What is more important in this session than the budget?
Seriously? Their priorities are warped and their values are skewed and twisted.
The GOP can do a great job organizing, leveraging a minority into power; but they haven't governed worth a damn for a long, long time. And they clearly are not only making the same mistakes this time, they are making them on steroids!
They are not addressing the economic concerns of the majority of Minnesotans. NO, the GOP and their Tea Party GOP extremists colleagues are waging the same culture wars, doing the same old same old paranoia pandering, and of course -- taking more money out of the pockets of the average and low income Minnesotans and putting it in the pockets of the rich and corporations. Never mind REAL governing, or making the state secure and profitable, HELL NO.
From the STrib:
In Saturday session, legislators tackle plenty, but not the budget
Article by: RACHEL E. STASSEN-BERGER and BAIRD HELGESON , Star Tribune staff writers
The House took up a controversial outdoors and arts funding measure and a bill to allow gun owners to use their weapons to defend themselves beyond their homes if they are threatened with harm. The Senate handled proposals to retool lawsuit rules.
Less formally, lawmakers also heard from the Minnesota Vikings, who continue to pitch their plan to build a new stadium in Ramsey County.
"We believe the Vikings have done what the state leaders and legislators have asked us to do," said a letter from the team's owners that Vikings' vice president Lester Bagley hand-delivered around the Capitol Saturday.
On Friday, Gov. Mark Dayton expressed concerns about the Vikings' Ramsey County plan. He said it may not embody the "People's Stadium" the state needs and could give the team near complete control of the site, without much benefit to taxpayers.
Rep. Morrie Lanning, R-Moorhead, House sponsor of the stadium proposal, said he, too, felt unsettled about giving the Vikings so much site control. Lanning said the Vikings measure will need to go through at least two committees before it reaches the House floor.
"Whether we can do it or not in the very few days we have, remains to be seen," he said.
Bagley said that the plan would create a multiuse stadium and that the team was flexible on site oversight.
While Bagley was working to smooth the way for a new $1 billion stadium, House lawmakers debated a plan to spend $449 million from the so-called Legacy fund. Voters approved the fund by setting aside proceeds from a sales tax increase for water, outdoors and arts projects.
On the House floor, the measure to divvy up the cash touched off a metro-vs.-outstate debate.
"At least 78 percent of the money will be spent on outstate Minnesota. At least," said Rep. Jean Wagenius, DFL-Minneapolis.
Rep. Dean Urhadl, a Grove City Republican, countered: "We have tried to be fair."
After four hours of discussion, the measure passed 86-45.
Guns, lawyers and money
The debate was even hotter when the House took up a gun-rights measure backers call the "Stand Your Ground" bill and opponents call the "Shoot First" bill.
"This bill is going to help murderers and endanger cops," said Rep. Joe Mullery, DFL-St. Paul, an attorney. "It makes it almost impossible to convict people of murder."
Rep. Tony Cornish, R-Good Thunder, the measure's sponsor, was asked why the bill was needed, since no Minnesota gun owners have been prosecuted for defending themselves.
"The gun owners and sportsmen didn't feel they had to wait for a body count," he said, adding that the law mirrors those in 20 other states and that those states are doing just fine.
The measure, which passed the House 79-50 and has yet to pass the Senate, faces a likely veto from Dayton, who has expressed serious concerns about it.
In the morning, the Senate moved to make it harder for Minnesotans to join class-action lawsuits. The provision was part of three lawsuit-retooling proposals the Senate approved Saturday.
"Minnesotans deserve swift justice, and a court system that encourages early and fair resolution of legal disputes," said Sen. Julianne Ortman, R-Chanhassen.
Under one proposed change, companies being sued for fraud or negligence could appeal the certification of class-action suits before racking up expensive legal fees.
Sen. Ron Latz, DFL-St. Louis Park said the measure would "eviscerate Minnesota's consumer protection laws."
Another proposal shortens the deadline Minnesotans have to file lawsuits from a nation-leading six years to four years.
The House is moving similar proposals, which means they could land on Dayton's desk by May 23.
Their priorities are warped and their values are skewed and twisted.
ReplyDeleteTheir 'priorities' are to end government as we know it. Period. They are anarchists disguised as 'honest Americans.'
Anarchists.
The good that can come of this is to encourage voters to participate in elections … apathy won in 2010 (I reviewed a number of changeover races and noticed that the MN-GOP candidate did not get that many more votes than other years, but the DFL candidates lost support … the pool shrunk, but the MN-GOP still got its voters to the polls.)
ReplyDeleteIn some districts, the DFL did not even field a candidate ... and in my district, which (Gun-totting) Tony Cornish won, the first time that most voters ever heard the name of the DFL candidate was when they got their ballot ... I received no mailings nor heard any radio advertising ... heck, the Independence Party had lawn signs and a radio commercial ... but no DFL lawn signs.
