MPR and the Citizen's League team up for a live event discussion in Policy and a Pint: Budget Breakdown, From Washington to Minnesota - to us! tonight, Tuesday April 14, 2009:
Every day, the news brings us more stories about the recession, and how we got here -- and how the government intends to fix it. But do YOU feel like you understand it yet? Then of course, there's the STIMULUS PACKAGE that national and state leaders debate on a daily basis... but what really IS it, and how is it supposed to work -- both nationally and here at home? We might not be able to explain it all, but we're gonna take a pretty good stab at it ... and enjoy a beer in the process. Join Steve Seel as he hosts our first Policy and a Pint of the season, as we analyze "The Budget Breakdown -- from Washington to Minnesota."
So come clean. Do you feel like you understand our current economic state? How is the stimulus package supposed to work vs. how you would like it to work?
Guests:
- Glenn Dorfman, former housing lobbyist and current consultant on economic analysis and public affairs
- Tom Weber, MPR News Reporter
Moderator:
- Steve Seel from 89.3 The Current
This is an open discussion. You're welcome to link to your related Gather articles or other online resources. Your comments & articles may be quoted on http://minnesota.publicradio.org/your_voice/
________________
Julia Schrenkler
Interactive Producer
Minnesota Public Radio
American Public Media
Objects in Mirror
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Comments: 5
My husband and I became addicted to cigarettes when we were teenagers, cigarettes were cheap, and the Federal government was generously subsidizing tobacco growers. If we'd been able to have kids, we might have succeeded in quitting, but I'm not sure, because we are as addicted as users of hard drugs. (The only difference is that tobacco doesn't turn you into a violent animal; the addiction is just as strong.) Anyone who says he quit easily wasn't addicted.
So here's the tax connection. First, the Tobacco Settlement fund was not used to provide treatment and little went toward prevention. Instead, Pawlenty and the Legislature raided that fund to balance the no-taxes budget. Then Pawlenty attached a 75-cent "health fee" - again to balance the budget, not dedicated to health,. Just this session, Congress passed SCHIP - a wonderful program - and raised cigarette taxes to pay for it.
These taxes have hurt us in a time when our savings have been halved. So we will donate no more money to charity - our charity has been chosen for us. As members of MPR for nearly 30 years, we've stopped contributing. We won't renew our tickets to the MN OPera or attend single performances of concerts and plays. We're committed progressives, so conservatives will be glad to know we will give no more money to the DFL or to candidates or progressive 501c's.
By the way, we're healthy, exercise every day and are never more than 2 pounds overweight. The instant response to smokers complaining about taxes is that they cost the state so much. I don't pretend that smoking is not very bad for people, but the monies have not been dedicated to healthcare. If this state wanted to stop kids from smoking, it would raise the legal age to 21 and enforce it. If it wanted to help addicts quit, it would fund in-patient treatment programs that really work. The hypocrisy and self-congratulatory sin taxing would end.