Crow.... Yum.

Yesterday, I thought I had some impeccable information from inside sources, when I reported that it was almost sure that Tim Pawlenty would be McCain's choice for Veep.

It appears that reports of such an occurrence were greatly exaggerated; however, at the time, the inside sources appeared to be sure of that occurrence, as well.

Nonetheless, I await to be pleasantly surprised by what will hopefully be the choice of Sarah Palin.

In a few hours we'll all know the story.

BREAKING NEWS: IT'S NEARLY OFFICIAL: PAWLENTY FOR VEEP!

I just got off the phone with Andy Barnett, who informs me that he just recently spoke with Pawlenty Press Secretary, Alex Carey. While Mr. Carey did not actually state that Pawlenty was the choice, there was excitement in his voice, and he did state that Governor Pawlenty "cleared his schedule" for the weekend.

Meanwhile, according to Barnett, a source very close to the Romney campaign stated that Governor Romney had not heard anything with regard to VP plans within this past hour.

...developing

A final deal between the MN legislature and the Governor has been reached...

In what looks like an overall good deal in light of the DFL majorities in both Minnesota houses, the Governor today announced that an agreement had been reached between the DFL -controlled Minnesota legislature and the Governor. It included benefits for veterans, as well as the extra funding for new facilities at the Minneapolis veterans home, a cause that Governor Pawlenty had been championing for quite some time. In a big election year, it appears that neither side wanted a long, drawn-out battle to give voters the impression that they would be a "do-nothing" legislature.

RELEASE FROM GOVERNOR'S OFFICE:

GOVERNOR PAWLENTY AND LEGISLATIVE LEADERS ANNOUNCE BIPARTISAN BUDGET AGREEMENT, INCLUDES PROPERTY TAX CAP

~ Governor delivers on commitment to provide tax relief, balance budget, reduce spending ~



Saint Paul - Governor Tim Pawlenty and legislative leaders have agreed on a plan to balance the state budget without raising taxes while providing significant tax relief for Minnesotans. The agreement erases a projected $935 million deficit and includes the Governor's plan for a property tax cap and tax relief for veterans and military members.



During several days of negotiations leading up to the agreement, Governor Pawlenty fought for a property tax cap to protect homeowners from rapidly increasing property taxes. The agreement includes a cap that will limit cities and counties to an increase of 3.9 percent per year. Governor Pawlenty's property tax cap and related relief is projected to save taxpayers $78.5 million in 2009 and $460.5 million over the next three years. Also, cities and counties will receive additional aid.



"Minnesotans deserve tax relief and a state government that lives within its means," Governor Pawlenty said. "This agreement delivers both. I want to thank legislative leaders from both parties for their hard work and willingness to seek out solutions. The result is a balanced budget, a strong property tax cap, additional tax relief, reduced government
spending, no additional taxes, health care reform, a new state park and new facilities at the Minneapolis Veterans Home."

Highlights of the overall package include: Property tax cap of 3.9 percent, plus household growth, for three years

$25 million in property tax relief through the property tax refund program which provides direct relief to homeowners and $60 million in local government aids and credits

Tax relief for veterans and members of the military, including a new tax credit of up to $750 per person annually for those who served more than 20 years or were disabled in service, a doubling of the existing overseas deployment tax credit to $120 per month deployed and an exemption from state income taxes for drills and similar activity

An overall reduction in state government spending and a balanced budget for FY 2008-09

Progress toward resolving the projected budget deficit for FY 2010-11

Total bonding within the state's 3 percent debt service limit,including funding for Central Corridor, a nursing facility at the Minneapolis Veterans Home and Lake Vermilion State Park

Nation-leading health care reform that includes increased transparency, pay for performance, required e-prescribing by 2011 and tax credits

Increased funding for K-12 schools and nursing homes

I'm still waiting to see the details on this one:

Nation-leading health care reform that includes increased transparency, pay for performance, required e-prescribing by 2011 and tax credits

I'm pretty sure that anything that is government-run, especially with regard to health care, probably has a few significant devils hiding in the details.

***UPDATE **** 9/18/08, 9:44pm

Gary Gross has a post on a synopsis of more of the details of the agreement, as submitted in a letter from Steve Gottwalt. Read the whole thing.

Just a spoonful of sugar?

Taking a cue from the venerable Mary Poppins, Governor Pawlenty signed a bill into law today that would simultaneously help veterans, while continuing to promulgate the biofuel fiasco.

Governor Tim Pawlenty has signed a bill that requires diesel fuel to contain a greater share of plant-based fuel and allows soldiers' family members to take time off for military events.

When speaking with governor Pawlenty in February of this year, he gave me his assurances that he understood that biofuels were more of a liability than an asset, to wit,

Pawlenty acknowledged that the production of corn- and soy-based ethanol was having unintended consequences, and that there has been a huge move away from food-product ethanol and toward ethanol created via corn-based by-products, animal waste and other "refuse-to-energy" alternatives.

Why, then, would Governor Pawlenty sign into law a measure that would continue a failed energy policy, that of using much-needed food and precious growing acreage for biodiesel products, with the inevitable result being exponentially increasing food prices?

