Mark with Martin in North Mankato! (March 31)

Mark Dayton: GAMC bill will cost SMDC, St. Luke’s millions

March 30, 2010; Duluth News Tribune

MARK DAYTON COLUMN: GAMC bill will cost SMDC, St. Luke’s millions

What kind of state would we be without our hospitals? Why on earth would we want to do serious financial harm to them? Minnesota’s hospitals, including the ones in Duluth, are the latest victims of the “St. Paul shifts.”

By: Mark Dayton, special to the News Tribune, Duluth News Tribune

Last week, Governor Pawlenty forced the legislature to retreat from two important Minnesota values: fairness and compassion.

General Assistance Medical Care (GAMC), which cares for the poorest of the poor, embodies fairness and compassion. It pays for the health care of those who struggle to survive with serious illnesses and diseases. Without our help, most will suffer and some will die.

Governor Pawlenty wanted to eliminate this charitable program. To their credit, DFL legislators tried to salvage as much of it as the Governor would allow. Their compromise, however, means that the state will essentially abandon the poorest of the poor to our hospital emergency rooms, without enough money to pay for their care. It will hurt hospitals everywhere, but it will be especially severe on those in rural Minnesota.

What kind of state would we be, without our hospitals? Why on earth would we want to do serious financial harm to them?

Minnesota’s hospitals are the latest victims of the “St. Paul shifts,” which dump the additional costs of essential services on them, on school districts, and on local governments. State government increasingly asks: “Who else can pay for this?”

Their answer this week was, unfortunately, rural hospitals and the communities that support them. According to the Minnesota Hospital Association, two hospitals: St. Luke’s Hospital and SMDC Medical Center stand to lose millions each as a result of the new GAMC bill. On top of this slash to rural health care, local governments are slated to lose hundreds of millions of dollars statewide as cuts to Local Government Aid go deeper. Duluth alone stands to lose more than $5.2 million in funding for critical services like police and fire.

I am running for Governor to create “A Better Minnesota.” A better state requires us to restore basic fairness to our tax system. In order to give rural hospitals, schools, cities, counties, and townships the money they need to survive, we must require the richest Minnesotans to pay their fair share of taxes, and abandon our broken system that punishes the poor, the middle-class, and rural communities.

If I’m Governor, the rich will pay their fair share of taxes. That’s a Dayton’s “money back” guarantee!

Mark Dayton is a former United States Senator. He is running for the DFL nomination for Governor.

Mark at the Beanery Café in Aitkin! (March 25th)

Dayton makes campaign stop in Waseca

Dayton makes campaign stop in Waseca
March 22, 2010
Waseca County News

By RUTH ANN HAGER
Staff Writer

WASECA — Mark Dayton brought his campaign for governor to Waseca Saturday on his 87-county 60-day tour of the state.

Speaking to a friendly audience of 20 gathered around tables at the Daily Grind, the former U.S. Senator answered questions and presented his plans for Minnesota should he be elected governor in November.

His tour has been the best re-education possible, Dayton said. He said he is competing for the DFL spot on the ballot for governor with a great group of candidates but he has more experience than all the other candidates combined.

“I have 35 years of rolling up my sleeves,” he said. “I’ve been here many times before and I look forward to coming back, whether I’m elected or not.”

Rather than seek the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party endorsement, Dayton plans to be on the Aug. 10 primary ballot.

If primary voter turn out is low, Dayton told the group, “Those of you at this table will probably decide [the DFL winner],” he said.

When Waseca resident Annie Gerber asked about the future of Minnesota schools, Dayton said he would increase school funding every year. A former teacher, Dayton said he knows from experience that “you can’t teach with 32 kids in a classroom.”

He would make overall state taxes progressive so that the rich pay the same portion of their income as other Minnesota taxpayers.

“It’s my turn to put myself on the line.”

The poorest of the poor have been thrown out of health care by the governor; schools have suffered and programs have been destroyed, he said.

“That’s why my campaign slogan is, ‘Mark Dayton for a better Minnesota.’”

“Why should I vote for you?” asked Waseca resident Mel Strand.

“Because I will raise taxes on the rich and in the first five months, I will balance the budget,” said Dayton.

The choices facing the next governor will be raising taxes on the rich, raising taxes on everyone else, or taking $7 billion out of the state budget, he said. The latter is impossible, Dayton said, because 91 percent of the state budget is for education, transportation, health and local government.

“You could eliminate every state agency and only save half. You could eliminate government and still have to cut things people depend on. Are we going to continue to make things worse or start to make things better?”

Tom Eustice of Janesville told Dayton he would always remember the send-off dinner then Sen. Dayton shared with Minnesota troops who were leaving for Iraq. Next June, Eustice will be deployed again and he is concerned about military families and, especially about the Veterans Administration.

“Something has to be done; the VA doesn’t work,” he said. His other concern is for the families left behind who need encouragement when their husbands or sons are serving overseas.

