A headline like that might gladden the heart of politician who fantasizes that sand mining builds "empathy" for copper mining projects, and fortunately, Bluestem can assess the reaction of local citizens to the delays that beleaguered corporation is facing at a merciless bureaucracy.
It is my understanding that there was another proposal on the table besides the one by Superior Silica Sands.
Chisago County HRA/EDA was willing to purchase that piece of property outright, market it and sell it.
No worry about silica sand in the air, no excess traffic, less wear and tear on our roads. Sounds like a win-win situation.
This would help with our ESSBY debt. Am I missing something here? To me, it seems like a no-brainer.
I live on Highway 95. I thought I was used to truck traffic. Lately it has increased with trucks transporting sand to Tiller Corp. Add another 250+ trucks to our highway and the downtown area, and the county offer looks excellent.
Our narrow highway downtown, with no expansion available, is a disaster-waiting-to-happen.
Fall back and use common sense.
Superior Silica will be back at the table when permits are received in February or before. Don’t let this mistake be your legacy.
So here’s where my nightmare begins. I recently returned home from Tioga, North Dakota, where I worked for two years in the oil fields. I came back to North Branch to enjoy a safe and quiet life. With property values returning, and jobs more plentiful, things were looking good until I heard that the city wants to put a silica sand trans-loading station in my back yard. Hasn’t anyone here learned of the hazards? Are the citizens of Chisago County prepared to pay for roads that crumble under the weight of hundreds of semis hauling frac-sand? I can’t absorb 30-percent depreciation on my home as a result of this type of development in my neighborhood. . . .
It may not be skullduggery, but it feels that way.
Our city council and mayor want to solve the city’s debt problem that will require a huge balloon payment soon. They ask: Who will save us from the indebtedness that previous councils, mayors and city planners brought upon us when they foolishly purchased the ESSBY land?
Superior Silica Sands to the rescue! This giant corporation is willing to solve the council’s problem by dragging thousands of tons of sand across state lines into our town for shipment to fracking sites. Our council seems to have made up its mind to accept this solution.
The folks who live in North Branch, however, are not so keen to have microparticles of sand floating through town promoting silicosis, fibrosis and other lung diseases, especially in their children. They don’t want to see huge sand-hauling trucks clogging and damaging the city’s roads. They don’t want their property values to plummet. They don’t want to open the door to further harmful developments of the sand industry which will surely come to North Branch as it has to other towns who have signed away their rights to large fracking enterprises.
It seems the mayor and council have decided the safest way to proceed is to keep as low a profile as possible. No referendums. No town meetings. Let the public comment at council meetings be relegated to the end of the meetings after all the votes of the evening have been cast. Don’t supply information on health issues, don’t warn people of decreased property values and don’t publish in the local papers the timeline for closing on a deal that’s already been decided on.
And especially don’t tell the citizens what the city officials offered to Superior Silica Sands that persuaded the company to pursue negotiations with North Branch after it withdrew its offer because of public outcry.
If the council is so set on going against the majority that has objections to the silica sand project, then let it be put on a referendum so we can decide our futures. You are compounding a mistake on the ESSBY project by rushing in with another.
There is a disease called silicosis. It comes from exposure to silica sand. Are these the kind of jobs meant for North Branch? Once you have this disease, there is no reversal. If the sand escapes, and I’m sure Superior Silica Sand will tell us it can’t, what about the rest of the citizens?
I know the council, planning commission and the EDA have already made up their minds and are voting yes, but remember the rest of us and why you are in office – to protect and serve us.
The town is strangled with traffic now by the Tiller Sand trucks making right hand turns from left lanes. They weren’t supposed to come through North Branch. The intersection is not equipped to handle this – yet another costly mistake on the rebuilding of the intersection.
If this is such a good project, stop, think and reassess. All components should be in place before going further.
We’ve talked about a bypass for years, but it hasn’t happened. We’ve always put the cart before the horse.
We’re a small town, not a metropolis. This project is not a good fit. We don’t have room on our roads for expansion. Look around!
So far, more than 3,000 people have signed a petition to stop the trucks, but last week the North Branch City Council voted to approve the deal with Superior Silica. Earlier objections from residents, Taylors Falls officials and the St. Croix Falls Chamber of Commerce seemed to derail the project, and Superior sent letters saying they were no longer interested in doing business in Minnesota.
But North Branch officials reached out to the company, and persuaded them to seal the deal, according to Taylors Falls Mayor Mike Buchite.
“Superior [Silica] Sands said they wanted to be a good corporate citizen and were no longer interested in the property,” said Buchite. “I wonder what North Branch offered to get them to change their minds.” . . .
If the situation in North Branch and Chisago County is building empathy for the mining industry, Bluestem doesn't even want to know what disdain looks like.
Photo: A banner objecting to those trucks.
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John and Marlys Honour think Belle Plaine "has so much charm and such a wonderful Minnesota feel,"and want residents to vote for their son, according to a July 30 letter to the editor of the newspaper in the Scott County community.
Here's the letter printed in the three small town newspapers:
As the parents of Scott Honour, who is running for Governor of Minnesota, we have been extremely lucky to be able to travel the state talking about his plan to better our great state for years to come.
Visiting Belle Plaine this week was an absolute pleasure. This city has so much charm and such a wonderful Minnesota feel, and the residents were more than welcoming. We chatted with a variety of folks introducing them to our son and hearing what they are looking for in their next governor. We once again heard that Minnesotans want a change from the politics as usual sort of candidate and would rather have a candidate with a history of getting results.
Scott Honour has done that in business, and he’s also excelled as a husband and father to three beautiful children.
The primary election is August 12 and if you would like a conservative businessman, rather than a career politician, please vote for our son, Scott Honour.
Sincerely,
John & Marlys Honour
Watertown, MN
The Kenyon Leader didn't preserve the paragraphing, but the Honours found the town to be just as charming and Minnesota feeling, populated by residents who feel exactly like the people living in Belle Plaine and Pine Island:
As the parents of Scott Honour, who is running for Governor of Minnesota, we have been extremely lucky to be able to travel the state talking about his plan to better our great state for years to come Visiting Kenyon this week was an absolute pleasure. This city has so much charm and such a wonderful Minnesota feel, and the residents were more than welcoming. We chatted with a variety of folks introducing them to our son and hearing what they are looking for in their next governor. We once again heard that Minnesotans want a change from the politics as usual sort of candidate and would rather have a candidate with a history of getting results. Scott Honour has done that in business, and he’s also excelled as a husband and father to three beautiful children. The primary election is August 12 and if you would like a conservative businessman, rather than a career politician, please vote for our son, Scott Honour.
We have read a lot about conformity is small towns, but this is a bit extreme.
Photo: John and Marlys Honour, campaigning for their son in New Ulm. Via the New Ulm Journal. We haven't found their letter in the Journal, but hope that they found the German-American city just as pleasant as Belle Plaine, Kenyon and Pine Island and populated by people equally like-minded.
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While the Erickson silica sand mine was granted a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) by the Houston County Board last month, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has determined that the operation's permit had lapsed.
Because of that lapse, the operation will be required to apply for a trout stream setback permit as required by the frac sand compromise legislation passed by the Minnesota legislature in 2013. The permit system was created as an alternative to putting all areas within a mile of trout streams off limits to sand mining, the Star Tribune reported at the time.
Existing operations were grandfathered in, but the Erickson mine's permit situation grew murky after the owners attempted to become part of a larger system of sand mines proposed by the Minnesota Sands project. They has since severed the connection.
According to the letter, the Erickson mine is located within a mile of Frendale Brook, a designated trout stream. The stream's designation is included in Minnesota's administrative rules.
Screenshot: Map of Ferndale Brook and other trout streams. Ferndale Brook is in the lower left hand corner of the image.. via DNR.
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The editorial isn't posted on all of the nearly 30 papers published by the ECM Publishing chain, from Caledonia to Little Falls to the suburbs and East Central Minnesota, but the company's editorial board has endorsed Marty Seifert for the Augurt 12, 2014 Republican primary.
Like the Forum Communication chain, ECM Publishing's editorial board ordinarily endorses on statewide candidates and amendments on the ballot. In 2012, for instance, the board opposed the amendments to restrict the right to marry and to vote.
Marty Seifert is the most traveled of the Republican candidates for governor, having visited all 87 Minnesota counties in the run-up to the Aug. 12 primary election.
The former southwestern Minnesota farm kid has also covered a lot of ground in his professional and political careers, from teaching high school history and government to serving 14 years in the House of Representatives, three as minority leader.
Experienced, pragmatic and deeply knowledgeable about issues ranging from the Iron Range’s sulfide mining controversy to metropolitan transportation needs, Seifert is our choice in the Republican gubernatorial primary. The winner will face DFL Gov. Mark Dayton in November.
Read the entire editorial endorsement at the Caledonia Argus to learn why the board picked Seifert and declined on the other three.
If we are not mistaken, ECM Publishing primary endorsements for statewide offices are just that, and they'll make their minds up for their choice for the general election as we move closer to November.
Photo: Marty Seifert.
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Update: scroll to the bottom of this post for the civil penalties that could potentially be charged if the apparent excessive contribution allegedly is over the limit.
In looking at campaign finance reports posted online today from Bob Frey and Jim Nash, both Republican candidates for the open Minnesota House seat created by the retirement of Ernie Leidiger in 47A, one things is immediately obvious.
As one former district resident (now on the Hoppe side of the senate district) tweeted:
Money race in #47A GOP primary is a blowout. Bob Frey raised $10.8K, $9K of which was a loan from the candidate. Jim Nash has raised $22.7K.
. . .Because a loan could turn into a contribution at some point in the future, loans from anyone other than a financial institution are subject to the same contribution limits that would apply to a contribution from the lender. The amount of the loan must be added to the cash and in-kind contributions from the same lender when checking to see if the lender’s contribution limit has been reached. These contribution limits are discussed later in this section.
According to the 2013 - 2014 Contribution and Spending Limits posted on the Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board, a 2013-2014 Candidate’s Personal Contribution Limit Total Amount for Two-Year Period (applicable only to candidates who have signed a public subsidy agreement) for someone running for the Minnesota House of Representatives is $5000.
Hat tip to Senator Dave Osmek on this one. We'll update this post with information about what the fine--if any--might be for this violation of the rules.
If the committee takes a contribution that is more than the limit for that type of contribution, the Board can charge a civil penalty that is up to four times the amount by which the contribution exceeded the limits.
For this apparent violation, that is $4000 over the limit, the board could potentially charge the campaign up to $16,000 after an investigation. We're not clear if a complaint has to be made for the board to look into it. However, the board has a great deal of latitude, while tending to be fair while looking at the circumstances.
Screenshot: Bob Frey loaned his campaign $9000, in apparent violation of Minnesota's campaign finance rules.
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Sadly, no, as the screenshot of the data for June 2014 shows. We'd used the May data in our post below.
We tweeted the screenshot to Mr. Zach, but he still hasn't corrected his post. Perhaps he might consider using this link, then explain just where he came up with that figure of 8.7 percent. (January 2012?)
Update 2: Our friend Max Hailperin points out that Kayser used this data set, but didn't link directly to it, and only vaguely describing what he was describing. Thus we're both right about our datasets, but McFadden--who claims to be drawing his figure from the "latest figures", is simply incorrect about what those numbers are. [end update].
