February 1-7, 2013
Feb 01 07:03 Rep. Quam exposes DFL's hypocrisy Feb 02 12:01 God bless Sen. Cruz Feb 04 03:34 House DFL proposes to stifle debates, Part I Feb 04 15:00 Saffari files defamation lawsuit, Potter declines comment Feb 05 06:55 President Obama touts gun confiscation agenda during Minneapolis visit Feb 06 02:53 House DFL proposes to stifle debates, Part II Feb 06 16:41 DFL Rep. Ward wants to gut teacher accountability reforms Feb 07 00:33 Gov. Dayton's unprofessional speechwriters Feb 07 01:21 Lowlights from Gov. Dayton's State of the State
Prior Months: Jan
Prior Years: 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Rep. Quam exposes DFL's hypocrisy
Rep. Duane Quam asked a simple question:
He asked "So what is being stated as savings is what Education Minnesota referred to last year as taking money from our kids?" The twisted explanation he got showed that the DFL is spinning this budget like crazy. They criticized the school shift that the GOP legislature passed and that Gov. Dayton signed.
This year, Gov. Dayton is proposing a huge tax increase to allegedly pay for a major spending increase in K-12 education. That doesn't fit with Gov. Dayton's admission that they won't repay the school shift back until 2017.
The DFL won't be ashamed of their campaign trail lies, though they should be. They'll just keep saying disgustingly dishonest things as long as ABM and the Twin Cities media provide political cover.
Posted Friday, February 1, 2013 7:03 AM
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God bless Sen. Cruz
This letter to the CEOs of gun manufacturers Sturm, Ruger & Co. and Smith & Wesson and the CEOs of TDBank and Bank of America is a delight to read:
Letter from Senator Ted Cruz to Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Bank of America, TD Bank Group, Smith & Wes... by Senator Ted Cruz
What's even better is Sen. Cruz's shot at Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel:
Finally, to Mayor Emanuel, you recently were obliged to pay over $1.1 million of taxpayer money in legal fees due to your unsuccessful assault on the Second Amendment. And your city's longstanding policies stripping your citizens of their constitutional right to keep and bear arms have, in turn, produced some of the highest crime and murder rates in the nation.
Your continued anti-gun crusade may well cause some to wonder if the interests of the citizens of Chicago are being sacrificed in pursuit of a partisan agenda.
Regardless, directing your attacks at legitimate firearms manufacturers undermines the Second Amendment rights of millions of Texans. In the future, I would ask that you keep your efforts to diminish the Bill of Rights north of the Red River.
Sen. Cruz is the next rising star in the GOP. What's fantastic about him is that a) he doesn't get intimidated, b) he knows the Constitution, c) he's willing to challenge Constitution-hating bullies like Emanuel and d) he fights for law-abiding companies.
Rahm Emanuel is foolish for picking this fight. Sen. Cruz isn't just right on this issue. I've seen video of him debating. He's very quick on his feet in that setting. He's the last guy Emanuel should pick a fight with.
Tags: Second Amendment , Sturm-Ruger , Smith & Wesson , Bank of America , TD Bank , Ted Cruz , TEA Party , GOP , Rahm Emanuel , Chicago Way , Thug Tactics , Democrats
Posted Saturday, February 2, 2013 12:01 PM
Comment 1 by walter hanson at 02-Feb-13 02:22 PM
That a way to go Ted. You certainly wouldn't have gotten that letter from the guy he had to beat out in the Repulican primary.
If every Republican stands up the way that Cruz and Rubio stand up for Republican values we will have a stampade of people wanting to vote Republican.
Hint other Republicans that is why we are losing because we're not standing up like Cruz and Rubio.
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
Comment 2 by Bob J. at 04-Feb-13 09:27 AM
A senator who gets it. Marvelous.
I love the touch of the carbon copy to Emanuel at the bottom of the letter. Treating the socialist like the afterthought he is.
House DFL proposes to stifle debates, Part I
It isn't surprising that the DFL wants to limit debate in the Minnesota House of Representatives. When they're in charge, that's what they've traditionally done. This time, Erin Murphy is the DFL legislator that's proposing to limiting debate under the guise of transparency:
Democrats in the Minnesota House are proposing to change how the House operates during floor debates.
The plan would require proposed amendments to be filed 24 hours before the debate on a bill starts. It's a dramatic departure from current rules that allow members to draft and propose changes to legislation as members are debating it.
