Calvin K, Bahr, owner of Paranoid Transportation, Inc, has registered a campaign committee as Republican with the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board for state House District 31B, currently held by Tom Hackbarth (R-Cedar).
The jokes practically write themselves.
The paranoid style in Hackbarth's career
Minnesota political history buffs may recall how Hackbarth, who is holds a Minnesota carry permit, was detained by St. Paul police in 2010 when he was looking for a date in "a Highland Park alley, with his Smith and Wesson .38 strapped to his waist."
Just months later in 2011, Hackbarth compared labor political activism with Nazi and Communist propaganda. CBS Minnesota reported in Minn. GOP Lawmaker Raises Hitler, Castro In Email:
Minnesota Rep. Tom Hackbarth is under fire again.This time it’s for an email he sent comparing union politics to the tactics of Fidel Castro and Adolf Hitler. . . .
In the email, the woman asked Hackbarth to support Gov. Mark Dayton’s budget plan that would raise income taxes on Minnesota’s top earners.
When she got a return email from the lawmaker, she took it to the union that represents her.
Hackbarth wrote: “Are you a union member? If so, are they the communist giving you this propaganda?Do you know the who, what, when, where, why and how of Fidel Castro? Hitler rose to power using and blaming the Jews for the destruction of the German economy. Castro built his army of murderers by blaming the rich bankers and capitalist for destroying Cuba and taking advantage of the Cuban people. Hummm?” . . .
Despite this opinion of unions, Hackbarth, now serving his ninth, non-consecutive term, was endorsed by the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 49 in 2012.
Bahr truth
It's not Bahr's first drive by the Hackbarth seat. Politics in Minnesota's Paul Demko reported in the 2012 article, Key matchups include pairings of Dean/McFarlane and Jungbauer/Benson:
. . . House District 31B: Rep. Tom Hackbarth is seeking a ninth term in the Legislature. He will face opposition from at least one fellow Republican — Calvin Bahr, who runs a trucking business in the area — at Saturday’s endorsing convention. “The general thinking here is that I don’t agree with all of the things that Rep. Hackbarth is proposing for laws,” Bahr said.
In particular, he takes issue with the incumbent’s support for funding a new Minnesota Vikings stadium from the proceeds of casinos at horse racing tracks. “That will be a very big issue,” Bahr said.
“Running a private company to fund capital improvements for another private company is not a role of government.” . . .
Beyond the issues, Hackbarth’s personal conduct could be a concern for delegates. Shortly after the 2010 election, he was briefly detained by the police in St. Paul after being spotted in the parking lot of a Planned Parenthood clinic with a loaded gun. Hackbarth said at the time that he was unaware that the parking lot belonged to the security-conscious facility. He was not charged with any crime, but he was stripped of the chairmanship of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee as a result. He was subsequently given the gavel of the House’s Energy Subcommittee.
Bahr said he doesn’t intend to make an issue of the incident. “There was a small lapse in judgment, and I’m sure he learned from it,” Bahr said. “Everybody makes mistakes.”
Yes, ladies, stalking dates in Highland Park allies is no problem.
Hackbarth defeated Bahr's 2012 endorsement challenge. Bahr appears to be a Ron Paul supporter, and has named his committee Friends of Freedom.
Bahr submitted a letter of interest for the Resident Representative for the City of East Bethel on Upper Rum River Watershed Management Organization (URRWMO), city minutes noted in January, and the 2012 URRWMO annual report lists him as a board member.
Photo: Calvin Bahr and Mrs. Bahr, via Facebook.
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