Bemidji, Minnesota, is the proud home of a statue of Paul Bunyan and Babe, his Blue Ox; endorsed Republican United States Senate candidate Mike McFadden seems to be drawing inspiration from that tale with a whopper of his own.
Shortly before our interview, it came out that the June unemployment rate for Minnesota was 4.5 percent, the lowest since February of 2007. I asked McFadden whether he was aware of the state’s unemployment rate? Replied McFadden:
Do you know what the unemployment rate is in the Iron Range, Eric? It just came out, too. It’s close to 10 percent. Do you know what it is in Bemidji? It’s close to 11 percent.
Bluestem had been looking at county level unemployment data recently and thought the figure for Bemidji might be a bit high. According to data online at the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), Beltrami County's unemployment rate was 6 percent in June 2014.
But we can drill down even deeper into the data by visiting the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics Data Viewer, which reports that the unemployment rate for the Bemidji, MN Micropolitan Statistical Area (U) was 5.6 percent in May 2014, the latest figures available.
That's nearly half the rate that McFadden shared, but William B. Laughead might be proud.
An investment banker on leave of absence from Lazard Middle Market, McFadden is predicted to win the Republican primary and face Senator Al Franken in November's general election.
Photo: Bemidji's Paul Bunyan and Babe statues, via Wikipedia.
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One of the fascinating things about the long history of the movement for marriage equality is the ability of people to change their minds--and hearts--about the definition of marriage, and for politicians to gain to the courage to adopt love as the law.
In the DFL state auditor's race, the Entenza campaign has ripped Rebecca Otto for 2004 vote related to marriage equality, while touting his own record as primo DFL values. As we noted last night in Say Anything: Keith Ellison backdates Minnesota's first marriage equality bill, credits Matt Entenza, that latter construct has been overstated a bit.
“She voted with Republicans to place a ban on marriage equality on the ballot,” Entenza said, according to Minnpost.
What Entenza said is true, but it doesn’t tell the whole story.
Otto represented a swing district close to one held by a then state senator Michele Bachmann who was pushing the amendment. According to the Wall Street Journal at the time, it’s a vote she appeared to regret almost immediately:
“I can’t believe you came to our fundraiser and said, ‘I’m on your side,’ ” chided Nadean Bishop, a lesbian and retired Baptist pastor, who carried with her a framed photograph of her wedding-like “Holy Union” celebration. At one point in the half-hour session, Ms. Otto teared up and asked for a tissue. “My vote would not have changed yesterday’s results,” Ms. Otto said, her eyes darting among her guests. “I need you to understand that.”
During the meeting, Ms. Otto suggested her vote didn’t necessarily mean she opposed gay marriage. All she wanted was a statewide debate on the matter, she told the group.
Like a majority of Americans, Otto had a change of heart, putting her up there with DFL heroes such as the late-James Oberstar and Paul Wellstone, both of whom vote for the Defense of Marriage Act while in Congress. . . .
Since then Otto says she has not only regretted that vote but has lent her name to the cause of marriage equality.
In 2012, Otto toured with the “Vote No” campaign against the amendment.
Read the rest at The Column, which bills itself as a venue "Telling the stories of LGBT Minnesotans, one voice at a time."
Gotcha politics over job performance: Matt Entenza's pro DOMA vote
What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. Did Matt Entenza ever sacrifice DFL values in a vote? Apparently so.
It's a tedious tale of the legislative history of HF 925, an omnibus bill related to child support, custody, and visitation that Matt Entenza introduced in 1997, but here's the short skinny about how Matt Entenza came to vote for DOMA language that had been inserted in a bill he authored.
The original language as introduced was quite short, but during its first stop, at the House Judiciary Committee, it picked up additional changes including this DOMA-style language under prohibited marriages:
161.1 (4) a marriage between persons of the same sex.
161.2 (b) A marriage entered into by persons of the same sex,
161.3 either under common law or statute, that is recognized by
161.4 another state or foreign jurisdiction is void in this state and
161.5 contractual rights granted by virtue of the marriage or its
161.6 termination are unenforceable in this state. A same-sex
161.7 relationship may not be recognized by this state as being
161.8 entitled to the benefits of marriage.
From that point, the bill moved through committee, until May 2, 1997, when it was referred to the Chief Clerk for comparison with its companion bill, S.F. 830, which did not contain the DOMA language; Entenza made the motion, which was adopted.
The House substituted SF on May 5, but there's more to the story in the Journal of the House. On May 15, 1997, Entenza offered a "delete all" amendment on the floor to substitute the second engrossment of his bill, HF925, for the senate bill. It's not an uncommon tactic to make sure a bill goes to a conference committee, where the horsetrading begins, but the maneuver placed the DOMA language back in contention.
Subdivision 1. [GENERAL.] (a) The following marriages are prohibited:
(a)(1) a marriage entered into before the dissolution of an earlier marriage of one of the parties becomes final, as provided in section 518.145 or by the law of the jurisdiction where the dissolution was granted;
(b)(2) a marriage between an ancestor and a descendant, or between a brother and a sister, whether the relationship is by the half or the whole blood or by adoption;
(c)(3) a marriage between an uncle and a niece, between an aunt and a nephew, or between first cousins, whether the relationship is by the half or the whole blood, except as to marriages permitted by the established customs of aboriginal cultures; provided, however, thatand
(4) a marriage between persons of the same sex.
(b) A marriage entered into by persons of the same sex, either under common law or statute, that is recognized by another state or foreign jurisdiction is void in this state and contractual rights granted by virtue of the marriage or its termination are unenforceable in this state. A same-sex relationship may not be recognized by this state as being entitled to the benefits of marriage.
Entenza's motion for substitution passed on a voice vote (see p. 4403) and no effort was made to remove the DOMA language. It was stripped by the conference committee.
Thus, Matt Entenza may once voted for DOMA language, added to a bill he authored, unless of course, he remained silent in the voice vote for his own amendment. Hair splitting? Gotcha? Certainly--but Bluestem's exercise in gotcha and Birkey's review of Otto's record on equality illustrates why the combative Matt style has so ill served Mr. Entenza as he's tried to launch himself into higher office , as MinnPost's ever-excellent Brian Bierschbach illustrates in today's hot-off-the-pixels No love lost: how the Otto-Entenza race has become the most contentious campaign in Minnesota.
Once Minnesotans united for all families, but now Entenza opens old divisions
The final two stages in Minnesota's movement for marriage equality were not achieved by combat, but rather a strategy reinforced by the title of the umbrella organization that united so many Minnesotans in the campaign to defeat the marriage amendment in 2012--the first time in the country that this had been accomplished--and the subsequent victory for marriage equality in 2013.
Minnesotas United for All Families did that indeed, uniting Minnesotans, inviting them to assert their core values of humanity, equality, and neighborliness. It was a campaign of name-calling or finger-pointing, but one that asked straights to look into our LGBT neighbors' faces and see them as equal to our own hearts. Otto, who had regretted her 2004 vote by doing public penance for it in her re-election bid (which she lost in part because of that penance) was one of the Minnesotans who united, as was Matt Entenza.
And as Birkey noted, Otto shares that regret with DFL values icons Paul Wellstone and Jim Oberstar. She also shares the 2004 "Yes" vote with a number of DFLers still serving who in their turn changed their hearts and voted to make love the law in 2013: David Dill, Kent Eken (now in the Minnesota Senate), Ann Lenczewski, Paul Marquart and Gene Pelowski.
Nor has Bernie Lieder's 2004 "bad" vote stopped Entenza from campaigning in the Crookston area with the retired legislator. But Entenza has the knives out now, and Otto is to be punished for that vote (or perhaps because she's merely in the way of twice-thwarted ambition).
Entenza is also trying to chip away at Otto’s support in two key parts of the DFL base — progressives and Iron Range laborers. The latter are in the midst of a battle over the nonferrous mining project PolyMet, which Rangers say will create jobs but environmentalists say could damage the area’s rivers and lakes for hundreds of years to come. Otto drew the ire of Iron Range Democrats last fall when she used her position on the state’s executive council to vote against approval of a handful of mining leases. She then sent out a fundraising solicitation noting her vote. . . .
At the same time, Entenza is also trying to attack Otto’s progressive credentials, noting her vote in favor of photo identification-type legislation and an anti-gay marriage constitutional amendment during her brief stint as a state legislator in 2003 and 2004.
“His pathway to victory is very narrow and very complicated,” DFL operative Darin Broton, who works with the Tunheim consulting firm, said of Entenza’s strategy. “How many voters does that actually get him? No one has a clear sense.”
Bluestem doesn't find our progressive friends responding favorably to the attacks; rather, they're being reminded of why they got annoyed with Entenza in 2006 and 2010. Bierschbach interviewed our friend CD7 DFL chair, Nancy Larson, who's pro-mining:
But activists say the way Entenza went about challenging Otto this time is different. He filed with little warning and time to spare instead of being open about his intentions. His history of hard-knuckled campaigning also doesn’t help.
DFL activist Nancy Larson is supporting Otto and ran for state auditor once herself. “It’s a race where you generally get no attention,” she said. “I don’t think this is going to be something that will just slip away…if he wins we will do what we can to get him elected, but it’s going to be hard and people will still have a bad taste in their mouth.”
Next up in our auditor primary series: Has the role of the state auditor really slipped in the public's eye?
Cartoon: Ken Avidor's view of Entenza's attacks on Otto.
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Doing some fact-checking about Matt Entenza's education claims--which seem to have shifted from concerns with the achievement gap for students of color to funding disparities between rural and metro schools--Bluestem came across this item in The Capitol Note: Dayton, others support Otto, while Ellison backs Entenza, by Politics in Minnesota's Mike Mullen:
1) After a flood of DFL leaders moved to shore up support for state auditor Rebecca Otto, last-minute DFL challenger Matt Entenza picked up a small win with an endorsement from US Rep. Keith Ellison.
Earlier in the day, a swath of politicians ranging from Gov. Mark Dayton to Sen. Jeff Hayden had backed up Otto. But, citing their longtime friendship and Entenza’s progressive values, Ellison said he supports the former House minority leader for the job.
“Matt has taken on corporate interests, prosecuted white-collar criminals, and stood against photo ID. He introduced the first bill ever in the legislature for marriage equality in 1995,” Ellison said in the statement. “He brings a valuable progressive voice to the discussion about the future of our state.”
In 1997, Minnesota passed its own version of DOMA. The law banned gay marriage, and said same-sex marriages from other states would not be recognized in Minnesota.
DFL State Rep. Karen Clark countered with a proposal of her own: the first bill to propose legalization of same-sex marriage in Minnesota.
Is the dating on the Entenza material just a typo? Whatever the case, the Entenza campaign should correct the record, while crediting Clark as author. Her persistence and coruage finally paid off in 2013, when love became the law.
But the backdating makes us curious about the former House Minority leader's record, and we'll be taking a closer look.
A shifting message on education funding
As noted above, we've been startled to see a shift in Matt Entenza's message about education as he campaigns for auditor.
Entenza said, if he wins, he would concentrate on protecting pensions, making sure that local governments are not bullied into giving corporate tax breaks that pit one Minnesota city against another, and looking into school spending to close the racial achievement gap.
