Tim Breaks The Pledge, Announces Tax Hike

David Strom agrees.

Taxpayers League's Strom: "Is it a breaking of his pledge? I think so. I don't see how this is a fee. One could put an impact fee on anything with this reasoning. What's next? A drinking-whole-milk impact fee? An eating-red-meat impact fee? This sure sounds like a tax increase to me."

Michele Bachmann: "It's a tax increase. The framework of the debate has changed. This would set the stage for more tax increases."

The "Health Impact Fee," as he dubbed it, would generate an extra $380 million for the 2006-07 budget, allowing for a 9 percent increase in K-12 spending over that time.

"I believe it's a user fee," Pawlenty said at a news conference. "Some will say it's a tax. I'm going to say it's a compromise."

as everyone else in the GOP (and DFL) think it is a tax increase. At least the DFL was honest with the gas tax.

Timmy had to hold fast to this rule to keep upwardly mobile in the national GOP scene. Is this political suicide for Pawlenty? Or just games at the end of the session?

Pawlenty's good pal Grover Norquist will not be happy, unless there is more to this story that at first glance.

i suppose that we could start calling all our taxes fees...like the SS "fee" and the income "fee". somebody should tell timmy that fee=tax, at least in his case.

This just made my weekend! A cigarette "user fee"? It's laughable. Reading the Strib article, I especially liked the quote describing it as "linguistic gymnastics" -- an entirely appropriate description in my opinion.

Wow! Can anybody remember the last time we've had such a tremendous week? Normy gets his clock cleaned by Galloway and T-Paw waffles on his pledge in such a manner that it offends the slimy Taxpayer's League AND some of those that would've have otherwise appreciated his concession that Minnesota's education system, transportation system, etc are underfunded.

but lets hear it for those SOBs over at the Taxpayers' League of Minnesota!

..a 1-finger salute!

It was a stupid pledge, though, and I'm glad he broke it, even though he won't admit to it. What I don't get is how he can call this a fee, but then he had to veto the transportation bill because it increased the gas tax. How is the cigarette tax a fee but the gas tax is a tax? It's quite ridiculous. I drive a lot and don't smoke at all, but I think increasing the gas tax to pay for badly needed road construction and mass transit would be the right thing to do. Why can't we call that a user fee?

Because that's exactly what it is. You use the roads, you pay for them.

Why is the media falling for Pawlenty's bullshit "fee" or "charge" terminology? That's how they're referring to it, as if they're afraid to upset Timmy by calling it a tax. If Timmy told Pat Sweeney the sky is orange, would he dutifully report: "The sky is orange today," said Gov. Pawlenty. "Democrats, however, begged to differ. It remains to be seen who is right."

What's with these morons? Have they given up all pretenses of being anything but megaphones for disingenuous politicians?

Patricia Lopez, Star-Tribune: "75-cent-per-pack cigarette fee"

Mark Brunswick and Dane Smith, Star Tribune: "75-cent-a-pack cigarette charge"

Patrick Sweeney, Pioneer Press: "75-cents-a-pack cigarette fee"

Yeah, right. :eyes: