Bluestem Prairie

MN-03's secret congressman: who is U.S. Representative Jeff Paulson?

Matthew Abe appears to be a reputable conservative blogger in Minnesota. At North Star Liberty, his profile notes his credentials:

Observer of education policy and partisan politics, from the western suburbs of the Twin Cities, Minnesota. Co-founder and contributor to True North, a Minnesota-based conservative group blog.

Residing in "the western suburbs of the Twin Cities" would put Abe in Minnesota's Third Congressional District.

True North is a big deal, the smartly-designed rightward community blog in Minnesota that aggregates posts from across the state's conservative online ecosystem.

Thus, I wondered who Jeff Paulson was, since Abe is an authority and writes in a new entry crossposted at North Star Liberty and True North on Saturday:

Third District Congressman Jeff Paulson noted "what a difference two years makes," while noting that Democrats are already busy organizing and targeting him with protests.

Since MN-03 is represented by Erik Paulsen (no relation to Jeff Paulson), and Abe is a reputable blogger, I can think of only two explanations for this reporting.

The first is a clever ruse to throw off the crack team at the DCCC by making Erik Paulsen's movements in his district undetected by the bots that create Google Alerts.

Or Paulsen has been so lackluster in his congressional service that even his most ardent and competent champions can't remember his first and last name.

The error has been up on both sites for nearly two days and no one seems to have noticed enough to correct it.

Screen shots: North Star Liberty's "Jeff Paulson" post (above); True North's "Jeff Paulson" crosspost (below).

 

Spinside the Senate: send GOP Senate Majority Caucus comm shop your questions

Articles in the Mankato Free Press are ordinarily published over staff writers' bylines, but the current puff piece for the Republican Senate Majority Caucus's radio show, Inside the Senate, goes without. I'm not sure I can blame the editors.

Show frontman Senator Mike Parry comes up with a good one for why the "we" on the show likely will be Republicans:

The “we” is likely to be predominately fellow Republicans as Parry said the focus of the show will be explaining legislation that’s reached the Senate floor — a criterion that will weed out Democratic proposals that don’t have GOP support in committees.

At least that beats having tapeworms.

But there's more:

Parry said, however, that he’s open to including Democrats on the show as the major disagreements over budget decisions and other topics come to a head later in the legislative session.

“I could see both pros and cons of a budget, sitting down at a microphone and having a debate like that.”

Bluestem is filled with great joy and rapture to know that Parry wants to do on his show (taped and produced at whose expense?) that very thing that he refused to do while the Minnesota State Senate was in session a few weeks back.

And since his minders at the Republican Senate Majority Caucus are so very graciously taking questions via email, there probably isn't any reason for DFL Senator Dick Cohen or any other DFL member of the legislature to show up to a taping session.

Citizens can send questions for the show to Parry the GOP Senate Caucus comm shop via [email protected].

Here are some questions you might ask:

Presumably, the show is produced by the communications department, so this is a chance for Minnesotans to go directly to caucus Communications Director  and Executive Assistant to Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch Michael Brodkorb(also Republican Party of Minnesota Deputy Chair) for answers.

Maintaing the spin about the taped content, Parry told the Free Press:

“I think that’s very important to give the citizens the opportunity to hear it straight from the lawmaker.”

And what better way than a taped radio show, with emailed questions? It's surprising the founders of the state didn't think of that one, instead opting for that messy process of office visits, committee hearings, and floor sessions.

And the show might eventually go live, Parry says:

“Inside the Senate” is being put together in two 25-minute segments, which will give stations the opportunity to devote either a half-hour or an hour of air time, Parry said. The show may eventually go to a live format, the tradition established by Independence Party Gov. Jesse Ventura and Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty — something that allows for comments and questions from listeners via telephone or e-mail.

I suppose: if you have Michael Brodkorb "in the can," one best let him out.

Update: The first show starts out with Parry and Koch talking about how the strategy with which the Republicans took control of the Senate(via Morning Take).  And Parry opens the segment by calling it, "the official news." Is this "official news"--which discusses partisan campaign strategy-- produced at the expense of the Republican caucus or by the State of Minnesota?  Part 2.

Related content: Spinside the Senate: Senate Republican Majority Caucus produces Radio Free Mike Parry

Photo: State Senator Mike Parry.

Witness in Wisconsin: "Democracy is crowded"

Editor's note: A friend from high school days in St. Peter was posting status on Facebook from yesterday's massive rally in Madison. I asked her to write up her experience for Bluestem, and she posted a Facebook note for me to republish here. I've lightly edited the draft for the eye and for mechanics. A big thanks for a Wisconsin citizen's view of the rally.

by Kris Fultz

I just got back from a day of peace, love, solidarity and frozen toes in Madison with 100,000 people! Marched around the square with my sister-in-law's union: she's a nurse.