That is certainly an admirable goal, as the K-12 graduation rate for children of color is a disgrace; however, it's curious how the state auditor could transform the audits of school districts into a tool for policy making. Perhaps Entenza can provide the details on just how that might work; we fancy that the state legislature and the governor, charged with setting policy and education budgets, might want to know.
But as the former St. Paul lawmaker campaigned around the state, his message on education changed. By June 9, Heather Carlson at the Rochester Post Bulletin reported in DFLers face primary fight in auditor race:
Entenza, of St. Paul, said he decided to run because he thinks the state needs a more active state auditor. If elected, he said he would fight to protect government pensions, stop corporate giveaways and investigate education spending to make sure rural schools are being treated fairly.
That too is a noble goal, and one that DFLers in the state legislature have been working on. On June 20, MPR reported in PoliGraph: Parsing school funding claims:
The legislative session is over, and DFLers are back in their districts talking up their accomplishments, including efforts to reduce the funding gap between urban and rural school districts.
Rep. Joe Radinovich, DFL-Crosby, wrote that, “We’ve reduced the funding equity gap between metro and rural school districts by a third in two years after watching it double over the last decade.”
Rep. Paul Marquart, DFL-Dilworth, wrote that, “After a decade where the funding equity gap between metro and rural schools increased by 67 percent, we enacted legislation that cut this unfair funding disparity by a third in just two years.”
As with all things that involve public school financing, it’s complicated.
Both Radinovich and Marquart point to a May 2014 presentation put together by the Minnesota Department of Education. Slide 63 shows the funding disparity between the state’s wealthiest and poorest schools over the course of more than two decades.
It’s a measurement the department has used for decades to determine whether Minnesota schools are on the same financial playing field.
In 2002, the funding gap between poor and wealthy schools was at about 18 percent – the lowest it had been in decades.
But as the Minnesota’s finances entered a rocky period, the state gave school districts the ability to ask for more money from local taxpayers in levy referendums.
The strategy was a boon to wealthy districts that had no problem getting more money from the taxpayers. But poor districts, where levy referendums were routinely voted down, didn’t do so well.
In 2012, the funding gap between poor and wealthy districts stood at about 30 percent – the highest it had been since 1998.
That’s why the Legislature approved several initiatives in the most recent session to chip away at the disparity. According to the education department’s calculations, the funding gap will drop by about a third between 2012 and 2016, when the new funding rules are in full affect. . . .
. . .because Radinovich and Marquart are using a long-standing measure to underscore their point that the funding gap is shrinking, and because the gap is shrinking due to new financing rules aimed at helping rural schools, PoliGraph says their claim leans toward accurate.
The fact-checking--though unrelated to the auditor's race--suggests that the metro-rural funding gap hasn't been a secret locked away in the audits that the state auditor's office receives.
Rather, it's been a high profile, concerning issue that the DFL controlled legislature, along with Governor Dayton, has acted upon.
Image: Someone wants to place a sign in your lawn.
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Since the Entenza campaign hasn't backed down on its portrait of incumbent state auditor Rebecca Otto as a young Voter ID supporter (during her one term in the Minnesota House in 2003-2004), it's worth pointing out that her campaign manager--and husband--published commentary opposing the voter restriction amendment in 2012.
The column was published on September 24, 2012 as Voter ID will disenfranchise many, in which he pointed out the problems provisional ballot measures would pose for those many Minnesotans who register to vote on election day.
This complication would fall especially hard on college students, Shawn Otto wrote:
Recent polling indicates that the voter ID amendment may pass. This suggests that most Democrats and most young people don't really understand what's at stake. It's not about voter fraud. Minnesota has had no cases of voter impersonation, which is the only kind of fraud that a government-issued photo ID would prevent. It's about turning Minnesota into a "red state" for the foreseeable future. Here's how.
Half of voters ages 18 to 34 use election-day registration. Two-thirds of them vote Democrat. Passing the photo ID amendment will discourage many of those younger voters from voting, likely costing Democrats 3 to 5 statewide percentage points in presidential years and about 2 statewide points in off-years, well beyond the margins many races are decided by. And that's the plan.
The voter ID amendment will do this by eliminating election-day registration as we know it. Two thirds of election-day registrants are under age 35 -- about 350,000 voters. If the amendment passes, instead of registering on the spot and voting, they will only be able to cast a "provisional ballot."
They will then have to bring registration documents to the county auditor. This will turn the current single-step process into a two-step process with a large hassle factor. Many will conclude it's simply not worth it. In Indiana, a state with a photo ID requirement, 80 percent of the ID-related provisional ballots were not counted in the 2008 general election. . . .
With a red-state Legislature, we'd see union-busting bills; anti-reproductive-rights bills; the rollback of environmental regulations; a continuing revenue shift to property taxes and gambling; further cuts to schools; increases in college tuition; further privatization; a health care rollback; more denial of science and passage of legislation based not on facts but ideology, and more constitutional amendments favored by the religious right. With this high probability of one-party rule, it's obvious why Republicans are pushing for this amendment, and why national conservative groups like ALEC are backing it in several states. . . .
The message was far more partisan than that of the Our Vote, Our Future campaign, but Rebecca Otto's campaign manager and spouse cannot be accused of lacking DFL values.
There's an interesting back story to the column confirmed to Bluestem by several friends who attended the September 22, 2012 Writers United for All Families fundraiser that Rebecca and Shawn Otto (a writer in multiple genres) sponsored along with other writers and artists opposed to the marriage restriction amendment.
Shawn Otto would later collect works for an ebook anthology about the freedom to marry by 17 writers gathered at the fundraiser, but at that reading, he shared this piece concerning the other amendment. Two days later, the Star Tribune published the commentary.
It's silly for the Entenza campaign to dredge up the old vote, when the Otto family's stance on voter restriction was abundantly and publicly clear in 2012. We have found that Entenza did some GOTV work in the final week of the campaign in November 2012 against both amendment, but it appears that his focus in 2012 was much more centered on defeating the marriage amendment. (Readers who know of additional effects are urged to contact us.)
Two-term incumbent and DFL endoree Rebecca Otto is being challenged in the DFL primary by former state representative Matt Entenza. The winner of the August 12 primary will face endorsed Republican Randy Gilbert.
Photo: Writer/Director/Author, science advocate, Rebecca Otto for Auditoy campaign manager and Rebecca Otto's spouse, Shawn Lawrence Otto. Via Wikipedia Commons.
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Image: Ken Avidor's interpretation of Matt Entenza's literature. Used with permission.
On Thursday, three administrative law judges rejected Matt Entenza's complaint about Rebecca Otto's personal Facebook page reaction his attempts to repackaged a decade-old vote as an analogy to the 2012 voter ID amendment.
Even as news of the Otto vindication flashed across the state, the machinery of bulk rate mail was grinding in the background. Many Minnesotans discovered anti-Otto hit piece in their mailboxes yesterday chastizing her for the old vote:
Missing from the picture? Her support of the 2012 campaign to defeat the amendment--or an explanation of what Matt Entenza himself did to defeat the amendment. Browzing through Nexis All News, Bluestem find no mention of Matt Entenza working against the amendment, nor do we find any itemized contribution from Entenza or his former wife, Lois Quam, to the Our Vote, Our Future committee, the main vehicle for those working to defeat the amendment.
However, perhaps it is unfair to hold Entenza to a standard that many DFL electeds couldn't meet since until relatively late in the game--around September--the "smart" people in Minnesota politics thought the amendment's passage was a forgone conclusion, however many DFL legislators voted against putting the measure on the ballot.
Friends who worked on the campaign still reflect how difficult it was to get the usual suspects to contribute to the campaign until fall.
Twitter reacts to mailings
The bait-and-switch Voter ID scary piece, arriving on the heels of the panel's ruling against Entenza, wasn't the only Entenza mail piece to provoke voters. Sassy Minnesotans took to twitter to air creative differences with the Entenza campaign. In additional to the Avidor version of Entenza lit at the top of the post, we present these reactions in no particular order:
We've received 3 mailings from Matt Entenza so far. ??? Are mailings still an effective strategy?
— Entenza 4 Auditor (@entenza4auditor) July 25, 2014
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Busy chasing dinosaurs in Carver County, Bluestem has neglected the primary contest between two-term incumbent Rebecca Otto and challenger Matt Entenza.
How are things going? Entenza has decided to forego spending limits,and is blitzing his mailing lists with oversized postcards. Both candidates are running television ads, while the DFL primary machine is switching into gear.
And an Entenza complaint about the Otto campaign was shot down by the panel of administrative law judges charged to review the charges.
Ken Martin: Entenza will say anything to get elected
Yesterday's decision by the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) panel to dismiss Matt Entenza's complaint about a comment Rebecca Otto made on her personal Facebook page is ably reported by Abby Simons in Panel rejects Entenza's voter ID claim in state auditor race:
A state Office of Administrative Hearings panel rejected claims by Matt Entenza that Minnesota State Auditor Rebecca Otto lied when she said she had not voted for legislation requiring voter identification.
In a statement issued by the DFL, Otto's attorney, Charlie Nauen, called the ruling "a complete victory for Rebecca Otto over Matt Entenza's misleading claims and distortion of the facts."
"I have never voted for Voter ID," Otto said in the statement. "In fact, I campaigned against it."
"Rebecca Otto had it right," DFL Party Chair Ken Martin said. "Matt Entenza will say anything to get himself elected."
Here's the ruling, wherein the judges dismissed the complaint's "cramped reading" of campaign law:
Maybe he can get her for expired tabs, or insufficient tire tread depth.
What makes folks pause at the word Entenza?
Martin's statement may hint at the reluctance voters have had to embrace Entenza when they've had the chance, as well as one of the reasons we didn't get the chance to make that call at the polls the last time the St. Paul lawyer was endorsed by the DFL.
Entenza's announcement comes just one week after it was reported that he hired a private researcher to look into Attorney General Mike Hatch, who's running for governor.
Entenza said he hired the researcher because he wanted to get more information about the inner workings on the office. He later said the researcher went above and beyond his duties when he looked into a parking ticket Hatch received in Dakota County.
Entenza was admitting something that had been posted on Michael Brodkorb's Minnesota Democrats Exposed in 2005 (the post is no longer directly accessible, but the Wayback Machine has it here). It certainly was lovely of DFLers to get in touch with the then- publicly anonymous Republican blogger and let him know.
"It's an issue of character," says Johnson. "I've heard a lot of people questioning, what's the real reasoning behind this, and why didn't he tell the truth at first, and is he telling the truth now?"
Entenza left the race, the DFL endorsed former State Senator Steve Kelley, and Kelley lost the primary to Lori Swanson, who remains Attorney General.
Entenza for Governor in 2010
Entenza filed the campaign finance board paperwork for a 2010 gubernatorial bid in January 2009, joined filed papers include then Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner, Senator Steve Kelley, Representative Paul Thissen, Senator John Marty, Senator Tom Bakk (BAHK) and former U.S. Senator Mark Dayton as those officially in the field, the Associated Press reported.