He can sugar coat it all he wants with veterans benefits up the wazoo, but the unshinable turd that is the biofuels sham remains.

Pawlenty should have known better.

Governor Goalie: Time for a REAL SAVE!

Dear Governor,

It has often been said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and nothing screams that axiom more loudly than passing legislation for no other good reason than to tell voters, "We did something."

Oftentimes, such rushes to "do something" result in the "cure" being much worse and nefarious than that which it was intended to ameliorate.

Such is the case with HF3391.

Bill sponsors have admitted they have no idea of how much this legislation will cost or how it will be funded. But outside projections have shown that the bill will bankrupt the Health Care Access Fund by 2012.

The bill create new layers of expensive government bureaucracy, allows government to seize control of our private medical information and set the stage for a government takeover of health care in Minnesota.

If you want good health care reform, look the initiative put forth by Colorado state Senator Bob Hagerdorn.

Recently, as you know, Minnesota was ranked the healthiest state in the nation, and I have no doubt that such a ranking is no accident. We have the highest access to health care.

PLEASE DON'T BOTCH IT UP!

Please veto HF3391.

Sincerely,

Leo Pusateri

(Send your own fax to the governor about this train-wreck waiting to happen by clicking here).

Lileks on the Guv's Vetoes...

Just don't have anything liquid in your mouth while you're reading this-- lest it become a nasally-ejected, screen- and keyboard-staining projectile while you're busting your gut laughing!

(h/t AAA)

We're from the government and we're here to help....NOT.

Craig Westover has a must-read article in the Pi-Press that calls proposed socialized healthcare in Minnesota what it is: A train in search of a wreck. Be sure to read the whole thing. Regarding this article, Steve Gottwalt, who voted against the measure in committee and plans to vote "no" when the measure comes to the floor, stated,

This is EXACTLY the truth (and my deep concern) about the health care reform legislation charging through the Legislature at this time (HF3391 Huntley)! Anyone who cares at all about health care MUST READ THIS!!

Unfortunately, I have it on good word that our wayward governor has signaled that he would sign this bill into law should it reach his desk. It's time to storm the Governor's office with phone calls, faxes, and emails and have him veto this measure!

If the government can't even get a simple thing like light bulbs right, how can you even begin to trust them with your health care?

An evening with the guv...

I attended a fundraiser for Governor Pawlenty tonight in Sartell; which was attended, by my estimate, by around 150-200 people. It was a great affair, attended by a number of successful local businessmen, political luminaries, and just plain folks, like myself and Gary, who shot the moon and plunked down the $100 donation to spend the evening with one who could potentially be the second most powerful man on the globe.

During the course of the evening I was able to have the Governor's ear for a few minutes. During the conversation, he downplayed his chances of being the Veep selection for John McCain, saying, "Why would someone select a governor from Minnesota to be a V.P. selection?"

(Ever hear of Walter Mondale? Or for that matter of the fact that Jimmy Carter was from Plains, Georgia, and that Bill Clinton (and Mike Huckabee) are from Hope, Arkansas.)

During the course of the conversation, I was also able to subtly voice my displeasure with Tim Pawlenty's venture into the dark side of global warming. While I was able to get him to see the possibility that anthroprogenic global warming was a hoax, Pawlenty stated that he was for environmental measures that would not harm the economy. Pawlenty acknowledged that the production of corn- and soy-based ethanol was having unintended consequences, and that there has been a huge move away from food-product ethanol and toward ethanol created via corn-based by-products, animal waste and other "refuse-to-energy" alternatives. While the governor and myself are still far apart regarding his level of buying into and legitimizing the whole MMGW, he at least is recognizing the fact that much of the policy initiatives called for by the enviro-whackos are. in fact, economy-killers.

The governor did give a good speech tonight; recognizing that once-stalwart Minnesota businesses like 3-M are looking to expand not in Minnesota, but in neighboring states in large part due to the high corporate tax burden that Minnesota imposes. The governor called for a tax climate that invites businesses and jobs, not driving them to neighboring states.

The governor also articulated his vision for the future of education in Minnesota. While he praised the current educational structure, citing the fact that Minnesota consistently scores at the top for ACT scores and graduation rates, Governor Pawlenty also stressed the need to meet the technology and other demands that the upcoming world will exact on our youths in the coming century. He stressed the need to develop computer-based curricula, that would allow high-flying students to progress at their own pace in their studies, and leave teachers freer to give more individual attention to struggling students.

Other highlights of my evening included talking with St. Cloud's mayor Dave Kleis. Kleis gave us the scoop that the City of St. Cloud, following the State of Minnesota's lead, would impose a freeze on new hires until further notice. Kleis stated that the current climate is such that a tax increase would be unconscionable. Kleis was extremely disappointed at the DFL's decision to override Governor Pawlenty's veto the other day. Kleis, a small businessman himself who operates an area driving school, stated that the gas tax will significantly increase the costs of his business which he will have to pass on to families who utilize his company's services. Additionally, the taxpayers of St. Cloud, who currently foot the gas for police and fire vehicles, snow plows, city trucks and the likes will have to absorb the increased gas tax that the city pays to run its vehicles (yes, municipalities pay as much gas tax per gallon as do its citizens).

