Did you miss "Become a Citizen Journalist" on July 21, 2007? Click above to see Eric Black's speech to mnpACT!
Garrison Keillor
Minnesota Network for Progressive Action
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Oh, I can hardly wait for the Republicans in the Minnesota House to start banging the drum about how they sent Family Leave to Governor Dayton - but he vetoed it. Word is getting out to anyone paying attention that Family Leave was passed by the House attached to the Preemption bill that Governor Dayton told us long ago he would veto. And he should.
But let's talk straight about that claimed Republican support for Family Leave. The method and magnitude of the Republican lie about Family Leave was on full display at . . .
The legislative process has become a tortured, incremental, lethargic strain. This special session has opened up the true flaws on how the state does its business.
And the problems lie clearly at the feet of the GOP House Republicans.
Whenever they have a seat at the table, they upend that table. Today, after missing yet another deadline, they are trying to pin the blame on the legislative Democrats.
Democrats, who are in the minority in both Houses. Democrats who do not have a say in writing these last minute bills. Who have to . . .
We have a serious transparency problem in our Minnesota legislature. They cannot get things done while the public is watching.
These continuous last minute and late night flurries at the end of session are not in the public interest. The horsetrading in the dead of night leaves all of us wondering how it will affect us - and too often we find out about big changes only when we have to deal with it directly.
We shouldn't have be surprised by what our legislature did in the dead of night. We should be able . . .
We always seem to come down to these end of session disasters when the Republicans control too much of the budget process. Dayton has pointed out the major reason for why this happens.
Policy positions.
The budget is about numbers. Dollars spent. Taxes. Revenue. It is not about the Met Council structure. It is not about vouchers. It is not about restricting local governments on policy making.
And if you listen in to the policy makers, they really are not that far apart on the numbers. The guts of it. The real . . .
