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State Representative Paul Thissen
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-5375
For more information contact: Carrie Lucking 651-296-4169
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CLOCK IS TICKING ON REPUBLICAN BUDGET AS ECONOMY HANGS IN THE BALANCE: Statement on February forecast from Minority Leader Thissen
No more excuses. Beginning now, the clock is ticking for the GOP to propose their property-tax-raising, all-cuts budget. The GOP knows exactly how much money exists in the state budget and there is no more room for stalling.
It is critically important not only that the Republicans put their all-cuts budget on the table, but also that Minnesotans have ample opportunity to see that budget and weigh in about what they think is best for our state.
And as Minnesotan’s consider the choices before them, today’s budget forecast should give Minnesotans both hope and pause. We still have a $5 billion deficit to close, and if we continue the Pawlenty economic program, we face a structural deficit for many years to come.
Minnesota’s economic recovery is extremely fragile. It hangs in the balance of the decisions legislators will make in the coming months.
What we know for certain is that a continuation of the Pawlenty administration’s failed policies of the past will only stall our recovery. Republican majorities in the legislature want to cut middle class jobs when this state needs more people working. Republican majorities want to continue Pawlenty budgeting, putting a greater and greater squeeze on middle class pocket-books with increasing property taxes, tuition, and fees.
We know this all-cuts budget approach won’t work. It’s the very approach that made our great state perform below average over the last decade. Case and point - between 2002 and 2010, Minnesota ranked 15th from the bottom of states in job growth. That is unacceptable.
Really, Minnesotans should thank President Obama and Governor Dayton for the improved budget forecast. The December tax compromise Obama engineered contributed to better revenue receipts and nearly all of the savings that occurred in this forecast are a result of Governor Dayton’s early MA expansion.
Instead of returning to the failed policies of the past, we should move ahead to a broadly prosperous future by creating jobs instead of cutting them. We should balance the budget responsibly and fairly, keeping more money in middle class families’ pockets, and protecting the jobs that make up Minnesota’s middle class - jobs teaching our children, building our state, and protecting our communities.
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State Representative Paul Thissen is House Minority Leader. He represents Richfield and parts of Minneapolis in the Minnesota House of Representatives.
News Items
- DFL Leaders Eager to Confront Minnesota’s Challenges with Focus on Economy and Middle Class - (Posted: Jan 9 2013 2:21PM)
- State Representative John Persell appointed Majority Whip - (Posted: Dec 21 2012 1:11PM)
- Speaker-designate Thissen to Establish Select Committee on Living Wage Jobs - (Posted: 2012-12-19 00:00:00)
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