August 29-30, 2016
Aug 29 01:04 Rick Nolan, environmental activist Aug 29 01:39 SWLRT funding is a scam Aug 29 12:12 Is SWLRT in legal difficulty? Aug 29 12:53 Dan Wolgamott, far left lefty Aug 29 23:29 Met Council's legal peril Aug 30 04:48 Is Angie Craig a good fit in CD-2? Aug 30 13:12 SWLRT hurdles still to climb
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Prior Years: 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Rick Nolan, environmental activist
Rick Nolan has always been an environmental activist. It's who he was in the 1970s when he was my congressman. It's who he is today. He's also a full-fledged socialist. To prove that final point, Rep. Nolan was just endorsed by a pro-Bernie Sanders organization called Our Revolution. Their stated goal is to "revitalize American democracy by unifying the millions of people who got involved over the course of U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign in support of progressive causes." It's noteworthy that Keith Ellison and Raul Grijalva, the co-chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, were endorsed by Our Revolution.
There's no questioning whether Ellison and Grijalva are far left lefties. They're a hard left turn from someone like Tim Walz, who is one of Nancy Pelosi's favorite puppets. But I digress.
The truth is that Rep. Nolan is an environmental activist. In 2012, I wrote this post to highlight how reluctant Nolan was to cross the environmental activists about mining. At the time, the Pioneer Press reported that "DFL congressional candidate Rick Nolan proposed on Wednesday, July 18, development of a new federal technical institute on mining and the environment to help the industry overcome production and environmental issues to create more jobs, an idea immediately panned by his opponents as expensive and ineffective. Nolan said the institute would help push applied research that would help mining companies overcome technical problems such as how to extract more mineral from the same rock, but also to overcome environmental issues like reducing waste rock and making sure mine runoff doesn't damage local waterways."
In other words, Rep. Nolan did his best chameleon impersonation. He wanted to appear pro-mining without upsetting the environmental activists. Rick Nolan isn't the miners' friend. He's a wolf in sheep's clothing to the miners. He's said he supports mining but it's fair to ask when the last time was that he fought for good paying mining jobs.
Anyone can say that they're pro-mining. The proof of whether that person is pro-mining is provided when they fight another special interest ally in creating good-paying mining jobs. That's when a politician makes a decision. Until then, pro-mining statements are just politicians flapping their lips. It isn't proof.
Posted Monday, August 29, 2016 1:04 AM
Comment 1 by eric z at 29-Aug-16 07:45 AM
Whatever the criticism of Nolan, there is no viable alternative.
The poor little rich boy is a joke. The only job he's held, dad gave him as a present. Somebody preserved his Facebook comment, despite scrubbing, that because dad worked 50 hr weeks he could be Peter Pan. Fairy dust ain't going to win it.
Response 1.1 by Gary Gross at 29-Aug-16 09:41 AM
Actually, Eric, your ignorance & hatred are showing. Stewart Mills' first job at Mills Fleet was stocking shelves as a teenager. He didn't start as an executive. His father made sure Stewart learned the value of consistently being on time & having a work ethic. Those are the traits that made America great, BTW.
The stories from Pelosi et al are outright lies & should be ridiculed, which is what I'll consistently do on LFR.
As for Rick Nolan, he's worthless. He's been an environmental activist his entire life. He's cost more people jobs than you can imagine. Environmental activists don't want to preserve the environment. They want to ruin rural people's jobs. They're the lowest of low-lifes. They will be consistently ridiculed & exposed on LFR for their policies.
Comment 2 by Chad Q at 30-Aug-16 06:59 PM
So I guess Eric would think Gov. Dayton is even more of a joke considering he has never work a day for his family business or in the private sector and lives off the trust fund his daddy gave him.
Response 2.1 by Gary Gross at 31-Aug-16 01:54 AM
Eric would if he was intellectually honest. Unfortunately, when it comes to Gov. Dayton, Eric isn't intellectually honest.
