Archive for the ‘Lobbyists’ Category
For years, teachers have been double-dipping their pension accounts. Once again, the St. Paul Teachers’ Retirement Association is asking for another bailout of their pension plan while selling it as a reasonable fix to the situation. It isn’t reasonable to the taxpayers. It’s a rip-off.
A proposal is expected to be introduced in the Minnesota Legislature in the next two weeks.
The goal is to close a projected $16.7 million per year gap between what the fund needs each year and what it actually brings in.
“This is a problem that’s easier to remedy now than 10 years from now,” said Paul Doane, the association’s executive director. “I’m convinced this is a major step forward that will help both the long-term solvency and sustainability issue.”
It’s imperative that the remedy include 3 things. First, it’s imperative that the fix end the defined benefit plan. Next, it’s imperative that retire-and-rehire programs stop ASAP. Finally, it’s imperative that early retirement be eliminated. Here’s why it’s imperative the retire-then-rehire program is stopped:
The fund estimates it could get another $3.4 million by increasing employee and employer contributions by 1 percent for each and modifying early retirement and return-to-work policies.
Under the proposal, retirees would have to wait six months before they can return to a job with the district, up from 30 days now. And, if they make more than $46,000 after they return, they would lose some pension benefits, which are now set aside and paid out after returnees leave the district.
TRANSLATION: Retire-then-rehire programs are costing taxpayers millions of dollars in pensions.
What’s fair about telling private sector employees that they’re getting hit with a tax increase to pay for a teacher to retire when they’re 55, then start collecting a pension, then go on a month-long vacation before getting a cushy consultant’s job? That’s the system as it currently exists.
Why should taxpayers be funding a pension fund so public sector employees can retire when they’re fifty-something, especially when it’s a defined benefit pension plan?
There’s a fight brewing on this crisis. This provides a good glimpse into the bailout fight:
Rep. Phyllis Kahn, DFL-Minneapolis, who will sponsor the House version of the bill, said this proposal is “fair, appropriate and prudent.”
She noted that St. Paul Teachers received no state aid from 1987 to 1993. The state provided $22 million in annual aid to help the former Minneapolis teachers’ pension fund reduce its shortfall before it merged into the state’s larger Teachers Retirement Association pension fund.
But Thompson rejects the idea of using taxpayer dollars to shore up the fund while many private-sector workers are scaling back their own retirement plans because of the market downturn. He said the proposal is especially unpalatable because its proposed benefit increase negates the higher contributions from employees.
“In a nutshell, the St. Paul Teachers’ Retirement Fund is looking for a net increase in benefits, with the state acting as a guarantor of their investments,” he said. “In this economy, that’s really asking a lot.”
Rep. Kahn’s reply exposed the system’s flaw when she said that St. Paul teachers didn’t receive any state aid from 1987 through 1993. The first pertinent question is “why should Minnesota taxpayers bailout a St. Paul public employees pension plan”? The thinking should’ve been that a pension plan that’s underfunded at a time when the economy and stock market are going strong has a major structural flaw.
The response back then should’ve been to either insist on major structural reforms or let the teachers and trustees run the pension into bankruptcy. Overpromising isn’t a virtue. It’s a curse.
Sen. Thompson is right in saying that it’s wrong to ask taxpayers to fund a bailout that would improve benefits for people in the St. Paul Teachers’ Retirement Fund. With people living longer, increasing benefits isn’t sustainable. That means this pension fund will need another bailout a decade from now.
How’s that fair to private sector taxpayers?
Follow this link to read more on the subject.
Tags: Public Employee Unions, St. Paul Teachers’ Retirement Fund, Unfunded Liability, Pension Bailout, Phyllis Kahn, DFL, Dave Thompson, Pension Reform, Taxpayers, MNGOP
For most of the life of this blog, I’ve advocated for politicians to ditch their jargon. Instead, I’ve argued that politicians should use the language of Main Street. This morning, while perusing RealClealPolitics, I gained a powerful ally in Scott Rasmussen. To avoid any confusion, I’ll first state that I met Scott Rasmussen last summer at the RightOnline Conference. That meeting, coupled with his many TV appearances, proved that he’s a man who uses Main Street Speak.
