Much has been written already today (Check it out here and here) about the override of the Pawlenty veto, so I will simply add that the following legislators deserve our thanks and gratitude for their actions today:

Jim Abeler (Anoka)

Ron Erhardt (Edina)

Rod Hamilton (Mountain Lake)

Bud Heidgerken (Freeport)

Neil Peterson (Bloomington)

Kathy Tingelstad (Andover)


Why should these Republican members of the Minnesota House of Representatives receive our support and gratitude? They have looked beyond the snit fit currently taking place in the Republican blogosphere and in their endorsing conventions to vote for the traffic needs of ALL Minnesotans.

Yes, a snit fit! It is the only way to describe the infantile reaction that some have displayed in learning that we actually have to pay real money to reduce traffic congestion and keep our roads driveable. While we may not agree with these six individuals on each and every issue, they have shown a willingness to work with others and stand up to the obstructionists within their own party. Send them an email thanking them for their support. They joined the business community and Democrats to responsibly invest in our future.

Comments

6 responses to "Veto Override & The Republican Snit Fit..."

  1. Gary Gross On February 25, 2008 at 9:22 PM

    Eric, Wait until this takes effect. Then tell me how wonderful this bill is. It's worthless because it spends precious little on bridge repair & adding extra lanes to highways.

    One of the items listed for expansion is one of the 94's. To do that, they'll need to buy about 20 miles of homes through eminent domain takings. The DFL put that in there so they could say that they were expanding roads. That's a bald-faced lie because it'd cost a fortune just for the takings portion of the project, much less for designing the on- & off-ramps & the construction costs.

    Yes, I'm throwing a snit fit because this is a transit bill, a capability that won't relieve the congestion by any appreciable amount.

    Melissa Hortman repeatedly said that "this is a jobs bill. This is a property tax relief bill" but then couldn't guarantee that county commissioners wouldn't use the money they're getting from this bill for other 'needs'. Tom Emmer didn't let that fly today. He exposed those myths, citing the statistic that only 1,100 permanent jobs would be created by this bill, not 33,000.

    DFL is the Party of the People? Not by a long shot. They just passed the biggest tax increase in Minnesota history at a time when people's finances are depleted.

    BRILLIANT. JUST SIMPLY BRILLIANT.

     
  2. Political Muse On February 25, 2008 at 10:39 PM

    The biggest tax increase? You know, Gary, you can say it as many times as you want but it doesn't make it true.

     
  3. Gary Gross On February 26, 2008 at 2:44 AM

    My saying it doesn't make it true. The fact that it's raising more dollars than any other tax bill in the state's history is what makes it true. Sorry, Eric, but the numbers tell the tale.

     
  4. Anonymous On February 26, 2008 at 7:23 AM

    http://greatdivide.typepad.com/across_the_great_divide/2008/02/the-biggest-bla.html

    Qumiby seems to have a problem with Dan Severson's math.

    He's right, if we hadn't waited 20 years...

     
  5. Gary Gross On February 26, 2008 at 9:08 AM

    Name me another bill that raises taxes by $6+ billion in Minnesota history. You can't.

     
  6. Gary Gross On February 26, 2008 at 12:13 PM

    Read this email to Saint Tarryl & tell me if you think this tax increase is good policy:

    I am writing because it may relieve some of the disappointment and anger I feel at this moment. I have been a resident law abiding taxpayer in Minnesota for almost 60 years. I am now faced with a decision I never thought I would have to consider. Due to a confluence of events brought about by liberal leadership, I now must consider leaving my home.
    Five years ago I lost my steady job due economics. At 55 I was unable to replace that income or any of the benefits. Result: our household income has been dramatically reduced even tho I have 3 part time jobs. Since that time we have seen our property tax bill increase more than 300%. We now face an addition to that amount due to a school levy recently passed. We are also fighting a city government which claims they must assess us for work performed on a county road that accesses our property. This has been paid for by the county but local government needs the money so we are being double taxed for that. Now in the face of what you like to call a recession, you have opted to further inflate our C O L by your recent override of the Governor’s veto on the proposed gas tax and light rail improvement which does NOTHING to help YOUR constituency.
    My choice now is to deplete what little is left of our retirement savings to pay property taxes, default on payment of these oppressive taxes, or try to sell our home(which we love) in a horrible market and move out of this state.
    I wonder what you and your lawmaker associates would do with this choice? I bet I’ll never know!