Sarvi: Kline’s grandstanding on transportation is shocking
November 14th, 2007 9:28 pm by DJ DanielsonThe US House of Representatives today approved a transportation and housing bill today by a vote of 270-147. The only members of the Minnesota delegation voting against the bill were Reps. John Kline and Michele Bachmann, both Republicans. The bill includes $195 million for funding the reconstruction of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis.
Steve Sarvi, the only announced DFL challenger to Kline so far, released the following statement:
“I’m in shock. John Kline has been grandstanding on this issue for the past month – and now, when he actually has the opportunity to deliver the funds authorized to Minnesota in the wake of the bridge tragedy, he votes against the bill. He chose a smoke-and-mirrors attempt at convincing his constituents he’s willing to invest in the infrastructure they count on every day over actually doing anything about it. This was a horrible vote for the people of Minnesota. An unthinkable vote.”
President Bush has threatened a veto based on grounds it “doesn’t hold spending to reasonable and responsible levels.” It’s too bad that Kline and Bachmann are more concerned with helping Bush reinvent himself as a fiscal conservative with a year remaining in his term than investing in infrastructure.
Want to talk about playing politics with the bridge? Kline, Bachmann and Bush offer the prime example of that with their votes and threatened veto, respectively.
November 15th, 2007 at 9:50 pm
Just another example of Kline and Bachmann “working” to help Minnesotans. Look at their vote last Friday on Temporary Tax Relief Act of 2007 (H R 3996 Roll Call 1081) that would do a number of things including revising the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) that impacts working middle class families. It is a revenue neutrality which means that to get a reduction for the working middle class, somebody has to pay … and who is being targeted … people that manage Hedge Funds and thereby report their income at the lower tax rates as Capital Gains.
It’s about Tax Fairness and Kline and Bachmann have not been Fair to Minnesotans.
Additionally, Kline has to explain WHY he voted for Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) in 2005 (HR #3 Roll Call 65) which most of us know for the Bridge to Nowhere and other wasteful projects, but now opposes INVESTING in Minnesota ?