rather then states solve their own problems. Anyone ever been to Detriot? It's a armpit or was in 1998 when I was there. Can you imagine if the US auto makers go under and what Michigan would look like? It would be like the Mad Max movie "Road Warrior". If we have to help them with a state bailout plus California plus every other state we, as Minnesotans, are in much wrose shape. We can solve our deficit over time. We can't however, do that if we are dragged down by every other state as well. Make sense?

[GB Fan]

Choices wrote:

A former member of the unbiased press - now always available for comment:
"Dane Smith, president of the progressive policy research group Growth & Justice, said a tax increase on the wealthiest Minnesotans should be considered to avoid cuts in education, transportation, public health and the environment.
As for Pawlenty ruling out tax increases, Smith said, "He always does, and we respectfully disagree, and we think most Minnesotans agree."
NOT THIS MINNESOTAN
Our taxes have already gone up - the sales tax commitment we just made.
Our property taxes go up every year.
As inflation pushes incomes up, the income tax structure extracts more.
We had a local levy go up two years ago.
In Washington County, we are paying a new transit tax.
ENOUGH!
The solution:
Cap spending by Government - only spend what we have. Index growth in Government to growth in the economy - if taxes grow faster than the economy, that's creeping socialism.

Great Post! I have some suggestions for closing this budget gap.

1) The U of M and MnSCU must be put on a financial diet and its leadership called on the carpet for skyrocketing tuition rates. This hole in the state we pour money into has gotten a free pass long enough. The governor needs to mandate that tuition rates revert back to 1999 levels and reduce state funding back to 1999 levels. Those elitist need to open up the endowment coffers and kick in.
2) The jobs program known as K-12 education needs to be scraped and rebuilt. Clearly throwing more money at the problem has not worked. Eliminate tenure and move to pay for performance. Eliminate mainstreaming, although a laudable goal. The programs have turned out to be another way to garner more funding for the districts by classifying more and more kids as special needs. Illegal aliens must be removed from the classroom. This is outright theft besides ESL students are a huge drain on education resources.
3)Consolidate all welfare to a single entity. With programs available at Federal, State, County and private charities there is too much double dipping. No more subsidies for baby mommas, require that children are cared for. Failure to provide support = child endangerment charges.
4) Reduce or eliminate subsidies for transit and the parks system. These eco-minded people have somehow gotten a free pass. I'm sure in their own high minded thinking they deserve that pass because of the inherent goodness in being green. This is my favorite! Require all bicycles that use MN roads and dedicated bike trails be licensed. Start at $100/bike Its time that these people kick in for their carbon footprint. These roads to no where are build w/ asphalt, they divert funding for real transit problems. These high minded tree huggers have had a pass long enough. It's time to kick in like grown ups.

Our tax system no longer works for the common good. It has become a punitive system that basically states, "What do I want and Who can I make pay for it." Continuing to tax a minority of the state's population will result in that money leaving the state. Wealthy people are mobile people and they create the jobs in this state. The grand experiment has to end.

[Sense]

Resident wrote:

Hey Sense - I believe Carols point was valid...smokers are willing to pay the "Sin" tax to help people like you.

Help me what? Pay for their medical expenses?

[Bliz]

Maybe the first cut made should be the Legislators per piem which is out of control. We have Legislators living in the Twin Cities and surrounding suburbs who take the whole daily per diem, give me a break. This is ridiculous, I would love to see the receipts they produce, if in fact that is a requirement.

[Sense]

Resident wrote:

Hey Sense - I believe Carols point was valid...smokers are willing to pay the "Sin" tax to help people like you.

Willing to pay the sin tax?
Just because Carol pays a sin tax on her ciggarettes in no way means it is willing.

[Joker]

Sense wrote:

<quoted text>
Willing to pay the sin tax?
Just because Carol pays a sin tax on her ciggarettes in no way means it is willing.

She doesn't have to buy them so she must be willing.

[Booga]

Let me guess...we'll push back the Wacouta bridge project again. Those ingrates in the east metro can wait another five years for their second span. Washington County is lucky we're even acknowledging that they exist by allowing them to pay their fair share for new transit programs serving the southern and western metro area.

Meanwhile, we can accelerate funding for another Oberstar bike path to provide economic stimulus up north - remember, failing to provide a bituminous bailout to our northern brethren could pose a systemic risk to our economy.

[Former Ranger]

Why are we always looking for someone to blame? It's not just the state that's in trouble, look at the entire country. In fact, it's a world wide recession. Now, I'm now economist and I'm pretty sure none of you are either but I'm doubtful one person or one US political party can cause a world wide recession. We've had them before and will have them again, it's cyclical! I doubt we can cause it and doubt we can stop it, just have to ride it out.