Property Tax Relief: Kalin Style

One of Rep. Jeremy Kalin’s (D-17B) legislative goals was to secure property tax relief. Looking at his literature, updates and press releases reveals property tax relief and property tax reform is a dominant theme, for example, here, here, here and currently, where he says:

"And we took significant steps toward Property Tax Reform, limiting property tax levy increases to just 3.9% a year, and increasing the direct property tax rebate fund by $25 million."

His own campaign manager exulted in finally gaining property tax relief through Kalin’s efforts. The new 2008 local government aid (LGA) law provides $42 million more for Minnesota cities that will be payable in 2009. $42 million is a significant amount. Why, to hear Kalin and Vitalis tell it, Kalin gave us RELIEF!!

But that relief is not all what it is cracked up to be, as we have previously noted. In that post we noted that 4 cities in Chisago County gained LGA while 6 cities lost LGA for a combined gain county-wide of $121,093. That’s not much relief!

So what is the 10 Chisago County cities’ share of the new LGA? Our 10 cities will receive $121,093 of the $42,000,000. That is 0.29% of the total increase in LGA. That’s not much relief! That’s not worth writing home about. That’s not any cause for celebration. That’s not worth all the hoopla from Kalin’s campaign manager.

Kalin and Olseen did not bring home the bacon. The Sugar Daddy didn’t come through. And Vitalis is crowing about little or nothing.

And don’t forget—all the $42,000,000 classified as "tax relief" is paid by you, the taxpayer. Kalin takes your money and hands it back to you as if the state paid for it. And then Vitalis crows that Kalin gave you "tax relief." Some deal!

LGA--Democrat Style

In a letter to the editor, Kalin’s campaign manager, Wade Vitalis, asked and answered a question and made an assertion,

What happened when they [former Republican legislatures] voted to cut local government aid (LGA) to our cities? You got it – our property taxes went up and up and up.

That was then – this is now.

The Democratic legislature has increased LGA to our cities. . . Finally – property tax relief.

Did former Republican legislatures vote to cut local government aid (LGA)? Look at the statewide totals found here on page 30 of the state document for a history from 2002 to 2007.

Cert. 2002 LGA.....Cert. 2003 LGA.....Paid 2003 LGA
$564,982,145........$586,848,950.......$464,941,977

Cert. 2004 LGA.....Cert. 2005 LGA.....Cert. 2006 LGA
$437,466,461........$436,718,087.......$484,558,200

Cert. 2007 LGA
$484,558,200

The 2003 LGA was certified by a Dem controlled legislature, if I remember correctly. The paid 2003 LGA was greatly reduced by a Rep controlled legislature to help offset the $4.6 billion deficit inherited from the Dems.

The Republicans pulled the state back from a deficit to a reserve, which is also reflected in the 2004 and '05 numbers. This was wise stewardship. Then the Republicans increased LGA for 2006 and '07. If Vitalis wanted a fatter LGA check for cities in this time period, then the state’s financial house would have been much poorer.

So yes the Republicans cut LGA to rescue the state from the $4.6 billion deficit that the Dems helped create by overspending.

The above is for the statewide LGA figures. Click here for the LGA certified to each of the 10 cities in Chisago County between 2002 and 2007. Some cities lost and some cities gained. Click here for the history of any city during this time period.

Next Vitalis claims the 2007-2008 Democrat controlled legislature has increased LGA to the cities and thus given property tax relief. Is this true? Yes it is (see page 25 here). The total statewide LGA was raised from $484,148,487 for 2009 to $526,148,487 which is still short of the $586,848,950 LGA for 2003 certified by a Dem controlled legislature.

So how did the 10 cities of Chisago County fare under Kalin’s and the Dem’s new 2008 LGA law which provided for increased LGA statewide?

..................2008....2009 projected..2009 new law
Center City....$46,226......$42,999.........$46,226
Chisago City...$111,816.....$69,501....... $124,501
Harris...........$156,013.....$171,700.......$156,013
Lindstrom......$156,606.....$172,388.......$169,483
North Branch..$349,538.....$431,592.......$429,229
Rush City.......$518,419.....$562,892.......$674,075
Shafer..........$136,520.....$172,878.......$141,622
Stacy...........$224,356.....$237,376.......$280,592
Taylors Falls...$195,970.....$211,708........$195,970
Wyoming......$22,560....... $22,584........$0

Center City, Chisago City, Rush City and Stacy gained a combined $212,626 from the Dem’s new LGA law. All the rest of the cities lost a combined $90,533 of LGA money compared to the 2009 projections based on the old law.

