November 9-11, 2007
Nov 09 04:43 Sertich: GOP Just Doesn't "Want to Work" Nov 09 12:40 Tarryl's Displeasure With Tuesday Night's Vote Nov 09 13:49 Making Mincemeat Out of True Reform Nov 11 12:29 AP Roundup
Prior Months: Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct
Prior Years: 2006
Sertich: GOP Just Doesn't "Want to Work"
Tony Sertich isn't a well-respected man in the legislature. In fact, he's got a reputation for being a cheapshot artist. Last session's Permanent Rules debate is a perfect example of his cheapshot 'skills'.It's a reputation he's earned by taking a 'my-way-or-the-highway', hyperpartisan approach. It's a reputation he's enhanced by being a total jerk. This article offers the perfect illustration of how he maintains his reputation:
Democrats say the heavy meeting load helps lawmakers hear concerns of Minnesotans, especially those in rural areas who seldom can drive to St. Paul during legislative sessions.Saying that heavy meeting loads helps legislators "hear concerns of Minnesotans" is a crock. Legislators should stay in touch with the people in their district. That's the job they've been given by Minnesota's Constitution. Steve Gottwalt's job is to propose solid policies that benefit the people of District 15A. It's fine for Steve Gottwalt to know what people in other districts are thinking but it isn't his responsibility to "hear the concerns" of Mankato or Redwood Falls.
"The complicated and bloated process is confusing to the public, time consuming and expensive," House Minority Leader Marty Seifert, R-Marshall, said Wednesday. "There is very little to show for the excessive amount of meetings taking place."
Seifert claimed he could not even get DFL leaders, who control the Legislature, to give him a complete list of all committees, subcommittees and commissions now meeting.
"The Democrats have turned a part-time citizen Legislature into a full-time job," Seifert said.
There's another indictment of Sertich's leadership in this article. Why won't he produce a comprehensive list of all the committees, subcommittees and commissions? Is it because he's being secretive? Is it because he simply can't keep track of them all? Is it because he doesn't want the DFL chairs to be held accountable for the work product of their committees? Is it all of the above?
Rep. Sertich is about to find out that We The People won't tolerate that lack of transparency & accountability. We The People will get the answers or we'll take it out on the scoundrels who hide important information from us.
Sertich could've gotten away with that 20 years ago but that won't fly in the internet age. The internet has changed the face of politics because we can stay in close contact with legislators without much effort. We don't have to rely on newspapers or TV stations for our information because we can keep track of their legislative proposals & votes online.
If there's anything that We The People won't accept in the internet age, it's being kept in the dark. Transparency is a demandment. So is ethical behavior and fiscal sanity. Thus far, Rep. Sertich is failing in all three departments.
Here's an example of Sertich's cheapshot skills:
But the representative who runs the House's top panel, the Rules Committee, said Republicans just don't want to work. "If they feel they are working too hard, I'm guilty as charged," House Majority Leader Tony Sertich, DFL-Chisholm, said of increasing the number of committees.Rep. Sertich knows that his cheapshot isn't warranted. He knows that Republicans are perfectly willing to work hard. In fact, it's the ultimate in chutzpah for Rep. Sertich to say that the GOP won't work hard. Sertich & the DFL refused to do any serious legislative work in January:
Government Committees grow by 33% in One Day: WED, JAN 03 - - The DFL votes to increase the number of House Committees by 33%. The nine new Committees with extra budgets and staff include: Minnesota Heritage; Mental Health; Game & Fish; the fourth and fifth new Education committees; Housing Finance; Energy Finance; Labor; and an extra Finance Committee to serve the Ways & Means Committee. Almost every DFLer is now the Chair or Vice-Chair of a House committee or panel.If Rep. Sertich wants to criticize people who don't want to work, he can start with the man in the mirror. After that, he can continue by blasting the DFL committee chairs whose committees didn't meet regularly in January.
B. NO ACTIVITY BY DFL HOUSE ON EIGHT DAYS IN JANUARY
10. THU, JAN 04 - - The DFL House did not work, although the Senate met.
11. MON, JAN 08 - - The DFL House took a few minutes to shuffle papers.
12. TUE, JAN 16 - - The DFL House took a few minutes to shuffle papers.
13. WED, JAN 17 - - The DFL House shows up to hear Governor Tim Pawlenty's "State of the State" Address, then adjourns to criticize the speech.