Good going, DFL-- way to sock it to the taxpayers. Again. But I digress.

Time to put the myth to bed, once and for all.

The more that the leftists try to perpetuate the myth, and the more that supposed conservatives buy into it, the more pathetic it becomes.

Over the past year, anecdotal evidence for a cooling planet has exploded. China has its coldest winter in 100 years. Baghdad sees its first snow in all recorded history. North America has the most snowcover in 50 years, with places like Wisconsin the highest since record-keeping began. Record levels of Antarctic sea ice, record cold in Minnesota, Texas, Florida, Mexico, Australia, Iran, Greece, South Africa, Greenland, Argentina, Chile -- the list goes on and on.

No more than anecdotal evidence, to be sure. But now, that evidence has been supplanted by hard scientific fact. All four major global temperature tracking outlets (Hadley, NASA's GISS, UAH, RSS) have released updated data. All show that over the past year, global temperatures have dropped precipitously.

A compiled list of all the sources can be seen here. The total amount of cooling ranges from 0.65C up to 0.75C -- a value large enough to wipe out nearly all the warming recorded over the past 100 years. All in one year's time. For all four sources, it's the single fastest temperature change ever recorded, either up or down.

Word to Governor Pawlenty and John McCain: Time to distance yourself from the MMGW B.S. Really, it's getting to be very unbecoming of you.

H/T American Thinker via Kermit.

Transportation Bill: 1; Taxpayers: 0

As featured on Tundra Politics, the Minnesota House has passed the behemoth tax-laden, pork-laden transportation bill:

The tax increases include a 1/4% sales tax increase, a raise in the gas tax, and a raise in the overall vehicle registration fees that will be paid over the life of a car.

This tax increase is a tax on working middle class members. It’s a tax on contractors, who are required to drive extensively to get their jobs done. It’s a tax on taxi drivers, who will receive less wages as their company pays more to the State in gas taxes. It’s a tax on farmers, who are greatly affected by gas prices. Delivery truck drivers, commuters, people who can’t afford a high gas mileage vehicle, parents who drive their kids to school, etc… etc…. etc.

Marty Seifert had proposed an alternative. He proposed a bill that would fund the roads, but remove some of the pork projects that the Democrats have already added to the budget. It would also use state bonds to pay for major projects.

Unfortunately, the DFL did not let this bill leave the committee. If they really cared about the people of Minnesota, the DFL would have encouraged an open debate on the bills. Instead, they limited debate, blindsided the public, and went after the tax burden increase on the people they were elected to represent.

Count 5 RINO republicans in the yea total; including Bud Heidgerken from nearby Freeport.

Steve Gottwalt gave a resounding speech today on the floor of the Minnesota House, saying that he was ashamed that the legislators wouldn't take the trouble to prioritize current spending, but instead chose to pass the burden lock, stock and barrel to the taxpayers, funding the entire $8 billion of the pork-laden bill in the form of new taxes.

However, upon speaking with Steve Gottwalt just moments ago, he appeared confident that the Republicans in the State legislature had enough votes to sustain a gubernatorial veto. "Last year we had five Republicans vote for the transportation bill; this year we again have five Republicans. So we're in the same boat."

At a time of record gas prices, isn't it something how the party of the "common man" is all too willing to place an undue burden of taxation upon those whom they purport to champion.

When "Imaginary Friends" Go Too Far...

(A play in two acts)

The scene is a living room in a modest home, in a small Minneapolis suburb. June Cleaver, Ward’s liberal-leaning wife, is vacuuming, while wearing her full compliment of high heels, a flowing dress, and string of pearls. Ward Cleaver is sitting down in his recliner, relaxing after a hard day’s work, reading the Strib and cussing at Nick Coleman’s latest article. Suddenly, there’s an abrupt knock. Four bratty neighborhood kids await outside the door…

June Cleaver: (opening door) “Why hello kids—how are all of you? Would you like some campaign contributions? I baked them fresh!”

(The four children, T-Paw, Normie, Willie and A-Klo walk in the door)

T-Paw:(syrupy sweet voice) “Hello, Mrs. Cleaver! Mmmm.. gee, thanks for those contributions! Oh—Mrs. Cleaver—come here and meet Willie’s friend, Global Warming!” (T-Paw points to an empty space next to Willie)

June Cleaver: (thinking to self): “An imaginary friend. Isn’t that cute!” (then, out-loud, playing along:) “Gosh golly, T-Paw and Willie,” (looking at the empty space between them)—“Looks like you’ve got yourself quite a friend! Why—isn’t that nice!”

T-Paw: “Yep, and me and Willie are going to go to the North Pole, where Global Warming lives, an’ ‘splore!”

June Cleaver: “Well, isn’t that special! You kids better dress warm… and be back by the time the street lights are on, okay?”

T-Paw: “Okay, Mrs. Cleaver! Come on Willie, Normie and A-Klo—let’s go ‘splorin!”

(the four trot out the door and turn north; Leave it to Beaver type music in background)

Ward Cleaver: “June, do you really think you should encourage their having an imaginary friend like Global Warming?”

June Cleaver: “Ward, what can it hurt. After all, they’re just children exercising their imaginations!”

