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Minnesota's budget and shutdown
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Let's hope the shutdown prompts voters to demand an end to false choices
by John Wodele
St Paul, Minn. — It's ironic that the great Minnesota government shutdown begins on the weekend we celebrate the birth of our democracy. You know — government of the people, by the people and for the people.
This disruption of government service was made possible by the people, through an electoral process created by a few people.
Think about it. Last year we had a general election that offered us a choice of "tax the rich" or "no new taxes" as a solution to a budget deficit that has haunted this state for nearly 10 years.
We were given that choice because the two major political parties decided — at caucuses, conventions and then in a June primary — that those were the options we would get.
Given the low participation in those conventions and the primary, most of us either didn't care or were just fine with the choices.
But in the general election a funny thing happened. Voters chose both. They elected a "no new taxes" legislature and a "tax the rich" governor, solutions that by themselves — as nearly every nonpartisan economic expert tells us — are no solutions at all.
But woe to the elected official in either party who would compromise for the good of the people. Or, for that matter, go against party leaders and propose a more substantive solution — a comprehensive and balanced solution that would include spending cuts, increased revenue from consumption taxes, a short-term surtax tilted toward the highest earners (but also middle to high earners), and the always promised but never quite achieved reform of government services.
And so, after five months of some of the most ineffective government you would ever like to see, we come to this: the government we deserve — and it's not much.
Some elected officials are hoping the shutdown is not too inconvenient. I hope it is very inconvenient. I hope it is irritating, aggravating and disturbing to as many people as possible and as quickly as possible. And I hope that tens of thousands of Minnesotans will call, email, Twitter and text their elected representatives and the governor and tell them that they are tired of false choices. That they should forget about the unreasonable "no new taxes" solution, the unworkable "tax the rich" solution, and the political consequences of doing the right thing.
If that happens, the shutdown might help bring constructive solutions to a problem we have struggled with for 10 long years.
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John Wodele, spokesman for former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura, is a writer and public relations consultant.
Comments (8)
I always admired this guy. Bring back the Independendent Party!
Thanks for your input John and your not far off the mark except that Governer Dayton and made concessions in his proposals throughout the legislative session. Look back on his campaign platforms to what his proposal is today.
The republicans made a tactical error when they drew a line in the sand at 34B. The population has increased, the population has aged, the cost of health care has increased. and then there is inflation. Of course it cost more than it did 2 years ago.
I am the director of the Dorothy Molter Museum in Ely located by Bearhead Lake State Park. Normally on the Friday before the 4th of July we would have visitors waiting for the door to open. As of 10:49 today we have had one small tour. This is normally a weekend of high revenue crucial for our budget year. In northeastern Minnesota we need to make a year's worth of revenue in about 12 weeks. This is a loss of revenue we will not be able to make up. If we don't have visitors I have to send staff home. They are directly impacted by a loss of wages. The museum is also has reimbursement requests for the final payment of a Legacy grant we were awarded. Delay of that payment means a delay in our payment to the consulting firm we used. Not a way I like to do business as it reflects poorly on our museum.
The ironic thing this individual wrote is this was almost the exact same thing Tom Horner told us during that very same 2010 governor's election race. And he's right - we the people did this to ourselves because we the people don't really try to understand that the government's job is to help each citizen. Instead, American voters try to individualize government to what they personally think it should do and who they think are worthy or deserving of government service. Effective governments just don't work that way. They compromise so that all is helped and peace and success occurs.
Governor Luther Youngdahl was a much loved leader in the late 1940's-early 1950's. He said, "we get just as good government as we will work for and just as bad government as we will allow."
We voted these people into office; hopeful they would do the right thing. Pox on us for being hoodwinked.
Leard tbe truth about John Wodele by reading my book Always Cheat. Contact me for a free copy and I'll pay the postage also. Leslie DAvis 612/529-5253
or Leslie@EarthProtector.org
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