House Majority Leader Erin Murphy, DFL-St. Paul, said she's making the change to give lawmakers and the public more time to consider proposed changes to legislation.
What's worst is that Rep. Murphy is lying to justify her proposal:
"The floor debate is where Minnesotans have the least amount of access," Murphy said. "When amendments are being drafted on the floor and then debated on the floor, it's hard for representatives to be able to talk to constituents and get answers to questions as to what it means."
In a pre-Twitter, pre-social media, pre-texting world, Rep. Murphy might've had a point. She isn't right anymore. Citizens have multiple points of access to legislators during floor debates, with Twitter being the most popular. Texting likely comes in a close second.
Most likely, she's just doing the best she can to BS herself through a terrible predicament. Rep. Murphy can't admit that it's never been easier for constituents to contact their representatives during a floor debate. Rep. Murphy can't admit that livestreaming the floor debate makes it possible to watch the debate, either. Rep. Murphy can't admit that constituents can read bills thanks to the House of Representatives' website.
If she admitted that, Rep. Murphy and the DFL would have to admit that their real goal is to limit debate to limit their exposure to common sense amendments that would improve their legislation. The worst part about a truly open amendment process for the DFL -is that it would force DFL legislators to cast votes against amendments that their constituents would want them voting for.
That, in turn, would put already vulnerable DFL legislators in greater jeopardy of losing in 2014. Unfortunately for the DFL, the DFL can't protect their representatives from their agenda of higher taxes, more wasteful spending and greater intrusions into people's lives.
Tags: Erin Murphy , House Rules Committee , Debate , Censorship , Amendments , Gag Order , Swing Districts , Constituents , Twitter , Texting , MNGOP
Originally posted Monday, February 4, 2013, revised 06-Feb 2:55 AM
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Saffari files defamation lawsuit, Potter declines comment
Last week, former VP of enrollment management at St. Cloud State, Mahmoud Saffari, filed a lawsuit in federal court against SCSU and President Potter :
Mahmoud Saffari has filed a lawsuit in federal court alleging civil rights violations, discrimination, defamation and violations of the state Data Practices Act. The lawsuit was filed 16 months after his firing, which led to protests by the Faculty & Staff of Color Caucus.
Here's a copy of the complaint:
Saffari lawsuit
If Dr. Saffari proves that he was "directed not to share enrollment figures with faculty or a particular administrator", then President Potter will have difficulty explaining how that didn't interfere with Dr. Saffari's ability to do his job. As a vice president, the only person who'd outrank him at SCSU is President Potter.
Later in the lawsuit, Dr. Saffari alleges that he "was threatened with termination" if he continued raising issues about why enrollment was declining at SCSU. If that's accurate, which a jury will decide, then it would suggest that SCSU, under President Potter's administration, has issues with transparency. Again, that's for a jury to decide but it fits President Potter's pattern of behavior.
Another troubling part of Dr. Saffari's accusations is that Dr. Saffari was "directed by the Provost" that he couldn't share enrollment statistics with faculty. Dr. Saffari then stated that, when he "raised the issue", he was terminated.
It's difficult to imagine that sharing enrollment information to the faculty, MnSCU and the public wouldn't be part of Dr. Saffari's responsibilities as VP of enrollment management at SCSU.
This lawsuit will require President Potter to focus a substantial amount of time on defending himself and SCSU against this lawsuit. That's troubling in light of the fact that his attention needs to be on the transcript scandal and on slashing programs that don't improve workforce training.
Tags:
Equal Opportunity , Mahmoud Saffari , Plaintiff , Lawsuit , Discrimination , SCSU , Earl Potter , Defendants , Enrollment , Provost
Posted Monday, February 4, 2013 3:00 PM
Comment 1 by Crimson Trace at 04-Feb-13 04:54 PM
On page 2 of the complaint, he had 8 years of service before he was terminated. Now, that is incredible. It's not like he was there for a year and got fired. SCSU has quite a resume now when you add this to doctoring transcripts, cutting job producing academic programs, plummeting enrollments, and the list goes on.
Comment 2 by Patrick-M at 04-Feb-13 07:55 PM
Perhaps other issues will come to light during this action. One thing that was never explained to the Aviation Department is why they were targeted - I have fairly good data on why but would love to get Dr. Potter and his administrators under oath to tell us the truth.
