[speedgibson] Speed Gibson: Dane Doubles Down

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Posted by Speed Gibson:
Dane Doubles Down
http://speedgibson.powerblogs.com/posts/1248573373.shtml


   [1]Dane Smith is back with an opinion piece in the Minneapolis Star
   Tribue. He admits that, well, yes, things are kind of messed up right
   now, but hey, if we just "Think Big" we can again make Liberalism work
   in Minnesota.

     In [...] Minnesota's still vibrant civic engagement community,
     innovative ideas are being generated about ways to save money, to
     make health-care [sic] and education systems work better, to
     reinvest in human capital and infrastructure.

   "Reinvest in" of course means "spend still more on." You can also
   infer that while [2]Growth & Justice which Smith heads is a member in
   good standing of this "civic engagement" community, [3]Phil Krinkie
   and [4]Craig Westover are persona non grata.
   Smith lists a number of the ideas that community has generated,
   starting with:

     On health care, why not combine the purchasing power of our state
     and local governments for a "total-cost-of-care" package deal, one
     that pays health providers for public health objectives reached,
     saving as much as $1 billion annually?

   Why not? Because one size doesn't fit all and because even if it saves
   the $1 billion, those savings will not find their way back to the
   taxpayers. Moving on:

     In education, why not impose a strict "what works" screen to every
     additional dollar we invest in public education, and get ruthlessly
     focused on increasing our higher-education attainment rate by 50
     percent over the next 10 years?

   "What works?" "Ruthlessly focused?" "LOL!" Seriously, the key word is
   "additional" - the baseline will not be questioned. They'll only be
   responsible with the new money. But here's the big idea that prompted
   this post:

     For our chronic revenue shortages, why not begin repealing more
     than 200 special tax breaks and exemptions in Minnesota law, many
     of which have crept in as a result of interest-group politics?
     These "tax expenditures'' -- such as sales tax exemptions on lawn
     care and clothing and legal bills -- cost the state $11 billion
     annually.

   The point of view is breathtakingly myopic. We're short on revenue,
   not long on spending. And we're chronically short, meaning frequently
   and frustratingly. "Habitally" might be a more accurate word. But
   let's get to those tax breaks that have crept in, like the sales tax
   clothing exemption that was there from the start in Minnesota. Just
   eliminate them and we go from a $6 billion biennial deficit to a $16
   billion biennial surplus. We'll need that to cover the unintended
   consequences of such folly.
   For just who does Dane Smith think will pay that $11 billion?
   Corporations? Tourists? President Obama? No, we will, of course, over
   $2,000 per capita, nearly $10,000 a year for a family of four. But
   there I go, thinking this is our money again. These tax breaks don't
   let us keep our own money, they "cost the state" money.
   At the end, Smith quotes Sean Kershaw of the [5]Citizens League:
   "We're at the point where more of the same is just not going to cut it
   in Minnesota." True enough. But what Dane Smith advocates is just
   that, doubling down on what got us into this mess.

References

   1. http://bit.ly/4eiwUs
   2. http://www.growthandjustice.org/
   3. http://www.taxpayersleague.org/
   4. http://www.mnfmi.org/
   5. http://www.citizensleague.org/