|
The Taxpayers League of Minnesota eUpdate
1. The David Strom Show presented by the Minnesota Free Market Institute.
2. How much longer do we have to wait until Larry Pogemiller takes his ball and goes home?
3. The absolutely scientific results of our State Fair gas tax poll.
4. What if the U of M’s clerical workers struck and nobody cared?
5. An apology to one DFLer while another makes the case for involuntary deportation.
1. The David Strom Show presented by the Minnesota Free Market Institute.
Tune in this Saturday to AM 1280 The Patriot from 9 – 11 am when David will air a “Best Of” show. Up this week, a replay of the Amity Shlaes interview where she discusses her book, The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression. And, a replay of author Fred Siegel discussing his Rudy Giuliani biography, Prince of the City.
If you missed last weekend’s broadcast I highly recommend that you click over to the show’s Townhall.com page and listen to the second hour of the program. A few minutes into David’s interview with State Rep. Tom Hackbarth and who should come barreling up to the AM 1280 stage but Senator Larry Pogemiller himself. What followed was an illuminating discussion between David and Sen. Pogemiller about the role of a caucus leader and what, if any, were the Senator’s ideas about a special legislative session. I don’t want to ruin the show for you, but I think I can sum up the interview in one sentence: Sen. Pogemiller has no control over his caucus.
2. If you’ve stopped keeping score, don’t worry. I wish they’d just go away, too.
The latest from the Capitol is that Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller and Speaker of the House Margaret Anderson Kelliher have all but abandoned their call for a not-so-special legislative session. If you’ve been watching Almanac or At Issue or have been following statements in the press from a handful of liberal state legislators, you’ve no doubt heard that Minnesota is seemingly in dire need of a special session to take care of everything from bridge reconstruction to finding a cure for the Ebola virus. Ironically, it was many members of the DFL itself that tubed any chance of a special session by continually adding items to their emergency agenda and repeatedly promising their union and local government masters more than they had any right to expect they could deliver. They simply never gave Governor Pawlenty any reason to trust them. And so, just like Judge Smails had to tell Spaulding, “you’ll get nothing and you’ll like it.”
3. The margin of error on this one is zero.
The results are in. And despite what Speaker Kelliher and her House Public Information Office survey says, 82% of respondents polled at the Taxpayers League booth at the State Fair don’t want a gas tax increase – compared with 7% who would like to see a nickel increase and another 7% who would like to see a dime increase (the other 4% couldn’t seem to figure out how to vote). What makes the Speaker’s survey especially suspect (aside from the fact that it said 58% of Minnesotans want a gas tax increase), is that 58% is also the same percentage of respondents who claimed to support the medical use of marijuana. Coincidence? I think not.
One last word on this year’s State Fair. A special thanks (particularly from my wife) to all our volunteers who helped man (and woman) the booth, were forced to fight off umbrella-wielding senior citizens, had to deal with a delusion state legislator (see below) and otherwise conducted themselves with great dignity and aplomb. Thanks, guys. We couldn’t do it without you.
4. You say you’re not quite ready to go back to work after Summer vacation? STRIKE!
Good ole AFSCME. What would we ever do without the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees? Perhaps pay less in tuition at our state’s public universities. Or maybe even see our property tax bills drop once in awhile? If they’re lucky, students at the U might even find they have a few more parking spaces to deal with after the strikers get bored of walking around in the 90+ degree heat and decide to stay home. Whatever the benefits may be, AFSCME will have a tough time negotiating with an administration that won’t be hearing many complaints from students. After all, meals in the dorms are served by students (or by Papa John’s or Erbert’s and Gerbert’s), the U’s ER isn’t really needed until fraternity hazing begins later this Fall and since about 1996 the on-campus libraries have seen less activity than a Clem Haskins-led study hall. Stay classy, AFSMCE!
5. A close encounter of the weird (and sad) kind.
Just when I think I need to take it easy on some of our elected officials, Ken Tschumper, a state representative from La Crescent, decided to stick his foot in his mouth all the way up to his knee. You see, as it just so happens Krazy Ken stopped by the Taxpayers League booth at the State Fair last Friday and took umbrage with our Transportation I.Q. Quiz. So much umbrage in fact that he (and his less-than-lovely-sounding wife) capped-off their tag team diatribe directed at a Taxpayers League volunteer with the incredibly diplomatic, “don’t you $!#&% ever set foot in my district!”
Lovely, Ken. Just lovely. After hearing that and watching your conduct at the Legislature this year, I’m sure a few of your constituents will be saying the same thing to you a year from now.
Ken, I said this to Rep. Hortman last week and I’ll say it again to you: “It’s better to remain silent and thought the fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.”
The Taxpayers League of Minnesota's E Update is written by Mark Giga
|
