The Notables from Tonights Transportation Vote
The final vote on the bloated Transportation Funding went as follows - 83 Democrats and 6 Republicans voted FOR the Transportation bill and 42 Republicans and 2 Democrats voted against it. The 6 Republicans who voted for the bill were:
Rep. Jim Abler (48B)
Rep. Ron Erhardt (41A)
Rep. Rod Hamilton (22B)
Rep. Bud Heidgerken (13A)
Rep Neil Peterson (41A)
Rep Kathy Tinglestad (49B)
Word has it that Rep. Peterson was bought out by a pork project for his district.
The 2 Democrats who voted against the pork fest were:
Rep. John Lesch (66A) and Mary Ellen Otremba (11B).
For those of you who are so inclined, a phone call or two (politely of course) to between now and next Tuesday (when the House is tenatively scheduled to take up the over-ride vote) reminding the 6 "Republican" legislators that the citizens of Minnesota ARE overtaxed enough as it is thank you very much might be in order. Furthermore, a reminder that Section 1 of the Republican Party of Minnesota standing platform (which starts off as follows):
might be in order. Emphasis above is mine, but you get the point! Until the Legislature gets their spending priorities in order (roads and bridges, roads and bridges, ROADS AND BRIDGES) then we the people should not support any new taxes or any legislators who support raising taxes on an already over-burdened populace.
Rep. Jim Abler (48B)
Rep. Ron Erhardt (41A)
Rep. Rod Hamilton (22B)
Rep. Bud Heidgerken (13A)
Rep Neil Peterson (41A)
Rep Kathy Tinglestad (49B)
Word has it that Rep. Peterson was bought out by a pork project for his district.
The 2 Democrats who voted against the pork fest were:
Rep. John Lesch (66A) and Mary Ellen Otremba (11B).
For those of you who are so inclined, a phone call or two (politely of course) to between now and next Tuesday (when the House is tenatively scheduled to take up the over-ride vote) reminding the 6 "Republican" legislators that the citizens of Minnesota ARE overtaxed enough as it is thank you very much might be in order. Furthermore, a reminder that Section 1 of the Republican Party of Minnesota standing platform (which starts off as follows):
Republicans believe that limited government is the best government and that free
enterprise is the best path to prosperity for all Minnesotans. We support reducing taxes, spending and regulation to create business opportunities for our hard-working families and businesses. Therefore, we support:
A. Reducing the burden of existing taxation on our economy, supporting President Bush's tax cuts and making those cuts permanent; abolishing federal and state capital gains taxes as well as taxes on marriage, sickness, death, or inheritance; and keeping
Internet access and sales free of taxation.
B. Limiting the ability of Congress and the Legislature to use tax increases as the first solution to every problem by requiring a supermajority vote in Congress or the Minnesota Legislature to enact such increases; by a state Constitutional amendment
limiting growth in state spending to inflation plus population growth; by requiring that all state surpluses be returned to the taxpayers in proportion to the taxes paid; and adopting a United States Constitutional amendment requiring a balanced federal budget.
might be in order. Emphasis above is mine, but you get the point! Until the Legislature gets their spending priorities in order (roads and bridges, roads and bridges, ROADS AND BRIDGES) then we the people should not support any new taxes or any legislators who support raising taxes on an already over-burdened populace.
Labels: MN Legislature, Roads and Bridges
posted by The Lady Logician at
10:38 PM
2 Comments:
I'll start off by saying I am a Republican through and through. However, the priority of the legislature has to be to better fund education. Of all the things state government has a requirement to fund, education is the one that is a constitutional requirement. It needs to become the priority.
By
Anonymous, at 10:53 PM
So what would you cut Anon? Or are you another one of these "Happy to PAY for a Better Minnesota" types? The tax increases for YOUR education funding (and I say this as a parent of a child in the public schools) is going to come on TOP of the $540 annual tax increase for every family of 4. That is a LOT of food in this time of ever tightening budgets!
If you want to take a look at all of this from a STRICT Constitutional stand, the state Constitution does say that the state is responsible for educating our kids. Do YOU want St. Paul dictating what your kids learn? Do you WANT to cede all local control when it comes to spending and cirriculum? If you do what should be cut in order to increase that spending? Should the state spend less on roads and bridges? Should the state spend less on public safety (state patrol, courts etc)? Or should YOU be forced to spend less on feeding and maintaining YOUR FAMILY so that the ever greedy, ever growing state government can take more and more and more and more out of your paycheck?
LL
By
The Lady Logician, at 9:58 AM
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