Kelliher has an uphill battle to win Governor seat
Ryan Lyk
Issue date: 5/5/10 Section: Editorial
I was fortunate enough to be able to attend both the Minnesota DFL and Minnesota GOP conventions these past couple of weekends. In honor of the Democrat's nomination of Margaret Kelliher, these are my top 10 reasons why Kelliher will lose in November.
10. Kelliher flip-flopped on tax increases several times. According to the Minnesota GOP website, in 2006 she said, "I don't foresee any major changes in our taxing structure as it relates to business," and, "Generally, [Democrats are] not interested in talking about tax increases." Despite this, she consistently voted to increase taxes as a legislature. She also advocates for the "Minnesota Miracle," which would put the burden of funding education on income taxes, increasing these taxes. Furthermore, she declared she would raise taxes at a candidate forum in 2009 at Macalester. Why can't Kelliher be consistent?
9. She said the first method in solving the budget crisis is to raise taxes. There are many other viable options to increase government funds. One could cut programs that are not needed, cut programs that can be re-created when the state has money or merge existing programs to cut costs. But Kelliher goes for taxes first.
8. Kelliher flip-flopped once more. She proclaimed, "There will be fiscal moderation in the house." Her voting record should reflect this sentiment. Kelliher only has a 12 percent lifetime rating from the Tax Payers League of Minnesota and a zero percent 2008 score. This group takes several large bills that would change taxes and records how the legislature votes on them. She failed their test. Talk about moderation.
7. She opposed a bill that would give churches more power to keep guns off of their premises. It changed the law to make it so that a church just needs to post "no guns" to ban them.
6. Kelliher supports the Dream Act, which would give in-state tuition to illegal immigrants. I have problems paying my own student loans, the last thing I want is to pay the tuition for someone who is not a U.S. citizen. 5. Kelliher voted against giving a referendum for taxpayers to vote in before enacting costly tax increases.
4. The gas tax is already high, but Kelliher made a promise to increase this huge tax by $6.6 billion.
3. Kelliher has an education plan. Fellow Democrats and former gubernatorial candidates Tom Rukavina and Tom Bakk both said that her plan costs too much for Minnesota. If Democrats think it costs too much, then it must.
2. Kelliher has failed at leadership. She was given five months to balance the budget as Speaker of the House. In this huge five-month span, Kelliher failed to do this task.
1. Kelliher broke the law by illegally ear marking money to her campaign for governor. Running an unethical campaign that breaks the laws (something the governor should protect) does not show real gubernatorial material.
Margaret Kelliher still needs to face off against Mark Dayton and Matt Entenza in the democratic primary. It seems like Kelliher is going to have an uphill battle from here.
10. Kelliher flip-flopped on tax increases several times. According to the Minnesota GOP website, in 2006 she said, "I don't foresee any major changes in our taxing structure as it relates to business," and, "Generally, [Democrats are] not interested in talking about tax increases." Despite this, she consistently voted to increase taxes as a legislature. She also advocates for the "Minnesota Miracle," which would put the burden of funding education on income taxes, increasing these taxes. Furthermore, she declared she would raise taxes at a candidate forum in 2009 at Macalester. Why can't Kelliher be consistent?
9. She said the first method in solving the budget crisis is to raise taxes. There are many other viable options to increase government funds. One could cut programs that are not needed, cut programs that can be re-created when the state has money or merge existing programs to cut costs. But Kelliher goes for taxes first.
8. Kelliher flip-flopped once more. She proclaimed, "There will be fiscal moderation in the house." Her voting record should reflect this sentiment. Kelliher only has a 12 percent lifetime rating from the Tax Payers League of Minnesota and a zero percent 2008 score. This group takes several large bills that would change taxes and records how the legislature votes on them. She failed their test. Talk about moderation.
7. She opposed a bill that would give churches more power to keep guns off of their premises. It changed the law to make it so that a church just needs to post "no guns" to ban them.
6. Kelliher supports the Dream Act, which would give in-state tuition to illegal immigrants. I have problems paying my own student loans, the last thing I want is to pay the tuition for someone who is not a U.S. citizen. 5. Kelliher voted against giving a referendum for taxpayers to vote in before enacting costly tax increases.
4. The gas tax is already high, but Kelliher made a promise to increase this huge tax by $6.6 billion.
3. Kelliher has an education plan. Fellow Democrats and former gubernatorial candidates Tom Rukavina and Tom Bakk both said that her plan costs too much for Minnesota. If Democrats think it costs too much, then it must.
2. Kelliher has failed at leadership. She was given five months to balance the budget as Speaker of the House. In this huge five-month span, Kelliher failed to do this task.
1. Kelliher broke the law by illegally ear marking money to her campaign for governor. Running an unethical campaign that breaks the laws (something the governor should protect) does not show real gubernatorial material.
Margaret Kelliher still needs to face off against Mark Dayton and Matt Entenza in the democratic primary. It seems like Kelliher is going to have an uphill battle from here.
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