HUCKABEE'S PAINFUL TRUTH

[question everything]

I did not watch the Republican debate and I suspect many here did not, either. But someone at the strib editorial did:


HUCKABEE'S PAINFUL TRUTH
Our state is a national joke

We bet we weren't the only Minnesotans who winced at Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee's choice of words as he defended his Arkansas gubernatorial record in Thursday night's debate in South Carolina.

"I took on the worst road system in the country," Huckabee said. "When I left, they said it was the most improved road system in the country. We had no bridges falling down in Arkansas."

Let the stewards of this state's good name -- that is, its citizens, and especially its elected officials -- take note. This state's reputation for good government went down with the Interstate 35W bridge on Aug. 1. Minnesota is being held up implicitly, if not by name, as a state where infrastructure has been allowed to deteriorate to an unacceptable level -- by a governor of a state Minnesotans used to scorn. The 2008 Legislature and Gov. Tim Pawlenty have a chance to change that -- and they should.

http://www.startribune.com/opinion/editorials/13718736.html

[dpbrown]

1. Ain't that the truth!

Minnesota - falling apart at the seams, but our taxes aren't increasing!

[trotsky]

2. Oh but indeed they are...

Pawlenty just forced other governmental units to do the hard work of raising them. Oh, and that has the nice side benefit of shifting the tax burden more onto the middle and lower classes. Double plus good! :thumbsup:

[OMGWTFBBQ]

3. Uh, why's that a bad thing?

Yes, the rich people should pay for it all, because those normal people don't get any use out of what the taxes go to pay for, do they?

[dflprincess]

4. The bad thing is that the middle and lower classes are paying more than their fair share

as Buah and Pawlenty allow regressive taxes to go up while refusing to raise income taxes. If you'd been paying attention you would have heard Warren Buffet saying dealing with taxation this way is wrong.

[OMGWTFBBQ]

5. What does Warren Buffet have to do with this?

The tax rate is still quite progressive, just to a lesser extent.

I guess I just don't see what's so bad about making those who use infrastructure pay their fair share.

[dflprincess]

6. Buffet has pointed out that, overall, he pays a smaller percentage

of his income in taxes than do people making a more average salary. He is including all taxes paid in this calculation, not just the income tax. Oddly, he doesn't think this is right and believes people in his bracket should be paying more because they can afford it.