Comment 3 by Gary Gross at 05-Feb-13 11:02 AM
Good luck with that, Patrick. I'd give better odds that Gov. Dayton gives up on tax increases this year than on Potter telling the truth about the Aviation Department.
Comment 4 by Nick at 05-Feb-13 01:42 PM
St. Cloud State University getting sued, no surprise to me. No wonder I don't want to donate to them.
Comment 5 by eric z at 06-Feb-13 11:47 AM
Do you have that thing as a pdf? I diaable all of Facebook on my workstation, including Scribd.
Comment 6 by Gary Gross at 06-Feb-13 01:29 PM
Eric, I only have the court doc through Scribd.
Comment 7 by Nick at 06-Feb-13 02:27 PM
Eric,
From what I can recall, you can download a Scribd document from the Scribd website. I hope that helps.
Comment 8 by Samanta Jones at 06-Oct-13 10:57 PM
This comment was deleted because the commenter made an unsubstantiated statement when she said that she was "sure he got fired from the other places he used to work." Unsubstantiated allegations aren't allowed here. Criticism is. Criticizing someone is fine, as long as you have proof. Making wild allegations without sharing proof isn't.
I consider the latter a cheapshot. Here's a simple rule to apply: Allegations aren't proof.
Comment 9 by Mohammad at 15-Mar-14 10:38 AM
This is not the first time Dr. Saffari is being fired. Open your eyes and look at his work history. This is the third time he is getting fired. Start with the University of Louisiana in Monro and search back to gather some information about his work history. He has a reputation of being poor team player and displaying poor knowledge and competence of his job.
President Obama touts gun confiscation agenda during Minneapolis visit
President Obama touted his gun confiscation agenda during his visit to Minneapolis Monday. One of the first things he touted was his call to ban "military-style assault weapons."
He later said that it was time to limit clips to no more than 10 rounds. President Obama's advance team didn't do their homework because Rep. Michael Paymar has introduced HF241 , which would define assault weapon as:
Subd. 7. Semiautomatic military-style Assault weapon. "Semiautomatic
1.17military-style Assault weapon" means any:
1.18(1) any of the following firearms:
1.19(i) Avtomat Kalashnikov (AK-47) semiautomatic rifle type;
1.20(ii) Beretta AR-70 and BM-59 semiautomatic rifle types;
1.21(iii) Colt AR-15 semiautomatic rifle type;
1.22(iv) Daewoo Max-1 and Max-2 semiautomatic rifle types;
1.23(v) Famas MAS semiautomatic rifle type;
1.24(vi) Fabrique Nationale FN-LAR and FN-FNC semiautomatic rifle types;
2.1(vii) Galil semiautomatic rifle type;
2.2(viii) Heckler & Koch HK-91, HK-93, and HK-94 semiautomatic rifle types;
2.3(ix) Ingram MAC-10 and MAC-11 semiautomatic pistol and carbine types;
2.4(x) Intratec TEC-9 semiautomatic pistol type;
2.5(xi) Sigarms SIG 550SP and SIG 551SP semiautomatic rifle types;
2.6(xii) SKS with detachable magazine semiautomatic rifle type;
2.7(xiii) Steyr AUG semiautomatic rifle type;
2.8(xiv) Street Sweeper and Striker-12 revolving-cylinder shotgun types;
2.9(xv) USAS-12 semiautomatic shotgun type;
2.10(xvi) Uzi semiautomatic pistol and carbine types; or
2.11(xvii) Valmet M76 and M78 semiautomatic rifle types;
2.12(2) any firearm that is another model made by the same manufacturer as one of the
2.13firearms listed in clause (1), and has the same action design as one of the listed firearms,
2.14and is a redesigned, renamed, or renumbered version of one of the firearms listed in clause
2.15(1), or has a slight modification or enhancement, including but not limited to a folding or
2.16retractable stock; adjustable sight; case deflector for left-handed shooters; shorter barrel;
2.17wooden, plastic, or metal stock; larger clip size; different caliber; or a bayonet mount; and
2.18(3) any firearm that has been manufactured or sold by another company under a
2.19licensing agreement with a manufacturer of one of the firearms listed in clause (1) entered
2.20into after the effective date of Laws 1993, chapter 326, to manufacture or sell firearms that
2.21are identical or nearly identical to those listed in clause (1), or described in clause (2),
2.22regardless of the company of production or country of origin.