Ward Cleaver: “But what if it goes too far?”

June Cleaver: “Nonsense, Ward—what harm could kids do with an imaginary friend, anyway?”

Ward Cleaver: “Maybe you’re right, June, but I wonder…” (music out)

Act II

(A week later, The Cleavers receive another knock at their door. T-Paw, Willie, Normie and A-Klo are there with a bucket.)

T-Paw: (in a syrupy-sweet voice) “Hello, Mrs. Cleaver—My, but don’t you look wonderful!”

June Cleaver: “Why, thank you T-Paw! What can I do for you?”

T-Paw: “Well, Mrs. Cleaver, it turns out that our friend, Global Warming, isn’t very nice!”

June Cleaver: “Really, why do you say that?”

Willie: “Well, well… me, me, me an’ T-T-T-Paw went to-to-to the Nawth Pole… an- an-and Gwobal Warming started k-k-kiwwing powar beawrs an’ baby seaows and stuff!”

June Cleaver: (playing along) “You don’t say! Why the nerve…”

Normie: “Yeah, Mrs. Cleavah. That’s why we’re asking fer contributions—so we can hire a hit man to kill Gwobal Wahming! (laughs like Elmer Fudd--holds out bucket)

June Cleaver: (puzzled) “I beg your pardon?”

A-Klo: (hands on hips) “Mrs. Cleaver, All we’re asking is 40 percent of your paycheck! I mean, it’s really important that we stop Global Warming before he kills even more cute baby seals and polar bears!! :::whining, on the verge of tears::: I mean, you want to save cute baby seals and polar bears—don’t you ??” :::sniff:::

June Cleaver: “Well, of course, but..”

(Meanwhile, Mr. Cleaver, overhearing the conversation, comes to the door)

Ward Cleaver: “Now children, it was all well and good that Mrs. Cleaver and I played along with your imaginary friend, but..”

Willie: “IMAGINAWY FWIEND?!?”

A-Klo: (hands on hips—pursed lips, frown) “Yeah. What do you mean, ‘maginary?”

Ward Cleaver: “Heh—now kids, you don’t really believe in Global Warming, do you?”

Normie: “I sure do! Don’t you??!?”

Ward Cleaver: “Why, no!”

Normie: “Well—I’m gonna hold my bweath til my face turns bwue unwess you take back what you said!” (bears down, puffs cheeks and holds breath)

Ward Cleaver: Now, Normie--i

T-Paw: “Yeah, you meanie!” (T-Paw kicks Ward Cleaver in the 'nads).

Ward Cleaver: “—Oooh—hey! ::cough:: —that hurt!” :::cough:::

:::Willie starts to sob uncontrollably:::

:::Normie’s face starts to turn an iridescent array of colors::::

June Cleaver: “Ward— you made Willie cry! Take back what you said!”

Ward Cleaver: “But June!!”

June Cleaver: “Ward—they’re children! Don’t destroy their imaginations!”

A-Klo: (hands on hips) “Yeah—our ‘maginations!”

:::Normie starts teetering:::

Ward Cleaver: “But June—they want us to give them money!”

June Cleaver: “Ward—if you don’t take back what you said right now and give them some money, you’ll be cut off from The Beaver!”

Ward Cleaver: (Looks up and down at Mrs. Cleaver, turns toward children, and emits a deep sigh) “Okay kids… How much…”

Normie: “A couple-a-grand oughta do, fer stahters. (Elmer Fudd laugh)”

(Ward writes a check, grudgingly signs it, and drops it in Normie’s bucket)

T-Paw: (syrupy sweet) “Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Cleaver. How very generous of you. We’ll be back!”

(T-Paw, Willie, Normie and A-Klo skip away from the Cleaver household, bucket in tow, to the next house down the block….)

June Cleaver: "Aren’t they nice kids, Ward?"

::::Leave it to Beaver Music out:::::

Fin.

***UPDATE***
More on T-Paw, Normie's and A-Klo's "Imaginary friend" (h/t Minnesotans for Global Warming, via Freedom Dogs). Long, but more than worth the view.

Grab a tub of popcorn for this one.

Now isn't this rich...

Looks like our esteemed governor is playing footsie with the radical leftists, again (all emphases mine):

ELY -- More than 250 people packed a global climate change forum in Ely this afternoon, where Gov. Tim Pawlenty, polar explorer Will Steger, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar and others stressed the urgency of reducing greenhouse gas emissions before a catastrophic environmental "tipping point" is reached.

250 people packed? Since when have 250 people packed anything, other than perhaps a phone booth? But I digest.

The bigger question remains: What the hell is Pawlenty doing, promulgating the fearmongering by the decidedly socialist envirowhacko left?

And "Tipping point?"

The only "tipping point" I see on the horizon is the critical mass of the erstwhile Republican faithful who will now sit at home on their thumbs up to the third knuckle due to the knuckleheaded antics of their kowtowing party leader; "tipping" their glasses of Scotch down their gullets as they drown their sorrows while their leadership captains their once grand party down a brown-colored stream, sans locomotion.

The Republican governor and the Ely-based dog-sled adventurer joined forces last fall on the climate change issue, with Pawlenty declaring it to be "one of the most important issues of our time."

