August 13-14, 2017
Aug 13 03:51 What Met Council reforms? Aug 13 08:41 Questioning the Met Council Aug 14 04:47 The Political Wilderness Party Aug 14 06:32 #UniteCloud's mixed message Aug 14 08:03 Left Coast Anthem antics Aug 14 10:08 Back in the saddle bleg Aug 14 15:03 Met Council: SWLRT or bust
Prior Months: Jan Feb ~ May Jun Jul
Prior Years: 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
What Met Council reforms?
Friday night during the Almanac Roundtable segment, DFL activist Abou Amara insisted that the legislature had frequently reformed the Met Council. When I heard that, I replayed that part of the segment (I always DVR it) to make sure I heard it correctly. Indeed I'd heard it correctly. Simply put, Amara's contribution to that part of the roundtable was BS. The legislature has changed the Met Council's responsibilities frequently but it hasn't reformed it.
Let's think of it this way. Each legislator, each city councilmember, each county commissioner and each school board member have hundreds, if not thousands of constituents. The Met Council has a single constituent -- the governor. They don't have to listen to members of the metro city councils, the Hennepin County commissioners and they especially don't have to listen to the residents of the 7-county metro area. If they decide to ignore the city council, it doesn't matter as long as they do what their constituent wants them to do.
Another part of Amara's argument to keep the Met Council around is because there's a need for long-term planning. That's a fair point but it doesn't prove that the Met Council is needed to accomplish that task. In fact, it's proof that it isn't needed. Governing bodies that aren't accountable to people shouldn't have any authority. The Met Council under Gov. Dayton is a patronage position.
Kathy Kersten's column nails it in terms of the Met Council's mentality:
"The people designing your city don't care what you want.' That's how forbes.com columnist Joel Kotkin sums up the mentality of today's so-called 'smart growth' urban planners. Here in the Twin Cities, we have a perfect example of what Kotkin is warning about: 'Thrive MSP 2040,' the Metropolitan Council's 30-year development framework for our seven-county metro area.
Here's something else worth thinking about when thinking whether the Met Council needs a transformation. First, let's start by noticing that Amara thinks we need to keep long-term planning out of the hands of "people who face election once every 2 or 4 years." Question: where does Amara think we'd find these long-term planners? Are they 'experts' in their field? If they're experts in their field, would that lead them to not listen to the residents of the seven-county metro? Would they only listen to like-minded advocates and lobbyists?
That's what's happening now. The Met Council isn't listening to people in Prior Lake, Eden Prairie, Maplewood, Woodbury, Plymouth, et al. They have the authority to raise taxes. They don't face the voters. Ever . That's the worst possible system imaginable.
The truth is that Abou Amara isn't telling the truth. The Met Council hasn't undergone positive change except if you think mission creep is positive change. The Republican gubernatorial candidate that puts together a thoughtful plan that puts the people in charge of the Council will have a positive platform to tout to voters. It's time to straighten this corrupt system out.
Posted Sunday, August 13, 2017 3:51 AM
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Questioning the Met Council
In this post , I asked several questions, including why do Democrats think that unaccountable bureaucrats with a constituency of one person (the governor) are best-suited to do region-wide infrastructure planning?
People that don't have to worry about accountability to citizens inevitably get corrupted or stop listening to the people or both.
Something that Katherine Kersten wrote in this article should raise red flags. She wrote "The council's vision to transform how the people of the Twin Cities region live and get around has two prongs. First, the Thrive plan will promote compact, high-density housing and 'transit-oriented development' (TOD). TOD seeks to 'pivot' from an 'auto-friendly' to a 'transit-friendly' transportation system by discouraging driving and pushing people to walk, bike or take public transit to work and leisure activities. Both Thrive's housing and transportation policy plans exhibit a striking hostility to travel by car, and to the freedom and mobility that ownership of a personal vehicle brings."
Here's a question for LFR readers: should any government agency have the authority to push its citizens towards "transit-friendly" transportation systems? Here's another question that dovetails off the first question: should an unelected government panel be allowed to "exhibit a striking hostility to travel by car"? Shouldn't those decisions be made by the citizens themselves?
If you think that unaccountable bureaucrats that don't have to listen to the people make better decisions than elected officials that have to answer to the people, I'd love seeing the proof for that. Honestly, I don't think it exists.
Later in the article, Ms. Kersten wrote this:
The plan will lavish funds (at least $2.7 billion) on fixed-rail transit while virtually ignoring funding for expanding roads, which are vital to regional prosperity and on which 99 percent of area trips rely in some way. Despite the council's drive for densification - which will jam more cars into a smaller space - the Thrive plan declares that "expanding the roadway system is not a sustainable way to address congestion, climate change, equity and livability."
It's time for the Met Council to disappear or, at minimum, to have their authority reduced. It's obvious that they're an organization with an ideological agenda. It's obvious that they aren't that worried about what the citizens of the Twin Cities want.
The transportation plan greatly favors the urban core over suburbs and exurbs and uses limited transportation funds as a bludgeon to promote its social agenda of dispersing poverty. In response, county boards of the five 'ring' counties - Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Scott and Washington - have unanimously denounced the council's plan.
