“We all know so many services we all rely on can’t be there” if government shuts down, said Shar Knutson, president of the Minnesota AFL-CIO.
“A potential government shutdown is only a symptom of the real problem” – lack of revenue, she said. “We want to make sure that a final budget has fairly raised revenue.”
Governor Mark Dayton and leaders of the state Legislature met behind closed doors again Thursday, only hours before most state public services would be halted with the end of the fiscal year at midnight. They maintained “a cone of silence” about the discussions.
The tension around the effects of a shutdown, which has been building for weeks, flowed over on the steps of the Capitol at the rally organized by Invest in Minnesota, a coalition of labor, faith and community groups.
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| Members of Invest in Minnesota held up signs demanding that lawmakers pass a fair state budget. Photo by Michael Moore |
Widespread effects
In the crowd of several hundred, Building Trades members in hard hats mixed with folks in wheelchairs and a group of developmentally disabled citizens. They reflected the range of services that will be affected – from road construction projects to disability services and programs that provide a lifeline for the state’s most vulnerable residents.
Cherise Payton, a resident of Duluth, depends on state services to help her maintain her mental and physical health and hold down a job. Without that assistance, she worries about her future.
“This isn’t just about me,” she said. “There are many families out there” in a similar situation.
Mary Cecconi of Parents United for Public Schools said lawmakers are disingenuous when they claim they will hold K-12 education “harmless” by maintaining its funding.
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| Participants wrote messages on signs that were then delivered to legislative leaders. Photo by Michael Moore |
While schools may be funded, students will be affected if their families lose their health coverage, their homes or their access to job training assistance, Cecconi said.
“All of these needs are connected and connected to our future,” she said. “Pitting one critical service against another is wrong!”
The members of Invest in Minnesota are calling on lawmakers to enact a budget that includes raising revenue from the wealthiest 2 percent, as Dayton has proposed. Currently, Minnesotans who make $500,000 a year pay less of their income in state and local taxes (8.8%) than middle class families earning $40,000 a year (12.8%).
After the rally, participants delivered signs and postcards to the offices of legislative leaders, calling on them to adopt a budget that raises revenue fairly.
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“We all know so many services we all rely on can’t be there” if government shuts down, said Shar Knutson, president of the Minnesota AFL-CIO.
“A potential government shutdown is only a symptom of the real problem” – lack of revenue, she said. “We want to make sure that a final budget has fairly raised revenue.”
Governor Mark Dayton and leaders of the state Legislature met behind closed doors again Thursday, only hours before most state public services would be halted with the end of the fiscal year at midnight. They maintained “a cone of silence” about the discussions.
The tension around the effects of a shutdown, which has been building for weeks, flowed over on the steps of the Capitol at the rally organized by Invest in Minnesota, a coalition of labor, faith and community groups.
|
| Members of Invest in Minnesota held up signs demanding that lawmakers pass a fair state budget.
Photo by Michael Moore |
Widespread effects
In the crowd of several hundred, Building Trades members in hard hats mixed with folks in wheelchairs and a group of developmentally disabled citizens. They reflected the range of services that will be affected – from road construction projects to disability services and programs that provide a lifeline for the state’s most vulnerable residents.
Cherise Payton, a resident of Duluth, depends on state services to help her maintain her mental and physical health and hold down a job. Without that assistance, she worries about her future.
“This isn’t just about me,” she said. “There are many families out there” in a similar situation.
Mary Cecconi of Parents United for Public Schools said lawmakers are disingenuous when they claim they will hold K-12 education “harmless” by maintaining its funding.
|
| Participants wrote messages on signs that were then delivered to legislative leaders.
Photo by Michael Moore |
“Looking at the rest of the budget, I disagree that schools are held harmless,” she said. “Unless we raise revenue, the proposals to hold schools harmless simply come on the backs of other programs.”
While schools may be funded, students will be affected if their families lose their health coverage, their homes or their access to job training assistance, Cecconi said.
“All of these needs are connected and connected to our future,” she said. “Pitting one critical service against another is wrong!”
The members of Invest in Minnesota are calling on lawmakers to enact a budget that includes raising revenue from the wealthiest 2 percent, as Dayton has proposed. Currently, Minnesotans who make $500,000 a year pay less of their income in state and local taxes (8.8%) than middle class families earning $40,000 a year (12.8%).
After the rally, participants delivered signs and postcards to the offices of legislative leaders, calling on them to adopt a budget that raises revenue fairly.