Just before the official entry, Blogger Jeff Fecke assessed the field at the precursor blog for Minnesota Progressive Project, placing Entenza at seventh place:
7. Former House Minority Leader Matt Entenza has done some good work as the head of Minnesota 2020. He has. But I'm sorry -- the catastrophic damage done to him by his abortive run for Attorney General is pretty much politically fatal. If he runs, did he suddenly not hire a private investigator to investigate Mike Hatch? If he runs, is his wife suddenly no longer a senior executive for United Health Care? If he runs, will all the issues that swirled around him disappear? Of course not. They'll just be unfrozen, and used by his Democratic opponents to beat him up with. And if by some miracle he gets through the primary, the Republicans will hit him with them, too. Entenza made his bed; he's going to have to lie in it. He might be able to make a comeback in 2014. But 2010 is still too soon. It isn't going to happen.
Fecke remained a fierce critic of the candidate, with his post "Anybody But Entenza" drawing so much spleen from some Entenza supporters that they worked out a plan for a bloggers ethical panel to make sure that campaigns got a chance to respond to critical commentary prior to posting. History teaches us that idea had a shelf life of twelve micro-nanoseconds among Minnesota's progressive bloggers and campaigns.
Entenza filed the paperwork for a campaign in January 2009, and by April 2009 officially entered the race, saying at the time that if any other DFL candidate ran without endorsement, and he didn't nabbed the endorsement himself at the June 2010 convention in Duluth, he'd join the primary fray.
It's a much different approach than jumping into a race on the last filing day after a convention where a candidate was unopposed, as he has this year without expressing interest until the very last day.
By the time of the primary, Entenza managed to endear himself to 18.21 percent of the voters in the DFL primary; he won Nobles County, when he moved at 15, and nearby Lyon County, where his now former wife Lois Quam grew up (perhaps others, though we couldn't find them in our sampling). Claiming to be a native of rural Minnesota didn't prove to be much of a draw across the state. (Bluestem looked at that story in our June 13, 2014 post in Narratives: a few more pages from Matt Entenza's place-baiting Worthington childhood back story.
Because of the reporting deadlines for Minnesota's constitutional races, it's difficult to determine exactly what a campaign spent by an election date. Nonetheless, the 10th day pre-general election fundraising reports (January 1, 2010-October 18, 2010; select 2010 here, then candidate's committee) are instructive. By disbursing $5,649,896.42, Entenza outspent primary winner Mark Dayton, who spent $4,214,803.02, by a cool $1,435,093.40. That's nearly a million and a half, even though Entenza's campaign effectively ended two months before.
Somehow, for all his foibles, Dayton had established trust with the DFL base; Matt Entenza, not so much. That money didn't buy love or votes. Witness Kelliher's second place finish, with the perks of party endorsement (voter database, field offices, and the like) and $1,230,213.94 expenditures. She came close to beating Dayton.
Bluestem predicts that the party endorsement will work for Otto among the base, while Entenza's last minute entry--so different than prior, successful primary challengers--and spending will only remind voters why we rejected him the last time he tried this.
In a classic sense, Entenza's ambition is that flaw against which his great passion for policy is shipwrecked. Were he to continue to nurture MN2020 as a progressive think tank, his reputation would increase. But jumping in on a respected holder of an office primarily given to oversight of local government finances? It resurrects the challenges he brought on himself in the past.
Coming in part II: About that rural thing Matt Entenza says to get elected.C
Images: A photoshop of a classic movie poster that was jut begging to be done. Bluestem original (top); Matt Entenza in 2010, via MNDaily; photo by Matt Mead.
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Conservatives active in the Carver County Republican Party have registered the Carver Conservative PAC. according to a July 14, 2014 filing at the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board.
Bob Frey's supporter and current Carver County Commissioner Frank Long chairs the new political action committee, while former Carver County Republican Chair Steve Nielsen serves as treasurer.
A friend in Carver County, who caucuses with the DFL, reminds us that Nielsen served as treasurer for current HD 47A state representative when "Leidiger, of Mayer, tapped his campaign treasury for $178 to pay Hennepin County District Court for a speeding violation committed March 29, 2011," as the Pioneer Press reported in 2012.
Rep. Ernie Leidiger's campaign treasurer was fined $300 for using campaign funds to pay for a speeding ticket the Republican lawmaker received while driving back from a late-night legislative session.
The Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board's ruling was released Wednesday, April 4. The complaint was filed by Steven Timmer last month.
Leidiger, of Mayer, tapped his campaign treasury for $178 to pay Hennepin County District Court for a speeding violation committed March 29, 2011. The board found his campaign improperly reported the payment as a transportation cost under noncampaign disbursement.
"A speeding ticket is not an activity expected or required of a public official. Payment of a candidate's fine for a speeding ticket therefore is not an expense for serving in public office," according to the board's findings.
Steven Nielsen, Leidiger's campaign treasurer, corrected the error and filed an amendment to the campaign committee's year-end report March 2, just hours before the campaign finance complaint was filed.
The Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board posted revised findings on May 1, 2012 that didn't change the fine against Nielsen.
A three-judge panel at the Minnesota Office of Administrative Hearings concluded the case against Rep. Ernie Leidiger and his campaign treasurer (and Carver County GOP Chair) Steve Nielsen Monday, by unanimously finding a violation of Minnesota Statute 211.B12 (7) and assessing a civil penalty of $500 against the two gentlemen.
Instead of finally taking responsibility for their actions, however, Leidiger and Nielsen went out swinging in their responses to the charges, though, continuing to insist that paying speeding tickets out campaign funds is permissible under the cited statute because it occurred “in the line of duty” and because Rep. Leidiger is a large donor to his own campaign. Even more outrageously, Leidiger and Nielsen suggested that the Minnesota DFL Party, who raised this complaint, be required to reimburse Leidiger and Nielsen for the cost of the speeding ticket and Nielsen’s $300 fine previously paid to the Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board.
So the final tally for the Leidiger speeding ticket fiasco: 1 speeding ticket, 2 state statutes violated, and $978 in expense ($178 for the ticket itself, $300 in fines to the Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board, and $500 in fines to the Office of Administrative Hearings).
Retiring from the state legislature, Leidiger is best known for being the Minnesota House member who recommended Bradlee Dean to serve as a guest chaplain and deliver the chamber's opening prayer. Dean's prayer was redacted after he questioned President Obama's faith at the devotional's close.
Anti-sodomy crusader, creationist and Norwood-Young America businessman Bob Frey and Waconia second Amendment champion and Waconia mayor Jim Nash are competing in the August 12, Republican primary after the local district convention failed to produce an endorsement. The winner will face DFL candidate Matthew Gieseke in November's general election.
Whatever the purpose of the new PAC, we do have to admit that the treasurer has experience in working with the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board and other agencies cherged with authority over campaign finances in Minnesota.
Photo: Carver Conservative PAC treasurer Steve Nielsen, via Facebook.
Conservatives active in the Carver County Republican Party have registered the Carver Conservative PAC. according to a July 14, 2014 filing at the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board.
Big Brother is coming to life through leftist ideology and the gay agenda. No longer are we to debate and disagree on societal and moral issues, the thought and speech police will attack you for diversity of thought.
Nazi fascism was a leftist moment and the parallels to these tactics should be startling. Unfortunately, it takes courage to speak up, and like Mozilla, most are afraid of being vilified and targeted by those who worship at the altar of political correctness and multiculturalism.
If we don't fight this type of anti-American trend, we will watch the destruction of the First Amendment, what our founders believed was the most important of our rights. This destruction is being perpetuated, oddly enough, by the media, seemingly the most intimidated of all, afraid to confront or expose this vocal minority. . .
Apparently, he's also a Bob Frey supporter. As the shot screen from the now defunct Bob Frey for 47A Facebook page posted about indicates, he helded a meet-and-greet for Frey and his home in Watertown.
He also distributed a pro-Frey and anti-Nash piece at the House District 47A endorsing convention; a Nash supporter tweeted a photo of the piece:
— The Man From Okinawa (@jpsanbornmn) May 15, 2014
Carver Conservative PAC treasurer Steve Nielsen was elected as Carver County Republican chair after former chair Paul Zunker resigned after being charged with criminal sexual misconduct with a minor, the City Pages reported in 2011.
Is the political action committee being set up to funnel money into the primary battle between Norwood-Young America creationist and businessman Bob Frey and Second Amendment defender and Waconia mayor Jim Nash?
A source in the district tells Bluestem that some conservative activists in the district had asserted that the committee was set up to assist endorsed Republicans in Carver County and that primary fund-raising mechanism for the new PAC was Ernie' Leidiger's annual hog roast in June.
Bluestem will have more as the story develops.
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In Tuesday's Star Tribune, Alejandra Matos reports that the Immigration debate comes to Minnesota in force as politicians and immigration advocates and nonprofit groups that often serve traditional refugees struggle with the humanitarian crisis at the US-Mexican border.
One piece of the debate missing from her article is the response from past players in the anti-immgration faction--those who not only oppose undocumented immigration, but who support reducing all immigration to the United States.
On Thursday, July 24, at the Willmar Public Library from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., California resident and former Minnesota resident Ron Branstner, a longtime activist in various Minuteman efforts, will lead a "Illegal Immigration Forum" billed in an ad in Saturday's West Central Tribune as:
"an open forum discussion on the growing number of illegal immgrants and its effect on small communities in the Midwest. This will be led by a guest speaker from The Minutemen Border Watch of Arizona and California."
Acting on an email tip from a reader in Willmar, Bluestem called the library for more infromation; the library gave us Ron Branstner's contact information.
In an extended phone interview, Branstner stated that his talk would first review "the atrocities" that he had seen while on border watch with the Minutemen on the Arizona and California borders with Mexico, then move to talk about the impact of undocumented immigrants on American communities.
He stressed to us that he would not single out any particular national group of people crossing the border, as he said that he largely believes that they are being exploited by human traffickers and the corporations who hire undocumented workers.
Branstner called the system "slavery," singling out Hormel Corporation and Quality Pork Processors Inc. of Austin, Minnesota, as examples, repeatedly returning to the what Mother Jones magazine called The Spam Factory's Dirty Secret of working with pig brains that sickened employees in the QPP factory.
The Minuteman activist stated that he had recently read that 83 percent of Hormel's workforce was Hispanic, and constrasted that figure with that of Minnesota's population as a whole. He believes that Hormel buses in undocumented workers from cities near the U.S-Mexican border to Minnesota as a means to obtain low wage workers who won't risk their jobs.
"We need to force corporations to stop employing them, he said, "and hire Americans."
Branstner said that his talk would touch on diseases and crime that undocumented immigrants bring to this country, his focus would be on corporate exploitation of them and the "the money behind this." He faulted foundations for joining lobbying sponsored by Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugeesas being part of that force, singling out Grand Rapids' Blandin Foundation's leadership training as a means to convince local leaders that immigration is a positive development for Minnesota.
He is the only scheduled speaker in Thursday night, he said, and is a member of the Minutemen. In earlier presentations in Minnesota and Iowa in 2007 and 2008, Brantsner identified himself as a member of "Minuteman Civil Defense Corp., a border watch group. It is affiliated with Minnesota Seeking Immigration Reform," According to a 2008 editorial in the Rochester Post Bulletin, Branstner was at every event hosted in Austin by the Minnesota Coalition for Immigration Reduction during that time. The latter group seeks to reduce all immigration--not merely that by the undocumented--to 200,000 people per year.
Willmar mayor to attend
Not that he isn't trying to get other people to address the forum in Willmar, where he does not appear to have led forums during his 2007-2008 heyday in the Austin, Minnesota area.
