Phil Krinkie of the Taxpayers League of Minnesota takes offense at suggestions our Absentee Overlord's no-new-taxes pledge might underlie the state's budget problems.
The explanation for why Minnesota has such dire budget problems is always, “It’s Gov. Pawlenty’s steadfast commitment not to raise taxes.” This is what the tax-and-spenders point to as the underlying cause of Minnesota’s budget problems.
So, as the left starts to crank up their propaganda against the term “no new taxes,” let’s set the record straight.
With, of course, some tax-and-spender propaganda of his own. Krinkie claims "tax increases are a way of life in Minnesota" because Republican Governors Al Quie and Arne Carlson saw a need to raise taxes in past decades.
Krinkie goes on to enumerate other increases, always careful to roll up the pennies, nickles and dollars that individual taxpayers might pay into billions of dollars of shared burden counted up over decades.
Krinkie wants government to live within its means, which is not a bad request on the face of it. But it requires a certain amount of cooperation from the taxpayers who demand services and the marketplace that provides them.
Otter Tail County’s cost for buying salt this winter is expected to increase by 29 percent, shocking Highway Engineer Rick West and leaving commissioners wondering if there were alternatives.
How much the Highway Department spends on salt will affect how much road construction is completed the following summer. If the department goes over what is budgeted, that amount is taken out of the budget for road construction, West explained.
I doubt Otter Tail County is run by tax-loving liberals, but officials there may soon go on Krinkie's watch list if they try too hard to solve the problem.
West said he suspects the increase in cost was caused by a consolidation in vendors.
In other words, the free market wants a tax increase.