This is nothing to brag about. Vitalis’ unqualified "yes" is disingenuous. Kalin and Olseen did not "bring home the bacon" for all the cities they represent. They lost for the majority of the cities in Chisago County, while gaining a total of $122,093 county-wide. For all the work the Dems did on the new LGA law, this is nothing for Kalin and Olseen to write home about.

Meanwhile, Vitalis will not be paying state aid money from his left pocketbook to his right property tax pocketbook because he did not benefit from the new LGA law. In the end, he still didn’t get relief! What a shame!

Crass Franken

In a former post, we noted that Dennis Prager said, "Today, people at work, to cite but one example, are far less free to speak naturally. Every word, gesture and look, even one's illustrated calendar, is now monitored lest a fellow employee feel offended and bring charges of sexual harassment or creating a "hostile work environment" or being racially, religiously or ethnically insensitive, or insensitive to another's sexual orientation."

Contrast that to Al Franken’s insensitivity to women while in his "work" of making "jokes." Leftists love to create the environment that Prager detests, but at the same time leftists practice that very activity. What is good for Franken to do is improper for others to practice. He is entitled to an exemption from what is dumped upon others and demanded as proper decorum.

Some Minnesota Dems are leery of Franken’s past because of its implication on his political chances, but how many have an ounce of concern for what Prager says? Some Dem women spoke out against Franken for his sexually demeaning writing about women, but they are booed and dismissed. Far too many Dems are devoid of family values, having no shame to endorse a crass person for the US Senate.

Senator Rick Olseen (D-17) falls into this category, having endorsed Franken. Franken is an embarrassment to the human race and Olseen has the stupidity to endorse him. I echo Freedomwriter. Will Olseen host another party for crass Franken? Indeed, will the Chisago County DFL invite Franken for any events?

The Arrogance of State Politicians

The state legislature raised the Minnesota budget 9.8% for the biennium, a significant increase. Year after year, the legislature consumes more and more of our incomes, forcing taxpayers to live on less and less. (When does the average wage earner receive this kind of raise?) And then they have the audacity to restrict local government officials to increasing their budgets by a maximum of 3.9%! That is a truck load of chutzpah!

The state budget would not be as low as a 9.8% increase if it were not for the Republicans and Governor Pawlenty. The Dems had proposed $5 billion more spending that was not approved into law. State Dems know no fiscal limits, but demand that board members of local government units be fiscally restrained. Talk about royalty and divine right of kings and queens! Talk about arrogance!

Senator Rick Olseen (D-17) and Rep. Jeremy Kalin (D-17B) are right there with their fellows in this chutzpah.

Thanks Governor

Governor Pawlenty has vetoed HF3391, the health care bill. His reasons are stated here.

Senator Rick Olseen (D-17) voted to pass the bill (Senate Journal, page 8597). The bill passed the Senate 40-22.

The bill passed the House 83-50. Jeremy Kalin (D-17B) voted for the bill (House Journal, page 12065).

Statement from Governor Pawlenty

The Governor issued a statement after the House and Senate passed the education bill, SF3001. Governor Pawlenty has vetoed SF3001. His reasons are stated here.

Senator Rick Olseen (D-17) voted to pass the bill (Senate Journal, page 9770). The bill passed the Senate 45-20.

The bill passed the House 82-49. Jeremy Kalin (D-17B) voted for the bill (House Journal, page 11776).

Olseen—Franken’s Justifier

Al Franken, the Democrat immigrant who wants to be Minnesota’s Senator, has avoided paying workers comp premiums in New York and taxes in 17 states.

T. W. Budig’s article at the HometownSource reports the reactions of many DFL lawmakers to Franken’s fix. Here in Chisago County we are especially interested in Senator Rick Olseen’s comments about Franken’s failure to pay his tax debt. In January, the local DFL hosted the delinquent Franken at Senator Olseen’s house.

Budig writes:

Sen. Rick Olseen, DFL-Harris, reports not hearing many murmurs in his district over Franken’s taxes. "I think people aren’t geared up yet for an election — maybe that’s a plus for him (Franken)," said Olseen. "It’s not really on the radar screens yet," he said.

