Chanhassen Villager - State Politics - Comments

Notice the snow falling in

FAdams — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 22:47:22 -0500

Notice the snow falling in the photo of the global warming sign, and hear the wind blowing in the recording with Vince Beaudette.

In response to questions

FAdams — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 23:30:32 -0500

In response to questions regarding their opinion of the Pawlenty maneuver, Reps. Paul Kohls and Joe Hoppe were supportive.

"I support the governor's line-item veto. The bonding bill was too large, especially in these economic times. I don't know if there would be enough votes to override the vetos. It depends on what projects are being considered and what incentives are offered by House leadership this time," responded Hoppe.

"I was pleased that the Governor exercised his veto power and brought the bonding bill down below the long-standing debt cap. The bill passed by the House and Senate was about $100 million over the debt cap and we simply cannot afford the bill that passed. I fully expected Governor Pawlenty to either line item veto or veto the entire bill. I'm not sure if there will be attempts to override some or all of the line items and am not sure whether they could be overridden," noted Kohls.

Hoppe said the Republicans had not caucussed regarding any potential override attempts.

According to a Pioneer Press

FAdams — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 15:01:57 -0500

According to a Pioneer Press report, the following are some of the major projects funded in the bill:

University of Minnesota — $131.2 million

U science classroom and student services building, Minneapolis — $48.3 million

Bell Museum of Natural History, St. Paul — $24 million

Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system — $280.9 million

Department of Natural Resources — $104.8 million

Faribault state prison expansion — $16 million

Duluth convention center and hockey arena — $38 million

Bemidji event center and hockey arena —$20 million

Crookston ice arena — $10 million

St. Cloud State National Hockey Center — $6.5 million

Itasca County steel plant infrastructure — $28 million

Here are some east metro area projects in the bonding bill:

Century College classroom renovation — $7.9 million

Inver Hills Community College classroom addition — $13.2 million

Metropolitan State University classroom center — $5 million

St. Paul College transportation and technology labs — $13.5 million

Closed landfill cleanup (including Washington County) — $25 million

State Capitol restoration — $13.4 million

Chicago-St. Paul high-speed rail — $4 million

Cedar Avenue bus rapid transit — $4 million

Central Corridor light-rail transit — $70 million

St. Paul Union Depot — $2 million

Como Zoo — $11 million

St. Paul National Great River Park — $5.8 million

St. Paul Asian-Pacific Cultural Center — $5 million

Anoka County forensic crime lab — $3 million

Governor Tim Pawlenty

FAdams — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 14:52:52 -0500

Governor Tim Pawlenty criticized a tax bill passed by the Senate and a public works measure approved by both houses on Wednesday. He said today that "they're playing true to form [because] Tax and spend is what their agenda is."

Most other states allow

FAdams — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 09:12:39 -0500

Most other states allow residents to keep their military pensions tax-free, according to blogs.twincities.com/politics/2008/04/senate_pickle_holds_up_debate.html

Look for a story in next

FAdams — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 16:20:15 -0500

Look for a story in next week's edition of our newspapers in Chanhassen and Chaska.