At the start of the day I wasn't sure what to expect; when we got to the mall to take the bus there was a line of people waiting that began at one store front and went around the corner and down the sidewalk two more storefronts. The line was broken in a few places where people had politely moved away from the store entrance paths to allow the customers to enter.

The crowd was happy, almost giddy with anticipation. Shoppers were driving by hanging out the windows of their cars cheering us and honking their horns. It felt like I was in a parade. We waited about an hour for our turn to board the bus. They let us fill up the bus and pack in like sardines.

An elderly woman looked around and said, "Democracy is crowded."

Everyone was so polite, kind, and respectful while waiting in long lines and at the rally. The only ones who weren't were the two men who drove by the throngs of people waiting to get on the bus to the rally and yelled obscenities at us. People just smiled and let them drive. I loved it!

We were dropped off near the Capitol where the streets were filled with people. In one spot tables had been set up on the sidewalk and folks were grabbing a hotdog, bottled water or a coffee. There was a donation can nearby.

We headed to the meeting place for the SEIU union workers. Inside the building it was buzzing with activity. I heard discussion about collective bargaining, patient care and caseloads. We saw Tammy Baldwin speaking to some of the union representatives in the hallway.

It was standing room only as I listened to speakers including JoCasta Zamarripa, the first Latina to be elected to the state assembly, who spoke to this crowd of SEIU union workers, NAACP representatives, and other supporters from Wisconsin and Chicago. Her voice broke as she tried to control her emotions when telling about how she felt when she was denied her voice and her vote (when the Assembly speaker pro tempore suddenly cut off the debate and demanded a vote just after 1 a.m. Friday morning).

We moved outside to begin the march and I was asked to hold one end of the banner. I found myself out in front helping to lead the large group. The crowds on the sidewalks cheered, chanted and banged drums to show their support as we marched around the square. We walked slowly and as we were walking I scanned the faces and the signs in the crowd taking it all in. What I saw were lots of smiles.

I saw ONE person who was pro-Walker - ONE all day in that immense crowd. He stood quietly on a street corner holding two signs as the people wandered all around. Later on the ride home, I talked to some riders on our bus about this and they said they only saw five, and those five were standing right in front of the FOX news cameras.

 I saw young people and old people, a few children, even a few dogs in the crowd.

We stopped in front of the steps where the rally was set to begin, and climbed up the hill a bit to get a better view. There were young people who had climbed the trees for a better view. I saw what looked to be TV cameras covered in plastic and set up on a platform; there were several of them, and they appeared to be filming the crowd and the rally.

While I stood listening to the speakers I scanned the crowd around me, several times I looked back to the Capitol building, I had never been so "up close and personal." Looking up I saw the Capitol's dome, the huge white columns and bronzed accents. The flag was flying on the platform in front, with the capital as the backdrop and large fluffy snowflakes falling. My sister-in-law looked around and said she felt like she was in a snow globe.

Before the speakers had begun, the crowd sang our national anthem.

The speakers included  Jeffrey Skiles, the co-pilot on what is now referred to as the "Miracle on the Hudson." He spoke for pilots and teachers, and talked about how Wisconsin teachers had helped his son earn an ACT score high enough to get into UW Madison. He won't be going he said, and explained, after a gasp went up from the crowd, "Because he's in the eighth grade."  Of his experience on the Hudson, he talked about how everyone worked together that day, the people who came and helped, "We are all heroes. And every one of them was a union member."

Another speaker (I'm not sure who it was) said that Governor Walker was claiming we weren't from Wisconsin, that they[ organizers] were busing in people from out of state and that Walker doesn't know what Wisconsin voters look like.

I heard a little voice from behind me say, "Well... we're all a little overweight."

Spinside the Senate: Senate Republican Majority Caucus produces Radio Free Mike Parry

Update! In Part Two, Spinside the Senate: send GOP Senate Majority Caucus comm shop your questions, Bluestem suggests some questions for readers to ask the GOP Senate Majority comm shop--then asks a few of my own.

Parry opens the show by calling it, "the official news." Is this "official news"--which discusses partisan campaign strategy--produced at the expense of the Republican caucus or by the State of Minnesota? Are state time and equipment used to produce the show? Don't state ethics rules forbid partisan campaigning on the public's dime? If taking about a party campaign strategy, as Senate Majority Leader Koch and Parry do at the beginning of the show, isn't partisan, what is? [end update]

 

Before he established himself as a twitter presence, Republican State Senator Mike Parry (Waseca) was a farm radio guy. More recently, he got on the state's radar from refusing to yield during senate floor debate and answer some questions, as has been the custom in the upper chamber's past.

Now he'll be able to combine the two strands of his legacy, by offering, "Inside the Senate," which will be aired for now on Owatonna talk radio station KOWZ.   Politics In Minnesota reported in Senate GOP launches radio show on February 24:

Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch and Sen. David Hann will be the program’s first guests on Friday.  The radio show will regularly feature Senate Republicans.

