editorials

"We are done with the games," he said. "We're going to make tough decisions." All right. Let Gov. Dayton show his resolve to do that by bringing the stadium project to a halt until a realistic financing method is developed. The electronic pulltab adventure has already flopped, just as predicted by everyone except for a few stadium proponents. All this was apparently ever about was trying to jam it through by basing its finances on something unproven which was impossible to challenge. That's a game - actually a scam - which can and should be undone to protect the interests of the taxpayers. Start there, Governor, and show that you're serious about making tough decisions.

Thank you Tim Pawlenty and the GOP for all of your great budget gimmicks, spending the reserves, robbing education money, borrowing against future tobacco settlement money, and kicking the can down the road. It is now time to pay the piper.

Mark, you are right. "No more gimmicks" starting with the pull tab revenue for the stadium. The voters can't take you seriously on the budget until you resolve this one.

It will be nice when the DFL structurally balances the budget. I sure hope they don't go overboard on the spending side though! All Minnesotans need to keep the heads up and eyes on the MN legislature as they do their business this year!

There have been three budget forecast reports since the 2011 budget deal. In November 2011 they announced a surplus of $876 which went to pay off the K-12 shift. In Feb 2012 they announced a surplus of $323 million which went to pay off the shift. This week they announced another $1.3 billion that will go to the shift. That's $2.5 billion in revenue above the forecast since the 2011 budget deal. You can't assume that Dayton's tax increase would have put us into the black. If we had raised taxes, we probably wouldn't have realized the growth that gave us the extra $2.5 billion.

The State should never be in the gambling game at all. And at some point all of the smoke money will come to a halt. By that time, this state will be so hooked on that process that they will never know how to break that habit. This state has to cut some of the spending for sure. And never-ever take any more education money to help the debt that this state has been doing for so long. We all need more educated kids. Not more gimmics from our governemt. Heed to that, Gov.

By instincts developed in their struggle to remain in office, politicians love accounting gimmicks that hide the true magnitude of what they are taking by force of law from the taxpayers. This governor, this year, will be no exception.