SWLRT funding is a scam
I wrote this post last week to highlight the documented fact that Gov. Dayton and DFL legislators knew that the federal government wouldn't fund the federal portion of the SWLRT project until a series of lawsuits were settled. That's why the DFL Senate didn't include the $135,000,000 funding for SWLRT in their $1,800,000,000 bonding bill. That bonding bill would've been the biggest bonding bill in state history by almost $750,000,000.
One lawsuit that's on the docket is scheduled to start on Sept. 17, 2017 . That isn't a misprint. The trial won't start until Sept. 17, 2017. There's another potential lawsuit waiting in the wings. That lawsuit, if it was brought, would be filed by the Calhoun-Isles Condominium Association. This Strib article highlights why the Calhoun-Isles Condominium Association would file that lawsuit.
According to the article, "Condominium residents along the planned Southwest Corridor light-rail route in Minneapolis want assurances that a transit tunnel won't hurt their buildings. The residents of 143 units along the future light-rail route south of Cedar Lake Parkway say the trains will run through a tunnel on rails 12 feet from the foundations of their condos and parking structure."
They added that "We have received no assurance that operation of 200 trains per day : will not materially undermine their integrity and safety," read a letter this week from a lawyer for the Calhoun-Isles Condominium Association to Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges and the City Council. "No one knows what all of the effects will be, but it is certain that they will be significant and harmful."
The Dayton-DFL SWLRT funding push is a political scam. They know that the project won't get federal funding for at least 2 years and possibly longer. That means local funding is irrelevant for the near future because local funding only accounts for 10%-15% of the funding.
Quite literally, SWLRT is going nowhere fast. Thanks to Gov. Dayton's stubbornness and the DFL's unwillingness to challenge Gov. Dayton, hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans are being deprived of meaningful tax relief. Farmers and small businesses won't get their property tax relief. Veterans won't get their tax relief. Students and parents will find college expensive because Gov. Dayton vetoed the Tax Bill.
BTW, the DFL failed to fight for the tax relief they voted for. That's rather telling, isn't it? That might be enough to tip votes in a close rural election.
Posted Monday, August 29, 2016 1:39 AM
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Is SWLRT in legal difficulty?
During the DFL's bad faith negotiations for a special session, Gov. Dayton and the DFL insisted that the GOP fund the Southwest Light Rail Transit, aka SWLRT, project. Speaker wisely refused. Now we know why it was wise to refuse. On Wednesday, January 13, 2016, Adam Duininck wrote an email to Gov. Dayton and Lt. Gov. Tina Flint-Smith about a variety of topics.
In the 4th paragraph of the second page of the email, Commissioner Duininck said "On the schedule we had been pushing the FTA for a number of weeks to sign off on an aggressive schedule that called for a full funding grant agreement by the end of this year, while President Obama is in office. They have resisted that goal and have said the grant agreement is likelier to come in the middle of 2017." Later in the email, Commissioner Duininck explains why the FTA is hesitating on signing off.
According to Commissioner Duininck, the FTA is hesitating on signing off because "the reason the FTA refused to move the schedule up is that they are concerned that the litigation risk is still there until Judge Tunheim rules on the Lakes and Park Alliance case."
Connecting the dots
Judge Tunheim's dismissal of summary judgement against the Met Council is dated August 4, 2015. Judge Tunheim noted that "The LPA may not have met its summary judgment burden at this point, but the record, specifically the negotiation process and agreements between the Met Council and various cities and other public entities, and public statements regarding those agreements, shows that, throughout much of this process, the Met Council has had a clear favorite route for the SWLRT."
Judge Tunheim also noted that the case is complex because environmental reviews still need to be approved. That hadn't happened when he ruled on this motion for summary judgment.
Gov. Dayton and the DFL likely didn't include SWLRT funding in their bonding bill because of the Tunheim lawsuit. Further, the Kenilworth Preservation Group, through Stuart Chazin, insists that "the Met Council has not made the legally required good faith effort to consider alternatives to the Kenilworth route, and has had secret communication between Sen. Latz and the Met Council that will prove the point."
