Mark Dayton doing his job for Minnesota

When Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton was elected back in 2010, he had a Republican legislature and a state with billions in deficit. Yesterday, state officials announced that Minnesota’s budget surplus had reached $1.9 billion.

Commissioner Myron Frans of Minnesota Management and Budget called the forecast sunny, like weather outside. “The ship continues on course and we are improving the stability and control of the ship,” Frans said, continuing a marine theme that then-Finance Commissioner Pam Wheelock began years ago when she proclaimed, “We have a boatload of money” during another surplus year. Gov. Mark Dayton said that when took office five years ago, he faced a $6.2 billion deficit and the state owed schools $2 billion.

How did they do this? They basically did Democratic Party stuff like raising taxes on the rich, raising the minimum wage, and passing a state law guaranteeing women equal pay. You know, stuff that Republicans usually say will end in a sky made out of fire with Jesus Christ riding on top of a horse, jousting with the ghost of Vladimir Lenin, while swinging a broad sword made out of fire. Well, at least, in the case of Minnesota, the Democratic Party has been able to prove that using your government for good, to help the majority of people, versus the wealthy minority of businesses can result in both rich and poor doing better. I am sure the Republican Party is willing to concede that.

Moments after the surplus number was released, Senate Minority Leader David Hann, R-Eden Prairie, gave the GOP’s priority for added money: “We should immediately approve the roads and bridges plan put forward by Republicans in the 2015 session and give the rest of the surplus back to taxpayers.” He was joined by other GOP leaders in saying that the surplus means Minnesotans were overtaxed.

You suck, Republicans. If what you are saying is true, explain this please.

Exports fell and investments dropped in the wake of lower oil prices, Management and Budget reported. That has lowered the national economic outlook, but it has not reduced the Minnesota budget forecast. Individual Minnesota income taxes fell $100 million from expectations a year ago, but revenues in sales, corporate and other taxes rose to offset lower income taxes.

Strange that reality and what comes out of the Republican Party’s mouths these days is not even remotely related.