Branstner said that Frank Yanish, mayor of Willmar, was coming to the forum to listen, although the activist hoped that the mayor would speak as well. Branstner had invited Yanish and Willmar's chief of police to the forum.
According to Branstner, Yanish had put in place a 287 (g) arrangement (joint Memorandum of Agreement or MOA) between the City of Willmar and Homeland Security's U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. According to ICE, under such a MOA:
ICE works closely with federal, state and local law enforcement partners in this mission. The 287(g) program, one of ICE's top partnership initiatives, allows a state and local law enforcement entity to enter into a partnership with ICE, under a joint Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), in order to receive delegated authority for immigration enforcement within their jurisdictions.
Willmar is home to Jennie-O Turkey Store, which is owned by the Hormel Corporation, so Branstner is stuffing that bird with his event. According to information on Kandiyohi County's webpage, the turkey processing firm is its largest employer, with the associated Willmar Poultry Company
The seat of Kandiyohi County, Willmar is somewhat more ethnically diverse than the state as a whole. According to the State and City Quick Facts information at the United States Census website, the City of Willmar was 20.9 percent Latino or Hispanic in 2010 (contrasting with 4.7 percent of the state as a whole) and 4.8 percent African/Black (compared to 5.2 percent of Minnesotans) and 72.4 percent white alone (contrasting with 83.1 percent of the Gopher State; 8.1 percent of Willmar's population is foreign-born (MN: 7.2 percent).
While 19 percent of Willmar residents over age 5 speak a language other than English in their homes, statewide, only about 10.6 percent of the state's population reside in such homes.
Branstner had invited Congressman Collin Peterson to the forum, who "we really want to get to," but the office declined to send a representative to the California resident's forum. He didn't recognise the hame of State Senator Torrey Westrom, the endorsed Republican congressional candidate running against Peterson.
Ron Branstner was back in Austin on Monday, selling the same arguments that he’s been pitching for more than a year now — namely, that illegal immigrants are stealing jobs from hard-working Americans, committing crimes, demanding assistance from social services — and that the Welcome Center is making it easier for them to do so these things in Austin.
Yadda, yadda, yadda.
We’ve heard this shtick before from Branstner, the California Minutemen border-watcher who seems to show up every time the Minnesota Coalition for Immigration Reduction holds a public meeting in Austin.
If the coalition asked Branstner to stay away from its next public meeting, its status would grow considerably in our eyes.
A public forum hosted Monday by the Minnesota Coalition of Immigration Reduction drew more than 100 people; an article the following day on the Herald’s Web site generated more than 50 postings — most emotional and many heated — in three days.
Several entities in the community were severely criticized by a forum of panelists, who included representatives from organizations with vested interests in immigration reduction. The City of Austin, law enforcement and the Welcome Center were chastised for aiding illegals, whom the speakers believe are attracted to the community because resources are available here.
“You need to shut the Welcome Center down,” Minuteman Ron Branstner demanded attendees, who responded with applause Monday. “It’s a magnet for the whole state of Minnesota.”
Branstner claimed the non-profit, founded in 2000 by the local organization APEX to provide services to newcomers with language barriers, receives millions of dollars in federal funding.
Welcome Center Executive Director Liliana Silvestry, who was not in attendance at the forum, rebutted that they do not receive any federal funding whatsoever, and that she has yet to see such documentation.
“It is funded most of the time coming from foundations — locally and out of state — also friends and supporters,” Silvestry said Thursday. “We don’t receive state funds except local funds from the city. We have an agreement for services with the county.” . . .
Less than 30 people attended the forum in the mirrored community meeting room.
The two-hour session began with the playing of a video, which most people ignored.
When Ron Branstner, representing Minnesota Coalition for Immigration Reduction (MCFIR) began his presentation, he attacked the media for biased reporting.
Despite brandishing newspaper clippings showing Austin’s support for addressing open borders issues from USA Today and other papers, Branstner specifically accused the Austin Daily Herald of failing to accurately report the activities of MCFIR in Austin. . . .
According to Branstner, foundations have a hidden agenda and that is to support open borders to allow American industries and businesses a ready supply of “cheap labor.”
The 1985-86 labor dispute and strike at Hormel Foods Corporation facilities resulted, in part, with the need for “cheap labor.”
He quickly spun off charges Apex Austin was created to assist “cheap labor” in coming to Austin.
That, the more than 700 Austin citizens who participated in the Blandin Foundation’s Community Leadership Program, were “brainwashed” into supporting the movement toward cultural diversity.
The Blandin Foundation's Community Leadership Program has trained over 6,500 local leaders from over 400 communities across Minnesota. The foundation distributes the proceeds from a trust worth more than $350 million that was established by paper company owner Charles K. Blandin in 1941.
Brantsner returned to Austin in May 2010, according to a Post Bulletin article reprinted in the Meat Trade News Daily (UK), Hormel Foods under fire over immigrant staff. The meeting took place at the time when the country (and state) was roiled over Arizona's notorious SB1070 law. According to the report:
California Minuteman Ron Branstner compares the employment of illegal immigrants at local businesses like Hormel Foods Corp. and Quality Pork Producers to the indentured servitude experienced by blacks and the Chinese and by child laborers in earlier times.
And the small crowd of people who gathered in a rented business space in the Oak Park Mall largely agreed with him.
Branstner spoke at a meeting of the local chapter of Minnesota Coalition for Immigration Reduction on Thursday night.
"They're being used," said Branstner of illegal immigrants who work for Hormel and QPP.
Hormel Foods Corp. officials were not available for comment this morning.
Branstner blames organizations like the Blandin Foundation and APEX Austin, which in turn created the Austin Welcome Center, for contributing to the problem by making the city attractive to illegal aliens because it helps them find jobs, housing and driver's licenses.
The Welcome Center's mission is to help newcomers become part of the community and to promote multicultural understanding; most of its budget comes from grants and donations. Welcome Center board president Mark Stevens said he had no response to Branstner's comments.
Branstner told the crowd that their tax dollars paid for those projects. He claimed that only employers like Hormel and QPP benefit from illegal immigrants in Austin "because we pay for all the taxes."
Branstner charged that local efforts to count all the immigrants in this year's U.S. Census are merely a way for politicians to gain votes.
He charged that the problems seen in Austin will spread because of Blandin and former Mayor Bonnie Reitz, who has spoken to other communities about how Austin has handled the issue.
While Branstner told Bluestem that he doesn't single out groups in his presentations, the Post Bulletin story does suggest that this has not always been the case:
Branstner encouraged the crowd to vote out every incumbent "because they bury themselves in this [Blandin] program." He alleged that U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison "has flooded the area with Somalis and Hmongs" to keep himself in power. Ellison's congressional district is in the Minneapolis area and doesn't include Austin.
But Keith Ellison seems to hold a special place in Ron Branstner's heart. On June 23, 2007, Ellison held a community forum on immigration reform, featuring Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), author of the STRIVE Act (the Security Through Regularized Immigration and Vibrant Economy Act of 2007) a proposal for comprehensive immigration reform, along with "a panel of people from the labor movement, the faith community and the Hispanic, Somali and Hmong communities," the Downtown Journal reported.
As Bluestem posted in A terrible bigotry is born: A bit more about Hendrycks and Day's pal Ron Branstner, several readers saw our photo of the California activist and identified him as a man who had stood up and heckled Gutierrez. We searched and found a reference to the incident in a post by anti-immigrant activist Ruthie Hendrycks in an online forum:
This is a update on the Ellison Immigration reform debate this past weekend This is straight from Calif member Ron - who was in attendance and we thank him and all that were able to attend
Of course it will be no surprise to anyone that the pro amnesty slant was loud and clear - Ellison - must no be re elected EVER! Ruthie,
Yesterdays open forum at the washburn HS Minneapolis was, to say the least interesting.
Out numbered and out voiced the proponent cheered as the propaganda machine spoke.
Ellison and Gutierrez said repeatedly that immigration is flawed and sending people home is not the answer. The gym was filled with a third world eliment and little respect for law.
Gutierrez was speaking in spanish and I stood up and shouted to speak in english and the mob was ready to put a rope around my neck.
The reality is Minnesotans better awaken soon and with some fight. Ellison has plans to legalize as many 3rd world people through this amnesty bill. Ellison is fighting to reinstate thousands of Liberians whos visas are about to expire next month, and with chain migration the families are awaiting there ticket to America. This should be headline news.
Well then. As we noted at the time, the struggle of Liberian refugees in Minnesota hadn't been neglected in the state's press--and when a person heckles at a meeting, Minnesotans get pissed:
Yup, it's funny how annoyed people get at meetings when someone starts heckling. We've been to a lot of meetings--some where people have been really, really pissed at Congressman Walz for his war funding votes--and yet the custom is to be civil.
And the Liberians Branstner fears are political refugees. And as far as this issue being headline news, the story of their fight to stay in Minnesota wasn't particularly neglected by the media.
To its credit, the Star Tribune ran a series about the group beginning in February that has been regularly updated: A People Torn: Liberians in Minnesota. Doesn't seem as if Branstner or Hendrycks are aware of it--but facts are stubborn things.
Why is California Minuteman Branstner speaking again in Minnesota?
It's seven years later from the 2007 forums, and Branner is taking his show to Willmar, with his talking points about corporations and foundations conspiring with human traffickers intact.
In our phone interview Tuesday, he claimed to have little recent contact with MinnSIR's Ruthie Hendrycks, while noting that the membership of the Minnesota Coalition for Immigration Reduction was aging. He was unaware of concerns about immgration expressed by the SW Metro Tea Party (he didn't recognize Chanhassen Republican Representative Cindy Pugh's name) nor the anti-Somali agitation encouraged by the Central Minnesota Tea Party. Moreover, he was unaware of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce's postion favoring comprehensive immigration reform.
It seemed like he wasn't from around here--and confirmed that he remains a legal resident of California.
But he's dropped the affiliation with the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps (MCDC): the group disbanded in 2010, and Phoenix New Times's Stephen Lemons reported last Wednesday that Simcox now languishes in Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's jail awating trial on child molestation charges. (For more on Simcox and the MCDC, we recommend Lemons' September 2013 New Times feature, Chris Simcox's Life Arc Mirrors the Nativist Movement's Demise.)
The Minuteman Project -- the controversial civilian patrol that came to prominence a decade ago -- is riding out of retirement in a bid to help tackle the illegal immigration crisis at the Mexico border.
The group, which patrolled parts of the 2,000-mile border from 2005-2010, acting as unarmed and unsanctioned eyes and ears of the Border Patrol, is trying to recruit a force of thousands to help keep illegal immigrants from making their way into the United States from Mexico. Minutemen founder and president Jim Gilchrist said preparation for "Operation Normandy" will take place over the next 10 months as the dormant group seeks to recruit and organize as many as 3,500 volunteers.
“We are coming because we no longer trust that this government knows how to handle this issue,” Gilchrist told FoxNews.com. “This is going to dwarf the original Minuteman Project and I expect a number of militia groups to join.”
The Minuteman Project gained national traction in 2005, but internal turmoil, accusations of vigilantism and criminal charges against some of its key figures, including a former leader of the movement, Chris Simcox, led to its demise. Gilchrist said the group’s last significant border operation was conducted in July 2010, roughly one year after the high-profile robbery and murder of Border Patrol Agent Robert Rosas, Jr., who was fatally shot during a struggle for his night vision device on the international border near Campo, Calif.
