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January 15th, 2021
Quote of the Week: “If you demand that your political adversaries adhere to a principle, but exempt people whose cause you endorse from having to comply, then that preference you enjoy boasting about is not really a principle. It is not a standard of conduct applicable to all, in other words, but just another rhetorical device used for political combat.”
Quote of the Week: “Whenever the vicious portion of population shall be permitted to gather in bands of hundreds and thousands, and burn churches, ravage and rob provision-stores, throw printing presses into rivers, shoot editors, and hang and burn obnoxious persons at pleasure, and with impunity; depend on it, this government cannot last.”
Factoid of the Week: According to the Minnesota Department of Health, only 32% of COVID vaccine doses sent to the state have been utilized. In other words, 68% of vaccines are sitting on the shelf. Question of the Week: Is there anything dumber than requiring athletes to wear masks during competition? Dumb laws breed contempt for the rule of law. Another example of a governor in over his head. In This Issue:
THE SWAMP Don’t delude yourself into thinking that the events of the past week, or the past four years have been about Donald J. Trump. Disapproval of the president’s often unpresidential behavior shouldn’t deceive you into going along with the power grab and oppression to follow. If President Trump did anything, he ripped the mask off the Swamp to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that there is a Deep State, supported by the Left’s thirst for power. The banning of the president from major social media platforms was a breathtaking and disgusting display of this power. The Ayatollah can tweet but Trump can’t. Somehow, Big Tech can’t stamp out child porn on the Internet, but they can de-platform Parler in a day. A group that preaches unity and reconciliation impeaches a president who will leave office in a week. The attacks on the president have grown so mundane, the world essentially shrugged off an impeachment of the president, an action that would have brought the world to a standstill in years past. Was it even televised? We have seen calls from Democrats for Republicans to resign or be impeached for exercising their constitutional rights. Like it or not, it is the right of every member of Congress to vote against certification of Electoral College results. In fact, many of the Democrats condemning votes against certification themselves have voted against certification in the past, as recently as 2016. The media covers up massive scandals like Hunter Biden’s pay to play schemes and the seemingly never-ending parade of California Democrats caught hanging out with Chinese agents. Instead, the public is subjected to either outright fabrications or “reports” that Trump doesn’t like puppies and baseball. Trump or not, the Left and their allies in corporate America, the bureaucracy, and the media are moving to suppress voices with which they disagree, cancelling dissenting voices. Who do these people think they are, college presidents? Wake up, America. These people are shredding your natural rights. It isn’t about Trump, it’s about you. THOSE PUBLIC UNIONS The data is clear. Medical and mental health professionals are united. Kids need to be in school. Every day that kids aren’t in school, there is more and more damage to their learning, their mental and physical health, their odds of acquiring the skills needed to be productive citizens. You can easily guess who doesn’t support in-person learning. Hint: It’s the same group that generally opposes efforts to enhance learning – the teachers’ union. Now that many districts are contemplating a return (finally) to in-person learning, the union is coming out of the woodwork to oppose. It’s about the children, right? Local media has featured the opposition of the unions representing teachers in Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Of course, support is up for sale, if government spends enough money, capping class sizes for example, as the science tells us COVID goes away in class sizes under 20. If the comments section of the major media publications are any guide, taxpayers and parents aren’t in the mood. They want kids in school and they want teachers teaching. If paramedics and grocery store staff can be at work, so can teachers. BAD BILL OF THE WEEK With the legislature back in session, it’s time for the bad ideas to roll. This week’s winner is House File 6, a bill that seeks to have an unelected panel appointed by the governor hand out state tax dollars to repair both public and private property damaged in the riots that Governor Walz and Mayor Frey allowed to rampage for days on end this summer. Regarding public property, those cities should pay for it. They certainly appear to have lots of money to spend, as they always do. Regarding private property, that is a matter for insurance and litigation. It may seem harsh, but to hand out taxpayer money to uninsured or underinsured private businesses is to create a moral hazard. Because some business owners chose not to insure or underinsure their business doesn’t make it an obligation for fellow taxpayers to cover the loss. There seems to be an ever-expanding list of people and organizations the government is willing to bail out. With so many riding in the wagon, pretty soon no one will be left to pull it. |
 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!) |