There's no doubt but that this is a tangled legal mess that'll take time to untangle in the courts. With the outcome still in doubt, funding SWLRT at this point is foolish. That's likely why the DFL Senate didn't include SWLRT funding in their $1,800,000,000 bonding bill. Further, it isn't a stretch to think that the DFL is attempting to paint Republicans as reckless when the truth is that the DFL is trying their best to pander to their urbanist special interest organizations. Finally, it isn't a stretch to think that Gov. Dayton and politicians like Rep. Thissen are grasping at anything in their attempt to win back the majority in the House.
Today's DFL are a nasty lot, fully prepared to side with brick-throwing thugs like BlackLivesMatter and the anarchists who attacked Republicans in Minneapolis last weekend. They won't think twice about sabotaging any project or legislation if they think it'll help them gain power. That's who today's DFL is.
Posted Monday, August 29, 2016 12:12 PM
Comment 1 by Lisa Bailey at 29-Aug-16 05:36 PM
The DFL has been consistent in its demand SWLRT is the only option for another light rail line. Dayton, in his self-appointed role as dictator, has forced his desire for SWLRT on local politicians. Those same politicians won't say no (w/ full knowledge of the legal problems) because they have higher political aspirations Dayton's South Dakota trusts could fund. Putting a light rail line through parks and splitting the chain of lakes is insane.
Dan Wolgamott, far left lefty
If you look at Dan Wolgamott's issues page , it's pretty clear that he's a big government liberal attempting to sound like a centrist. It's clear that Mr. Wolgamott wants to paint himself as a centrist by saying that he'd "work across party lines to move our state forward." If Mr. Wolgamott is that interested in working across party lines to move the state forward, why didn't he fight for the $800,000,000 middle class tax relief plan? I know he didn't have a vote on the matter but speaking out in favor of it would've put pressure on Gov. Dayton and the Metro DFL to push for a special session to re-pass the Tax Bill.
Mr. Wolgamott's association with corrupt far left lefty organizations like TakeAction Minnesota indicates that he isn't the centrist he's portraying himself as during this campaign. This morning, I got an email from TakeAction Minnesota warning me that the Koch Brothers want to steal legislative elections here in Minnesota. The email said "the Koch funded organization - Americans for Prosperity - is pouring money into our State Legislative races, launching a mail campaign this week with much more to follow. We want to create a Minnesota where our government and economy is working for us and by us. Our elections work reflects this belief - we are invested in the leadership development of our volunteers and we're intentionally engaging neighborhoods that are too often overlooked during the election cycle. The work of our endorsed progressive champions reflects this - Ilhan Omar, Erin Maye Quade, Alberder Gillespie, Zach Dorholt , Dan Wolgamott , Lindsey Port, and others."
TakeAction Minnesota is part of the ProgressNow-Alliance for a Better Minnesota coalition. Wolgamott can't run as who he is. He can't run as a Dorholt-like lefty. That's because Wolgamott lives in St. Cloud, not in the Fourth or Fifth districts or Duluth. If he lived there, then he'd be able to run as the far left lefty that he is. In St. Cloud, he has to pretty much run as a centrist. That's what Tarryl did in 2005 and 2006. She couldn't run as a moderate in 2010 because she'd acquired a voting record that exposed her as a tax-raising lefty.
Posted Monday, August 29, 2016 12:53 PM
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Met Council's legal peril
One thing that the Twin Cities press hasn't covered, at least in the context of the special session negotiations, is that there's a lawsuit that's tying up the Southwest Light Rail Transit (SWLRT) project. In fact, Judge John Tunheim's ruling contains an admonition to the Met Council. FYI- Judge Tunheim is the "Chief Judge" of the "United States District Court."
