“Compromise requires all of us to agree to items that we don’t agree with,” Governor Mark Dayton, May 16, 2011.

The Minnesota government has officially been shut down after budget negotiations failed to produce a state budget. There will be no trips to Fort Snelling to celebrate Independence Day, the Minnesota Zoo will not be open to visitors, 23,000 state workers don’t know when or if they will return to work, and services have been stopped for many of Minnesota’s most vulnerable. Why? Because Republican state legislators, who control both chambers for the first time in 38 years, cannot seem to understand what the type of compromise that benefits the people they are charged to represent: Minnesotans.

On May 16, 7 days before the Minnesota legislature was constitutionally required to adjourn for the year, Governor Mark Dayton (D-MN) sent a compromise budget to both chambers of the state legislature. This budget, a sharp change from his first proposed budget – which called for $3.356 billion in new taxes as a partial way of dealing with the $3.6 billion ($5 billion, but both parties have agreed to delay payments to former governors and the state’s public education systems) projected deficit – called for a recipe that was equal parts tax increases on the wealthiest Minnesotans (Dayton included) and spending cuts. $1.8 billion would come from increased tax revenue on less than 2% of the state’s population; $1.8 billion would come from mutually agreed upon spending cuts. That budget deal sounded like everyone came out a winner, right? Not to Republicans. Republicans said they would not support anything that has tax increases, even on millionaires and billionaires. The budget compromise failed, which brings us to budget negotiations in recent weeks.

As the negotiations lingered, stalled, resumed, lingered again, and finally resumed, Republicans suggested the governor call a special ten-day “lights-on” session to not only allow the dialogue between legislative leaders and the governor to continue, but to, in effect, keep the state government running. To his credit, he said no. His reason: he has been calling for a full budget approach since day one. It makes sense. In college, could you ask for an extension on a group project because you had different opinions? No. You had to work together on your differences, find middle-ground, work from there and turn the project in on time.

This nonsense about not raising taxes on the wealthy and taxes being the end-all to the negotiations is astounding. Governor Dayton’s final budget would have raised income taxes on only .3% of the population of the state of Minnesota: 7,700 people making more than $1 million per year. Again, Republicans said they did not have the support in either chamber to pass a budget that has tax increases for anyone, even the millionaires and billionaires.

It has been reported that Republicans also would not continue with the negotiations unless policy issues like abortion, Voter ID and changes to collective bargaining agreements were on the table to be included in their respective budgets. These policy items were in exchange for “new revenue in a compromise offer.” Adding policy items to the table of budget negotiations sounds less like compromise and more like hostage taking – if you don’t consider these in addition to not raising taxes, the government shuts down.

The reaction the governor had to their “demands” is reminiscent of the reaction President Bartlett has on an episode of “The West Wing” called “Shutdown.” The Speaker of the House, a Republican, changes the deal on budget negotiations he made with the president at the last minute. The president refuses to agree to the changes, saying “we had a deal.” The speaker says the president, in refusing, is talking about shutting down the federal government. President Bartlett replies “then shut it down.” It takes courage for a governor to react the way Dayton did. He is willing to compromise, he has produced compromises but the Republicans will not budge.

While it is a little presumptuous to assume the Minnesota state government shutdown is comparable to what is happening at the federal level, there are a couple comparisons. First, Governor Dayton had a 1-1 plan to deal with the deficit. Equal parts tax increases on the wealthiest Minnesotans to equal parts spending cuts. At the federal level, $1 for every cut = $1 in tax increase for the wealthy to lower the federal budget deficit is being suggested by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT). Second, Republicans at both the state and federal level will not compromise, or even include in negotiations, on increasing taxes those wealthiest individuals.

I am from Minnesota. My parents own the house I grew up in. I know how proud they are of their governor and their state senator and state representative (both members of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor party) for standing up for them and their neighbors. I thank Governor Dayton and those elected officials who understand tax cuts aren’t the only way to solve the deficit problem. I hope that both sides can come together and truly compromise the way Minnesotans need them to; increasing taxes on millionaires and billionaires in addition to spending cuts, not just the spending cuts. And I hope that happens soon, for everyone’s sake.

Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont has a voice that is noticeably absent from the Sunday morning news programs. He is opposed to cutting Social Security. He is in favor of raising taxes on the wealthy. He stands firmly for economic views that have the support of majorities of working people in poll after poll. Yet, why is he not on “Meet the Press” or “Face the Nation”? Why would someone who has long advocated for what the American majority wants not be on these shows week after week, month after month?

Meanwhile, Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona voted for gutting Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security when he voted in favor of the Senate version of the Republican-Ryan budget. He is clearly out of touch with the majority of Americans, yet why is he the one who is out front and center on the Sunday morning talk shows? Since the beginning of the year, he has been on the Sunday shows a whopping 10 times, three more times than the Senate minority leader and more than any other member of Congress.

