ktlight
2nd July 2011, 16:04
FYI:
Minnesota has been forced to shut down its state government services amid a bitter battle over balancing the state's budget between the governor and lawmakers.
The shutdown started at 12:01 a.m. local time (1801 GMT) on Friday because of an ongoing dispute over taxes and spending between Democrats and Republicans, The Associated Press reported.
Minnesota Republican Chairman Tony Sutton called Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton a “piece of work” and accused him of inflicting “maximum pain” for political reasons.
However, Democratic Farmer Labor Party Chairman Ken Martin pinned the blame on Republicans. He said Republicans rejected the proposal sought by Dayton because they prefer to protect the richest handful of Minnesotans at the expense of everyone else.
More than 23,000 state workers will be affected by Minnesota's shutdown, which will see state parks and highway rest areas closed for the Independence Day holiday weekend.
Republican leaders said they rejected Dayton's proposal for addressing a projected five-billion-dollar deficit because it would cause irreparable harm to the state's economy.
“We will not saddle our children and grandchildren with mounds of debts, with promises for funding levels that will not be there in the future," Republican House Speaker Kurt Zellers said.
"This is debt that they can't afford. It's debt that we can't afford right now," he commented.
source
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/187109.html
Minnesota has been forced to shut down its state government services amid a bitter battle over balancing the state's budget between the governor and lawmakers.
The shutdown started at 12:01 a.m. local time (1801 GMT) on Friday because of an ongoing dispute over taxes and spending between Democrats and Republicans, The Associated Press reported.
Minnesota Republican Chairman Tony Sutton called Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton a “piece of work” and accused him of inflicting “maximum pain” for political reasons.
However, Democratic Farmer Labor Party Chairman Ken Martin pinned the blame on Republicans. He said Republicans rejected the proposal sought by Dayton because they prefer to protect the richest handful of Minnesotans at the expense of everyone else.
More than 23,000 state workers will be affected by Minnesota's shutdown, which will see state parks and highway rest areas closed for the Independence Day holiday weekend.
Republican leaders said they rejected Dayton's proposal for addressing a projected five-billion-dollar deficit because it would cause irreparable harm to the state's economy.
“We will not saddle our children and grandchildren with mounds of debts, with promises for funding levels that will not be there in the future," Republican House Speaker Kurt Zellers said.
"This is debt that they can't afford. It's debt that we can't afford right now," he commented.
source
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/187109.html