Heads up Minnesota

[hermetic]

"Governor Tim Pawlenty will unveil the Citizens' Budget Outreach Website. To help gather viewpoints and priorities, the Governor's Office is asking citizens to complete a budget survey during the month of December. The survey will be available online and will be live Friday morning."

Well I sure can't find it anywhere. Only access is at the MOA? Of course it is still November so this is probably where it will be: http://www.governor.state.mn.us/tpaw_Whats_New_Main.asp

I think TP might be in for a bit of a surprise. I can't wait to see how this plays out...

Too bad tho for the hundreds/thousands (?) of people that don't have internet access.

[messyca]

1. Give me a break!

Pawlenty doesn't give a damn about what MN priorities are! Each year I take the residents at my group home to the state capital, to talk to our Representatives. We discuss how high their prescription drug co-pay is and how difficult it is to pay when you are only making $94 a month. We talk about how difficult it is for them, when they have to deal with a constant stream of on-call staff they barely know or trust, because we can't afford to pay employees overtime, or keep them employed longterm because of the low pay, long hours, and the ever increasing cost of health insurance. We talk about how they seldom get out in the community because we are usually single staffed. Staff have lost Holiday's, and we may not get a raise or bonus again in the foreseeable future. The group homes have less money to operate on and it has affected our consumers the most. All of this has happened since Pawlenty cut the budget, and he refuses to do anything about it!

He can kiss my ass!!!!!:mad:

The thing that pisses me off the most though, is that I don't have it so bad. I can pay my bills, I have roof over my head, and I have health insurance, while thousands in Minnesota go without, and millions of Americans go without! If it's difficult for me, how bad are others suffering?

[eoberhauser]

2. RE Internet Access

We need to get the word out to ppl without internet access that they can go to the library and use the internet for free.

Erin

[Schup]

3. HERE IS

part of the announcement on the governor's site:

Throughout the month of December, Minnesotans can visit www.minnesotabudget.state.mn.us to fill out a five question survey regarding priorities and the state budget.

[no name no slogan]

4. What a fscking joke

This is all tied in with his "Drive By Excellence" plot. He's trying to save the state money by 'empowering' people to use greater 'e-government' programs.

I'm a webmaster for a state agency, and I got roped into some of this. Right now, it's still at the planning stage, but they want to make it easier for everybody to take care of their business electronically, so we don't need as many warm bodies around.

The idea, while respectable on its surface, is just another way for him to keep from raising taxes.

Of course, the cruel irony will be that it will probably cost more money to replace clerical workers with "smart" e-government software and hardware-- not to mention the higher salaries of the Tech Geeks (like me) needed to maintain and improve it after its installed.

I'm afraid Gov. Pawlenty is, once again, penny-wise and pound-foolish in his pursuit of "efficiency".

[Carolab]

6. This is AS BAD AS E-voting!

It won't matter what the "results" are--they can just skew them as they like to derive a "mandate".

One cannot VOTE and/or RUN A GOVERNMENT over the Internet.

[cynthia]

5. here's the link

to the survey

http://www.minnesotabudget.state.mn.us/PPWDYT.asp

what a joke! They want you to prioritize budget areas but you can't raise taxes. Whatever happened to "Happy to Pay for a Better Minnesota"??

[indigo32]

7. What a piece of crap

OMG first the whole... NO NEW TAXES shit... yeah right Timmy, we believe ya.
Then... it asks for suggestions and gives you almost no space to enter it. I counted it. You get to type your suggestion in 50 characters or less. :eyes:

[no name no slogan]

9. Yeah this thing is a big stinking turd in the punchbowl

The Strib had a good write-up on the site today, and pointed out that there's not place to suggest a tax increase of some sort, which even the MN Chamber of Commerce has suggested to repair the roads.

Pawlenty is not only out of ideas. He's almost out of money too. And in two more years, he'll be out of office! :toast:

[CatholicEdHead]

10. Out of office then where?

He has been tapped by Cheney and the other GOP powerbroakers to take on national duties. If he looses, he would just be "promoted". Either some big DC job or another run for US Senator.

[no name no slogan]

14. It may even be before 2006...

I've heard talk he's in the running for Tommy Thompson's job @ H&HS, if Thompson decides to step down. As a matter of fact, I overheard one higher-up here say that he hoped Dubya would win so that we could get rid of Pawlenty early. That would solve A LOT of headaches, that's for sure!

[petron]

12. total piece of crap

I just put "This questionnaire is a joke and so is Tim P." in the "suggestions" box.

Sad, sad.

Kinda reminds of the old question: "So, when did you stop beating your wife?"

Frustrated Tax Paying Minnesotan

[lakeguy]

8. what a joke! besides the fact that you can't raise taxes...

i couldn't even finish one sentence before i ran out of room in the "how would you improve efficiency?" box. total BS!

[CatholicEdHead]

11. Same here

I said to give them some more resources to do their job (via raising taxes). I had to abbreviate it.

I cannot stand the MN Taxpayers' League. Those are rich power-brokers from out of state giving MN our own "Club for Growth" (which is anything but).

[loveable liberal]

13. the survey is lame and biased...dont participate!!!

I read through it and almost completed it before i realized it was simplistic and idiotic. Dont bother people!!