What a brilliant declaration! Olseen is presumptive, assuming his constituents aren’t in tune to the upcoming election. Where has he been for the last year plus? How could any average working stiff not be aware that something is going down in November? What do you suppose triggered Minnesota’s record attendance at caucus? Free food?

And does he think Franken’s tax delinquency is not on our minds if he does not hear about it? What self-centeredness! If these dumb answers are indicative, we can’t get rid of Olseen soon enough.

Olseen ". . . found it "disappointing" to learn about a $25,000 unpaid workers comp fine Franken faced in New York. . ." Disappointing! Just disappointing? How about wrong? This is a moral issue that speaks about the lack of integrity of a man who wants to represent us. Such a man must be exemplary and above reproach. This is an employer who stiffed his own employees by not paying what he owed on their behalf. I thought the Dems are for the little guy!

For Olseen, it’s just disappointing and a mistake, neither of which bother him for a minute because any Democrat will do in office.

"I just see it as a mistake, and he’s admitted he’s made a mistake," he said of Franken. "I don’t hold that against him," said Olseen.

Olseen excused Franken because, "This stuff is pretty high level, complicated tax stuff." Who cares if it’s complicated. Most of us would expect him to utilize an accountant precisely because it is "complicated tax stuff." Franken’s problem is he selected an incompetent or manipulated accountant and that speaks to his own judgment about his inability to fill an elected position.

At least now we know how Olseen will justify the next Republican who disappoints us by making a mistake because the issue is too complicated! We won't forget.

Illegal Immigration, or How to get more Democrats elected

You have to wonder if some of our bleeding heart supporters of the sanctuary cities, illegal immigration and over all watering down of our once strong and vibrant society have had to use any public services lately. Kalin and Olseen should be at an age where they should begin to need some medical care, or take a parent (unless they have "people" to do that) to a doctor visit. As a member of the sandwich generation, I have had both sides, kids and elderly parents needing care in emergency situations from Mpls. to the northern tier hospitals. Would that either of these men could sit through the ordeal, listen to the Dr. and pharmacists venting when you finally get through the immigrants in front of you with no insurance.

Our medical and peace officers are being strained and stressed to pick up the slack that these politicians create. Just in one afternoon spent in the ER, the attending physician lost it, began swearing and slamming things around, as he got the call that another Somali cab driver was coming in for FREE MEDICAL care. He was furious, and asked anyone who would listen why they, and the politicians who support them, thought his services were so cheap. The officer who brought him in was angry, as he commisserated with the Dr. that immigrants do not need to learn the traffic rules, cannot read the signs, and are totally arrogant about their demands for immediate care, arguing that the other driver was at fault when witnesses provided plenty of testimony to the contrary. Insurance? talk to the cab company.

While Kalin and Olseen share the trait of arrogance with these people, let them experience just a month of taking care of a sick family member through our declining medical systems. Wait in line at an in-house pharmacy for three hours for one .75 cent pain killer, while the mass in front of you gets their hundreds of dollars of prescriptions for free. Have the pharmicist apologize and vent on you how they can't handle it anymore, they are soo sorry your loved one had to wait in line, obviously sick, while the party went on in line with the laughter, cell phone conversations and rude behaviours created by democratic largesse. Would an acknowledgement of how incredible America is with this treatment of the poor (Palm cell phones, SUV waiting outside), a tiny show of gratitude instead of arrogance, change my perception? I am naive enough to think maybe, but I won't hold my breath. My ancestors came here, worked the farms as indentured servants, rose through education, and gave my generation a future on their backs. This new wave wants it all now.

The immigrant of the past came with humble expectation, dreams and a burning desire to work to become American. The immigrant of today comes with arrogance, expectations of immediate gratification and the nod and a wink that they do not need to become American, just reap the benefits of the system. You do not need to learn the language, assimilate in the schools, learn our culture, or adopt our civility. A generalization, yes. But one the past months has impressed on me over and over. The strident cry of give me, give me, give me, and get out of my way while I take it. This is not what my great grandparents gave up everything for, and I am angry that Kalin and Olseen can be selfish enough to glibly give it all away. People like them will never see the truth of the situation they are creating.