Here’s what Scott Rasmussen wrote that caught my attention:
This gap was highlighted by a recent Pew Research Center poll showing that “for 18 of 19 programs tested, majorities want either to increase spending or maintain it at current levels.”
On the surface, those results appear to support the Political Class conceit that voters like spending cuts in the abstract but not in specific programs. That’s the way it was reported by most media outlets.
But the reality is quite different. The Pew results actually show support for what official Washington would consider massive spending cuts.
Just to be clear, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the Pew poll questions or results. The raw numbers are similar to what we find at Rasmussen Reports. The problem is with the way the numbers were reported.
The questions were asked using the language of America, but they were reported using the language of the Political Class.
To most Americans, maintaining spending at current levels would mean spending the same amount in 2013 as we spent in 2012. However, to those experienced in the mysterious ways of Washington, maintaining spending at current levels means spending $3.5 trillion this year and $4.5 trillion in five years. To most Americans, that’s a trillion dollars in spending growth.
The Political Class, on the other hand, would consider holding spending unchanged at current levels to be a massive spending cut. Why? Because it wouldn’t allow for the trillion dollar spending growth that is already built into the budget.
Normal people don’t expect pay raises on autopilot. The federal government does.
Washington, DC would throw a hissy fit if they were forced to use zero-based budgeting instead of using baseline budgeting. Without baseline budgeting helps DC pay off their political allies. Zero-based budgeting wouldn’t let that happen. That’s why politicians and lobbyists insist on baseline budgeting. Frankly, it makes their jobs easier.
Speaking candidly, I don’t want to make life easy for politicians or lobbyists. I’d prefer they have to justify every penny of their spending. That’s the only way to guarantee that every penny of the taxpayers’ money is spent wisely.
Thanks, Scott, for speaking so clearly on this important issue. Let’s just hope it’s contageous.
This video shows why Rep. Jeff Howe is a rising star in the GOP:
Rep. Howe’s weekly update highlights the fact that Gov. Dayton praised the work that the GOP Legislature did the last 2 years:
According to our Department of Employment and Economic Development, there are over 72,000 more jobs available in Minnesota today than when I took office two years ago. Almost 52,000 of those jobs were added in the past year.
That isn’t because we passed a DFL-friendly budget. It’s because the GOP legislature passed a host of pro-business reforms while they were the majority party. Speaking of reforms, now that Tom Dooher is the de facto chair of the K-12 financing and policy committee, he wants to gut teacher licensure reforms. The current law requires that teachers must “pass a basic skills examination in reading, writing, and mathematics as a condition for receiving a teaching license.”
That’s a pretty straightforward set of requirements for getting a teaching license. It’s objective, which means it’s quantifiable and verifiable. Here’s what Tom Dooher
(b) The board must adopt rules to approve teacher preparation programs. The board, upon the request of a postsecondary student preparing for teacher licensure or a licensed graduate of a teacher preparation program, shall assist in resolving a dispute between the person and a postsecondary institution providing a teacher preparation program when the dispute involves an institution’s recommendation for licensure affecting the person or the person’s credentials. At the board’s discretion, assistance may include the application of chapter 14.
(c) The board must provide the leadership and adopt rules for the redesign of teacher education programs to implement a research based, results-oriented curriculum that focuses on the skills teachers need in order to be effective. The board shall implement new systems of teacher preparation program evaluation to assure program effectiveness based on proficiency of graduates in demonstrating attainment of program outcomes. Teacher preparation programs including alternative teacher preparation programs under section 122A.245, among other programs, must include a content-specific, board-approved, performance-based assessment that measures teacher candidates in three areas: planning for instruction and assessment; engaging students and supporting learning; and assessing student learning.