And around and around we go. The Met Council doesn't care what Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Scott and Washington counties want. They're shaped almost exclusively around the belief that fixed rail transit is the way to go. It won't take long for the people to reject that foolishness.
Posted Sunday, August 13, 2017 8:41 AM
Comment 1 by Crimson Trace at 13-Aug-17 11:10 PM
The two most corrupt boards in Minnesota accountable to no one:
First Place: Met Council
A Close Second Place: MnSCU Board of Trustees
They supposedly "represent" various districts. I am still waiting for the town hall meetings to start.
Response 1.1 by Gary Gross at 13-Aug-17 11:52 PM
Actually, they're carbon copies of each other with the exception that the MnSCU Board of Trustees doesn't have taxing authority. They both have one constituent, aka Gov. Dayton.
The Political Wilderness Party
The Political Wilderness Party, aka the Democratic Party, won't be returning from Lewis & Clark territory anytime soon , at least if Elizabeth Warren has a say in the matter.
Speaking at this weekend's Nutroots Convention, Sen. Warren said "If we're going to be the people who lead the Democratic Party back from the wilderness and lead our country out of this dark time, then we can't waste energy arguing about whose issue matters more or who in our alliance should be voted off the island. We aren't a wing of today's Democratic Party. We're the heart and soul of today's Democratic Party." Later, Sen Warren took a shot at the Clintons, saying "The Democratic party isn't going back to the days of welfare reform and the crime bill. It is not going to happen."
I'd be a bit dishonest if I said that, each time I pray, I thank God for foolish people like Elizabeth Warren. Sen. Warren apparently doesn't understand what people hear when she makes statements like that. The Clinton administration had an impressive job creation record. If people have to choose between President Clinton's economic record and President Obama's economic record, that isn't a fair fight. President Clinton will win that fight every time with voters 40 years of age and older.
Sen. Warren is right, though, in saying that the Warren/Sanders/Obama wing of the Democratic Party is "the heart and soul of today's Democratic Party." That's why this is music to my ears:
Warren's speech at the conference, which is viewed as a testing ground for prospective presidential candidates, further fuels buzz that Warren plans to run for president in 2020. The Times reported that the Massachusetts lawmaker made little attempt to dismiss the bid speculation.
Last November, President Trump won 306 electoral votes. If he's running against Warren in 2020, expect that to increase to 328 or 332 electoral votes. I'd be surprised if President Trump didn't add Virginia and Colorado if his 2020 opponent is Sen. Warren. New Hampshire would be a possibility, too, though a bit of a longshot compared with Virginia and Colorado.
Posted Monday, August 14, 2017 4:47 AM
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#UniteCloud's mixed message
Stephanie Dickrell's St. Cloud Times article about a #UniteCloud event puts in play the question of whether #UniteCloud's message is compromised.
Ms. Dickrell's article quotes Natalie Ringsmuth, the executive director and founder of UniteCloud, as saying "At midnight last night, we decided to do something. We felt like we didn't want to wait a whole week. ... We wanted to give space for people to be able to gather in the name of peace." To their credit, their gathering was peaceful, with an asterisk.
Though there wasn't any acts of physical violence at #UniteCloud's gathering, #UniteCloud's credibility is questioned because one of the organizations participating in the gathering was Black Lives Matter. Their history isn't filled with inspirational moments. It's filled with questionable activities . The article includes a paragraph that reads "BLM leaders are under a new kind of scrutiny because of a whiplash of unexpected events: cell phone videos of two black men who died from police gunfire followed by the ambush and killings of five police officers in Dallas at a Black Lives Matter protest, and three police officers targeted and killed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana."
The Twin Cities chapter of Black Lives Matter has its own checkered history :
Rumors about the man's death started with a Facebook post by a user of the name Davion Gatlin, who initially claimed the man was black, the Pioneer Press reported. "[W]e ride pass the park around 6am and witness a brother hanging dead from a tree!' he wrote, attaching photos of the body that he took from afar. 'They still killing us and we still killing each other! #MakeGoViral'
The verified Facebook account of Black Lives Matter Minneapolis has since picked up on Mr. Gatlin's semi-viral post, also sharing the graphic photos and claiming that the man was "lynched."
"A man was found lynched in St. Paul, MN this morning," the group posted. "St. Paul PD was quick to call this a suicide while witnesses on the scene say the man's hands were tied behind his back. We are hurt by the tragic news and know that this despicable & disgusting act of cowardice will not be erased."
Here's a question for Ms. Ringsmuth. If the march was for peace, why would you let Black Lives Matter, a group with a sometimes violent history, participate in the march?
Here's the ugly truth. #UniteCloud is a DFL front group that's more into stirring up political trouble than they're about providing solutions. If #UniteCloud wants credibility, they need to get rid of organizations like Black Lives Matter because of their sordid history.
Posted Monday, August 14, 2017 6:32 AM
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Left Coast Anthem antics
Apparently, the Seattle Seahawks' Michael Bennett thinks he'll affect positive racial change by acting like an idiot .
