Capitol View: November 30, 2009 Archive

On the stump...

Posted at 6:40 AM on November 30, 2009 by Tom Scheck
Filed under: Campaign 2010, Campaign 2010: Minnesota Governor

Here's where the candidates for governor will campaign this week...

Pat Anderson (GOP):
Monday, 11/30, CD1 Christmas Party
Tuesday, 12/1, Carver County BPOU
Wednesday, 12/2, Woodbury Meet and Greet
Thursday, 12/3, Senate District 14 BPOU Meeting
Saturday, 12/5, Republican Party of Minnesota State Central Meeting

Tom Bakk (DFL):
Monday, Nov. 30 - 9 p.m., meeting with St. Cloud State University DFL
Tuesday, Dec. 1 - 6 p.m., meeting with residents of St. Paul's Eastside
Friday, Dec. 4 - 8:30 a.m., meeting with Carlton County residents, Cloquet Labor Temple, noon, meeting with Aitkin County residents, The Beanery, Aitkin, 7 p.m., Wadena County DFL Holiday Party, Wadena
Saturday, Dec. 5 - 8 a.m., coffee with Ottertail County residents, Cafe 116, Fergus Falls, 11 a.m., State Central Committee meeting, Sartell, 2 p.m., DFL Latino Caucus Gubernatorial Forum, Commerical Workers Local 7200, 3521 East Lake Street, Minneapolis

Leslie Davis (GOP):
Monday, 11/30, 6:30pm, CD 1, Christmas Party, Somerby Golf Club in Byron
Saturday, 12/5, 7:30am, Republican Central Committee Convention
Holiday Inn, St. Cloud

Mark Dayton (DFL):
The campaign did not provide me with a schedule but RenewMN says Dayton is scheduled to appear at a "Meet the candidates" event on Thursday, 12/3.

Tom Emmer (GOP):
The campaign did not provide me with a campaign schedule.

Matt Entenza (DFL):
Wednesday, 12/2, fundraising in Washington, D.C.
Thursday, 12/3, Annual Meeting of MN Asphalt Pavement Assoc., 12pm, Northland Inn, reNEW MN's "Meet the Candidate" series_12/03/2009_7:30 - 8:30 PM_Location: TBD
Saturday, 12/5, DFL State Central Committee Meeting, 10:15 AM, Sartell High School, 748 Seventh Street North, Sartell, Latino Gubernatorial Forum, 2PM, CWA Local 7200, 3521 E. Lake St., Minneapolis_

Susan Gaertner (DFL):
The campaign did not provide me with a campaign schedule.
Tuesday, 12/1: Susan's Birthday Party, 5pm, Mancini's
Saturday, 12/5, 10am, DFL State Central Committee meeting, Sartell High School, 748 Seventh Street North, Sartell, MN, DFL Latino Caucus candidate forum, 2pm, 3521 E. Lake St., Minneapolis, MN, 55406

Bill Haas (GOP):
The campaign did not provide me with a campaign schedule.

David Hann (GOP):
The campaign did not provide me with a campaign schedule.

Phil Herwig (GOP):
The campaign did not provide me with a campaign schedule.

Margaret Anderson Kelliher (DFL):
Thursday, 12/3, Medtronic Gubernatorial Forum, Mahle Auditorium, Medtronic's Mounds View Facility, 11:30AM
Saturday, 12/5, DFL State Central Committee Meeting, Sartell High School, 748 7th St. N, Sartell, 10am.

Steve Kelley (DFL):
Tuesday, 12/1, 6:30PM - Congresswoman Betty McCullom's Fish Fry (Czech and Slovak Sokol Hall, 383 Michigan St.), 8:00PM - Meeting with St. Paul DFL Activists, Letter Carrier's Hall
Wednesday, 12/2, 5:00PM - UDFL meeting (Coffman Union room 326)
Thursday, 12/3, 12:00PM - Medtronic Forum hosted by Rick Kupchella Medtronic (8200 Coral Sea Street NE)
Saturday, 12/5, 11:00AM, State DFL Central Comm. Meeting (Sartell High School, 748 7th St.), 2:00PM- DFL Latino Caucus/Take Action Renew MN Forum, CWA Local 7200, 3521 E. Lake St., 7:00PM- Education and Innovation in Greater MN event in Owatonna (Rose Street Pizzeria 206 Rose St.)