A STATEMENT FROM THE GOVERNOR -- May 1, 2008

~ Governor Pawlenty statement regarding the failure of DFLers in the Minnesota legislature to consider proposals to combat illegal immigration ~

Saint Paul – According to news reports, thousands of immigrants and activists are holding rallies and protests across the country today, including in Saint Paul, demanding immigration reform.

In January, Governor Pawlenty announced executive actions and legislative proposals to counter illegal immigration. Actions taken by the Governor included executive orders to enhance cooperation regarding immigration enforcement between state and federal officials and to require that state employees, contractors doing business with the state and recipients of state grants electronically verify employment eligibility.

The Governor also proposed legislative measures to prohibit city “sanctuary” ordinances that prevent police from inquiring about immigration status, strengthened human trafficking laws, increased penalties for identify theft, enhanced penalties for employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants, and establishing the crime of aggravated forgery regarding underlying documents used to obtain identity documents.

Nearly four months into the 2008 session, the DFL-controlled legislature has refused to even hold a hearing regarding the Governor’s immigration reform proposals. The following is a statement from Governor Pawlenty regarding the failure of DFLers in the Minnesota legislature to consider proposals to combat illegal immigration.

“This week’s revelation that police in Lakeville, Minnesota recently stopped a vehicle carrying 15 illegal immigrants who had been traveling for a week highlights the fact that illegal immigration is a real problem and it’s here in our state. It’s time for DFLers to admit that and address this real concern. At a minimum they should hold hearings to debate the common sense immigration reform measures I’ve proposed. It is inconceivable that anyone would oppose measures to combat human trafficking and fight identity theft. I’m hopeful these important issues can be considered before the end of this session.”

Here is one of Senator Olseen's statements on illegal immigration.

Here is a statement from Rep. Kalin on illegal immigration. And Kalin voted to keep some sanctuary cities.

The Four Horsemen

Source.

Burning our food to redistribute energy has caused food shortages, at least in part, around the world (for a few of many articles click here, here, here, here, and here).

The global warming that was supposed to be lessened by the burning of ethanol has been absent this winter and spring so that planting of crops has been delayed according to this Strib article. An abnormally late spring means delayed planting which equals a reduced crop which will affect food shortages.

It should be obvious to anyone with intelligence that there is something seriously wrong with burning food to create fuel. Yet our political leaders have compulsively lit the matches, by requiring a certain percentage of ethanol in gasoline. Knowing full well that the ethanol complex would not begin or survive on its own, they approved subsidies to support it and import taxes on foreign ethanol.

In doing so, our political leaders have demonstrated a great lack of wisdom. Economic foolishness governs the day when they cannot understand that subsidies for ethanol will increase the price of corn which increases the price of food. Tax based subsidies create market place price increases which are taxes in the final analysis.

Environmental foolishness reigns when they cannot understand that there is an energy loss and pollutant gain when creating ethanol from food stocks.

Nutrient foolishness abounds when these politicians cannot recognize that burning food is not good public policy.

This foolishness is just the tip of the iceberg of stupidity found in government that determines to control every aspect of our lives. Ronald Reagan astutely observed, "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'" Sadly, foolishness does not avoid Chisago County. Rep. Jeremy Kalin (D-17B) wrote a year ago:

"Senator Rick Olseen and I worked with landowners, farmers, and our County Board to secure a $200,000 state grant to study building a prairie-grass cellulosic ethanol plant in Chisago County. This could bring dozens or even hundreds of new jobs to our community and provide economic opportunity for local farmers, without sacrificing our food sources."

Cellulosic ethanol is untested and undeveloped, but our Representative and Senator itch to spend our tax dollars on it. Kalin thinks it can be developed ". . . without sacrificing our food sources." I doubt Kalin thought that one through. Prairie grass can grow on more marginal acres than corn or soybeans, but that percentage of increase is small.

Then too, if prairie grass is successful, farmers would try to increase production by adding fertilizer, which is an addition of energy. And who is to say that acreage for food crops will not be diminished by prairie grass production? If the straw and stalks of wheat, oats, barley, etc. are used to produce ethanol, then that eliminates the vegetation that is returned to the soil for the next harvest of food crops. That requires more fertilizer (and energy) to replace the waste vegetation.

While the state’s cellulosic ethanol program is young, it won’t be long before it too will be subsidized just like corn ethanol is.

