Tilting -- Challenging your view of . . .

It's a horse race... Why the Iowa Caucuses matter!

2011-12-29T14:59:00.000-08:00

What a great opportunity to see the presidential political process up close and personal. The first in the nation Iowa Caucus process is set for next Tuesday night, starting at 7:00 pm. In every county in Iowa, registered Republicans can vote for their selected candidate for President. For a summary of the actual procedure, click here.

President Obama has no challenger and therefore the Democratic caucus in Iowa becomes a non-event, except for the President's ability to show strength.

The Republican candidates, however, are posturing for proper recognition in the first official step toward endorsement. I say "posturing" because meeting expectations is usually more important than actually winning. For example, in the 2008 Iowa Caucus, Mitt Romney set high expectations and worked hard in Iowa. In the end, however, Romney lost the vote to Mike Huckabee, which cost him substantial momentum and ended in a McCain endorsement.

The Iowa Caucus starts the January process of picking a Republican Presidential candidate. Iowa is followed by the New Hampshire primary on January 10th, South Carolina Primary on January 21st and the Florida Primary on January 31st.

In Minnesota, we get our first official taste of Presidential Politics on February 7th, when all caucus attendees participate in a non-binding straw poll. Minnesota will get its final taste of Presidential politics on May 4th and 5th when we select our delegates to the GOP national convention (Tampa Bay, Florida in August)

For a pretty good calendar showing this timeline, click here.

As for the horse race, it all started on August 13th, with a straw poll of Republican activists who picked Mn. Congresswoman Bachmann as their top pick by 28.6%. Our other native candidate, Tim Pawlenty, lost the expectations game by finishing third with 13.6%. The front runner status then went to various candidates such as Herman Cain, Newt Ginrich and Ron Paul, with Mitt Romney staying always in the top tier. A home stretch surge is now in play from Texas Governor Perry and former Pennsylvania Senator Santorum.

Why should all of this matter for Minnesotans? For starters, it is just good information. We have great local media coverage, such as local KIMT coverage and interviews with each candidate. SIDENOTE: I am appearing as a guest on the KIMT caucus coverage on Tuesday night's program. Watch the 10 pm broadcast to see how I do.

In addition, nearly every magazine, newspaper and the entire blogosphere have intense coverage on the candidates' positions on issues. This is much different than the sound bite coverage that we normally see. Moreover, in a country that trends to the coasts, it is a rare opportunity to see the candidates through a mid-western lens.

Tuesday night, all eyes will be on Iowa to see the latest leg of the presidential selection process. While many will groan about the election starting too early, it is the process we have in front of us. I for one encourage everyone to take a look at the candidates -- you will see a lot of them in the months ahead -- but not this good of a look.

Building On Our Community Strengths

2011-12-17T06:57:00.000-08:00

Economic uncertainty continues to permeate our daily lives. The European debt crisis continues to ebb and flow towards possible meltdown; unemployment continues to be persistently high; and our local tax burden continues to escalate.

In spite of these dark clouds, our community remains strong and perhaps even optimistic. We are, of course, good Minnesotans – we complain about the weather and moan about politicians not getting the job done. Yet, we will never fall to the level of feeling sorry for ourselves. We remain vexed over our failure to capitalize on our proximity to two major interstates. Yet, an outsider will face our wrath if they even suggest that we are a depressed community or that we cannot land that one big employer. Loving our community is simple and natural. George Friedman article.

Beyond this unfailing community pride, we also are blessed with a good community work ethic and a strong sense of community connectedness. These community intangibles are rarely quantified and are hard to define -- with the Blue Zone exception which improved the vitality, life expectancy, and social engagement of the Albert Lea community. As a community, we should continue to promote these intangibles.

Please consider a few other community strengths that we should foster.

INFRASTRUCTURE

A healthy, skilled and educated workforce makes our community attractive to economic growth and makes our neighbors happier. A happy neighbor makes for a stronger neighborhood. We must continue to make Albert Lea a place where people want to live, work, play and raise a family.

Education from pre-school through skill training is present in our community and should continue to be a top priority.

Good roads, clean water, quality homes and good commercial properties for business growth are necessary if we want to succeed. Our housing stock is probably too aged and needs to be strengthened and prepared for expansion. We must also remind our local leaders that investments in community infrastructure cannot be sacrificed under the banner of tight budgets.

We should also demand better outcomes from our local government. Do we need City Hall and a Government Center to take care of just over 30,000 people that live in our county? Sharing services continues to be the latest buzzword, but is not enough to strengthen our community in the long run. Local government needs to be completely reinvented to meet the needs of its citizens.

COMMUNITY WEALTH

Growth of community wealth is also crucial to our future success. We need businesses and individuals who are willing to create new jobs, increase our tax base and generously contribute to community causes. As explained in a recent article by the Center for Rural Affairs, “Wealth must be spread around in many hands to do much good.”

We must resist the trend towards relying on government to provide for our community needs. A strong tax base is imperative to our success, but a “soak the rich” culture will certainly stall all community momentum. We must advocate for local, state and federal policies that encourage investment in our communities and allow for new wealth to be generated. We should fight to keep more of our wealth at home from the start, not to be diverted through bureaucratic processes that politicize outcomes and then “trickle back” to us as a government program.

It is glamorous to pursue the American Dream, but too often lately, those that start to realize this dream are treated as villains. As a community, we should be able to openly advocate for the increased availability of capital and the growth of wealth.

FOSTER OUR ECONOMIC DRIVER: AGRICULTURE

When I graduated from law school, some of my counterparts suggested that I would never succeed if I called myself an “agricultural lawyer.” Their argument was that this label was too narrow and there would be no business to be found. Fortunately, I did not heed this advice and now I am proud to be part of the ag-based economic growth engine.

A recent study by the Economic Research Service (“ERS”) -- and the University of Minnesota predicts demand for agricultural products will grow by 70% to 100% by 2050 due to population growth, energy demands and increased incomes in developing countries. We are on the front line of this trend with a strong agriculture-based economy; a proven track record of providing high quality further processed foods and biofuels; and of course, we are at the intersection of two main interstates.

SUPPORT OUR LOCAL SAFETY NET

Our new residents must feel welcome and receive local support. We should continue to strengthen our own local agency providers such as the United Way, Youth for Christ and our local churches. Today’s food shelf recipient can easily be tomorrow’s new hard working employee. This month’s rental assistance recipient is likely to be next year’s newest entrepreneur. This is the American way – we help our own and they help us in return.

This American upward mobility was once explained by Abe Lincoln, “The prudent, penniless beginner in the world, labors for wages awhile, saves a surplus with which to buy tools or land for himself; then labors on his own account another while, and at length hires another new beginner to help him.”

All of these tangible and intangibles strengths are already present in our community. In face of certain continued economic challenges, we must be vigilant in pushing these topics to the forefront of public dialogue. The decisions that we make now will certainly empower us to succeed in the future.

Matt Benda is an Albert Lea Attorney, community advocate and life-time member of the Republican Party.

Deficit Issues Take Center Stage in D.C.

2011-04-05T05:07:00.000-07:00

Deficit Issues Take Center Stage In D.C.

Recent current event discussions have revolved around the looming budget deficit on the international, national and state levels. In the past week, the activities in D.C. have been particularly interesting in their attempts to address the deficit. As one commentator noted,

"The problem is that the debt is like a cancer. The bigger it grows the more threatening it is. Pretty soon it consumes its host (think interest expense)...

Yes, the US can go longer than we might think, but there is a limit. I think that limit will come before the middle of this decade. Perhaps as early as 2013, if the new incoming President and Congress do not deal with the deficit in a realistic manner. Then Bang! , we have our own Greek moment. I want to avoid that."

Read John Mauldin's recent post on the "Plight of the Working Class" here. Keep this possible "BANG!" in mind while watching these issues in the news:

1. Government shutdown looming

The President and Republican leaders appear to be unable to avoid the politics of politics in reaching a budget deal. Interestingly, I just received a fundraising request letter from President Obama (truth moment -- I am a member of the Sierra Club, who must assume that I support the National Democratic National Committee, along with various left-leaning organizations which seem to mysteriously keep getting my name and mailing address). Of interest is one of the President's statements,

"We will never win the future if we're buried under a mountain of debt. All across the country, families sacrifice to live within their means. You deserve a government that does the same, and you're going to see the federal government take responsibility for its deficits by investing in those things that strengthen our country and cutting those that don't"

Interestingly, this quote could come from any moderate Republican or Democrat and even most tea party supporters. Unfortunately, agreeing on rhetoric is not same as getting a bill passed. Tomorrow (Wednesday) is the deadline to agree to a compromise plan to keep government operating. Otherwise, the US House seems likely to take action on another short-term budget fix, leaving the Senate and the President to decide if they want to avoid a shut-down.

2. Wisconsin Representative Paul Ryan introduces long-term budget Proposal.

In the midst of the shut-down drama, the US House budget Chair (Ryan (R) Wisconsin) has proposed a sweeping budget reform bill -- cutting $6.2 TRILLION. As articulated by Ryan,

"For too long Washington has not been honest with the American people," he said. "Washington has been making empty promises."

The federal government's current fiscal trajectory "is simply not sustainable," he warned, saying it will lead to an "economic collapse" and a "diminished future." In contrast, "our goal here is to leave our children and our grandchildren with a debt-free nation," he said. It is a "moral imperative."

Ryan proposes a radical overhaul of the Medicare and Medicaid entitlement programs. To simplify dramatically, the Medicare proposal will not affect any one's eligibility if they are age 55 or older, but thereafter the program will be converted to a system that reimburses seniors based on their ability to pay. The Medicare proposal for the disabled and poor will be converted to State Control at the local level.

