Minnesota’s House and Senate have each passed gigantic tax increases to close a $6.4 billion budget deficit of their own creation. The Senate plan (SF2074) calls for across the board income tax increases and a new top tax bracket of 9.25% to collect $2 billion in new revenues. The House plan (HF2323) is a patchwork of tax hikes on income, tobacco, alcohol, recreational vehicles, and even includes a tax on homeowners who have higher energy (natural gas) use during winter months (shame on you for using your furnace when the temperature is below zero).

 

Property tax caps are swept away and counties will be given the option to increase local sales taxes by .5%.

 

The House bill also eliminates some pretty substantial tax deductions, like the mortgage interest deduction and education tax credits. A slew of other changes remove subtractions from federal taxable income and throw in some additions, like motor vehicle and property taxes paid, and some charitable contributions. All of this has the effect of inflating the amount of personal income that the state will compute taxes on. The House tax bill also establishes a new top tax rate of 9% on income over $169,000 (or $300,000 for married couples filing a joint return).

 

Because the House and Senate plans are different, their next stop is a conference committee, where members of the House and Senate will put their heads together to reconcile differences in the bills (and likely make the tax-hikes even bigger) before sending the merged bill to the governor’s desk.

 

These bills do little to nothing to address the fundamental problem of government over-spending. They rely on the taxpayer’s wallet and accounting shifts (delaying payment until later) and one-time money, meaning the legislators will be back looking for even more tax dollars in two years when they have to make good on delayed payments and one-time money is no longer available. In the face of the state’s biggest-ever budget deficit, these legislators haven’t even given any consideration to substantial spending cuts. They’ve spent the state into the red and rather than cut back, they’re asking us to cut our family budgets back even more.

Take Action: Attend the Tax Cut Rally on Saturday, May 2nd.

Today is “Earth Day,” an annual event promoted as a mechanism to advance awareness of environmental issues. It was begun in 1970 by then Senator Gaylord Nelson (D – WI) as a way to capture the energy of 1960s anti-war protestors into his environmental political agenda.

 

April 22^nd is Earth Day in the US, but Earth Day is now an international “green” movement that’s marked in several countries and many observe the event on the Vernal Equinox (March 20^th or 21^st), which is the timing adopted by the United Nations.

 

In 2009, Earth Day, once devoted to issues like acid rain, smog, and water pollution has essentially morphed into Global Warming Day. Today, we’ll be lectured on how to reduce our “carbon footprint,” and become “greener” by using less electricity, buying less stuff, using public transit, and the like. If we fail to take these steps, we’re told, the Earth will heat up to intolerable levels and threaten all life as we know it.

 

So dire are the consequences of our inaction on global warming, this year the Earth Day organizers are rolling out a new two-year campaign called the “Green Generation.” They say it’s similar to the “Greatest Generation,” that defeated Nazi Germany and rebuilt the world. The campaign encourages people to sign on to their “Green Generation Manifesto,” which is a commitment by “representatives of the human race” to “vote early and often,” on behalf of the Green Generation, every chance, seek out peaceful ways to halt the use of coal, eat organic food and “green” the “immediate environment.”

 

This Earth Day, please take the time to visit Minnesota Majority’s sister site, GlobalClimateScam.com for the other side of the story about the modern “green movement” and man-made global warming. 

On Saturday, May 2^nd, thousands of Minnesota taxpayer’s will converge on the State Capitol from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM to protest current efforts by the legislature to increase Minnesota’s already high tax burden.

 

Started 11 years ago by now nationally syndicated local talk radio host, Jason Lewis, the Tax Cut Rally has become an annual tradition in Minnesota, but this year, it couldn’t be more important and poignant.

 

For years, the legislature has been on a disastrous spending spree. The state budget has grown a whopping 29% since just 2004, far outpacing inflation or personal income growth. Now, that unsustainable spending trend has culminated in a historic $6.4 billon budget deficit. In light of that huge shortfall, legislators are looking first toward our wallets as the solution to their unchecked overspending problem. Proposals moving through the House and Senate will raise our taxes by another $2 billion to $3 billion to cover all the vote buying, political favors and pork our legislators refuse to stop dishing up.

 

On May 2^nd, We’re gathering together in a huge rally in front of the Capitol to tell our elected officials with one powerful voice, “No More!”

 

We all have a stake in this budget crisis, and it can be solved without raising taxes. The Minnesota Budget Solutions Coalition produced a plan that solves the deficit while actually cutting taxes and setting Minnesota down a stable economic path that would prevent future deficits. 

