When it comes to "Reform 2.0," the Potemkin hearings put on to give a faux populist cover for the ALEC agenda, the Worthington Globe isn't playing stenographer for the House Republican Caucus like the Rochester Post Bulletin did.
It's allowing local elected officials to sass back.
In Lawmakers organize public session, the Globe reports:
District 22B Rep. Rod Hamilton and District 22A Rep. Joe Schomacker will be in Worthington Thursday for “Reform 2.0,” a public session to gather insights, building upon the last state legislative session. . . .
A major concern for Mayor Alan Oberloh is what happens after sessions such as “Reform 2.0.”
“My biggest question every time we have a public session is do they truly get our input or is it just lip service?” Oberloh asked.
Bluestem recommends that Oberloh read the toolkit and model legislation written by the corporate bill factory (some call it a corporation/conservative legislator dating service) to answer that question.
The Worthington city administrator may want to take a look too, since he's hoping Republican reform might mean something other than cuts:
In recent years, cuts in Local Government Aid (LGA) have been a primary concern for the city. This year the city received about $325,000 less than the amount that it was slated to receive.
“If we lose LGA, we have to increase our tax rates for residents and businesses,” said city administrator Craig Clark about the disbursements that are used to provide core services for the city. “We’re not looking reform measures that mean further cuts.”
The meeting is scheduled from 2:30 to 4 p.m. in Farmer’s Room at Nobles County Government Center.
Photo: Bluestem thinks that despite the listening sessions, the ideas being listened to are from ALEC, which wants to take that hammer to state and local government.
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