First of all raising taxes drive businesses to other states (South Dakota with no corporate income tax). The merger with Northwest Airlines and Delta the headquarters is going to be in Atlanta in part because of taxes!

Second, when you have funds that are suppose to be dedicated such as the motor vehicle sales tax to roads lets make it 100% roads. We were sold the lie last year 100% will go to transportation, but it was rigged where 40% if not 100% will go to mass transit. Compare with the bang for the buck on mass transit versus roads roads are the big winner.

Three, lets say you make $40,000 a year (I just made up a number). You don’t go and try to live on $50,000. You certainly don’t have the power to force you boss to hand you over $10,000 this year. And once you’re at $50,000 than you will find a way to spend $65,000 and demand another $15,000 from your boss. Why don’t you show me the state restraining spending instead of spending billions.

Four, people have an idea if you invest money you get results. We invest something like over a Billion dollars every budget cycle to the University system. Yet tuition keeps going up at rates which make gasoline prices look thirfty. Maybe the univesity system should be told for every percent more than 3% tuition goes up you loses a hundred million in state aide. That will cap the growth in tuition immediately!

So lets spend better. The problem is the DFL doesn’t want to spend better. They just want to spend more and try to pretend the rich are paying.

Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN

I don’t claim to know all the ins and outs and details of every bit of legislation, but Hebee, how exactly have the democrats compromised on the transportation issue? I heard Seiffert say on the radio that this transportation bill is the same or worse than last years bill that Pawlenty vetoed.

Why waste tax education tax dollars on every little “make the kids feel good about themselves” initiative instead of actually teaching them how to read, write, etc? We won’t even talk about stupid stuff like coffee shops in the high schools and astroturf on their football fields.

The healthcare isn’t getting worse, more expensive yet, but not worse. Also, healthcare costs didn’t start going up astronomically until government decided to stick it’s fingers into the mess in the first place. So now you want even more government control on it so the prices will shoot up even more?

The job climite, especially in MN is ‘floundering’ because of too high of corporate taxes and an unfriendly climate toward business. That isn’t the fault of conservatives, that’s the fault of liberals.

All governors before Pawlenty have been leaders and had a vision? LOL! I’ll remind myself of that, especially Gov Goofy (Perpich) and his failed chopstick factory. Now that was some vision.

Please tell me when it’s a “good” time to raise taxes? According to the GOP you can’t when times are good, you can’t when times are bad, you can’t when gas prices are high, you can’t when bridges fall down, you can’t in war, you can’t when polls suggest people are against it, you can’t when people support it, you can’t in an election year, so do you have a definition of when you would ever raise a tax? Or are you a believer in the Governor’s world of “magical fees”?

Tim’s solution has been for the last few years my way or the highway. The DFL has tried to find a compromise on the transportation bill, but Tim always crafts things in a way that makes compromise next to impossible. He like gridlock, he has shown he doesn’t care if the government shuts down and his only play is hold the ball and stall until he either gets out of here on the VP ticket or get some primo federal job before the shit hits the fan.

In the end he talks a good talk, looks like a nice guy, but has only failed policies and few accomplishments to show for his time in office. As our schools fall from national leaders, the quality of our healthcare gets worse, our job climate flounders and higher eduaction get more and more unaffordable people will not remember
the Tim years fondly.

Besides Jesse, look at all the Governors before him… each one has been a leader and had vision and in the end found a way to move Minnesota forward.

Pawlenty a legacy of inaction…

You won alot of seats in the suburban districts by a pretty slim margin by saying very little except we aren’t Republican and we care about the kids. Your leaders also said they “didn’t see a reason” to raise taxes. Then you went and proposed anywhere from 4-8 billion in tax increases. I’d have to go back and look for the specific amount. And currently you are pushing a “pay at the pump road using fee” that is not popular. By the way, I didn’t know sales taxes were “paying at the pump”…

Should be interesting to see those margins in the suburbs in November when we have a deficit, gas prices are soaring, property taxes are out of control because local governments just can’t help themselves, wallets of taxpayers are getting tight etc. and your people think voters want to be taxed more… Or that you think you have finally convinced them that they aren’t taxed enough. I don’t think it’s going to work. But I guess we can only wait and see. My guess is that HCGOP reclaim many of their suburban seats.

So if you manage to ram this monstrosity transportation bill through and low and behold, there are still potholes, grid lock, and not enough bike trails and trains (or anybody using them, if you build it they don’t automatically come), are you going to propose another gigantic tax jack? Is there such a thing as being taxed too much? Have you seen a tax increase you haven’t liked? Is there ever a wasted tax dollar? Do you think the government can spend hard earned dollars of wage earners better than those that put in the hard earned part?

The transportation bill is too fat. Almost any Republican House member dumb enough to vote for an override will probably have alot of idle time on their hands next year at this time. But there will probably be more than a few new GOP Reps enjoying their first session. If the bill wasn’t so bad, it might be a good thing to see.

It was asked for the candidates in the governor race will you raise the gas tax. Two candidates said no. Hatch said he might raise it. Who lost? It was Hatch.

Now as for the House gains lets keep in mind the Democrats went around saying they will make things better without raising taxes. Instead they have been racing to raise all types of taxes. They’re going get creamed in November.

Besides about 60% plus have been saying every one of their major proposals are a stupid idea. It seems the DFL isn’t representing the people they have promised to represent.

Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN

Keep in mind President Bush started using his veto and it forced the Democrats to rewrite bills. Tim’s solution is I think there are better ways than raising taxes so lets try to work it. When we’re in a recession do you think it’s a good idea to pass a tax increase that is basically regressive?

Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN

Rep. Seifert better count his votes again, I am not sure he has enough.

The DFL should be ashamed.

If the 2 main issues of the session are immigration and raising taxes, the GOP may have a chance to pick up some house seats this fall.

Or and this might be speculation. She puts this vote up, but forces the governor to call a special session to pass a compromise bill. The problem is the governor can call it, but the House and Senate control the closure. They can pass all sorts of bills (or try). Didn’t Marty say there was something like 42 business days left this year?

Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN

To think, DFL’ers actually got upset by billboards around town that called them as they are, Tax and Spend liberals.

Guess the billboards were right after all.