Dayton told him to call him next year when he can do something about veterans’ issues.

“Remind me of that; I mean it. I get my best ideas from this kind of gathering,” said Dayton.

He said he will run a positive, issue oriented campaign and, in the end, will support every DFL candidate.

“We’ve got to elect a DFL governor. The next day [after the primary], we’ll all be together because we’re all Democrats,” said Dayton.

He told the group that people who don’t believe in government are now in charge of government and don’t care.

“I care,” he said.

“We all do better when we all do better,” Dayton said, quoting the late Sen. Paul Wellstone.

Why is he throwing himself back into state politics?

This is the first generation to leave the state worse off than they found it, Dayton said. And, he said, he can hear Wellstone telling him to keep trying.

Eustice said he always really liked Dayton and liked what he had to say Saturday.

“It’s common sense. This stuff makes sense,” Eustice said. “If I’m lucky enough to make more money, I’d want them to tax me too.”

Mark with activists and supporters in Le Center! (March 20)

Mark with Sgt. Kathy Peterson in Litchfield! (March 17)

Dayton Stresses Fairness in Taxation

Dayton stresses fairness in taxation

Minnesota gubernatorial candidate Mark Dayton said in Morris on Monday that getting the state’s richest people — including members of his family — to pay fair share of taxes would help heal ailing economy

By Tom Larson

March 15, 2010

Morris Sun Tribune

Gubernatorial candidate Mark Dayton has a simple fix for the state’s economic woes, and he says he’s committed to it even if it strains his relationship with a potentially powerful bloc of Minnesotans, including members of his family.

Increase taxes on the richest Minnesotans until they are paying their fair share, he said.

“There’s three ways to do it,” Dayton said during a stop in Morris on Monday, “raise taxes on the rich, raise taxes on the rest, or cut $7 billion from state services and pretend no one notices or that no one’s going to know the difference. That’s not real world.”

Dayton spend a good share of the day in Morris, touring renewable energy projects at the University of Minnesota, Morris and then meeting with a group of area residents at DeToy’s Family Restaurant. He had another meeting scheduled Monday evening in Elbow Lake.

Dayton’s on campaign mission of stopping in all of Minnesota’s 87 counties in 87 days. The former U.S. Senator and state Auditor will be a candidate to succeed Gov. Tim Pawlenty in the August primary, and while he’s running as a Democrat, he is not seeking DFL Party endorsement.

Much of what Dayton addressed Monday are the issues that are consuming the state: staggering budget deficits, both real and projected, cuts to local governments and schools, and a flagging jobs market.

While Pawlenty touts his pledge of not raising taxes in his eight years as governor, Minnesotans have seen their tax bills increase. Tying school funding on property taxes is an unstable mechanism that leads to a degradation of the services districts can provide.

Dayton had similar criticisms of the state’s income tax system. The richest Minnesotans do not pay a fair share of tax on their incomes. While not advocating a flat tax, Dayton said that if such a tax were policy, the state would have an additional $4 billion coming in in the next biennium.

Dayton said revamping the system is vital because the policies of two Republican governors and Jesse Ventura — “a wrestler turned Libertarian” — have lulled Minnesotans into not being fully aware of how unfair it is.

“It’s so unfair; it’s so against the best interests of people,” Dayton said. “(Because of the former governors), people aren’t aware how steeply regressive our tax system has become.”

Dayton, an heir to the former Dayton’s clothing store fortune, admits he’s had difficult discussions with other wealthy Minnesotans — including those in his family — about his proposals to raise taxes on the rich. When his relatives get mad, he said he asks them a question: “What is your fair share?”

“They don’t have an answer, they just don’t want to pay taxes,” Dayton said. “The ethic in this country used to be that if you made more money, you paid more taxes. The ethic today is to make as much money as you can and not pay more taxes or pay nothing. What needs to change is the ethic.”

Dayton spoke briefly with Morris Mayor Sheldon Giese and expressed his concern of maintaining a healthy Local Government Aid system. Local governments have lost millions of dollars in aid in the last two years because of state cuts, particularly through Pawlenty’s unallotments.

Cities and counties are contemplating significant reductions in services Dayton told Giese that he opposes LGA cuts, and expressed a need to make the public more aware of what’s at stake if more cuts come, or if aid to local governments is discontinued completely.

“I think they should call LGA police, fire and potholes,” Dayton said, “so that people know how immediately it affects their lives.”

Jobs will be vital to restoring the state’s economy, Dayton said, offering up statistics that since Pawlenty took office, there are 200,000 more people living in Minnesota but that there are 33,000 fewer state residents working.

Dayton said his experience in state government as Auditor and commissioner of both economic development and energy departments give him the skills to resurrect the state’s jobs market and to identify new opportunities.

“It’s going to be a tough period of time, and the long-term answer is to create jobs,” he said. “I’m committed to that. I’ll go everywhere and anywhere to create jobs.”

