FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: John Nemo, 651-414-2863 or john.nemo@mnnurses.org
ST. PAUL (December 1, 2011) – Responding to today’s state budget forecast, the Minnesota Nurses Association issued the following statement:
“Plenty of GOP leaders are putting a positive spin on today’s news of a budget surplus. However, we’d like to point out a few of the items you aren’t likely to hear them talking about:
- You won’t hear GOP leadership talking about the billion-dollar cost of using tobacco bonds to balance the budget, which they insisted upon.
- You won’t hear GOP leadership talking about the huge increases in property taxes we’re seeing across the state of Minnesota.
- You won’t hear GOP leadership talking about how they chose to shut down our state government so they could protect millionaires from paying their fair share in income taxes.
- Most important to nurses, you won’t hear GOP leadership talking about the thousands of Minnesota residents – and, as a consequence, their children – that they kicked off of healthcare.
A report released this week showed Minnesota is the only state in the country to see a significant rise in the number of uninsured children in recent years. There are now more than 84,000 children in Minnesota without health insurance. Thanks to the GOP cutting healthcare for Minnesota parents, many of our children now must suffer without medical attention as well.
The budget forecast announced today does contain some good news, but it comes at a huge cost to middle class Minnesota families. Saying that this forecast has left us with a surplus is the same as having a positive balance in your checkbook while also carrying huge balances on your credit cards. We still owe a significant debt to our children, our students, our seniors and the entire middle class. And we cannot forget that.”