Audlt Answers

While the MN DFL House leadership is twiddling their thumbs and pinning their hopes on an Obama federal bailout, the House GOP leadership has been busy proposing REAL budget cutting ideas.

Four proposals, offered by Representatives Marty Seifert and Tom Emmer, would have saved taxpayers money and shown the public that legislators are not above playing a role in balancing the budget. Seifert, R-Marshall, said the Legislature should hold itself to the same standard as the rest of state government.

"If we are going to be searching in every nook and cranny for ways to save money, it is hypocritical to set our own nooks and crannies off limits," Seifert said. His proposals included reducing House members' allotment of stationary and stamps, as well as reducing reimbursements for Internet, cell phone and other communications services.

A proposal from Emmer, R-Delano, – initially introduced as an amendment to House's Temporary Rules – would have cut off member housing allowances following adjournment in 2009. The housing allowance, which during the DFL-controlled 2007-2008 legislative session cost Minnesota taxpayers between a quarter and half-million dollars, would be returned to its 2005-2006 level when the Republican majority limited total out-of-session payments to less than $19,000.

The House DFL caucus reacted in their usual manner.....they voted them down in committee!

Honestly, which makes more sense - cutting per diem, postage and other Legislative expenses and combining committees or hanging your hopes on the possibility of a federal bail-out.

The Minnesota Legislature needs to lead and one of the ways it can show it's leadership is to do the same things that Minnesotans across the state are doing - cutting expenses FIRST!

UPDATE: It appears that I am not the only one who is making these prudent adult suggestions.

The commission's 34-page report that makes several recommendations for dealing with the ups and downs of the state budget.

Kiedrowski, co-chairman of the commission, said the report contains the first 25-year projections for state finances that have been prepared for the state.

Total state spending in the next 25 years is projected to increase 5.4 percent a year and health care costs in the state budget will rise at an average annual rate of 8.5 percent. Revenues are projected to increase 3.9 percent a year in the next 25 years, according to the report's projectoins.

“The public health care costs is the fastest rising cost in the state budget and far exceeds our revenue capacity,” Kiedrowski said.

Kiedrowski, who was Finance commissioner during DFL Gov. Rudy Perpich’s administration, said between $1 billion and $2 billion of the budget deficit for 2010-2011 is attributed to the state’s structural imbalance.

Kiedrowski said demographic changes in Minnesota will also have an impact on future budgets.

The commission isn’t recommending tax changes to ease the state’s volatility problems.

But the commission recommends a couple of ideas to help manage budget volatility in the future.

“I think what’s critical in this legislative session is for (lawmakers) to admit the problem, how they got into this problem and, in a sense, to adopt a work-out plan such that they have a financial goal in sight as to where they want to get as the economy recovers,” Kiedrowski said.

Until the DFL Leadership gets a grip on the FACT that spending is out of control, there is no solving Minnesota's budget deficit.