Perry tells a slightly different story to the Owatonna People's Press:

Parry was in the midst of his first show on Thursday. The first show will include the majority leader, Republican Sen. Amy Koch and her colleague Sen. David Hann, who will discuss bills he has recently introduced.

When asked if the opposition, the DFL, would be allowed to speak on the program, Parry said, “Those doors are open.”

Parry’s show will air on Friday mornings at 10 a.m.

The short news piece in the Owatonna People's Press on Thursday, Feb. 24, suggests that the show is taped (since Parry was "in the midst of his first show on Thursday") --and a press release put out that same day by Parry's producer, the Republican Senate Majority Caucus, raises questions about why he was being a tad liberal in saying the door to the recording studio was open to DFLers:

-The Senate Republican Majority Caucus announced today a weekly radio program “Inside the Senate.” The program, hosted by Senator Mike Parry (R-Waseca), will begin airing Friday mornings at 10:00 am on KOWZ News Talk AM-1170 of Owatonna, MN.

 Senator Mike Parry, “Inside the Senate” host, stated, “I look forward to this opportunity to communicate with the public through a weekly radio program. With massive budget and jobs deficits, it’s more important now than ever that we create a constructive dialogue with people as we seek the best solutions to move Minnesota forward. ‘Inside the Senate’ gives people with busy lives and busy schedules a consistent, focused update on the news of the legislature.”

 Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch (R-Buffalo) and Assistant Majority Leader David Hann (R-Eden Prairie) are the scheduled guests for Friday, February 25.

 “Inside the Senate” will feature Senate Republicans as guests to discuss legislative initiatives, session updates and other news of the legislature. Listeners are able to submit questions and comments to the show via email at [email protected].

 This program is produced and authorized by the Senate Republican Majority Caucus. It is offered as a free public news service and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s campaign committee. Copies of the program are available upon request.

Perhaps my readers could send in questions about where the senate majority plans to cut programs. And, since Mike Parry told the local paper that the door is open to DFLers, I think it's in order for Senator Dick Cohen to be a guest on the show.

Would Parry answer the questions he refused to address on the floor of the state senate?

It's also worth observing that--unlike live radio shows hosted by former Governors Jesse Ventura and Tim Pawlenty--the "dialogue" Parry welcomes doesn't seem to be coming from callers, but from email. Former Governor Pawlenty took some harsh questions live, as noted by a Hot Dish Politics post from March 2010.

Not that the post about the Republican Caucus show in the Strib's Hot Dish Politics could note the difference between live and taped shows.

Instead, readers are left to think taped content provided by a partisan caucus is the same as a live show with a governor taking callers' questions.  The lead in If radio's good enough for the governor...

A weekly radio show hosted by Minnesota's governor has been a staple of the state's airwaves since the days of Jesse Ventura. Now, the state Senate's Republican leadership has decided to get into the act.

The show, dubbed "Inside the Senate," will launch at 10 a.m.Friday on talk station KOWZ AM-1170 in Owatonna -- slightly outside the Twin Cities media market.

A non-answer about questions about the cost of production dutifully provided in an update:

It was not immediately clear exactly how the show will be paid for; when a response comes from the caucus, it will be posted here. UPDATE: Caucus spokesman Christopher Van Guilder said no money is changing hands to broadcast the show, that "we are providing content that they are choosing to air." "We are not campaigning" on the show, he said.

"Providing content"?  Good one. The last paragraph of the Republican caucus's press release sounds an awful lot like disclosure language for an independent expenditure, and indeed, it will be interesting to see whether this Republican news shows up on the year-end campaign finance report from the Republican senate campaign committee, or if the content is being produced at public expense.

The first venue is local to Parry's district, but part of a rural media network owned in part by a contributor to Republican candidates. According to the FCC ownership database, KOWZ is owned by Blooming Prairie Farm Radio, Inc. Another report lists Lynn Ketelson and John R. Linder as BRFR directors and stockholders, each with a 50 percent share of voting stock.

While neither director/stockholder gave any money to Parry's campaign (or at least not enough to trigger disclosure under Minnesota campaign finance rules), it's safe to say that John Linder contributes to Republican candidates--and thus might be a Republican. 

Records available at the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board indicate that a "John Linder" at at KTOE/KTOE Radio, another BPFR-owned stateon in  Mankato, made two contributions to Tim Pawlenty's gubernatorial campaign in 2005 and 2006 for a total of $500.  Linder has been more generous on the federal level, according to the FEC database, having given $2000 to Bush-Cheney 2004, $2000 in two 2002 contributions to the Coleman Leadership Committee, $1000 that same year to Coleman's Senate campaign, and $500 to Mark Kennedy's dismal 2006 Senate run.

The Linder name is familiar and respected in Minnesota broadcasting--and the FEC individual contribution database indicates a pattern of extened family giving to Republican candidates.