In his piece today, Robert Greenwald sums it up perfectly: “The Sunday shows often set the tone for the upcoming political week. As the same voices drone on, the senator’s absence means the political and media elites are overlooking the forces squeezing working and middle class Americans.”

Progressive members of Congress such as Sanders have the ideas that are so desperately needed in our country’s current economic situation and the ability to articulate them. While McCain provides excellent sound bites, having him appear on Sunday talk shows ad nauseum does nothing but ensure his talking points will be repeated over and over again, while forward-thinking alternative policies from such legislators as Sanders will be forced into the closet, never to see the light of day.

Sanders is far from the only powerful voice for the American majority in Congress missing from the airwaves. Sens. Al Franken of Minnesota, Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Barbara Boxer all voted against the Senate version of the Republican-Ryan budget, and should also be front and center in the Sunday news programs. But they are not.

Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) co-chair Representative Keith Ellison has only appeared on the Sunday morning shows one time this year, while CPC co-chair Rep. Raúl Grijalva, has not been on at all. And neither has former CPC co-chair Representative Barbara Lee.

At the end of his column, Greenwald posts the names and numbers of people to contact, to urge them to put Sanders and other elected officials who proudly stand up with the American Majority on their Sunday morning shows. I am sharing them as well, at the end of this post, in the hopes that those in the majority come together and respectfully ask to put these great heroes of the American majority on their news programs.

Getting these heroes of the American majority on television is just one step. Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) has launched a petition drive to get the media to focus on “The People’s Budget,” a budget proposal crafted by the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Their budget provides common sense solutions to current problems all while saving the integrity of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. The budget also offers sound solutions that will ensure jobs for the unemployed. No one in the mainstream media is focusing their attention on this positive solution.

I urge you to sign the FAIR petition, and let the news agencies know that, frankly, this type of one-sided reporting is not acceptable; that “The People’s Budget” deserves the same amount of coverage as the Republican-Ryan so-called budget plan.

• Face the Nation: Carin Pratt, (202) 457-4481, ftn@cbsnews.com
• Meet the Press: Iliana Drimmer, (202) 885-4598, ilana.drimmer@nbcuni.com
• This Week: (212) 456-7777 (push 5 and address your message to Rick Kaplan, executive producer of This Week)
• State of the Union: Michelle Jaconi, (404) 827-1500, michelle.jaconi@turner.com

To members of the mainstream media who want to air the voices of these heroes, Campaign For America’s Future has put together polling data about what the American majority is really saying. You can find all the information here.

With Congress in recess, members of Congress are holding town hall meetings all across the country. That makes now a good opportunity to tell your congressman or senator what is on your mind about jobs, the economy, health care, taxes—and most importantly, the recently-passed House Republican budget, authored by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin. It’s a plan that Republicans say will reduce the national debt but, in reality, blows it sky high.

The House Republican budget changes the way Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries receive much-needed medical assistance. Under the Republican/Ryan plan, Medicare beneficiaries would be given vouchers and forced to find health care on their own, making them subject to private health insurance companies and elevated coverage costs. Medicaid would be transformed into a block grant program that would intentionally force states to skimp on care for low-income people.

Why is this an issue? Under the Republican/Ryan plan, the health care spending of a typical 65-year-old would double the first year the voucher system and block grants take effect – 2022. Benefits and access to care will be severely reduced under the Republican/Ryan plan, while more tax dollars would go into insurance company marketing costs, administrative overhead and executive bonuses. Paying more for inadequate services while lining the pockets of insurance executives does not sound like what Medicare was designed to do.

Republican leaders often say the American people want Congress to cut spending, but these same leaders aren’t hearing Americans saying in poll after poll that they do not want entitlement cuts on the table. The ABC News/Washington Post poll released Wednesday shows 65 percent of Americans strongly oppose cutting Medicare and 52 percent strongly oppose cuts in Medicaid. Another survey produced by Democracy Corps and Campaign for America’s Future shows:

• Less than half of the public supports the House Republican budget — described simply as a “budget for the next 10 years that they say will cut 6.2 trillion dollars from the federal budget.”
• When the budget is described using Ryan’s own language, support drops to 36 percent, while 56 percent oppose it, 42 percent strongly. Among seniors, support drops to just 32 percent, with 57 percent opposed. Independent support drops to 43 percent.
• Cuts to Medicare raise concerns for nearly two-thirds of respondents; raising serious doubts for 66 percent, and very serious doubts for 40 percent.

It is important to attend a town hall meeting in your district to educate your member on what Americans really want.

