While Doug Baker's "Quist is too far out" letter to the editor is making appearances in papers across the district, today's new letter online in Southern Minnesota's daily newspapers support Allen Quist in Tuesday's primary. For liberty. And freedom.
An additional letter in the Mankato Free Press disputes Senator Al DeKruif's framing of racino as "rural development." Jack Geller, who has served as past president of the Center for Rural Policy and Development in St. Peter, shared some succinct words.
But first, the liberty. Otto Luknic, who was beaten twice by Representative Patti Fritz, tells the readers of the Faribault Daily News that Quist, a champion for liberty is the man from them in the August 14 primary. He writes:
. . .Allen Quist deserves to be our next congressman for several reasons. Mr. Quist has an outstanding voting record from his time in the state legislature. For six consecutive years he earned a top rating from the Legislative Evaluation Assembly (LEA), an organization that grades legislators' votes on limited government and individual liberty. His career LEA rating is over 90 percent. One of Quist's great accomplishments for the liberty movement was to author the bill that legalized home schooling in Minnesota. It's refreshing to have a legislator who believes parents, not the government, should be in charge of their children's education.
On the issues we face today, Allen Quist understands that the $16 trillion national debt is our most pressing national security threat. . .
Rest assured that Luknic also lets readers know that Quist champions freedom as well as liberty. Read the whole thing at the Daily News.
Over in New Ulm, Lyle Lange thinks Quist's views on guys ruling households is A matter of religious freedom. A religion prof at Martin Luther College, Lange nails some theses to campaign consultant Ben Golnik's door in an open letter to the Parry campaign:
Your most recent campaign mailing reached my home today. I will not go into all the things you alleged in your literature. There is one matter, in particular, where you need to examine what you are saying. You wrote: "Quist stated that he believes men are 'genetically predisposed' to be heads of household." You cite this as a reason voters should not elect Allen Quist. In doing this, your campaign has moved into territory where you are denying Quist's right to freedom of religion. Quist is simply reflecting his belief in what the Bible says in Ephesians 5:22: "Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church." Now I know that not all churches take this verse literally, but I am not writing to get into a debate on biblical interpretation. I am writing to discuss the matter of freedom of religion. What Quist believes is what his church teaches. There are other churches that believe this also. In our country, people have freedom of religion. . . .
Read the whole chicken sandwich at the Journal.
Rural economic development champion Jack Geller responds to a letter supporting Parry because his failed racino bill saved Minnesota's horse industry when Canterbury Park and Mystic Lake cut a deal that will block racino for years. (Feel free to make of that logic what you will; Bluestem checked it out Saturday in Sailing to Byzantium: Parry was against tribal gaming before he was for it with racino failure.
In Racino is hardly rural development, Geller notes:
As a horse owner and an occasional patron of Minnesota’s casinos, I have strongly supported the establishment of a “racino” from its inception.
The establishment of a racino is both good for the industry as well as the state coffers. However, I was surprised to read Sen. Al DeKruif’s letter in The Free Press Aug. 2 describing Sen. Mike Parry’s efforts on the racino legislation as “his work on behalf of rural economic development in Minnesota.”
Let’s get real. If putting slot machines in racetracks on the fringe of the Twin Cities metro is their idea of rural economic development in Minnesota, then rural officials will certainly have rethink who they can count on to help with their real economic development work.
Bluestem supposes Geller wants effete elitist luxuries like broadband. Next thing you know, we'll demand rural electrification out here in the sticks. Fortunately, Geller won't have to pick on either Parry or DeKruif after January, as both men are retiring from the state senate.
Image: Allen Quist crowd surfing, by Ken Avidor.
Related posts: Sailing to Byzantium: Parry was against tribal gaming before he was for it with racino failure
More Parry endorsements--er, letters to the editor published in Southern Minnesota newspapers
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