Osama bin Laden? A friggen puppy dog. Your neighborhood meth lab? Small potatoes, folks. Government encroachment on our liberties? Surely, you jest.

No folks, one of the "most important issues of our time," at least according to our esteemed, so-called "republican" governor just so happens to be the greatest non-issue of our time.

All so that our RINO-in-Chief can climb on his soap box, beat his chest, and proclaim that "he cares," in the hopes that the envirowhacko left will swoon over his every "enlightened" word.

To whom does he think he's pandering? Does he really think that the envirowhacko left is actually going to cast one vote for a Republican candidate? The same type of moonbat who didn't think twice about running Joe Lieberman out of their own party on a rail?

My dear readers, Governor Pawlenty has gone native. He's not only sipped the enviro-whacko kool-aid, he's become a connoisseur and bought the whole damned factory.

Word to our Governor:

Mr. Pawlenty, for all intents and purposes, you are the general of the party, and we, the grass-roots, are the foot soldiers. You know, the guys who give money, knock on doors and otherwise bust their asses trying to get their friends and neighbors to vote for you.

Give us a cause; give us something to believe in, and we'll run through cinder block walls to get you elected.

Call me a spoiled sport, Governor, but as a footsoldier, I'm not all that hopped-up about following a general whose command has the net effect of leading his troops headlong toward the political version of the Little Big Horn.

With all due respect, we're looking for a Patton, not a Custer.

If you're going to go quixotic on us, choosing to tilt at imaginary windmills instead of tackling the real issues of our day, do it on your own dime.

This footsoldier will stay home, thank you.

DFL Stood Up. Again.

Governor Pawlenty is quietly, unilaterally, and rightfully utilizing his executive authority to release aid monies to S.E. Minnesota's flood victims, and the democrats are hopping mad:

With agreement on a special legislative session still elusive, Gov. Tim Pawlenty has unilaterally opened the state's coffers to aid flood recovery in southeastern Minnesota -- one of the emergencies a session would likely deal with.

With that action and his announcement that his staff has set up a new one-stop flood recovery website, Pawlenty continued to announce initiatives that suggest progress is underway, special session or no. And DFLers continued blasting him for not yet calling one.

The truth is, as has been hammered by many a conservative voice in the weeks following the I-35W bridge collapse, a special session was never needed. The truth is that the "no disaster left behind" DFL has always seen this situation as an opportunity to set Minnesota back on what they saw as the "right track" toward profligate spending and big government:

DFL legislative leaders have spelled out that they want a more expansive session, which they would have the ability to control because only they can end a special session after the governor has called it.

In a letter delivered to Pawlenty on Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller and House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher indicated they want to revisit the tax bill that Pawlenty vetoed earlier this year and the broad transportation bill he also vetoed.

BUT

Pawlenty repeated Thursday that he is unwilling to call a session that isn't narrowly focused.

He has proposed $200 million in bonding focused on both road and bridge safety and flood relief, additional money for flood recovery and property tax relief. If a session were limited to those items, "I could call it tomorrow," he said.

He also has said he would support a gas tax increase of as much as a nickel a gallon.

"I've extended an olive branch to reach some compromise," he said during a radio interview. "It doesn't look like they're going to accept it, so we're going to have to go back to the drawing board."

AND

Pawlenty said Thursday that a broader transportation bill could wait until the regular legislative session that begins in February.

The DFL, like the overbearing bridezillas that they are, have again been rightfully stood up at the altar of Minnesota Politics.

Perhaps that is why they will always be the bridesmaid, but never the bride.

I'm telling you governor...

Like a one-night stand with a Hennepin Avenue Hooker, we're all going to regret this:

Majority House and Senate Democrats said there's no reason for Pawlenty to delay his session order.

"We think Minnesotans are waiting on us and we want to get to business here," said House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, DFL-Minneapolis.

"We're ready to go," added Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller, DFL-Minneapolis.

...they said, while salivating and rubbing their hands.

How do you stop lemmings from going over the cliff?

Wellstone Memorial, Bridge Collapses, and other opportunities for knee-jerk reactions (updated & bumped)

I was hoping against hope that politics wouldn't enter into the tragedy that happened last Wednesday when the bridge collapsed on I-35W in Minneapolis.

Note to self: Don't be so naive.

In yet another knee-jerk reaction reminiscent of the Wellstone Memorial, the democrats have capitalized on the tragedy to demand a re-do of the gas-tax veto.

The problem is, in getting caught up in the emotional zeitgeist, cooler heads are not prevailing:

St. Paul, Minn. — (AP)- Gov. Tim Pawlenty said Friday he is willing to reverse his longstanding opposition to a state gas tax increase in the wake of the Minneapolis bridge collapse.

The state's gas tax has been at 20 cents per gallon since 1988. Pawlenty had vetoed bills to raise it in 2005 and earlier this year.

"Everything is on the table," Pawlenty said Friday evening on the "Almanac" news program. "I will be moving to consider and put on the table a gas tax increase."

Pawlenty said he hoped in exchange, legislators would accept some of his ideas for funding roads and bridges.

