Well, I guess we are supposed to applaud Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman Ron Carey for trying to do something related to a message. I just wish he would have thought a little bit more about the message before he produced an ad and launched a new website. Or who knows run this one by the very talented Executive Committee before it went public. I’m referring of course to STOPDLF.com

CCO’s Pat Kessler adds a notch to his DFL attackdog corner of the Reality Check bedpost, and chops a few limbs off Ron Carey’s ad. I say Ron Carey because I am told that he pretty much came up with this one without checking with other party leaders, and it is not being well received.

In my best attempt at trying to defend the Republican Party, thanks to Carey fumbling another kickoff return, I will reality check, Kessler’s Reality Check.

(WCCO) A new Republican ad that’s been on cable TV and the Internet blames Democrats for raising Minnesota’s gas tax. However, it omits important facts, leaving an overall impression that’s deceptive.”Who’s added a new 8-and-a-half-cent tax on a gallon of gasoline?” said the ad’s announcer. “Who’s raising your taxes when we have a nearly billion dollars budget deficit? The answer: 130 Democrats in the Minnesota legislature.”

That’s far from THE WHOLE STORY.

It’s true that the Democratic-controlled legislature overrode the governor’s veto of a gas tax hike. However, it would never have happened without six Republican votes in the House and two Republican votes in the Senate.

In fact, House Republican leaders were so irritated they publicly rebuked their members who voted yes.

Actually, that’s not the real truth. The House only overrode by 2 votes. They needed 90 and had 91. Despite the fact that 6 (R)epublicans voted to override, 2 Democrats who originally voted against the bill switched their votes due to arm twisting and threats from DFL leaders.

So while true that had the 6 Republicans, or just 2 of them, defended the tax payers and voted to sustain the veto, the $6.6 Billion tax increase would have failed, the brunt of the blame has to go onto the DFL’s back. Every single DFLer in the Legislature voted to raise taxes on Minnesotans. Every single one. Most Republicans voted to defend them and their hard earned money.

So what about the deficit that the ad talks about? Take another look…”Who’s raising your taxes when we have a nearly billion dollars budget deficit?” said the ad’s announcer. “The answer: 130 Democrats in the Minnesota legislature.”

That’s MISLEADING. It’s not fair, or accurate, to link the gas tax hike to the budget deficit. The two have nothing to do with one another.

The gas tax hike — by law — is money used only for roads and bridges. It’s a separate budget that has nothing to do with the deficit.

True to media bais form, Kessler falls for the DFL talking points that money collected by the Government isn’t all the same. It all comes from the same source, the citizens. We don’t have different wallets to pay each tax. We don’t have uptapped money sitting around burning a hole in our pockets, just waiting for a new government tax or increased one to spend it on. We work damn hard for our money, and already pay more than 80% of the rest of the nation in total taxes to Government.

It is related to the deficit in that fact that the budget deficit is a sign of a slowing, if not recessing, Economy. The deficit was created when tax revenue dropped due to lower economic activity. (Not to mention out of control spending the last 2 sessions) Pulling another couple billion out of the economy at a time when there is already an economic slowdown is going to hurt not only citizens, but government revenue collections overall, as there is now a smaller pool of money to run the economy since the state is gobbling up an even larger portion.

So here’s what you NEED TO KNOW.Minnesota ’s gas tax will go up 5-and-a-half cents this year which is the first gas tax hike since 1988. It’ll go up another 3 cents, and by 2012
Minnesota’s gas tax will be 28.5 cents a gallon.

This year the national average gas tax is 28.6 cents.

That’s Reality Check

The real reality is that Minnesota Government already takes enough taxes to put us in the top 10 in total tax burden. All the taxes collected by the state are relative. They all come out of the same pot. That pot is us the citizens.

The State of Minnesota has a spending problem. They have been taking record amounts of money away from citizens year after year. They have been spending that money faster then it comes in, and for a few consecutive decades, they have been ignoring transportation.

The proof that money for our roads and bridges is not a real priority for DFLers, and heck throw some Republicans in there too, is that the bonding bill being debated right now is largely going to build more shrines to higher education and for municipal welfare. Roads and bridges make up a mere pittance of the total billion binding bill.

The entire DFL delegation and 8 RINOs did raise taxes $6.6 billion at a time of record high tax revenue for the state, and at a time of recession for the state’s economy. Jobs are in danger, wages are in trouble.

Minnesota families have been funding the state government, at a top 10 rate, for years. The tax and spend liberals in St. Paul decided the massive amounts we have already been paying isn’t enough, and decided to take more. Plus, when you really get down to it, they simply punted the responsibility and simply gave Counties the ability to take even more on top of the gas tax, and all with out the say of the people, and with the idea that that money goes to “transit” not roads.

Minnesotans now have to pay for year’s of Government neglect and oversights in Transportation.

That’s a real reality check.

Crossposted at TrueNorth

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 6th, 2008 at 10:55 am and is filed under 2008, A.R.O.R.A., Know Thy Enemy, Minnesota, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.