2.23The weapons listed in clause (1), except those listed in items (iii), (ix), (x), (xiv),
2.24and (xv), are the weapons the importation of which was barred by the Bureau of Alcohol,
2.25Tobacco, and Firearms of the United States Department of the Treasury in July 1989.
2.26Except as otherwise specifically provided in paragraph (d), a firearm is not a
2.27"semiautomatic military-style assault weapon" if it is generally recognized as particularly
2.28suitable for or readily adaptable to sporting purposes under United States Code, title 18,
2.29section 925, paragraph (d)(3), or any regulations adopted pursuant to that law.
2.30(1) semi-automatic rifle that has the capacity to accept a detachable magazine and
2.31has one or more of the following:
2.32(i) a pistol grip or thumbhole stock;
2.33(ii) any feature capable of functioning as a protruding grip that can be held by the
2.34nontrigger hand;
2.35(iii) a folding or telescoping stock; or
3.1(iv) a shroud attached to the barrel, or that partially or completely encircles the
3.2barrel, allowing the bearer to hold the firearm with the nontrigger hand without being
3.3burned, but excluding a slide that encloses the barrel;
3.4(2) semi-automatic pistol, or any semi-automatic, centerfire, or rimfire rifle with a
3.5fixed magazine, that has the capacity to accept more than seven rounds of ammunition
During his speech, as with all his speeches, President Obama said that his political opponents are attempting to gin up fear with talk of confiscating guns. "Nothing could be further from the truth," President Obama said. While Rep. Paymar didn't use the term confiscate in his legislation, banning semi-automatic pistols that have standard issue clips is confiscation. As such, it doesn't stand a chance of passing constitutional muster in the SCOTUS :
Under Heller and McDonald, it is settled that Americans have a constitutional right to possess handguns for purposes of self-defense. The overwhelming majority of handguns in the United States are semiautomatics. A semiautomatic handgun is essentially inoperable without a magazine. (I suppose you could put a single bullet in the chamber and use the gun like an old-fashioned derringer, but that would reduce its value for self-defense to close to the vanishing point. [UPDATE: As a commenter points out, even that wouldn't work with the many pistols that have magazine safeties.]) The vast majority of magazines have more than a seven-bullet capacity. There are some small pistols designed for concealed carry with magazines that limited, but any ordinary-sized pistol comes with a magazine that will hold at least ten bullets, and usually more. So a magazine that holds more than seven bullets is not 'high capacity,' it is 'standard capacity.'
President Obama didn't criticize Rep. Paymar's gun confiscation legislation during his visit to highlight the legislature's gun confiscation hearings this week at the Capitol.
By not criticizing Rep. Paymar's legislation, he's opening himself up to speculation that he's ok with confiscating semi-automatic pistols. Couple his legislative agenda to ban scary-looking weapons with his not speaking out against Chicago's ban of handguns and it's pretty clear that President Obama isn't opposed to banning handguns.
Posted Tuesday, February 5, 2013 6:55 AM
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House DFL proposes to stifle debates, Part II
When I wrote the first part of this series , I accused the DFL of attempting to stifle debate. I noted that Rep. Erin Murphy, the House Majority Leader, was lying in justifying the DFL's tactics:
'The floor debate is where Minnesotans have the least amount of access,' Murphy said. 'When amendments are being drafted on the floor and then debated on the floor, it's hard for representatives to be able to talk to constituents and get answers to questions as to what it means.'
Since I published the first post of this series, I've spoken with a number of GOP legislators, all of whom verified that the DFL's rules change would stifle debate. One legislator confirmed that he's received input from his constituents during floor debates. That's why he considers his laptop essential equipment for floor debates.
Since Monday morning, though, I've found out more about the DFL's proposed rule change. What they're proposing is that, after the GOP has filed their motions 24 hours in advance, the DFL can file "an amendment to amend the amendment." The DFL would then use that tactic to gut the GOP's amendments most popular amendments so vulnerable DFL legislators wouldn't have to cast difficult votes in the hope of hanging onto their seats in 2014.
In addition to gutting the GOP's amendments to protect their legislators, the DFL's rules changes would essentially gut the GOP's ability to represent their constituents. The thing that'll bite the DFL in the backside on this, though, is that the DFL won't be able to explain how their gutting the GOP's amendments strengthened the legislation. The DFL won't be able to hide the fact that the DFL is pushing an unpopular agenda.