It’s apparent that the DFL is intent on gutting the GOP’ reforms to teacher licensure. They’re intent on raising taxes on all Minnesotans, too. Additionally, they’ve proposed raising spending at a reckless rate. As Rep. Howe said in the video, what was passed is working. Doing a 180 at this point is foolish.
That won’t stop the DFL from paying off their special interest allies. It just means that the DFL, including Gov. Dayton, will own their track record of economic failure. That record of failure will be their epitaph.
Rep. Howe is making his mark by simply making sensible statements and listening to his constituents. Rest assured that he’s a rising star in the Minnesota GOP.
Tags: Jeff Howe, Tax Reform, Job Growth, Teacher Licensure Reform, GOP Majority, Special Interests, Education Minnesota, Tom Dooher, Lobbyist, Tax Increases, DFL
If ever there was a post that exposed the Leftosphere as unserious stenographers of pro-Alida fluff, this post fits that description. The title says everything about the unseriousness of the post:
One-party rule doesn’t guarantee unity on issues of environment and energy
A DFL governor and DFL legislature don’t guarantee Alida getting her way on all things anti-industry. Alida waving a big stick over the heads of DFL freshmen in swing districts is what guarantees unity on energy and the environment policy. What Alida wants, Alida gets. More accurately, what Alida demands, Alida gets.
In the last legislative session where Democrats controlled both houses and also held the governorship, as they will again this January, Morse was finishing his first Senate term as a DFLer from the Winona area. It was the 1989-1990 biennium and such fixtures of the contemporary scene as the Minnesota Environmental Partnership, the legislative coordinating council he now heads, weren’t yet invented.
Three sessions later, for the 1995-1996 biennium, Tuma joined the Legislature as a Republican member of the House from Northfield. Remarkably, in hindsight from these more rigid, immoderate times, having lost a bid for the Democrats’ nomination two years earlier didn’t disqualify him from winning both the Republican nomination and then the seat itself in 1994.
Today he lobbies for Conservation Minnesota, known back then as the state chapter of the League of Conservation Voters (and, incidentally, writes quite engagingly about Minnesota political history on his blog).
It isn’t a stretch to call Tuma a ‘Carlson Republican.’ Today, he’s a lobbyist against the mining industry. He’s Alida’s kind of ‘Republican’ in that he’s a lobbyist against the mining industry.
I wrote in this post about Conservation Minnesota’s agenda:
Conservation Minnesota, Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness and the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy are targeting the proposed PolyMet mine near Hoyt Lakes and the proposed Twin Metals mine near Ely.
That means Mr. Tuma is an anti-mining lobbyist. He’s lobbying for an organization with Ms. Messinger as the Vice-President of their Board of Directors.
Let’s stop briefly to connect the dots.
First, Alida Messinger is the boss in the DFL. After the 2010 elections, she said that she wouldn’t write another $500,000 check to the DFL if Brian Melendez was still the chair. Days later, he announce he wasn’t running for another term. Shortly thereafter, Ken Martin was installed as DFL chair. Next, Ms. Messinger is the major funder of ABM, the pro-DFL smear campaign messaging machine. Finally, she’s on Conservation Minnesota’s board of directors, which dictates to the DFL which environmental policies they’ll support.
If you think it’s pure coincidence that Ms. Messinger ‘owns’ these things, think again. It’s something that runs in the Rockefeller family:
Standard Oil gradually gained almost complete control of oil refining and marketing in the United States through horizontal integration. In the kerosene industry, Standard Oil replaced the old distribution system with its own vertical system. It supplied kerosene by tank cars that brought the fuel to local markets and tank wagons then delivered to retail customers, thus bypassing the existing network of wholesale jobbers. Despite improving the quality and availability of kerosene products while greatly reducing their cost to the public (the price of kerosene dropped by nearly 80% over the life of the company), Standard Oil’s business practices created intense controversy. Standard’s most potent weapons against competitors were underselling, differential pricing, and secret transportation rebates. The firm was attacked by journalists and politicians throughout its existence, in part for these monopolistic methods, giving momentum to the anti-trust movement.
