We support the belief that parents are responsible for their children’s education and that parents, teachers and local school boards can make the best decisions about our children’s education. – Rep. Duane Quam

The House Education Finance committee will hear testimony on H.F. 1858 tomorrow.  This bill would only allow local school districts to hold operating levy referendums in even-numbered years.  Currently, districts have the ability to choose whether to hold such referendums in odd- or even-numbered years.

Representative Garofalo will work to keep schools under the control of local parents and teachers. – Rep. Pat Garofalo campaign website

This bill would stomp all over the local control that Republicans — and specifically, a number of the bill’s authors — claim they want for their local districts.  And it’s poor policy on the merits, as well.  The state typically makes its major budget decisions in the odd-numbered years.  (That’s why we had our big state budget blowout last year, in 2011.)  This law would force districts to wait 18 months after those decisions are made before they can seek additional funding from voters.  This is nothing more than an attempt to force reduced budgets on to public schools.  It’s time for legislators to do their jobs when it comes to providing consistent funding for K-12 education instead of tying the hands of local officials who get to clean up the mess made in St. Paul.  Remember, it’s these same legislators who have balanced the budget in the last two cycles by sucking $2 billion out of our children’s education.

The more local control over your tax dollars, the more wisely the money will be spent. – Rep. Andrea Kieffer

Garofalo, the chair of the Education Finance committee, has accused school boards of using the odd-year referendums to “fleece” taxpayers. Garofalo should have more faith in voters.  If there’s one thing voters have proven in recent years — at all levels of government — it’s that they’re willing to vote out incumbents who they think aren’t doing the job.  The fact that Garofalo finds himself in the majority in the State House is testament to that fact.  Here in Eastern Carver County, voters replaced  four of the seven seats on the District 112 School Board in 2010 and voted down the technology referendum request in 2011.

Sadly, this bill is not the only bill that has headed down this road during the legislative session.  For instance, last year they pushed H.F. 381, which would have mandated a pay freeze across all districts in the state.

It’s time for the Legislature to start walking their talk.  ”Local control” shouldn’t be a catch phrase — it should actually mean something.  Let school boards do their jobs and the voters will hold them accountable.  We don’t need this unnecessary meddling from the state.

Well, there’s another part of the puzzle that we don’t talk about — and that’s “horizontal equity” in the tax code.  Specifically, that means looking at how much taxes are paid by people with similar incomes.  The latest Economic Report of the President shows just how out-of-whack we are on this measure as well, as pointed out by conservative economist Bruce Bartlett.

What the graph above shows is the distribution of tax rates for each income quintile.  For instance, the middle 20% of income earners (households with income between $38,000 and $61,000) see a range of effective federal tax rates between 1.7% and 23.5%.  That’s a massive swing, which depends on the composition of your income (wage income is at a higher rate than capital gains) and the particular specialized tax credits and deductions you are eligible for.  Most people would consider it unfair for two households with $60,000 income to have tax bills that differ by as much as $10,000.

So, as we look to reform the tax code, we need to keep in mind horizontal equity issues along with “vertical equity” (income inequality) as well.

MN House District 10A

Representative John Ward (DFL) got a challenger today in his newly drawn 10A District. That challenger, Kurt Martin, suggests in an article about him in the Brainerd Dispatch that if elected he would cut state spending across the board by 10%.

Most interesting, however, is his apparent belief that women ought to be staying home to raise their children rather than be out in the workplace. In fact, he claims that the single income family (with the man apparently being the income earner) is “essential” and that this arrangement preserves the family.

From the article:

Martin said his mission would be to reduce total government spending to less than 30 percent of the gross domestic product. He said in a statement this reduction would be “instrumental in bringing jobs to the state and would also allow a family to once again enjoy a middle class lifestyle from a single income household, which he (Martin) holds is essential to preserving the family.” [emphasis mine]

Martin said he thinks the majority of married mothers would choose to stay home and raise their children if they could afford to do that.

Apparently the new and improved conservative movement isn’t even going to try hide their misogyny.

Yes, yer kindly old Auntie Tild has taken on the bowling challenge of a lifetime!

On March 15th, I’ll be bowling for choice, raising money and supporting the vital work of Pro-Choice Resources (PCR).

I’m taking part in the 19th Annual Pro-Choice Resources Bowl-a-thon, which benefits PCR and their sex education program, after-abortion support group and their abortion assistance fund.

Every dollar raised goes to support this vital work. My goal is to raise at least $200 to help PCR do what they do best. Will you please consider making a donation of $10? $25? $50?

You can donate online at my personal fundraising page, which makes it easy as 1-2-3! Don’t forget to ask your employer if they will double your donation with a matching gift.

One in three women will have an abortion in their lifetime. Now is the time to support organizations like PCR who are working to make rights a reality. I’ve donated. Now I’m asking you to do the same.

Say it with me: I’m pro-choice and I bowl!

Sincerely,

Tild

P.S. This is my first time participating in the PCR Bowl-a-thon and I am fired up and ready to go! Don’t wait – donate today and help me strike down barriers to sexuality education and reproductive health!

~

How can we prevent these others, these blacks, these college students, these immigrants, these minorities, these liberals, these disabled, these outsiders who don’t look like us or think like we think from voting again?

Let’s do what we always do. Let’s scare people into thinking we have a serious problem! In a state where voter fraud is zero percent this constitutional amendment makes no sense. Ask yourself who’s backing this bill and why? Follow the money to the Tea Party supporters and people who want to keep the status quo of what the typical American voter looks like today. Just because I can afford a car and have a driver’s license doesn’t give me any more right to vote than someone who doesn’t. A free ID you say? Who’s paying for it? I thought Republicans wanted to cut spending? I guess this is more important than things like education.

In short, I don’t support the Voter ID bill because its purpose is to keep more first time voters from voting and disenfranchise the same groups of people who got President Obama into the White House in 2008. Don’t be so hypersensitive.

James Cannon

James Cannon is a member of TakeAction Minnesota’s board.