Instead of locking us into looking for the elusive perpetual motion machine, legislators need to encourage nuclear generation (which is illegal in Minnesota) and drilling in known American oil reserves. Government needs to get out of the way, let the generous supply of known energy resources be used and let the private sector develop new energy sources. The "help" of politicians is rarely help. It usually creates drastic unintended consequences and costs billions of dollars.

T Bill to be Adjusted

The $6.6 billion Transportation bill (HF 2800, 4th Engrossment) had the following language regarding an increase in the vehicle license tab fees:

15.19 EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment,
15.20 and applies to any annual additional tax for a registration period that starts on or after
15.21 September 1, 2008, through August 31, 2009.

The language of the bill could be interpreted to limit the increased license tab fees to be applicable for one year. The DFL failed to recognize this limitation when they passed the bill, but is now setting about to make sure this increase in license tab fees is permanent. They have inserted the following language in HF 3800, 1st Engrossment:

58.25 Sec. 6. Laws 2008, chapter 152, article 3, section 1, the effective date, is amended to
58.26 read:
58.27 EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment,
58.28 and applies to any annual additional tax for a registration period that starts on or after
58.29 September 1, 2008, through August 31, 2009.
58.30 EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment.

You can find this information at Minnesota Democrats Exposed. This change must be passed to collect the higher vehicle license tab fees after August 1, 2009.

Senator Olseen had contended with Commentator Pat Tepoorten that the T bill would cost taxpayers a small $37 per year for the increased gas tax as if that is the only tax increase. A whole bunch of DFL supporters lined up behind him.

Most everyone will also pay more for their license tabs. Of course that was already in the bill that was passed, but Olseen didn’t own up to it. Well, now Olseen will own up to it in a round about way when he supports this change. Of course he won’t acknowledge it publicly.

The T bill will cost the average person a whole lot more than $37 per year. It has been estimated that the increase for license tabs will cost Minnesota drivers $1.979 billion over the next ten years.

Most of us knew Olseen was blowing smoke in Tepoorten's face and ours. Olseen gets his comeuppance now. Sometimes things have a way of sneaking up on a politician and biting him in the behind!

Dems on the Defensive

It all started with the Post Review’s Pat Tepoorten’s well-written, easy-to-comprehend opinion piece on the Transportation bill. There was some lively interaction with his commentary and each others’ comments, but no one answered Tepoorten. Among other points, Tepoorten said the annual cost of the T bill for a family of four is $500.

Senator Rick Olseen retorted to Tepoorten, saying he should report the facts, but Olseen failed to show that Tepoorten did not have the facts. Olseen asserted the cost for the average driver is $37.

Then R. J. Proulx took Tepoorten to task for making ". . . it sound like the measure calls for a one-year tax hike of $6.6 billion." Proulx failed to read Tepoorten’s clear presentation that he was writing about a $500 yearly cost. Tepoorten broke it down to an understandable amount for a family of four.

Robert G. Walz next minimized the cost by supporting the few pennies gas tax increase in the Transportation bill while attacking some Republicans who did not support it.

Joe Johnson argued for paying that measly $40 extra per year.

Carl Hasselquist just loves more taxes.

Meanwhile, Wade Vitalis, Kalin’s campaign manager, kept after Tepoorten in the comments section without ever coming close to engaging his commentary on the $500 annual cost.

Recognizing that the Democrat letter writers were stuck on the $40 figure as the annual cost of the Transportation bill, Bob Barrett pointed out there is a much higher cost than $40 for a family. His letter generated considerable interaction in the form of comments appended to his letter. However, no one answered Barrett’s or Tepoorten’s contention.

Then Mic Dahlberg, a retired Chisago County engineer and director on the Chisago County DFL executive board, contended his two-car family will pay about $71 per year. He debunked Tepoorten and Barrett’s estimate of a much higher figure with a whole lot of party line obfuscation.

And now once again, Bob Barrett tries to get these Democrats to acknowledge they are misrepresenting reality by grossly understating the true cost of the T bill to a family of four.

Kudos to Tepoorten and Barrett. For too long, the Dems have owned Chisago County and the press. Now that truth is being written and published, the Dems come out in full force to line up behind their Senator. Neither Olseen nor his defenders can admit the T bill will cost a whole lot more than his declared $37 per year. They just don’t want us to know how much it will actually cost taxpayers. It’s obvious Tepoorten and Barrett struck a nerve when all these Dems get in defensive mode!

