The U.S. Senate on Thursday voted for a fiscal 2007 budget blueprint which little resembles that put forth earlier by President Bush and which continues to open the floodgates to red ink.
We are, however, pleased to note that both of Minnesota's senators -- Republican Norm Coleman and Democrat Mark Dayton -- stood against the proposal. Their reasons were different, but refreshingly in sync with their principles and both representative of Minnesota values.
The $2.8 trillion spending blueprint will still leave a $359 billion budget deficit for our grandchildren to solve, while extending a multitude of tax credits to America's most wealthy to the tune of $228 billion.
That caused Dayton to oppose the measure, as it also cuts funds for critical domestic programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, college loans and grants, farm programs and rural health care. "Once again, this Republican-led Congress has failed the American people," said Dayton. "It is disgraceful that a majority of the Senate continues to protect major tax cuts for top-income earners and special interests, at the expense of students, seniors and farmers."
Coleman, however, praised most provisions of the bill as it increases funding for low-income energy assistance by $3.38 billion, fully funds the Clean Coal Power Initiative to demonstrate new technologies for coal-fired power plants and staves off cuts to the Community Block Grant Program that aids rural economic development.
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Still, the Minnesota Republican voted against the bill because it also contained provisions to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, something Coleman has consistently opposed. "Despite the many positive aspects of this budget, I want to make it clear once again that opening up ANWR is not a long-term solution to either our energy or budget challenges. Nevertheless, in the end we passed a budget that is fiscally responsible and protects Minnesota priorities," Coleman said.
While some may argue that Coleman was given a pass, it needs to be noted that the bill passed by a scant 51-49, with Vice President Dick Cheney at the ready to break a tie, if needed. Coleman's vote could easily have been needed by the GOP.
It is clear that spending priorities are awry in Washington, and continued deficits spell doom to a future economy. It is especially wrong that our nation's most vulnerable are asked to sacrifice while the nation's most wealthy singularly share in a prosperity the rest of us are denied.
We are encouraged, however, that both of our Minnesota senators speak for us, representing our Minnesota values from their very different political prospectives.
