Showering with a raincoat on

 

 

 

"Is not showering with a raincoat on a waste of time? Kind of like our last legislative session was..."

Well, well, well. The session is over and everyone has left the building. It is somewhat fitting that one minute after the last person was gone the dismantling of the building began. How would many of us sum up this session? A mess. A tremendous waste of time and money. In short, it was like kissing your sister. Or, taking a shower with a raincoat on.

This was a golden opportunity squandered (once again). The Republicans, the Party of Lincoln, could have really shown the public what we are all about. By staking our principled positions, the worst thing that could have happened was a "no deal" or veto. Wait! We got that anyhow! After trying to play nice and be "Democrat Lite" once again, we still end up with no deal and a pissed off, petulant Governor.

What was accomplished? We kept the Governor from getting an unsustainable gas tax. Okay, I will grant that. If the Democrats still controlled the House, Senate and Governor's mansion, that would now be a fait accompli. In other words, a done deal. Other than that, much vitally important unfinished business was left on the table.

Taxes - I am so sick of every time business tax reform is mentioned, the other side tells the public that we are "only concerned about the rich". Gag me with a spoon. OUR PRINCIPLED position is simply this - a healthy business climate attracts businesses which in turn creates jobs. That is a position we should always hang our hat on.

IN ADDITION, we left a golden plumb laying in the ditch. This should have been a "no-brainer", even for Progressives. Taxing our veteran retirement pay, who mostly make spit during their service years, borders on being a crime. PLUS, our seniors, regardless of how much retirement they are getting, should NOT have to pay a DIME in Social Security taxes. Period.

I am going to do some research and find out WHO and WHICH PARTY were the stoppers to this common sense tax reform. And when I find out, I am declaring war on paper. If any the stoppers were from our party, heaven help them - because I won't.

Education - Here was a perfect (let me say again PERFECT) opportunity to expose education in this state for what it is. Not with rhetoric and bluster, but empirical evidence. Education in this state has become nothing more than a union land grab. It is Education Minnesota playing the DFL like they are marionettes on strings. It has been proven over and over and over and over again that money and results have no correlation what so ever. In fact (going back to my statistics days), they might even have a negative correlation.

In the metro area (after spending a whopping amount of money), we have kids dropping out of school in tidal waves. And many who do graduate don't know how to tie their shoes. And what does our incoherent Governor want to do? Spend a ton more money. Start a year before Kindergarten. It even gets worse. The statist Mayor of Minneapolis wants to spend money on the little darlings starting a birth. The "birth to Kindergarten" approach. Sounds like something out of a dystopian novel to me.

No, we had he chance to put a plan forward (sans Education Minnesota) which would yield better results by spending much less money. But no. First we saw the bid and called it. Then maybe we raised it, just to play nice. Pouring good money after bad on a broken (and very expensive) system. It was taking a shower with a raincoat on. No satisfaction with the outcome.

So now the powers that be will be laying out the ground rules for the "Special Session". If I were in the Speaker's shoes, the first thing out of my mouth after the veto is this - "Your best offer was on the table. That offer is now withdrawn. The next one will not be nearly as good." That is the way you negotiate. That is the way you win. That is the way you truly become stewards of the taxpayer's precious resources.