8th District DFL Congressional candidate  Rick Nolan today blasted Tea Party Representative Chip Cravaack (MN/NH) for what Nolan called the "worst holiday gift ever":  slamming 160 million middle class working families across the 8th district and throughout the nation with a $1000 per year tax increase while protecting the wealthiest Americans and big corporations.

Former Congressman Nolan pointed out the devastating effects of this $1000 Tea Party tax increase on the nations economy:

That is $1,000 families will no longer be giving to charities or spending at grocery stores, hardware stores, gas stations, small resorts, restaurants and other small businesses in northern Minnesota and across America.

Especially hard hit by Cravaack's $1000 tax increase are the already struggling working families and small business owners on the Iron Range who are reeling under the 18-25% increase in property taxes caused by Cravaack's Tea Party cronies in the Minnesota legislature who cut Local Government Aid and eliminated the Homestead credit. These are the same right wing extremists who tried to balance the budget by stealing $60 million of property tax revenue from the hard working citizens of the Iron Range while at the same time trying to freeze the taconite tax escalator at time of unprecedented profits for the mining companies. Cravaack repeatedly ignored our pleas for help to save our economic development fund and make sure the mining companies pay their fair share. Clearly, New Hampshire Chip just doesn't get it.

Fortunately for the families of the 8th district, Cuyuna Range native Nolan does understand:

Here in northern Minnesota, we are going to make certain working families remember that Congressman Cravaack, John Boehner and their Tea Party pals continue to spend every minute of every day fighting to protect millionaires and billionaires from having to pay a dime of additional taxes.

Rather than stand up for the middle class, this rogue right wing sect of the Republican Party has delivered the worst holiday gift ever – a huge tax increase on workers that is not only unconscionable, but potentially devastating to a fragile economic recovery

Well said!