14. THU, JAN 18 - - The DFL House took a few minutes to shuffle papers.
15. MON, JAN 22 - - The DFL House took a few minutes to shuffle papers.
16. THU, JAN 25 - - The DFL House took a few minutes to shuffle papers.
17. MON, JAN 29 - - The DFL House took a few minutes to shuffle papers.
The worst part is that Sertich railroaded a doubling of the House operations budget through his Rules Committee this summer. Their budget jumped from $324,000 to $646,000. I have some questions for the tongue-tied freshmen Democrats. Here they are:
- Why you tolerate such fiscal recklessness, especially considering how unproductive these meetings have been?
- Do you think that Minnesota's taxpayers won't notice your adding $322,000 of expenses to their bill?
- Is it that you just don't give a damn about the taxpayers?
- Is it that you don't dare challenge Tony The Tyrant?
- Are you that intimidated by Rep. Sertich?
Republicans say they have no choice but to participate in the process DFLers established. But Seifert said he is not given the opportunity to appoint members to committees, as House rules require.Let's summarize what's happened during Tony the Tyrant's reign of terror:
- He defeated 24 of the 25 common sense amendments that the GOP offered to the House Permanent rules.
- He's refused to follow the House rules by not permitting Rep. Seifert to appoint people to committees.
- His chairmen didn't meet but a few times in January & February.
- He's accused Republicans of not being willing to work, which is the greatest display of chutzpah & dishonesty that I've seen in public life. (That's pretty amazing considering I've watched Al Gore & Hillary Clinton tell some whoppers.)
Over half of the committees did not hear a single bill in January. Was it necessary to increase the number of committees by 33% under the DFL leadership?Doesn't that list of 'accomplishments' leave you with the impression that the DFL is lazy? It's time that sane-thinking Minnesota voters to clean House on the DFL.
40. The Agriculture Finance panel chaired by Rep. Al Juhnke (DFL-Willmar) did not act on a single bill in January.
41. The Crime Victims panel chaired by Rep. John Lesch (DFL-St. Paul) did not act on a single bill in January.
42. The E-12 Education Policy Panel chaired by Rep. Carlos Mariani did not act on a single bill in January.
43. The Early Childhood Education panel chaired by Rep. Nora Slawik (DFL-Maplewood) did not act on a single bill in January.
44. The Education Finance panel chaired by Rep. Mary Murphy (DFL-Hermantown) did not act on a single bill in January.
45. The Housing and Public Health Panel chaired by Rep. Karen Clark (DFL-Minneapolis) did not act on a single bill in January.
46. The Mental Health panel chaired by Rep. Neva Walker (DFL-Minneapolis) did not act on a single bill in January.
47. The Minnesota Heritage panel chaired by Rep. Mike Jaros (DFL-Duluth) did not act on a single bill in January.
48. The Property Tax panel chaired by Rep. Paul Marquart (DFL-Dilworth) did not act on a single bill in January.
49. The Public Safety Finance panel; chaired by Rep. Michael Paymar (DFL-St. Paul) did not act on a single bill in January.
50. The Public Safety Policy panel chaired by Rep. Joe Mullery (DFL-Minneapolis) did not act on a single bill in January.
51. The Telecommunications panel chaired by Rep. Sheldon Johnson (DFL-St. Paul) did not act on a single bill in January.
52. The Transportation Finance panel chaired by Rep. Bernie Lieder (DFL-Crookston) did not act on a single bill in January.