Gilchrist accused the Obama administration of not taking illegal immigration seriously, noting the nearly 60,000 unaccompanied children, mostly from Central America, have been apprehended along the border since Oct. 1. Separately, more than 39,000 immigrants, primarily mothers and children, have also been arrested in that same period.
The massive influx has come despite a doubling to more than 21,000 in the number of Border Patrol agents over the past decade. . . . .
Now Branstner is back to the state where he was born, hanging out at an undisclosed location in Central Minnesota, and getting ready to till new ground in Willmar.
The forum will take place at the Willmar Public Library, 410 5th St SW, on Thursday, July 24, 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
Photos: Ron Branstner in Austin, circa 2007-2008 (above); Branstner wasn't the only one to run to the border for quality time with the Minutemen;scanned image of the ad for Thursday's forum from the West Central Tribune (middle); former Senator Dick Day (R-Owatonna) also visited (below). Artistic rendition via Tildology.
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. . . The [party] offices are paid for by the 8th Congressional District Republicans and not the Republican Party of Minnesota.
The 8th Congressional District Republicans are currently focused on supporting Stewart Mills in his battle against Congressman Rick Nolan. . . .
That certainly seemed interesting, since recent political news had told of both parties opening offices across the state. On June 19, the Strib's Rachel Stassen Berger reported in Minn. DFL, GOP lay out state field office strategy:
State GOP Chairman Keith Downey held a press conference on Thursday to lay out some of his party's plans for spreading its message around Minnesota. Republicans plan to open 20 field offices, or what they are calling "victory centers," throughout Minnesota.
The party already has offices set up in Rochester, Woodbury, Mankato, St. Cloud, Marshall, Eagan, Golden Valley, Blaine, Waconia and Bloomington. Downey said the party was on track to open offices in Bemidji, Grand Rapids, North Branch, Duluth and Brainerd in the coming weeks.
For Republicans, the breadth of field offices is a significant expansion. Downey said two years ago the party had just one office in each of the state's eight congressional districts.
This year, the party needs to start its fight earlier -- Republican endorsed gubernatorial candidate Jeff Johnson will have to survive a four-way August primary before he could face Dayton in November.
"Every single one of these victory offices will be working to make sure that Jeff Johnson will be successful in the primary and in the general election," said Republican Party Deputy Chair Chris Fields.
But as we turn to the monthly fundraising reports filed with the Federal Elections Commission--and state semi-annual reports due last month--by the Republican Party of Minnesota and the Eighth Congressional District Republican Party Of Minnesota, we find that the offices are indeed paid for the CD8 committee.
The committee started the year with $11765.13 in the bank, took in $102,945.20, spent $28042.55 on federal expenditures, gave Stewart Mills III campaign $5000 and reported having $69,902.65 in the bank at the end of June according to the committee's July monthly report.
Nothing was spent on the "Nonfederal Share" in the "Shared Federal/Nonfederal Activity" category.
Who gave to the committee? The committee received $5,840.00 in small contributions, so most of the money is coming from deep pockets. Dennis Frandsen of North Branch, maxed out at $10,000 in June, as did Brainerd area business man Arnold Johnson and Stewart Mills III's mother Sandra Mills. That's $30,000.
That's $58,000 from the Mills family and business associates. Another $20,000 from two additional donors. It's a relatively deep pool as far as a congressional committee goes in Minnesota, but not terribly broad.
How is the money beng spent? In January, $1093.16 went out; the only itemized disbursement is for postage. In February, $406.14. March? $848.95.
The office renting activity began in April, according to the May report, which notes space $157.73 reimbursement for office space in Virginia. The June report includes $1300 for security deposit and one month's rent for an office in Hermantown, the $157.73 eumbursement for space in Virginia, MN, $927.45 in insurance for the offices, $1600 for a security deposit and rent for an office in North Branch, and $750.00 for office space in Baxter.
Other spending includes payroll of $2222.72 via Paychex of New York LLC. Total federal spending (the only spending) is $8613.33 for the month.
The July report shows $13,651.25 in spending, with a new expense of 760.00 for an office in Grand Rapids. Rent continues to go out for the offices in Baxter, Hermantown, North Branch and Virginia. Workers comp and property insurance gets paid, along with what looks like two staffers via Paychex.
It won't be possible to see how the 8th Congressional District RPM state level committee is getting and spending until the First Report of Receipts and Expenditures for the period covered: 1/1 through 7/21/2014 is received by the due date of July 28 at the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board.
Until then, it's not hard to see one reason why the CD Eight Republicans' focus is on Stewart Mills campaign. The Mills family and friends are collectively paying the bills.
Whatever the drama going on between the state and congressional district party may be, the fortunes of the CD8 GOP are drawn in sharp contrast with that of the other congressional district where there's supposed to be hot congressional race. In CD7--where State Senator Torrey Westrom is challenging incumbent congressman Collin Peterson--the CD7 Republicans' federal committee took in $1840.00 between January 1 and June 30, 201, spent $1338.00 and now enjoys $968.17 Cash on hand.
Oh.
Photo: Stewart Mills III, endorsed MNCD8 Republican candidate. He's trying to unseat DFL Congressman Rick Nolan.
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A Republican could be elected governor this year, and the House majority could swing back to the GOP. But the Minnesota Senate isn't up for re-election this year and will remain in DFL control for at least two more years.
That political reality is why Former state Rep. Marty Seifert said he's not talking about a repeal of the same-sex marriage law or any other DFL-passed laws he opposes.
"It is my job as governor of the state to faithfully execute the laws that we have," he added. "The laws that we have are things like medical marijuana, gay marriage, the highest minimum wage in the United States. You may or may not disagree with that as a citizen or a policy maker, but be realistic that the stuff isn't getting repealed, and it's a waste of time to argue about it anymore."
According to the State Minimum Wages | 2014 Minimum Wage by State page on the National Conference of State Legislatures website, Minnesota will not have the highest minimum wage in the United States when workers receive the first of three raises on August 1, 2014.
While the state minimum wage for most Minnesotans will be $8.00 on August 1, equal to what their peers in Colorado, Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island now earn, they won't be making as much as minimum wage workers in California, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Illinois, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont and Washington.
Michigan's minimum wage workers will bump up to $8.15 an hour a month later on September 1, 2014, while New Yorkers making minimum wage will see their wages rise to $8.75 on effectiver December 31, 2014.
The second automatic raise for Minnesota's lowest paid workers comes on August 1, 2015, when the minimum wage for all but a few will go up to $9.00. The next raise comes on August 1, 2016, to $9.50 per hour, with annual indexed increases to take effect January 1, 2018.
Thus, by August 1, 2014, they will be making as much as the lowest-wage workers in California, although those coastal folks will see that climb to $10 on January 1, 2016. New Yorkers will catch up to that quarter-an-hour gap on December 31, 2015. Workers in the nation's capitol will blow pass low wage Minnesotans when their minimum hourly rate climbs to $10,50 on July 1, 2015, with another dollar raise a year later.
Connecticut? Minimum wage workers are getting a raise on January 1, 2015, to $9.15, with a hike to $9.60 effective January 1, 2016 and one to $10.10 a year later.
Maryland has scheduled a series of raises that will set its minimum wage at $10.10 effective August 1, 2018.
Massachusetts? $9.00 effective January 1, 2015; $10.00 effective January 1, 2016; $11.00 effective January 1, 2017.
Rhode Island will raise its minimum wage to $9.00 on January 1, 2015.
Vermont has schedule a series on hikes for low wage workers that will lapse Minnesota: $9.15 on January 1, 2015; $9.60 on January 1, 2016; $10.00 on January 1, 2017 and $10.50 effective January 1, 2018.
Other than those other states, Bluestem thinks Seifert is so right about Minnesota having "the highest minimum wage in the United States."
Seifert seems compelled to spell out the trifecta of spite, giving the sick, the poor and those who worked to make love the law good reason to join hands to work for his defeat in November should this stale piece of political toast somehow manage to win the August 12 Republican primary.
Photo: Marty Seifert, who wants a job enforcing laws he loathes.
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Bluestem has been writing about the need to complete the Lewis and Clark Regional Water System in Southwestern Minnesota almost as long as the blog has been around.
Unfortunately, the tristate infrastructure project has been caught in federal political games, enough though the support in all three states has long been bi-partisan. This spring, the Minnesota legislature approved funding to extend the pipeline into Minnesota, although finishing the pipeline all the way to Worthington will require more federal money.
Gov. Mark Dayton traveled to Luverne on Friday to meet with local officials and area legislators to discuss the next steps in advancing the construction of the Lewis & Clark Regional Water System.
Dayton listened, asked questions and offered his continued support to ensure the project continues on course toward completion.
Worthington Mayor Alan Oberloh opened Friday’s discussion by explaining that while the area did get hit hard with recent flooding, it didn’t solve the water issues that Rock and Nobles County are currently facing.
“Even though we had the amount of water that we did just recently, the wells in the Worthington area have not recovered and the need is still there,” Oberloh said. “(However) without your help, we wouldn’t be where we are at with the $22 million without your support.”
The Minnesota Legislature approved $22 million in May for Lewis & Clark in its biennial bonding bill. Troy Larson, executive director of the water system, told Dayton and others at the meeting where the $22 million will go in terms of the project’s timeline.
Globe staff writer Erin Trestor reports that Luverne should be online by the fall of 2015, while the line should make it to Worthington by 2018, provided federal money flows.
Read the rest at the Globe.
Photo: This will stop being the pipeline to nowhere by the fall of 2015. Photo via MPR.
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The July 14 tweet was a response to Bluestem posts (here and here) that first unearthed "dinosaurs live among us now" views held by Minnesota House District 47A Republican candidate Bob Frey. Frey and Waconia mayor Jim Nash are seeking Republcian endorsement in the August 14 primary.
As I showed in my presentation, if anyone has any proof at all of evolution, let's see it. My friend has $250,000 for it and many other similar awards for it.
Creation Science Evangelism was started in 1989 by Dr. Kent Hovind (a high-school science teacher for 15 years). This ministry exists to support and proclaim the truth of God's Word, demonstrating the perfect harmony of the Biblical record with factual science and history.
Additionally, CSE sets out to demonstrate the fallacies and deceptions of modern evolutionary thinking. We believe the Bible is literally true and scientifically accurate. We believe the earth was created in six literal, 24-hour days, about 6000 years ago. We believe dinosaurs have always lived with man. They were called "dragons" throughout most of human history. Noah took them on the ark (probably juveniles--just be sure to get a pink one and a blue one!). After the Flood, people killed most of them. There are probably a few small ones still alive today in remote parts of the world. See our video, Dinosaurs and the Bible for much more on the topic.
“Evolutionism is a religious worldview not supported by science, Scripture, popular opinion, or common sense. The exclusive teaching of this dangerous, mind-altering philosophy in tax-supported schools, parks, museums, etc. is a clear violation of the First Amendment.”
- Dr. Kent Hovind
Not only does Hovind recommend Frey as a resources on career education programs in the slide, but the entire show links evolution to a launudry list of conspiracy theories: chemtrails, plots by Monsanto to make the planet sterile, vaccination as a plot by pharmaceutical companies to make money while pursuing Satan's agenda of killing off the human race, and much, much more.