Yes, it's unpopular. If the DFL's agenda had widespread support, they'd welcome robust debate. The stronger the legislation, the better they'd look.
This isn't the first time that the DFL majority has attempted to stifle debate. The truth is that they're gutless wimps who don't have the confidence to debate their legislation on the merits. That's their right...for now.
Posted Wednesday, February 6, 2013 2:53 AM
Comment 1 by Dan at 06-Feb-13 09:12 AM
It's about time the legislature changes rules to prevent obstructive amendments. If a legislator can't think of an amendemnt to add to legislation until debate begins, then the idea wasn't worth a damn. Also, Republicans have so abused obstruction that they are figurative door-stops. I say good for the Democrats. They seem to be about doing things for the people.
Comment 2 by eric z at 06-Feb-13 10:37 AM
Distaste for bloviators is not stifling debate. It's quelling circus barkers. A good thing.
Comment 3 by Gary Gross at 06-Feb-13 01:28 PM
Dan & Eric, I expected this type of response from the DFL. It's additional proof that the DFL doesn't put a high priority on representing their constituents. Their priorities, apparently, start with representing their special interest allies.
Eric, what's your proof that the GOP's amendments aren't worthy of consideration? Dan, that argument (If a legislator can't think of an amendemnt to add to legislation until debate begins, then the idea wasn't worth a damn.) shows you aren't too bright. Thinking of worthwhile amendments during debate happens frequently.
Eric & Dan, your partisanship is disgusting. Your love of doing the right thing doesn't exist.
Comment 4 by Nick at 06-Feb-13 02:49 PM
Why do both parties want to legislate morality such as keeping the nearly 80 year old sunday liquor sales ban?
Do the MN House and Senate even read their bills or do they just pass it and see what's in after they pass it?
Comment 5 by eric z at 07-Feb-13 07:39 AM
Gary, truly sorry to have disgusted you.
Especially since I log on to read LFR because of its ongoing nonpartisan tenor. It shames all those who might be opinionated, by strict and steadfast refusal to indulge in partisan ideas.
DFL Rep. Ward wants to gut teacher accountability reforms
DFL Rep. John Ward is chief author of HF0171 , a bill that would gut the teacher accountability bill Gov. Dayton signed into law last year. Here's the key part of Rep. Ward's bill:
1.16 (b) The board must adopt rules to approve teacher preparation programs. The board,
1.17upon the request of a postsecondary student preparing for teacher licensure or a licensed
1.18graduate of a teacher preparation program, shall assist in resolving a dispute between the
1.19person and a postsecondary institution providing a teacher preparation program when the
1.20dispute involves an institution's recommendation for licensure affecting the person or the
1.21person's credentials. At the board's discretion, assistance may include the application
1.22of chapter 14.
1.23(c) The board must provide the leadership and adopt rules for the redesign of
1.24teacher education programs to implement a research based, results-oriented curriculum
1.25that focuses on the skills teachers need in order to be effective. The board shall implement
2.1new systems of teacher preparation program evaluation to assure program effectiveness
2.2based on proficiency of graduates in demonstrating attainment of program outcomes.
2.3Teacher preparation programs including alternative teacher preparation programs
2.4under section 122A.245, among other programs, must include a content-specific,
2.5board-approved, performance-based assessment that measures teacher candidates in three
2.6areas: planning for instruction and assessment; engaging students and supporting learning;
2.7and assessing student learning.
Last year, the GOP legislature passed a bill with much more objective criteria for measuring a teacher's qualifications:
1.1A bill for an act
1.2relating to education; repealing the requirement that licensed K-12 teachers pass
1.3a basic skills examination in reading, writing, and mathematics as a condition
1.4for receiving a teaching license
Rep. Ward's legislation, undoubtedly written at the request of Education Minnesota President (and registered lobbyist) Tom Dooher, would eliminate the verifiable, objective, requirements for getting a teachers license. What's worse is that Rep. Ward's legislation would replace those objective requirements with subjective, significantly less verifiable, requirements. There isn't a single thing in this paragraph that's objective:
The board must provide the leadership and adopt rules for the redesign of teacher education programs to implement a research based, results-oriented curriculum that focuses on the skills teachers need in order to be effective. The board shall implement new systems of teacher preparation program evaluation to assure program effectiveness based on proficiency of graduates in demonstrating attainment of program outcomes.