Help make this year’s Tax Cut Rally the biggest ever by spreading the word. Invite your friends and neighbors. There are several ways you can help turn out the crowd on Saturday May 2^nd:

The Tax Cut Rally will begin at 11:00 AM on Saturday May 2^nd and run until 4:00 PM.

Racing in on the heels of last year’s $11 billion in state tax hikes, another $2 billion in new taxes were proposed yesterday by DFLers in the state House of Representatives. Not to be outdone, DFLers in the Senate unveiled their even-bigger tax-raising plan this morning. 

Democrats in the House have proposed a package of tax hikes and changes in the state’s tax system they term “structural reform.” By reform, they mean some people should pay more, not that the budget itself is being reformed.

 

In either plan, a big part of the money will come from an income tax hike. A new top tax rate of 9% - 9.25% for people earning $169,000 a year or more, or - under the Senate plan - $250,000 for married joint-filers will be created. This is anticipated to raise $467 million in new tax revenue.

 

In the House plan, another $1.5 billion will come from changes in the tax code like eliminating tax credits for education expenses, the gas tax credit (that was supposed to insulate the poor from last-year’s $6 billion tax hike), itemized deductions for property taxes, and deductions for mortgage interest and charitable contributions. The Senate took a more direct path: Raise income taxes in all income brackets for another $2.2 billion.

 

The plan will allow counties to permanently increase their local sales tax by an additional .5%, add a tax on gifts and tax digital music downloads.

 

Watch out, sinners. They’re coming to pass judgment and make you pay. Cigarette taxes, increased 75 cents a pack two years ago by the so-called “health impact fee,” and just boosted nearly $1 per pack by the federal government would get another hike of 54 cents per pack. Alcohol will get a tax-boost of a nickel per drink and a doubling of the receipt tax.

 

Outdoorsmen: get ready to pay more for your boats, ATVs and snowmobiles. The House DFL plan will charge a new sales tax on these purchases in hopes of raising another $10 million for the state’s coffers.

 

Everyone will be impacted in some way by the tax-hikes proposed by spend-and-tax liberals in the legislature. There is another way, but is anybody seeing it?

 

Twin Cities Tea Party - April 15th, 2009

An estimated 8,000 - 10,000 people turned out to protest out of control federal spending at the State Capitol today. The St. Paul Tax Day Tea Party was organized by local activists, but was part of a national movement that included similar rallies in over 600 cities around the country. High taxes, bailouts and rocketing national debt were the common themes bringing people together for the energetic protest.

Attendees were treated to an electric guitar solo rendition of the Star Spangled banner and protest activities like adding to and signing a scroll of grievances and filling out post cards to be sent to members of Congress. There was also a tea dumping ceremony where attendees threw tea bags into a large crate, harkening back to the 1773 Boston Tea Party tax protest that lent this event its name.

KTLK's Sue Jeffers emceed the event, firing up the crowd and introducing speakers like Chris Baker, Pat Anderson, Bill Jungbauer and Phil Krinkie.

More Tea Parties are planned in the near future. Expect one in St. Paul on Independence Day.

Next up: The Tax Cut Coalition's Tax Cut Rally hosted by Jason Lewis at the Capitol on May 2nd.

Do you believe that the United States is a nation of laws governed by the Constitution? Do you support states’ rights? Oppose abortion?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, the Department of Homeland Security might be keeping an eye on you as a potential “right-wing extremist” or “white supremacist” domestic terrorist.

A report titled “Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment” was published for internal use by the Department of Homeland Security on April 7^th. It cautions that though they have no specific information that domestic rightwing terrorists are currently planning acts of violence, “rightwing extremists may be gaining new recruits by playing on their fears about several emergent issues.”

The 9-page document is eerily reminiscent of another recent law enforcement report produced by Missouri’s state highway patrol, "The Modern Militia Movement," that suggested supporters of third-party political candidates (singling out Ron Paul and Bob Barr as examples) should be scrutinized as potential militia-influenced terrorists.

The document contains a notice stating that no portion of the “Law Enforcement Sensitive” information contained therein should be released to the media, the general public, or over non-secure Internet servers. “Release of this information could adversely affect or jeopardize investigative activities,” the warning concludes. Despite that admonition, it didn't take long for the document to leak to the public.