What is the policy’s of

olddog1800 — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 07:30:41 -0500

What is the policy’s of the Carver County Sheriff office, Chaska Police Department, and the State Highway Patrol in enforcing immigration laws in their jurisdiction? Do they have a written policy or a de facto policy? Do they ignore employers who hire illegal immigrants?
Here’s what happens in Marshall MN.
When should police check immigrant status?
By CURT BROWN and PAM LOUWAGIE
The woman witnesses say drove her van into a school bus, killing four children in Cottonwood, Minn., last week, apparently had two earlier traffic encounters with law enforcement. Both times officers issued tickets and gave her a ride home without checking her immigration status.
Olga M. Franco’s ability to remain in Minnesota, using a phony name and ID card, has prompted outrage from the U.S. Congress to blogs.
But police chiefs in southwestern Minnesota offer a practical and ethical explanation: They say they don’t detain minor offenders because immigration officials haven’t come to pick up them up in the past. And they don’t want to engage in racial profiling.
“Should a police officer hold everyone who is stopped without a license to substantiate that they are or are not who they say they are?” asked Rob Yant, public safety director in Marshall, Minn. “You can’t stop someone because they’re Hispanic.”
Topics: illegal immigration, crimes, crime scenes, driving, children, bus, American lives, non enforcement of exisiting immigration laws, police, local enforcement, state laws
Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Carl Rusnok in Dallas said agents “always try to respond nationwide when we gets calls from local law enforcement.”
But he said in ticketing situations, local police “routinely don’t notify ICE.”
“This is not a finger-pointing exercise at all,” Rusnok said. “We work extremely hard to support our law enforcement partners.”
Both local and state officials agree they cooperative effectively when illegal immigrants are caught committing serious crimes and during workplace sweeps.
Last month’s encounter
In mid-January, a sheriff’s deputy in Kandiyohi County stopped a van for crossing the center line at 2:23 a.m. A passenger in the van said her name was Alianiss N. Morales — which authorities have determined was Franco’s alias.
The man driving that day, Samuel R. Melendez, was fined $187 after police checked and found he had only an instruction permit and the woman identified as Morales had a state-issued ID card.
In 2006, a woman who told police she was Morales drove over a curb and onto a lawn in Montevideo and was fined $182 for failing to possess a driver’s license.
In a letter last week to ICE officials, U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann called that a “deadly error” and wondered why the woman’s immigration status went unchecked.
But ICE officials said Thursday that if a person is using a U.S. citizen’s identity, the agency would not have been alerted that she was in the country illegally. Customs officials said that the real Morales was from Puerto Rico, whose native-born residents are U.S. citizens.
“When we encounter people for petty offenses, we have no reason to inquire about it,” Montevideo Police Chief Adam Christopher said Thursday. “Our experience is that ICE will not deport for those types of offenses.”
In an e-mail Thursday, Bachmann wrote: “This story breaks our hearts. But it must also call us to action. We need to secure our borders and to foster cooperation between local police and federal immigration authorities.”
Kandiyohi County Sheriff Dan Hartog said his deputies stop countless vehicles and don’t probe immigration status every time.
“Then you get into profile issues. We don’t do that,” Hartog said. “Unless there is some other indicator that something’s not right … there’s no reason to look into it any further.”
Police tactics dealing with immigrants have been hotly debated in recent years, with Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Twin Cities police chiefs disagreeing on when it’s appropriate to ask about immigration status.
The chiefs and immigration activists argue that immigrants need to feel safe reporting crimes to police without fear of deportation. Pawlenty and others have tried to lift the cities’ policies against asking about status during traffic stops.
Illegal immigrant walks
Earlier this week in Marshall, Pedro Diaz-Pineda paid a $332 fine for running a stop light and giving police a fake name. During the traffic stop last week, Diaz-Pineda told authorities he was here illegally from Honduras.
Within 10 minutes of paying his fine on Monday, he walked out of Lyon County District Court, according to the Marshall Independent newspaper.
The prosecutor in the case, Lori Buchheim, did not return phone calls Thursday asking about the case.
In Montevideo, Chief Christopher said: “Certainly, if ICE wants us to call on every single one and wants to come out and get them, we would gladly do it. But that’s not how it works.”

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From CarverGOP.BlogSpot.com

FAdams — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 10:50:37 -0600

From CarverGOP.BlogSpot.com (blog of the Carver County Republicans):

"Rep. Ron Erhadt, in responding to a caller asking him to uphold the Governor's veto on the transportation bill and all of the taxes it contains and to not support the Democrat override attempt responded with anger and profanity, telling the caller to "tell the people who told you to call to go 'F***' themselves."

"The Governor vetoed the Transportation Funding Bill Friday. It contains a gas tax and a sales tax and a license fee tab tax and a new excise tax and a car rental tax to the tune of more than $500 in new yearly taxes for a family of four making between $49,000 and $70,000."

