Transportation vote a bad choice for state

Published Wednesday, March 28, 2007

It was most distressing to see that our representative, Bud Nornes, voted against raising the gasoline tax to help solve our state's pressing transportation problems.

The transportation vote mirrors many issues that are afflicting Minnesota presently. Perhaps Rep. Nornes has been in office too long to realize what is best for our state.

I wonder if Rep. Nornes has ever driven over some of our in- need-of-repair roads or if he has ever been stuck in traffic.

Of course many of our transportation problems would be easing by now if Gov. Pawlenty would have signed the last bi-partisan transportation bill years ago.

But instead of solving real problems, Pawlenty and Nornes promise no tax increases and they offer more borrowing and hare-brained schemes like making the contractors pay for re-building one of the worst traffic bottlenecks in the state. Are high taxes really a Minnesota problem?

Count the mansions recently built around our lakes used just sparingly or count the number of luxury autos on our roads and then tell me about taxes being too high.

If Pawlenty and Nornes are against taxes, please send them to Mississippi where they may revel in limited taxation along with poor health care, poverty, poor education and more.

Gee, I wonder why every business is not rushing to relocate to the Mississippis of the world and leave supposed high tax places like Minnesota. You get what you pay for.

Pawlenty and Nornes should realize that as a society gets wealthier, taxes increase because wealthy people demand more government services than poor people do.

Do poor people hire lobbyists to influence legislation favorable to their interests? Of course not.

But wealthier interests do and too often the attitude has become "I've got mine so to heck with the rest of you."

I would gladly pay more in gas tax if we could solve some of our problems.

Unfortunately, Pawlenty, Nornes, and the like, want our state to continue its downward slide to mediocrity all the while protected in their chauffeur-driven limousines, gilded state health care plans, and expense account life styles.

Didn't they learn anything from the last election?

Hopefully a qualified candidate will step up and send Rep. Nornes into retirement in the next election.

Perhaps Nornes will retire to Mississippi where he may see and experience low taxes and minimal government first hand and the poverty that goes with it.

What is really sad about all of this is that this is not cynicism but reality.

Donavon Luhning - Battle Lake