Twitter Feed:
- 5/21/2013 at 3:53 PM
RT @chrisconry : Feeling a little L'Etoile du Nord today. Minnesotans are a bit more shiny this morning. #historicsession #mnleg - 5/21/2013 at 3:30 PM
RT @TerinMayer : Remember those corporate loopholes we got mad about? $411 in dodged taxes are coming home. People over profits! #mnleg - 5/21/2013 at 3:21 PM
Finally, the richest Minnesotans are part of our budget solution - just like working families have been for decades. #mnleg #historicsession
Latest News:
Lawmakers ban criminal record disclosure on job applications
By Annie Baxter
May 9, 2013
An Unfair Barrier to Employment
By the NY Times Editorial Board
May 5, 2013
'Ban The Box' Bill In Minnesota Could Help Ex-Offenders Get Jobs
By Saki Knafo
May 8, 2013
“New Jim Crow” discriminates against people with a criminal record
By Christina Cerruti
April 15, 2013
Profiles in Excellence: Justin Terrell rages against the machine
By Harry Colbert, Jr.
April 5, 2013
Make Minnesota civilized again: Generate progressive revenues
By Jeff Kolnick
April 5, 2013
On April 25, TakeAction Minnesota leaders, joined by State Representative Tom Anzelc, threw a Minnesota potluck-themed news conference, comparing the Capitol debate over taxes and revenue to a potluck. Speakers made the case for where over $1.5 billion in progressive new revenue should come from – closing tax loopholes on big corporations, making top earners in Minnesota pay a little more, reeling in excess reserves from overpaid HMOs and ending offshore tax haven shelters.
Dan McGrath, Executive Director of TakeAction Minnesota, opened the event, standing in front of an actual potluck table, complete with cakes, meatloaf, hotdish, salads and a checkered tablecloth. “Minnesota has a budget deficit that needs closing. But we have this deficit because we have a fundamental sharing crisis. Big corporations and top earners have spent a decade taking far more than they've been required to give. And it's time our legislators make them step up to the table and contribute their fair share of revenue.”
As Representative Anzelc put it, "Minnesota is currently in a mess. It's what happens after ten years of inattention to the needs of the people and gridlock that stands in the way of achieving fair taxation--taxation that protects the poor, honors work, and requires those among us who are doing very well to participate in the health and well-being of all of Minnesota's citizens, because Minnesota is truly one state. After ten years of regressivity, we're taking steps to serve all Minnesotans in a way that is fair."
Speakers made the case for four major streams of revenue, totaling over $1.5 billion, that legislators should reel in to close the state’s $627 million budget deficit and invest in critical services that have been cut significantly over the past decade:
- 4 tier layer cake representing a new 4th tier income tax rate for top earners ($1.1 billion)
- Meatloaf with a potato side dish representing corporate income taxes, the "meat and potatoes" of revenue( $352 million)
- Tropical fruit salad representing offshore tax havens ($36.5 million)
- Tunnel of Fudge Bundt cake with fudge center, representing overpayments to HMOs ($207 million)
Want to see the recipes themselves? Head on over to Facebook.