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Some Complain That Budget Cuts Target The Poor

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Mar 11, 2008 6:51 pm US/Central

Some Complain That Budget Cuts Target The Poor

Reporting
Pat Kessler
ST. PAUL (WCCO) ― The Governor and state lawmakers are trying to deal with a nearly $1 billion budget deficit. On Tuesday at the same capitol, some complained that Gov. Tim Pawlenty's plan for cuts, targets the states most vulnerable.

A coalition of liberal civic groups said Minnesota's poor people are bearing a disproportionate share of budget cuts to solve the $1 billion deficit. The question is: if not cuts, then how is the budget balanced?

The governor's budget fix would shut down the expansion of a health insurance programs for poor children, cuts back funding to enroll the poor in public health programs and it delays pay hikes for low income workers in long term care facilities.

Critics of the governor's budget plan call it immoral.

"It is not moral to extinguish the possibilities of health care for people or economic opportunity through jobs and training. It's not moral to limit services to the disabled such as being proposed here. The governor's solution to not even look at raising fair taxes is morally bankrupt when we look at these consequences," said Brian Rusche of the Joint Religious Legislative Coalition.

Pawlenty said he doesn't have many choices when the deficit is a billion dollars. However, after the Democratic-controlled legislature raised some taxes to pay for roads and bridges, Pawlenty says "no more".

"I think we have to start with the premise that we're not raising taxes. And that these are challenging times for families and Minnesotans and some tough decisions have to be made. And so its not appropriate for them to just criticize, they also have to propose what they would do and it seems to me that all they want to do is raise taxes," said Pawlenty.

All of this is just a preview of the main event. Legislative committees are pouring over the governor's budget line by line, and some of the biggest fights could be over health care for the poor. It is estimated that 30 to 40 percent of the budget cuts from the governor are there.

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