Standard Oil was started by John D. Rockefeller, Ms. Messinger’s great grandfather. While John D. Rockefeller created a monopoly in the oil industry, Ms. Messinger has created a political monopoly. She owns the DFL, their messaging machine and their most favored special interest group.
This is just the tip of Alida Messinger’s monopoly. Check back later for Part II of Alida Messinger’s monopoly.
Tags: Monopolies, Rockefellers, Alida Messinger, Conservation Minnesota, John Tuma, Lobbyist, Steve Morse, Minnesota Environmental Partnership, ABM, Unemployment, Twin Cities, Elitists, DFL
Monday night, OurFutureMN was a featured presenter at an event talking about K-12 education funding and its impact on school district operations. It’s odd that an organization that isn’t a think tank or that doesn’t specialize in public policy analysis would be invited to an event that was supposed to talk about the impact the school shift has had on school operations.
Based on this article from their website, OurFutureMN is a PR/propagandist organization. Here’s the tipoff:
The Pay Back Our Kids Act would pay back the $2.4 billion Minnesota owes to its kids and schools by closing corporate tax loopholes.
Closing corporate loopholes sounds great but the revenues from that decision will be minimal. They certainly won’t close the gap as quickly as the GOP’s legislation that Gov. Dayton vetoed. That’s the legislation that would’ve paid off $430,000,000 of the school shift.
Also included in Caitlin Rogers’ presentation was “The Community Pledge”:
I commit to supporting elected leaders who invest in Minnesota priorities – great schools, good jobs, and safe, healthy communities with balanced approach budget solutions that responsibly raise revenue. I will urge my elected leaders to adequately fund education, public safety and vital services in our communities by requiring corporations and the richest 1% to pay their fair share.
What do “public safety and vital services in our communities” have to do with education funding? Obviously, they’re important policy issues but they don’t have anything to do with education.
The importance of this pledge is to the DFL, not to education funding. This year, the DFL will run on raising taxes. This pledge was signed by DFL activists. Period. There weren’t any conservatives or independents in the room. If there would’ve been conservatives or independents in the room, they wouldn’t have signed the pledge.
This was intended to be a photo op. Clearly, they wanted to show that raising taxes is gaining support. Raising taxes isn’t gaining support by any stretch of the imagination.
If OurFutureMN wasn’t there to add policy expertise, which they weren’t, then they were there to provide propaganda cover for the DFL.
That makes it a campaign event, not a policy-centered event.
Tgs: OurFutureMN.org, Community Pledge, K-12, Education, Tax Increases, Pay Back Our Kids Act, Ryan Winkler, Caitlin Rogers, Photo Op, DFL, Election 2012
Monday night, I went to what was billed as School Funding Talks. Instead of hearing a discussion of school funding, I literally heard an SEIU-sponsored campaign event that was offensive to listen to at times.
At one point, Bruce Watkins said that K-12 education was competing for dollars with HHS and road and bridge repair. I didn’t hear Watkins’ explanation on the state’s portion of funding K-12 education competes with road and bridge repair.
I confirmed through multiple sources that road and bridge repair is financed exclusively through the gas tax, which is a dedicated funding mechanism. Only 2-3% of the Transportation budget comes from the General Fund. That’s how office staff are paid. The general fund has nothing to do with road and bridge repair.
Dr. Watkins knows better. He just played to the crowd, which, like him, seemed totally disinterested in the truth. As long as it sounded good, they were satisfied.
Another feature was Caitlin Rogers, a speaker from OurFutureMN.org. Here’s some ridiculous propaganda from their website:
The Pay Back Our Kids Act would pay back the $2.4 billion Minnesota owes to its kids and schools by closing corporate tax loopholes. Politicians borrowed the billions from our kids to balance the state budget, leaving schools to cut, borrow, and eliminate needed teachers and programs. It’s time to do the right thing and pay our kids back!
During the 2010 campaign, Gov. Dayton said that his tax the rich sheme would generate $4,000,000,000 in additional revenue. It didn’t come close:
Democrat Mark Dayton’s second stab at a plan to resolve Minnesota’s projected budget deficit leaves him about $1 billion shy of a complete fix.