Perhaps no money needs to exchange hands in this content sharing among like-minded friends and former colleagues. According to his Linked-In profile, Parry was employed as a general manager for the Linder Farm Network from 1999 through 2007.

Finally, Senator Parry appeared in an Almanac Public Television Lovefest with TPT hosts Mary LaHammer and  Erik Eskola on Friday night.

Always on top of things, Parry said that he hadn't heard about Dayton's request for bids for a radio show. However, I can't fault him for being out of the loop. He's been equally clueless about when his own show was airing.

Parry first tweeted about the program on February 18 (at 11:11 a.m., according to a mouse-over pop-up on Twitter):

mikeparry mikeparry

Great show today on AM 1170. Inside the Senate airs every. Friday at 10 am.

18 Feb Favorite Retweet Reply

That's six days before press release, PIM and Hot Dish Politics article, and Parry's discussion with a local reporter about how he was taping his first show, and a full week before he appeared on Almanac.

I've emailed the station to ask if indeed "Inside the Senate" aired on February 18 at 10:00 a.m., over a  hour before Perry--or someone--tweeted about the great show.

This isn't the only time of late that Parry gets a little fishy about what's going on. In yesterday's Owatonna People's Press article, Parry: Show us results, or face cuts to funding, Parry reveals that his understanding of arts funding is at best a muddle:

. . . “I’m not going to sit here and tell you that we’re going to hold the arts harmless or that you’re not going to get a cut,” Republican Sen. Mike Parry told a group of arts advocates on Saturday. “It’s just a fact of life — there is no room for any tax increases whatsoever.”

Many may have heard of the Legacy Act, a fund for the environment and culture that the electorate OK’d in 2008. However, a large chunk of Minnesota’s arts funding does come from the state’s general fund. As fate would have it, much of the arts funding in the state will come through Parry’s committee. Parry chairs the State Government Innovations and Veterans Committee. . . .

In the meeting with local arts advocates described in the article, Parry questioned the accountability of their organizations, citing the case of a best-selling children's author paid $45,000 to appear at the Stillwater Public Library (The event was part of the Club Book program sponsored by the Metropolitan Library Services Agency, which received a $150,000 grant for the project for public readings by authors. The money was drawn from Legacy funds allocated for regional library systems).

The arts advocates pointed out that out to Parry-- and that the money didn't come out of arts funding over which the committee he chairs has oversight--but Legacy funds--and that it was not given to arts organizations:

Brenda Byron, the executive director of Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council, pointed out that the money in question came out of a Legacy grant to libraries.

“We see that as a red flag, too, because we knew what an arts group could do with that,” Byron said.

Paint me a red herring, someone, with Parry throwing it into an argument.

Photo: Mike Parry meets with arts advocates (via Owatonna People's Press).

Update: A reader who remembers such things emailed to say that while "Quick on the Uptake" was running on AM950, the DFL Senate and House Caucus supplied some content. According to this reader, sometimes it was taped, while other times caucus staffers showed up. "Quick on the Uptake" ended on July 27, 2010, after host Mike McIntee decided to devote time to his video production business and the Uptake itself. If this reader is correct, "Inside the Senate" isn't exaclty the bright shiny object the old media was so fascinated with last week, though it certainly is more formal than the content supplied to KOWZ. [end update]

 

Best CD6 headline ever: "Bachmann headed to Jupiter for tea party meeting"

Journalism fans live for headlines like this one:

Bachmann headed to Jupiter for tea party meeting

now up at the Minnesota Independent.  Andy Birkey includes deets from the St. Petersburg Times:

According to the St. Petersburg Times, “She is expected to discuss spending and constitutional issues at Abacoa Golf Club in Jupiter from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. RSVP to [email protected] to reserve a seat.”

A friend on Facebook added this my the post of my link: "Maybe she'll stay there." Another chimed in that he was all in favor of added fudning for congressional space flights.

 

Anti-Walker blowback: in 249-37 vote, UW-Lacrosse faculty votes for union

Looking across the Mississippi River in Southeastern Minnesota, I read another piece about blowback from the reign of Governor Scott Walker.

The Winona Daily News reports in UW-La Crosse faculty votes to unionize:

Faculty members at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse have voted overwhelmingly to join a union.

Thursday's vote was 249-37 in favor of union representation through AFT-Wisconsin, a statewide labor federation affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers. The UW-La Crosse unit numbers 328.

The vote comes amid daily protests at the Wisconsin Capitol over legislation to strip most public employees of their collective bargaining rights.

Susan Crutchfield, an associate English professor, says Gov. Scott Walker's budget-repair proposal galvanized the UW-La Crosse faculty's resolve to form a union.

In 2009, UW faculty and academic staff were extended the right to collectively bargain. Since then, faculty at UW-Eau Claire and UW-Superior have voted in favor of union representation.

There's more in the LaCross Tribune:

University of Wisconsin-La Crosse faculty members Thursday approved forming a union, despite the prospect that state action soon could take away any collective bargaining rights gained from the move.