Near the end of his ruling, Judge Tunheim wrote "This opinion concludes that the LPA has not shown it is entitled to judgment as a matter of law on the record before the Court. It does not, however, end the case. This action involves complex legal issues and an evolving factual record. The theme underlying these complexities, though, and underlying the cause of action recognized in this Court's prior Order, in Limehouse, and in environmental regulations like Section 1506.1, is that full and thorough environmental review of a major government project is vitally important. The LPA may not have met its summary judgment burden at this point, but the record - specifically the negotiation process and agreements between the Met Council and various cities and other public entities, and public statements regarding those agreements - shows that, throughout much of this process, the Met Council has had a clear favorite route for the SWLRT."
Then there's this:
Indeed, by signing an agreement with St. Louis Park that all but guarantees freight rail will stay in the Kenilworth Corridor, the Met Council has come dangerously close to impermissibly prejudicing the ongoing environmental review process .
This is why the Met Council needs to be overhauled entirely. Presently, the Met Council essentially represents Gov. Dayton and the DFL's far left agenda. They don't represent the people of the Twin Cities. Further, they're more worried about getting Gov. Dayton upset than they're worried about getting the citizens upset.
We're supposed to be governed by the principles of one person, one vote and "with the consent of the governed." The Met Council operates essentially on the principle of 'thousands of people, no votes." At no point does the Met Council operate "with the consent of the governed." It essentially bullies elected governments, commissions, panels, etc. when it wants to achieve its goals.
Coming "impermissibly prejudicing the ongoing environmental review process" is legalese for saying that the Met Council is treading on thin legal ice. That's just the tip of the iceberg, though. Check back with LFR for more later today.
Posted Monday, August 29, 2016 11:29 PM
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Is Angie Craig a good fit in CD-2?
The DFL has insisted from the start of this election cycle that Angie Craig was competitive in CD-2, especially once John Kline announced his retirement. When the first fundraising report came out, the DFL's cries got louder that Angie Craig would flip that seat.
I've been skeptical of the DFL's claims from the start because Angie Craig, like Tarryl Clark in CD-6 in 2010, isn't a good fit for CD-2. A loyal reader of LFR said that there are lots of entrepreneurs in CD-2. While Craig can appeal to those voters to a certain extent, she might have difficulty appealing to them because Bernie Sanders' policies are definitely anti-small business. Sen. Sanders wants tons of regulations and higher top tax rates. Those definitely aren't small business friendly policies.
The reason I mention Bernie Sanders is because an organization called Our Revolution has endorsed Angie Craig, Rick Nolan and Keith Ellison for congress from Minnesota. Here's a little information on that organization:
Our Revolution will revitalize American democracy by unifying the millions of people who got involved over the course of U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign in support of progressive causes.
Let's rewrite that sentence to make it accurate. It would say "Our Revolution will revitalize American democracy by unifying the millions of people who got involved over the course of U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign in support of socialist causes." Small business entrepreneurship and socialism fit together like oil and water. In other words, they don't fit together.
There's nothing in Angie Craig's history that suggests she's truly pro-small business. These endorsements indicate that she's a Sanders lefty:
Lori Swanson and Sandy Pappas are definitely 2 of the more far left lefties in Minnesota, with bigtime climate change credentials. The League of Conservation Voters is definitely anti-development and anti-small business.
So much for Angie Craig being pro-small business.
If you want to help get Jason Lewis elected, please consider contributing to his campaign . Also, if you want to get the word out on the real Angie Craig, please consider contributing to LFR by clicking on the "Donate" button in the top right corner of the page. You know that the MSM won't tell Craig's story. I will.
Posted Tuesday, August 30, 2016 4:48 AM
Comment 1 by eric z at 30-Aug-16 08:22 AM
You guys nominated/endorsed an idiot. Galt fever.
Response 1.1 by Gary Gross at 30-Aug-16 09:23 AM
I guess progressives like Eric have difficulty believing that the Constitution means what the Constitution says & that capitalism is the best economic system ever created. Hint: socialism fails wherever it's tried. Bernie is a socialist & Angie Craig is a follower of Bernie's
Comment 2 by JerryE9 at 30-Aug-16 09:08 AM
Oh, eric, you silly... Look at the advertising and letters to the editor favoring Angie. You would think she was a conservative Republican. Why do you folks seem to think you need such outrageously bald-faced lies to get elected?
