JRLC e-Xpress December 4

On Wednesday state officials announced the size of the state's budget deficit. It's back again and even worse than a year ago, before last session's round of cuts and unallotments. Now we are projected to be $1.2 billion short on June 30, 2011 and a whopping $5.4 billion short on June 30, 2013. The main change is the fall-off in revenues, not spending increases. And the biggest fall-off is in the income tax because of very high unemployment and th reckless rate reductions passed in the early part of this decade. To get a sense of how we would have to scale state government to match lower revenues, see this blog entry on our website. Every passing day makes it more difficult to bridge the gap between projected revenues and expenses. Question: isn't solving the deficit, addressing the jobs shortage, and fixing the looming health care cuts reason enough for a special session? In 1987 Minnesota held a special session just to help Dayton-Hudson Corporation...

Save General Assistance Medical Care! This Monday December 7 join with Minnesotans across the state and call your State Legislators and urge them to save General Assistance Medical Care. Let them know you're willing to pay increased taxes in order to ensure coverage for homeless, disabled, and vulnerable neighbors and to save lives! We have you listed in district 61A. To find your members' contact info, call 651-296-0171 or use this district finder. An economic downturn is not the time to pull the plug on this critical care program. Here is a statewide list of events you can attend to help save General Assistance Medical Care.

JRLC is in the process of approving a new issue paper on poverty called, "No Poor Among You..." Wednesday, the Minnesota Catholic Conference approved the paper at their board meeting. The Islamic Center of Minnesota and the Jewish Community Relations Council gave approval at their November meetings and the Minnesota Council of Churches reviews the paper next week. The paper embraces the work and recommendations of the Legislative Commission to End Poverty in Minnesota by 2020.

The Minnesota House Jobs Task Force had its third meeting this week. JRLC executive director Brian Rusche testified at the hearing and you can review JRLC's written testimony to the task force. We are calling for an Emergency Jobs Act using wage subsidies, bonding bill strategies, and unemployment insurance as ways to spur employment and hasten economic recovery.

One more thing. We are getting ready to mail our year-end fundraising letter. If you donate online we will save paper and postage! Thank you! You can also give to our affiliate, Joint Religious Education and Research Fund through GiveMN.org.

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