Hate and Love

I've taken some grief for stating the following:  "Minnesota Republicans hate light rail more than they love Minnesota!"  For the record, I 100% stand by my statement.

The Southwest Light Rail, or SWLRT, has been a final stand of sorts for the MNGOP.  They screamed way back when the Hiawatha Line was approved, calling it a boondoggle, and insisting there would be empty trains.  They were unbelievably wrong on that one.  Then came the next obvious line, the University Line between downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul.  Not only did the right scream again, but this time, they doubled down, insisting light rail lines don't encourage area redevelopment and urban growth.  Wrong again, as both lines have been an undeniable boon for the two corridors they run.

The SWLRT was a little different from the other two lines, requiring 'virgin' track to be built through Hopkins, Minnetonka and Eden Prairie, to connect some of the metro's largest business parks and wealthier suburbs to the downtown.  After having their lies about light rail popularity, economic growth, and urban boondoggles proven wrong, and after having their light rail alternative, making carpool lanes into MNPass lanes, allowing people to pay to drive around traffic congestion, was proven to be nothing more than a publicly funded, class-tiered, unprofitable roadway system, Minnesota Republicans were furious their talking points were exposed as incompetent and inept.  But, like they usually do, the Republicans lashed out at their enemies instead of admitting they were wrong.

Led by MN Speaker Kurt Daudt, the MNGOP tried everything to make the SWLRT the only concession the MNGOP would be willing to give Governor Dayton and the Democrats in 2016, and in return, the Left had to be willing to give the GOP 110% of what they asked for.  The Governor wasn't buying it, and went around the Republicans, brilliantly, to secure the funding for the SWLRT in time to receive Federal Government funds for the project, taking Daudt's sole bargaining ship off the table.  I detailed the whole thing in a blog piece titled 'The Governor's Masterpiece' (http://progressivecitizenx.blogspot.com/2016/08/the-governors-masterpiece.html).  This should've ended this discussion, but the Republicans fumed.

Earlier this year, led by MN Sen. Dave Osmek (a man I refer to as Ormek, or the 'Ork', or The Perv, the last for his tendency of using perverted comments in official State of Minnesota correspondence) and MN Rep. Linda Runbeck (no nickname as of yet, but I'm working on it), the MNGOP sent a letter to the Secretary of Transportation asking to defund the project the Federal Government had already agreed to fund.  They initially asked if this money could be used in Minnesota for other transportation projects (roads and bridges), but only in Republican districts (refusing to do anything about the atrocious traffic issues in the metro, traffic a light rail line would dramatically help).  It could not.  They then asked if the money could be returned to the taxpayers instead of being spent.  That also won't happen.  The choice was simple: either the money dedicated by the Department of Transportation comes to Minnesota for the SWLRT, or that money will go to a different state to be used in a different mass transportation project.

Those are the only two options.  The Republicans would rather the money go away to another state.  The Republicans hate light rail more than they love Minnesota.

The same MNGOP who says they're for Minnesota jobs are willing to ship Minnesota jobs, both temporary and permanent, to another state, out of spite!  The MNGOP, a party who insists they're for encouraging small business growth, are purposely trying to ship undeniable Minnesota economic growth to a different state, because they HATE where in Minnesota that growth would occur.  The MNGOP, a party who screams about how 'those big city Democrats keep sticking their nose into our country business,' are gleefully enjoying the country folk sticking their noses into the metro area's business, even though there's NO benefit for them to do so, outside of trying to get back at the metro area for three generations of rural 18 year olds running from the farm. Can you imagine the MNGOP's anger if the shoe was on the other foot; if I created a inner city council of multi racial, societal and economic members, and we went out to rural Minnesota and told them what they could and couldn't do?  They'd go apocalyptic!

The MNGOP insist they're doing this because they're trying to stop the metro area from stealing all of their tax dollars for another metro area light rail line boondoggle.  The truth, exposed by the Star Tribune (http://www.startribune.com/metro-contributes-half-of-transportation-dollars-gets-fewer-in-return/416565963/) shows outstate Minnesota spends FAR more on transportation than they put into the system.  If we follow the MNGOP's blueprint, and the 22% extra that outstate Minnesota uses comes back into the metro, then fine, we'll pay for our own light rail lines.  But at the same time, outstate roads will get far worse.  Reminder, this isn't my standard, but the MNGOP's.  The truth is, as opposed to the MNGOP, we should be looking at transportation for the state as a whole, not trying to segregate it into a "Them verses Us" ignorant political talking point.

Minnesota Republicans, with their latest stunt against SWLRT, have only the following motivations:

1. They're trying to cultivate a 2018 political campaign talking point, knowing they're going to have a hell of a time getting re-elected with the orange buffoon in the White House.  It's similar to how they raged against the new Senate Office Building, a building they now willingly inhabit, even after they promised "We'll NEVER move into that boondoggle!"
2. They know the gig is up on their continued lies about the popularity of light rail, and if they don't stop it now, they'll have every suburb, including The Perv's Lake Minnetonka area and Runbeck's Circle Pines, eventually demanding to be connected.
3. They're pathetic losers who will never admit they were wrong, so instead of doing what's best for Minnesota, they have decided they HATE light rail more than they love Minnesota.

It's one of the three.  I highly encourage you to call them all, and ask which one it is.  Apparently they hate having to defend their actions on this.  Good!

For the record, after talking with legal people familiar with the situation, the Federal Government would have a hard time justifying stopping the funds now, and if they did, Minnesota would have a pretty solid legal case against the government.  SWLRT will still likely happen, no thanks to the Minnesota Republican Party.

Also for the record, I love Minnesota more than any one specific political issue.