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It’s amazing how consistent the MN DFL can be. In a good economy, the people can afford to pay more in taxes. In a slow economy, the people can afford to pay more in taxes. Where they think all this money comes from is beyond me.

What is clear though, is that the DFL has never seen a tax they don’t like.

Tuesday afternoon, Dakota joined several other metro counties in approving the sales tax. That in addition to the previously passed gas taxes. That’s in addition to an endless list of other taxes that either have already been approved or are in the works. My own legislator, Shelley Madore, who clearly doesn’t represent her constituents, has been at the forefront of much of this taxapalooza effort.

It’s bad enough that in an environment of high gas prices, they felt the need to artificially raise the price even more by imposing more taxes on gasoline. Now with a sluggish economy, it will cost most metro residents more just to tread water as virtually anything they do will incur even more in taxes.

When the transportation tax bill (HF2800) was passed, the Override Six Republicans were described as “brave” by the DFL. Tell me what is so brave about making people’s life more difficult. What is so brave about forcing economic hardship on residents who don’t have the choice of just charging their employer more as the government is able to do??

This April Fool’s Day the joke is clearly on the taxpayer, except these jokes hurt….right in the wallet. It should be clear to all voters that come November it’s time to vote these jokers out.

[Crossposted at True North]

This has been an interesting election cycle already, and it started at the very beginning.

When Minnesota’s Precinct Caucuses took place, even the most optimistic planner wouldn’t have guessed at the turnout.  It was massive, it was young and it was filled with first-timers.  Political virginity became an endangered species overnight.  And the energy level was off the chart.

Political veterans, including myself, were overjoyed, if somewhat overwhelmed, at the turnout.  New people are always welcome in politics, especially the young and energetic.  But many of us were also realistic enough to understand the reason for the turnout.  The first truly contested presidential race on both side of the aisle.  Most of us figured the enthusiasm would die quickly once candidates solidified.  Although it was still nice because if even 10% stuck around, it’s a huge bump in participation.

So BPOU conventions rolled around, and once again we had very high turnout.  But then we had contested nominations in our district, and despite our turnout repeated all over the state, I assumed that participation would start dropping soon.

Well, this weekend CD2 held their convention, and participation was still going strong.  A full delegation packed the house, with more alternates waiting in the wings.  Lots of new people continued to fill the ranks, even at a level at which it’s often the same faces over and over.

But that didn’t even tell the full story.  The reality become obvious to me later in the day.  The future of the party is very bright indeed.

One of the tasks for CD2 was to pick three delegates to send to the National Convention to be held in St. Paul, Minnesota.  Now, understandably there was great interest.  Initially roughly 90 people were vying for the three slots.  Eventually once financial and time obligations were made clear many dropped but still 68 wanted to try.  To aid the process each had to give a short speech to the convention outlining their qualifications.

Oh sure, we had a lot of old faces up there, some quite literally.  However, there were also lots of new people and almost without exception, all of them were very well spoken and solid in their beliefs and convictions.

I was particularly impressed with two youngsters, who not yet 18, were participating in their first election ever.  Not only were they already solid conservatives at this tender age, but were very well spoken and eloquent, leaving an impression fair beyond their years.  I think those two, who I didn’t get a chance to talk with afterwards, made a larger mark upon me than anyone else that day.  It’s easy to get cynical about politics, but it’s also nice when that flame is rekindled, and it certainly was by these two.  If they ever read this I’d like to say thanks.

And I’ve often heard predictions that 2008 is going to be another tough year for conservatives, and I certainly understand the reasoning for such predictions.  But I got the distinct impression that either nobody at CD2 has heard their predictions, or they almost universally regard them as utter nonsense.  It’s nice to see and makes it a little easier to work the trenches when victory is not considered a lost cause.

Suddenly the outlook and path to this November, and many Novembers beyond, looks a whole lot brighter.  I can’t wait.

Yeah, the day finally came!!!  We had our BPOU convention and it’s finally over!  Now, there is quite a bit of work to be done wrapping up the data, distributing it the the people it needs to and figuring out exactly what we did, but at least there is an end to that tunnel.   Or at least I see a light that I’m assuming is the end of the tunnel….either that or a train, either way it means there is an end to all this.

Overall, I think things went as well as could be expected.  The facility wasn’t ideal but I think we made it work pretty damn well.  We had a LOT of new people.  Easily 75% of the delegation was people that were attending their first political convention.  Despite that, I think it went fairly smoothly, everyone was very understanding.  I sincerely hope that many of the hold onto that enthusiasm.