The former U.S. senator provided new details Tuesday that calls for $3.6 billion in new state revenue, mostly in the former of increased taxes on high-end earners. His plan relies on profits from a yet-to-be-authorized state-owned casino at the Mall of America or Minneapolis-St. Paul airport.
That’s after raising the top marginal rate from 7.85% to 10.95%. Now we’re supposed to believe that closing a minor loophole in the tax code will generate $2,400,000,000. That’s insulting. If a major tax increase won’t yield $3,000,000,000 in increased revenue, closing a minor loophole won’t yield $2,400,000,000 in increased revenue.
Included in the press packet was a mailer-sized card. On it was something titled “The Community Pledge”, which reads:
I commit to supporting elected leaders who invest in Minnesota priorities – great schools, good jobs, and safe, healthy communities with balanced approach budget solutions that responsibly raise revenue. I will urge my elected leaders to adequately fund education, public safety and vital services in our communities by requiring corporations and the richest 1% to pay their fair share.
That’s asking people to commit to supporting the DFL. That’s asking people to support raising spending without first examining whether the money we’re currently spending is being spent wisely.
Instead, it’s time to demand school boards to sign the Taxpayers’ Watchdog Pledge, which I’m creating as I type. Here’s the Taxpayers’ Watchdog Pledge:
I commit to asking school administrators the tough questions that I haven’t asked in the past. I promise to ask administrators why they’re spending money they don’t have on lobbyists they don’t need. In short, I promise to be the taxpayers’ watchdog.
The necessity of this pledge becomes apparent when reading this State Auditor’s report:
Table 2: Associations With Lobbying Expenditures Exceeding $100,000
Minnesota School Board Association $561,331
Association of Metropolitan School Districts, Inc. $252,417
Schools for Equity in Education $199,866
It’s outrageous to think that 3 education lobbying organizations, paid for by the taxpayers, spent $1,013,614 in 2010 alone. That’s just the most lucrative lobbying companies. Here’s a breakdown by ISD:
1S: $74,550
279: $20,000
535: $30,000
709: $73,346
728: $30,000
Grand Total: $227,896
Adding $227,896 to the $1,013,614 from Table 2 comes to a total of $1,241,510. That’s money taken off the top of the K-12 budgets. Before a penny makes it into the classroom, taxpayers have already been stuck with a bill of almost $1,250,000.
What’s worse is that these lobbyists are paid by taxpayers to lobby the legislature to spend even more of the taxpayers’ money.
The test of the school districts’ spending should be whether that spending improves educational outcomes. If it doesn’t, then that money shouldn’t be spent.
Monday night at the Whitney Senior Center should be expensed as an in-kind campaign contribution. This wasn’t about public policy. It was a DFL campaign event.
Tags: K-12 Education, Tax Increases, Caitlin Rogers, Bruce Watkins, Carol Nieters, SEIU, ISD742, Lobbyists, OurFutureMN.org, Community Pledge, DFL, Election 2012
First, I’ll start by saying I don’t consider Pat Anderson the enemy. There’s just an issue where the two of us disagree philosophically. In fact, this post is mostly about philosophical differences. In fact, that’s all this is.
At a State Convention gathering, more than a few people were talking about “the Stebbins email.” One of the people talking about it forwarded it to me. Here’s the text of the email:
From: Marianne Stebbins
To: Marianne Stebbins
Sent: Wed, May 16, 2012 8:52 pm
Subject: Don’t forget that State Central immediately follows the convention on SaturdayUp for election are the National Committeeman and National Committeewoman positions. The primary contest there is for Committeewoman, where both Pat Anderson, current Committeewoman is being challenged by Janet Beihoffer.
I take care to not twist arms, but would like you to consider that Pat Anderson has been friendly to us, helpful in many ways. Beihoffer has been engaging in some nasty campaigning against Pat, while Pat has been taking the high road.
Please stay for State Central on Saturday if at all possible. This is an important vote for the future direction of our party.