Tepoorten and Barrett are clearly the hands-down winners in this debate. Thanks guys. And thanks to these Dems for the rants. It makes great reading to see how Dems avoid reality! In their haste to defend one of their own, they forgot to do some simple math. If every one of Minnesota's 5.2 million people paid $37 annually for 10 years, that would provide just $1.924 billion against the $6.6 billion. That's a measly $4.676 billion short of making payment.

The Dems compulsion to use fuzzy math leads them to be dishonest with numbers. It also makes them fiscally irresponsible.

The T Bill Continued

There has been a lively discussion over at the Post Review. Bob Barrett responded to Senator Rick Olseen’s earlier justification of his vote on the Transportation Bill and that stimulated numerous comments.

As usual, Barrett states things quite clearly and accurately and then Wade Vitalis mucks it up.

Barrett showed how costly the Transportation Bill is for taxpayers compared to how cheap Senator Olseen characterized it.

The T Bill will cost $6,600,000,000 over ten years. That is the real cost to taxpayers. The $41/year gas tax is just one of the revenue streams that will pay for the total package.

Forget the gas tax increase, it is extremely easy to calculate a per capita cost for the entire package. The population of Minnesota is currently 5,200,000. In the next ten years, the population will increase and thus lessen the per capita tax burden somewhat, but let’s use the current figures. The total transportation bill will cost $1,269 per person in the next ten years.

That is $127 per person per year which is more than the $41 gas tax increase which will help pay for the $127. To fund the total package each year, each of us must pay $86 more in taxes on top of the $41.

A family of four will kick out $508 in various forms of taxes in each of the next ten years to cover the cost of the transportation package. This figure is exactly what Patrick Tepoorten stated in his article that Olseen disliked, which Barrett addressed. Tepoorten also gave the income range of taxpayers who would pay the $500. That is the average cost per family in the middle income bracket. Others will pay less and some more.

Tepoorten is justified by these figures. Barrett is justified. Barrett’s calculated cost is actually too low, so the err is in his favor.

Vitalis (in his comments on Barrett’s letter) never could figure out what Barrett was talking about and then got sidetracked, talking about tax rates.

Tax rates might be unfair, but Vitalis uses that to obfuscate his failure to answer Barrett. Inequitable tax rates are simply a red herring dragged in to divert attention from a failed answer.

We have a couple of conclusions we may draw from this. Some Democrats will do about anything to keep a person from doing simple mathematical division so the true cost will never be realized by the general public. Or we may conclude that Vitalis doesn’t even realize how much the T bill will cost his family.

Vitalis complained to Barrett, "For some reason you took 10 years of gas tax and made it one number. No one pays for all their gas all at once - so why calculate it that way?" Well, whether Vitalis pays out $500 per year or $5,000 in the next ten years to cover his family’s share of the T bill, either way he will have $5,000 less in his 401K or Roth IRA. And so will the rest of us, because too many Dems can’t be honest with numbers.

A Random Observation

Have you noticed that Rep. Jeremy Kalin and Senator Rick Olseen do not engage their critics? They assert and expect us to believe their political-write. Then they are on to the next unsubstantiated assertion. It’s a bother for them to evaluate their critic’s response.

When criticism comes, Wade Vitalis falls on the sword for them. He is their apologist, their defender. Vitalis loves it. Kalin loves it. Olseen loves it.

At the rate Kalin and Olseen are going, Vitalis will shortly run out of lives to sacrifice for them. Then maybe the duo will actually have to engage the criticism from their electorate. Yet Vitalis’ uncontrollable urge to defend his pals is telling. He knows they need it!

A Random Observation

Looking back on the political columns and press releases from Senator Rick Olseen and Rep. Jeremy Kalin, I have an observation to make. Neither politician fully writes his own material. They tap into a party line database of talking points in written blubs, string a few pre-worded thoughts together and drop it on us.

When challenged, they do not step forward with clarification and certainly not any admission of error. Even worse, they do not learn from the critiques to sharpen their next press release. The next press release has just as many holes in it as the previous ones and comes from the same St. Paul liberal well.