This proposal will certainly create a strong dialogue on the need for long-term restructuring. Too often, politicians use scare tactics to get elected -- such as agitating the Senior voting base into the belief that their medicare or social security will be taken away. Given the current climate of concern over deficits, Congressman Ryan's timing is perfect to initiate a serious dialog.

3. Walz' "gotcha" gamesmanship backfires.

Last Friday, our own Congressman Walz entered into the budget game with an attempted surprise amendment to withhold Congressional pay during a government shutdown. Unfortunately for Walz, just days earlier the Obama Administration had written a letter to the Senate labeling this action as "patently unconstitutional." A Washington Post article summarized it well describing the Walz waltz as follows: "In Surprise for Democrats, procedural move on no pay bill backfires."

As I've said many times, Tim Walz is no Blue Dog (Conservative Democrat). His recent (and historical) voting record and consistent tendency towards "causes" rather than "results" earn him a "time to pack" label.

That's all for now -- certainly happy that spring has finally arrived! Have a great week.

____________________________________

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Knocking on Inflations' Door?

2011-03-20T11:29:00.000-07:00

Inflation is a rise in the level of prices of goods and services in an economy over a period of time.

Food prices increased 3.9% in Febuary, the largest single month increase in 36 years. Likewise, the producer price index (wholesale g00ds) is also increasing -- 1.6% last month, which translates to 19.2% for the year. The decimation of the Japanese supply line will also continue to add to the cost of electronics and tools.

Also of interest is the expected trends in rental demand and rates. Rental supply is flat while demand continues to increase. There are predictions of a 10% increase in rental rates in some cities. As explained in a recent article:

There will be an envelope of two or three years," said Macke, "when the rise in
demand for rentals will exceed the industry's ability to meet it." Plus,
Alford added, "there's been a shift in the American Dream. We're learning from
our surveys that a huge proportion of people are choosing to rent."

They've experienced the downsides of homeownership -- or seen friends
and family suffer -- and don't want to take the risks or pay the higher costs of
homeownership.

Time will tell whether Greater Minnesota will see a continued increase in demand and rates, but the trend seems to be heading in the direction of tightening supply and higher rental rates.

Flat wages and increased cost of living is never an attractive prospect, but one that may be coming. This will be a good year to implement a long-term planning and tight budget control. Our local leaders also need to fix their balance sheets to control debt and cash flow.

Turf Wars Threaten to Block Reform

2011-03-11T13:06:00.000-08:00

Governor Mark Dayton has certainly perfected the political art of pitting groups against each other in pursuit of his agenda. Consider the following messages from our Governor:

1. Income Warfare = “tax the rich”

2. Regional Warfare = mayors versus legislators;

3. Worker Warfare = public employees v. private employees; and

4. Class Warfare = keep telling people they are poor and the job providers are too rich.

It appears that the Governor is determined to protect the status quo (and his campaign funding sources) in blocking any real reform of State government.

This “us versus them” mentality is destructive and will not solve our long-term woes. We (Minnesotans) are in this mess together and need to solve it together.

The next few weeks, the Senate and House will be making agonizing decisions to right size and reform State Government. Resist the “us versus them” temptation and remember that our elected officials have a duty to work for all of us.

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THE TOUGH DECISIONS ARE YET TO COME FOR MINNESOTA

2011-02-10T14:36:00.000-08:00

I must admit that I appreciate the forthright approach taken recently by Governor Mark Dayton when he expressed his dismay over the “devastating cuts” that could be placed upon the poorest Minnesotans. The process of balancing the current budget deficit will not be easy, especially when aggressive political posturing is in play. The Profit Isaiah told us to share our food with the hungry, open our homes to the homeless and give clothes to those who have nothing to wear.

No one wants their turf cut, which is certainly apparent in the recent string of news coverage on the first round of proposed cuts at the legislature. Yet, if every special interest group and level of government argues that their funding is “off the table,” there will be no choices left except for cuts to the voiceless. At some point in this process, every pledge and level of government must put their turf up for comparison to the predicted devastating cuts to the poor and other core safety-net programs.

We cannot cling to the past, but must look to the future to find a better way to provide for the delivery of core services and not necessarily services that have been provided historically.

_________________
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Dream America Dream...

2010-12-31T02:03:00.001-08:00

As I was driving to work way too early this morning, the Green Day song 21st Century Breakdown was on the radio and the lyrics caught my attention, "Oh, Dream America Dream, I can't even sleep from brainstorms till dawn."

Everyone has their own brainstorms that keeps them awake at night or wakes them up way too early in the morning. In my case, my own idea of the American Dream woke me up this morning. People are counting on me to get their work done so that they can pursue their American Dream.

As such, I'm at work before 5 am on a day that most of the Country will be on vacation. Fortunately for me, my wife supports me and told me "good luck" as I went out the door this morning. Knowing that it will probably be her "brainstorms" that wake her up before dawn next time around certainly adds understanding and camaraderie to the situation.

Why? I often jokingly say that I work hard because my family cursed me with that #*!@ Midwestern work ethic. Expanding on that concept, I think I do it because I know that I can help people succeed and by helping them pursue their dreams I hope my family finds theirs too.

Too often people hide their American Dream as it seems unseemly to talk about. While it is romantic to talk conceptually about American hard work and success, those that are pursuing it too openly can be labeled. I am proud of my often awkward attempt to find it and hopefully you will be too.

Happy New Year and may you (openly) join me in stumbling (pun intended) our way to our American Dream.

______________________________
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The Best Cure for the Unemployed is a Job!

2010-12-14T04:02:00.001-08:00

As an advocate of strengthening the social safety-net, I am troubled by the recent attempt to use unemployment payments as a poverty reduction program. The extension of unemployment insurance ("UI") benefits is the Democrat's recent rallying cry for helping those in need. Our own Congressman, Tim Walz advocates for the stimulus nature of these benefits as being the "fastest way to get money into our economy." This argument, however, relies upon the mistaken logic that we can help the poor by giving a few select individuals up to 3 1/2 years of UI benefits to find a job.

Since July of 2008, the Democrat-controlled Congress has been extending unemployment insurance ("UI") benefits -- well past the 26 weeks of regular benefits. At last count, the Federal Government has financed up to 73 weeks of additional benefits. According to the State of Minnesota, the purpose of UI is to provide temporary benefits and to provide a level of economic stability. Certainly, massive lay-offs in a community can decimate local businesses, schools and units of government. UI helps in these situations. Likewise, providing short-term help following the tragedy of a job loss provides an important cushion to help families get back on their feet.

These objectives are much different, however, than Democrats' current hijacking of the UI program for wealth redistribution. As emphasized by the 2010 Hormel Hunger Survey, there remain way too many people that are suffering from true poverty. The fact that the UI program is not means tested based on assets or other income presents a striking problem with the use of UI as a poverty reducing program. Ironically, a fat cat executives' laid off husband will receive UI benefits just like a single mom out of work from a factory closing. We can certainly find a better way to help those in need!

Last month, Congress discontinued these record breaking extension of UI benefits. Tim Walz again broke ranks with Blue Dog Democrat Collin Peterson in supporting the extension. This vote opened the door for a discussion of this important issue. This important debate continues today despite Democrats attempt to mute this discussion through the use of class warfare rhetoric. Consider the following "messaging" that we have been hearing from Democrats:

"UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS STIMULATE THE ECONOMY, BUT TAX INCREASES FOR JOB CREATORS WILL CUT THE DEFICIT?

A November 30th, Star Tribune headline summarizes this mistaken argument best, "Cut-off of jobless aid would shrink economic growth and raise unemployment and poverty rates." They argue that cutting off unemployment benefits will increase unemployment rates. According to this logic, UI benefits "ripple though the economy" eventually into the hands of the job providers, allowing those businesses to "hire more people."

To avoid the wrath of the public, Democrats have perfected the argument that government spending has a stimulative factor. Under this banner, nearly every dollar of government program spending actually returns more dollars to the economy. As most of us learned from our parents, this "you need to spend money to save money" motto does work in the real world.

This reality, however, does not stop this maddening messaging. As argued by Progressive Think-tank, Minnesota 2020, "This (cutting UI benefits) is in sharp contrast to a tax break for the rich because higher income families typically save that money; therefore it has little economic stimulative effect." Apparently, the "ripple" effect only works in Dr. Seuss fashion when it is run through the Government's star removing machine. To believe this argument, you must accept the fact that couples who make more than $250,000 are so rich that any extra money they make will go into a vault, not back into the economy. Like Sylvester McMonkey-McBean, Nancy Pelosi and her troops capitalize on class warfare by trying to convince some that they have "stars on their bellies" that must be removed. According to Pelosi-McBean,"Giving $700 billion to the wealthiest people in America increases the deficit, and the record shows that it does not create jobs" Yet, they argue that the money spent on UI benefits "ripples" through the economy to those same job providers, increasing employment. Like the Sketches in the Dr. Seuss book, the American public will eventually see through this charade.

Do you call it a tax increase or a tax cut? Tim Walz and his allies want to avoid a tax increase for those that fit their definition of middle class, but wail with pain over giving tax breaks for the wealthy. Walz goes on to accuse Republicans of shedding "crocodile tears" over the budget deficit and then giving American fat cats the tax break. Yet, Walz further erodes his long-gone fiscal conservative "Blue Dog" designation by supporting nearly every spending proposal that comes his way. Apparently, worries about the deficit ebb and flow depending on which parties' objectives are in the cross hairs. Tim Walz and his spending allies pretend to be a deficit hawks only when it aligns with their agenda.