The faculty voted 249-37 to organize as part of the American Federation of Teachers-Wisconsin. The 286 ballots cast represented an 87 percent turnout.

The two-day vote would have been canceled had the state Legislature passed Gov. Scott Walker's budget repair bill, which calls for repealing collective bargaining rights that Wisconsin faculty and staff gained only two years ago.

UW-L faculty members said they weren't daunted by the threat of losing bargaining powers.

 

Stand alone bill: Drazkowski doubles down on eliminating pay equity

You have to hand it to Steve Drazkowski. He doesn't take criticism of his stand on pay equity lightly.

After being so soundly spanked over his first bill by Greater Minnesota newspaper editors that I'm surprised he hasn't tried to file abuse charges, he goes and files a stand-alone bill.

Andy Birkey at the Minnesota Independent reports the deets in Drazkowski offers GOP’s fourth bill to repeal women’s pay equity act:

Rep. Steve Drazkowski, R-Mazeppa, has introduced another version of his bill to repeal the Pay Equity Act (PEA), a program started in the 1980s that ensures that women are paid a comparable wage to men in local government jobs. As of Thursday, when Drazkowski introduced his new bill, Republicans have authored four bills this session aimed at repealing the Pay Equity Act. Twenty-two Republicans in the House and Senate are sponsoring the legislation; 21 of the sponsors are men. 

The original repeal of the PEA was contained in a broader bill authored by Drazkowski that repealed a number of local government mandates; a similar bill is pending in the Senate. Senate Republicans then offered a standalone bill to repeal fair pay laws, and Drazkowski’s bill (HF698) introduced on Thursday brings the total tally of bills to four.

Birkey notes earlier editorials decrying Draz's War Against Equal Paychicks, as has Bluestem in a series of posts.

But Draz? Rather than listen to reason, he strikes out again against pay equity. Must be the persistant Drazkowski family values at work, or an attempt to become the Energizer Bunny of gender discrimination.

Look under the bus: my state senator's LA has left the building

On January 24, Bluestem Prairie first reported that Scott Newman's office had sent the Minnesota Nurses' Association an email stating that the senator wouldn't meet with groups that had endorsed his opponent in the 2010 election.

The MNA had sought to set up a meeting with one of Newman's constituents here in Senate District 18 on the nursing union's Day on the Hill in early MArch.

The Star Tribune now reports that Kim Kelley, the LA who sent the email, has gone Elvis:

Senate Republicans said Wednesday that Newman’s assistant, Kim Kelley, was “no longer with the Minnesota Senate” but declined to provide details. Michael Brodkorb, the executive assistant to Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch and the deputy chair of the state Republican Party, said Kelley left her job on Friday but said privacy laws prohibited him from saying more.

Late last month, an email signed by Kelley was sent to the Minnesota Nurses Association saying that “Senator Newman will not see any organizations that donated to/supported his opponent” in the November elections.

The email led to hearing about the need for an ethics investigation that left some observers with a few questions.

Image: Scott Newman's LA has gone Elvis. Check under MTC buses and snowbanks near the capitol.

Walz to hold veterans roundtable discussion at Austin VFW Thurs., 2/24 at 2 p.m.

Word of another Walz meeting with constituents, via the Austin Daily Herald:

Local veterans who want to put in their two cents on federal veterans programs will have the chance to do just that on Thursday.

Democratic Congressman Tim Walz will be holding a veterans round table discussion at VFW Post 1216 at 2 p.m. Thursday afternoon to hear local perspectives on Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense programs.

Walz has said he wants to protect veterans even during the tough budget cycle in which the country has found itself.

The discussion with Walz will begin at 2 p.m. and is scheduled to last until 3:30 p.m. The VFW is located at 300 4th Ave. NE in Austin.

Photo: Walz meets with veterans at an earlier town hall in Rochester in 2010.

Walz to hold Rochester "Congress on your corner" at Rochester Hyvee on Friday

Since taking office in 2007, Congressman Tim Walz has made himself very accessible to his constituents, holding meetings in grocery stores, veterans service clubs, community centers and othe places. Since his friend and colleague Gabby Giffords was shot in January at a "Congress on Your Corner" meeting, Walz has called his constituent meetings by the same name.

There will be one on Friday in Rochester.

From the congressional office:

Today, Congressman Walz announced he will host a grocery store stop Friday February 25th.

“Hearing the thoughts and ideas of southern Minnesotans is the cornerstone of our representative democracy. I am looking forward to the opportunity to hear from folks,” said Walz.

 What: Congress on your Corner with Rep. Tim Walz

When: Friday, February 25, 2011 from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM

Where: Hy-Vee Barlow Plaza, Produce Department, 1315 6th Street NW.