Attributing such diabolic motives on behalf of corporations and pharmaceutical companies (which Bluestem was surprised to learn were such communist tools, all things considered) is nothing new for Hovind. In 2001, his Creation Science Evangelism website (via a mirror here) opined in Patented plagues yield misery and money:
What do HIV, West Nile Fever, Gulf war syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple sclerosis, Wegener's disease, Parkinson's disease, Crohn's colitis, Type I diabetes, and collagen-vascular diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and Alzheimer's have in common? These plagues were all developed as a joint effort by the money masters and governments of the world under the guise of biowarfare research. Dr. Leonard Horowitz detailed this in his book and video, "Emerging Viruses: AIDS, Ebola and Vaccinations". It's worse than we thought. Much worse. The same folks who give us the diseases are selling us the treatments. It's a racket and it involves our heads of state.
In laboratories throughout the United States and a certain number in Canada, including the University of Alberta, the U.S. government provided the leadership for the development of the AIDS virus for the purpose of population control. (I personally suspect it's more about resource extraction by the people who have the gold) After they had it perfected, they sent medical teams from the Centers for Disease Control to Africa and other mid-eastern countries where they thought the population was becoming too large. They gave them all a free vaccination for smallpox, with a 'tainted batch'. Five years after receiving this smallpox vaccination, 60% of them were suffering from AIDS. They tried to blame it on a monkey, which is nonsense.
But it doesn't stop there...the money masters aren't done yet, not by a long shot. It's not even about war, it's about global economic domination, and spreading disease is only one of the things they're up to.
Gay marriage or Sexual Orientation is not about gays, bi's, heterosexuals, marriage, right, wrong, etc., that is just a diversion. It is deceitful and most cases a downright lie.
It is about legalizing sodomy, causing avoidable pain, suffering and death, and financial ruin, [departs from printed text] while making the elite doctors, lawyers, pharmaceutical companies rich [returns to text]. . . .It is a public health assault by the elite to the unsuspecting public to reprogram the public under the Affordable Health Care Act [departs from text] commonly known as [returns to text] Obama Care. . . .
Do we give our precious gifts of children, freedom and responsibility to the elite and world powers? The Common Core standards are corrupt in every subject. . .
...Even a few years ago, how many parents thought sodomy would be legalized and mandated to be taught it is a safe, normal sexual behavior? However horrible you may think things are, the situation is much, much worse. in the name of health, children are systematically being reprogrammed and stolen from you to serve the government, the rich, and elite. Only you can stop this assault. The children and your freedom are at stake...
. . . If Minnesota legalizes the gay agenda and lifestyle, it is equal to legalizing sodomy and the taxpayers are going to pay for it. It will shift money from public necessities and services to paying the elite under the guise of healthcare.
That's specific to HIV, but it's a piece of the same paranoid thinking: that the government and corporations (the elite) are plotting to make the masses sick and miserable for the sake of money.
While Bluestem is never surprised to learn of cases where people try to make money off misery--those mortgage modification scams are a good example--we suspect that few actually conspire to set up mass suffering on the scale that Hovind and Frey envision.
Of the financial impact, Bob Frey says, “It’s about sodomy. It’s huge amounts of money. AIDS is a long term illness, causing pain, suffering, death, a long-term illness that’s very expensive to treat.”
Does Frey share Hovind's view of the purposeful origins of AIDS? How did they come to know each other to the extent that the conspiracy theorist and founder of Dinosaur Adventure Land cited Frey in his teaching materials?
Will anyone in the media ask?
Bob Frey on education
In the MinnPost article, Brucato reports that education is passion but does not spell out what that passion might be. She writes:
Frey says he’s also talking about business and taxes. He says education is a particular passion, developed while working with then-state senator Michele Bachmann to defeat the “profiles in learning” education platform.
Common Core must be stopped in Minnesota because of it’s political agenda to indoctrinate instead of educate. School choice should be implemented to foster a competitive motivation in communities.
We'll leave the cheap shot about a homophone error in a statement about education to others. It's more important to note that parents in Minnesota already enjoy a range of "school choice" from home schooling, charter schools, free PSEO classes if their children qualify, and open enrollment in public school districts other than where they live.
The items listed on Hovind's slide--presented to prove that public education is part of the long term agenda of Satanic Marxists a bugaboo of the Christian right in Minnesota in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In School-to-Work: The Heart of Educational Reform, a column prepared for the Minnesota Family Institute, MFI education advisor Michele Bachmann wrote:
While the Profile of Learning may prove to be an unworkable burden let alone an academic failure for those most closely affected, citizens will certainly be perplexed when they discover the controversial Profile is not the centerpiece of Minnesota's educational reform movement.
According to Making Connections, Minnesota School-to-Work Resource Guide, (published by a joint partnership between the Department of Children, Families and Learning, the Minnesota Dept. of Economic Security, and the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, among others), the heart of the state's educational reform movement is the Minnesota School-to-Work Initiative, (STW), a firmly entrenched, egregiously expensive feature of the current K-12 education system.
School-to-Work alters the basic mission and purpose of K-12 academic education away from traditional broad-based academic studies geared toward maximizing intellectual achievement of the individual. Instead, School-to-Work utilizes the school day to promote children's acquisition of workplace skills, viewing children as trainees for increased economic productivity.
In both Making Connections and the Minnesota School-to-Work Initiative, school children are referred to as human resources. . . .
Radical education reformers are "using your tax money to sell their ideas," warns Michael Chapman, a Minnesota father and education activist. Chapman addressed a handful of state legislators, political candidates and several hundred other concerned Minnesotans who gathered in Minneapolis on September 29 to learn about a fundamental change in how American children are being educated. Critics charge that the new style of education stresses early vocational training over academics, expressions of feeling over objective standards of learning, federal standards over local control and, ultimately, government control over the workforce.
Career education? Job skills? A commie plot. Given the current river being cried by Minnesota employers seeking works prepared in STEM fields and other technical training, Bluestem is hoping that someone asks Frey just what he means by "school choices" and if he still shares an antipathy to vocational training.
Phil Davies at the Federral Reserve Bank of Minneapolis talks about STEM education in Getting to the root of STEM. However, Hovind and others see central banking as part of the road to serfdom as designed by Karl Marx....
Maybe voters and the press will ask Frey details about his passion for education--and his connection to Hovind--before the primary.
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With the Republican gubernatorial primary less than a month away, the campaigns are departing from Gaylord B. Parkinson's 11th Commandment for endorsement battles as they try to distinguish their brand for those likely to cast ballots in the August 12 vote.
“I’ve followed the issue a little bit in the papers,” said Kuisle, a farmer of 160 acres between Stewart and Rochester. “You can’t be an expert on every issue, but I think you’ve got to look at all sides. That is a tough one.”
He added: “I think the moratorium, give it six months or a year, to study the issue is a good thing. You need to determine what you hope to protect. Is it air pollution, trout streams, transportation?
“I think one of the big things is that the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, the DNR, all these groups, there needs to be some coordination between them,” Kuisle said.
He said that the America has benefited from having the increased oil production that has taken place in western North Dakota.
“But there are several things to consider with gaining our independence from foreign oil.
“We need to make sure it’s being done right,” he said. “You want the least amount of environmental damage as possible.”
He continued that consideration needs to be given to the roads and transporting the sands to the railways.
“You want that to be as close a possible,” he said. “The roads are dangerous enough down here in this part of the state; you don’t want to add to that.”
Caledonia is county seat of Houston County, in the heart of silica sand deposits that have provoked much conflict over frac sand mining; in February, the Argus reported that Houston County commissioners unanimously voted to extend a county moratorium until March 2015.
Given that the article is structured by issue, rather than question, Bluestem contacted general manager and editor Daniel McGonigle about the context in which Kuisle made his comment. He emailed us this statement:
"Anyone who has ever interviewed a politician knows that they come to the media with talking points. Mr. Kuisle and the Johnson campaign wanted to discuss things like Obamacare and of course the staple of 'creating jobs.' I wanted to see where he stood on issues more important to the readers of Houston County, the biggest of which is Frac Sand Mining. To be honest, there were no talking points prepared and he tried to respond to the question without the benefit of having been coached by any political advisor, in my opinion. His opponents, who statewide haven't mentioned the issue of frac sand mining or if so only marginally, then pounce on the comments. Typical political spin. I believe Mr Kuisle was speaking about allowing the local authorities time to understand all sides of the issue. As has been done so many times in the political arena, someone's words are being used against them and manipulated to meet their ends. My take away from the interview was any politician who visits a particular area of the state when they are running for a state wide office should fully understand the issues important to the region and come in better prepared...or don't bother scheduling an interview with the paper."
Since Bluestem's editor was taught by her beloved high school journalism teacher at St. Peter High to check out one's own mother's statements of affection, we decided to check that out--although we heartily recommend his pro tip to candidates to fully understand the issues important to a region and come prepared.
Bluestem also would like bloggers writing about industrial sand mining to treat the issue on its own terms, rather than as a proxy for the Range war over copper mining, but in thir rush to read and publish dueling press releases, we fully understand that that might be asking a bit much of their talents.
What have the candidates said about frac sand mining?
Here's what we've found for prior statements from the Republican gubernatorial candidates and Governor Dayton's most recent iteration in Houston County.
•Silica sand mining: “I’m always going to lean toward local control on issues like that, so I would say that there should be little state involvement,” Johnson said, adding sand mining should be done in an environmentally safe way and the state is part of enforcing that.
Some campaigns are saying that Jeff Johnson wants to impose a statewide moratorium on mining for silica sand.
That isn’t true. When Bill Kuisle visited Caledonia, he said that if local governments wanted to put a temporary moratorium on mining to study the environmental impact, that would be their prerogative.
Neither Bill nor I believe that it is the role of the state to force any local government to change zoning regulations against its will or issue permits that its citizens oppose. The state government should encourage economic development, and in my administration we will ensure that the environmental review process is done in a complete and expeditious way. If the mining can be done in a responsible manner then the permits should be issued.
Local governments can and do have a say in these matters, and a Johnson Administration will not impose its will on local citizens making decisions as long as those decisions are legal under state law and the Minnesota Constitution.
That's consistent with the earlier statement.
Scott Honour
Bluestem found no statements prior to the Argus article by Republican gubernatorial challenger and investment banker Scott Honour on silica sand mining or frac sand mining, using both google and Nexis All-News database. We found no statements about sand mining by Karin Housley on the campaign trial. Both appear focused on cooper mining/PolyMet as a distinct issue.
However, Housley did take a recorded vote on the issue last year. Senator Housley voted no on SF786: Frac sand mining moratorium when it came before the Senate State and Local Government Committee on March 6, 2013, according to a page about the vote on Conservation Minnesota's website. The bill never made it to the floor when a compromise was reached by the legislators, lobbyists and the administration; a moratorium was not part of the deal, but local control remained an important piece of the compromise, MPR reported.
Marty Seifert
Gubernatorial challenger and former Republican House minority leader Marty Seifert also addressed sand mining when he visited Southeast Minnesota in June. In Seifert, running for governor, stops in Winona Thursday, Tesla Mitchell reports:
Although it wasn’t on his list of talking points, when asked how he felt about frac sand mining — he has openly supported mining — Seifert said it’s copper nickel mining in northern Minnesota he’s focused on but said generally he’s “supportive of private property rights and for people to use God’s resources in a responsible way.”
