Minority Leader Paul Thissen: Floor Speech on Governor Dayton’s Budget

MINNESOTA PRIORITIES FOR MINNESOTA’S FUTURE Floor speech on Governor Dayton’s budget by Minority Leader Thissen
The GOP has the wrong priorities – job-killing, economic recovery-crippling priorities. In order to protect the special interests and richest Minnesotans, the GOP is willing to set our state and the things we care about back dramatically. We face challenging times, and everyone agrees that we need to make difficult choices and cut spending, but Minnesotans also believe strongly in shared responsibility and broad prosperity. What responsibility will the richest 2% of Minnesotans take for the budget deficit if the GOP gets its way?
None.
Yet middle class families will feel the squeeze of the GOP budget. They will pay more and get a lot less under the GOP budget. They will pay more to commute on the bus from Eagan to the city, or get less by sitting in longer traffic jams. They will pay more for their kids to go to college, and their kids will get fewer course offerings and fewer opportunities to succeed. Hard working families will pay more school fees for things like sports and debate, and get less individual attention for their children in overcrowded classrooms.