Sibby Online: Cory Heidelberger debunking so-called "Big Lies" with ...

Cory over at the old Madville Times is trying defend the increase tax on the working poor (IM15) by responding to the point that the increase tax is far more than what was cut in the first place:

I added the fourth column to show what would have happened to the state per-student allocation if we had followed the funding formula in 2011, 2012, and 2013 and increased education funding by 3%. We'd be at $5,251 per student. That would be $760 more than we are spending this year per student.

According to this year's sales tax revenue and K-12 enrollment, Initiated Measure 15 would increase state spending on K-12 education by about $720.

In other words, Initiated Measure 15 restores 95% of the funding that schools should have received if Pierre had not reneged on the K-12 funding formula for three years in row. Under IM15, compared to where they would have been under the the fiscal policies preceding 2011, our K-12 system will still be running short $40 per student, or a touch more than $5 million statewide.

Cory's $5,251 per student amount assumes that the increase for all years should be 3%. That is not the law, it is 3% or the actual rate of inflation, whichever is the lessor. There were no increases to Social Security during?the recession because there was no inflation. I agree the amount would be great than the current $4,491, but not $760 more. And even if that was the case, the sales tax?currently funds only part of the per student amount. The rest is paid for by local property taxes. I understand the goal is a 50/50 split, but has been closer to 58% state and 42% local. Using 58% the impact would be $55 million (at the most) versus the $90 million increase that the extra tax on the working poor will bring to education.

Again, the state ended 2012 with a $48 million excess and that would have covered the stated aid cut. There is no need for a rate increase. This is all about the major monopolistic hospitals wanting $90 more in state taxes and $180 million more in matched federal dollars so they can do more things like build the Sioux Falls Event Center.

And most of the cuts made in the original 2012 budget went into Medicaid and the Department of Social Services budget in the first place. There was only a $2 million reduction in total general fund spending based on the 2010 actual spending level. There is so much deception, that one can cut it with a knife. Too bad the media will not expose these lies, but they depend too much on advertising revenues from the corporate medical establishment?who will benefit if the people of South Dakota don't realize they are being mislead by corrupt corporatists using children as political fodder. That is what happens when you let RINOs run the circus.

Source: http://sibbyonline.blogs.com/sibbyonline/2012/11/cory-heidelberger-debunking-so-called-big-lies-with-falsehoods.html

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