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Tonight I got a call from a cheerful volunteer from my State Republican Senate fund raising operation. She seemed nice enough, but I was in the mood to ask a few questions.

Cheerful Volunteer: We''ve got to do all we can to beat the Democrats so they won''t raise our taxes. Would you rather pledge $75 or just $50 this evening?

Fund Raising Target (That''s me): I think I''ll hang onto my money and see if the Republican party supports the 5 cent per gallon gas tax increase our Republican Governor is advocating. Why would I want to give money to the tax raising Republicans to beat tax raising Democrats?

CV: Did you realize that the increase in the gas tax is meant to offset Federal funds the state will not receive to repair the 35W bridge collapse? (warning - scary disaster ploy in effect here - ever since the bridge fell down every politician and bureaucrat and politician within 1000 miles is attempting to convince us that there isn''t a bridge in the midwest that isn''t poised to fall over at any minute. The only reasonable solution is to send gobs of our excess cash to the state capital)

FRT: Didn''t the state spend over $1.5 billion over the last few years on a light rail system to carry about 14 people from downtown to the airport? Perhaps we should have put that money into the bridges. Have any of our state senators called a press conference to say "not another dime for the light rail program until every bridge in the state is safe"?

CV: I don''t think any of them have said that yet.

FRT: If I''m not mistaken the state also has a $2 billion surplus to work with.

CV: I think that''s in case we have any unexpected disasters.

FRT: Wouldn''t the collapse of an interstate highway bridge at rush hour count as one of these?

CV: I guess it would. Well, perhaps you would like to start by helping with a smaller contribution this evening.

FRT: Perhaps I''ll wait. Make sure to tell the senators that I''ll be glad to support them if they stand by the promises they made when they were running for office.

CV: OK. Thank you, sir.

FRT: Thank you. Good night.