One of the tactics the Alliance for a Better Legislature uses is outright fabrication. That’s the tactic of choice in this LTE:
At this time last year, our state was in the midst of a historic government shutdown. It never should have happened, and it should never happen again. But if Rep. Rich Murray and his Republican colleagues get their way, it will probably happen again.
Last year, Rep. Murray rejected not one, not two, not three, but seven balanced budget proposals in order to defend tax breaks for big corporations and the super rich. He chose extremism and a state shutdown instead of getting the job done for Albert Lea families.
Here’s the truth that ABL won’t tell you about. Gov. Dayton shut state government down when he refused to call a special session and pass a lights-on bill. It’s all there to read in these negotiation communications.
According to these communications, the GOP proposed a 70:30 school shift. By comparison, Gov. Dayton proposed a 50:50 shift which would’ve shorted school substantially more than the GOP shift.
ABL doesn’t say that the Dayton/Bakk/Thissen budget includes a whopping $1,400,000,000 tax increase that would’ve driven businesses from the state while hitting middle class families hard through lower wages and benefits.
The DFL/Dayton/Bakk/Thissen budget was the extremist budget. That is to the extent that it could be called a budget. The reality is that Gov. Dayton proposed a budget. DFL legislators never did. Then again, the DFL didn’t put a set of redistricting maps either. That little fiasco cost Minnesota taxpayers $190,000:
@SenateDFL redistricting staffer= $66000; DFL Workstation= $3500, DFL Plotter= $11000, DFL Printer= $3500, DFL Software= $10000 #nomaps
Ryan Furlong is ABM’s press secretary/propagandist. He’s the guy signing his name to these disgustingly dishonest LTE’s. Here’s more from his mass-produced LTE:
Middle-class Minnesotans are paying higher taxes and Albert Lea schools have less funding and fewer teachers because Rep. Murray chose to prioritize special and corporate interests at the expense of the middle class.
Thanks to the GOP saying no to Gov. Dayton’s school shift, Albert Lea schools didn’t get hurt like they would’ve had they compromised with Gov. Dayton. Thanks to the GOP saying no to tax increases, Minnesotans went from a $6,200,000,000 deficit to a $1,300,000,000 surplus in less than a year without a tax increase.
ABL isn’t mentioning the tons of reforms that the GOP passed the last 2 years. That’s because ABL doesn’t want Minnesotans to know that the GOP did some great work in making Minnesota more hospitable to businesses despite the DFL’s best efforts to make Minnesota’s business climate less hospitable.
ABL is disgustingly dishonest. They omit things that the GOP did that’ve improved Minnesotans’ lives. They omit the things that the DFL did that would’ve made Minnesota less hospitable to businesses.
These days, the Democrats are whining about context. Here in Minnesota, the GOP has a right to complain about ABL’s content, or lack thereof.
Tags: ABL, Mark Dayton, Paul Thissen, Tom Bakk, School Shift, Tax Increase, ABM, Ryan Furlong, DFL, Reforms, MNGOP, Election 2012
Gary, where is the GOP leadership to refute these false accusations and outright lies? Where are they in the fight to protect the wording on the amendments? Nowhere, that’s where they are and the DFL keeps getting away with telling lie after lie because the GOP leadership refuses to stand up to these thug tactics. What are they afraid of to stand up and fight for what is right? Senjem and Zellers are nowhere to be found on any issue and they need to go. Hopefully the GOP will replace them before the people vote the DFL back into power.
First, they’re suing Ritchie on the amendment wording. Saying that they’re nowhere is a stretch.
Second, Senjem’s time in a leadership position is all but officially history.
Third, rather than berating them in public, perhaps the better tactic is to quietly praise them when they do the right thing, coupled with a statement like “You keep doing the right thing & I’ll have your back” might produce the right outcome.