53. The Veterans Affairs panel chaired by Rep. Lyle Koenen (DFL-Clara City) did not hear a single bill in January.
54. The Ethics Committee chaired by Rep. Mary Murphy did not even have an organizational meeting.
55. The Commerce Committee chaired by Rep. Joe Atkins IDFL-Inver Grove Heights) only acted on one bill.
56. The Labor panel chaired by Rep. Jim Davnie (DFL-Minneapolis) only acted on one bill.
57. The Bonding (Capital Investment) panel chaired by Rep. Alice Hausman (DFL-St. Paul) only acted on one bill.
58. The Energy Finance panel chaired by Rep. Bill Hilty (DFL-Finlayson) only acted on one bill.
59. The Environment Finance panel chaired by Rep. Jean Wagenius (DFL-Minneapolis) only acted on one bill.
60. The Health and Human Services Finance panel chaired by Rep. Thomas Huntley (DFL-Duluth) only acted on one bill.
61. The State Government Finance panel chaired by Rep. Phyllis Kahn (DFL-Minneapolis) only acted on one bill.
62. The Government Operations panel chaired by Rep. Gene Pelowski (DFL-Winona) only acted on one bill.
63. The Biosciences panel chaired by Rep. Tim Mahoney (DFL-St. Paul) only acted on two bills.
64. The Game, Fish, and Forestry panel chaired by Rep. David Dill (DFL-Crane Lake) only acted on two bills.
65. The Higher Education and Workforce Development panel chaired by Rep. Tom Rukavina (DFL-Virginia) only acted on two bills.
66. The Health and Human Services Policy Committee chaired by Rep. Paul Thissen (DFL-Minneapolis) only acted on two bills.
67. The Tax Committee chaired by Rep. Ann Lenczewski (DFL-Bloomington) only acted on two bills.
68. The Agriculture Policy panel chaired by Rep. Mary Ellen Otremba (DFL-Long Prairie) only acted on three bills.
69. The Local Government panel chaired by Rep. Debra Hilstrom (DFL-Brooklyn Center) only acted on three bills.
70. The Transit Policy panel chaired by Rep. Frank Hornstein (DFL-Minneapolis) only acted on four bills.
71. Out of 193 time slots reserved for the DFL House's bloated committee structure in January, only 39 bills were heard.
Originally posted Friday, November 9, 2007, revised 20-Aug 10:26 AM
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Tarryl's Displeasure With Tuesday Night's Vote
Based on this statement , I think it's safe to say that Sen. Tarryl Clark isn't happy with Tuesday night's defeat of the various school levies. As usual, she didn't mention a thing about reforming the education system or looking for more efficient ways of spending the taxpayers' money. Here's what she said:
"Property taxpayers are overburdened with requests to cover the gaps created by Gov. Tim Pawlenty," said Clark. "Those gaps are the result of policies that shift more and more of the cost of government from wealthy people to the middle class."Nowhere in Sen. Clark's statement does it talk about trimming wasteful spending. Nowhere does it mention anything about reviewing each school district's logistical needs. The only thing it mentions is the need for more funding. In fact, it mentions that repeatedly.
"For many districts, the top levy questions involved asking property taxpayers to make up for the funding that ought to be coming from state government," said Clark. "That shouldn't be the case. Every school district ought to expect enough funding from state government to pay for public education...after all, it's in our state constitution."
According to the Minnesota Constitution, state government "shall make such provisions by taxation or otherwise as will secure a thorough and efficient system of public schools throughout the state." Clark says that constitutional requirement isn't being met. "Nearly 100 school districts asking taxpayers to make up for state
government's neglect is proof that isn't happening. In years past, school funding was there, and referenda questions dealt with construction of new buildings and enhancements. Now they're asking for enough money just to hang on."
"Property taxpayers are at their limit. They support public education, but it's increasingly difficult to pay for schools through a tax that isn't based on the ability to pay. It's time for Gov. Pawlenty to end the march to mediocrity and properly fund our schools through a fairer system of taxation."
Sen. Clark needs to explain why the DFL isn't looking at both sides of the school funding equation. Taxpayers want to know why Sen. Clark & her DFL haven't proposed any measures that would trim wasteful school spending.
On another note, why hasn't the DFL put out a list of education bureaucracies & their budgets online? We The People demand full budgetary transparency. What state education bureaucracies exist? What are their budgets? Who is employed by these bureaucracies & what are they paid?
This isn't a difficult task. It simply takes a web designer to create the website & a scanner to create the pdf files. In no time at all, the bureaucracies' budgets would be online for taxpayers to examine.
Might that be the reason why they haven't created that website?
Posted Friday, November 9, 2007 12:40 PM
Comment 1 by J. Ewing at 09-Nov-07 02:05 PM
Actually, most districts have their budgets available either online or on request, and most financial information for every district is on the State Ed. Dept. website.
That the information is largely unintelligible is either a sign that the bureaucracy is incompetent, or that it is hiding something.