Caught in a vicious cycle, most States continue to borrow funds from the federal government in order to afford the continued payment of UI benefits. As explained in a November 20, 2010 Wall Street Journal Article, in 2009 states collected $31 billion in UI taxes, but paid out $79.4 billion in benefits. As of April, 2010, Minnesota had borrowed $638 million from the Federal Government, which puts Minnesota at number 16 in the Country. This so-called stimulus money is not a grant or "free money." Instead, these funds must be repaid by future potential job creators -- threatening to further erode our business climate.

What unemployed workers need is a job, not continued deficit spending so that they can receive only a small percentage of their earning capacity. As caring communities, we can do better. We need to target those that need help and make sure that they do not fall through the safety net.

While temporary UI benefits serve an important purpose in the helping those in need, the continued extension of these benefits has morphed this program beyond recognition. Congress should stop this shell game and focus on encouraging, not stifling economic growth. Fortunately, President Obama and the newly elected Republicans seem to have found a compromise that will hopefully not stifle any economic recovery. While Tim Walz may not be happy that his political agenda has been compromised, main street will surely appreciate the boost. In the end, a stronger main street means more jobs -- the ultimate cure for unemployment.

______________________________________________________

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How Now, Brown Cow? What's next in D.C.?

2010-11-06T15:31:00.000-07:00

How now, brown cow -- or what's next? Another election, another wave -- that seems to be the theme across the country. Republicans now hold 239 Congressional seats to the Democrats 185. Not since, 1948 have so many seats changed parties in a single election. In the Senate, the Democrats held onto their narrow majority.

The state of the economy, general unhappiness with Obama and a conservative tilting voter base are all cited as reasons for the swing.

The head of the transition team for Congressional Republicans is certainly sending a positive message, referring to common sense as an endangered species in D.C. politics. Again, we can only hope this attitude continues as the new political normal in D.C. politics.

Some of the top issues we will be hearing about are as follows:

1. Avoiding tax increases.

This issue has been on the radar for both main street and wall street -- whether to raise income taxes across the board. John Mauldin, an economist whom I follow, had this to say,

"If the Bush tax cuts are not extended, in my opinion it is almost a lock that we go into a recession next year, unemployment goes to 12%, and underemployment gets even worse."

A recent New York Times article provides an overview of some of the political options that will be in play -- allow expiration of all tax cuts (expected to generate $260 billion per year in revenue); permanently extend all tax cuts; create a new tax bracket for those making over $1 million; or permanent extension of tax cuts under $250,000 (married) and a temporary extension of the tax cuts for incomes over $250,000. The last concept is referred to as "decoupling" and has been promoted by President Obama, although the White House recently indicated that they may be open to a broader approach.

This issue affects all working Americans as all of the tax brackets are set to increase at the end of this year -- Happy New Year! In addition, capital gains and dividend rates will increase and the marriage penalty and phase-outs will return. Read here for more.

2. Immigration reform.

Obama lobbed a bomb on this issue just prior to the election when he told Latinos to "punish our enemies" and effectively accused Republicans of being un-American. The current chatter from the new Republican leadership is that they hope to focus on "streamlined enforcement of current laws." The new Republican wave, however, is lead by a number of dynamic Hispanics, including Marco Rubio, Senator-elect from Florida, who are expected to help find a way to fix the immigration quagmire.

3. Obamacare.

Many Republicans campaigned on the "repeal Obamacare" platform. Now, there will be a push to repeal and replace Obamacare. Whether this resistance will be symbolic or actual will need to play itself out. Watch for the "defund Obamacare" motto as the initial step and repeal as hot topic for the 2012 Presidential run-up.

4. Political climate.

Another factor interjected into all of these debates is the release of the recent draft Debt Commission Report. There is enough in this report so that both sides have referred to the proposals as "dead on arrival." Deep cuts and an overdue review of the entitlement programs causes the left to bristle. The proposed tax increases are equally unacceptable by Republicans. If both sides are unhappy, that generally means its' a good compromise.

The final thing to be aware of -- the next election will be a humdinger. The Presidential election will consume reams of paper and bandwidth. Leaders in D.C. have a short window to actually address these important issues. Eventually, the politics of the Presidential election will force each side back to their respective corners.

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The End of Extremes... Please!

2010-11-01T11:37:00.000-07:00

PLEASE VOTE! It is your civic duty.

Trends are funny things! In 2006, a wave swept Republicans from the four corners of the Country, leaving a "new mandate" in place. My message following that election was, "expect the same stuff, different party." Meaning that the other party would swing to the other far extreme. With the momentum that followed, the 2008 election garnered a substantially similar result.

Following the Obama win, I was quoted as follows in the Albert Lea Tribune:

Matt Benda, former Republican candidate for the state House District 27A seat, said recently politics have been so dramatic from one extreme to the next that he fears the country will again have a president who does not govern from the middle.

Unfortunately, the party winning two successive elections with those types of numbers felt that they had been given a mandate. As a result we were given massive bailouts, staggering deficits and health-care reform no matter what the cost. Unfortunately, these extremes have done little to ease the fears that we all feel on mainstreet.

As described in a recent Wall Street Journal article, Americans see the Democrats as the party of big government and Republicans as the party of big business. The author concludes, "That leaves no party left to represent the American people."

Hopefully, both parties will realize that we need to find a new normal. The problems we face are real and affect real people in a huge way. Political bickering should not be the status quo.

It appears a foregone conclusion that the Republicans will take control of the US Congress and may take over the US Senate. In our First Congressional District, Randy Demmer certainly can win the day with the enthusiasm gap and a good tail wind from the national mood. He will be a great leader and will help eliminate the extremes. Truth Check -- it is not true that Demmer supports privatizing social security. Read Tim Penny's (former Democratic Congressman) refute here.

As for Minnesota State races, Tom Emmer is still in the hunt for Governor, despite his history of extremes. Yet, Dayton is so extreme in the other direction! It's been an odd year for the Governor's race, with our local paper even refusing to make an endorsement for Governor. Perhaps a split House = R; and Senate = D would be a good "governor" for the Governor?

Let's hope this prediction by commentator, Micheal Lewitt does not come true, "... bad ideas are likely to gain ascendancy and provide political cover for American politicians trying to avoid making the tough choices needed to right the American economy."

Hopefully, this will be the year where the swing will not be as extreme and government can roll up its collective sleeves and get some work done.

Remember -- VOTE!!
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Growing Debt Poses National Security Threat!

2010-09-01T20:50:00.000-07:00

Approximately one year ago, we were honored at our annual Chamber of Commerce banquet to hear from Albert Lea Native son, Major Gen. Thomas Anderson. A symbol of hard work and dedication, Major Gen. Anderson provided an inspirational touch to this event designed to promote the connection between community success and quality education. What struck me most that night, was one of his answers during the Q&A portion of the speech. From the audience, the question was presented: "What is the greatest security threat to the United States?" Without missing a beat, he answered, "The Economy." I felt disappointed that we didn't get a situation room briefing on the latest Al Queda activities. While I found myself feeling unsettled about his answer, I really gave it no more than the fleeting thought.

Recently, while reading the rounds of newspapers, an article quoting Adm. Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff renewed my concern, "I think the biggest threat we have to our national security is our debt." At this point I decided that if a hometown hero and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs were concerned, I probably should be as well.

After pealing back a few layers of my Midwestern naivety, I discovered a fundamental debate raging at the national level. The concern explained by these military minds is driven by the idea that the best fight is the one you win without fighting. Clearly, our own Congressman Tim Walz and his spending allies in D.C. are creating a situation that threatens this basic premise. Their unsustainable spending spree seriously threatens our Nations' ability to promote world-wide stability.

The Obama Administration released its new National Security Strategy in May. This document continues the Obama trajectory moving America away from the so-called "hard power" of the military. The Administration fundamentally prefers the "soft power" of the outstretched hand to the cliched fist. This trend towards less military strength is emphasized in a recent headline, "Pentagon faces growing pressure to trim budgets." It appears that the push to soften the fist will continue. In fact, in Obama's recent budget proposal, Defense is being targeted with 80% of the proposed cuts. While Obama articulately states, "We can no longer afford to spend as if deficits do not matter and waste is not our problem" these words were clearly directed heavily at defense spending.

On non-defense items, Tim Walz and his fellow Democrats continue to follow Obama's lead in voting for enormous spending bills. The recent extension of programs without finding offsetting cuts and following their own Pay-go rules is the latest example. In one breath Walz states, "deficits matter" and in the next his political ambitions (a/k/a "maybe I will be one of them" mentality) take over and he votes to increase the deficit (click here to see the current debt clock). When questions about the criticisms to Obama's "soft power" initiatives, Walz responded that he doesn't "buy" the critics' arguments. While Congressman Walz is the highest ranking retired enlisted solder to serve in Congress, his military credentials cannot shield his voting record.

While the increased use of soft power is a laudible goal, we can go too soft. Reliance on "soft" diplomacy cannot be effective if we whittle away at the big stick with unsustained spending. As explained by T. Roosevelt, "Diplomacy is utterly useless where there is no force behind it." A recent article in Foreign Affairs brings this concept into modern context, "For the United States' enemies in Iran and Iraq, it must be consoling to know that U.S. fiscal policy today is preprogrammed to reduce the resources available for all overseas military operations in the years ahead."

Our allies have even brazenly undermined our attempts at diplomacy and sanctions. In a finger in the eye to US policy, Brazil and Turkey met with Iran and opened substantial economic ties with our sworn enemy. These allies surely sense a shift in the balance of power by openly support a renegade regime.

Others may be forced to follow suit if U.S. clout continues to wane. As boldly articulated recently by the ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the United States, "There are many countries in the region who, if they lack the assurance the U.S. is willing to confront Iran, they will start running for cover towards Iran."

America carries an obligation to actively promote stability and freedom around the world. We cannot fulfill this obligation with empty words. Unsustainable spending and ballooning deficits threaten to make our words a mere symbolic gesture in world politics. That is a national security threat.

