MORNING EDITION

Right up there, close to the top, it says: “1. We don't need to raise taxes — St. Paul has enough money.” You’d think that’d be 'nuff said. But Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch and Deputy Majority Leader Geoff Michel, the GOP point people in the budget battle, go on to say in their joint Strib commentary: “[T]here is no political support for tax increases — even in Dayton's own party. Many DFLers openly opposed his tax proposal during the campaign. Certainly the governor's proposal deserves to be heard, but given its certain defeat, why not get to work right now on a bipartisan, progrowth budget that can pass the Legislature?”

You know you’re swimming with the big fish when you’re mentioned in the same breath as Sheridan, Wyo., and Paducah, Ky. Frederick Melo of the PiPress reports: “St. Paul's efforts to preserve and promote its history could translate into more tourism dollars. On Tuesday, members of three of St. Paul's most visible tourism and historic preservation groups gathered with St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman at Landmark Center on Fifth Street to celebrate the city becoming one of ‘America's Dozen Distinctive Destinations for 2011.’ The National Trust for Historic Preservation bestowed St. Paul with the honor, which is shared with Chapel Hill, N.C.; Eureka, Calif.; New Bedford, Mass.; Sheridan, Wyo., and Paducah, Ky., among others.” I’ll bet the National Trust hasn’t been to Wegdahl, Minn.

I’m a sucker for transparently lame management babble, the stuff bosses say in spite of knowing that no one is going to believe a word of it. The Strib’s Kara McGuire files a story about Fair Isaac laying off 200 people, 20 in Minnesota, consolidating offices and doing other things companies do when times are tough. So what does CEO Mark Greene fob off as officialese? “ ‘It's not meant to send a signal that we're worried about the revenue outlook or the level of demand we see in the marketplace.' " And all they’re really doing is making the company … wait for it … “leaner and meaner.” (You may now roll your eyes.) Does someone need a crash course in Cliche 101 or what?

Borders bookstores in the Midway, Richfield, Minnetonka and Maple Grove will be closing as part of the company’s bankruptcy filing. The AP story by Mae Anderson says, “Less nimble than rival Barnes & Noble, Borders now begins what analysts expect will be a quickly resolved struggle for the survival of its remaining stores. It's the latest cautionary tale about the dangers retailers face when they fail to keep up with swiftly changing technology and consumer habits. Borders plans to close about 200 of its 642 stores over the next few weeks, costing about 6,000 of the company's 19,500 employees their jobs. The closures are also a blow to publishers already owed tens of millions of dollars by the company, which stopped paying them in December.” Also, alert to fellow vultures ... clearance sales could start as early as this weekend.

Professional care providers are making sure they get heard — complaining — about the hits they take in Gov. Dayton’s budget. Lorna Benson of MPR reports: “Patti Cullen thought the governor would distribute his cuts more evenly. Cullen is president and CEO of Care Providers of Minnesota, a nonprofit trade group that represents more than 500 long-term care providers in the state. Cullen says health programs that serve Minnesota seniors took a beating, while education programs escaped relatively unscathed. ‘There are more seniors that are going to be served than school-aged kids’, said Cullen. ‘Aren't we a valuable investment? Aren't seniors just as important as kids?' " Dayton's budget proposal cuts $775 million from Human Services programs. The Dayton plan does raise revenue by substantially increasing surcharges on nursing facilities, hospitals and health plans. Those surcharges amount to $877 million. The overall pain of the spending cuts is set at $383 million.”               

We said our goodbyes to Denny. But there’s still some housekeeping to take care of, like girlfriend Christi Rowan. “She faces up to six months in prison,” writes the Strib’s Dee DePass. “Rowan, who has been Hecker's love interest for more than two years, pleaded guilty in April to one count of bank fraud and one count of bankruptcy fraud for helping in a ‘wide-ranging bankruptcy fraud scheme’ that was orchestrated by Hecker, court papers said. This is the second time Rowan has been in trouble with the law. She was convicted of embezzling money from the Arizona auto dealer who employed her in 2000.” Being a pro, DePass does not speculate on how perfect Hecker and Rowan were for each other.

The fact that she never had a path to “defunding Obamacare” didn’t stop Michele Bachmann from saying that was exactly what she was going to do if voters sent her and her Tea Party colleagues to D.C. Jed Lewison at the lefty Daily Kos has one of those historical-record items up with Ms. Bachmann’s various quotes. He says: “Before the election, she was promising her fellow teahadists that if Republicans won the House, they could kill health care reform simply by defunding it, with or without the support of President Obama or Harry Reid. Here's what she said last July: We have the power of the purse — so we can starve ObamaCare. We don't have to fund any of these programs and that's exactly what we need to do — defund all of this nonsense and then unwind it. Sounded good, except she was completely wrong. Health care reform wasn't established as a discretionary program. That means it's not dependent on annual appropriations bills, so you can't simply defund it. This was obvious at the time, but it didn't stop Bachmann from making the false promise.”  “Teahadists” ... eh ... it doesn’t sing.

Rolling Stone magazine has launched a contest to select a heretofore unknown band/musician to appear ... on the cover of The Rolling Stone. Among the finalists ... the Twin Cities’ Mod Sun. Andrew Flanagan, on City Pages’ “Gimme Noise” blog, writes: “What reeks here are two things (three actually, but we'll get to that): Rolling Stone's monetizing of their most prime real estate, the cover — which hasn't exactly been relevant for oh, 20 years, but still remains their largest asset for selling magazines which does still matter — and the way in which massive contests like these effect and interact with artists. We can say with certainty there was some money from the artists expected up front (a relatively negligible amount in this context), and there was a surrendering of creative control in order to gain admittance into a likely predetermined contest. Now, the local connection. Bloomington rapper (sorry, rappers) Mod Sun is one of the 16 first-rounders in the competition. While we're not exactly smitten with his artistry, the fullness, length, and lustre of his hair suggests he's got a good shot in the competition.” And that friends is what you call righteous snark.

Blogger Eric Austin, in “Outstate Politics,” checks in on virulently anti-Obamacare legislator Steve Gottwalt, R-St. Cloud: “Gottwalt is in a bit of a bind. On the one hand every fourth word out of his mouth tends to be 'OBAMACARE.' On the other hand he is now in the pesky position of being in the majority AND the chairperson of the committee that needs to develop a plan for implementing the very policy he likes to use as a political cudgel. And that is why THIS is hilarious: 'Minnesota would keep pace with last year’s federal health care overhaul by creating a state health insurance exchange, under a bill from ... Gottwalt. Gottwalt calls himself a reluctant champion for the exchange, which supporters say would be a one-stop shop for consumers to find health coverage. The exchange would duplicate what’s already available in the private insurance market, Gottwalt said. But Gottwalt says his bill is necessary to ensure the state complies with the federal health care law. He adds that Minnesota can exert greater control over the exchange if state leaders take initiative to build it.”