Earlier this year, state senator Mike Parry told Minnesota Public Radio that he took the full per diem, along with his legislative salary, because he had no other job during the session. Echoing the famous marxist maxim, he said he needed an income that matched his needs.
In a Doug Grow column in today's Minnpost, Parry gives major totes to his own compassion, which is deeply rooted in owning a pizza parlor in Waseca. Parry also claims that his tweets are vetted by two editors--his wife and an unidentified Senate caucus staffer (a twitter accountability buddy? h/t Charlie Quimby) .
Concerning Parry's compassion, Grow writes:
His own rock-ribbed conservatism, he says, has evolved from his compassion. Big government is hurting the little people, not to mention the "entrepreneurs" like himself. (Parry owns a small marketing business and a pizza shop.)
"I'm like every other small-business operator,'' Parry said. "I'm struggling. When people don't have money, they don't buy pizza. But the government doesn't care about that. Last year they came up with this .04 surcharge to businesses on the amount we pay into unemployment. That cost me $3,600 and forced me to lay off one employee."
That's what it's about, he said. His employees.
"It's devastating to lay somebody off," he said. "Right now, I have 14 employees getting 20 to 40 hours of work per pay period. What would those people do without those jobs?"
So now--while still drawing his senate salary and taking his per diem--Parry touts himself as a beleagured job creator who cars deeply about his employees.
He may indeed be a good boss; Bluestem has not inquired, though some of its readers in Waseca most likely have opinions about that. Instead, Bluestem wonders what he did with the income from the Godfather's Pizza he owns in Waseca while he was in St. Paul. After all, Parry told Minnesota Public Radio back in June:
"This is for the session, my job. I have no other job at this point in time," said Sen. Mike Parry, R-Waseca. "I'm here to do the work of the people, and I believe what has been established is fair." Parry is one of the lawmakers that took the maximum amount — which added up to $12,040 for the session.
Parry, who chairs the Senate State Government Finance Committee, said lawmakers put in long hours and that the per diem is a part of the salary package for each legislator. He said he would be open to eliminating daily expenses in exchange for higher pay.
"I would suggest that per diem go away, but that we come up with a salary that would match the needs of the person coming up here," he said. "You get it too low [and] people can't afford to come up here unless they have deep pockets or are very wealthy like the governor."
Was Parry's pizza place closed from January through May? Or did he put his income from the business he owns into a trust fund? Or--unlike the image of a straight shooter that Grow weaves--is Parry just talking out of both sides of his mouth?
And Parry doesn't seem to have much compassion for public employees. Back in May, he ridiculed Dayton's concern for the gardener at the governor's mansion. This is the same person he "joked" about on Saturday, imagining that the residence gardener, who has been laid-off during the shutdown, didn't do as good as job as Parry. If the gardener has a family, I'm sure they all find Parry's tweet the funniest thing ever.
And, unlike Grow-- or Parry, who rattles on to Grow about rural values--those bumpkins in the editorial boards at the Rochester Post Bulletin and the Mankato Free Press have called Parry out for his tweets.
The Free Press editorial board said on Saturday in
Parry commentary wasn’t helpful:
Thumbs down: To Sen. Mike Parry, R-Waseca, for his bomb-throwing commentary saying Gov. Mark Dayton should resign because he intentionally wants to hurt state workers and doesn’t care about them.
Not only are the comments detrimental to creating an atmosphere where Republicans and Democrats can work together in respect, they shed an unpleasant light on the Waseca area as people wonder if Mr. Parry is representing the sentiment of average Wasecans.
We know that’s not the case, and we wonder if Parry’s incendiary comments will come back to haunt him and his constituents if he ever has to work together with Dayton to achieve something for Waseca and his district.
As far as who wants to “hurt state workers” we suspect Parry would find it hard to defend the proposal he supports that cuts 15 percent of the state work force versus Dayton’s proposed cut of only 6 percent.
With compassion like that, who needs enemies?
In the meantime, Mike Parry continues to draw his senate paycheck, while planning to draw per diem, even though he's now remembered that he works a small business owner. Bluestem begins to wonder just what his needs are that he cant get by on both incomes.
Parry excuses his own tweets as "humor," he tells Grow, while believing the verities of the rural world he grew up in." The Post Bulletin reports that yesterday Gov. Dayton help[ed] serve steaks to troops, families of National Guard members heading to Iraq and Kuwait--not bad community service for a guy Parry claims has no feelings.
Photo: Plan 9 Parry by Tild. Is the woman Parry's twitter accountability buddy?
Related posts:MNGOP's class warfare for dummies: Waseca voter tells Mike Parry he's wrong about Dayton
Emo tweeting senator Mike Parry can see Governor's mansion lawn from Waseca
The Emo Senator cont'd: rocking chairs, resignations, and a retreat to retweets
Thumbs down, Emo senator: "Parry commentary wasn’t helpful"; turn off phone, go count trees
Emo senator, part 3: Mike Parry collecting paycheck and per diem during shutdown
The Emo Senator, part 2: Mike Parry cries crocodile tears over laid-off state workers
The Emo Senator: Mike Parry calls for Governor Dayton's resignation, cites feelings, trust fund
Sounds like Mike Parry has an Twitter accountability buddy.
Posted by: Charlie Quimby | Jul 11, 2011 at 01:35 PM
The comments on the Minn Post article have been amazingly on target, calling out Sen. Parry for his behaviors and lack of temperament, and to the article's author--a well respected journalist of long standing--for putting up such a puff piece that probably would not make it past most high school newspaper advisers.
Posted by: Mike Worcester | Jul 11, 2011 at 02:57 PM