__________________________________

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Promoting Happiness!

2010-07-14T13:24:00.000-07:00

I recently finished a good book: "The Art of Happiness in a Troubled World". In this book, the Dalai Lama articulates a simple, yet understandable philosophy in finding a positive path through life. He promotes taking a realistic, yet positive approach towards our own problems; and the world’s challenges. While he certainly uses a lot of sugar, he does not over sugar coat every problem.

Unlike some “peace mongers,” the Lama encourages us to be proactive (yet realistic) in addressing negativity (and evil). He does not believe that all the world needs is a big hug, just a large dose of reality.

In the book, he lays out a process for addressing prejudice, racism or the destructive “us versus them” attitude. First, attempt to increase awareness of the disadvantages of the negative attitude. Especially in our local communities, an “us versus them” attitude is unhealthy for our own self and families, not to mention holding back our community spirit or ethos. Next, the Lama challenges the beliefs that the negative attitude is based upon. The Lama believes that these attitudes are a result of conditioning – or picked up from our cultures, upbringing and surroundings. As in “happiness”, the Lama believes that these negative perceptions can be changed or reconditioned. Think of people moving to different parts of the world or even kids going off to college. Their world can be turned upside down, but so can their perception on life.

I often tell the story of my college experience, leaving the safe haven of rural Minnesota for the University of Minnesota. To learn that people from different religions and parts of the world were so similar to me was a real eye opener. Going to bed at night discussing the similarities between the Bible and Koran was a priceless exercise in what the Lama is explaining. Likewise, I had the same experience with my Jewish friends, whom all I knew previously is that their ancestors were responsible for killing Jesus.

In addition, I would add a third step to the Lama’s recipe for fighting the “us versus them” forces of the world: Actively challenging our own inherent prejudices and negative feelings and discussing them openly. If we don’t teach our children and neighbors how to talk about these issues, someone else will. Unfortunately, most of the current discussion is negative, which is then parroted by others. It is crazy when I hear my children mimic back comments that either I or other adults have made. Knowing this fact, we should coach our children by positive example.

To his further credit, the Lama identifies excessive political correctness as a deterrent to addressing prejudice, or unhappiness. We should not allow societal pressure to shun us from discussing these important topics openly. Having personal contact with others and discussing and understanding each other’s lives will have the effect of us seeing each other as individuals – not us versus them. Likewise, it is important to remember that prejudice can be a two way street – we must be aware that others may have prejudices or preconceived views making us the “them” in their lives.

I am a firm believer that promoting more “community” connections can help overall happiness. A community can be a neighborhood, church, sports team, coffee group, or just a line of random people at the grocery store. Try it some time at the Wal Mart check out line. In Minnesota, talking about the weather, the Twins or the Vikings is always a simple community unifier that breaks the bonds of individualism and creates and impromptu community. If you are visiting another community, try the same thing with a topic of local interest. Showing an interest in their personal or community unifier often sparks their spirit of connectivity and changes the entire interaction.

I recall the story of when I was in high school working at Schultz’ full-service gas station on I-90 in Jackson. One night, a truck and trailer from out of State broke down and had to be towed into the station. They were pulling a load of cattle, which of course needed to be taken care of. The out-of-towners asked me if I knew anywhere that would allow the cattle to be bedded while they fixed the problem. My community instincts kicked in and I realized that my own family farm would be the perfect solution. A quick call home, and my family cleared out a pen, put down some straw, hooked up the trailer and these foreign cattle were treated better than us kids. A simple story, but one that illicits the feeling the Lama describes.

If we view each of our interactions as an opportunity to build a positive community, no matter how small, we will have made made a huge contribution in making the world a better place. We don’t have to change the world to change our world.

I have often marveled at how broad one’s sense of community can expand as you travel further from home. The two summers I spent in Washington, D.C., I would have an immediate connection with anyone from the Midwest – we felt commonality. Anyone with actual connections to Minnesota was like a long lost family member. There was actual pride, and instant trust between us. Travelling overseas is similar – American’s, or in some cases, anyone who speaks English is a worthy dinner companion.

On a simplistic level, the Lama asks us to visualize this sense of community and use it as a model to help ourselves, our neighbors and our human neighborhood. While reading this book, I had a dream and woke up with these words in my head, “commonality is the greatest equalizer” (3/21/2010). If we look beyond just our differences, we may find that we have more in common with others than we expect. This also means being self-aware of our circumstances and helping others see challenges as an opportunity to overcome or solve– rather than as a roadblock or dead-end to a life objective or happiness.

The Chapter captioned, “Hope, Optimism and Resilience” is probably my favorite chapter in the whole book. My favorite quote is as follows: “Optimism does not mean that you are blind to the actual reality of the situation. It means that you always maintain a positive spirit so that you remain motivated to seek a solution to any given problem.”

When I recently went shopping to buy this book as a present, I was intrigued by how difficult it was to categorize. My unsuccessful attempt to find this book in Albert Lea led me through the self-help and inspirational sections. At the Barnes and Noble at the MOA, I eventually found the book in the “Eastern Religion” section – an odd location for a book on changing the world.

Yet, I struggled with how to categorize this book as well -- "Promoting Happiness" is the best I came up with. A little flowery? Yes. Accurate and probably necessary in today's confused world? Definitely.

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Greater Minnesota GOP Delegates need to support balanced ticket

2010-04-29T11:39:00.000-07:00

Dear Republican Delegate or Alternate,

I am writing to explain why I am an avid supporter of Marty Seifert for Governor. Marty is the candidate best positioned to keep the Republican firewall intact at the Governor’s Office in St. Paul. We need a candidate that will protect our Greater Minnesota values and understands our unique economic issues. Eight years ago, in my hometown of Albert Lea, we gathered together at the First District Convention and gave the Pawlenty Campaign a huge straw poll victory. Through many aggressive attacks against our candidate, we kept our momentum intact and refused to budge at the state endorsing convention. I wrote a letter in support of candidate Pawlenty eight years ago that is very similar to the one you are reading today. Below you can read a copy.

Regardless of who you may have supported eight years ago, the same can be said for Marty Seifert, except not only does he “get it” he has “lived it.”

Make no mistake, “purple” matters in Minnesota. Like my own district, much of the State leans Democrat. As a lifelong Republican, I am ecstatic that our base is clearly motivated to action leading up to this November election. We cannot win a statewide election, however, with only our base. We must be willing to attract independent and unaffiliated voters. We need a gubernatorial candidate on top of the ticket that will bring success to all of our candidates and our agenda.

It is easy to preach to the choir. The mark of a great leader, however, is to stick to your principals AND be open-minded and accessible to independent ideas. Success is not judged by sound bites and token votes; success is judged by results. Marty has proven that he can take tough votes and move our Republican agenda forward.

Marty Seifert is the best candidate to win the election and legislate for results, not gridlock.

Sincerely, Matt

_________________________________________________________
MATT BENDA
FREEBORN COUNTY

Albert Lea, Minnesota
June 13, 2002

Dear Republican Delegate:

Please consider the importance of having a Governor who has an intimate understanding of the unique issues we face outside the metropolitan area.As a delegate from Greater Minnesota, I believe we need a candidate that has a history of supporting issues important to rural Minnesota. Our candidate must take our Republican message statewide. Roger Moe is from rural Minnesota and if we don’t have a candidate who has a strong history of supporting these important issues, we will lose. There is only one candidate running for the Republican endorsement for Governor who can counter Moe on rural issues. Tim Pawlenty is that candidate.Tim’s actions speak louder than words.Tim has shown through his leadership that he strongly supports value added agriculture and that he understands the differing economies throughout Minnesota. Tim Pawlenty is the only candidate for Governor with a plan to spur economic development in Greater Minnesota. Tim has proposed creating tax-free zones for certain areas of the state that are having trouble creating jobs. Tim has fought (successfully) to lower taxes on farms and our local businesses. A quality rural infrastructure is crucial to our continued economic viability. Tim has fought to increase funding for our bridge and highway projects. He has show true creativity in advocating for this important economic issue.Finally, those of us from rural Minnesota know all to well about declining enrollment. Tim knows that if jobs are created, people will stay.I ask you to join me in supporting Tim Pawlenty because rural Minnesota needs a Governor who will fight with us.

Sincerely, Matt Benda

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I have a confession to make!

2010-04-10T06:04:00.000-07:00

I know that the "Smart People" in the world are telling me that I shouldn't affiliate with her:

"She's unpredictable and makes the party look silly..." Garrison Keillhor thinks she's "perky", but not legitimate. Many are not quite as eloquent as the old scout, calling her stupid and a liar -- or a moron. On the View, even her gender counterparts questioned her intelligence.

Still others think that she is a "conspicuously unintelligent right-wing media personality." Yet, I couldn't help myself... and thus my confession: I attended the Sarah Palin event this week in Minneapolis. Wait, there's more: I enjoyed it, my wife came with me, we cheered, and I .... (swallow... long dramatic pause).....like Sarah Palin.

What the Smart People don't get is that the more they jest Palin's pedigree, the clearer it becomes that she is just like the rest of us. Early in her speech, she won over her crowd with one simple truism, "what I like about you folks in Minnesota is that you sound like me." Of course, she meant her accent (which has also been criticized).

Yet, the look in people's eyes told more -- Palin made them fell that a normal person (like them) could make a difference. In one more sentence -- "Washington is addicted to OPM (sounds like opium) Other People's Money" -- she summarized one of the greatest concerns on people's minds. She is likeable, speaks straight and is able to touch people's hearts -- the "Palin Effect" as explained in one recent article.

