See Pawlenty for what he really is

albertleatribune.com ^ | 27 May, 2011 | Phil Herwig

[marktwain]

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty now wants to be the Republican candidate for president.

When Pawlenty was thinking about running for governor for a third term, I decided to challenge him for the party’s endorsement. My challenge started with a simple statement and a list of grievances.

I said, “No more!” — and I do not apologize! Why no more? Because:

• He increased state spending by nearly 40 percent during his eight years in the Governor’s Office.

• He went along with the Democrats to increase property taxes by 12 percent over three years.

• He promised no new taxes and then chose to increase the cost of licenses and fees.

• He prides himself as strong on education. Yet, for 19 years he served as both a legislator and governor in the city of St. Paul, where current student proficiencies in math (46 percent), reading (51 percent), and science (21 percent) are among the lowest in the state.

• He seemed more interested in a position in Washington, D.C., than in improving educational achievement in his home state at large, where current student proficiencies in math (62 percent), reading (70 percent), and science (40 percent) are unacceptable.

• He claimed he wanted a state constitutional amendment defining marriage as being between one man and one woman. After elected, he never brought the marriage amendment up.

• He claims to support Second Amendment rights but has proposed no state constitutional amendment to guarantee the right to keep and bear arms.

• He has embraced global warming with the 2007 Next Generation Energy Act that mandated 25 percent of the total energy used in the state be derived from renewable energy resources by the year 2025.

• He misled Minnesotans by taking into account inflation when considering revenue but has not done the same for spending.

• He did not reduce spending or the size of government and only acted when required by law to balance the budget.

To me this is not a Republican standard of excellence.

Pawlenty’s announcement video is entitled: “A Time for Truth.” Well, you judge!

Phil Herwig

[itsahoot]

T-Paw won’t make the first cut, bank on it.

[itsahoot]

Better Red than Dead. Got it.

[Recovering_Democrat]

What evah.

I’m interested in positive solutions instead of being a polemical ankle biter.

[itsahoot]

Then you are seeking love in all the wrong places.

[aumrl]

OK - glad to!
have a happy Memorial Day

[Recovering_Democrat]

You got squat with that, except a quaint remark.

Enjoy your second 4 years of Hussein if you’re one of those who sits home waiting for your Prince Charming, ‘cause he or she doesn’t exist. Not in Real World 101.

[Recovering_Democrat]

No, I just know to distinguish when one understands the art of the possible.

Right now, the evidence doesn’t appear to indicate the recipient with such skills and/or desire.

[dbehsman]

There's another untruth in this article.

• He claims to support Second Amendment rights but has proposed no state constitutional amendment to guarantee the right to keep and bear arms.

Tim Pawlenty may have RINO skeleton's in his closet to contend with, but this statement is over the top. Tim Pawlenty has one distinction that NO OTHER GOVERENOR in the history of the United States has. He is the only one who signed concealed carry reform twice. The state amendment was tried before by popular vote if I recall correctly, and the idiots in my state outnumbered the sane on that day. It was voted down.