Last night, Gov. Dayton blinked. Last night, Gov. Dayton agreed to most of the Republicans’ demands. During each of the last 2 budget sessions, Gov. Dayton’s top 3 priorities were raising the gas tax, universal pre-K and funding SWLRT. In each of those sessions, he’s fallen short on all 3 items. Last night, Gov. Dayton caved on all of those items plus agreed to the Republicans’ $660,000,000 middle class tax cut.
In short, the GOP accomplished a clean sweep on their major priorities.
While it’s true that the GOP increased spending a bit, Republicans kept the spending increases to a minimum. On their policy initiatives, they succeeded gloriously. There’s no other way to express it. This SC Times article got the details badly wrong when it said “11:45 p.m.: Minnesota legislative leaders said they’ll call a special session to finish the state budget after they miss Monday’s midnight deadline to finalize a new spending package.”
The budget deal would’ve been passed with days to spare if Gov. Dayton hadn’t insisted on full funding for the SWLRT boondoggle, the universal pre-K disaster and the gas tax increase. Further, the legislature can’t call a special session. Only Minnesota’s governor can. Period. This year, unfortunately, that means this guy:
Technorati: Mark Dayton, Government Shutdown, Special Session, Associated Press
Meanwhile the dimwits in Illinois haven’t learned a thing.
“Illinois Senate Democrats passed a $5.4 billion tax hike. The tax hike proposal includes an income tax increase and an expansion of the state sales tax. The income tax portion of the plan is retroactive to January 1, 2017.”
Probably won’t pass the governor’s desk but the sheer audacity of the dimwits is mindbogglingly. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-illinois-senate-income-tax-hike-rauner-met-0524-20170523-story.html