Nonprofit Action Day at the State Capitol

March 10, 2003

delivered in conjunction with the launch of the campaign

Good morning and thank you for coming. My name is Emmett Carson and I am president and CEO of The Minneapolis Foundation. Minnesota finds itself facing an unprecedented budget shortfall of at least $4.2 billion. As Governor Pawlenty and others have said, a budget deficit of this magnitude requires new approaches and out of the box thinking. It also requires that we put aside strident political ideology and sacred programmatic cows.

We need to work differently, cut programs that aren't effective or essential and invest, yes, invest in programs that will yield long-term benefits to Minnesota. Today, The Minneapolis Foundation and the Minnesota Council on Nonprofits are unveiling a new public information campaign in the hopes of generating a more reasoned and balanced public dialogue about the human consequences of the proposed budget cuts and their impact on Minnesota's future.

I want to do three things.
1. Describe the public information campaign and its necessity.
2. Discuss why Minnesota needs a different public discussion.
3. Clarify The Minneapolis Foundation's objectives in supporting this effort.

Why is a Public Information Campaign Necessary?
The Minneapolis Foundation does not believe that the public interest is well served when some options are not open for discussion or when the consequences of the options that are under discussion are not fully examined or understood. History has shown that the public always benefits when all options are compared and considered and, usually, a combination of choices work best. It takes both diet and exercise to lose weight. Fad diets and fasting can result in weight loss but are unhealthy and can never be sustained in the long run.

In addressing this budget crisis, there is a range of options between two extreme positions. At one extreme, we could raise various taxes sufficient enough to maintain every program and service and that would eliminate the deficit. At the other extreme, we could cut $4.2 billion from the budget and that would eliminate the deficit. It is unlikely that either extreme is good for Minnesota.

The public information campaign being launched today has two goals. First, we want to make Minnesotans aware that the proposed cuts will have a direct and indirect impact on all of us. Second, the campaign is meant to humanize a discussion that has thus far focused on budget numbers and program services rather than on the people who are being deleted for budgetary reasons. These and other ads will begin to run in the next week or so with a radio campaign soon to follow. Let's look at the campaign.

1. "Deleted for Budgetary Reasons. Our counties and cities provide services that keep every Minnesotan safe. If we cut services like fire, police and public works, is that good for Minnesota? Call your legislators today. Tell them you didn't vote for this. Remind them that people's lives are hanging in the balance … of the budget."
2. "Deleted for Budgetary Reasons. Today's seniors worked hard to make Minnesota a great place to live. If we cut programs that keep seniors healthy and independent, is that good for Minnesota? …"
3. "Working families are the backbone of Minnesota's economy. If we cut programs families need to help keep them working, like childcare, healthcare and job training, is that good for Minnesota? …"
   
   Why is A Different Public Discussion Needed?
   While this campaign is being launched as part of Nonprofit Action Day, make no mistake that this is much bigger than the nonprofit organizations that are affected or the thousands of people that they ably serve. The outcome of this discussion will determine what future we want for our state and what cuts and investments are needed to make that future a reality.
   
   The Minneapolis Foundation is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization governed by a board of community volunteers that deeply believes that "the well-being of each citizen is connected to that of every other and that the vitality of any community is determined by the quality of those relationships." The proposed cuts fail to recognize the interdependency of our communities. Cuts to counties and cities that result in fewer firefighters and police officers affect the safety and well being of all of us. Cuts to health care programs that would increase the number of uninsured by over 68,000 people including nearly 3,000 pregnant women who would no longer receive pre and postnatal care are penny wise and pound-foolish. Short-term savings from cuts to after-school intervention programs must be weighed against the long-term costs of lower academic achievement and the increased likelihood of teen pregnancy and juvenile offenders.
   
   All of us have an obligation to actively participate in the public dialogue about what gets cut, by how much and how the outcomes of those decisions will affect the future quality of life in this state. Suggestions that only taxpayers have a legitimate voice in this debate are mean-spirited and misguided. Every Minnesotan has an equal stake in our collective future. Moreover, every Minnesotan pays taxes every time they make a purchase and the working poor, including the many working women who live with their children in homeless shelters, pay taxes.
   
   I also would respectfully disagree with comments attributed to the Governor about the budget crisis. He stated: "It's like being the financial pooper-scooper. You gotta go around and pick up the mess." This is not about cleaning up a mess. This is about people's lives. This is about enlightened self-interest. This is about the common good. This is about what's good for Minnesota.
   
   As the state's oldest foundation and a consistent partner with the state, counties and cities, we know better than most that neither Minnesota's foundations, civic minded corporations nor its generous individual donors can replace cuts of this magnitude -no way, no how. Further, these other funding sources will likely take their cues from state government about what is important to maintain and what is not.
   
   The Foundation is also concerned that the proposed cuts seem to ask those that have the least, senior citizens, immigrants, and low-income families, to bear the greatest burden. These are the very groups who are the most vulnerable and least able to organize their voices to participate in this public dialogue. They are also the same groups who were asked to bear the burden of the cuts from the recent unallotment process.
   
   What are The Minneapolis Foundation's Goals?
   Our goals are simple. We believe that the budget discussions underway will shape Minnesota's quality of life for decades to come. Difficult choices must be made. However, they should be made only after considering the full range of options and acknowledging the short and long-term consequences of specific cuts. To date, this has not happened and three former finance commissioners from three different administrations and party affiliations agree with this assessment.
   
   In closing, I am reminded that our country and this state have experienced even tougher economic times before. It was during the great depression. That experience taught us the value of neighbor helping neighbor as well as the government's legitimate role in helping all of us. We used our money- the public's money- and we invested it in a new deal that fundamentally improved the lives of all of us. We also learned that shared sacrifice didn't mean maintaining the standard of living for some at the expense of those who have the least. Everyone accepted that there was a price to be paid and that they had to pay their fair share.
   
   We have a similar opportunity, albeit on a smaller scale, to shape Minnesota's future. What kind of place to we want to live in? How much are we willing to pay to have it? What things are we willing to live without? Who gets hurt? And, what investments in people and services are necessary for our future? These are the discussions we have yet to have and must have. Each of us must ask questions. Demand alternatives. Consider the short and long run consequences. And, call our legislators. Let's get started, Minnesota's future is waiting.