She also instinctively understood the implications of the huge policy shift Obama recently took (from deterrence to appeasement) on national defense. Obama recently removed nuclear retaliation as an option against countries that use chemical or biological weapons against us. While Obama has not abandoned the American "speak softly and carry a big stick" approach, he has indicated that he feels that we should carry a smaller stick. This is a legitimate policy discussion that we should be having as a country, not some crackpot idea dreamed up by Palin. As explained in the USA today, this was a "major shift in the nation's security policy."

What the Smart People don't like is that Sarah Palin quickly framed this discussion in terms we all understand -- standing up to the play ground bully. I don't have to agree or disagree on every issue, but I do appreciate her ability to initiate and simplify the dialogue.

If you're curious, attached are the video links to the Palin and Obama exchange:

1. Palin in Minneapolis (I was there, but turned down Hannity's request for an interview);

2. Obama response -- notice how he says he is not going to respond and then does respond by saying that the Smart People know better than us simple folk;

3. Palin strikes back questioning his record of success in N. Korea and Iran.

I for one will keep listening to Sarah Palin as she seems a like lot of us here in Minnesota -- just trying to make the world a better place.

Thanks for listening. I feel much better having come clean on this one... although true bloggers would discover that I previously admitted to liking the Palin Label.
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Reform for the people, not for the votes.

2010-03-13T07:19:00.000-08:00

We are overwhelmed by it: health-care reform, welfare reform, government reform. A political revolution in the making? Maybe for some. Politics as usual? Probably for most.

It is understandable that reform efforts need to have political winds behind them to reach the legislative finish line. Reform for purely political reasons, however, will not "fix" anything. Reform should be for the people, not for their votes.

As explained recently by Pope Benedict XVI, "The more we strive to secure a common good corresponding the the real needs of our neighbours, the more effectively we love them. . . . When animated by charity, commitment to the common good has greater worth than a merely secular and political stand would have."

We should question the sincerity of the national health-care reform initiative of the left, just like we should question the motivation behind welfare reform initiatives of the hard right.

Economically and socially, we need to find a better way to do things. Reform efforts should be judged through the lens of effectively helping people, not merely re-election efforts.
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Focus on the Common Good: A case for ending our obsession with State and Federal funding

2010-02-16T17:04:00.000-08:00

A recent nation-wide study conducted by the University of Illinois, found that many "rural" communities are well above the national average in prosperity. Rather than focus just on growth, this study identified specific outcomes and tackled the question, "Why some rural places prosper and others do not." The final conclusion of the report identified educated populations, a diverse economy -- mix of farm and non-farm jobs, creative class occupations and balanced income distributions. This study further identified civic and religious engagement and community interconnectedness as key factors in success.

While I am clearly biased, this sounds a lot like Southern Minnesota! Let's face it, we have a pretty darn good place to call home. Our small-town networks of charity, faith, education and friendship are a priceless commodity. The Illinois report gives a glimpse of hope in otherwise dark times. As a community, we should elevate the importance of our community networks in promoting community prosperity. Whether these networks are referred to as the living church, Blue Zone "moais", social networks, Tibetan "camps" or just neighborhoods, government programs cannot compete with the human touch.

Community support and prosperity should not be driven exclusively by government solutions. Instead, our government institutions should provide the important infrastructure base that allows these networks to prosper-- the foothold at the base of the pyramid. We cannot expect our government to be everything for everybody.

Too often lately, it seem our community ethos and energy has been spent chasing state and federal money -- stimulus funds, "jobs" bills, bonding bills called jobs bills and other pork projects. Make no mistake, I strongly support parochialism and protecting our turf, especially in regards to funding formula inequities. Yet, the wedge politics and hand-wringing committed to gaining these entitlements does little to promote pride and the common good. We should get off the treadmill that bribes us into chasing institutional money, fueled with the demand that the institutions take more of our money -- and our children's money. Why should we demand that they take another dollar when all they send us back is a quarter?

Government certainly can do good, but it cannot always do the most good. Institution building should not be confused with community building. We should place more confidence in our local networks and end our obsession with gaming the treadmill system. The on-going effects of the great recession will certainly threaten the social and economic fabric as we know it. As a community, we must think long term, not rely on the short-term models currently being offered by the state and federal government.

A lot of ink has been used analyzing the "no new taxes' theory of the right. This pledge certainly has many downsides and is easily perceived as anti-good government. Yet, no ink is spilled on the "no new reform" pledge of the left. The public correctly fears that any new taxes would be spent on new programs, not strengthening existing programs. Government programs are not inherently good or right. They must efficiently promote the common good, not just promote "good."

In the pursuit of prosperity and the common good, we should have more confidence in, and strengthen our local networks. We should demand that our government institutions serve our communities, not let government institutions demand that our communities service them. The first step towards this goal is to recognize and minimize our obsession with government funding.

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Why we live in Minnesota: The Silver Lining

2010-02-14T06:08:00.000-08:00

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The Great Unifier: Obama Photo Parade

2010-02-05T20:24:00.000-08:00

A picture (and a YouTube video) are worth a thousand words:

Click here for YouTube video:

Obama Criticizes Supreme Court in State of the Union

v. Obama Bows to the Saudi King

and the Japenese Emperor

The GreatestGift

2010-01-28T05:24:00.000-08:00

"The greatest gifts my parents gave to me were their unconditional love and set of values. Values that they lived and didn't just lecture about.

Values that included an understanding of the simple difference between right and wrong, a belief in God, the importance of hard work and education, self-respect and a belief in America."

Colin Powell

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Exploring Free Will

2010-01-23T11:38:00.000-08:00

The past month, my five year old daughter has been learning the concept of making choices. One day, she asked her mother, "do you know why I don't behave when I get home at night?" Probably thinking that she can solve all of world's problems if she can solve this one, mom answered, "yes dear." Avery answered, "It is so hard being good at school all day that sometimes I need to be bad at home."

Having heard this story from my wife, the next week I get the question, "Does God control us?" [Oh boy, I'm in trouble -- deep breath] "No honey, God gave us choices on how we behave." Our good catholic school son (Age 8) then chimes in, "Like Adam and Eve." I jumped on this one "Yes, like Adam and Eve, we can choose whether to be good or bad."

Not quite satisfied, Avery goes on, "How do we know how to be good or bad." [sweat dripping down my forehead -- deep breath -- pause]. "That's our job as parents to teach you what is right and what is wrong. My parents taught me and now I have to teach you." Seemingly making the connection, Avery asks, "Do I need to teach my children?" [sigh of relief and mental high-five] "Yes, you will need to teach your children."

Back to being five again, she says "and they will teach their children and they will teach their children...... [on and on annoyingly for about five minutes].

Since then, it has been amazing to watch her work through this issue. Last night, she was ready to "blow her top" and said so, but seemed to calm herself down. She also told me recently that if she blows her top to turn on the lullaby CD in her room.

This parenting thing is scary business -- I often struggle with right and wrong and keeping my own perspective. Yet, I'm expected to teach life skills to a couple of little human sponges? I guess I need to keep exploring my own free will? Thanks to my daughter for teaching me this lesson.

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The Elephant in the room

2009-12-06T15:05:00.000-08:00

The Perpetual Challenge of Modern Government

2009-11-18T19:16:00.000-08:00

"This challenge requires that government finally master a delicate balancing act between opportunity and security -- between growth and fairness. To grow, a democratic capitalist economy requires strong economic incentives for investment, including low taxes and minimum regulation. To be fair, it must provide some goods and services to those who cannot provide for themselves, which will inevitably take resources away from growth. Enacting too much social spending is a cruel policy, not a humane one, because it weakens the system's capacity to serve everyone. . . It is fashionable to say that communism and socialism have been discredited. But they will not be completely discredited until government overcomes its tendency to ignore the simple fact that too much social spending saps an economy's ability to produce the funds necessary to finance the social programs."

Richard Nixon, Beyond Peace, 1994.

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The Elephant in the Room.

2009-11-14T05:41:00.001-08:00

Unfortunately, I'm not talking about the Republican elephant. While the elephant I'm talking about involves politics, this is not a political topic, but something that is happening in our own communities.

The elephant that is sitting in the room that we seem to be ignoring is that serious financial stress and a large hunger gap are infiltrating middle-class Minnesota and America. I've referred previously to the newly poor and the anxious middle class as a voting class. I have not, however, discussed this ballooning event as it is occurring in our own neighborhoods and right in front of our eyes. We have all been hearing the news for a while about extending benefits for the growing number of unemployed, food insecurity and overall increased poverty. Hunger is often associated with inner cities and third world countries, making it difficult to admit that it is prevalent in our own backyard.

A run of recent encounters triggered me to turn and point at the elephant in our own community living room to help us accept responsibility for addressing this challenge. First, the findings released from the annual Hormel Foods survey on hunger. This study found that 24% of US adults reported eating less this year so that kids had enough to eat. More profound from a community perspective, 38% indicated that they would be uncomfortable asking for food donations. People are much more likely to admit that they lost their job than admitting that they need food assistance.

Next, a recent conversation disclosed that in my local community, the waiting list for the homeless shelter and the overall grocery bill for the food shelves continues to increase at a record pace. Remember, these are the people that are asking for help. With no effort, I quickly recalled multiple family members, friends or clients that have have been laid off, had hours cut or are just simply struggling to figure out how to get by. I imagine anyone reading this can do the same. Finally, the demand for low-income legal assistance has more than doubled this year. I fear that perhaps we are just seeing the proverbial tip of the iceberg.

At the state level, we have a shortfall of 125 million meals per year and the twin cities is reporting over 100% increased demand in their food shelves. At the national level, the United States Department of Agriculture recently released its 2008 Household Food Security Report. 14.6% of US households are categorized as "food insecure", the highest number since the report began in 1995. This nation-wide hunger gap is described as "historic", yet only covers the 2008 time frame, the early stages of the current economic downturn. At the world level, our population continues with its exponential growth, with a threatened repeat of increased prices that caused food riots and governments to collapse.

