Today was a milestone in my life. Today, gas prices hit four dollars a gallon. I had hoped that this day was not coming in the near future. In fact, it shouldn’t have.
If gas prices kept even with inflation, we should see a four percent growth in prices from year to year. Instead, we have seen 36% increases in single years.
What makes this so infuriating is that it was preventable. Most of us are on a shoestring budget after the latest round of energy price increases. The sad part is that idiots like John McCain and Barack Obama still don’t get it. They are pushing for more legislation that breaks the backs of normal Americans. I guess that’s easy to do when the feds give senators a blank check for their gas expenditures.
For my house, gas prices have been cutting into our savings in a major way. Its getting to the point where we are seriously having to cut back on driving.
It should have been different. We are sitting on more energy than most countries can imagine. Yet we do nothing. Nancy Pelosi is playing the fiddle while our economy tanks. Are there any good politicians out there?
This is no longer a political issue. It is a moral issue. I don’t say this lightly, but forget about your stupid tree hugger legislation. Tree hugging is not something we can afford right now. People are losing their lives, their liberty, and their ability to pursue happiness.
Our congress has failed us. It is time to elect new ones. Lets begin to ask for their resignations! Many republicans and democrats alike should be fired for their gross negligence. If they were running a business, they would be thrown in jail for their misuse of funds. Perhaps we should give congress a taste of their own medicine. They hold “trials” on the house floor, maybe we should put them on trial as well.
One of the largest local newspaper chains in the Twin Cities seems to be engaged in a little bit of biased censorship. Many times newspaper outfits think of themselves as gatekeepers to all the important information within a specific community.
The bias of editors sometimes gets in the way of free and open thought. These editors will hand pick letters that portray their specific political views more prominently than others.
Terry Pearson has a good post on his site about the tax increases. He sent a letter to the editor, but they refused to publish it. He is trying to get his letter out anyway, through the alternative media. He has given permission for anyone to copy his post and use it however they feel appropriate.
The text of his post is below:
I sent the following letter to the editor of my local newspaper (MN Sun Newspaper - South St. Paul, West St. Paul, Inver Grove Heights, and Mendota Heights). Unfortunately, they chose not to publish it. They never actually gave a reason why they refused to publish it, but it was interesting that the only opinion on the Minnesota Tax Increases was published by a Democrat from the Minnesota House of Representatives.
Fortunately, I can go around MNSun’s censorship and publish this on my blog. Feel free to copy any or all of this letter and get the word out on this.
Dear Editor,
I do not think that I have ever been as disappointed in our state government as I am today. Today, our representative, Joe Atkins, along with many others in the Minnesota House and Senate voted to impose one of the largest tax increases in Minnesota history.
While nobody likes to have their money taken from them, it especially hurts when you know that just one year ago the state of Minnesota had a multi billion dollar surplus. Instead of being frugal in the good years, our state representatives squandered that surplus on various pork projects throughout the state in order to give favors to supporters.
Due to the tremendous growth in spending last year, along with a stuttering economy, we find ourselves in a major deficit. This is a problem that could have been avoided if our leadership had planned for the long run. Even the week before the vote on the tax increase, Democrats were not trying to find ways responsibly cut spending. Instead, they were giving away money to every earmark project they could think of. I suppose this was to ensure the need for a tax increase.
Today, we are faced with higher fuel prices, increased unemployment, and a weak dollar. With our economy running on fumes, the DFL proposed the worst solution to the problem. They thought that the best course of action would be to take more money from the working middle class families of Minnesota.
The tax increases that were passed by the Senate and House include a gas tax, a sales tax, and a vehicle registration fee increase. It’s funny, because I thought that the DFL said that they were going to go after the rich. Instead, they proposed increasing taxes where it would hurt the middle class the most. Contractors, couriers, even commuters will be hurt by these increases.
I know that Representative Atkins followed the lead of his party when he voted for the tax increases, but it would have been nice if he chose to do what is best for his community instead. I think that it is time that we push for a change in leadership in the Minnesota House and Senate. It is time that we elect people who put our community, and its families, before the DFL party platform.