Who determines what "skills teachers need in order to be effective?" Tom Dooher? That's laughable. Mr. Dooher's job, both as a lobbyist and as Education Minnesota's president, is to protect teachers. His job has nothing to do with guaranteeing great educational outcomes for K-12 students.
Rep. Ward's legislation would utterly gut the objective criteria established in last year's licensure reform legislation. That's a predictable outcome because the DFL cares more about their special interest allies than they care about putting highly qualified teachers in each classroom.
Based on the legislation submitted thus far, it's apparent that the DFL will do its best to repeal the sensible reforms that the GOP legislature passed. This legislation is proof that the DFL's agenda is much lengthier than the list of things they campaigned on. That's because the DFL knows it wouldn't be the majority party in the House of Representatives if they would've campaigned on making it easier for unqualified teachers to get a teachers license.
Tags: K-12 Education , Education Minnesota , Tom Dooher , Special Interests , Teacher Licensure , DFL , Pat Garofalo , Sondra Erickson , Teacher Accountability , Reforms , MNGOP
Posted Wednesday, February 6, 2013 4:41 PM
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Gov. Dayton's unprofessional speechwriters
Momentarily putting the content of Gov. Dayton's State of the State speech aside, this was a pathetic display of editorial professionalism. Gov.Dayton, like all governors, should employ professional linguists as his speechwriters. Clearly, that isn't Gov. Dayton's priority. This paragraph is a perfect example of the unprofessionalism displayed by Gov. Dayton's speechwriters:
Comparing the state of our state today with conditions, when I took office two years ago, we have made important progress. We have much more work still ahead of us; however, we are on the way to a better Minnesota.You'd think that professional speechwriters wouldn't be this sloppy with their punctuation. This is how that paragraph would've read had a professional proofreader (like myself) written it:
Comparing the state of our state today with conditions when I took office two years ago, we have made important progress. We have much more work still ahead of us. However, we are on the way to a better Minnesota.Here's another punctuationally-challenged paragraph:
Minnesota's job growth in 2012 was the 12th best among all 50 states; and we outperformed three of our four neighbors. Iowa ranked 30th best; South Dakota was 44th.That's plain sloppy. Here's how that paragraph would've looked had I written it:
Minnesota's job growth in 2012 was the 12th best among all 50 states. We outperformed three of our four neighbors. Iowa ranked 30th best; South Dakota was 44th.Finally, I would've hoped these writers would've gotten this paragraph right:
Our students' educational attainments have improved. Math scores for all tested grades, improved by 5.3 percent from 2011 to 2012, and reading scores improved overall by 1.3 percent.Perhaps the Dayton administration should hire a professional proofreader like myself so they don't look like a bunch of amateurs. Here's the correct punctuation for that paragraph:
Our students' educational attainments have improved. Math scores for all tested grades improved by 5.3 percent from 2011 to 2012 and reading scores improved overall by 1.3 percent.It's impossible to take people seriously who lecture us about the need for more education funding when their major speeches are filled with punctuation errors. Had a seventh grader handed in an English paper with this many errors, they would've gotten a D at best.
Posted Thursday, February 7, 2013 12:33 AM
Comment 1 by walter hanson at 07-Feb-13 03:40 PM
Gary:
He named only two states. Furthermore I do believe the two states that he didn't name to get three North Dakota and Wisconsin both had better job growth.
Since he wants to show his ideas are so much better a good speech writer would've pulled out comparison after comparison to show that Minnesota was doing better than Wisconsin.
Oopps I forgot Wisconsin is doint much better than Minnesota.
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
Lowlights from Gov. Dayton's State of the State
Gov. Dayton's State of the State speech was filled with lots of lowlights. Fortunately, there were a few things that might get classified as positives.
First, I'd like to thank Gov. Dayton for highlighting the fact that the GOP legislature put the state on the right track:
According to our Department of Employment and Economic Development, there are over 72,000 more jobs available in Minnesota today than when I took office two years ago. Almost 52,000 of those jobs were added in the past year.
Almost all of the economic policies put in place in Gov. Dayton's first two years were GOP policies. The GOP legislature pushed for and passed budget reform and permitting reform while doing their best to limit the DFL's reckless spending. Those reforms gave entrepreneurs some assurances to put their capital at risk and create jobs. It isn't likely that the DFL-owned legislature and governor will match that record in the next 2 years.