Political opposition to some of President Obama’s desired policy changes, and the new energy of conservative political activism and organization are now perceived as a potential violent threat, the report would indicate. For example, the report seems to suggest that opposition to illegal immigration equates to white supremacy and is symptomatic of “right-wing radicalization.”

“The historical election of an African American president and the prospect of policy changes are proving to be a driving force for rightwing extremist recruitment and radicalization,” it reads. The rise of the national “Tea Party” protest movement may be considered a part of this radicalization and recruitment. Joining policy-focused organizations like Minnesota Majority, the NRA or the Taxpayers League could also be construed in this way. 

The nebulous and unsubstantiated language used in parts of the report are cause for concern. It says, “most statements by right-wing extremists have been rhetorical - stopping short” of calls for violent action. The use of language in this way suggests that whatever unmentioned organizations they refer to were on the path toward calls for violence but for whatever reason pulled back from the brink at the last second. It goes on to mention that “[in] two instances in the run-up to the election, extremists appeared to be in the early planning stages of some threatening activity targeting the Democratic nominee,” without citing the cases, what law enforcement action was taken, who the alleged extremists were or what form the “threatening activity” would have taken. Throughout, the report refers to groups that speak out on issues that concern them as having the potential "to turn violent,” or “to incite violence” while providing no evidence to support such a vague and unexplained prediction.

Even though the federal government has instructed citizens to stock up on food and water and other supplies in case of an emergency, the DHS report links stockpiling food with anti-government conspiracy theorists, “end-times” prophecies and “the radicalization of domestic extremist individuals.”

The recent upswing in gun and ammunition sales also causes concern for the report’s authors, who refer to gun and ammunition stockpiling as militia activity.

Ordinary political operations by conservative groups and political parties, like recruitment or arguing an opposing point of view are singled out as radical extremist activity, evidently if they come from a point of view of “political prejudices” or opposition to President Obama’s agenda. The term “political prejudices” is a new one that merits some contemplation, as it’s used in the following paragraph from the DHS report.

“Many rightwing extremists are antagonistic toward the new presidential administration and its perceived stance on a range of issues, including immigration and citizenship, the expansion of social programs to minorities, and restrictions on firearms ownership and use. Rightwing extremists are increasingly galvanized by these concerns and leverage them as drivers for recruitment. From the 2008 election timeframe to the present, rightwing extremists have capitalized on related racial and political prejudices in expanded propaganda campaigns, thereby reaching out to a wider audience of potential sympathizers.”

At more than one point in the report, opposition to illegal immigration is linked to racism, xenophobia or white supremacy. It is a document clearly written by people with a strong ideological bent of their own and unfortunately, this report was crafted by employees of the federal government, on government time for official government purposes and was bought and paid for by us, the US taxpayers. Officials responsible for our national security produced this grossly misguided and politically charged document. Such a government document could not have seen the light of day without supervisory and editorial review, so it can not be said that the document was simply the product of one poor misguided soul at DHS. At a minimum, several individuals who work closely together in the department are jointly responsible. The DHS employees who produced, edited, fact-checked and authorized this irresponsible and downright frightening official and confidential document appear to be the actual radicals and perhaps their employment status should come under scrutiny. 

Are You A Terrorist? » Quizes

The Minnesota Budget Solutions Coalition, a group of 9 non-profit organizations has released a policy brief containing recommendations to close the state’s projected $6.4 billion deficit. Subsequent media coverage consisted of a short article posted at KARE-11’s website, a handful of blog posts and mentions by conservative talk radio hosts.

“Real State Budget Reform: A Proposal for Solving Minnesota’s Budget Deficit Without Raising Taxes” was released to the public at a press conference on Monday. A few major news outlets attended, including a KSTP TV news camera and reporters from KARE 11 and Minnesota Public Radio. Notably absent were any reporters from the Star Tribune or Pioneer Press. Ultimately, KARE 11, an outlet that frequently turns a blind eye to the efforts or ideas of center-right organizations was the only major news outlet to do anything on the story: An article on their website.

Some heavy hitters in Minnesota politics worked on the budget solution document, which was the product of months of research, number-crunching and debate. Former state auditor Pat Anderson; former state representative, and current president of the Taxpayers’ League of Minnesota, Phil Krinkie; Dr. Karen Effrem from EdWatch and others representing 9 major Minnesota organizations put their heads together with one mission: Solve the deficit without raising taxes. It was a successful venture. Not only does the budget solution document solve the deficit without new taxes, it cuts some taxes to spur economic growth. It accomplishes this without even requiring federal “bailout” money. Of course, this accomplishment flies in the face of “conventional wisdom” which tells us we must have the bailout money (with all the strings attached) and we must raise more revenue. This convention is disproved by the work of the Budget Solutions Coalition. Evidently the purveyors of the “conventional wisdom” don’t like to be proven wrong.

