If you’re among the 63 percent of votes that approved the constitutional amendment to create the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund, allow us to rain on your parade — it’s not going to happen.

Despite enjoying bi-partisan congressional support from 90 percent of legislatures, state leaders from both parties have shot down the idea of raising the sales tax even the mere three-eighths of a cent earmarked specifically for the fund.

Why? What else, taxes.

Iowa politicians have spun Tuesday’s results as an indication of public sentiment regarding taxation. We’d be quick to counter that it’s not necessarily the idea of taxation, but rather what our tax dollars are misspent on, that had people riled up.

Former, now future, Gov. Terry Branstad (R-Boone) has gone on record stating, “I don’t support any tax increases. I made that clear during the election. If [funding is] contingent on a sales tax increase, we’ve said there won’t be a sales tax increase. I’m supportive of conservation funding, but not raising taxes.”

Let us all sit and ponder the root cause of our state debt? Lack of tax revenue, perhaps?

If you haven’t heard this before, we’ll say it again. Keeping the Bush tax cuts under-funds the federal government to the tune of $4 trillion, during the next decade.

Running a government is tricky business — remember last year when Chet Culver cut more than 50 percent from the education funds, asking school districts to dip into emergency finances in an effort to balance the budget?

This year, we’re running a $914 million surplus. Where is that money going?

The GOP loves to stump on the idea of “small government” when pandering for votes, yet seems to enjoy governing with an iron fist.

Rep. Kraig Paulsen, future Speaker of the Iowa House, told the Des Moines Register, “This election was to a large extent driven by growth in government. Too much spending. Too much debt. The public did not elect Republicans so we could come down and raise taxes.”

We love our rising tuition and the oh-so-cheerful folks at the Department of Transportation as much as the next person, but nonsense political rhetoric regarding our state fiscal policies does not a successful government make.

Still, for all of the flag-waving conservatives did on behalf of “freedom” regarding the judicial retention vote, we find it awfully hypocritical, if not disconcerting, that they’ve already pledged to clip the wings of the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund.

It was this sole amendment that’s kept us from using the word ashamed to describe how we felt about the outcome of Tuesday’s elections. 

There’s your democracy in action, folks. Enjoy.