In the decade after Minnesota's income tax reductions, our economy fared worse than the nation and most other states. And at both the federal and state levels, big tax cuts followed by serious recessions produced large budget deficits, which threaten our current fiscal strength and future economic prosperity.
Minnesota's economy suffered during the last decade because the DFL legislature wouldn't reform Minnesota's permitting system, which often created a bottleneck that choked off continued job creation and economic growth. Permitting reform was the first legislation in the GOP House in 2011. That bill passed quickly, which eliminated many of the bottlenecks that choked off job growth.
The other thing that hindered job growth in Minnesota were Twin Cities elitist progressives like Alida Messinger, Margaret Anderson-Kelliher, Dee Long, Arne Carlson and other environmental extremists. These elitists waged war against high-paying mining jobs. Paul Aasen, Gov. Dayton's first nominee to be the commissioner of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, aka the MPCA, proudly bragged that he'd killed the Big Stone II power plant project that would've created 100 high-paying permanent jobs in western Minnesota.
That war against prosperity continues. While the need for sand increases in North Dakota for harvesting Bakken oil, the DFL is pushing for a moratorium on shipping sand from Minnesota. The Bakken will get its sand regardless of the DFL's hissy fit. The only thing that the DFL's hissy fit will prove is that Minnesota's environmental extremists don't care about high-paying Minnesota jobs. The DFL's actions prove that they'd rather raise tax rates than create high-paying jobs that result in greater revenue in Minnesota's general fund.
This part of Gov. Dayton's speech should frighten thoughtful people:
In Minnesota, we have made real progress in areas like energy conservation, more efficient farming and manufacturing practices, and the development and use of clean, renewable energy, especially wind energy, instead of polluting fossil fuels.
The question is: are we progressing fast enough? Are we doing all we can to utilize other renewables, such as solar, and also to make Minnesota the best place to locate these new industries and their jobs?
Many of you, who served in previous legislatures, deserve great credit for your pioneering work to expand our use of clean energy, including Lieutenant Governor Yvonne Prettner Solon and former Senator Ellen Anderson, who is also here tonight.
I challenge this legislature to work again with our state's visionary clean energy advocates, large energy providers, large energy users, other stakeholders, and my administration to use your past achievements as springboards for Minnesota's next big leap toward a sustainable energy future.
The Next Generation Energy Act isn't an achievement. It's hurt families' budgets by driving up electric prices. What's worse is the fact that the prices are artificially lowered by state subsidies that help hide the true cost of producing electricity through renewables. If wind and solar weren't heavily subsidized and mandated by government, wind and solar companies would be going out of business left and right. (See Solyndra to remove all doubts about that.)
The worst part is that the fix is in on these policies. Alida Messinger and her environmental extremist allies are pressuring Gov. Dayton and the DFL legislature to pass counterproductive green energy policies that will hurt families when they're still struggling.
After the next 2 years, Minnesotans will have a clear vision of 2 dramatically different ideologies. Gov. Dayton admitted tonight that the conservative blueprint works. The jury is still out on whether the DFL blueprint will work. Based on past experiences, it isn't likely to succeed.
Tags: State of the State Address , Mark Dayton , Tax Increases , Environmental Extremism , Alida Messinger , Paul Aasen , Unemployment , DFL , Job Creation , Permitting Reform , MNGOP
Posted Thursday, February 7, 2013 1:21 AM
Comment 1 by eric z at 07-Feb-13 07:42 AM
He gave a speech?
Politicians do that all the time.
More than half the politicians give speeches I disagree with, so I don't bother to listen and life is less stressful that way.
Did Dayton say anything you agree with? Sun rises in the east, come let us reason together stuff? Any?
Comment 2 by J. Ewing at 07-Feb-13 09:48 AM
Whenever I hear that alternative energy talk I keep coming back to that little child's question of WHY? Why would we make energy more expensive? If it is to reduce global warming, then it isn't necessary, because the world stopped warming 15 years ago. Let's quit driving up the cost of energy for no benefit.
Comment 3 by Nick at 07-Feb-13 12:46 PM
In Southeastern Minnesota, there are sources of sandstone to be mined, but those foolish metro DFLer's want to kill that just like they want to kill copper mining up north.
Comment 4 by walter hanson at 07-Feb-13 03:37 PM
Gary:
If Dayton gets his income tax raises then the next governor of Minnesota in 2015 (and during the campaign of 2014) can point out to the thousands of jobs being lost during 2013 and 2014.
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
