Gov. Tim Pawlenty raids the general fund

February 7, 11:01 AMSouth St. Paul ExaminerRob Shirk

Previous Next

1 comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the South St. Paul Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Gov. Tim Pawlenty; photo courtesy Mpls StarTribune

This is an incredibly profoundly stupid idea --  Rep. Tom Rukavina, DFL-Virginia

He was referring to South St. Paul's favorite son Gov. Tim Pawlenty's cockamamie idea to balance the budget. The governor, again at the alter of The Taxpayer League Of Minnesota, is trying to balance the budget, yet again,  by slashing the budget where slashing is not supposed to go.

Minnesota won an historic suit in 1998 getting almost 2 billion bucks. In 1998, when the tobacco companies settled a suit filed against them by the state and Blue Cross & Blue Shield, the state essentially received two huge piles of money.

There was a $1.2 billion immediate payment. Eight percent of that total was set aside, by the Legislature, to be used for a smoking cessation program that still exists.

Mike Ciresi, leading the litigation for the state, came up with the system that would put the 1 billion dollar pile into a fund The interest from that pile of dough would go into the general fund which, in turn, would then be paid yearly to every county in the state every year.

The fund is to be used for other programs across the state "for children at risk." The governor wants to use half that money for a one time budget fix.

This wasn't just for smoking. This was to help delinquents, kids who were abused, everything you can imagine. It was a great program with money that was set wholly apart from the normal budgeting process -- Mike Cirisi

South St. Paul's Gov. Tim Pawlenty, in cahoots with a short sighted legislature, raided the fund in 2004...to balance a budget. They didn't take all of it but they got a lot. The budget was balanced and the money that was used for the kids of Minnesota went up in smoke, never to be seen again. The politicians were very proud of the balanced budget they'd created for a two year stretch.

The proposal this time around is even more insidious. This time, Tim Pawlenty says in his defense, the money will be paid back. It will take twenty years, but it will be paid back. He fails to mention that it is our grandchildren that will be paying it back. No new taxes, remember. Not for us, anyway.

As I listen and watch they (the Pawlenty administration) always mention tobacco settlement receipts. That's because people say, 'Oh, it's just tobacco money.' But it isn't tobacco money.That's general fund money -- Rep. Al Juhnke, DFL-Willmar

Tom Rukavina, having the time of his life, recalled how in early December Tim Pawlenty had ridiculed the notion of "using credit cards to pay off credit cards.''

The DFL will trot out their plan in a week or two, as they gather to study our native son's new package for the administration that views taxes as anathema. They'll exchange Valentine's Day cards in the meantime.
 

SUBSCRIBE to my Examiner Column by clicking the "Subscribe" link below this posting and receive timely updates on South St. Paul and Minnesota news.