Most unfortunate and disheartening is of course the tragedy of the collapse of the I35W bridge. My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims, the rescue teams, and their friends and families. It pains me to look out of the 49th floor window of the downtown office in which I work and see a large gap where literally the highway ends. While one of my co-workers was but about 3 blocks shy of heading onto the bridge at the time it collapsed, I am pleased to report that aside from that frightening ordeal for her, I am fortunate to have all of my friends and family accounted for. And, as for our dear readers, I hope all of you are able to say the same.
Now, I’ll be up front with you, I wasn’t planning on penning an Op-Ed about the tragedy which has befallen us. And if I were, initially I’d have not attempted to draw any correlation between the tragedy and politics. However, being that the blame game by liberals is as ubiquitous as it is and given that individuals such as that liberal hack Keith Olbermann, our very own Senator Amy Klobuchar, Senate Majority leader Harry Reid, a left leaning attorney or two, and a whole host of others are so completely void of tact, I see it as my solemn duty to defend against such tasteless accusations by the aforementioned classless bunch. Such accusations have inferred that the governor’s gas tax veto or the Iraq war (to name but a few) are somehow the root cause of this terrible tragedy. We ought to expect more even from the lowest of lowly political common denominators. For, these types of statements are tasteless. In actuality they are not worthy of a response in as much as perhaps a backhanded slap across the face. But, rather than provide a pseudo slap across the face by getting down and dirty with such political mud slinging and exhibiting leadership in the process, governor Pawlenty is likely to compromise to the wishes of the DFL by reneging on his previous gas tax veto at the upcoming special session called to address the I35W bridge collapse, all the while likely to seek no such similar compromise from state Democrats. And, although a gas tax increase might by some estimates be the best and most sensible way to pump much needed funds towards roads and bridges in the state, it is worth noting that because the gas tax is collected on a per gallon basis, the revenues do not grow with inflation. Revenues increase only as consumption increases which amount to it being a bit of a catch-22. Nonetheless, seeing as how it equates to a user based tax and given that the added revenue is constitutionally allocated specifically for roads, such a tax is an easier sell. But, exploiting a tragedy for the sake of getting the governor to change his tune about it is unpalatable. That the governor would actually bite is unconscionable.
To the extent that blame is to be placed anywhere, which is both shamefully unnecessary if not premature given that the investigation as to the cause of the collapse is still ongoing, certainly it ought to be accepted that politically there’s plenty of it to go around (Democrats and Republicans alike). Remembering that I’ve spoken and written ad nauseam about the unfortunate reality behind the Minnesota November ballot’s transportation amendment; that is of course the infamous “Vote Yes” campaign whereby Minnesota voters approved creating a ceiling for road and bridge funding and a floor for mass transit funding. As a result, as much as 100% of the revenue generated from the MVET (Motor Vehicle Excise Tax) could constitutionally be allocated towards mass transit (namely $97.5 million for the Northstar Commuter Rail line or the Central Corridor Rail line) while 0% goes to roads and bridges. Therein lies much of the problem. Because, what we have in this state, and really nationally, is not a problem of funding. Rather, what we have is a problem with allocation of those funds; “misplaced priorities” as Senate Majority leader Harry Reid terms them. And, the proposal of a gas tax, one which constitutionally allocates those funds towards roads, clearly points out this incapability of our elected government officials to spend wisely.
But, while the argument from the left with respect to “George Bush’s” war in Iraq being perceived as an underlying factor in the demise of infrastructure in the nation and a prime example of wasteful spending, whatever your personal thoughts on the war and its cost, national defense is a legitimate function of government. Hardly the “misplaced priority” of which Reid was referring. As Ronald Reagan reminded us, “Government exists, of course, for the defense of the nation, and for the defense of the rights of the individual.” Forgive me for being suspect to the latter but of course with respect to the former, such a truism doesn’t bode well for Iraq war culpability. And yet, inferring that “misplaced priorities” be they military engagements in Iraq, Afghanistan and abroad, somehow take money away from the safety and upkeep of infrastructure in the nation all too conveniently ignores the culpability of the very illegitimate governmental “priorities”, many of which I dare mention are largely of the liberal social welfare apparatus degree, that actually do. Let us count the ways shall we?
How about massive subsidies to ethanol producers such as Archer Daniels Midland and Cargill despite them having seen a 300 percent increase in profits in the last year; taxpayer subsidies to expand Minnesota’s State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to include able bodied childless adults (which begs to question why it’s called a children’s health insurance program); a state bailout of the Minneapolis Teacher’s Retirement Fund putting state taxpayers on the hook for $972 million in unfunded liabilities; $12 million to renovate the Shubert Theatre in downtown Minneapolis (mind you after taxpayers shelled out $4.7 million just to move the damn thing but a half block); $1 million for a replica Vikings ship in Moorhead; $310,000 for a Shakespeare festival in Winona; $50,000 in grants to help local neighborhoods and organizations fund creative ways to engage residents to fight global warming; $300,000 for a Minneapolis streetcar feasibility study; and yes, being that I hold Republican leadership to the same accord, you might even throw the new $776 million Twins baseball stadium in there (but then we conservatives have come to expect as much from RINO’s which raises the importance of not advocating for them).
So, while Democrats aim to exploit this tragedy and governor Pawlenty opts to place the gas tax card on the special session table in response, then I declare by all means let us exploit it tenfold. Let us exploit the culpability all around and hold the legislators engaging in wasteful spending accountable for such “misplaced priorities” shall we?
No comments:
Post a Comment