Marianne Stebbins
I don’t have a problem with the RP people who are State Central delegates voting for the candidate of their choice. What I’ve got a major problem with is hearing anyone say that Janet “has been engaging in some nasty campaigning against Pat.” I’ve read what Janet’s said. I’ll stipulate that Janet’s said some hardhitting things.
Characterizing Janet’s communications as “nasty campaigning” just isn’t accurate. A number of Janet’s supporters have taken issue with some of the things Pat’s done. Most of those disputes involve Pat’s lobbying for Racino.
Purely from a limited government policy standpoint, I can’t support Racino. I can’t figure out how a person can be a limited government conservative while supporting giving government another revenue stream to increase the size of government.
That’s why I can’t understand the Paul supporters supporting another revenue stream to government. They’re supposed to be the ultimate believers in limited government conservatism.
I’ve heard Paul’s supporters say that they’re defending the principles of free market capitalism. Racino isn’t free market capitalism. According to their own website, Racino “would be paid for in full by Canterbury Park and Running Aces Harness Park.” That’s an awfully limited market. That’s the opposite of a free market.
It’s time Congressman Paul’s supporters admitted that they aren’t the pure-hearted free market guy their champion is.
Tags: Ron Paul, Free Markets, Pat Anderson, Limited Government, Racino, Lobbyist, RNC
It isn’t surprising that Gov. Dayton has sided with the PEUs each time he’s had the chance to side with working class people. That’s why it’s disappointing, not surprising to read about this:
St. Paul – Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman Pat Shortridge issued the following statement regarding Governor Dayton’s veto of the Last In, First Out (LIFO) legislation that would have allowed schools to make teacher employment decisions based on more than just seniority, including teacher effectiveness.
If we thought it was all about our children and providing them with the best possible education, we were wrong. Governor Dayton has once again sided with the teacher unions over our children. Minnesota children deserve the best possible education, and eliminating the Last In, First Out policy is an important reform that would improve our schools.
LIFO keeps ineffective teachers in the classroom because of their seniority, while pushing away younger and more effective teachers. This decision is a disservice to the children and parents of our state and there is no way to justify this veto or claim that it is in the best interest of our schoolchildren.
This has always been about appeasing the teachers unions. It’s never been about listening to parents or helping students. Gov. Dayton has sided with unions each chance he’s gotten. He’s the best governor the PEUs’ money could buy.
Gov. Dayton sided with AFSCME when they told him to attempt to unionize child care small businesses. Fortunately, Judge Lindman stopped Gov. Dayton and AFSCME with his ruling.
Vetoing a bill that would’ve given schools the option of keeping the most qualified teachers in school instead of the longest tenured teachers would’ve been what’s right for students. Gov. Dayton opted to obey Tom Dooher, Education Minnesota’s president and a registered lobbyist.
When Gov. Dayton, AFSCME and the SEIU tried unionizing small business owners, the child care providers stood up to the PEUs and Gov. Dayton. Now it’s time for parents to stand up for their children. Parents must insist that only the best teachers are put in the classrooms.
That’s the only way to rip education policy out of Tom Dooher’s and Education Minnesota’s hands.
Tags: Education Minnesota, Tom Dooher, Lobbyist, Child Care, AFSCME, Mark Dayton, LIFO, Veto, Cronyism, DFL, Small Businesses, MNGOP
Friday night, Almanac’s Mary Lahammer interviewed Rep. Steve Drazkowski about the Vikings stadium bill. Several things jumped out at me but three things jumped out above the rest. Here’s one of the things that jumped out at me:
MS. LAHAMMER: Why isn’t it possible? Everyone’s saying ‘It’s a new technology.’ They’re saying it’s flashy and new. Shouldn’t that attract new people?
REP. DRAZKOWSKI: All of the 2,500 sites across Minnesota that would be doing this, Mary, would have to increase by a ticket per minute, 365 days a year, 17 hours per day. An additional ticket per minute above what they’re currently doing now. That’s hard to believe.
