It Takes Brass Balls

Last week it appears the Republican Party of Minnesota suffered a blow when Gov. Tim Pawlenty's veto of a transportation bill was overridden. Six Republican house members crossed the party line to override his veto. Since then, these "rogues" have been stripped of committee leadership positions and threatened with less party support come election time.
They have also been met with praise from many DFL supporters, a few GOP supporters, and lots of free thinkers in general for their guts. Going with their conscience and not with their party definitely takes some balls. I am also praising them. I am a supporter and big believer in mass transit programs, and one who doesn't get too wound up over taxes that add up to a couple pennies for each purchase I make.
Let's break down this $6.6 billion:

• Gas Tax - According to a Star Tribune article, the gas tax will rise in increments up to 8.5 cents over the next 4 years. With the way gas prices are going, these 8.5 cents are going to be like dumping a glass of water in the ocean. It won't make a difference to consumers. I feel better knowing that at least a small portion of the constant gas price hikes are going to fund and support our state's transportation infrastructure instead of further lining the pockets of some rich oil tycoon.
• Sales Tax - The .25 percent sales tax is not even set in stone yet. The seven metro-area counties must first need to approve it through their county boards. If you, the citizen of Minnesota, are really that against this tax, you still have time to make your pissing and moaning count for something. The remainder of the out state counties in Minnesota also have the option of raising their sales tax up to .5 percent, but give the people even more power by approving it through a voter referendum. Ultimately, I think this sales tax is a good thing, too, and doesn't weigh too much on the everyday consumer. Here's some quick math for you, Minnesota: a .25 percent sales tax increase equals an additional nickel for every $20 you spend. I understand our state can't keep raising the sales tax little by little for every funding need, because eventually we are going to really feel that impact. The nickel for every $20 can quickly become a dime or a quarter, and I like dimes and quarters. I like dimes because their combination of size and buying power makes it the most efficient piece of coinage, and I need quarters for things like parking meters and laundry. However, our state's transportation has become so underfunded over the years that we had to suffer embarrassments such as the Hwy 62/I-35 crosstown project being delayed for a year because we did not receive a single construction bid when we wanted to start work back in 2006. Why didn't we receive a single bid to work on this huge, lucrative project? The state did not have any money to make an upfront payment. We were just hoping some company would come along and start working on some sort of gentleman's agreement to pay them later. Also, we were mocked for rejecting federal funding in The Onion, America's Finest News Source. When The Onion is making fun of you, it's time to take notice.
• Registration fees: I haven't really found any definite numbers on the registration fee increase, but I heard it was going to be on luxury cars and SUVs. This makes sense. If you have the money to go buy yourself a new Lexus or Cadillac Escalade, then you can fork out the extra dough to that register that vehicle, too. I don't care what condition our economy is in: if you can afford to pay for luxury vehicles, than you can afford to pay for luxury registration fees.

This really doesn't seem to affect me all that much. I will survive, and so will the rest of Minnesota. If the gas tax is too much for you, than find other solutions. Carpool. Ride your bike. Take the bus. Walk to where you need to go. I again solute the GOP members who dared to go with their gut and not their party. I think they'll be able to gain support and still win elections. It's not like the general voting public delve to deeply into important details of the laws they pass anyway. Lately it seems like everybody treats politics like cheering for their favorite sports team. They don't actually participate in the political process or read too much into the issues. They just pick a side so they have a position to argue when they are at the bar. To those steadfast Republicans who need some ammo to argue with their liberal friends, spin it this way: your team is still the manly one. You still got the big, brass balls. Six members of your party had the strength and courage to do what they felt was right. You should be proud of that. Conversely, there were two DFL members who originally voted against this bill, but when it came time to block the override of Tim P's veto, they folded and voted with their party. There you have it. You can blame this loss on those damn, pussy-ass Democrats who don't have the balls to stick with their gut. Tell your pansy liberal friends to suck on that one for awhile.

*****

Speaking of having some balls, I wished NBA organizations had a some bigger ones. This is the time of the year after the trade deadline when veteran players bitch and complain because they want to play for a championship contender and not play with a struggling team trying to rebuild. Now obviously, if their current team could trade their worthless ass, they would have before the deadline. Unfortunately, because nobody else wants these washed-up, overpaid hacks, they start pushing for a contract buyout.

Now I understand when a buyout makes sense. Take the Timberwolves with Theo Ratliff. Theo's contract ended at the end of this season, and the Timberwolves were most likely not going to resign him. He was injured for the entire first half of the season and therefore teams were not willing to give up anything in a trade to acquire his services. After the trade deadline the Timberwolves bought out his contract and it looks like he's heading to Detroit. This is what I consider a good buyout. The Timberwolves had really no use for him if they didn't plan on resigning him. They are not going to make the playoffs, so if he plays and helps the team win, he's really just hurting their chance at winning the draft lottery. They could sit him on the bench and let his contract expire at the end of the season, or buy him out for less than what his contract is scheduled to pay and let him go earlier. The Timberwolves win because they don't have much use for him and get to pay him less than what they owe him. Theo wins because although he has to give up a little money to leave his contract, he gets to sign on with a championship contending team.

I am a bit disappointed with the Clippers handling of Sam Cassell. Sam was bought out and is signing with the Celtics. I get pissed at this situation because Sam obviously had some trade value. You can get a look at his season stats here. On top of that, his contract was expiring in the summer. This guy is dripping wet with trade value. The Clippers had to have heard talks from his agent or just listened to rumblings from the media to know that he wanted to play in Boston. They should have worked a deal with the Celtics to get at least a draft pick or something. If the Celts are playing hardball thinking that Sam and his agent will negotiate a buyout, that's where the Clips have to put their foot down and let the Celtics or any other team know that if they don't make a trade for Sam, then he will remain with the Clippers for the rest of the season and they can bid for his services in the summer as a free agent. Sure, they weren't going to make the playoffs and Sam's contract was expiring in the summer, so much like the Timberwolves and Theo Ratliff, it may have made sense just to buy him out. The difference is that Sam Cassell had a lot more demand for his services than Theo Ratliff did. This was a lack of balls shown by the Clippers' front office.

This really pisses me off when teams fold like this. I know the players have a union that holds some clout, but the organizations shouldn't be pushed around like this. It made me sick when Alonzo Mourning acted like a little bitch and didn't even report to the Toronto Raptors when he was traded a few years ago. They ended up paying him somewhere around $11 million to buy him out, and then he got to ride the coattails of Dwayne Wade and Shaquille O'Neal to an NBA championship.

Think about the real world and normal people in this situation. What if your company went through some organizational restructuring and decided to move you to another department in the company? You would still be receiving the same pay, but your role would be different and your desk or office would be moved. Would you refuse and demand a severance package? Maybe, but most likely you wouldn't have much of a choice. It would be either take this new position or quit with no compensation at all. Being an at-will employee, you don't have the option of pushing for a contract buyout. Maybe that's why you white collar yuppies should unionize. If basketball players with high school diplomas can figure it out, why can't you and your Ivy League MBA do it?