Rep. Abeler Answers His Critics

Gary Gross did a yeoman's work transcribing the speeches of some of the tax hero's from yesterday's debate. Now it is my turn to focus on one of the floor speeches from yesterday and unfortunately Rep. Jim Abeler gave a speech that was not heroic in any form. You can find the speech here and it starts at approximately the 25 minute 55 secondmark. I commented on his remarks briefly (in my live blog post of the days events) but I felt that his remarks deserved special attention and consideration. I will transcribe most of his remarks (because he does go off on some tangents) and reserve comment for afterward.

…Since 1998 we have failed to do the job on this topic also by coincidence. Sometimes you are home on a Sunday afternoon and the suns out and you’re walking the dog and nobody calls and there’s no one around and it’s a quiet park? Well that wasn’t this weekend. I didn’t feel lonely this weekend Madame Speaker and members...I didn’t feel lonely at all. In fact I have 800 unopened emails – not for lack of trying…I just kinda skimmed eh the ones that looked interesting to read, trying to find some local ones. If you want to know what your people think I can tell you…each of you what your people think…and they are both happy and unhappy depending on how much they know. Now I took some calls and some actually used the word I can barely stand against….BOONDOGGLE! No, no please don’t use the “B” word…the
boondoggle...they thought it would be an effective word as they described how they understood this bill.

OK - I have to stop here. Did you catch this? First off, Rep Abeler is whining because people outside of his district dared to speak up to him and tell him "No". Secondly, those of us who took the time to read the bill and who understand all of the tax increases in this bill are bad are just too stupid to truly "understand" what our betters are trying to foist on us.

But unfortunately they didn’t understand the bill…they didn’t understand the problem. And I told them about the report that the Legislative Auditor put out about the state highways and bridges…calling the situation grim.

And what YOU don't understand, Rep. Abeler, is that the the situation about our personal finances is equally grim. Foreclosures are at a record high, bankrupty filings are too. People are barely living paycheck to paycheck as it is...we are at the breaking point. Maybe you should try to understand OUR situation Rep. Abeler.

They also said that there is money available for preservation ONLY which is kinda bad when you want a lane out your way on Hwy 10 to ease some of that congestion.

Here's a radical thought Rep. Abeler....why not take out some pork out of the bonding bill to bring more money to MNDOT. OR another radical thought.....quit spending money on light rail until our roads are up to snuff! I'll bet you can get a lot of lane miles out of the money being spent on the Central Corridor!

I do have to commend, again, the Minnesota Chamber…they read the report. They’ve been living this report…they know that their people can’t get across town at peak times and even not peak times. And so they took up…they became the surrogate for us…for me…they became the surrogate for the governor and they waded into this thing with both their feet and they courageously took on this topic on behalf of their membership and there was compromise.

This, then, is the DFL's idea of "compromising" with the minority who is looking out for the people's interests. They bring in a LOBBYING organization to help them write the bill so that they can say that they "compromised" with someone.

This bill is smaller than last year.

Let's see....last years bill was $5.5 billion and this years is $6.6.....when I took math way back when....6 was a LARGER number than 5. Has that somehow changed?

This bill has reform in it….MNDOT has to face the scrutiny of the Chamber of Commerce….not known for being easy softball negotiators. The Chamber Of Commerce and the business partnership are exactly the opposite….they’re a bunch
of jerks when it comes to their negotiating. They’re gonna go after MNDOT and say “why are you picking projects like this?” and “what are you doing with the money we gave you?”

What are they doing with the money WHO gave them? That is not the Chamber's money, nor is it the Legislatures money it is the taxpayers money and MNDOT should not be accountable to a 3rd party lobbying organization, they should be accountable to WE THE PEOPLE!

MNDOT (unintelligible) this task force…it’s in the report. There is compromise in this bill. I was so happy with the amendments in this bill that came out. I was not part of any discussions and every amendment that came out I thought “that’s a good amendment…that makes the bill even better”

In one of my favorite movies, Indigo Montoya says "You keep using that word, but I do not think it means what you think it means." The same can be said to Rep. Abeler here. He keeps using the word compromise and then he says that he was not part of any discussions on the bill and that the amendments (all DFL amendments)were added to make the DFL Transit bill even better. How is that compromise with the minority or the Governor exactly?

There is a quarter percent lower in the sales tax…it is a number that the people
can afford – the Chamber can afford it.

Here's a thought....if the Chamber can afford it why not let THEM PAY IT. Oh and remind me what roads that quarter percent sales tax goes for Rep. Ableer.....

Now we have a bill that starts at two cents….people calling me thought it was like a quarter or something. Can I use a prop on the floor? Do you know it starts at two cents? But I do want to warn you that it’s going to go up to a nickel. A nickel so that you can get across town or so many your kid don’t get killed at a bad intersection of Hwy 47.

Two cents a GALLON next month and 3 cents A GALLON in October Rep. Abeler. For drivers like myself that is an extra $2.00 a week, $8.00 a month, $104 a year per car (we have two) and that is in ADDITION to the sales tax increase and in ADDITION TO the license tab fee increase and in ADDITION TO the 3.5 cents per gallon gas tax surcharge that you oh so conveniently forgot to include in your talk.

I’ve been on radio shows…I’ve been on some radio shows where I’ve given quotes and some radio shows where they’ve called me a names. Names that I would not even call you or anybody that I would want to make a joke about. It used to be called slander to name call on radio shows where you get to hide behind your microphone. Jason Lewis who is relatively small market radio talk guy he has been calling me names and he has had people calling me up and sending me emails based on 1/10th of the story. At least if you are going to have them call me, tell them the whole story.

Where to start.....from the top I guess. Jason Lewis, like you Rep. Abeler, is a public person and as such the level to reach slander are much higher. As a politician, you have an even higher bar to reach (just ask Senator McCain about slander from the media). And before you go accusing ANYONE of not telling the whole story about this bill, I would suggest that you look at your own words in this very speech! There have been a number of things about this bill that you have either flat out ignored or completely glossed over in your empassioned plea for "the whole story".

And my good friend Phil Krinkie, the Taxpayers League…I’m on their blog…call Jim
and Kathy…we didn’t feel lonely. Part of why I am doing this today is because they did this. I don’t know why they would do it again I thought they would play fair.

They did it because you and your friends in the DFL were not playing fair with US!

These are people who have really good citizens listening to them. These are our bread and butter citizens. They all have jobs, they have good families, they care, they pay their taxes and they are obedient to laws and they tell them a half a truth.

They are telling us the half of the truth that you don't want us to know. They are telling us the half of a truth that your willing accomplices in the media willingly hide for you. And that is the biggest problem here. We the people are better informed now than we were when people like Rep. Abeler took office. They can no longer hide behind pretty words....the bills are out there on the internet for ALL to see and now that ALL can see for themselves what is being done "in our name". What seems to bother Rep. Abeler most of all is that the unwashed masses dared to speak up and speak out against the Legislature. He only wanted to hear what his friends on the Chamber told him and when we the people spoke out, he couldn't handle it. So maybe it is time for the people of HD48B to find a representative that does not mind talking to "we the people". We can do better.