While we do have a very effective delivery system in place, we must recognize that this societal challenge will not only strain, but may cause the delivery system to break down. Not only state and county government (the primary oars for safety net delivery); but also our local churches, non-profits and school districts are already feeling the pinch. Another recent report by Share our Strength, discloses that one in four children in America face hunger challenges, many in middle-class communities. Schools are described as "a critical safety net" against hunger among students.

These stories and reports are likely a whisper of what is yet to come.

Our solution to this challenge during a prolonged recovery on main street should not rely on crossing our collective fingers and waiting for the hyper-political wheels of Washington D.C. or St. Paul. Instead, we must lead at a local level to do what we do best -- adapt and work together as a community, state and country. We must challenge all organizations, governments and school districts to dramatically rethink how they fill (and pay for) this role. Difficult decisions need to be made as to who is entitled to help, and more importantly, how much help.

The answer is not to add new government programs, but to leverage, prioritize and strengthen the one's we already have. As leadership communities, we can set examples for other communities to follow. We should be part of the solution, not join the chorus of professional victims.

To meet this challenge, there must be a re-focusing of resources on basic institutional roles. To begin, a clear distinction must be drawn between the safety-net intended to keep people from falling into true poverty, and the entitlement mentality that clearly permeates current policy decisions. We must demand that these delivery institutions prioritize to keep the bottom from falling out and help people weather the storm and quickly return to self-reliance.

When working with clients, I often try to put their life challenges in perspective. Too often lately, I've found myself saying these words, "Remember, it may get worse before it gets better." Reality, with light at the end of the tunnel. Together, we should face the reality that it may get worse before it gets better -- that's the elephant in the room.

__________________________
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It's Still the Economy

2009-11-11T06:53:00.000-08:00

Political propaganda aside, the economy is very fragile right now. Two extreme political views (government is the answer v. tax-cuts) are driving the dialogue already looking towards the next election. An editorial explaining this counter-productive process appears in today's Financial Times and is a good read.

There continues to be a huge middle ground of common-sense that is not being explored. Until common-sense prevails, main street will struggle.

____________________________

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Anatomy of a State Political Convention

2009-10-06T19:16:00.000-07:00

I recently attended the 2009 Minnesota Republican Convention. According to news reports, some 1,200 people attended as voting delegates at this non-election year event. As I've done frequently for the last 20 years, I attended as a delegate and participated in this grass roots political process.

For those unfamiliar with this process, here is a primer: In the spring of an even year (election year), each political party holds is precinct caucuses. This event, generally dubbed as the beginning of the election process in Minnesota, ends with the election of delegates and alternates to the convention of "BPOU" (Basic Political Operating Unit) -- in Greater Minnesota by County. During an election year, delegates and alternates are elected to during the BPOU or County Convention to both the State and District Convention (1st Congressional District for me). These delegates are then empowered to be the official voice of the State Party and Congressional District for two years (the even election year; and the odd non-election year).

A candidate seeking the party endorsement, must receive it (by vote of the delegates) at the appropriate District or State Convention.

This past weekend was the off-year State Republican Convention. An off-year is a building year, as the next election is more than a year away. Yet, these conventions are important as the building blocks for the success or failure of the party in the next election. In addition, this year was surrounded by the buzz created by a straw poll of the delegates of their first and second choice for receiving the Republican Party endorsement to run for Governor in 2010.

I decided that my determining factor in who I would support in the straw poll was how well I thought they would perform in a "purple district." A purple district (like Albert Lea) is one that is not consistently Republican (Red) or Democrat (Blue). I wanted to support a candidate that would attract independent voters and provide a boost to local Republican candidates.

I questioned the top five candidates and posted their responses on my new found friend twitter (you can view the results of these interviews to the left of my blog). In the end, I supported Marty Siefert as my first choice and David Hann as my second.

I enjoy the opportunity to see candidates at this early point in the campaign helps to separate the real person from the campaign glitz.
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Time to Strengthen the Social Safety Net: Not extend the supply lines

2009-09-24T11:25:00.000-07:00

I find myself talking politics a lot these days. This is common for me, but it seems that there is an across the board increased "chatter" almost comparable to an election year. There appear to be two factors driving this heightened engagement:

1. Our President's attempt orate his legislative agenda. I've previously blogged about Obama's impressive ability to open doors and initiate dialog. Through his abilities, he has injected politics (namely the health-care debate) into the popular culture of America and has been hitting the political talk show circuit and late night shows; and

2. People are genuinely scared for their families' future. More businesses are facing financial ruin, more people are being laid off and the existing support structure is being severely strained.

The anxious middle-class and the newly poor are a growing constituency that feel helplessly sandwiched between the high cost and mandates of Obamacare and the anti-welfare advocates on the far right. These extremes leave a huge middle-ground called "common-sense."

Common-sense dictates that we need to circle the wagons to make sure our existing social safety net is working properly, getting to those who need it for a hand-up and making sure that the system does not financially collapse. Adding new entitlement programs under the banner of "change" may provide good headlines, but is hollow on main street.

Government should protect the social safety net supply line, not string it out so thin that it collapses.
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Tribute to Norman Borlaug

2009-09-15T17:43:00.000-07:00

A legend passed away this past weekend. Norman Borlaug had many titles:

Father of the Green Revolution
The man who saved more lives than any man in history
Greatest American of the 20th Century;
Greatest Human Being, RIP
The man who fed the world;
Nobel laureate

In today's pop culture world, this level of media accolades is unheard of, but refreshing.

I had the opportunity to meet Borlaug once at a World Food Prize event -- a program he started to recognize individuals who promote food availability in the world.

One of Borlaug's greatest quotes:

...most Western environmentalists "have never experienced the physical sensation of hunger. They do their lobbying from comfortable office suites in Washington or Brussels. If they lived just one month amid the misery of the developing world, as I have for 50 years, they'd be crying out for tractors and fertilizer and irrigation canals and be outraged that fashionable elitists in wealthy nations were trying to deny them these things."

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Better Message, Better Candidates, Better Results: Searching for Safety Net Republicans

2009-08-18T06:45:00.000-07:00

Why do we continue surrendering the high ground to the Democrats? They express constant moral outrage over any attempt to control the ever growing appetite for government spending -- the Federal deficit is now projected to exceed a staggering $9 trillion. Their open mockery inaccurately attempts to justify entitlement spending under the cover of the social safety net.

The inconvenient fact that is being ignored is the moral line that they are crossing by advocating unsustainable spending that is on track to bankrupt every level of government. Such actions threaten to effectively destroy the social safety net, not strengthen it. The general public instinctively understands that piling another expensive program on top of the bankrupt social security and medicare programs is probably a bad idea. This realism is more likely driving the recent populist outrage than a mistrust of government.

As Republicans, we need to express the need for a sustainable safety net. Where are the "Safety Net Republicans" that can articulate the need for a hand-up, not a hand out? Republicans must express compassion for those in need and express disgust for those attempting to gain entitlements under the banner of the social safety net.

Unfortunately, we are not articulating this message, nor opening recruiting candidates who can. Running a candidate that shows an increased level of compassion during tough economic times is just good politics. After all, more people are either relying on government support or at least are worried that they may need government support in the coming years. Tough talk may satisfy ideologues looking for endorsements, but certainly does not make people feel secure and can easily be perceived as being mean-spirited.

During the fabled "Republican Revolution" ushered in by the Contract for America, general public dissatisfaction with the government was at an all-time high of 70%, compared with 57% now. Of further interest in today's new political climate, younger voters and independents are much less skeptical of government and believe that the government is run for the benefit of all people. The same is true for independents, Hispanics and minority voters. These overall trends indicate the unlikelihood of a non-presidential election repeat of the Contract for America scenario that many die hard Republicans are preaching.

Unfortunately, too much of our current Republican "message" operates under the government is bad banner. The current platform still references "requiring all able-bodied welfare recipients to work as a condition of receiving benefits..." and a strong statement that the safety net should be privatized and removed from the government domain. While these planks are laudable goals, they were written in a time of apparent endless prosperity. At that time, there was a dream that the economic growth engine alone would lead the world out of poverty. Unfortunately, prosperity alone cannot be expected to solve the worlds problems. An exclusively private social safety net is not on the current horizon.

Our party has generally supported the concept of supporting those in need and some candidates are on message. Unfortunately, in today's charged climate, Republicans feel that they need to express disgust for welfare recipients first and then reluctantly acknowledge that those that cannot help themselves MAY need some help. I support an expression of compassion first and reform second. Most recently, the party attempted to take a step in the right direction by creating its new "Health Care Coalition." Ultimately a great messaging opportunity -- yet, they still got it backwards: "The goals of the coalition are to help prevent a government takeover of the American health care system and to promote positive alternatives which put doctors and patients in charge."

Articulating what we support FIRST and what we would change SECOND is a simple, but effective way to attract voters. I support cleaner water...to be achieved in a reasonable manner. I support classrooms first .. reform second. I support immigrants pursuing the American Dream... provided they follow the law. A "Safety Net Republican" is no different. Our candidates should express compassion for those truly in need. Only then, will our leaders have the moral high ground necessary to accomplish real reform.

Exploring this new messaging should yield a new breed of candidates, sorely needed in purple swing districts. Quality candidates supporting the old ideological anti-government premise are a declining breed. I see very little "new blood" in any of the Republican camps. I frequently hear the question, "why can't we get more young people involved in the party?" They need a cause and the one being presented does not work for them.

