For half a dozen years, the motto of state government and particularly that of Gov. Tim Pawlenty has been No New Taxes. It's been popular with a lot of voters and it has mostly prevailed. So much so that Pawlenty vetoed a 5-cent gas tax increase - the first in 20 years - last spring and millions were lost that might have gone to road repair. And yes, it would have fallen even if the gas tax had gone through, because we are years behind a dangerous curve when it comes to the replacement of infrastructure that everyone but wingnuts in coonskin caps agree is one of the basic duties of government.
I'm not just pointing fingers at Pawlenty. The outrage here is not partisan. It is general. - Nick Coleman, Star Tribune
A typical liberal thought. "More taxes need to be levied on the people! A new tax will solve any problem!" Well, what Coleman fails to mention is the fact that the state of Minnesota had a $2.1 BILLION SURPLUS for the 2006 fiscal year.
Coleman also misquotes the story of the bridge scoring a 50/120, claiming it was a "50% bridge". The number is misconstrued, as I just heard on the radio where a score of just over 70/120 is considered "very good."
"What that rating of 50 means is that the bridge should be repaired, should perhaps be considered for replacement at some point in the future," Peters said. "It was by no means determined that this bridge was not safe. Had that been the case ... Gov. Pawlenty would have shut this bridge down immediately."
Cross Posted on GOP & College
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