The sales tax for transit isn’t about transit it is about hiding the costs of a project that only benefits a few people. Otherwise those who support it would use the same logic applied to the gas tax increase and just raise the fares of buses and trains. Since transit does not provide the benefit commensurate with it’s costs supporters have to find dishonest funding methods and have them tag along on otherwise good legislation.

Light rail is a disaster. Every number says so. The cost per passenger mile, the fact that it is much more dangerous than Minnesota roads, the hand outs given to wealthy developers to build around the lines,the decrease in efficiency of the roads that intersect the line and no measurable reduction in freeway congestion. It performs especially poorly when compared to different configurations of buses. Supporters have no reason other than an aesthetic one in their rationale. The like it because they like it, nothing more. If they had anything else maybe they would try a method of reasoning other than “choo choo”

And because they couldn’t figure out an honest way to pay for their toy they instead found a funding source that proves what hypocrites they are. A sales tax that is counter to every claim they have made on how they are concerned with the the income gap and how it is hard for working folk to get by these days.

p.s. The bill was less bipartisan than the Iraq war vote or the patriot act so I will assume all of you who think that is a valid point here were all for those as well.

The Minnesota Constitution requires that 100% of the gas tax go to roads and bridges. Please see:
Minnesota Constitution
ARTICLE XIV
PUBLIC HIGHWAY SYSTEM
 http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/cco/rules/mncon/Article14.htm

And while the changes were small, those changes enabled the bill to get the support it needed to pass. Being a right-wing Republican, though, I understand your unfamiliarity with the concept of compromise.

Choo Choo !!!!

Wrong again! The actual amount of the gas tax went down a couple of times from the initial proposal. It’s the compromise that got the Courageous 6 to step up, and it’s the compromise that got the Chamber involved. If I’m them, I spend a lot of money defending the Courageous 6 for supporting my organization’s position.

There was no compromise in this bill. The only provision that the DFL dropped was the automatic tax increses into perpetuity. They also reduced the metro sales tax from a .5% to a .25%. Big deal - that is not compromise.

As for the light rail boondoggle, there is no evidence that congestion has been reduced by one iota. Look at the cost. The University Ave. line will cost $81 million a mile. You can build 81 miles of roads for every one mile of the light rail. Moreover, the state has to subsidize the operating costs of the light rail to the tune of 63% of the annual costs. Only 37% is collected through fares.

I laugh at your idea of groupthink considering not a single DFLer in either chamber voted against the veto override. Now that’s groupthink.

Or, the reps could say they supported the bill because those pinko commies at the Chamber of Commerce supported it. That’s going to make pretty good cover.

Again, the option is the Minnesota Republican party which punishes its members if they don’t abide by the party groupthink.

It’s pretty amazing that the DFL is admitting they are exploiting the bridge collapse to pay for light rail projects that have nothing to do with the bridge.

Some 60% of Minnesotans disapproved of the gas tax increase, the license tab increases and the metro sales tax increase. We’ll see who will pay in November.

And excuse me if I don’t hold my breath on that bloodbath. I think the bridge collapse will provide plenty of justification for the tax increase. If anything, I think representatives who didn’t support this will suffer.

And you guys are telling me that a party that is purging its moderates is going to pick up seats? Hilarious. Toe the extreme party line or you will be punished? Yeah, that’s going to appeal to voters.

Here come the trains! Choo Choo!!!!!

Mad backstabbing and spinning can be expected from the Democrat taxapolooza supporters by June.

“Representative Moonbat, isn’t it true that you voted yes to the largest tax increase in the history of the state of Minnesota?”

“Well, that depends on the meaning of ‘yes’”.

Gonna be a bloodbath, just watch.