“Bias” no longer adequately expresses this phenomenon. “Blackout” is more apt. Therefore, it is incumbent on us to circumvent the mainstream media and get our message out despite their efforts to suppress alternative viewpoints.

Minnesota Majority currently maintains a list of over 60,000 subscribers. As large as that base is, it is a drop in the bucket compared to the state’s population of 5 million. Through coalitions, alternative media (blogs, talk radio, social networking, etc) and expanding our subscriber base, we can eventually make the mainstream press irrelevant when it comes to disseminating important information and opposing views.

Take Action: Write a letter to your community paper in support of the budget solutions proposed by the coalition.

Get your friends and acquaintances plugged in: Invite them to join us.

Listen to the Dan Conry Show, broadcast live every weekday morning from the Minnesota Majority “bunker.” Be sure to listen to the podcast of Tuesday’s show for a discussion of the budget solution policy brief and the media blackout. 

Minnesota Majority has partnered with eight other non-profit organizations to form an informal coalition focused on solving the state’s $6.4 billion state budget deficit. The group has produced a plan that closes the funding gap without raising taxes – in fact it actually eliminates some taxes. The proposal was introduced at a press conference at the Capitol today.

 

The coalition gathered proposals from policy experts and ordinary taxpayers to help identify opportunities to restructure state spending, and then collaborated to put the ideas into practical solutions. The result is a16-page document that solves the budget deficit using existing resources and doesn’t require federal “bailout” money or new taxes.

 

The budget solution document, titled “Real State Budget Reform” includes recommendations to save the state $6.6 billion through restructuring and greater efficiencies. It also suggests “revenue-neutral” reforms that we believe will improve Minnesota’s overall economic situation. 

 

“This is more than just a band-aid,” said Phil Krinkie of the Taxpayers League of Minnesota, “this is budgeting reform that will have a lasting positive impact on the state’s economics.” The budget solution document is being distributed to all state legislators and to the governor.

 

“Minnesotans are outraged that their elected officials are once again contemplating raising their taxes,” said Jeff Davis, president of Minnesota Majority. “It seems some lawmakers just aren’t getting the message.” He announced that Minnesota Majority will be delivering an audio CD each week from now until the end of session with voice mail messages from angry taxpayers demanding cuts in government spending.

 

All state legislators are also being invited to sign a form stating that they will put spending cuts ahead of tax increases in the effort of balancing the state’s budget. “We are going to make sure that voters know which lawmakers refuse to make this simple commitment to their constituents,” said Davis. After April 15^th, Minnesota Majority will launch a public awareness campaign to inform constituents how their legislators stand on budget solutions.

 

For more information, see MinnesotaBudgetSolutions.com.

Minnesota has an annual anti-tax tradition, thanks to talk show host Jason Lewis, who founded the Tax Cut Coalition and organized the annual Tax Cut Rally at the state Capitol. Last year, despite freezing temperatures and snow, thousands of people turned out for the rally in St. Paul. This year’s rally is scheduled for May 2^nd and is expected to be the biggest ever. Multiple organizations are participating in the event, which will take on a fair-like atmosphere. Besides the usual speeches from policy leaders and America’s Mr. Right, Jason Lewis, there will be family-friendly entertainment on the stage and numerous non-profit organizations will have exhibits. Food and beverages will also be available.

 

This year, another tax protest had bubbled up from the grassroots: The Tax Day Tea Party. This national event is set to take place in Minnesota at the Capitol at 5:00 PM on the date personal income tax returns are due, April 15^th. Protestors in out-state Minnesota may find local Tea Party events getting organized in their localities, too. Tea Party anti-tax demonstrations have popped up all around the nation. The trend began spontaneously in isolated cities, but became an organized national movement almost overnight.

 

For frustrated Minnesotans, one tax rally just isn’t sufficient this year. The people are restless and angry over gross fiscal mismanagement by lawmakers at both the federal and state levels.

 

• Attend the Budget Hawks Jam & Bash at Trocadero's on Thursday April 2nd
• Participate in the national Tea Party Movement at the State Capitol on Wednesday, April 15th
•  Attend the annual Jason Lewis Tax Cut Rally at the state Capitol on Saturday, May 2nd