I’ve posted in the past about how efforts to create the conservative Republican utopia have failed miserably – first in Kansas under governor Sam Brownback and then in Wisconsin under Scott Walker.
I’ve also posted about how when progressive Democrats took over in California under Jerry Brown and the economy improved dramatically. Could that have been a fluke or lucky timing? Well, now we have another great example.
Minnesota, which is right next door to Wisconsin, elected progressive Mark Dayton in 2011. Before he took office the state had a $6.2 billion deficit and owed the schools $2 billion, but he turned it into a $1.9 billion surplus. How did he do that? First, he raised taxes on the rich by 2 percent and increased the minimum wage. That injected money into the economy. Once the economy stabilized, he started paying down the state’s debt and increased funding for schools. And finally, the governor is starting to make good on his promise to implement broadband internet “border-to-border”. He’s even thinking of lowering property taxes.
And while this is not about the economy, I have to applaud Dayton for his stance on immigration and racism. Last month he said:
Look around you. This is Minnesota. Minnesota is not like it was 30, 50 years ago. But, this is Minnesota and you have every right to be here. And anybody who cannot accept your right to be here and this is Minnesota should find another state.
If you are that intolerant, if you are that much of a racist or a bigot, then find another state. Find a state where the minority population is 1 percent or whatever. It’s not that in Minnesota. It’s not going to be again. It’s not going to be that in St. Cloud, or Rochester or Worthington.
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And there’s this… http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/12/08/muslims-raise-over-100000-for-san-bernardino-victims-while-gop-spouts-vile-hatred/
I was in Berkeley when Jerry Brown’s father Pat was governor. California thrived then. Then they elected that actor and California failed until Jerry came.
If only Iowa could get rid of His Lordship Gov Branstead, who is soon to be the longest serving governor in American history. Lately he’s been a one man recking crew of everything even remotely progressive. Oh well, Minn. isn’t that far away.
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[…] bid is that his state’s economy has gone into the toilet under his command (especially compared to adjacent states with progressive governors). But a less well known reason is because he has repeatedly violated […]
[…] opposite strategy working just fine. After the Democrats took over California from the Republicans, the economy boomed. While Wisconsin’s economy was sinking, next door in Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton raised […]