MS. LAHAMMER: But the proponents of this say their estimates are conservative. They say they’re not even close to aggressive.You don’t buy it?
It’s predictable that proponents would say that everything’s fine, that there isn’t a shortfall, that their opponents are way off in left field. Attempting to discredit your opponents is a time-tested technique in debating. That leads to the next thing that jumped out at me:
REP. DRAZKOWSKI: All that’s interesting. The bill that existed last year was actually budget neutral, the charitable gaming bill. Now that’s a night and day difference between that bill and this bill in terms of what it’s expected to produce. I don’t remember the numbers that were projected in terms of revenue in that bill but they were just a small fraction of what they’re projecting in this one.
Rep. Drazkowski deserves praise for dragging the argument back from the theoretical into reality. Comparing apples to apples is the last thing the pro-Vikings stadium lobbyists want at this point. They want the debate focused on who’s the biggest Vikings fans. The last thing the pro-Vikings stadium lobbyists want is a serious policy-based conversation.
It isn’t a stretch to think that pro-Vikings stadium lobbyists are as frightened of serious policy-based conversations as vampires hate wooden stakes.
Finally, this part should be focused on by every taxpaying Minnesotan:
REP. DRAZKOWSKI: There’s some fundamental problems with the financing structure behind it.
That sentence should frighten every taxpayer because of its potential impact on Minnesota’s general fund budget. It’s one thing to get the bonding wrong on a $20,000 project. You might not even get hurt if you get the bonding wrong on a $200,000 bonding project.
Getting the financing wrong on a $400,000,000 project is potentially disastrous for a decade or more. Friends know that I’m a passionate Vikings fan. In fact, I spent all day Thursday, all day Friday and most of Saturday watching the NFL Entry Draft just to see if the Vikings could fill the holes in their roster. (FYI- More on that later today.)
This isn’t about who’s the biggest Vikings fan. It’s about fiscal sanity. It’s about the legislature being the taxpayers’ watchdog. At this point, there are some who are intent on being the taxpayers’ watchdog. There are others who are intent on proving that they’re great Vikings fans.
Minnesota can’t afford to get this wrong.
Tags: Steve Drazkowski, Minnesota Vikings, Financing, Fiscal Sanity, Gaming, Charities, E-Pulltabs, E-Bingo, Taxpayers’ Watchdog, NFL, Lobbyists
The Senate Finance Committee unexpectedly voted to include Racino in the Vikings stadium bill. Julie Rosen’s expression says it all:
But adding racino gambling would cost needed political support, said Sen. Julie Rosen, R-Fairmont, sponsor of the stadium bill in the Senate. She called its addition “a serious blow to the bill.” “It will have to be taken out,” Rosen said.
A spokeswoman for Dayton said she couldn’t say whether the DFL governor would sign a stadium bill that included racino gambling. Earlier Wednesday, Dayton said he didn’t think racino should be in the stadium plan. If it’s challenged in court, he said, the sale of construction bonds would have to be postponed until the legal process had concluded.
Rep. Morrie Lanning, R-Moorhead, sponsor of the bill in the House, said including racino gambling was “problematic.”
There’s sure to be a powerful lobbying effort from MIGA and CAGE on behalf of getting rid of the Racino provision. That’s as predictable as the sun rising in the east. It’s rare that CAGE and MIGA will fight together, albeit with different motives.
More anti-Racino lobbyists will certainly descend on the Capitol Thursday than locusts descended on Egypt just prior to the Exodus. It’s difficult seeing how that provision stays in the Vikings’ legislation through the next committee hearing.
Once the Vikings Stadium is built, if that is the outcome, then Racino will be dead in its tracks once and for all. After that, MIGA and the DFL will kill it whenever it’s resurrected.
That’s as predictable as betting that the sun will rise in the east.
Tags: Minnesota Vikings, Vikings Stadium, Lester Bagley, Mark Dayton, Lobbyists, Racino, MIGA, Cage, DFL, Julie Rosen, Morrie Lanning, MNGOP