[Speed Gibson,
Monday February 25, 2008 at 4:53pm]
The 6.6 Billion Dollar Question
The Republican Party stands for nothing if not at least holding the line on taxation. Without that, we are at best simply more thoughtful Democrats.
I therefore conclude that the six turncoats who voted to override the Veto today should be asked to answer the following question:
The obvious answer is the I-35W bridge collapse. Would passing the 2007 bill have prevented that? Not according to the National Transportation Safety Board and the Legislative Auditor. And what does Light Rail have to do with any of this? Nothing; it is what is always was: pork.
No, barring some other creative, credible answer, these six should be shown the GOP door. If they can't get this right, (and even our big-spending Prime Minister Pawlenty can!), we cannot depend on them for the rest. The income tax rates will be jacked up next, no doubt with their help.
The irony is obvious. We would have been better off passing last year's bill. We will at least be better off when these six are last year's Representatives, no matter who takes their place.
I therefore conclude that the six turncoats who voted to override the Veto today should be asked to answer the following question:
What has changed from last year?These House members voted to sustain the veto of a smaller, but still absurdly bloated bill in 2007. Yet now in 2008, they vote for an even larger bill. We had a surplus last year, a deficit this year. They didn't even wait for the forecast, as I asked my DFL representatives to do.
The obvious answer is the I-35W bridge collapse. Would passing the 2007 bill have prevented that? Not according to the National Transportation Safety Board and the Legislative Auditor. And what does Light Rail have to do with any of this? Nothing; it is what is always was: pork.
No, barring some other creative, credible answer, these six should be shown the GOP door. If they can't get this right, (and even our big-spending Prime Minister Pawlenty can!), we cannot depend on them for the rest. The income tax rates will be jacked up next, no doubt with their help.
The irony is obvious. We would have been better off passing last year's bill. We will at least be better off when these six are last year's Representatives, no matter who takes their place.
Even if it is another Hortman?
The real question is whether the Republican Party will be credible going forward. If we don't have a good enough candidates and or campaign skills, then that's the problem to be solved.
When the Krinkies of the party are gone, it makes the Tinglestads and Ablers of the party more noticable. The best way to deal with the issue I feel is not to vote in Hortman's who are undoubtedly going to raise our taxes hand over fist, but to add more Krinkie's to negate the influence of the Tinglestads and Ablers.
If Tinglestad and Abler would get us to 67 GOP house members I'd take them in a heartbeat. It just seems like to many conservatives are willing to be content with a 34 member ideologically perfect minority.