Jason Lewis of 100.3 KTLK has been an outspoken and justified critic agaist Kare11’s ruthless attack on capitalism and complete disregard for the facts on the 2008 Minnesota tax increases. Here is Jason Lewis’s latest post about Rick Cupchella.
(Note: all quotes are from news stories posted on KARE11 website or Mr. Kupchella’s postings and/or emails. Relevant links are displayed parenthetically next to appropriate passages.)
Well, good for Rick. He and the KARE 11 staff up against lowly me. At least that makes it fair.
While of course “taking no position on whether a gas tax is or is not a good idea,” Rick and the gang at we-KARE-oh-so-much-11 found it necessary to take a knee-jerk position questioning not the gas tax proponents facts and figures, but those of us who are critical of this latest Minnesota tax grab. That is an operating premise worth considering when you’re watching the 10PM news around here.
Unfortunately, Mr. Kupchella’s other premise, the main one
For the casual Minnesota politics observer, the Minnesota House of Representatives is a boring topic. Most people are too busy working, raising a family, or collecting welfare checks.
However, the issues developing internally inside the Minnesota House Republican Caucus should catch everyone’s attention. The leader of the House Republicans, Marty Seifert, has done a great job of holding their minority of Representatives together. Last year, they stopped a tax increase due to his leadership ability.
While Seifert’s leadership has been stronger than ever, some Republicans in Name Only decided it was time to make their move. Fueled by special interest money and political self serving motives, Ron Erhardt and a handful of others who tainted the Republican name, decided to come out of the closet and begin their internal takeover of the Grand Old Party.
Fortunately, we have another option. Representative Ron Erhardt, can be fired by his constituents by him not getting the nomination at his local Republican Convention. Fortunately, there is already someone who is willing to take his place.
Keith Downey has announced that he will be taking on Ron Erhardt in the crucial battle for the Edina 41-A Republican nomination for the House of Representatives.
Blogger and Minnesota Senate candidate, Bill Jungbauer, has posted a brief writeup on Mr. Downey. He should be a good candidate according to Jungbauer.
Also included on Jungbauer’s post is a podcast link for the Chris Baker show. Baker had interviewed Ron Erhardt on Friday morning. Erhardt appeared to be unconvincing and awkward. You can also read the entire interview of Ron Erhardt here.
A handful of Minnesota House Republicans stand in the way of the Minnesota Tax Juggernaut in 2008.
Unfortunately, some representatives do not feel as strongly about keeping the tax burden low. In fact, one such Republican has said that he may change sides and vote with the Democrats for one of the most oppressive tax increases in recent history. They will override the veto of this horrible tax increase and will only do it to redistribute the money to their districts.
Bud Heidgerken said that his “hands are not tied like Pawlenty’s.” What he meant to say is that he is willing to enslave Minnesotans if he can bring home some pork for his district. It is comments like this that make conservatives hate Republicans.
We will wait and see Bud Heidgerken’s vote. If he and a few other special interest Republicans give up their roots, their values, and their base, we will have the worst tax burden in the United States, and Benedict Arnolds like him will be largely responsible.
Some other Republicans who are considering going against the public and increasing the gas and sales tax include Dean Urdahl, Rod Hamilton, and Neil Peterson.
Bud Heidgerken (R) 13A
* 237 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155
(651) 296-4317
(800) 339-6071 E-mail:rep.bud.heidgerken@house.mn
Dean Urdahl (R) 18B
239 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155
(651) 296-4344
(800) 920-5861
Rod Hamilton (R) 22B
* 215 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155
(651) 296-5373
(800) 735-2463 E-mail:rep.rod.hamilton@house.mn
Assistant Minority Whip
Neil W. Peterson (R) 41B
213 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155
(651) 296-7803 E-mail:rep.neil.peterson@house.mn
President Bush signed historic legislation today banning a practice that congress has made common. The practice of adding additional non-binding requirements onto bills has been used for many years.
Congress usually attaches an addendum to major spending bills that federal agencies have generally followed. With President Bush’s executive order, this practice will be all but banished. All Federal Agencies will be banned from honoring future “Earmark Addendums.”
This order will force Congress to be more up front with proposed spending bills. After the Democrat Congress took power in 2006, many had hoped for a decrease in earmarks. Unfortunately, the opposite took place.
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