We need more than just tough talk to win elections. We need a better message that acknowledges the concern in people's hearts. It feels good to help people and having candidates that can openly discuss that they care about people can only be a good thing. As we begin to turn the tide towards more common-sense and realism, good candidates need to get elected and then they need to lead. Safety-net Republicans, time to speak up.

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The Fall-out from "Change"

2009-07-01T07:19:00.000-07:00

The Fall-out from "Change"

As many of you know, I am an active member in the "Agriculture Community", as a member of the American Agricultural Law Association and a student of ag policy for many years. In this capacity, I follow a number of industry and academic thinkers on industry trends and challenges. One of those thinkers is Roger McEowen, a distinguished professor from Iowa State University and Director of the ISU Center for Agricultural Law and Taxation.

One of Professor McEowen's recent tax updates included the following overview of the "massive" American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (this is the one that you see the signs for on the road projects). The following is his overview:

"Pushed through Congress with little debate based on claims that matters would be "catastrophic" if passage was not immediate, and without an opportunity for members of Congress to actually read the text of the legislation, the Congress passed the massive spending bill, H.R. 1 . . .

The Act contains 575 pages of tax provisions. Many of the provisions are individual credits that will likely have little-to-no immediate stimulative effect and targeted tax benefits that appear to be so narrow as the be largely ineffective economically at the present time. That is why it is inaccurate to call the Act a "stimulus" bill. In addition, the non-tax portion of the Act contains massive amounts of spending for social programs largely unrelated to the economy. To facilitate the massive spending contained in the Act (it is the largest spending bill in U.S. history), the Act raises the U.S. debt limit to over $12 trillion."

This one caught my attention!
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Discrimination Against White Firefighters!

2009-06-29T17:30:00.000-07:00

The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that a group of White firefighters in Conn. were discriminated against when their testing results for promotions were set-aside after it was discovered that no black firefighters were among the finalists.

While not presented as a major change in the law, this ruling is drawing attention as the lower court ruling that was overturned involved Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor.

I expect a lot of media attention on this issue, attempting to paint the current Supreme Court as "too conservative."
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Finding Reform in St. Paul: behind every door and around every corner

2009-06-18T11:40:00.000-07:00

The word "reform" is an often overused term in politics. A google search of "reform in politics" turns up over 48 million hits. Sometimes the concept of reform is repackaged into another term, say "change in politics" at 190 million google hits; 62.5 million for "Obama Change in politics."

While I mostly disagree with Obama's change or reform attempts, I cannot criticize him for his aggressive search for a new way of doing things. I like to say that there is reform behind every door and around every corner. Right now, the Obama presidency is seeing an unprecedented ability to open doors and get around corners that never were before thought possible. Ultimately, history will determine whether or not he is using his pulpit to force open the right doors.

In contrast, as an observer this past legislative session, I saw very little progress in finding real reform in St. Paul. Instead, the leadership of the majority party perfected the role of closing doors, dispensing political rhetoric and finger pointing. Education and health-care are the two opportunities for reform that I have blogged about previously.
http://tiltingagainst.blogspot.com/2009_02_01_archive.html
http://tiltingagainst.blogspot.com/2009_05_01_archive.html

Given that these two areas account for almost 70% of the budget, reform in other areas becomes irrelevant from a numbers perspective. The attached link shows a great pie chart of the State's budget. http://budgetforum.senate.mn/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/slide93.gif

The Democrats' door slamming episode ended with few new ideas even making it out of committee or being quickly killed on the floor. Even attempts to close loopholes on outright fraud and abuse of the welfare system were thwarted. To the D's anguish, they unintentionally left the door open a crack for Governor Pawlenty to utilize the unallotment process.

No one claims that unallotment is the preferred method of obtaining reform. Reform using a blunt object is always more messy than the scalpel. Yet, the Democrats posturing at the Capital left all the doors locked and the hallways blocked.

The legislative master that he is, Pawlenty remains a step ahead of his opposition. Many of his unallotment cuts are deferred until 2011, meaning that the legislature has next year to actually make reforms. If the Democratic leadership in the legislature cannot get their act together and implement "change", then the bulk of the Pawlenty cuts go into effect.

In effect, the Governor has established a new end game. Normally, the first year of session sets the budget for two years and government shut down occurs on July 1 in an impasse. This time around, Pawlenty avoided a shut down and set the rules for what will happen next July 1st if Democrats cannot perform. As much as they will posture, Democrats will not be able to avoid responsibility for a meltdown and the "No Reform" label can be placed on their candidates foreheads.

A well reasoned, disciplined approach from the minority should be able to capture this opportunity and broker reform opportunities while the Governor watches from the national campaign trail. Governor Pawlenty has handed House and Senate Republicans a set of keys that will open many doors that are normally unavailable for a party with minority status.

I hope that our caucuses can use the keys that have been handed to them to promote real reform, not just old worn-out agendas.

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A reminder of God's power and mercy

2009-06-18T06:30:00.000-07:00

I was in Austin, Minnesota last night for the Cedar River Watershed District meeting. These monthly meetings are held at the Hormel Nature Center. Well, this location happened to be in the path of last night's tornado that hit Austin. http://www.albertleatribune.com/news/2009/jun/17/tornado-touches-down-corning-austin/

We heard the sirens and then the news came that a twister was hitting the NW side of Austin and heading our way. We watched the clouds begin to rotate and the debris starting picking up. Small "fingers" of twisters snuck out of the side of the massive cloud and then we could see the large rotating cloud heading our way.

Our group of about 15 went to the bathrooms and utility rooms as there was no basement. The men's room has a small window that we could see out. All I could see was trees being flattened or completely sideways. The interpretive center is about 20 feet away and we lost site of it when all we could see was downed trees and roots sticking out of the ground. We were waiting for the "train sound" that everyone describes when a tornado hits. Lucky for us, we never heard that sound.

Outside, the photo below is what we saw. These were the trees that we could see out of the bathroom window.

The roof of the interpretive center was torn-off as shown below.

The photo at the very top shows the path of the destruction after it hit the interpretive center, only 20 feet from our bathroom shelter. We then started to get the terrible news about other parts of town and homes that had been hit. After the chainsaws arrived, I was thankful to be heading back home to my family. Last night, I certainly said extra prayers of thanks.

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A tale of three parks!

2009-06-03T14:16:00.000-07:00

Camping season is here!! My family enjoyed the pre-summer ritual of cleaning out the camper, taking inventory and preparing for another season. It doesn't take long to remember why we enjoy this so much: no distractions, yard-work or house work and quality time with family and friends.

For some reason, I've been intrigued by my visits to the various parks we've visited. Likely, the fact that I spend a lot of time there chasing my 4-year old (5 years old today) and 7-year old around has a lot to do with it. My observation has been that a good park has a life of its own. I'm not talking about a water park or the monstrosities that often appear in today's super sized world, just a the good old fashioned jungle gym ("JG"). These parks take on the life of who's there. A lonely teenager swinging alone, a slew of kids laughing, or fighting. At night, perhaps some beers from the neighbors cooler (last year, we were the "neighbors" whose cooler of beer disappeared in the night -- more about that later).

This year, it seems that whenever I arrive at a park with the kids, its just us and the JG. Nice, I think, just the kids and I and some good bonding. Let's play a friendly game of tag! Literally, within moments, the kids are pouring out of every nook and cranny in the area. It was almost as if they have been hiding in the bushes all day waiting for some unsuspecting mom or dad to show up. Suddenly, you become the center of their "you're it" world.

Even the older kids (over 10), who initially act too mature to stoop down to boring old tag, seem to come around when there is an adult figure on the JG. The first park I observed this was in South Dakota. We started a game of dodge ball tag. Hit them with the ball, without them catching it, and their it. I think we played for ten seconds before everyone wanted in. The traditional animosity between the age groups quickly evaporated. For a good forty-five minutes, the park was crazy-fun. Dinner time arrived and I announced that we had to leave. As quickly as they arrived, the throngs of kids were gone. It happened so quickly, I wondered if I had imagined it.

Next, we visited a campground in the Canby area. Their JG was an antique Rainbow Play set. Built like a tank. Again, tag with the kids on an empty JG turned into a ten-kid free for all. Melissa, a three-year old, was at first afraid to play. She was clearly afraid of the older kids and I finally was able to "catch" her and she was it. She then proceeded to chase me around the JG at least three times. The older kids were trying to let her catch them, but I finally realized that I was her only target. "Watch-out" all the kids shriek when it's my turn. This time, I tried to slowly disappear to the side and let the games go on. Fun to watch, but the proverbial dinner bell again ended the fun. I felt 10 again for a moment and could almost hear my mom yelling, "kids, time for dinner." Of course, I was the one yelling

Finally, last weekend, we went to our "home" campground and set-up shop across from the park. I asked the kids, to help me describe this park to someone. They immediately answered, "space rocket ship." Not what I expected, but soon I was the alien who had to recruit an army of my evil friends to attack the space ship and overrun the "good guys" and take over the ship. In the end, my army was defeated as we did not know that the good guys had a self-destruct button that blew up the ship as soon as we were all on board. I WILL remember that one next time.

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2009 Legislative Review: The Continued Search for Balance

2009-05-20T06:15:00.000-07:00

Politics, like life, consists of an on-going quest to find balance. Sometimes you have it, sometimes you don’t. Recently, Albert Lea began its newest quest to find long-term balance through the “Blue Zone” vitality project. This exciting project consists of community members committing to making a series of small positive changes that will have a huge impact on their lives.

In this spirit, I am encouraged to see Republicans making a series of positive changes which will clearly have a positive impact on the success of our community and our state. Locally, we are fortunate to have local businessman and community philanthropist, Al Arends leading us on a quest to find common-sense. It is refreshing to see so many new faces from all age groups engaged in the exchange of ideas.