If Angie has the gumption to actually debate, we will quickly see who the "idiot" is.
Comment 3 by Bob at 30-Aug-16 10:50 AM
My website, SupportOurRevolution.com is not affiliated with Our Revolution. Our Revolution has NOT endorsed Angie Craig. If you see I list BoldProgressives.org as the endorsing organization. I have been promoting #OurRevolution candidates - progressive candidates vetted by SEVERAL progressive organizations -- for months before OurRevolution.com was formed.
Comment 4 by eric z at 31-Aug-16 07:35 AM
Angie is a millionaire who if elected will, as with the entire remainder of the Minnesota delegation, represent the medical device industry. Get real. The positive, she's not suffering Galt fever. Not into Galt coins. Never chummed with Michele Bachmann to boost any ratings.
Comment 5 by JerryE9 at 31-Aug-16 07:53 AM
eric, what about the "medical device industry" (or any business made up of and serving real people) is so evil that you would deny them representation in the Congress?
Comment 6 by Chad Q at 31-Aug-16 06:09 PM
Ms. Craig may have never chummed with Ms. Bachman but look at the people she has and is chumming with. Not the type of people voters of CD-2 want to be associated with.
SWLRT hurdles still to climb
Gov. Dayton and Rep. Thissen would have us believe that Republicans are being pig-headed in their opposition to funding the SWLRT project. Actually, what's becoming clear is that the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce isn't thinking clearly while supporting the construction of the Southwest Light Rail Transit project. What clear-thinking organization supports a project that can't be built before Sept. 17, 2017?
If that date doesn't mean anything to you, that's because the DFL and the Twin Cities Media haven't reported that that's the starting date for the trial of whether the Met Council went too far. That's likely the least of SWLRT's problems. The law firm of Felhaber and Larson was retained by the Calhoun-Isles Condominium Association because the "current plan for the construction of the Southwest Light Rail Transit Line provides for the construction of a shallow tunnel which will be located literally within two feet of the exterior walls of the Association's high-rise structure, as close as six inches to the foundation of the Association's parking ramp and within 43 feet of a row of single-family townhomes."
What part of that description sounds like the SWLRT is anything close to being built? Seriously, that sounds like a start-over point. That's like the Met Council is saying that they don't care that the Calhoun-Isles Condominium Association's buildings are in jeopardy. It's like the Met Council is flipping the Association the proverbial finger. Would any private property owner sit idly by while this happened to their property? The odds of a private property owner signing off on this project are worse than the odds I'll get hit with lightning while holding tonight's winning lottery ticket.
It isn't because my odds of getting hit with lightning are that high or that my odds of winning tonight's lottery are high, either. It's that the odds of a private property owner signing off on this project without massive monetary compensation is exactly nonexistent.
This project needs to be totally rerouted. There's no chance the Environmental Impact Study for this part of the project will be approved. Couple the Calhoun-Isles Condominium Association' potential lawsuit with the existing lawsuit. Factor in the FTA's reluctance to fund SWLRT until the lawsuits are settled. Throw these things together and it's easy to question Gov. Dayton's prioritization of the SWLRT project.
Speaker Daudt is right that the Met Council's legal tactics have pretty much failed whenever they've been tried. The potential lawsuit by the Calhoun-Isles Condominium Association by itself could demolish the SWLRT project. This isn't just about public negotiations. It's also about the details of these potential lawsuits.
Let's remember that some of these lawsuits are being brought by staunch DFL activists. These aren't litigation-foolish people. These activists are skilled at dragging out litigation for years. It isn't unreasonable to think that these lawsuits won't be settled before we elect Gov. Dayton's successor in 2018.
Posted Tuesday, August 30, 2016 1:13 PM
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