[Speed Gibson,
Monday May 12, 2008 at 8:49am]
Laissez-faire!
According to the AP, Prime Minister Tim Pawlenty is demanding a property tax cap be part of the budget deal to address the nearly $1 billion deficit. This is foolishness, born of arrogance and ambition, not sound public policy. Once again, Pawlenty is telling us we're too stupid to vote directly (referendums) and indirectly (local elections) on our property taxes.
We can't vote on local light rail subsidies, but he can. We can't vote on stadium subsidies, but he can. And now, we can't vote on funding local government without his approval, either. Mr. Pawlenty, we can handle this without your help. Mr. Pawlenty, you are exceeding your authority, trying to pretend you're a fiscal conservative who by gosh is really tough on those big spending liberals!
It's insulting to think that after ethanol, light rail, stadiums, environmental lunacy, the smoking ban, and numerous other purely political decisions at our mounting expense, Pawlenty thinks he can just toss us a bone to regain his standing with the GOP base.
Laissez-faire! Leave us alone!
We can't vote on local light rail subsidies, but he can. We can't vote on stadium subsidies, but he can. And now, we can't vote on funding local government without his approval, either. Mr. Pawlenty, we can handle this without your help. Mr. Pawlenty, you are exceeding your authority, trying to pretend you're a fiscal conservative who by gosh is really tough on those big spending liberals!
It's insulting to think that after ethanol, light rail, stadiums, environmental lunacy, the smoking ban, and numerous other purely political decisions at our mounting expense, Pawlenty thinks he can just toss us a bone to regain his standing with the GOP base.
Laissez-faire! Leave us alone!