We're not sure what that means about the issue of local control, as it' Seifert's job to explain himself. He did provide one more qualifying sentence to the Caledonia Argus during an April visit reported in the Argus article, Gubernatorial candidate visits Caledonia:
In the topic of frac sand, Seifert said, “Generally, I think God gave us natural resources to use properly. I just think you have to make sure you do it right while respecting your neighbors.” Much like mining in northern Minnesota, Seifert said he is confident there is a responsible way to utilize the state’s resources.
Again, Seifert's a bit short on the details, and neither article makes Seifert seem hip to the nuances of the regional issue.
The Red Wing Republican Eagle article, Seifert talks rural, local issues such as sand, is now behind the paper's archive paywall, but we'll see if friends in Red Wing can dig out their old copies of the paper for details. He may have addressed specifics there; the article is not in the Nexis database.
He also touched on silica sand mining in Minnesota, saying he would not be in favor of a statewide moratorium on the practice. He said he generally would support the mining operations, as long as they are done properly and don't harm the environment or area.
That does clarify things someone.
Kurt Zellers
Former Minnesota House speaker and gubernatorial primary challenger Kurt Zellers played gotcha with Kuisle's comments in the Argus, releasing this statement:
In response to a July 17th article in the Caledonia Argus (http://bit.ly/UdbeSF), candidate for governor Kurt Zellers issued the following statement:
“I was surprised to read today’s article in the Caldonia Argus, in which Jeff Johnson’s Lt. Governor pick Bill Kuisle voiced his support for a sand fracking moratorium.
“The Dayton administration has stood in the way of responsible mining for far too long,” continued Zellers. “Our next governor cannot ignore or continue to delay the economic benefits of responsible mining and sand fracking. Putting a moratorium on sand fracking will cost hardworking Minnesotans thousands of jobs.”
Prior to the pounce, Zellers did not bring up the issue that we can find. At least not directly.
Zellers and the Tiller Corporation
While Zellers hasn't made sand mining an issue in the race until now, a December 12, 2013, press release announcing the formation of his campaign's finance committee included the following names:
Chad Sauer, Tiller Corp. Gary Sauer, CEO, Tiller Corp. Steve Sauer, VP, Tiller Corp.
The Tiller Corporation, headquartered in Maple Grove, Minnesota (in Zellers' district), describes itself on its home page:
Tiller Corporation is the holding company for a family of companies dedicated to providing high quality aggregates, hot mix asphalt, and industrial sands to the construction and energy industries. We are proud of our rich history of providing high quality materials and being a steward of the community and the environment. We serve our customers through a series of convenient sites located throughout the Twin Cities metropolitan market. Our divisions include: ...
Barton Industrial Sands, LLC mines and processes industrial sands for the petroleum and natural gas extraction industries.
According to records online at the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board, individuals employed by the Tiller Corp. gave the Zellers campaign for Governor a total of four contributions for a total of $3000. We are unable to determine how much the Sauers have raised for the Zellers' campaign committee. Perhaps it's the thought that counts.
Konwledge of this financial connection between the Zellers campaign and frac sand money may cause troubles for Zellers among voters in conservative areas where protests against frac sand operations have not followed traditional partisan lines: Goodhue County, Houston County, Winona County and most recently Chisago County, where North Branch residents are up in arms about a proposed Superior Silica Sands transloading operation that will come to a city with an existing facility with a trobuled past
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is investigating a company that did not have the necessary permits when it started construction on a silica sand processing plant in Harris. The building is now almost completed.
The plant, which is owned by Tiller Corporation, got the okay from the City of North Branch last year to build the plant, but did not have the proper environmental paper work to move forward. The company says it was an honest mistake. . . .
Two Minnesota companies have been fined for neglecting a massive sand mine spill that flowed into the St. Croix River for five days before being discovered by a hiker.
Interstate Energy Partners, LLC, of Plymouth and Tiller Corporation of Maple Grove were ordered to pay a total of $80,000 for not maintaining necessary dikes and berms in violation of Wisconsin law. The fine-grained sediment spilled from a frac sand mine in Grantsburg, Wis., in April 2012. . . .
The spill drew intense scrutiny from state and federal agencies charged with protecting the river from such mishaps. Ultrafine sand being prepared for oil drilling was washed through a flimsy berm into a nearby creek that funneled it to the St. Croix River. The sand, described as the color of milk in coffee and not native to the river, possibly smothered sensitive fish spawning areas and mussel beds, conservationists have said.
Bluestem suspects that many Minnesotans won't want the piper for whom Tiller is calling the tune.
“During the 2013 Legislative Session, Governor Dayton strongly supported a moratorium on frac sand mining in southeastern Minnesota. Unfortunately, that proposal was not supported by the Minnesota Legislature. Legal Counsel has advised that, absent legislative enactment of the moratorium, the Governor lacks the authority to unilaterally impose his own moratorium.
"However, local jurisdictions, such as counties, cities, and townships, have authority under existing Minnesota Statutes to declare moratoriums on frac sand mining and processing within their jurisdictions. Citizens living in those areas should urge those local officials to enact the measures they favor.
"Last year's law did greatly strengthen state agencies' authority to impose stringent requirements on any frac sand mining in that region. The Environmental Quality Board, DNR, and MPCA are all actively engaged in establishing and enforcing those restrictions.”
If readers have access to other verifiable statements made by Republican gubernatorial candidates about frac sand mining prior to the Kuisle comments, or a post-April remark by Dayton, please send them our way. Please: no PolyMet proxy warfare at the expense of southern Minnesota.
Photo: Aerial view of a frac sand mine in Wisconsin. Photo by Jim Tittle. Used with permission.
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In 2011, Sheila Kihne felt so strongly about Congressman Erik Paulsen's vote for the Congressional compromise that prevented the United State government from defaulting that she resigned from the CD3 Republicans executive board.
Kihne is now hallenging Assistant Minority Leader Jenifer Loon (R-Eden Prairie) is a bitter primary in House District 48B. Neither candidate was endorsed at the local convention; Kihne's bid has been supported by wink-wink issue ads and mailings by the Minnesota Family Council, which is punishing Loon for voting for marriage equality in 2013.
Bluestem has obtained a copy of the email announcing her resignation from a source who was not a board member. With email addresses redacted, here's the email:
I'm sitting with my husband looking at the Roll Call vote on today's debt ceiling bill..... ,.It's frustrating and highly disappointing to see my Congressman's name on the list with Nancy Pelosi and Debbie Wasserman Schultz for the "compromise". We had the Democrats by the tail and we let a golden opportunity slip away. We bend to pressure while they shove Obamacare right down our throats w/o 1 Republican vote on Christmas Eve.
I made a mistake in running for the 3rd CD again in April and while I've enjoyed meeting and getting to know everybody, my heart is not in the 3rd District right now and my time is very limited with family obligations.
I'm resigning effective immediately.
I'll be at the State Fair booth for a shift-- and will forward any other action items that come my way to Rick and Margaret.
Sheila
As the map from the August 1, 2011, New York Times at the top of this post illustrates, Paulsen joined 173 other congressional Republicans, including Minnesota Second District Congressman John Kline in voting for the compromise on August 1, 2011.
Presumably, this is the vote Kihne references as "today's vote."
Representative Erik Paulsen (MN-03) issued the following statement after voting for the Budget Control Act which would avoid default, begin to address our nation’s out-of-control spending, and includes no taxes on job creators.
“With great reluctance, I voted in favor of this bill only because it was better than the alternative. Now that job-crushing tax hikes are off the table, hard working Minnesota families and small businesses can start living with more certainty,” said Paulsen. “However, the simple truth is that relying on another special committee and not mandating a balanced budget clearly shows that Washington has a long way to go in ending its spending addiction.”
“While we may have succeeded in forcing Washington to change the conversation on the size of government, this is only a small step towards doing what is needed to adequately address our spending-driven debt crisis and end Washington-style accounting gimmicks,” Paulsen continued. “I promise to continue working with my colleagues to see that Congress listens to the people and passes a Balanced Budget Amendment as well as permanent spending controls so that we can begin to pay down our national debt.”
After months of partisan impasse, the House on Monday approved a budget agreement intended to head off a potential government default, pushing Congress a big step closer to the conclusion of a bitter fight that has left both parties bruised and exhausted.
Despite the tension and uncertainty that has surrounded efforts to raise the debt ceiling, the vote of 269 to 161 was relatively strong in support of the plan, which would cut more than $2.1 trillion in government spending over 10 years while extending the borrowing authority of the Treasury Department. It would also create a powerful new joint Congressional committee to recommend broad changes in spending — and possibly in tax policy — to reduce the deficit.
Kihne apparently leads the Eden Prairie "no compromise" faction of right wing Republicans willing to shut down the government. In 2013, Politics in Minnesota's Paul Demko reported in Federal shutdown brings heat on Paulsen:
On Thursday morning a dozen conservative activists, including GOP state Rep. Cindy Pugh, gathered in U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen’s Eden Prairie office seeking an audience with the congressman. The group was upset over recent comments by Paulsen suggesting that he would be willing to break with the GOP House leadership in order to end the federal government shutdown. . . .
GOP activist Sheila Kihne, who helped organize the visit to Paulsen’s office, expressed frustration at his accessibility. “He hasn’t had town halls. We haven’t had a chance to let him know what we think face to face, and it’s frustrating,” Kihne said. “I just want to talk to my congressman.” . . .
Most of the conservative activists gathered at Paulsen’s office on Thursday morning drifted away before they got a chance to speak with the congressman. But Kihne and a couple of others persisted and were able to communicate their concerns on a phone call. Specifically, Kihne said she expressed apprehension that Paulsen might join with House Democrats to end the shutdown and urged him to stand strong against Obamacare.
“He was very cordial, as he always is,” she said afterwards. “He heard us. He understood our concerns.”
But Kihne’s uncertain whether it will have any effect on how Paulsen acts moving forward. “This whole thing is a mess,” she said. “We’ll just have to see how it plays out.” . . .
Demko noted that PAulse faced a tricky political situation in negotiating the channel between extremists like Pugh and Kihne and the swing district he serves:
The showdown at Paulsen’s office underscores the politically tricky situation in which he finds himself. Paulsen represents a swing district — the Cook Partisan Voting Index gives Republicans a 2-point generic advantage there — that President Barack Obama carried in both the 2008 and 2012 elections.
Despite the competitiveness of Paulsen’s district, he has won in recent election cycles by overwhelming margins. He carried the district by more than 20 percentage points in 2010 and by 16 percentage points in 2012. No DFL challenger has so far emerged to take on Paulsen in the next election cycle.
But Republicans appear poised to take the bulk of the blame for the deeply unpopular government shutdown. A CBS News poll released on Thursday found that 44 percent of respondents blamed Republicans in Congress for the shutdown, compared with 35 percent who blamed Obama. If the gridlock continues for a significant amount of time, it could begin to erode Paulsen’s strong political standing.
We'll see just how big Kihne's extremist slice of the conservative pie is in Eden Prairie. After watching Minnesota live through a state government shutdown in 2011, we'll see on August 12, 2014 just who in the local Republican base is motivated to vote for or against Shutdown Sheila.
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