The GOP majority killed a lot of good ideas and ignored the voices of ordinary people – all in an effort to tee up political attacks for the midterm elections. It was a shameful display of partisanship the entire session, and I think Minnesotans deserve to know what happened.
Essentia wants to make an $800 million private investment in its community and in a region in dire need of better medical care for its population. If that’s not something legislators of all political stripes can get behind, after we made a far bigger investment in southern Minnesota five short years ago, then we declare our legislative process entirely broken and incapable of addressing the needs of all the people of Minnesota.
While some groups and issues found success at the Capitol this session, far too many good ideas died.
We have a lot of work to do to keep building a Better Minnesota, and this year’s budget and tax proposals just weren’t up to the job. We must return to a responsible balance of tax cuts, spending, and investing in our future.
Governor Dayton implored that resources for our schoolchildren be approved in standalone legislation, but lawmakers did not listen. Had state lawmakers decided to allow taxing of foreign income repatriated to the United States, just like Congress did last year, it would have provided enough money to help our schoolchildren.
This is a time for celebration. Even our youngest learners can feel proud that they have graduated from preschool and are now ready for kindergarten.
