It always comes back to taxes

Posted at 7:32 PM on June 22, 2006 by Bob Collins (2 Comments)

I was listening to Pat Kessler on Dan Barreiro's show on the drive home tonight. It was a little tough to follow because of Barreiro's penchant for, shall we say, taking side roads. Mr. Magoo had more focus. But eventually he settled down to talk to Kessler a bit about this ad that apparently was in the Strib this morning (I'm not presently a subscriber so I didn't see it) from a group of wealthy Minnesotans who say they should be taxed more to make up for what's happened in the state in the last few years.

Kessler was suggesting, if I followed it correctly, that this was now what the campaign the rest of the way would be about. Since what campaigns are about are -- let's face it -- what the media chooses to talk about, and since Kessler is probably the most influential TV political reporter in Minnesota, and since political reporters tend to run in packs, I'm guessing he's right.

Which puts the taxes issue front-and-center again on the gubernatorial stage. That being the case, we might as well hold the election tomorrow.

Still, it will require a little finesse since Pawlenty has ticked off the Taxpayers League recently, while saying he won't be signing anymore no-new-taxes pledges. There's also the little matter of leading the band on new stadiums.

So, do Democrats push him into a corner on the tax issue? How can they without ending up whacked upside the head again with the "tax-and-spend" tag? Can Pawlenty whack them upside the head again with the "tax-and-spend" tag? How can he since he's refusing to say he won't rule out new taxes?

Pawlenty returned serve pretty quickly today when he said, basically, "here's the state's address, go ahead and send the cash." Of course the pesky media also dogged him on the Crosstown highway reconstruction debacle, which -- for the record -- probably won't play big in Willmar. Anyway, here's the audio.

And on the other side, here's Joel Kramer on All Things Considered tonight.

Comments (2)

I agree with Kessler. None of our state's problems can be resolved without fixing our revenue system. It was so nice to finally see some civic minded individuals willing to put their money where their mouth is, and I hope more individuals are willing to show real leadership.

Tax and Spend isn't going to work this time. Anyone who has read a newspaper since 2000 knows that the GOP is the fiscally irresponsible party. Most Americans know the preamble to our Constitutuion, including liberty for ourselves and our posterity. Borrow and spend policies practiced by the GOP as the alternative to tax and spend policies directly undermine liberty for our children and grandchildren.

Minnesotans know where we need more money invested. Healthcare, Education, Transit and Public safety. Republicans have been spending money on wars and tax cuts like it's going out of style, and borrowing the money from China. Meanwhile, Minnesotans are going without healthcare, they're arriving in kindergarten unprepared and dropping out of college. It's getting harder to get to work with transportation cuts and our roads are deteriorating. And where I live, they're dying in the streets from gunshot wounds on an almost daily basis.

Governor Pawlenty's glib remark, send in a check, clearly missed the point. The wealthy are willing to invest because state run healthcare would save billions for business, education funding will help create future prosperity, and transportion infrastructure upgrades are essential for an efficient state economy. His administration (and the DFL senate, to be fair) have failed to deliver any of these goods.

No, these 203 individuals shouldn't send a check. They should sign up to run for the state legislature as independent candidates.

Posted by Justin C. Adams | June 23, 2006 11:46 AM

"The wealthy are willing invest" and "No [they] shouldn't send a check".

They are not willing to invest their money - they are willing to have the government take your money.

If they thought all these programs were so important, then send in THEIR OWN money.

No, what they want to do is tell you how to spend YOUR money - the exact opposite of liberty.

Posted by Savage Republican | June 23, 2006 12:37 PM

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