After meeting Friday with the Republican governor, Minnesota's legislative leaders began putting lawmakers on standby for a post-Labor Day special session. Pawlenty said in an interview earlier Friday that he would likely summon lawmakers to St. Paul to respond to the bridge disaster.

C'mon, Governor Pawlenty. I know that the national spotlight is on you right now--and that the liberal drive-bys currently have their microscope on your actions. I also know that you have your eyes set on a cushy V.P. gig. But this is a time for leadership, not for kow-towing.

Question for Governor Pawlenty and others: Had the gas-tax increase gone through the first time, would the bridge not have collapsed?

Is the bridge collapse really a function of Minnesotans not paying enough gas taxes? Here is a table of taxes paid on a gallon of gas by state:

State	State Excise	Other State Taxes	Total State Taxes	Total Federal & State Taxes
Alabama	16	5	21	39.4
Alaska	8		8	26.4
Arizona	18	1	19	37.4
Arkansas	21.5	0.2	21.7	40.1
California	18	14	32	50.4
Colorado	22		22	40.4
Connecticut	25	4.7	29.7	48.1
Delaware	23		23	41.4
Dist. of Columbia	20		20	38.4
Florida	13.6	16	29.6	48
Georgia	7.5	4.7	12.2	30.6
Hawaii	16	19.1	35.1	53.5
Idaho	25		25	43.4
Illinois	19	11	30	48.4
Indiana	15	3.1	18.1	36.5
Iowa	20.1	1	21.1	39.5
Kansas	23	1	24	42.4
Kentucky	15	6.4	21.4	39.8
Louisiana	20		20	38.4
Maine	22	1.5	23.5	41.9
Maryland	23.5		23.5	41.9
Massachusetts	21	0.5	21.5	39.9
Michigan	19	7.2	26.2	44.6
Minnesota	20		20	38.4
Mississippi	18	0.8	18.8	37.2
Missouri	17		17	35.4
Montana	27	0.8	27.8	46.2
Nebraska	24.5	0.9	25.4	43.8
Nevada	23	10.3	33.3	51.7
New Hampshire	18	2.6	20.6	39
New Jersey	10.5	4	14.5	32.9
New Mexico	17	1	18	36.4
New York	8	22.3	30.3	48.7
North Carolina	22.1	0.3	22.4	40.8
North Dakota	21		21	39.4
Ohio	22		22	40.4
Oklahoma	16	1	17	35.4
Oregon	24		24	42.4
Pennsylvania	12	14.7	26.7	45.1
Rhode Island	27	4	31	49.4
South Carolina	16	0.8	16.8	35.2
South Dakota	22	2	24	42.4
Tennessee	20	1.4	21.4	39.8
Texas	20		20	38.4
Utah	24.5		24.5	42.9
Vermont	19	1	20	38.4
Virginia	17.5	1.4	18.9	37.3
Washington	23		23	41.4
West Virginia	20.5	4.9	25.4	43.8
Wisconsin	28.1	3	31.1	49.5
Wyoming	13	1	14	32.4
U.S. Average	17.9	5.7	23.6	42

This graph shows how much profit governments as a whole are raking in when compared with the oil companies who actually produce and/or refine the product:

So the government, without so much as lifting a finger, makes more off of "big oil" than do the very companies who produce venture capital and risk in procuring the product!

And they're still not making enough?

As you can see in the table, Minnesota ranks about average when compared with the remainder of the United States. Overall, Minnesota ranks at 30th per capita in gasoline taxes paid among all the states. So, if we were to follow the prevailing "logic", we should have seen and should be seeing at the moment of this publication a rash of bridge failures in Illinois, Massachussetts, California, and other states in which the per capita burden is less than Minnesota's.

Hey Governor Pawlenty-- instead of buying into the fearmongering and being "shamed" into approving a counter-productive tax hike, why not instead take a look at how the current revenue stream is being spent?

As our own Senator Amy "Klueless" Klobuchar stated:

US Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, suggested Bush administration spending on the Iraq war may have crimped funding for domestic projects such as road and bridge construction, and for such infrastructure projects as new levees for New Orleans.

"We've spent $500 billion in Iraq and we have bridges falling down in this country," Klobuchar told MSNBC. "I see a connection between messed-up priorities."

Of course, I'm sure that you'll never see the millions upon millions poured into such boondoggles as Minnesota's light rail Hiawatha Line, the Northstar Corridor, or the new Twins' Stadium anywhere on Ms. Klobuchar's list of "messed-up" priorities.

Even Steve Murphy has jumped on the snake-oil, fearmongering bandwagon, stating that unless a gas tax is passed,

"We're going to have to swallow the bitter pill, take the political hit and raise these revenues," Murphy said, adding that another bridge collapse "is a likelihood, and we don’t want that."

Oh really, Mr. Murphy? Another bridge collapse is a "likelihood"? Which bridge, Mr. Murphy? I mean, we'd all like to know, wouldn't we?

On second thought, I wonder if this is the bridge he's talking about:

Bridge Needs Upgrade To Support LRT


(AP) Minneapolis A draft report by a consulting firm says the deck of the Washington Avenue Bridge across the Mississippi River in Minneapolis isn't strong enough to support the weight of light-rail cars.


