state + local

"Sen. Sean Nienow, R-Cambridge, suggested attaching an amendment to the flood relief bill that would rescind the secretary of state's ability to alter ballot language." Here you go, folks, Sean Nienow doesn't want you to get relief unless there's some smackdown for the Democrats involved. It's not about you, dammit, it's about payback and spite from the GOP. Are you gettin' it now?

I bet Dayton's rainy day money the Repubs wanted to pay the schools looks good now.

It always amazes me how government spending works and how inflexible government is. Recently, we read about how the governor was going to be the one to decide what projects in the state would need to be funded, and we were talking about expanding "civic centers" in some small cities. At the same time, we struggle to come up with a funding source for this disaster. Put the two facts together andt then relate it to your own budget. You planned on building a nice addition to your house, but totaled out your car last weekend unexpectedly. Now, do you spend the money on the addition? or do you replace your car?

As for the money to pay back the schools... the amount offered was a drop in the proverbial bucket and if the offer made with the rainy day money had been made to a bank to pay back the money you loaned, you would have probably been escorted out of the bank by security. It always amazes me how some people can borrow money and then forget about paying it back, in its ENTIRETY. Pawlenty robbed the piggy bank and has stated openly that he would not pay it back to the schools if he were still in office. Sound like VP material to you?

Praying for all you folks in the Duluth area...

comment229- "You planned on building a nice addition to your house, but totaled out your car last weekend unexpectedly. Now, do you spend the money on the addition? or do you replace your car?" ................................................................. well , if you watn to break the law- break the law. but you should be aware that the "state" budget is not like your pants pocket budget. The specification of what the the bonding money can be spent on is acutally a law. I know it confusing but there is a reason - because paranoid citizens don't trust governemtn officials to effectively determine what to spend money on ... so ... they make it a law with a thousand rules about what, how, when, why, where and then tell a million eyeballs to make sure it is done exactly that way (dot the i's, cross the t's) .... and I'm guessing you would be pretty upset if the law only said that some mid-level gov't official created the list that some commisioner ok'd or denied.

None of this money should be spent on these gimmie projects as exchange for votes on the Vikings Stadium. This money, should go to pay our bills, no matter the drop in the bucket. we owe our schools and if there's "extra" money, that needs to be paid back first before political graft.

Eleanore - "This money, should go to pay our bills, no matter the drop in the bucket. we owe our schools and if there's "extra" money, that needs to be paid back first before political graft." -------------------------- whether you like it or not - the money shoudl be spent the way the legislature said it should be spent. If the money needs to be retargeted - then the legislature is the body , with the governors assent, to change the purpose. Breaking the law is a pretty stupid way to run the organization that sets the law.

A federal disaster has been declared already. Basic information blown by the Strib. Again.

'whether you like it or not - the money shoudl be spent the way the legislature said it should be spent." It doesn't have to be spent at all, that's why we have govenors, to do the right thing.