They rely on DFL party writers to create the drivel on various topics and then string it together with some of their own words. This is how their written work reads. It’s not their own writing. It’s patchwork. They don’t realize all the pieces do not fit into a whole cloth. A piece snatched from database 3, combined with a paragraph from pigeonhole 7 just does not fit.

The result is political hash. Neither of these men would write this way if they were writing about a non-political topic. Take Olseen’s piece for example. He communicates in a fresh way a non-political message that is important to him. All the pieces in that story are part of him. He assembled them together in an understandable way because they are part of him. For that, I give him an "A."

Our Senator and Representative have left real-speak and adopted political-speak. They are not their normal selves. They have quickly learned the alien language of DFL political-speak and political-write and thus they can no longer communicate with Chisago County residents. For that, I give them an "F."

All the canned hash of DFL political-write is long on assertions and short on evidence. They speak ex cathedra in political-speak and expect us to be impressed. When their unsubstantiated assertions are challenged, there is silence. Political-write is one-way communication, which is neither understandable nor communication.

Olseen on Illegal Immigration

As with Kalin, someone sent an e-mail to Senator Olseen (D-17) stating, "I am writing to let you know that I have signed the Immigration Enforcement Petition. Cities that implement sanctuary policies that prevent police officers from enforcing immigration laws should lose their state funding. I object to having my hard-earned tax dollars go to fund programs for people who are in our country illegally."

Senator Olseen responded to his constituent:

"Thank you for your email regarding immigration enforcement. I appreciate you taking time to share your input on this important issue.

I understand your concern over undocumented immigrants in Minnesota, and I agree there is much room for responsible and effective reform of outdated immigration policies. However, with the recent debate over immigration policy in Minnesota and throughout the country, there has been a significant amount of misinformation distributed. Many people believe undocumented immigrants come to this country only to draw off the social programs states make available to its residents.

Undocumented immigrants do not receive health care benefits and are not eligible for state-funded programs. Only citizens with proper documentation are eligible for such benefits. The only exception is for pregnant women who require pre-natal services. It is important to recognize that, under federal law, the children of these mothers will be U.S. citizens once they are born. By denying pregnant women the vital prenatal care they require, we are risking an entire population of U.S. citizens who could be born with serious health problems because they missed out on important prenatal care.

I understand your frustration with our country’s handling of new immigrants to this country. I, too, believe the system is in desperate need of repair, but any reform must come at the federal level. It is the federal government that is charged with the responsibility of forming immigration policy and effectively enforcing those laws. Immigration enforcement is not the job of local law enforcement. Local peace officers currently have the right to investigate immigration issues as part of other criminal investigations, as they should, but do not have the resources to routinely question citizens about their immigration status.

At the state level, provisions creating tougher penalties for identity theft and fraud, human trafficking, and employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants have been introduced in previous legislative sessions and I will continue to support these proposals if they come before the Senate in 2008.

Additionally, I believe state policy should reflect Minnesota’s values of recognizing hard work, determination, and the goal of citizenship. The best thing we can do as a state is focus on policies that help illegal immigrants work toward citizenship and become contributing members of our society, while also calling on Congress to provide the much-needed reform of federal immigration laws.

Again, thank you for contacting me. If you have further questions on this or any other issue facing the Legislature, please feel free to contact me anytime."

Sincerely,
Rick Olseen
State Senator District 17

___________________________________________

Olseen wrote a whole lot of verbiage and never once came close to addressing the sanctuary cities issue that was protested by his constituent. His constituent’s statement is not hard to understand.

On the one hand, Olseen says the police ". . . do not have the resources to routinely question citizens about their immigration status," but on the other hand, he implies health care providers have the time to determine if a person is an illegal alien. They are not entitled to health care benefits, unless they are pregnant. I guess we are to conclude doctors and nurses have more time than police!

Notice too that he proposes the immigration system is broken and needs "reform." That sounds great, but he doesn’t tell us what he has in mind for "reform." It’s just feel good language to fluff his message that doesn’t have any solutions in it.

Olseen promises, ". . . I will continue to support these [aforementioned] proposals if they come before the Senate in 2008." But significantly, Olseen does not propose to produce any legislation to address the issues he claims bother him.

It looks like Olseen’s response was drawn from the same DFL canned mush that Kalin used. These guys don’t think for themselves.