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March 19th, 2021
Quote of the Week: "Let me be clear: There is no room in our classrooms for things like critical race theory. Teaching kids to hate their country and to hate each other is not worth one red cent of taxpayer money."
Quote of the Week: “If you’re waiting for permission from the chief executive to celebrate Independence Day with your family, you clearly don’t grasp the concept of Independence.”
Factoid of the Week: No woman has run faster than Flo-Jo, who set records still unbroken 33 years later. You know who has run faster? 76 high-school boys in the US in 2019.
In This Issue:
EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE So, Governor Tim Walz again finds himself in quarantine because of COVID-19 exposure. This development has sparked a debate over whether or not he should have been vaccinated. The Watchdog isn’t so partisan that we would attack Walz over this situation. While he may have wanted to avoid the optics of “jumping the line”, there is enough vaccine in stock to get the chief executive inoculated. Go get it done, Tim. This is especially true since the governor is over age 50 and is clearly overweight. No reasonable person can attack the governor in this regard, just as the crazy Left shouldn’t have attacked Sen. Gazelka for suggesting the same for legislators. The Capitol is under lockdown right now, closed to the public. How ironic that the People’s House is closed to The People. Walz should lead the parade and let the state know it’s okay to get in line, just as it’s okay to stay out of line, if that’s what one’s conscience dictates. STICK IT IN YOUR EARMARK Donald Trump did his best to drain the Swamp. The fact that he was persecuted for four years by the Establishment proves it. And now we see why. Just weeks into the Biden administration, the old way of doing business returns to Washington. The latest manifestation of Swamp Fever is a return of “earmarks”, a process whereby members of Congress to allocate money for a specific project, like a bridge. Ten years ago, Republicans banned the practice after notoriously wasteful projects were highlighted, such as the infamous “bridge to nowhere” in Alaska. Sources say the House GOP voted 102-84 in favor of resuming earmarks. The justification for returning to this swampy practice is that the Democrats are doing it, so a failure to participate in the scam would be a “disadvantage” somehow. The other alibi is that if Congress doesn’t earmark, project selection would fall to the agencies, such as the federal Department of Transportation, which is under the leadership, ultimately, of President Biden. What a crock. Earmarking is a scummy practice that allows members of Congress to steer projects to their district, regardless of need or merit. Refusing to participate in this scam is both good politics and good public policy. Agencies have an objective “scoring” process to select projects, which is preferable to earmarks, which are governed by nothing more than political considerations and raw political power. Calling BS on the return of earmarks would provide the House GOP with a high-profile point of contrast with House Democrats going into the pivotal 2022 elections, a cycle where Republicans rightly feel good about retaking the majority. This publication fails to see how climbing in the gutter with Democrats enhances election prospects. It seems that every day, Republicans sully their brand with political moves that dull the lines of difference with Democrats. For example, Republicans long ago lost credibility on the issue of the national debt and deficit spending, in the process vaporizing their reputation for fiscal responsibility and accountability. So long as the House GOP acts like this, voters will ask why they should vote GOP. After all, why vote for fake Democrats when you can vote for the real thing. Republicans are attempting to paper over the controversy by pointing to some “reforms” in the process that allegedly make the process “transparent” and therefore acceptable. Nope. You can put lipstick on a pig but a pig is still a pig. Rep. Chip Roy of Texas has it right, saying, “We’ve got $30 trillion in debt, and people are tired of the swamp. And the GOP should be ashamed of itself if it jumps headfirst right back into the swamp.” |
 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!) |
