Passivism & Pork Buys Votes? – HF# 2800
Passivism – noun – The opposite of activism.
Mother of all Pork filled crippling tax increases
I’ve gotten lots of thankful emails about trying to stop the Transit Tax bill, but I am also just stupified by how some people are so quick to trash me for exposing how Republican votes are for sale and for encouraging people to call their Republican Legislators. When people are polled on why they disapprove of the Legislature and don’t trust politicians, it is this backroom, secret meeting crap that turns most peoples’ stomaches.
The Democrat Speaker of the House who has been trashing the evil Republicans who won’t let them raise taxes doesn’t give a primetime dinner meeting on weeknight during the session to 2 Republicans for nothing. I am told that the 3rd man with them was rookie DFLer Terry Morrow (St. Peter) 23A. Some LAs can’t understand why he was along on this one, “except that they may be grooming him for something in the future”. Simple, Kelliher can’t be out having all these private meetings all the time, she needs to outsource some of it.
Democrats ARE buying votes. This bill is going to get bigger before it makes it to the floor. Whether it is earmarks in Republican Districts or in Districts inhabited by the Democrats who won’t support the tax increases, you will see Kelliher and crew try to influence their fellow Legislators, in a non-partisan fashion.
If you don’t like me picking on the ‘squishy’ (R)s may I suggest that you maybe focus your jabs and passion from circling the wagons to the corruptive power being leveled by the Democrats by shoving pork into the bill so (R)s will support it. Frankly I am a little more worried about holding our caucus together, remember, just 5 (R)s flaking and it is all over.
I’m told Hwy 60 in Rep. Hamilton‘s District was added as an earmark in Committee yesterday.
Flashback (Worthington Council minutes Nov 2007) [...] Visited with Representative Rod Hamilton who related that in every important issue before the legislature is the disparity in dollars between the metro and outstate areas, and trying to gain more of those dollars should be high on our priority list. (Source)
Did Hamilton find a way to solve the disparity for his District?
MNDOT had been shedding tears on the project.
I don’t necessarily agree that by putting an earmark in there for one’s home District; voting for the initial passage; and then against the override is going to play as well as some claim. I don’t think it will be a win – win. If they pushed for it to get in the bill in the first place, they obviously care about the project, but not enough to do everything they could to pass it and secure the funding. Frankly, that is why our State Legislature is such a mess because this sort of thing is business as usual.
I have the feeling we will see a lot of retirements this year. Yes, I know us conservatives are making it tough on the moderates in the party, blah blah blah. If the party is representing conservatives too, then I feel we get to have a say too. When every single hack, spinster, and elected Republican stop claiming to be conservatives whenever they run for party office, major elective office, or appear on radio or at GOP events I guess us conservatives will stop expecting conservative results.
I like to think of what I am up to as conservative activism. Sure we conservatives could sit back and see what happens, cross our fingers and pray, but I would much rather put some pressure on people and hold them accountable. After all, that is what many say the problem has been with the conservative movement all along, that we sit out when we don’t get our way.
Well, we’re not going down with out a fight. Or at least I am not going to sit back and leave it in the hands of others.
BTW: Reps. Abler & Garofalo are solid on the our side.
Personally, I want to do everything I can to stop this pig of a bill. Just look at one of the aspects in it. (emphasis mine)
Sec. 7. [398A.10] TRANSIT FUNDING.
Subdivision 1. Capital costs. A county regional railroad authority may not contribute more than ten percent of the capital costs of a light rail transit or commuter rail project.
Subd. 2. Operating and maintenance costs. A county regional railroad authority may not contribute any funds to pay the operating and maintenance costs for a light rail transit or commuter rail project. If a county regional railroad authority is contributing funds for operating and maintenance costs on a light rail transit or commuter rail project on the date of the enactment of this act, the authority may continue to contribute funds for these purposes until January 1, 2009.EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective the day after the metropolitan transportation area sales tax is imposed under Minnesota Statutes, section 297A.992, subdivision 2.
Sec. 8. FUNDING FOR RAIL TRANSIT WAYS.
In order to accelerate the development of metropolitan area rail transit projects, reduce construction costs, provide transportation options, increase mobility, support economic growth, and meet environmental challenges, the Metropolitan Council shall initiate negotiations with the federal Transit Administration to secure federal funds for a single comprehensive program of rail transit way development, to include Rush Line, Red Rock, Southwest Corridor, and an extension of NorthStar commuter rail to St. Cloud.
So we will have Counties pushing for trains, but they won’t be allowed to pay for operating them. Sounds, sorta nice, except someone will have to pay for it, and that means all of Minnesota will subsidize the rail line operations. Yep, Hiawatha that is getting funding from Hennepin and other counties it benefits will no longer be allowed to pay for the operating costs if this bill passes. Northstar will no longer get funding from the counties it is supposed to benefit. Central corridor will be funded by the entire state. If they do build all those trains it would cost Minnesota state taxpayers hundreds of millions just to operate the light rail trains every year.
Well where is the money going to come from? That money would benefit more people if spent on roads and bridges.
This bill will make it so we have unelected officials with taxing authority lobbying other unelected bureaucrats for billions and billions of dollars to build more trains that the state taxpayers will have to subsidize. And all of that is just going to be another drain on the revenue that could be used to solve the real problem of an under capacity; outdated highway system in Minnesota.
Sorry, this thing is going to be the bill that keeps on taking. It needs to be stopped!