Whose rural values, part 3: St. Cloud Times joins greater MN chorus against Draz pay equity attack

Bluestem has following the response of the Greater Minnesota press to Representative steve Drazkowski's attempt to redefine the Local Government Pay Equity Act as an unfunded state mandate.

It isn't pretty.

The latest rejection for the Draz comes from the St. Cloud Times editorial board, which weighed in with Getting rid of the pay equity act is not solution:

Of the many ideas being proposed in St. Paul to supposedly save Minnesotans money, the idea to scuttle the Local Government Pay Equity Act is among the most depressing.

Rep. Steve Drazkowski, a Republican from Mazeppa, claims the act is outdated and burdensome for cities and counties. It is intended to make sure men and women earn equal pay for comparable jobs.

For starters, what are the facts behind Drazkowski’s claim?

That’s an important question. The act is approaching 30 years old, yet statistics show most local governments are finally reaching that seemingly simple standard. . . .

. . .Here are a few quick answers: The law requires a two-page report from each local government every three years. In it are job classes, gender breakdowns by each class and pay levels. Again, noting today’s technology and governments spending the past 25-plus years compiling such data, it’s hard to see this really being a resource killer.

More importantly, it seems there is no shortage of gaps. According to The Winona Daily News, in the past 14 years, 96 resolved penalties resulted in more than $1.2 million in restitution to 1,300 employees and nearly $210,000 in fines.

Still, perhaps the act can be updated. Maybe reports can be filed every five years for governments with clean records. Better yet, how about boosting penalties? After all, this law has been in effect since 1986. It’s not exactly new to local governments.

If it took almost three decades to reach pay equity, how can the process be a burden, much less outdated?

Fair-minded Minnesotans are more likely to see it as beneficial and, if anything, too slow in affecting change. If it took this long to achieve pay equity, what’s to inspire the confidence that equity will be maintained if the state’s only measure of compliance is suddenly dropped?

These are good ideas--minimize minimal paperwork for local governments with a clean record, while punching up penalties for those that don't comply.

Related posts:

Whose rural values, part 2: Draz plan to end pay equity gets New Ulm Journal's thumbs down

Whose rural values? Drazkowski plan to end pay equity gets Greater MN's thumbs down,

In theater of absurd analogies, Glenn Gruenhagen makes a monkey of legislative debate

To me, the struggle to pass the so-called Cheeseburger Bill has always seemed more symbolic politics than legislative relief for a real threat. It's certainly not a "jobs, jobs, jobs" bill, which is probably why it has the attention of Republican leadership now controlling the Minnesota House.

In short, the sort of imaginary problem to hag-ride the mind of a guy like Glenn Gruenhagen, fearful of sodomy and his own shadow.

Thus I had to snort in laughter at the latest Gruenhagenism, duly reported by Dave Orrick at the Pioneer Press in Minnesota House panel OKs bill barring fast-food lawsuits:

Monday's debate quickly descended into a battle of analogies, as well as a referendum on whether society is too litigious.

"Let's say I choose to eat 100 bananas and my stomach ruptures," said Rep. Glenn Gruenhagen, a Glencoe Republican. "That's not the banana growers' fault."

Draz puts in a cameo appearance as well:

Rep. Steve Drazkowski, a Republican from Mazeppa, said the proposal offers badly needed reform. "I think (the bill is) exactly on track to where we need to go here in society," he said. "Our society has gotten to be a sue-happy society."

There's one problem with the bill:

Joel Carlson, a lobbyist for the Minnesota Association for Justice (formerly known as the Minnesota Trial Lawyers Association), said such a statement was "disingenuous," citing court statistics showing the number of personal-injury claims filed in Minnesota fell 30 percent from 1998 to 2009. Moreover, he said, the proposal isn't needed because Minnesota law already has provisions that presume people are responsible for their own actions. "That's the reason cases haven't been brought in Minnesota," he said.

On Planet Draz, it's only legislation that ensures women get pay equity that's redundant. But protecting slider slingers from lawsuits that are already banned? There you go: more government regulation of government.

Image: Gruenhagen's superego confronts his id, or else a still from the classic cartoon short, Rejected. Decide for yourself.

Chamber vs. Chamber?: Mayors on LGA and Greater Minnesota

In a column presumably distributed by the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities (CGMC), the mayors of Albert Lea and Bemidji weigh in on why LGA is critical to Greater Minnesota businesses (via the Worthington Globe).

There is an interesting divide emerging between the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce and some local chambers. Recently, the state chamber publicly took local chambers in Greater Minnesota to task for signing, or even considering signing, a resolution supporting the Local Government Aid (LGA) program.

That was a hard blow to businesses and chambers whose economies are on the line. They understand that the LGA program is critical not only to their businesses and to the economy of Greater Minnesota, but to the economic health of the state as a whole. They disagree with David Olson, president of the state chamber, who said local chambers that support LGA are simply protecting the status quo.