Another thing I noticed was the delegates were also very eager.  Typically when resolutions are debated, debates are relatively mild and it’s the same half a dozen people making statements.  At our convention, there were lines of people I’ve never seen before making very passionate arguments on the issues.  It was very cool to see, even if it did result in resolutions taking longer than we had anticipated.

Endorsements all went pretty much as expected, which was very nice.  It’s better than having to deal with parliamentary shenanigans from the floor.   In fact, as far as parliamentary motions went, there were very few that weren’t either expected or part of the agenda itself.

Selected our delegates and alternates for the next couple rounds of conventions (Congressional District and State) and once again there were alot of eager applicants.  I don’t think I’ve seen this number of people volunteering before.  Hopefully this desire to be involved continues on through the election season as there is always a need for more volunteers to help out on campaigns.

Perhaps the most rewarding part was hearing people brand new to the process telling me how much fun it was and how much they are glad they got involved.  That is perhaps the highest form of praise and sincerely hope they choose to remain involved.

Here’s the deal….our precinct caucus data is crazy complicated, so here’s a fair warning. Everyone that got elected a delegate/alternate, you damn well better show up at the BPOU convention, because we’re jumping through hoops to get you seated properly and get the necessary details to you.

Failure to show up and/or failure to not make a fuss about ANYTHING, will result in your being beaten to death with a frozen tuna.* And I am specifically asking the executive committee to set aside part of our budget as bail money. Thanks. Oh and I need to draw cash to buy a frozen tuna…..the receipt is in the mail.

* I honestly have no idea why a frozen tuna…it just seemed a particularly senseless and humbling object to be beaten to death with.

Apparently the MN DFL is rather proud of their accomplishments so far, in fact one of their members, Shelley Madore, went so far as to send out a letter including the following:

Last week the Minnesota House met in a marathon stretch of floor sessions to pass all of the major finance bills. After 53 hours of floor debate, just short of a House record - we’re a full two to three weeks ahead of schedule compared with previous legislative sessions.

Apparently she’s proud that she can raise your taxes faster than previous legislators can.

She then went on to highlight some of the bills the DFL has forced through that she is most proud of. However, she left out some of their more “infamous” activities. And because I’m such a nice guy I thought I’d list some of the most interesting ones here.