The Republican/Ryan plan reduces the national deficit only by $155 billion over the next decade. At a time when the national debt is at $14.3 trillion, the Republican/Ryan plan does little more than throw a tablespoon of water on a roaring campfire. Their plan, much to the chagrin of freshman members in their own party who campaigned on a pledge to reduce the deficit, would actually increase the deficit over the next decade and shift the burden to working families and senior citizens. Your elected officials need to hear how you feel about this.

The Republican/Ryan plan also gives over $4 trillion in new tax breaks to millionaires and corporations. You often hear from Republicans about how it’s not fair the top 1 percent pays 40 percent of the taxes. But how much do the top 1 percent earn? In this country, those in the top 1 percent take in a quarter of all income garnered and make, on average, $345 million per year. Per year. Americans, by and large, support raising taxes on these mega-millionaires and individuals making $250,000 per year or more, as opposed to cutting essential services that benefit hard working Americans, seniors and those in need.

Some corporations receive hefty breaks in their corporate taxes, and even some corporations pay nothing in corporate taxes. Now some claim these tax breaks are essential to creating jobs. Why is it then that the top U.S. corporations outsourced 2.4 million jobs over the last decade? The jobs being created and that will continue under the Republican/Ryan plan, do not benefit those Americans looking for work. It only benefits the CEO’s, seeking to increase their wealth. Let your congressperson and senators know that providing tax cuts for wealthy Americans and breaks for corporations is poor business and harmful to the ever-shrinking middle class.

At a recent town hall meeting, chairman Ryan heard, first hand, how his constituents feel about the proposed demolition of Medicare and Medicaid, and tax breaks for the wealthy. They know middle class America is disappearing, and that the proposed Republican/Ryan plan would further be a detriment to working America and senior citizens. Congressman Ryan and like-minded Republicans must be held accountable for their actions. Make sure you ask tough questions like Ryan’s constituent did to ensure your congressperson is working for you.

The House of Representatives is often referred to as “the people’s house.” One of our nation’s finest documents begins with the words “We the people.” What our elected officials need now, more than ever, is to hear from the people they represent.

Below are a few town hall meetings scheduled for next week. If you live in their district, show up. Let your voice be heard, but do it respectfully. Now is not the time to engage how some did during the health care debate. Now is the time to stand up and say that, while we face difficult financial challenges, destroying essential programs and tax cuts for the wealthy are not the correct ways to address them.

President Thomas Jefferson once said, "We in America do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.” While Jefferson lived in a different time, his message today rings loud and clear. We saw this in real life in November with the election of extreme, no compromise Tea Party candidates, and the apathy of once-enthusiastic Obama supporters. Participate. Find out when your member of Congress is holding a town hall meeting or listening session, and go. Be part of the process. Make sure when these Republicans talk about what Americans want, they know what you want.

Friday, April 22, 2011

Rep. Dan Lungren – CA-03 (Chairman of the House Administration Committee)
7:00 p.m – 8:30 p.m.
Citrus Heights Community Center
6300 Fountain Square Drive
Citrus Heights, Cal.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Rep. Blake Farenthold – TX-27 (Freshman member)
7:30 p.m.
The Butter Churn
228 West Wheeler
Aransas Pass, Tex.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Rep. Paul Ryan – WI-01 (Chairman of the House Budget Committee)
3 p.m. (arrive by 2:45 p.m.)
Civil War Museum, Freedom Hall
5400 1st Avenue
Kenosha, Wis.

Rep. Allen West – FL-22 (Tea Party endorsed freshman member)
7 p.m. (arrive by 6:45 p.m.)
Calvary Chapel of Fort Lauderdale
2401 West Cypress Creek Road
Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Rep. Alan Nunnelee – MS-01 (Freshman member)
6 p.m.-7 p.m.
Lee County Justice Center
Circuit Courtroom
200 West Jefferson Street
Tupelo, Miss.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Rep. John Klein – MN-02 (Chairman of the House Education and Workforce Development Committee)
9:30 a.m.
The Red Wing Public Library
225 East Avenue (Please use the Third Street entrance)
Red Wing, Minn.

Rep. Tom Cole – OK-04 (Vice Chair of the Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs)
Noon
McSwain Theatre
132 West Main Street
Ada, Okla.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Rep. Diane Black – TN-06 (Freshman member of the House Budget Committee)
5:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m.
Putnam County Courthouse (3rd Floor)
300 East Spring Street
Cookeville, TN

Saturday, April 30, 2011

Rep. Denny Rehberg – MT-AL (Member of the House Appropriations Committee and candidate for U.S. Senate)
11 a.m.
FVCC Lincoln County Campus
Room 127
225 Commerce Way,
Libby, Mont.