The Marshall Independent reports DFL candidates gather to discuss pertinent issues at annual fundraiser:
Maybe it helped that it was an election year, or that Farmfest wasn't far away. But the people attending an annual DFL fund-raiser on Tuesday night said the main attraction was the chance to bring voters and candidates together.
A mix of national and state Democratic candidates spoke from the front porch of a farmhouse on the Ted Suss and Janet Marti farm south of Lucan, including U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken, and Minnesota House candidates Bob Skillings of New Ulm and Al Kruse of Marshall.
Some of the big issues that emerged in candidates' speeches included health care reform, education, and renewable energy.. . .
Senate District 21 straddles the First and Seventh Congressional Districts.
The Fairmont Sentinel looks at the Farmfest Forum in Candidates delve into ag issues. An excerpt:
. . .Common themes emerged in each candidate's answers. Such as the need for offshore drilling, the image of farmers as stewards of the land, and a general distaste for the Clean Water Bill.
Walz lauded the efforts of family farmers trying to "do the right thing but having 16 different organizations" trying to regulate their business. He focused his answers on finding a common middle ground, saying it is politics that makes people believe they have to choose a side when really the sides can work together to produce a mutually beneficial solution. . . .
Go read the rest at the Sentinel. Blueman Hal Kimball has some Farm Fest Ponderings. We weren't at the Senate candidate forum, so we don't have an informed opinion to share about it, but he's close on the Congressional forum. Tinklenberg was terrific when he talked about his background and vision, but he could have mentioned Bachmann's absence once and that would have been enough. Sarvi came off up-beat and personable. Peterson and Walz earned the audience's applause.
The Worthington Globe carries Forum reporter Don Davis's look at another Farmfest discussion, Debating the impact of biofuels on food, other prices. KEYC-TV reports on Amy Klobuchar and farm group leaders talking about Life After The Farm Bill. The Fairmont Sentinel reports that the Klobuchar-led Forum asks farmers to speak up.
Tim Walz and Brian Davis will be guests of Winona's Women in Business, according to this report from Winona Radio:
Four political candidates will be the special guests at this month's meeting of the Winona Women in Business group.
The event will take place at noon on Thursday, August 21st, at Westfield Golf Club.
On hand will be First District Congressman Tim Walz and his Republican challenger Brian Davis. Also attending will be Minnesota State Representative Gene Pelowski and his Republican challenger, Rhett Zenke.
All four will address current campaign issues.
The cost is $12 a person and the reservation deadline is this Monday, August 11th.
For more information contact Tammy Kramer at 689-4552.
Too bad Senator Dick Day can't be there to add some life to the pachyderm party.
In Staff All-Star: Pat Ryan - Education Minnesota, Labor 2008 mistakenly puts activist Pat Ryan and Tim Walz in MN-06 (sorry Political Muse and Blueman). Both Ryan and Walz are based in Blue Earth County. The post highlighting the volunteer notes:
. . . As a Speech teacher, Pat is naturally good at engaging people in conversation and his sense of humor is an asset in heated political situations. He admits that most of all, he enjoys Labor Walks because he gets to be outside walking.
Pat is one of many dedicated Release Staffers for Education Minnesota. He successfully recruits and engages union members on working family issues this year. Pat taught with Tim Walz at West High School and supports Walz’s run in Congressional District 6 [sic]. Pat also pulls for union-endorsed Franken and Obama.
MPR mentioned Walz's NCLB recess act in in Fewer Minnesota students hit yearly progress goals. The Post Bulletin reports in Another 200 schools statewide don't meet yearly goals :
State and national legislative leaders, notably former teacher 1st District Rep. Tim Walz, have previously called for No Child Left Behind reform. Still, no changes have been made.
"The kids are fighting it, and the pressures are there," Kelly said. "It's an unbelievable situation."
Republican primary contenders Davis and Day both favor scrapping NCLB completely. The Worthington Globe reprints the Pioneer Editorial: NCLB will soon fail all schools.
In a letter, Minnesotans for Immigration Reduction head Paul Westrum argues for reducing legal immigration in Immigration policy needs major reform. Perhaps now the media will quit identifying the group as being only "anti-illegal" immigration. Westrum clearly supports drastic reductions in the number of people who are willing to play by the rules when seeking to live in America.
The Albert Lea Tribune reports Bent Tree is big investment. Some economic development morsels:
. . .The first phase of 200-megawatt wind farm is set to begin construction as early as 2009, and it has the potential to be a 400-megawatt wind farm. If fully completed, the Bent Tree Wind Farm would be the largest stand-alone wind farm in Minnesota.. . .
. . .According to Schultz, 400 megawatts is about enough to power 100,000 homes over the course of a year. Schultz said Alliant Energy has not yet made a decision to build or not build the second 200 megawatts.. . .
. . .According to Dorman, both phases of the project being completed would add a tax base equal to adding about six malls or about 40 industrial buildings. . . .
Some of those Bohemians in New Ulm talked funny.
Southern Minnesota's dutiful Sock Puppet Republicans have faithfully repeated the NRCC's whining points about Congress going on "vacation." Meanwhile, the Washington Post reports Boehner Golfing, McCain Absent During GOP Revolt (more on the Minority Leader's golf games in Boehner and the Bunker Mentality). Okay then.
Not that we have anything against golf. Blueman and former MSUSA sultan Hal Kimball, for instance, is taking the day off to participate in the golf scramble to raise money for the Penny Fellowship for MNSCU students. Now, that's a fine reason to work on a tan while spoiling a good walk.
Oh-- and good luck and congratulations to Joe, Liz and baby Bodell; our prayers also go out to Sgt. Zach Juhnke and the 2700 National Guard members from around the country who will be heading to Kuwait and who will begin serving in Iraq in September. Seven hundred of the soldiers are from Minnesota.
Photos: (Top) It will be a great day when our schools get all the money they need and only the House Republicans have to have a golf tournament to fund their campaigns. Actually, Boehner held one of those those golf tournaments while a delegated group of his members whined about Democrats adjourning for "vacation." We haven't seen such genius from Boehner since he came to Minnesota State in 2006 to help Gil Gutknecht as a higher education leader--despite the fact he'd taken all those PAC funds from student lenders and had a voting record like this. (Bottom) NRCC sock puppet alert.
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