Rep. Greg Davids likes to live in the past, even if he can't remember it accurately.
In his July 17 column, he patted himself on the back for the budget the Republican-led Legislature passed in 2011 that he said created a $3 billion surplus.
There's one problem — it's not true. When the 2013 legislative session began, the state faced more than $1 billion in debt, left by Davids and the Republican-led Legislature. Worse, we owed our schools nearly a billion dollars because the Republican Legislature borrowed a record $2.4 billion from schools.
Among other things Davids didn't mention:
• Double-digit cuts to higher education
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• Property taxes spiked by more than $300 million for homeowners and renters
• Seniors and the disabled experienced more than $200 million in cuts to programs that serve their needs
• The longest government shutdown in state history.
Voters saw fit to elect a new DFL majority that would pursue different priorities. So far, the DFL is delivering on them with more funding for schools, real property tax relief and a balanced budget without more borrowing.
We should be very nervous about the revisionist history that Davids is trumpeting. If we elect Republicans again, they will start right where they left off – and that is bad news for middle class Minnesotans and those who would like to join the middle class.
Lynne Kirklin
Rochester
