Conservatives and liberals agree on the DM&E: Ix-nay on the oan-lay

David Strom, head of the Taxpayers League of Minnesota, and we don't often agree. That's because the Taxpayers League of Minnesota is constantly spouting the "no new taxes" mantra. Its philosophy is government minimalism, and its purpose is to do the bidding of wealthy contributors who feel that what's theirs is theirs and that no one else is entitled to any of it.

On the other hand, we believe that some things are better done communally, which is why government has a purpose and taxes are how we pay for government's services. But as David and we would both argue, sometimes government gets involved when it ought not to, such as when it wants to subsidize pro sports stadiums grant $2.3 billion loans to small, privately-held, secretive and questionably profitable railroads. (For the record, the Chrysler bailout was a measly $1.5 billion.)

Today on Townhall.com, David writes an eloquent condemnation of the proposed sweetheart deal/government loan for the struggling DM&E railroad, a loan that is opposed not only by conservatives such as himself, but by the Mayo Clinic, the Rochester (Minnesota) Chamber of Commerce, the City of Rochester, Olmsted County (in which the Clinic resides), and — gasp! — liberal activists as well.

Note to lawmakers through whose jurisdiction the railroad extends: When diehard conservatives like David Strom, solid business interests and crazy liberals all agree on something, you'd better listen.

Strom's article can be accessed here. Also, a new video on You Tube about Rep. Gil Gutknecht and the DM&E project can be accessed here. More on the DM&E expansion issue, the proposed loan and the railroad's safety record can be accessed here and here.

LP