Recently on "Almanac," a public affairs show that airs across the state on public television, I presented Republican Chairman Keith Downey with a T-shirt that said, "My Party Voted for a $42 Billion Budget and All I got was this Lousy T-Shirt. Thanks."
While party politics is known for good-natured ribbing, there’s really nothing funny about the message on the T-shirt: Republicans voted for the largest budget in state history and left the State Capitol without much to show for it. In a session with a $1.9 billion budget surplus, the session will be remembered for the missed opportunities to move Minnesota forward.
The session is particularly disappointing for residents of rural communities who in 2014 provided Republicans the majority in the Minnesota House of Representatives. Republicans told rural residents they would best look out for their interests at the State Capitol, but didn’t keep their word.
Republicans told voters they would limit government spending then turned around and passed the largest budget in state history. Republicans often say they will cut "wasteful government spending," but after more than 10 years of cuts and budget deficits, there isn’t much left to cut.
Republicans promised to lower taxes. Not only did their education bill increase taxes by more than $30 million, the taxes they tried to lower were for owners of the Mall of America and skyscrapers in the Twin Cities. Republicans proposed long-term tax give-aways of billions of dollars for these special interests while offering people making $50,000 a year a two-year $70 tax cut. The Legislature ended the session with no tax bill.
The session also ended without a transportation funding bill that tackles the multi-billion dollar, multi-year fix for the state’s deteriorating transportation system. Republicans proposed shifting money from our schools and seniors to pay for safe roads and bridges. This isn’t acceptable.
Republicans failed residents of rural communities in a number of additional areas. They proposed eliminating MinnesotaCare, the affordable health care coverage for nearly 100,000 working Minnesotans, many who live outside the Twin Cities. Republicans zeroed out funding for broadband infrastructure and only added a minimal amount of funding back into the mix after a public outcry. And college students and their families will see a college tuition increase after Republicans didn’t continue the two-year tuition freeze passed by DFLers in the last budget.
The biggest news of all is that with Republicans spending much of the session working to provide tax give-aways to corporations and neglecting to compromise on major issues, their work didn’t get done. Not only did they neglect to pass bills providing funding to Minnesota art and environmental communities, the E-12 education, jobs and environment bills passed were vetoed by Gov. Mark Dayton and legislators are being called back into special session to get their job done right.
With one session under our belt we see the result of a divided government – failed promises, missed opportunities and an inability to finish the work on time. In 2016 Minnesotans will return to the ballot box and will decide if they want to continue on this path of gridlock or elect DFLers who will get Minnesota back on the path of progress for all.
Ken Martin is chairman of the Minnesota DFL. For more information, go to www.dfl.org. Both parties are still trying to come together for a special session.