|
May 14, 2021
Quote of the Week: “Our nation is in deep peril. We are in a fight for our survival as a Constitutional Republic like no other time since our founding in 1776. The conflict is between supporters of socialism and Marxism vs. supporters of Constitutional freedom and liberty.”
Quote of the Week: “If you are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, you can resume activities without wearing a mask or staying 6 feet apart, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal or territorial laws, incl. local business and workplace guidance.”
Quote of the Week: “The 2020 polls overstated Democratic support in every type of contest we looked at: the national popular vote, the state-level presidential vote as well as senatorial and gubernatorial elections.”
Factoid of the Week: The 2022 legislature will convene on January 31st. In This Issue:
THE END Not really. The state constitution mandates that the 2021 regular session of the legislature adjourn by midnight Monday. That will happen, but it won’t be the end of the story. It is highly likely that the legislature won’t finish a budget by then, making necessary one or more special sessions to conclude a budget by June 30th. A delay beyond June 30th means that any budgetary programs not funded by then will result in a government shutdown, as the new fiscal year commences on July 1st. Thus, June 30th is the real budget deadline. Moreover, if the governor doesn’t give up his emergency pandemic powers, there will be a special session on June 14th to consider an extension of those powers for another 30 days. Any angst over not finishing on time is misplaced. The reality is that special sessions aren’t so special. Anyone paying attention knows that there have been many special sessions over the last 20 years. Moreover, it’s a reality that federal guidance and regulations regarding the use of federal funds isn’t available right now. The big idea here is to ensure that the legislature is involved in the expenditure of these funds and it isn’t left to the sole discretion of the governor. If it takes longer to get the right end product, including no tax increases, then so be it. THE END – OF THE LINE As long-time readers know, the failed Northstar commuter rail line is the very reason why the Watchdog was founded. While not gratifying, it has been nonetheless been very welcome to see elected officials call for abandoning this white elephant and cut losses instead of throwing good money after bad. Anoka County Commissioner Scott Schulte has been at the forefront of this important effort. Anoka County readers will find this as no surprise. As a business owner, Schulte knows the value of taxpayer money and has been a voice of fiscal restraint during his time in public service, including the county board, where he first did taxpayers the ultimate favor by booting Dan Erhart out of office. Schulte recently penned an opinion piece detailing Northstar’s abysmal numbers and laying out the logical case for mothballing the line. Back in the “good old days” prior to the China Virus, Northstar required a subsidy of nearly $40 per day per rider for a round trip. Today, the subsidy stands at a whopping $47,520 per year per rider. That number is obscene and totally indefensible to any reasonable person. Given that work patterns, and therefore commuter patterns, have changed in ways that will be permanent, it’s highly unlikely that ridership numbers will greatly improve. What a surprise. For years, the Watchdog and others have pointed out the folly of major investments in fixed guideway transportation. That chicken will now come home to roost as employers large and small are abandoning downtown office space, ditching the cost, inconvenience, and crime inherent in densely populated urban cores. And to think that a popular bus line with 85% farebox recovery was jettisoned in favor of a vanity project for a small group of elected officials whose arrogance and entitlement didn’t allow them to see the error of their ways. At least they didn’t get their way on the equally ridiculous idea of taxing Anoka County residents to pay for a football stadium. In that case, they only got played as stalking horses to allow the Wilfs to drive a better bargain with Hennepin County and Minneapolis. The payback to the federal government to retire Northstar would only be $83 million. The state should gladly pay it off and be free of this mess. BIGGEST MISS IN 40 YEARS The Wall Street Journal recently ran a piece examining the deliberations of a trade group for political pollsters that examined how they got the 2020 elections so wrong. Simply put, the group is trying to figure why 2020 elections polls were grossly wrong. More to the point, the polls overstated support for Democrats in every single case. Start with the presidential election. The aggregate polling for that race was the most inaccurate in over 40 years, of course overstating support for Sleepy Joe and understating support for President Trump. The evidence was damning and overwhelming. Said Vanderbilt political science professor Joshua Clinton, “The 2020 polls overstated Democratic support in every type of contest we looked at: the national popular vote, the state-level presidential vote as well as senatorial and gubernatorial elections.” While this all appears interesting, it is the opinion of this publication that panels like these are a whitewash. The reason these polls are wrong is because they are designed to be wrong. They are a voter suppression tool, designed to demoralize Republican voters and cause them to stay home, believing that their vote won’t change the outcome. It has become an impossible task for the media and pollsters to hide their bias. It’s open, pervasive, and even celebrated by clowns like Jim Acosta and his ilk over at CNN. The gig is up. Pollsters, like the legacy media, have lost their credibility and deservedly so. Millions of Americans are all done giving any credence to polling data. Things you trust more than political pollsters: gas station sushi. |
 Harold Hamilton
Welcome to my web site!
I created this website in response to governmental waste and abuse in Anoka County. Many taxpayers don’t know that our local governments spend millions of tax dollars every year on things like public relations teams, lobbyists, and junkets to places like Hawaii. Since there seemed to be no place to turn for the “other side” of these issues, I created the Anoka County Watchdog. My intent is to create a one-stop-shop where concerned taxpayers can find fact-supported information and other resources to counter the governmental machine. Many people want to confront their elected officials regarding waste and abuse but feel they don’t have the information they need to make an effective argument. This web site offers that information. Some of our elected officials in Anoka County have become arrogant and unresponsive, forgetting that they work for the very people who put them in office. It’s high time to hold them accountable for their decisions. Sincerely, Harold E. Hamilton (harold@anokacountywatchdog.com) Email: harold@anokacountywatchdog.com
US Mail: Anoka County Watchdog C/O K Solutions LLC 3083 Victoria Street Roseville, MN 55113 (Anonymous submissions accepted!) |