Comment 2 by BoardWatcher at 01-Mar-08 01:25 AM
Part of the problem is also that the funding is divided into weveral "pots" all filled by taxpayer dollars, but some of which are untouchable. Cutting services funded from these "sacred cow" pots does not net free money that can be used for other essentials like teachers in the class room. We hear over and over again that only certain items are funded out of the General Fund (less than 50% of the budget) and that these are the only items tha can be changed. This creates the opportunity for waste in the other 60% of the budget with no incentive to increase efficiency. This is a systemic problem needing reform, but not necessarily additional money...
Making Mincemeat Out of True Reform
That's what this editorial accuses the Pennsylvania House of Representatives of doing. Here's a key paragraph:
The bill's much-touted "flip of presumption", that all government records are public unless specifically exempted, has been rendered meaningless by House "reformers." In short order they managed to stuff the legislation plum full of loopholes.This constitutes proof that Bill Deweese's colleagues are RINO's, Reformers In Name Only. Doesn't he think that this makes it likely that all communications will be sent via email? It's obvious that Rep. DeWeese doesn't understand that taxpayers demand full transparency, not a watered-down version.
In flagrant contempt of the public's right to know, there's a blanket exemption for all e-mail by public officials and employees. This, supposedly to protect constituents' personal information in communications.
Oh, and the Legislature would be exempt from appeals by a new open-records agency. This is the reform that House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese, D-Waynesburg, is so anxious to serve up? If this is meant to be a diversion, such banality won't deflect the heat from a state attorney general's investigation into whether legislative leaders paid bountiful bonuses for staffers' campaign work.This is proof that there's a movement building across the nation that's demanding true reform and accountability. The photo-op 'reform' won't cut it anymore. Here's their message to RINO's:
So, let's get on with it. If not, voters must act in November 2008.The politicians better know that we're mad as hell & we aren't going to take it anymore.
Posted Friday, November 9, 2007 1:49 PM
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AP Roundup
Here a NFL-wide collection of quotes after Adrian Peterson's record-breaking performance:
Packers' NT Ryan Pickett : "It's a personal challenge to all of us," defensive tackle Ryan Pickett said. "You definitely don't want a team to run the ball all over you. That's pretty much the most embarrassing thing that can happen to a team. We definitely won't stand for that."
Packers Coach Mike McCarthy : "He's (Peterson) a special player," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "He's clearly one of the better players I've seen come into this league in my 15 years in the NFL."
NFL Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson : "He has a good shot at doing it. I hope he doesn't, to be honest," Dickerson said. "You want those records as long as you can. That's part of having the record, your name gets brought up, and it's great for him and it's great for me."
Vikings insider : "The veteran players pretty much have respected this guy from Day 1," a Viking insider says. "They liked the way he didn't sulk when Chester Taylor was listed No. 1 on the depth charts early in the season. He understood the reasons. And they like the way he works in practice."
Detroit Free Press Sportswriter Kyle O'Neill : Adrian Peterson will break 1,900 yards but miss out on 2,000 when he's forced to take over quarterbacking duties in Week 15 for the hapless Vikings.
Tampa Bay Coach Jon Gruden : "I don't think he's a rookie," Gruden said. "That's Jim Brown wearing No. 28. What he did (last Sunday), what he's done in eight games is unbelievable. I've never seen a guy do what he's done in eight games, come into the National Football League and dominate like that."
I agree with Jon Gruden's quote the most. AD runs with the power of Jim Brown, though it's impossible to argue that AD doesn't have Gale Sayers' speed & moves. The NFL can start the engraving of Tom Brady's MVP trophy. They can start the engraving of AD's Rookie of the Year Award, too, which is saying something considering Marshawn Lynch's strong rookie performance.
UPDATE: Forgive me for not including this in the orginal post:
But it hasn't been all work for Peterson. He uses one of the six flat screen televisions at his home to play videogames against his half-brother, Derrick, who lives with him.
On a recent night, Derrick played Madden NFL '08 against the computer while Peterson looked on. Derrick was Minnesota, the computer was Chicago. On back-to-back runs, the animated Peterson was stuffed at the line of scrimmage, including a bone-jarring tackle from linebacker Brian Urlacher.
The real-life Peterson was unmoved.
"My skills on the field are a lot better," he said.
Posted Sunday, November 11, 2007 12:53 PM
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