..."compromise is the DFL doing it OUR way."
Rather than taking the time on the last day of the Easter Break to pay their overdue bills, Minnesota's GOP "Leaders" took off on a fly around to eight cities yesterday - the "Cooked Books Tour."
The goal was to sell their budget bills. Here's how Big E, a couple o' weeks ago, described the GOPer bills:
They have broken precedent and are using numbers created by business lobbyists and other states. The MMB and Dept of Revenue question the validity of their numbers.
Personally, I like the Twitter hashtag - #EnronAccounting - to describe the GOPer's make (stuff) up numbers, but hey - that's just me. So, while flying around the great state, did the GOPers leave any room for compromise between them and DFL Governor Mark Dayton? Let's look!
First stop, Rochester. From the Post Bulletin, here's the lede:
With less than a month until the legislative session deadline, GOP legislative leaders on Monday reiterated they will not consider tax increases as part of a final budget deal.
"There is a lot of room to compromise and we will compromise and we will cooperate with the governor. We're just not going to compromise our principles and we're not raising taxes. Minnesotans can't afford it," said Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch, R-Buffalo.
To recap: GOPers ran on not raising taxes, DFL Governor Mark Dayton ran on raising taxes on those paying less than their fair-share: the rich. It's a matter of principle for both, and the GOP's solution?
"Compromise is the DFL doing it OUR way."
Next stop, Mankato. From The Free Press, here's the lede:
MANKATO — During a stop in Mankato Monday, Republican leaders of the Minnesota House and Senate again vowed to oppose any of the state tax increases Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton is insisting be part of budget compromise.
.
.
The legislative leaders were asked about a Minneapolis Star Tribune report on Sunday that backroom discussions at the Capitol showed some GOP willingness to consider possible revenue increases as part of a compromise budget, including closing tax loopholes that mostly benefit high-income Minnesotans. Dayton’s budget proposal focuses tax hikes on higher income tax brackets, based on the argument that wealthier Minnesotans are paying a lower percentage of their income in state and local taxes than middle-class residents.
“Don’t believe them,” Deputy Senate Majority Leader Geoff Michel said. “Don’t believe the Star Tribune.”
Message from GOPers, at Mankato? Well, there's TWO messages:
1 - "Compromise is the DFL doing it OUR way.", and
2 - “Don’t believe the Star Tribune.”
Way to work the refs Geoff!
The fly around included Bemidji; from The Pioneer:
(GOPer Senator Amy) Koch said the business climate can’t improve until the state government gets the budget under control. With that accomplished, the economy will grow, she said.
“This is about so much more than making the books balance,” she said.
"...so much more than making the books balance."??!?
Yeah, "right." For the GOP, it's about cookin' the books, too.
From the St. Cloud Times:
Less than a month remains before May 23, the scheduled end to the 2011 legislative session that’s prescribed in Minnesota’s Constitution. Yet Republican legislators and Gov. Mark Dayton appear to be miles apart on how to dispatch the state’s deficit.
Republicans would balance the $5 billion deficit primarily with spending cuts, and by delaying repayment of a funding shift to school districts.
Dayton’s budget proposal also would delay repayment of the school-district shift, and would cut projected spending by an additional $300 million in the next two years.
But the Dayton plan also would generate about $3.3 billion in new state revenues, by hiking income taxes on the state’s highest earners and imposing new fees and surcharges on health care providers and individuals.
In an interview after Monday’s event, (St Cloud GOP State Senator John) Pederson expressed optimism that legislators and Dayton can find common ground.
“There probably is some room for compromise, if we can stay away from the tax increases,” Pederson said.
Once again, the GOP position is clear: "compromise is the DFL doing it OUR way."
From the Alexandria Echo Press:
Published April 22, 2011, 12:00 AM
GOP leaders to stop in Alexandria Monday
Minnesota Senate and House GOP leaders will be doing a statewide fly-around on Monday, April 25. They will be arriving at the Alexandria Airport around 4:40 p.m.
Oops! The GOPer's Cooked Books Tour couldn't even get coverage; it seems one paper had the good sense to ignore the BS the GOP is spewing.
Here's what the Duluth News Tribune had to say:
Published April 25, 2011, 08:57 AM
Minnesota GOP legislative leaders to tour Duluth, state
Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch and House Speaker Kurt Zellers start this morning in St. Paul before making stops in Rochester, Mankato, St. Cloud, Moorhead, Bemidji, Alexandria and Duluth."
Oops, AGAIN!!!
From Fargo-Moorhead Forum:
MOORHEAD – Minnesota Re publican legislative leaders made a stop here Monday to promote their party’s plan for battling the state’s budget deficit.
“We say: ‘What’s in our checkbook is what we have to spend,’ ’’ said Sen. Majority Leader Amy Koch of Buffalo.
Three points - as noted here, GOPers were quite comfortable ordering recount copying services when they didn't have the "money in the checkbook" to pay for it, and "what's in the checkbook is what there is to spend" is obviously a concept unfamiliar to squawk-talker and reliable GOPer bootlicker Mitch Berg; and once again, GOPer Senator Amy Koch paints her party into a corner with no negotiating room, unless:
"compromise is the DFL doing it OUR way."
Get ready for the GOPers to shut this state down, folks - in GOPer world, there is no compromise.