Here are some things the DFL has done already this legislative session

• Voted Against Income Tax Cuts For All Working Minnesotans. Voted to suppress an amendment by Rep. Brod to lower the income tax rate on the first $20,000 earned by any worker.
• Voted Against Tax Breaks For Small Businesses And Family Farms. Voted against an amendment by Rep Zellers to extend the same tax breaks to family farms and small businesses that were not on reservation lands as were being offered those that were located on tribal land.
• Voted Against Encouraging Job Creation. Voted against an amendment by Rep. Kohls to extend depreciation credits for businesses that modernize their operations and create jobs.
• Voted Against Extending Tax Relief For Working Families And Employers. Voted against an amendment by Rep. Erik Paulsen to extend the bill’s one year of tax relief for working families and employers for a second year.
• Voted Against Education Tax Credits For Families. Voted to suppress an amendment by Rep. Buesgens to increase the education tax credit for families by allowing the credit to rise by the rate of inflation each year.
• Voted To Allow Foreign Taxes To Apply To Minnesotans. Voted against an amendment by Rep. Seifert to bar the Council on the Great Lakes Compact from imposing a tax on Minnesota.
• Voted Against Requiring Voter ID. Voted to suppress an amendment by Rep. Hoppe to require voters to show photo ID at the polls. Even though other DFL bills would require one to show ID to deliver cans to a recycling center or use credit cards.
• Voted To Keep Wind Mills Even If Utility Costs Jump More Than 10%. Voted against an amendment by Rep. Kohls to allow the Public Utilities Commission to delay requirements that utilities meet “renewable energy” requirements if the addition of such sources would raise electricity bills by at least 10 percent.
• Voted To Punish Consumers If Lawsuits Delay Utilities Innovations. Voted against an amendment to waive fines on utilities (which are passed onto consumers) if the completion of renewable energy projects are delayed by nuisance lawsuits.
• Voted Against Allowing Minnesota To Even Consider Nuclear Power. Voted against an amendment to allow the Public Utilities Commission to at least consider adding a nuclear power plant at some point in the future. Minnesota is the only state with such a moratorium.
• Voted Against Requiring A 60% Majority To Pass Tax Increases. Voted against an amendment by Rep. Berns to require a sixty-percent majority to approve any increase in taxes.
• Voted Against Giving Legislators Time To Read Bills Before A Vote. Voted against an amendment by Rep. Olson to give Representatives at least 48 hours to read bills and 24 hours notice before taking up legislation on the Floor.
• Voted Against Giving Legislators Time To Read Bills Before A Vote Again. This this she voted against an amendment by Rep. Olson to give Representatives at least 24 hours to read bills before taking up legislation on the Floor.
• Voted Against Posting Per Diem Information On The Internet. Voted against an amendment by Rep. Kohls to provide on-line information oh how many dollars in “per diem payments” are claimed by each Representative.
• Voted To Kill The Minority Report On HF 946. Voted to kill the Republican version of the Transportation Finance Bill, which did not include the DFL’s gas tax, tab fees, wheelage taxes, local taxes, and other taxes and fees.
• Voted For The Majority Report On HF 946. Voted for the DFL version of the Transportation Finance Bill, which included gas taxes, tab fees, wheelage taxes, local taxes and other taxes and fees.
• Voted Against Eliminating New Sales And Use Taxes. Voted against an amendment by Rep. DeLaForest to remove HF 946s new sales and use taxes.
• Voted Against Success Criteria For New Taxes. Voted against an amendment by Rep. Kohls to end new metro-area taxes if commuting time is not decreased by three minutes in five years.
• Voted Against Allowing Voters To Vote On A Tax Increase. Voted against an amendment by Rep. Berns to allow metro voters to have a referendum on new metro-area taxes.
• Voted Against Eliminating The Increase In The Gas Tax. Voted against an amendment by Rep. Demmer to eliminate the proposed increase in the gasoline tax.
• Voted To Allow The DOT To Research New Ways To Tax Voters. Voted against an amendment by Rep. Emmer that would disallow the DOT from using trunk highway funds to research new methods of taxing Minnesotans on the basis of the miles they drive.
• Voted To Raise Fees For Deer Hunters. Voted against an amendment by Rep McNamara that would have deleted the proposed fee increase on deer hunters.
• Voted To Raise Fishing Fees on Tourists. Voted against an amendment by Rep. Zellers that would have deleted increases in fishing fees on tourists which could hurt Minnesota’s tourism industry.
• Voted To Eliminate 4×4 Trails. Voted against an amendment by Rep. Hackbarth that would have deleted a plan to eliminate most 4×4 trails.
• Voted To Increase Fees For Fishing Contests. Voted against an amendment by Rep. DeLaForest to delete a proposed fee increase on fishing contest permits.
• Voted To Maintain Moratorium On Nuclear Power. Voted against an amendment by Rep. Peppin that would have deleted Minnesota’s moratorium on even considering adding more nuclear power. Minnesota is the only state with such a moratorium.
• Voted To Allow Political Use Of School Equipment Or Resources. Voted against an amendment by Rep. Holberg to bar political use of school equipment or resources.
• Voted To Allow School Employees To Campaign At School Functions. Voted against an amendment by Rep. Dean to bar school employees from campaigning on school grounds or at school functions while acting in an official role.
• Voted To Allow Intrusive Surveys By Schools Without Parental Permission. Voted against an amendment by Rep. Holberg to require school districts to have parents “opt in” for intrusive surveys and similar inquiries into the private lives of students or families.
• Voted Against Tuition Freeze. Voted against an amendment by Rep. Ruth that would have frozen tuition increases for two years for MnSCU and University students.
• Voted For In-State Tuition For Illegal Aliens. Voted against an amendment by Rep. Severson that would have deleted the Democrats’ proposal to allow in-state tuition for illegal immigrants.
• Voted For State Funding Of Abortions. Voted against an amendment by Rep. Otremba that would have prevented state funds from being used to pay for abortions.
• Voted To Allow Abortions Based On The Gender Of The Child. Voted against an amendment by Rep. Erickson that would have make abortions unlawful when made on the basis of gender selection for the unborn child.
• Voted Against Drug Testing For Welfare Applicants. Voted against an amendment by Rep. Emmer that would have required drug testing to apply for or renew applications for welfare benefits.
• Voted To Allow Oral Contraceptives For Minors Without Parental Consent. Voted against an amendment by Rep. Erickson that would have required parents to be notified before oral contraceptives are prescribed for their minor children.
• Voted Against Requiring Hospital To Notify Parents If Their Child Is Treated For Sexual Assault. Voted against an amendment by Rep. Dettmer that would require hospitals treating a minor child for sexual assault to notify the parents.
• Voted Against Notifying Patients About Mercury In Their Vaccines. Voted against an amendment by Rep. Brod that would require health care providers to notify their patients if the vaccine they are administering contains more than a trace amount of mercury.

