Editorial Roundup: Transportation Bill Should Pass, Pawlenty Should Stop Blocking Progress
02/23/2008
Below is a roundup of editorials from across Minnesota praising the bipartisan comprehensive transportation bill, urging Governor Pawlenty to stop blocking progress, and urging legislators to override should Pawlenty veto the legislation.
Bipartisan Comprehensive Solutions Applauded:
St. Paul Pioneer Press: “If We Want an Improved Transportation System, We Have to Be Willing to Pay for It.” “[T]ransportation and transit … is an area where government has a clear and important role, and where there is a direct link between the taxes paid and the services provided. … [A] report this week by the Office of the Legislative Auditor … supports the argument that new sources of transportation funding are needed … If we want an improved transportation system, we have to be willing to pay for it. We thank DFL legislators for driving that point home.” [Pioneer Press, 2/20/08]
Austin Daily Herald: Gas Tax “Seems Like a Small Price to Pay.” “Is paying an extra $40 a year in gas taxes a worthwhile investment to ensure another Interstate 35W bridge catastrophe doesn’t happen? … After the disaster of the I-35W bridge collapse last August, it seems like a small price to pay. We’ve seen what neglect, poor construction and extreme weather swings in our state can lead to, and it’s not something anyone wants to see again.” [Austin Daily Herald, 2/13/08]
St. Cloud Times: “Gas Tax Hike Isn’t Enough These Days.” “[E]ven if Gov. Tim Pawlenty finally lets a gas tax increase become law this session — it won't be enough to meet long-term transportation needs facing so many Minnesota communities.” [St. Cloud Times, 2/13/08]
Pawlenty’s “No-New-Taxes” Pledge, Borrow-And-Spend Approach Failing Minnesota:
Fargo Forum: Despite Lack Of Mandate, Pawlenty Not Exactly Known for Compromise. “Pawlenty’s re-election wasn’t exactly a sweeping mandate. He squeaked back into office … while Democrats were adding to their majorities in both houses of the Legislature. Never one to work very hard at cultivating friends among lawmakers, the governor confronts a majority that in the best of times has been hostile to his conservative Republican approach to spending and taxation.” [Fargo Forum, 2/13/08]
Park Rapids Enterprise: Pawlenty “Came Up Short,” Offers “No Practical Solutions.” “Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s ‘State of the State’ address … came up short when offering solutions for the challenges facing Minnesota. … Little mention was made regarding transportation, the most controversial budget item. Pawlenty’s reference of hoping ‘to end a 30-year stalemate’ offered no practical solutions. Most politicians agree the state’s roads and bridges need serious rejuvenation, but the governor’s idea of bonding for projects is not a permanent fix.” [Park Rapids Enterprise, 2/16/08]
Detroit Lakes Tribune: “Ideologue” Pawlenty “Pig-Headedly” Blocking Progress, Along with Republicans. “Minnesota has a serious transportation funding shortage and the blame must be laid squarely at the feet of Gov. Tim Pawlenty and the Republicans legislators who stand as a block behind him. … The state needs to swallow hard and raise the gas tax — and that’s the problem. Pawlenty stubbornly refuses to allow the Legislature to do that. The end result is that he is pig-headedly refusing to take care of a vital piece of the state’s business — transportation. … The governor’s … “borrow-and-spend” strategy is coming back to haunt the state. … On this issue, Pawlenty is an ideologue, and his veto deserves to be overridden.” [Detroit Lakes Tribune, 2/20/08]
Pawlenty Should Back Off Veto Threat; Republicans Should Bypass Governor:
Fergus Falls Daily Journal: “Pawlenty, Back Off Veto Threat.” “While Gov. Tim Pawlenty has continued to preach his credo of ‘no new taxes,’ his threat to veto the Legislature’s transportation bill seems to fly in the face of the public sentiment to fix Minnesota’s roads and bridges. We’re asking Pawlenty to back off his threat and sign the transportation bill … Pawlenty needs to understand that our state’s economy was built on the state’s excellent infrastructure.” [Fergus Falls Daily Journal, 2/19/08]
Bemidji Pioneer: “Find a Roads Bill that Can Be Overridden.” “What is needed is a funding package that raises money for needed road and bridge projects that is acceptable by Republicans, but not necessarily by the governor who still adheres to his “no new taxes” pledge.” [Bemidji Pioneer, 2/13/08]
Mankato Free Press: Bypass Governor. “The [House Tax] committee should be careful to pass a bill with a gas tax that can pass the full House with at least five Republicans voting for it. That will be enough to let the governor know his veto may not stand. It also may give the governor political cover on his no-new-taxes pledge if he lets it become law without his signature. … [T]he House Tax Committee on Monday has significant responsibility to move forward a transportation bill that … can become law without the governor’s signature.” [Mankato Free Press, 2/17/08]
Bemidji Pioneer: Republicans Should Break with Pawlenty. “The Legislature’s plan calls for users to take part in the solution … all of that and more will be needed, and it is hoped the message will be found with House Republicans whose votes will be needed to override a Pawlenty veto. Hopefully, Tuesday’s audit report will provide the urgency needed to make a long-term commitment to Minnesota’s infrastructure needs — even if the governor won’t acknowledge it.” [Bemidji Pioneer, 2/20/08]
Minneapolis Star Tribune: Veto Should Not Stand in Way of “Quality Public Services.” “This year, a veto should not be the last act in the transportation funding drama. Whether via an override or a subsequent bill, the 2008 Legislature has a duty to arrest the decay in infrastructure upon which the whole state depends. … There's a Minnesota standard of quality public services that this state once met, and should still aspire to achieve.” [Star Tribune, 2/20/08]