Grab Your Wallets, Here Come the RINOs On Transportation
Yesterday on the NARN, I eluded to the fact that I saw little difference to be expected from Minnesota Senate and House DFLers when it comes to their tax agenda. I expected to see Democrats in the House to follow the plan laid down by their friends in the Senate, and propose massive tax increases. Well, it turns out that a Republican RINO, who has a history of trying to raise our taxes, is the one in the House trying to raise taxes, just like the Democrats.
“Ninety-nine percent of the people agree that we have a serious and critical problem and need more money for roads, bridges and transit,” said Sen. Steve Murphy, DFL-Red Wing, sponsor of a bill introduced last week that would raise up to $850 million a year in new revenue.
Included are proposals to increase the state’s 20-cents-a-gallon gasoline tax by 10 cents, boost registration fees on new vehicles and authorize counties to impose a half-cent sales tax increase for transportation purposes, plus $20-per-vehicle sales taxes and annual wheelage taxes, in some cases subject to voter approval.
An identical House bill is set for formal introduction Monday by Rep. Ron Erhardt, R-Edina, whose attempt to raise the gas tax in 2005 passed the Legislature but was vetoed by Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a fellow Republican.
So the stage is set for Pawlenty to make good on his recent lip service to no new taxes.
Now DFLers stand in firm control of both legislative chambers and might lure enough moderate Republicans to their side to override a transportation funding veto. Or, said Erhardt, “maybe the governor will mellow out. … I just don’t understand his objection to doing what’s right for the state.”
Well, considering we’re already in the top 10 of state tax burden, I think it is Erhardt (RINO) who had better rethink his policies. We don’t have a revenue problem in Minnesota. There is plenty of money there, in fact $2 billion more than expected. It is RINO’s who are too afraid to act accordingly and refuse to throw money where it is ‘wanted’, and instead put it where it is ‘needed’. Why can’t Eahardt (RINO) take a pittance of the current budget to pay for what 90% of the people say we desperately need? Because he is a RINO, and all RINOs think like liberal DFLers.
Pawlenty will be prodded as well by the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, which has a reputation for being fiscally tight-fisted, but which is calling for a 5-cents-a-gallon gas tax increase, a reversal of vehicle tab fee reductions enacted under former Gov. Jesse Ventura and bonding for new transit projects.
The Chamber is the guilty party of the criminal Vote Yes amendment having passed. It can no longer be considered a friend of the tax payer, as it has now kicked off its second straight session of advocating for tax increases. It shall now be relegated to the status of special interest lobby of which membership is discouraged, by me. (Why pay dues to a group that is just going to lobby Government to tax you more?)
But Pawlenty has some allies, too. Republican state chairman Ron Carey denounced the Murphy-Erhardt bill as “another irresponsible DFL tax and spending spree” that “would hurt Minnesota’s middle class and harm our economy by killing jobs.”
(Is that the best you could do Chairman Carey?)
How about?
Every one in Minnesota would benefit from improved transportation. Why is it the last priority of Legislators every session? The state of Minnesota already spends over $30 billion dollars, and has an extra $2 billion dollars over the next biennium. There is plenty of money to be spent in St. Paul already, we don’t need more taxes to add to the already bloated state budget.
The officials in St. Paul should have to live with in the same means that Minnesota tax payers have to. When their taxes go up, they can’t just walk in to their bosses office and get more money, especially when their bosses are paying higher taxes too. Our state budget needs to be reformed so that existing money gets spent on priority items like transportation FIRST, and is not used as a wedge issue like it is every year.
It is a shame that legislators hold Minnesotans hostage in congestion every session. Minnesotans are tired of watching the partisan fights over increasing revenues. There is plenty of money in the state coffers already to improve transportation funding. Maybe what we really need is better legislators in St. Paul to see the people’s money spent more wisely.
Minnesotans already ARE paying for a better Minnesota, it is high time for the Legislators in St. Paul to give it to them.
I was told I was being “passive agressive” when I asked questions that people don’t want to answer, but so what? If legislators can’t make sense and explain their actions, they should stop proposing stupid stuff. So here’s the question: I thought this transportation amendment was going to solve all of our transportation funding problems? What happened to that, hey?
Well, they sat on a report saying venue from the MVST was way done the last few years. It is no longer “adequate” funding.
In other words, they lied!
What Governor Pawlenty wants, is to have the votes to override his veto, so he’ll veto the bill, keeping faith with his base, but won’t do much to keep republicans from overriding it. Remember what he did with the stadium bill.
This is why you should stop trying to act like a Republican.
TPaw not only signed the bill, but lead the charge for all 3 stadium bills. It is what lead to very voiceful opposition in his own party. If your suggestion of him really wanting to be overridden is true, he can forget about ever running for our endorsement again. He harmed some good Republicans by doing that…. but its too late. move on