Has anyone correlated President Bush's approval rating with the price of gasoline? It was $2.80 per gallon on my drive in this morning, one day after the future cost of a barrel of oil hit a record $71.35. Meanwhile a new Harris Poll shows the president with a 35 percent approval rating compared with 63 percent who give him a negative rating.

ABC News quotes the president:

"I'm concerned about higher gasoline prices. I'm concerned about what it means to the working families and small businesses," Bush said.

But there doesn't seem to be much he can do about it.

And as Minnesotans pay the higher cost for gas they may soon also be paying for a new Twins stadium. The House tax committee begins hearings Wednesday on the plan after the Hennepin County board approved a new higher priced stadium plan on Tuesday. Rep. Phil Krinkie, R-Lino Lakes, chairs the committee and is a long-time stadium opponent. He tells MPR it's a mistake to think that .15 percent sales tax the county would impose to pay for its share of the ballpark would be paid only by county residents:

"Hennepin County collects 34 percent of the total sales taxes in the state of Minnesota, so obviously a third of the sales taxes are collected in Hennepin County. So anyone who thinks they are not going to be paying a Hennepin County sales tax for this stadium, I think is mistaken."

Krinkie will certainly try to require a public vote on the stadium tax if he can't kill the bill outright. He plans to hear from supporters of the stadium today at the Capitol and opponents tomorrow night in Bloomington.

As the House ponders ballparks the Senate may take a vote on converting the 75 cent per pack so-called health impact fee to a plain old cigarette tax. The Supreme Court is still deliberating whether to uphold a Ramsey County judge's decision that threw out the fee. Gov. Pawlenty says he's willing to let the $375 million raised by the fee go by the wayside if the court says the fee is illegal.