The MN-GOP has members that are committed to their philosophy ... so we should not be surprised that they are pushing gun, marriage, voter id, etc. legislation … that’s the issues they ran on. IMO, I would like to see the Castle law enacted … not because I own a gun (I don’t) but because it removes the issue for future campaigns … anybody that has heard Tony sitting around the bar stool would love to hear him discuss something else … like investing in water projects in the community that houses one of his favorite “watering” holes.
BTW, has anyone noted the similarity between the Wilff stadium deal and the Bush stadium deal .... as I recall, as the managing-owner Bush got the taxpayers to build the baseball stadium in Arlington Texas situated around land that he owned and developed. After he "saved" the Texas Rangers, Bush ran for Governor ... can you say "Governor Ziggy Wilff" ?
Minnesota Central writes, The good that can come of this is to encourage voters to participate in elections … apathy won in 2010
ReplyDeleteHere in Ohio, too. That's the reason that the former FoxNews contributor, right-wingnut Kasich got elected.
I went door-to-door for the last 6 days before the election with door hangers urging the voters [minorities] where, when and for whom they should vote.
That area had a 9% turn-out!! Two weeks ago there was a special election in an area near there and in one precinct ONE voter turned up for the entire day.
I'm not sure that APATHY is at an end. And that scares the hell out of me.
Mud_Rake,
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading my comment and offering your assessment.
John Kasich and I were PoliSci classmates at OSU, so I followed his campaign with more interest than other gubernatorial elections. My thoughts are from afar and you would have more "boots on the ground" knowledge, but IMO, Kasich ran a campaign that engaged his voters ... yes, he had name recognition from his stint in the Ohio legislature and in the Congress and of course from his FOX television exposure, but the key to victory began with getting his second book published ... it was not a book about his life in politics (that was his first book) but a book about the importance of religion in his life ... and the book release was trumpeted by various evangelical groups. IMO, that was significant because it countered Governor Strickland's own strength as a minister .... Kasich challenged Strickland on his home turf ... which also help Kasich with the NRA vote ... remember that the NRA helped Strickland last time.
Yes, I recall reading stories of low turnout in various Democratic-leaning districts, so I am not surprised by your comment.
Kasich won ... but I see that he has already started fundraising to defend his office ... as he sent out a fundraising email asking for donations before he signed the "strip collective bargaining rights" legislation (even though it was described as not government at its finest ) ... if you want a pictorial definition of gall, that was it.
The lessons from Ohio should be a concern in Minnesota ... especially with the effort to require Voter ID ... An Ohioan told me a story from the 2004 election of a school that was used for voting in which two precincts were assigned ... only problem was that one precinct had more voting machines than the other ... which meant that one could process voters more quickly ... so on one side of the school, no lines and on the other long lines ... OK, so people had to wait ... except if you remember 2004 was a rainy day ... how many people do you think saw the lines and left ???
That could happen with Voter ID ... find the precincts that have strong support for a candidate and have the challenger's representatives push the election judges for a strong visual review process (hmmm ... "what's your birthdate" "would you take off your hat, so that I can see your face better" etc.) ... slowing down the review process is the goal ... since that slows the processing lines ... causing working parents that worry about dinner and picking up the kids to decide to leave the line and come back later which they never do.
Elections are won by who votes ... polls tell us what people want ... the two are not the same.
Here in Minnesota, the voters had a choice between a Republican candidate that promised no increase in taxes and two other candidates that said they would balance the budget by a combination of tax increases and spending cuts ... the Republican lost ... a newspaper poll over the weekend indicated a strong support for a combination for tax increase and spending cuts, but the Republicans in the State Legislature still have not gotten the message ... their supporters voted, so they expect their legislators to deliver ... polls are not elections.
Side note : IMO, mischief in primary elections determined the winner in the Democrat-Farmer-Labor nomination.
Mud Rake, Minnesota Central, let me step out of my role as an admin here for a moment and play Penigma social director (I just made up that title). As someone who reads both of you please consider this as an introduction; I think you would each very much enjoy the other's blogs:
ReplyDeletehttp://minnesotacentral.blogspot.com/
http://manwiththemuckrake.wordpress.com/
(I think that ALL of our readers would enjoy these two blogs, hint hint! I certainly do!)
It's great to see someone Step Up for more responsiblities and assume the Social Director's duties ... as I have been concerned as more and more people seem to be shirking opportunities ... first it was the Great Governor of Alaska QUITING ... and then it was the former Governor of Arkansas deciding not to re-enter public service ... and alas, just yesterday, a business mogul decided that he would rather sit on the sidelines throwing stones then assuming the responsiblities of public service.
ReplyDeleteOk, all kidding aside, THANKS for the kind words ... but I should point out that my MinnesotaCentral blog focuses on southern Minnesota whereas more of my national commentaries are at www.mnpoliticalroundtable.com.
I believe that I had at least two commentaries on the Ohio collective bargaining rights issue on MN Political Roundtable.
Best regards,
Mac Hall