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February 7th, 2020
Quote of the Week: “This Nation is our canvas, and this country is our masterpiece. We look at tomorrow and see unlimited frontiers just waiting to be explored. Our brightest discoveries are not yet known. Our most thrilling stories are not yet told. Our grandest journeys are not yet made. The American Age, the American Epic, the American Adventure, has only just begun.”
In This Issue:
DEMOCRAT HEROES With the impeachment debacle behind the country, one of the outcomes is the hero status conferred on Senator Mitt Romney by fawning Democrats who are tripping over each other to praise his “courage” and “conviction” in voting in favor of one of the articles of impeachment. Of course, any Republican who disagrees with the president is heroic in the eyes of the Democrats. Or, we should add, the very cynical eyes of Democrats. Romney is just another in a growing line of Republican who they once excoriated but now love. Remember the Mitt Romney of 2012? He was, according to Democrats, a soulless and rapacious corporate raider who slashed jobs and killed companies in the name of profits. The “King of Bain Capital” was the personification of unfettered capitalism. To them, Romney was no heart, no soul, but all greed. The same goes with John Bolton. Bolton today is a serious and critical witness to the alleged Trump transgressions on Ukraine. Just a few short months ago, Bolton was a neo-conservative war monger who was going to blow up the world. And let’s not forget John McCain, perhaps the most egregious example of this fake respect. Prior to McCain feuding with President Trump, McCain was another war monger unfit to be president. In the 2008 presidential campaign, the Democrats engaged in a not-so-subtle whisper campaign that McCain was mentally unfit to be commander-in-chief. In fact, McCain was probably insane, according to the smear narrative. Please. THOSE CRAZY DEMOCRATS While the 2020 legislative session here in Minnesota won’t start until next week, the period to introduce bills has opened, giving us an idea of what Democrats see as priorities. As you might guess, it isn’t pretty. Let’s start with House File 3030, authored by Rep. Jeff Brand of Saint Peter. This bill mandates that restaurants serve a “default beverage” with the children’s meals they sell. That “default” beverage is the typical things kids don’t want, like sparking water, mineral water, unflavored milk, etc. A customer may request something beside the default beverage, but must affirmatively ask. The bill also notes that the attorney general has enforcement authority over the mandate. Geez, Rep. Brand, thanks for the help but things like this are exactly why those who consume children’s meals have moms and dads. It’s not government’s job to make food choices for us. Moreover, let’s hope the state’s attorney general has more important law enforcement priorities than making sure default beverage mandates are happening. Then there’s HF 3055, which takes money from the general fund to study the impacts of “climate change” on state assets. In other words, let’s hire some climate change alarmists to study how minimal changes in temperature impact dorm rooms at the U of MN. House File 3061 is a sanctuary bill that prohibits local jails from taking on inmates who are there because of federal immigration violations, which is an extension of sanctuary city bills. How about HF 3072, which makes it a crime to smoke in your car if a person under 18 is present. HF 3084 prohibits state government from purchasing plastic bottles. HF 3101 forces utilities to include “information about renewable energy programs” in their bills. Our favorite may be House File 3085, which rewards light rail fare evasion by reducing the penalty. Moreover, the bill establishes a “transit ambassador” program, which is presumably designed to create an army of welcome wagons to kindly discourage people from engaging in the kind of violent and uncivil behavior plaguing the system these days. Excuse me, sir. Could you kindly refrain from stabbing your fellow rider? Sir, could you please defecate in a designated bathroom. That would be great. Mandates, requirements, and more societal chaos. These bills should disgust regular citizens but certainly shouldn’t surprise. BITS AND PIECES Congratulations to Paul Novotny, who won a special election this week to the Minnesota House of Representatives. The Republican will represent the Elk River area. Congratulations to Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka and his campaign finance team, who raised a whopping $1.34 million in 2019 and have an eye-popping $2.055 million cash on hand. Gazelka wasn’t joking when he promised in 2016 that his caucus wouldn’t be grossly outspent in 2020. Senate Minority Leader Tom Bakk was unceremoniously ousted from his job this week and replaced by Sen. Susan Kent of Woodbury. Bakk, a retired union carpenter and life-long Iron Ranger, was apparently too conservative, and too rural, for this urban-centric caucus. Look for the new leader to continue the trend of the DFL becoming more urban, more liberal, and more contemptuous of people who live outside the 612 and 651 area codes. Pretty soon, someone is going to sue the DFL for false advertising if they don’t get around to dropping the “farmer” and “labor” from their name. Finally, the City of Saint Paul is demonstrating that there is no end to government’s appetite for money. The city on a narrow 4-3 vote decided to move forward in exploring a plan to raise the city’s sales tax 1%. Maybe it’s time for the state to let these local units of government do whatever they want for local taxes in exchange for giving up state aid. There is a legitimate argument to be made that a major city like Saint Paul, with a massive tax base, shouldn’t be getting state aid regardless. Cut them loose. If the taxpayers want to “pay for a better Saint Paul,” let them. The others will vote with their feet. It’s telling that the vote was 4-3, showing that perhaps there is a limit to at least the political will to hammer constituents with tax and fee increase after increase. |
 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!) |
