Guess that prediction didn’t come true. Bridge go down.

at least their priorities are straight.

I can’t argue with macadelic on his arguement about waste. Gov. should run fore efficiently.
As a comparison of dollars to jobs to taxes to areas that do not run efficiently…I am wondering how good or bad the big picture really is?……thinking macro but looking micro.

I mean, if Michaels stats on military spending is correct then we, sadly have to expect a certain percentage of waste…don’t we?

Can I also get one of you to say that maybe, just maybe the answer isn’t always to just raise taxes? Because that’s what you all sound like.

In essence, that is all I’m suggesting. I deal with the city and with other quasi-government agencies (largely funded by our tax dollars) and I see first-hand an enormous waste of money, but nobody says anything because they are all on the gravy train. And what I witness first-hand is a tiny fraction of what goes on. I’ve made suggestions to maybe not do a project because it’s underused, or redundant, or a dumb idea but I’ve literally been told to just shut up and take the work because they don’t want to lose funding streams. Politicians (mayors, city councilpersons, governors) initiate all kinds of projects that spend your money and mine that is totally wasteful.

Should we pay for sports stadiums, do we really need city AND county library systems, do we really need government to pay for city-wide wi-fi when crime is rampant? I don’t know what you guys are thinking but I’d like to see how much waste could be done away with before we become THE highest taxed state in the country.

My uncle was defeated in the gubernatorial (sp) primary’s by Arne Carlson. I understand that there is compassion on the right. He was/is pro-life, anti-gay and had to wear kevlar (again sp?) while campaigning because of what he believed in.

While he and I dissagree politically on lots and lots of issues, I know of his passion and caring from the right side of the aisle.

I like what michael said (and he and I do not always agree) about “it takes balls to raise taxes”. To stand up and say “we need to support and fund this issue” and then actually do it.

I have seen far toooooo many unfunded mandates from the right. far to many “modifications” to the tax code that are really a tax hike (ie….revolving credit interest becoming non-deductable…tell me that was not a tax hike on the middle class and working poor?)

maybe we are idiots for thinking they should stand up and tell it like it is?

you are correct that “i’m going to raise your taxes” is an instant boat sinker for any candidate..

I am way more frustrated by the “lets cut taxes and spend the country into massive debt”
and
The incredible trade imbalance.
health insurance, which is really crippling the middle class.
declining wages..

I think the three of us agree on some very key and central issues. We just view the solutions in very different ways.

so when you are TNPOTUS you should have one of us in your cabinet to kick the potential Karl Roves in the nuts for you.

I’ve got a prediction… Pawlenty, who I greatly admire, is going to come out of this looking like a hero.

You guys want to pay more taxes, do it. Nobodies stopping you, write a check to the state. Why do you need to be forced into it by the tax code? Start a charity, volunteer at Sharing and Caring, go nuts. There’s lots of opportunities for charitable giving.

Me, I like seeing babies starve, get ‘em off the welfare rolls I say. The more poor people we can starve to death the less the burden on us working folks. Maybe I can get me that fishin’ boat I want so badly. Or maybe I can figure out other ways to marginalize the poor and less fortunate so we don’t have to think about them. After all, it’s all their fault, poor choices and all.

That’s what you guys really believe about folks to the right of you, isn’t it. Really, sadly, inaccurate and very unproductive.

Guys, get a grip, we all want to do the right thing, we all want to help the less fortunate, nobody in this country should go hungry, or go without health care, or education, etc. There are ways to get it done without this never ending and always increasing tax burden.

It’s not “your way or the highway” you are not always right. You’re characterization of folks more to your right as some kind of “grinch” is not accurate, not productive, and only serves to alienate those that might actually be your partners in the greater good.

You guys want a partner to help, or do you just want to perpetuate this illusion of the evil right-wing bogeyman in order for you all to feel very superior about yourselves?

so you respond; her husband left her with 3 babies. she has no skills, no education. Day care costs 3 times what minimum wage would bring in…..she has no choice but to be on welfare/foodstamps/wic, etc…

and you think that is an enfallable situation/discussion,

but they respond…”they should have thought of that when they decided to have children.

so you toss out the last card in the empathy pile.
and you say;
“so the mother made some mistakes, the babies need to pay the price?”

and the answer comes back, usually something about survival of the fit, or life is cruel or the law of the jungle or some-such nonsense…..

and I always recall the words of the greatest democrat of them all….

“that which you do for the least of these, you do for me”

so in a round-a-fucking-bout-way…yeah, pay your fucking taxes and be proud.

later I realized how wrong I was. true that lady “might” have been un-ethical, but the system and the ideology is not.

Though I am not “proud” nor do I enjoy paying taxes, I try to think of them as I do donating to charity. It eases the pain of having to cough up the bread and I feel as though I am “doing my part”.

I loose that feeling as a member of the middle class, as I feel we, as a group, are the oxen of the tax base.

we used to loose educators to Minnesota, now Minnesota looses educators to us.