Thanks A Lot, Governor Dayton!

A Minnesota group called Minnesota Majority has entered the state’s budget fray with a web site called Mark Dayton’s State Shutdown. The group has also erected four billboards in prominent locations around the Twin Cities, pinning blame for the shutdown squarely where it belongs, on Governor Dayton. Here is one of them:

The group’s web site contains excellent background on the budget crisis, including this clear explanation of the key events that led Dayton needlessly to shutter most of the state’s government:

The Current Budget Dispute

* $30.1 billion state dollars were allocated to Minnesota’s general fund budget for the 2010-2011 biennium.

* In the 2011 session, the Minnesota state legislature passed a general fund budget totaling $34 billion for the 2012-2013 biennium.

* The new budget represents a 12% increase in state spending and the largest budget in Minnesota’s history.

* Governor Dayton vetoed the legislature’s balanced budget, demanding tax increases to fund even more state spending.

* Governor Dayton claims his proposed tax hikes would only affect Minnesota’s top income earners. But the official 2011 Minnesota Department of Revenue Tax Incidence Analysis shows that ALL Minnesota families would be impacted by Dayton’s tax hikes, not to mention the additional businesses and jobs that would flee our state due to Minnesota having the highest marginal tax rates in the nation under Dayton’s plan.

* Governor Dayton’s refusal to accept the state legislature’s balanced budget has resulted in the shutdown of most of state government services and the lay-off of thousands of state workers.

Kudos to Minnesota Majority and its president, Jeff Davis.

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