The engineers who studied the planned 11-mile light-rail line that would connect Minneapolis and St. Paul said the bridge deck needs to be strengthened to support several 107,000-pound light-rail cars passing over it at once.

Heh... I guess light rail is dangerous to one's health. In more ways than one.

But I digress.

Am I the only one to notice that there is a dearth of "logic," not to mention a total absence of reasoned thought, in the argument that a single bridge collapse does the need for a tax hike create?

Face it: the Minnesota DFL is riding the corpses of five (possibly up to 13) people, using this opportunity to capitalize on a tragedy as a means to steamroll a failed political agenda, at the expense of prudent, rational discourse.


This ghoulish behavior, of course, is nothing new in the repertoire of a depraved party that saw it fit to turn a Senator's funeral into a political pep rally; having proven long ago that nothing is beneath them.

But I would have hoped that the Pawlenty administration would have had the sense and integrity to refrain from imbibing the DFL "Ghoul-Aid" this time around.

"Governor Veto!"

Wall Street Journal

June 5, 2007

If he's looking for tips on handling Nancy Pelosi, President Bush might want to consult Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota. The Republican Governor is using his veto power to good effect on policy and making himself more popular.

Last month the Democrats who run the Legislature in St. Paul pushed through a big tax and spending increase in their $35 billion state budget. Last week Mr. Pawlenty responded by vetoing all six of the spending and tax bills the Democrats sent him. The usual media and interest group suspects are upset, but Mr. Pawlenty is rallying his own supporters and making himself a defender of the taxpaying middle class.

In Minnesota, as in many other states last November, Democrats picked up big majorities in both the state House and Senate. First on the Democratic wish list was a budget plan of the kind now being promoted by the party's Presidential candidates: Offer a few tax savings to the middle class but whack "the rich" with a huge tax hike, and use the revenue windfall to finance teacher pay raises, "universal health care," $200 million in subsidies for the Mall of America, and even a pay raise for legislators.

Click Here To Continue Reading:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118101238099724675.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Minnesota Republicans get Religion on Taxes...

Not only did the Republican minority in the Minnesota Legislature slay the giant, they managed to simultaneously energize their base, and gave them a reason to get out the vote in '08.

The following is a press release prepared by Marty Seifert's office regarding a press conference held today:

TAX BILL VETO UNFORTUNATE BUT NECESSARY
Seifert Says: "We needed compromise, not a special session."

SAINT PAUL - (May 31, 2007) - Minnesota House Republican Leader Marty Seifert today said the veto of the tax bill was unfortunate but necessary.

"There were some good provisions in the tax bill that will not happen because an unacceptable controversial provision was inserted in the bill in the final hours of session," Representative Marty Seifert said. "In all of our negotiations, it was clearly communicated that government on autopilot would lead to a veto of the entire bill. The Democrats rolled the dice and the taxpayers lost."

Seifert said building inflation into the state's budget forecast removes a critical tool of fiscal management that is necessary to keep government spending under control.

"The state budget is built on taxpayer dollars. We owe it to the taxpayers to audit our government programs each year to determine if the dollars are being used effectively," Seifert said. "Government on autopilot is a gimmick directly connected to tax increases not fiscal responsibility."

Seifert said the greatest disappointment of the legislative session was the failure to provide direct property tax relief to homeowners.

"There were many solid proposals this session and we should spend the legislative interim reaching a compromise that provides immediate relief to property owners and long-term property tax reform. The property tax bill should be the first bill we vote on during the 2008 legislative
session," Seifert said.

Seifert said a costly special session should not be triggered by the veto of the tax bill or any other line item vetoes.

"We do not need a special session. It is unfortunate the Democrats failed to reach an agreement with the Governor and Republicans to deliver real results during the session. Their inability to compromise and failure to get the job done should not be rewarded with a special session," Seifert said.

The democrats gambled with a poison pill that Governor Pawlenty made clear he wouldn't swallow.

To put in an automatically-indexed raise in spending, regardless of need, is at once foolhardy as it is laziness to assess what the needs are before deciding the level of spending.

Long-term readers of this blog know that I haven't always been kind to our state legislators, nor to the governor.

The Minnesota Republican minority, including such stalwarts as Marty Seifert, Laura Brod, and Steve Gottwalt have held together against all odds to emerge as the true champions of the taxpayer. They deserve our congratulations, our thanks, and our support.

Left unchecked, the democrats would have conducted a drunken orgy, with "sky is the limit" spending levels that would have the net effect of tanking Minnesota's economy and killing job creation.

KUDOS to Minnesota's Republican "giant slayer" state legislators--and to Governor Pawlenty--they just gave me (and many, many others) a reason to vote FOR them in 2008!

****UPDATE****

King has more about why the veto was a good thing, Anti-Strib gives a good dressing-down of the critics.

Gary Gross thinks the Guv should be enshrined in Eveleth, MN. :-)

Almost akin to a stopped clock... The NYT got it right...

...with regard to the current Minnesota legislative session. According to this article (all emphases mine): (username netfree4ever, password: bugmenot)

Professor Jacobs said the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, frustrated by years of cuts to social programs that have long defined Minnesota’s progressive reputation, went too far too fast after taking control of the House of Representatives last fall, scaring moderate Republicans back into party unity, and bruising moderate Democrats crucial to the majority’s success.