"Carver County Republicans have been calling House Republicans who might support an override, to ask them to stand against the tax increases and any override attempt."

"The call was made by Tom Winterer of Chanhassen to Erhardt's home... Winterer is new to grassroots politics, and just joined the Carver County Republicans at the Feb. 5 precinct caucuses."

"In the call, Erhardt asked Winterer why he was calling, since he was not a constituent or Edina resident."

"I'm calling because I'm going to be taxed under your veto override," Winterer said. "He told me I didn't know what I was talking about. I told him there are vast sums of money that are not being directed properly."

"Erhardt responded, "Tell the people to go "F***' themselves and that they are full of 'S***'."

The Minnesota Legislature

FAdams — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 14:35:30 -0600

The Minnesota Legislature voted to invest $660 million of taxpayer's money into the state's transportation system.

The bill raises the gasoline tax by five centrs a gallon this year, making the state's total tax on a gallon of a gasoline 25 cents. That would climb 3 1/2 cents in the future. The cost of registering new vehicles would also rise. Also, a quarter of one percent sales tax in seven metropolitan counties would pay for Twin Cities-area rail and bus lines.

Governor Pawlenty in the past said he would veto the bill. House Democrats are one vote shy of the two-thirds majority required to override a gubernatorial veto.

An economic forecast is due out next Thursday that is expected to show a deteriorating budget situation, which would likely give Republicans more reason to vote against tax increases. Republican Senator Julianne Ortman of Chanhassen is against the bill because she said the consumption gas tax and sales tax would affect the poorest Minnesotans.

Democrats will try to persuade enough Republicans by early next week to override a Pawlenty veto.

Senator Julianne Ortman and

FAdams — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 13:52:00 -0600

Senator Julianne Ortman and Reps. Paul Kohls and Joe Hoppe all voted against the transportation bill. The House vote was 89-44. The Senate vote was 47-20.

Peggy Noonan from the Wall

FAdams — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 09:58:48 -0600

Peggy Noonan from the Wall Street Journal is now asking if Sen. Clinton will be able to lose with grace. What happens to either candidate after all this? Back to the Senate to wait?

News reports show that Obama

FAdams — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 12:54:48 -0600

News reports show that Obama raised $7.2 million in less than 48 hours post Super Tuesday. This comes on the heels of $32 million raised by Obama in January and the record-shattering $100 million each Obama and Clinton raised in 2007 in their neck-and-neck race for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Yes, I heard Al Franken

MysticGemini — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 13:02:55 -0600

Yes, I heard Al Franken speak at the American Legion Saturday night. I was very impressed. I wanted to know what he had to offer and how it came to be that he wanted to become a Senator. It was all answered in approximately 30 minutes. His delivery was eloquent with a little humor thrown in but he stuck to how his background led him to seeking MN US Senate position.

He must have a gift of perception. He understands the major issues that affect us. Maybe it just comes from being a good listener but I still suspect a skill in perception. There is this little capsule of truth that he easily unfolds for his audience. It is a sorely needed skill we need in the Senate.

Moreover, he very passionate about the issues as well. He believes what he says. He cares about the people, the image, and the substance of United States. At the end of his speech, he dove into the crowd to see what they wanted to say. He answered questions, he asked
questions of servicemen and he very politely gave autographs for those that wanted that.

Although there are many qualified candidates seeking the DFL endorsement, he brings the greatest understanding and skills that is needed at this time. His website (alfranken.com) displays his stand on the issues and events where you can see and hear him for yourself. Please become informed if you have not, it is so important for our country in the 21st century.

"As if you could kill time without injuring eternity." Henry David Thoreau

Why not a solution tour?

FAdams — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 08:58:18 -0600

Why not a solution tour?

The governor seems to

FAdams — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 13:02:26 -0500

The governor seems to support her against what appears to be a political witch hunt. What concrete reasons have we seen for why she should step down?