Senate Majority Leader Roger Moe (DFL-Erskins) blasted the Republican plan as "fiscally irresponsible" in a press release Friday afternoon.

Saturday, September 23, 2000

Senate Majority Leader Roger Moe (DFL-Erskins) blasted the Republican plan as "fiscally irresponsible" in a press release Friday afternoon.

"The Republicans refused to put a number on their reckless spending proposals because they knew they were pushing an outrageous package," Moe said. "We sharpened our pencils and were astounded to find a total cost of more than $4 billion in the next biennium."

According to Moe, most of the $4.19 billion comes from new spending, accompanied by what he called "unfair and unsustainable tax reductions." He explained that the cost of the package would escalate rapidly in future years due to going expense factors, often described as "tails." For example, the Republican crime prevention proposal – which includes increased penalties for sex offenders and repeat drunk drivers – would only cost $11 million in the first biennium, but would total more than $300 million in the two-year budget two decades from now.

"The Republicans describe this as a ‘new direction,’ and that is true," Moe said. "Their plan would take Minnesota directly into the deep hole of financial crisis.

Every one of the proposals contained in the Republican package comes from failed ideas put forward in the Legislature in recent years, Moe noted. For example, Senator Dick Day (Rep-Owatonna) put forward a prescription drug amendment that was rejected by more than 3-to-1 on a vote of 46-14 earlier this year.

"Community pharmacists, many of whom are already under severe financial stress all across Minnesota, would be forced to shoulder the heavy burden of reduced drug prices," Moe said. "The real problem, we know, is that big drug companies get their excessive profits from those who can least afford to pay more than everyone else. Unlike the Republicans, our Fair Drug Pricing Act addresses the heart of the problem."

Moe is urging the Senate Republicans, who unveiled their campaign package in a state tour Thursday and Friday, to go back to the drawing board.