Yes I’d say the MN DFL has alot to be proud of…definitely very efficient legislators. Unfortunately, they are efficient at raising our taxes and voting against the interests of their constituents.

[Adapted from a post I made over at Madore Watch. Kevin Ecker is an nationally-syndicated author whose articles can be read at EckerNet, Madore Watch, and SD37 Republicans. He is also author of the "Yet More Ways To Skin A Cat" and "Landmines - And Other Practical Jokes Gone Wrong".]

Today was dedicated to working on some Senate District stuff, which was made easier by the fact that it’s been raining all day.  Honestly I had meant to accomplish more today, but I’ve been meaning to do a complete redesign of the SD37 website.  The current one was really just a temporary placeholder and I’ve never really been happy with it.  But I wanted to wait until after the 2007 convention so I knew who the new officers were and what our plans were for the future.  Knowing that I’m trying to move ahead.

Unfortunately, for what I have in mind, a simple website wasn’t gonna do, so Wordpress, static HTML, and anything else I’ve familiar with wasn’t gonna work.  I decided to go with Joomla, a platform I’m entirely unfamiliar with.  And apparently it’s also not entirely intuitive as it took alot of research to answer some simple questions.  I’m getting the sense that the programs motto should be “If you don’t already know the answer, you shouldn’t be asking the question“.  If anyone is real familiar with this platform, by all means let me know.

Plus I had to do some some work on the Shelley Madore site and general stuff.  Quite a few things came together on that front this week.  I literature drop was completed, plus a range of material went out in the mail.  The topics were varied and I won’t go into it, but the end result being that I had to have the Shelley Madore site in better condition than my 60+ hour work weeks have allowed lately.

Hopefully my time will be my own again soon.  But until then I’ll keep you all occupied with the return of the EckerNet Super-Cool Exciting Contests!

Sorry, but you’ll have to make do with what I put up tonite. EckerNet took a impromptu night off.

First of all, I left work early….which after many weeks of mandatory overtime was a welcome reprive. Then we had a rather successful Senate District meeting tonite that accomplished quite a bit and it was nice to see things starting to pull together. Then we managed to convince most of our district to stick around and stuff 11,000 envelopes. Nice! Then a couple of us stopped off at a local pub and watched the Wild kick the crap out of the quackers. Then one of my fellow Senate Districts officers played the role of the evangelist and had an audience at the bar virtually eating out of his hand.

Altogether I could think of worse ways to spend my evening….for example, how I normally would have spent it….at work in an underground lab trying to figure out things like client ring overflows and other such technical BS.

I’m proud to say that MOB Mayor AAA has declassified all footage of Operation Moonbat, which Joe Tucci and I participated in. You can now enjoy all it’s video goodness. Since it’s rather long, I’ve put it “below the fold”, or you can download it here.

Before I wrap this up, I should probably give thanks to the appropriate persons

• AAA - For use of his camera
• Joe Tucci - for….well, not drooling on the camera and remaining relatively calm during the whole thing
• MDE - Use of the mini tripod…I mean seriously, who just carries around a mini-tripod??
• J. Ewing - Putting up with us and elbowing me in the ribs every time I forgot about the camera and missed Kline walking off camera
• John Kline - For putting up with the liberal crazies
• Kline staff - For answering my questions and giving me the knowledge to know for certain that Fecke is full of shit
• Lady Logician - I didn’t get a chance to talk to you but I said I’d see ya there, so I should probably give you a plug.

And now the video

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We’ve had further clips of Operation Moonbat declassified, courtesy of MOB mayor AAA

Most are 4-6 minutes in length, you can download them below

• The Gold Star mother that spoke
• The letter from a US soldier in Iraq
• A comment from an Iraqi refugee

Probably the highlights of the evening….well, in addition to the deranged hippy lady that came later in the evening. But you can see that in the full video later on.

Once again with Plame like secrecy, AAA and I met so that I could pass off the video of the Kline Town Hall meeting. His staff is currently analyzing the film but they have authorized us to to reveal certain non-classified clips. More clips will be posted at Residual Forces as time goes on, and hopefully we can eventually release it in it’s entirity. But your best bet is to check there for the most recent releases.

However I am pleased to be able to offer the opening scene of Operation Moonbat, our insertion into enemy territory.

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