The article starts by saying "Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett sat on the bench during the national anthem before the team's game at the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday night. The rest of the Seahawks continued last season's ritual, linking arms during the anthem."
When asked later what he was trying to accomplish, Bennett is quoted as saying "I'm hoping that I can activate everybody to get off their hands and feet and go out into the communities and help each other. Sit down with somebody of the opposite sex. Sit down with somebody who's the opposite race, different religion and understand that people are different."
Later in the article, Bennett said that "he knows there will be a backlash for his actions but, this is bigger than football. 'This is about people. This is about bringing opportunities to people. Giving people equality. This is bigger than a sport.'"
Bennett apparently thinks he's letting America in on a profound life perspective. This sort of thing works in Seattle because it's fashionable to be a leftist that hates the principles that this nation was built on.
What's astonishing to me is that Bennett hasn't understood that he isn't helping his cause. He said in that interview that he wants to affect change. Then he sits on the bench during the playing of the National Anthem before the game. Afterwards, Bennett admits that there likely will be a backlash to his actions.
Hasn't he figured it out that pissing people off isn't the way to uniting people? Whether it was Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the National Anthem last year or Michael Bennett or Marshawn Lynch sitting on the bench this preseason, the message is the same. These athletes, who should be grateful for the opportunities that professional football has given them, look totally ungrateful .
Finally, before a sportscaster says that these athletes have the right to do this because of the First Amendment, it's time for these sportscasters to read what the First Amendment protects and doesn't protect. The First Amendment protects against the federal government censoring people. Employers, however, have every right to tell their employees what they can or can't do while they're at their place of employment.
Posted Monday, August 14, 2017 8:03 AM
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Back in the saddle bleg
As you know, last February, I broke my right arm, which led to me spending 3 months in rehabilitation and away from LFR. While my arm is functional, it still isn't 100%. Still, I'm grateful that I'm returning to the level of productivity that I was known for prior to my 'year from hell'.
Over the past month, LFR has led the way in holding the ISD 742 School Board accountable. Additionally, I've spent time laying out a positive reform agenda that includes reducing the scope of government, especially as it pertains to the Met Council.
For the rest of 2017, I'll be working on holding DFL front groups like Black Lives Matter and #UniteCloud accountable for their protests. I'll also spend time exposing the connection between the School Board and special interest organizations. Trust me when I say it's one of the best-kept secrets in town. It's my goal to turn those connections into the worst-kept secrets in town.
Meanwhile, I'll do my best to hold the St. Cloud Times and other media outlets accountable. Finally, LFR will provide information that will help you, the news consumer, the best-informed readers going into next year's midterm elections.
Thanks for your loyal readership the past 12+ years. If you want to contribute monetarily or forward stories to me, contact me by leaving a comment to this post. I'll contact you via email.
Originally posted Monday, August 14, 2017, revised 21-Aug 5:40 AM
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Met Council: SWLRT or bust
Preya Samsundar's article on the SWLRT line is informative from the standpoint of how intent Gov. Dayton's political appointees are in spending the taxpayers' hard-earned money on another light rail boondoggle.
Ms. Samsundar writes "Southwest Light Rail will begin construction, despite a decision by the federal government to rescind federal funds. MPR reports that the new Met Council Chair, Alene Tchourumoff, plans to start construction on the newest addition to Minnesota's light rail enterprise by 2019." Later in the article, Ms. Samsundar writes "However, the dissolution of the Counties Transit Improvement Board in May left Hennepin County footing a $289 million bill for their share of Southwest Light Rail, approximately $103.5 million more than initially projected. As Alpha News reported, the dissolution leaves the additional burden on Hennepin County taxpayers who will see a half-cent increase in their local sales tax."
That's just the tip of an expensive iceberg. The $289,000,000 bill is just part of the expense. Then there's this:
The nearly 15 mile light rail extension that plans to connect wealthy western suburbs to the Twin Cities is still $900 million short , but that is not stopping Tchourumoff from moving forward with the plan.
Of course, that isn't stopping her. It isn't like she has to face voters. It isn't like Ms. Tchourumoff is spending her own money. It's exceptionally easy to spend other people's money.
This is a total boondoggle for taxpayers across the state. In addition to tax increases in the Twin Cities, which I don't care about, taxpayers in rural Minnesota get stuck with part of the tab of subsidizing this boondoggle. Let's be clear. There isn't a light rail line in Minnesota that breaks even. There isn't a light rail line that comes close to breaking even. That's why I call these projects boondoggles. For that matter, I could call these projects ideologically-inspired boondoggles.
The bottom line is simple. The Met Council isn't interested in listening to people. They're only interested in serving Gov. Dayton. If that costs taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, the Met Council is fine with that. Like I said earlier, it isn't like they'll be held accountable by Gov. Dayton.
Posted Monday, August 14, 2017 3:03 PM
Comment 1 by Terry Stone at 14-Aug-17 09:25 PM
Southwest Light Rail
They all have that tingle,
And hear the cash jingle,
They said with some pride,
We're sure they will ride,
We'll just make the tax dollars mingle.
The Met Council said,
We must push ahead,
They thought somewhat publicly,
Why not more subsidy,
It's already in the red.
