The Dayton Shutdown, Day 7, and an easy prediction comes true

Normally when you make a political prediction, you have to wait weeks, months or even years for it to come true.

Today, however, the Carlson-Mondale "commission" made the prediction in my post of less than 48 hours ago (which you can read here) come true.

I said that anything with Arne Carlson's fingerprints on it was sure to include a tax hike. With remarkable speed, the group spit up their report today, and the highlights include:

- A 4% income tax increase for everyone in the state;
- An increase of over a dollar in the cigarette tax;
- An alcohol tax increase;
- A "human services surcharge" of $250 million

Net effect of all these taxes and surcharges? A $1.4 billion tax increase and a double-digit increase in spending from the previous biennium. Of course, the income tax hike is supposed to be "temporary," but there is nothing more permanent that a "temporary" tax increase. House Speaker Kurt Zellers said it best: "It is a retread of failed tax-and-spend policies."

Thanks for playing our game, Wally and Arne, too bad you failed miserably. Please return to the obscurity of your retirements.