“The Democrats won a majority but they didn’t win a liberal Democratic majority,” he said. “They misread the election.”

And the Democrats’ legislative plans for more taxes and spending in turn appear to have bolstered the fortunes of Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a Republican who has brought his party charging back to the political right — perhaps to fuel ambitions for national office, many people at the Capitol say — with sweeping vetoes that have dismissed much of the Legislature’s work as liberal over-reaching.

And as proof positive that Minnesotans didn't bargain for a tax & spend, anything-goes legislature:

(Governor) Pawlenty, who won a second term in November by only 21,000 votes out of 2.2 million cast, has seen his popularity soar recently, with a 55 percent approval rating earlier this month as he stood up to the Legislature, according to a poll by Minnesota Public Radio.

Unlike Larry Pogemiller, Tarryl Clark and Larry Haws would have you believe, Minnesotans are not now nor were they ever ready for a reaming up the taxpayer bunghole in the form of the largest proposed tax increase ever in Minnesota history. And with the DFL campaigning like fiscal conservatives, who could blame them? Like a hungry hog in hummingbird clothing, Minnesota democrats have unmasked themselves for the true socialists that they are, and Minnesota taxpayers don't want any part of it.

Democratic leaders concede that the timing of some of their ideas — including a plan, also vetoed by Mr. Pawlenty and opposed by Mr. Berns and Mr. Benson, to raise income taxes on families making over $400,000 to pay for property tax relief — might have struck some people as ill-timed at a moment when the economy is sluggish and the state has surplus money to spend. (can you say 2 billion??--ed)

Gee...ya think so?? And which mental gnat giant actually thought that this proposed taxpayer-financed giveaway would fly?

The majority’s plan to allow illegal immigrants to pay the same tuition rates as state residents, called the Minnesota Dream Act, similarly foundered when people like Mr. Berns and Mr. Benson opposed it, and the governor threatened a veto.

But the democrats still don't get it:

But they say that after years of spending cuts by Republicans, Minnesotans voted for change, and a restoration of the things that create the state’s reputation for a high quality of life. That means more spending for education, transportation and health care, the party leaders said.

Perhaps Minnesotans voted for a change in leadership, but they did not vote for a financial raping to the tune of $5 billion extra dollars! If the democrats actually ran on what they were going to do, instead of lying through their teeth, I can guaran-damn-tee you not one of them would be voted for as much as dog catcher (And for those of you who think that the government is the source for a "high quality of life," and all that is good in the world, think again).

Even gasoline, which is at or near the highest price point in history, is not safe from democrat avarice; as they initially demanded a progressive 10-cent extra per-gallon tax to be increased in perpetuity; to a now pared-down tax increase of five cents.

They think government has it tough. What about the family who has to pare down a summer vacation, or may even need to choose between enough fuel to get to work and food to go on the table; in no small part due to the government taking a 40- to 50-cent per gallon cut on a product is has absolutely no hand in producing? Lawmakers from some states are recognizing this hardship:

Lawmakers in Connecticut and Texas, by contrast, are considering actually suspending their state gas tax for this summer’s summer driving season, according to the Tax Foundation, a nonpartisan, nonprofit research group in Washington.

But with bloodsucking vampires like Pogemiller, Tarryl Clark and Larry Haws at the helm, don't look for a similar garlic-laden idea to even enter the minds of the DFL. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't look for it to pass if they were in the middle of the Sahara and the bill was a drink of water.

It just isn't in them to put taxpayers first.

Question: If a liberal rag from NYC can get it right, why can't the DFL from our own state?

On hitching your wagon to a (falling) star...

(**TOPIC BUMPED***--read newer stuff below)

John McCain today announced his Minnesota campaign team..

Although I applaud McCain's recent stance on the war in Iraq, it seems to me that he's doing so to position himself with those whom he needs to cozy up in order to get the nomination: the conservative grass roots faithful who will be delegates at the '08 convention.

His earlier stances have hardly been GWOT-friendly.

Additionally, McCain's recent lambasting of Rumsfeld (not to mention his earlier burning of bridges with the religious right, those who supported Bush's SCOTUS nominees and First Amendment supporters), has done nothing to burnish credentials among the conservative base. Actually, his downslide is already beginning. Unlike liberals, conservative republicans tend to have long memories.

Now it's no secret that Governor Tim Pawlenty has been setting himself up to be John McCain's bitch VP running mate for '08.

BTW--closed circuit to Pawlenty et. al.: The Minnesota grass roots activist Republicans are wayyyy more than fed up with your recent jockeying to the left. Lining up behind one of the biggest RINOs of the past decade for POTUS will do nothing to provide us with any further motivation to help you folks get elected during the next cycle.

Yes, the Minnesota State Republican Party will most definitely be in the spotlight with the convention here in '08...

But our state delegation is gonna look awful funny there with no friggen supporters!

*****UPDATE****

Andy has more about how McCain takes the conservative base for granted; and voices concerns about an independent McCain third party POTUS ticket.

Kevin Ecker has a great piece on how even rats know when to jump ship.

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