Unfortunately, the status quo over the past few years has been a history of LGA cuts leading to higher property taxes and reduced services for businesses and homeowners in Greater Minnesota and the inner city, while those located in high property wealth cities, particularly in the suburbs, have remained unscathed. If LGA is cut, these inequalities would accelerate, making businesses in greater Minnesota even less competitive with those in property rich cities or in other states, and that is not acceptable.

The state chamber says that when it comes to weathering the current economic storm, everything should be on the table. But as the mayors of cities that have had to struggle with balancing the level of property taxes with the service needs of our businesses and community, we see nothing but the status quo in what they are asking. When it comes to raising revenue, property taxes are always on the table while other revenue sources appear to be untouchable, and when it comes to cuts, some aid programs, like LGA, are front and foremost while others are ignored.

The Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities (CGMC), of which our cities are members, has also been chastised by the state chamber. They say that we oppose change, but what we really oppose is their targeting of the businesses and communities with the fewest resources and highest needs. It is time for them to take their own advice by actually putting everything on the table instead of serving us more of the same old LGA cold cuts as though it is something for which we should be thankful.

Truth be told, the LGA program has served the state well, keeping all areas of the state prosperous. That being said, we do not oppose changes in the program, but any reform proposal should be evaluated by two standards:

* Does the reformed program continue to address the original goals of the LGA program, which is to even out property taxes across the state?

* Do changes in the LGA and other property tax relief programs distribute property tax increases and service delivery reductions fairly across the state without expecting Greater Minnesota to carry more than their share of the burden?

So far, we haven’t seen any proposals, including the state chamber’s vague “reform” policies, that meet these criteria. What we have seen is that, in taking local chambers to task for their support of the LGA program, the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce discounts the fact that what helps large corporate headquarters does not necessarily benefit Main Street businesses or industries located in Greater Minnesota. It is time the chamber takes all businesses in the state, not just big business, into account when setting its policies.

Vern Rasmussen is the mayor of Albert Lea; Dave Larson is the mayor of Bemidji.

It's fascinating to watch the Republican majorities in both houses of the state legislature seek to cut or eliminate LGA. Because they're all for "rural values," except when their corporate overlords in the state chamber tell them not to be.

Photo: Historic view of downtown Bemidji.

Whose rural values, part 2: Draz plan to end pay equity gets New Ulm Journal's thumbs down

In Whose rural values? Drazkowski plan to end pay equity gets Greater MN's thumbs down, Bluestem looked at the negative reaction by outstate newspapers to a divisive Drazkowski proposal.

Now the fairly conservative New Ulm Journal has weighed in.

In the editorial, Equal pay and smoking — why weaken laws?, the editors write:

One bill would repeal Minnesota's Local Government Equal Pay Equity Act. This law has been around since 1984 and, slowly but surely, has raised the wages of women public employees to the levels of men doing equal work. That's a good thing, right?

But some GOP legislators think the law needs to be repealed. It's too expensive, they say, for local governments to prepare and file the pay reports they are required to submit every three years.

While it is true that pay inequity has all but disappeared in Minnesota's public sector, it is worthwhile to keep checking. It took us 27 years to get to this point. We suspect it would take a much shorter time for inequities to creep back in.

Perhaps readers might consider the larger worldview underlying Drazkowski's inclusion of pay equity provisions in a bill to eliminate "mandates.

Measures to ensure that the principle of equal pay for equal work is more than just an idle promise to women? For Draz, simply red tape and hoops for guys running local government to jump through, since the proper of role of state government is to make everyone speak and read English (while freezing the salaries of those who teach the subject).

Photo: Screenshot of Steve Drazkowski, from an Emmer for Governor endorsement video.

Beating a bear-baiting drum: bipartisanship Stephen Colbert would love

Reading over today's Journal of the House, I spotted this bill (emphasis added):

Dill and Hackbarth introduced:

H. F. No. 620, A bill for an act relating to game and fish; allowing use of a drum while baiting bear; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 97B.

The bill was read for the first time and referred to the Committee on Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Policy and Finance.

While using drums while baiting bears won't create jobs or demonize vulnerable people, Stephen Colbert should be happy.

Note: This bear baiting is using bait in steel drums to attract bears, rather than the cruel practice of "bear baiting" with dogs.

Plainview area teachers school representatives Drazkowski and Benson

While most of the world turns their attention to to the massive rallies in Madison supporting Wisconsin's teachers and other public employees, a smaller scale drama played out in Plainview, Minnesota on Saturday.

The Rochester Post Bulletin reports in Teachers lecture legislators at Plainview town-hall meeting:

A winter of political discontent played out in microcosm Saturday afternoon in Plainview, where Republican state representatives Mike Benson, of Rochester, and Steve Drazkowski, of Mazeppa, held a town-hall meeting and heard an earful from unhappy public school teachers.