John Marty (DFL):
The campaign did not provide me with a campaign schedule.
Thursday, 12/3 Meet-and-Greet with Medtronic Leadership, 8200 Coral Sea Street N.E. Mounds View, MN 55112, 11:30am
Saturday, 12/5 DFL Governor Candidate Forum TakeAction, SEIU, Latino Caucus, CWA, 3521 E Lake St in Minneapolis, MN, 2pm

Tom Rukavina (DFL):
Wednesday, 12/2, Meeting with College Democrats at St. Cloud State.
Thursday, Gubernatorial Forum at Medtronic, 11:30am
Saturday, Take Action MN/DFL Latino Caucus Forum, 2pm, CWA Local 7200, 3521 East Lake Street, Minneapolis

R.T. Rybak (DFL):
Thursday, 12/3. Students for Rybak UofMN 6:pm, 155 Blegen Hall, Macalester College Dems 10:00pm
Saturday, 12/5, Wadena County DFL Holiday Party 7:30pm, 100 Aldrich Ave SW, Wadena, State Central Committee Meeting 11am-11:30am_Sartell High School, 748 7th St N, Sartell, Latino Caucus/ReNew MN Governors Forum 2:00pm, CWA 3521 E Lake St, Minneapolis

Marty Seifert (GOP):
The campaign did not provide me with a campaign schedule.
Monday, 11/30, 6:30pm, CD3 Republicans Full Committee Meeting, Edina Community Center, 5701 Normandale Rd, Edina, MN
Saturday, 12/5, Minnesota GOP State Central Meetings, St. Cloud, MN

Paul Thissen (DFL):
Monday, 11/30, 6:30p - Meet & Greet hosted with SD38 DFLers 3874 Danbury Trl Eagan, MN 55123
Thursday, 12/3, 11:30am - Medtronic Candidate Forum, Medtronic's Mounds View Campus, Mahle Auditorium, 6pm - reNEW Minnesota Candidate Series,
Saturday, 12/5, 11am - DFL State Central Comm Mtg, Sartell High School, 748 Seventh Street North, Sartell, MN, Latino Community/Take Action MN Gubernatorial Candidate Forum, 2pm, CWA Local 7200, 3521 East Lake Street, Minneapolis

The rest of the GOP field on the budget

Posted at 4:37 PM on November 30, 2009 by Tom Scheck (1 Comments)
Filed under: Campaign 2010, Campaign 2010: Minnesota Governor

MPR ran a story this morning the examined where Pat Anderson, Tom Emmer, David Hann and Marty Seifert stood on balancing the state's budget. There are three other GOP candidates for governor who also have ideas on fixing the deficit. Here are the plans in alphabetical order:

Leslie Davis

1. Leslie will sign House File 888 (companion SF 705)

2. Then state-chartered-banks can create 'debt-free' money to pay for all approved Minnesota public transportation projects.

3. This new money is not a loan. It is a final debt-free payment for construction and maintenance of all public transportation.

4. We then rescind the laws that require transportation taxes to be used for transportation projects because future transportation projects will be paid for with the newly created debt-free money created by state-chartered-banks. (See 3)

5. Transportation taxes (fuel, axle, registration) will still be collected and used in two ways until they are ended forever:
a. a portion will go directly to the general fund to balance the budget
b. a portion will repay the State Investment Board (SIB) for the 'Minnesota budget bond'* they will purchase as an investment
*The new 'Minnesota budget bond' will be purchased by the SIB to plug the budget deficit.

6. Thousands of people can now have jobs in transportation projects throughout the state.

7. The budget will be trimmed and balanced.

8. No taxes will be increased.

9. No new taxes will be added, like those proposed for clothing.

Bill Haas:

The second area we need to address is the state budget. As Mayor, Bill guided the City of Champlin through two economic down turns in his eight-year tenure. When he was elected Mayor, he said the city would no longer be a "spend and tax" entity. You don't handle your household budget that way, why should the State? Last year's high cost of gas, as well as the increased cost of food and other essentials, put a real stress on the family budget. What was the legislative solution? Raise the gas tax. This year the legislature's answer was the same to Minnesota's struggling families and small businesses. Raise all kinds of taxes. Bill believes that elected officials have a fiduciary responsibility to Minnesota's families to spend the money wisely and yet he has heard legislators say that once the tax money is sent to St. Paul, it's their money to spend. Bill believes we need to work with the revenues we now have; the challenge is to spend it wisely to meet the needs of Minnesota. Just as a business must continually re-evaluate how it operates to be cost effective, the state must do the same.

Phil Herwig:

Minnesota needs to change how it prepares its budget. Currently we operate on the incremental budget system. Here the allocation of resources is based on allocations from the previous biennium. This system fails to take into account changing circumstances. It encourages "spending up to the budget" which leads to a "spend it or lose it" mentality.

This is one reason why Minnesota's spending from the general fund has gone from $2.1 billion in 1970 to $37 billion now. An increase of over 1,800 percent.

We need to switch to a zero-base budgeting system. Here, every department function must be reviewed comprehensively, and all expenditures must be approved, not just increased.

This would promote an efficient allocation of resources. It channels managers into finding cost effective ways to improve their operation by identifying and elimination wasteful or obsolete operations.

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