"He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left."
Matthew 25:33

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

The Sales Tax was Meant to be Temporary

What I hate the most about all of this is how the democrats insist that everything is such a crisis and the only thing they can do is raise taxes to pay for every thing. Sen Murphy claims that people are dying on our rural highways. He is full of it. Look up this article; "State's traffic deaths down" printed Friday, July 27, 2007. It states that 2006 Minnesota traffic deaths were at a 61 year low.

I recently spoke with Rep. Seifert about transportation issues in Minnesota. I told him that us common wage earners have to prioritize our spending. In other words, "We do not buy a hot tub if our roof is leaking."

For years we have been hearing about our infrastructure. How it needs attention. For decades the democrats have controlled the Senate. They have ignored the problem while spending our tax money frivolously. Go back and look at bonding bills of the past. Take the billion dollar bonding bill of 2006 for a fine example of ignoring the necessities. Now they want their cake and they want to eat it too. By raising our taxes.

I often hear my father tell me about how the sales tax was supposed to be temporary. We were lied to then, and we are being lied to now! I say postpone spending all our tax dollars on light rail and all of their transportation studies. Stop spending my taxes on funding "family planning" (abortion) clinics. Stop four thousand people who come to Minnesota annually to get on welfare. Go through the state budget with a fine tooth comb and get rid of all that is unnecessary. Then fix our roads and bridges. When that is done we can have our hot tub!

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

An now today a proposed 3/8% increase in the sales tax!

Could you find an original newspaper article or other statement about how the sales tax was supposed to be temporary?

Bill Jungbauer said...

I am in favor of this amount being dedicated to Minnesota's outdoors. Theodore Roosevelt’s efforts dedicating vast areas of wilderness as national parks was frowned upon a century ago. Look at what his efforts have left us today. Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Canyon, as well as many others, have been preserved for us and for generations to come. As a Republican that believes in low taxes, I am willing to take the heat on this one. I also support the funding for the new state park on Lake Vermillion that has been proposed. What I am not in favor of is the large percentage going to the arts. I believe that is why this effort has failed in the past and has taken us 11 years to finally get this far. I also support this going to the people of Minnesota for a vote.

One thing that must be done is to appoint a citizens council to appropriate the money to the various projects. We cannot leave this up to legislators. Look at our Minnesota lottery. Only 10.5 percent of all that money goes directly to the outdoors yet we are bamboozled into believing otherwise.

As for the sales tax being temporary, I must confess that I am taking the word of my father on this issue. He is retired from the Burlington Northern Railway where he was a senior accountant as well as a licensed CPA. I promise you this; I will dig into the facts on this and post an entry for everyone to read.

Anonymous said...

I can't believe someone would be in favor of this admendment.

This is what we pay the government to do... Take care of the infrastructure.

It appears that too many entitlement programs, etc, siphon off all the money we spend in taxes.

IMO, you lack common sense.

Bill Jungbauer said...

I stand by my previous comment. Like Teddy Roosevelt, we cannot, as stewards of our environment, ignore the need to care for that which God has provided us, and set aside those special places for future generations.

I am not in favor of this amendment as written. I disagree with the arts getting any cut of this pie. The arts, as far as I am concerned, have held this issue up for eleven years now. The one thing that is a positive is that “We the People” get to vote on it. Our legislators will not be imposing this upon us. It is our choice, if we wish to impose it upon ourselves.

One of my favorite quotes happens to be by Teddy Roosevelt. “It is not the critic who counts, but the man in the arena.” I have stood up and stated my positions in this forum. You go by “Anonymous.” I have enough common sense to know the depth of integrity lacking in your comments when you attack me. I have never shied away from discussing the issues with anyone. I am always willing to learn. IMO you lack cajones.

Anonymous said...

Your articles are always good!

I was almost going to write on the same thing. It is so frustrating that our sales tax increase before our current 6.5% was supposed to be temporary too.

I am so fed up with higher and higher taxes.

We do not live to support the government, the government lives to be supportive of our freedom.

The DFL seems to have this completely backwards. When will we get leadership, especially in the MN Senate, who will actually relinquish their strangle hold on the citizens of Minnesota?

They always take, and never return. But I suppose the bureaucracy is in need of growing to support the expanding bureaucracy.

It is high time for a conservative revolution!

Anonymous said...

“I still believe there is not a man in this country that can’t make a living for himself and his family. But he can’t make a living for them and his government, too. Not the way this government is living. What the government has got to do is live as cheaply as the people do.” –Will Rogers

Tax and spend, tax and spend, the government always grows bigger.

Bill Jungbauer said...

I thank you for this excellent quote. It deserves to be the post of the day.

Bill Jungbauer said...

Thank you to Tundra Politics. You will be included in my list of blogs! I will be reading you on a regular basis.

Anonymous said...

First of all, I did not intend to attack you.

Secondly, I sent the Will Rodgers quote.

My concern is that our urban freeway system is such a mess that it is near a crisis point.

But instead of addressing that problem, you are in favor of a 3/8's % state sales tax increase. IMO, there is a dire need for better designed roads and capacity in the Twin City metro area.

On the list of priorities, I think our road way system should be ahead of constitutional admendment.

It's my opinion that we should pare down the size of governement.

Sorry. Didn't intend to call you names, or for you to take it like that.

BlaiseVillaume said...

You are right on the mark here Mr. Jungbauer. I have just come to this website and it's great to see a conservative who will not compromise with the socialist policies and smokescreen of lies coming from the left.

Bill Jungbauer said...

I accept your apology. No problem here. I thank you for the great Will Rogers quote. I took my family to Colorado Springs last year and we visited his Shrine of the Sun. He was an intelligent and interesting man.

I agree with you completely on the need for small government and low taxes. I believe that I have made that clear in my posts here. Please go back and read them again. As I said, the state budget should be gone over with a fine toothcomb. I also admit that our transportation infrastructure has been neglected and in need of our attention. During Governor Pawlenty’s time in office more money has been spent on highway construction projects than in my lifetime. 694 and 35E for instance. The Cross-town and 35W. 494 in west Bloomington. 694 in the northwest metro. These projects are all-new and unweave the weave as David Strom likes to say.

On the dedicated funding of the outdoors you can vote “no” in November. Many people that I have talked to plan on doing just that. I have a soft spot for our outdoors. I hunt deer with my bow, firearms, and muzzleloader. I am not much of a churchgoer but I am in touch with the Lord when I am in the woods.

Bill Jungbauer said...

Hi Blaise. I am glad you dropped by. Thank you for your positive reinforcement. It is great to hear from people younger than myself who share conservative beliefs. Feel free to call me Bill.