Benson and Drazkowski both said they support a statewide two-year freeze on teacher salaries, while teachers among the nearly 100 people at the meeting contended that local school districts should retain control over salary decisions.

in a priceless moment, Draz gets schooled by the teachers about labor unions:

[H]e set off a chorus of protest when he said, "Teachers have the best interests of kids at heart. Unions do not."

"But we are the union," several teachers responded in unison.

Photo: Steve Drazkowski

Guest post: Photo essay of Saturday's solidarity rally in Hudson, Wisconsin

by Ted Fiskevold, National Writers Union

Approximately 1,000 labor union members, friends of labor and their families picketed at a “solidarity with Wisconsin workers rally” in Hudson, WI on Saturday, February 19, 2011.  

Wisconsin and Minnesota picketers joined together in the Wisconsin City of Hudson, on the east side of the St. Croix River and just 15 minutes east of the Twin Cities. Braving icy winter winds that whistled through the river valley, the brothers and sisters  marched back and forth on the bridge over Interstate 94 for a few hours in the morning and then marched a mile and a half to a rally in front of the  government center.  

Interstate traffic and local traffic honked in solidarity with the picketers—all in support of Wisconsin workers and the 14 brave Democratic Washington State Senators who are bucking blatant union-busting from Wisconsin Republicans who control Wisconsin’s executive branch and both branches of the Wisconsin legislature. 

More photos by Ted Fiskevold at Workday Minnesota.

Photos by Ted Fiskevold, National Writers Union, UAW Local 1981, Twin Cities Chapter 13, AFL-CIO.

 

MN AFL CIO: Working Minnesotans denied a voice on U Board of Regents

Early this morning, Bluestem posted in Rough stuff: Sviggum and Brod nominated to U of M Regents board, vote today:

Family farmers and unions are likely to lose voices on the University of Minnesota Board of Regents today when the legislature votes to approve nominations.

Former Minnesota House speaker Steve Sviggum is nominated to replace Helena Township farmer Dallas Bohnsack for the CD2 slot, while former state representative Laura Brod will slide into the at-large seat now held by AFL-CIO secretary-treasurer Steve Hunter.

Sviggum and Brod are now Regents. The Minnesota AFL-CIO issued the following statement in Working Minnesotans Denied a Voice on University of Minnesota Board:

Leaders of the Minnesota AFL-CIO sharply criticized the Minnesota Legislature’s decision to keep a labor representative off the University of Minnesota Board of Regents.  This decision breaks with decades of tradition of giving labor a voice on the University’s governing board.

“The campuses of the University of Minnesota play a key role in educating our state’s workforce and driving business innovation,” said Minnesota AFL-CIO President Shar Knutson. “It’s just plain wrong that working Minnesotans will no longer have a say in how the University is run.”

Current Minnesota AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Steve Hunter has served as an at-large Regent since his bipartisan appointment in 2005.

Previous union leaders on the board have included Minnesota AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer George Lawson, 1933-1959; Minnesota AFL-CIO Executive Vice-President Robert Hess, 1959 – 1967; Minnesota AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Neil Sherburne, 1969-1981; Minnesota AFL-CIO President David Roe, 1981-1993; and Minnesota AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Bill Peterson, who served from 1993 until his death in 2000.

Today, the GOP-controlled legislature voted to replace Hunter with former Republican Legislator Laura Brod. They also appointed former Republican House Speaker and Pawlenty administration official Steve Sviggum to the board.

“Republican leaders have decided to take the partisan low road and reward their political allies,” added Knutson. “The University of Minnesota Board of Regents governs a statewide campus system and should be representative of all who make our state work.”

Photo: Minnesota AFL-CIO President Shar Knutson and and Secretary-Treasurer Steve Hunter. Photo via Workday Minnesota.

Did Chip Cravaack ghostwrite for the Onion in 2002?

My earnest friend Jacob Grippen, who keeps a diary at the Minnesota Progressive Project, posted an oldie but a goodie from the Onion on my Facebook page when he read that Representative Cravaack's favorite president is Calvin Coolidge. In the brief, History Teacher Has Unusual Favorite President, we read:

GROVEDALE, MN—Paul Loftus, an 11th-grade history teacher at Grovedale High School, proudly touts his unconventional choice for favorite U.S. president, Calvin Coolidge. "People fail to appreciate how Coolidge essentially rebuilt the presidency after the Harding scandals," said Loftus, who enjoys announcing and discussing his surprise pick whenever possible. "He was also a great diplomat who did much to foster world peace, all despite the tragic death of his son in his first term." Loftus went on to counter the widely held misconception that Coolidge, sometimes known as "Silent Cal," was a serious, humorless man.

Did Cravaack ghost write for the Onion in 2002? What else is he hiding from his past?

Related post: The Coolidge effect: New congressman Chip Cravaack is hot for Silent Cal

 

Walz to US House: listen to the voice of working families

A former high school social studies teacher, Congressman Tim Walz says, "listen to the sound coming like a warm spring breeze off the prairie:"