Dayton also countered some candidates’ arguments that their inexperience in politics translates into fresh ideas and a new approach. Dayton said he has proven his commitment through 35 years of public service.

“There are times, especially in difficult times, when experience really pays off for people,” he said, noting that many of his political heroes became leaders during trying times. “I think it matters more who can be a leader in tough times than in good times.”

Dayton Stops in Baudette

Dayton stops in Baudette

by Penny Mio

The Baudette Region; March 9, 2010

The first topic posed to governor’s candidate Mark Dayton was about how the state could ever get out of debt.

Dayton’s answer was quick and to the point: tax the rich. Later he explained that some conservatives had discussed a flat tax, where everyone pays the same percentage of tax. That, he said, would be an improvement but a graduated tax so the wealthiest carry the biggest tax burden, would be better.

According to statistics quoted by Dayton, the richest 10% of the state’s population pays only three-quarters what the rest of the population pays. And the richest 1% pays even less.

Current Governor Tim Pawlenty’s pledge of no tax increases is false, Dayton said. “We all know property taxes have gone up,” he said.

His promise for education is to increase state funding every year, no exceptions. Trips to China have shown him that the United States needs to be competitive and the way to do it is through education. The funding, would be from that tax on the rich.

“I don’t want to be part of the generation that leaves it worse off for the next,” he said.

As for unemployment, he said he would encourage the state to stop outsourcing jobs, such as the 35W bridge construction that was done by a company from out of state.

If elected governor, Dayton said he would see himself as the “make things happen” person, the coordinator that gets the right people in the room together.

There also was discussion on veterans’ services, energy and natural resources important to Minnesota.

About 25 people attended the gathering Wednesday, March 3 at the Smiling Moon.

Dayton is about halfway through his mission of visiting all 87 Minnesota counties. He is the DFL candidate for the position of governor that is up for election this fall.

Post-Oscar Edition

I’ve been traveling so much with Mark Dayton that its not surprising that I feel like the only woman in the world who hasn’t seen Avatar. I did take some post-Oscar time out to view The Hurt Locker and five days later I’m still in awe. This film puts into real context how brave the men and women of our military truly are, and it spares nothing when showing you the true horrors of this war.

If there were ever a time to feel honored to be working for one of the 23 Senators who voted against the Iraq war, it was certainly after seeing The Hurt Locker.

OK, that may seem a little heavy to kick off the second installment of my travel blog but nobody said building a Better Minnesota would be all Broadway show tunes. The goal of “87 in 87” is to listen and share ideas with the people. Some of the stories we’ve heard along the way are encouraging: we met a teacher from Kennedy Community School in St. Joseph, one of the first schools in the country to meet the LEED silver certification rating for green schools. This teacher told us that they didn’t fire the boilers at their school all winter! And some of the stories we hear, like when we see and hear firsthand the results of cuts to Local Government Aid (which Mark likes to call “Police, Fire and Potholes” because that is what LGA goes to fund) are truly depressing. But at the end of the day, the people of this great state have so much to offer and have such a positive outlook even in these most trying times. The one thing I’ve learned from listening to the people is the undeniable fact that they will be equal partners with Mark in his goal to make Minnesota great again.

Moving on Up

Well, at least to St. Paul. If you haven’t heard by now, Team Dayton is packing up and moving to greener and larger pastures in St. Paul. There’s nothing like spending your days making cardboard boxes and cleaning out cabinets. And although I don’t expect any sympathy from our soon to arrive Communications Director, who packed up his entire NY apartment while dealing with an unexpected bathroom flood, any move yields a little bit of stress!

The move does bring good news – mainly, our campaign is growing. We’re reaching more and more people with our message that we can and will do better with Mark Dayton’s experience. Our volunteer base has grown significantly and it seems that every high school and college student remotely interested in politics wants to intern on our campaign. Thankfully, our new office will be able to accommodate them and many more.

Shout outs and Accolades

In addition to the men and women who serve in the armed services, as portrayed in the above-mentioned Hurt Locker, I’d like to congratulate director Kathryn Bigelow, the first woman to win an Academy Award for “Best Director.”

I’d like to give a hearty shout out to the folks at Java River Café in Montevideo—we really appreciate the warm welcome in Monte last week!

And I’d like to give a “get well soon” to Twins closer Joe Nathan. He’s going to give the elbow some rest, and wait on a second opinion, before deciding on whether he will try to pitch this season. Either way, I wish one of the game’s best closers a full recovery.

Thanks for reading,
Katie Tinucci
Deputy Campaign Manager

Mark at the Java River Café in Montevideo! (March 9th)

Mark, with Montevideo Chief of Police Adam Christopher, and others, at the Java River Café in Montevideo.  This “meet and greet” was part of a five county swing to Wilkin, Traverse, Big Stone, Lac Qui Parle, and Chippewa counties.