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February 19th, 2021
Quote of the Week: “I’m literally humbled to have my name mentioned. There’s a lot of conversations that need to be had. I’ll never say never. I’m keeping all options open, but I was just reelected, and I have a great opportunity to represent the constituents of the 8th District in Congress.” (In reference to the office of Governor of the State of Minnesota)
Factoid of the Week: On this date in 1942, FDR signed executive order 9066, which sent thousands of Japanese Americans into forced exile for 2.5 years. Timely for today. Poll of the Week: 76 percent of U.S. adults said the national anthem should be played prior to professional sporting events, including 60 percent who said it should “definitely” be part of the pregame. Editor’s Note: It’s truly amazing to see how Donald Trump still lives in the heads of so many liberals. They got the memo that he’s left public office, right? In This Issue:
THE CLEAN ENERGY FIASCO Much has been written regarding the recent meltdown of Texas’s energy grid, resulting in death, hardship, and the near collapse of their entire system, which would have taken months to repair. Like everything in our lives, the issue has become politicized, with environmental wackos rushing to blame everything but renewable energy sources, along with their Hollywood funders taking joy in the suffering of fellow Americans. Heck, if they can politicize baseball and wearing socks, they can politicize electricity. The reality is that the fiasco in Texas has laid bare the situation into which environmental extremists and their politician allies have placed us. In short, reliability has been sacrificed at the altar of environmental radicalism. Note that the phrase is “environmental radicalism.” This is to say that including renewable generation sources in the generation mix is desirable. Wind and solar power aren’t inherently poor public policy. But heavily subsidizing these sources to grossly distort markets is poor public policy. Failing to prioritize reliability as the cornerstone of good energy policy is horrible public policy. Apologists for Renewable Dogma can spin the Texas situation all they want, but the simple fact remains. Wind doesn’t always blow. The sun doesn’t always shine. Therefore, these sources of generation by definition aren’t reliable. The reality is that our public policy has pursued “green” energy at the expense of reliability. In doing so, renewable advocates have done a disservice to their own cause. Look for a strong course correction in favor of reliability. There may be a day when technology makes these sources reliable and part of a grid’s baseload calculus. For example, quantum leaps in battery technology may get us there. But that isn’t today. And lest you think the pain was limited to Texas, know that rolling blackouts hit North Dakota, South Dakota, and parts of western Minnesota. Rolling blackouts could continue in Dakotas, Minnesota as winter tests region's power grid | INFORUM That’s something you probably didn’t see highlighted by the mainstream media. That would hamper the media agitprop that this is a Texas problem brought on by deregulation and a failure of government to put the grid under the yoke of bureaucrats. This, by the way, is also why there is a fixation on Sen. Ted Cruz being gone for one day while Joe Biden gets a pass. Yes, Cruz made a bonehead move, but one that certainly didn’t make anyone’s life worse. The Rule here is that the mainstream media will persecute the highest-ranking Republican in any crisis. Imagine if we had a Republican president right now. The headlines would announce that this crisis is President XXX’s “Katrina” moment. The news would be chock-full of stories about the slow federal response, wondering why the 82nd Airborne hadn’t yet been deployed to Eagle Fart, TX to thaw out that frozen septic pump, chop firewood for the local orphan’s home, or jump start Jethro Jones’ stalled F-150. Yet nary a peep from the White House press Corps. Give it a week, and the fawning stories of Uncle Joe’s decisive and timely leadership will spew forth, jamming all social media platforms. There will no doubt be a complimentary narrative blaming Donald Trump in some manner. All in a day’s work for the mainstream media. THE DFL’S NASTY, NO GOOD, VERY BAD WEEK The DFL is glad it’s Friday! It was a poor week as Team Blue took two black eyes, thanks to friendly fire. It was even a bi-cameral effort. Existential question: if it was a unicameral legislature, would there have been only one embarrassment? In the Senate, a bill was debated that would place the decision to close schools in a peacetime emergency solely in the hands of the locally elected, locally accountable school boards. The debate dragged on for hours, as DFL senator after senator bemoaned the bill while extolling the virtue of the governor’s unilateral powers. When the vote board had closed, 40 senators were in favor of the bill and only 27 opposed. Every Republican, two independents, and four Democrats voted for the bill. The dramatics of the DFL speakers belied a lack of support for their position. And over in the House, things weren’t much better. The DFL leadership early in the week had to pull a bill off the calendar that would have created a slush fund to pay for the law enforcement response to civil unrest that is likely to accompany the trial of the four Minneapolis police officers charged in the death of George Floyd. They didn’t have the votes to bring up the bill. And when they finally brought up the bill on Thursday, it was voted down, with Democrats joining every Republican in rejecting the bill. What a circus. We wish the DFL leadership a restful weekend. They need it. GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS If there’s one silver lining to this horrible pandemic, it’s that many parents have discovered that the government school monopoly isn’t the best choice for their child. Enrollment numbers are way down in government schools, while enrollment in private schools and home schools is way up. The response from government is exactly what you would expect: give us money. Whether enrollment is up or down, the government school leviathan will always want more money. The story line is that more money will cover the alleged budget gaps until students come back to government schools once Tim Jong Walz and the Teachers’ Union allow it. Who says so? Our view is that many parents will discover the value of being free from government schools and won’t go back, despite the monopoly and heavy subsidies the government schools enjoy. Senate Republicans shouldn’t give into this scheme. With Sen. Roger Chamberlain chairing the Education Committee, this publication has every confidence the right thing will be done. |
 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!) |
