Transportation bill was essential

Published Saturday, June 16, 2007

In your June 11 editorial, “Burden is still too heavy,” you applaud Republican State Rep. Bob Gunther, saying he “rightly praises Gov. Tim Pawlenty for vetoing a number of bills that would have added $5.5 billion in Democratic-sponsored tax burdens on Minnesotans.”

Among those “burdens” were an essential transportation spending bill and property tax relief for businesses and homeowners.

The Transportation Bill that Gunther and Pawlenty opposed would have added a nickel to a gallon of gas to invest in fixing our roads and bridges, desperately in need of repair after years of neglect.

Businesses looking to locate or expand in Greater Minnesota evaluate the quality of our roads when making their investment decisions. Failing to maintain our roads is bad for business and bad for economic development.

The governor also vetoed bills to increase state aid to local governments and to provide $462 million dollars of property tax relief for Minnesota businesses and homeowners this year. That is especially bad news for Greater Minnesota residents, who bore the brunt of the Governor’s “no tax” pledge with cuts to schools (9.9 percent) and local government aid (30.9 percent) during his first term.

Greater Minnesota residents have seen double digit property taxes rise year after year as the Governor’s no tax pledge shifted the burden of paying for public safety, education and other services to the towns and counties. Now that’s a real burden.

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Niel Ritchie - Executive Director - League of Rural Voters