At the state level, Republicans have made a series of small changes, beginning with their approach to education funding. Led by Governor Pawlenty, Republicans have staked out an aggressive and positive position supporting increased funding to our K-12 classrooms. While the Governor pushed hard this year for higher classroom funding levels, in the end he signed the majority’s education bill. Also, I had the privilege this year of participating in a positive, bi-partisan discussion on clean water and habitat enhancement through the use of the new dedicated sales tax revenue. Continued Republican leadership in this area can have only positive results.

In contrast, the same can be said for the DFL making a series of small negative decisions that had a huge impact on this year’s session. When the Governor initially announced his legislative package, the DFL quickly went on a “gotchya” offensive around the state. The DFL missed an opportunity to find solutions to Minnesota’s challenges and instead just identified a series of problems. Their attempt to simply build political support for their patch-work agenda probably prevented the DFL from finding their balance.

Next, the DFL went after a number of Pawlenty projects in an apparent attempt to create negotiating chips for the final end-game. Of local interest, the Governor’s Q-comp program and the JOBZ program were in the cross-hairs.

Finally, the House and Senate passed what I termed “misplaced” tax bills. On their first attempt, the House passed a tax bill that would have ended popular deductions like mortgage interest, property taxes, charitable contributions, education expenses and child-care. This political disaster did not make it out of conference committee until less than one hour prior to the end of session. Earlier, the House and the Senate leadership patched together an alternative $1 billion tax bill that was quickly vetoed by the Governor. In the end, the DFL did not even get all of their own to support this alternative tax bill. Locally, Representative Poppe (DFL Austin) voted no on the attempt to override the Governor’s veto.

Probably the biggest remaining challenge is to find a way to provide quality and affordable health care in a manner that does not bankrupt state coffers. As in Albert Lea’s Blue Zone project, a series of small steps can have a huge impact. Hopefully, the DFL and the Governor can begin to work together to make the reforms necessary to accomplish this outcome and in the end find balance.

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Finding Balance

2009-05-13T19:14:00.000-07:00

It's time to balance the books.

Yesterday, the house and the senate sent a series of spending bills to the Governor. Unfortunately, their spending package is $3 billion in excess of their revenue. "A $3 billion hole" as described by the Pioneer Press. http://www.twincities.com/ci_12364582

Shortly after receiving the bills, the Governor expressed his frustration in a letter to legislative leaders. Click here to read his letter. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/features/2009/05/DFL_spending_bills_letter.pdf

As explained by the Governor, the one tax bill the DFL was able to muster sent $1 billion in additional revenue. Although this bill was vetoed by the Governor, even it was still $2 billion short of their spending spree. The ball remains in the DFL court to find responsible revenue enhancements that support their spending -- or find areas to cut.

The Governor has proposed additional revenue enhancements totally $1billion -- many of which were supported by either the house or the Senate. His proposal was flatly rejected by the DFL majority. As twittered by Speaker Kelliher, "It is not a responsible plan."

What would be irresponsible would be for the Governor to sign spending bills that are not paid for. Again, reasonable education and human services bills and a responsible tax bill have not been presented by the DFL majority. Until they are, balance will remain elusive.
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Taxes split traditional alliances

2009-05-10T08:35:00.001-07:00

Neighbors in their districts and on the house floor, Representatives Jeanne Poppe and Robin Brown often agree on and vote the same on issues. This session, however, has proven more difficult. Robin Brown offered an amendment on the house floor to save the state-promised JOBZ benefits to businesses in her district. Poppe, however, voted against Brown's amendment and the amendment failed by a vote of 68 to 65.

Shortly thereafter, the house voted on the omnibus tax bill and Brown pulled the yes lever and Poppe the no. According to Poppe, the $1.5 billion tax proposal did not propose a solution and was too big. http://www.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?z=16&a=398703

In contrast, Brown indicated that she voted for the tax bill because of the local benefits and because it created a better, "balance of taxes for all people." http://www.albertleatribune.com/news/2009/may/06/albert-leans-gather-show-support-jobz-program/

It is apparent that this year's legislative session will continue to challenge traditional alliances. As detailed in a previous post, this year's real battle will come to spending in the state's two largest areas: welfare reform and education. http://tiltingagainst.blogspot.com/2009_02_01_archive.html Behind the headlines, these two areas will continue to dominate the politics of this year's session.

Also, watch closely the working relationship between Speaker of the House Margaret Kelliher and Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller. They have substantially different governing styles and time will tell if they will be able to keep the DFL train on the track.
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Tax Bill "Do-Over"

2009-05-08T12:16:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, a group of local residents held a rally at the Courthouse lawn in Albert Lea. The purpose of the rally was to request that Governor Pawlenty veto the then-current tax package that had been passed by the House and Senate.
http://www.albertleatribune.com/news/2009/may/07/rally-dont-cut-jobz/

Of major concern, was the ripping back of JOBZ tax benefits that had been promised to local employers. For example, Albert Lea Select Foods held up their end of the JOBZ bargain having now created over 400 jobs, having initially promised 50. The tax package would have ended most of the State-promised benefits mid-stream. Not only would this policy threaten existing jobs, but would also send a terrible message to other businesses looking to locate in the State. http://www.kimt.com/content/localnews/story/Businesses-Ask-for-State-Do-Over/MX8rDKaReUOkPngY73skAw.cspx

The tax package also contained a new 4th tier tax bracket and elminated commonly used tax deductions like mortgage interest, property taxes, charitable contributions, education and child care expenses.

Late last night, the House and Senate did re-do their tax bill. It was initially passed with actual blanks in the bill. http://www.startribune.com/politics/state/44534987.html?elr=KArks:DCiU1OiP:DiiUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU. It was later sent to Conference Committee and is now awaiting further action on the floor of the house and senate. Attached is the house research summary. http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/hrd/bs/86/HF0885.html

Stay tuned.

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Time to put Pork on the menu!

2009-04-29T12:18:00.000-07:00

It may be a merely symbolic measure, but please join me in eating some good pork chops this weekend. Like most of you, I have family, friends, neighbors and clients that rely on the livestock industry for their livelihood. The latest news on the flu outbreak, and the unfortunate use of term "Swine Flu" seriously threatens one of Greater Minnesota's strongest economic engines and job providers.

There is no relationship between eating pork and contracting the flu. http://www.freep.com/article/20090429/FEATURES08/90429018. As this article further reports, there have been no confirmed reports of pigs contracting the virus. If you have visited a hog operation recently, you will be impressed with their bio-security measures. They certainly do not want this strain infecting their hog herds and have a strong system in place to minimize this risk.

Today officials are also reporting that this strain probably did not even originate on a farm. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124105320874371313.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Join the Obama Administration and others in correcting the name of this outbreak to: "H1N1 Flu".
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/04/28/officials-offer-new-swine-flu/

http://www.startribune.com/yourvoices/44013467.html?elr=KArksi8cyaiUgOahccyiUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU

Finally, join me in getting out the grill and enjoying some pork this weekend. For my vegetarian friends, buy a pork chop for your neighbor.

Tax Bill Deserves Pawlenty Veto

2009-04-27T07:28:00.000-07:00

Saturday evening, the Minnesota House of Representatives barely pulled together enough votes to pass their misguided tax bill. One of the most contentious measures involved the DFL proposal to rip back mid-stream the JOBZ tax benefit proposals that formed the basis for many businesses deciding to locate and expand in Greater Minnesota.

An amendment by our own Representative Robin Brown, attempted to save the JOBZ provisions, but failed by a vote of 65 to 68. http://www.politicsinminnesota.com/2009/apr25/3037/bits-and-pieces-house-omnibus-tax-bill-debate

It appears that the final bill passed by the same margin -- 68 to 65, with Brown switching her vote to APPROVE the final bill which included elimination of the JOBZ tax stream. http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/cco/journals/2009-10/J0425041.htm#4096

Not only does this bad bill rip money right out of the coffers of our local employers, it also taxes other incentives that companies receive for doing business in Minnesota, eliminates other popular tax benefits and substantially increases the cost of doing business in Minnesota through broad reaching tax increases.

This bill is VERY BAD for Albert Lea, bad for Greater Minnesota and bad for all of Minnesota.

The DFL has created a bill that is a political animal and a greedy revenue grab that deserves the wrath of the Governor's veto pen.

Tilting Against Windmills!

2009-04-26T07:23:00.000-07:00

At first, my family was skeptical when I explained to them that I was starting a "blog." To them the term sounded almost sinister and like something out of a Star Trek movie. Now, they seem to have acquiesced to my new-found hobby.

My initial inspiration came from reading Don Quixote. His attempts to challenge the prevailing wisdom of the time was often misunderstood, yet bizarrely on-point. As articulated by the original Q himself,

"Anyone publishing a book exposes himself to enormous risk, because it's absolutely impossible to write one in such a way that it satisfies and pleases all those who read it."

This blog is my attempt to look at issues from a different perspective. Thus, Challenging your view of..... [fill in the blank].

Thanks for tolerating my awkward attempt at modern civic engagement.

Q.

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THAT’S JUST THE WAY IT IS: MOSQUITO LORE IN ALBERT LEA.

2009-04-20T17:02:00.000-07:00

The current budget debate in the City of Albert Lea is an interesting chapter in the local lore relating to our unofficial state bird, the beloved mosquito. I had the honor of participating in the last chapter of this saga nearly seven years ago. I remember the occasion well since it coincided with the birth of our first child in July of 2001. That year, the term “unbearable” does not even begin to describe how bad the mosquitoes were in Albert Lea. As first time (protective) parents, the severity of the mosquitoes left an impression. I faintly remember that the situation was bad in prior years, but in 2001 it affected us profoundly.

As we prepared for our first child, we sprayed the yard and purchased mosquito netting to cover the car seat and stroller just so we could carry our child from the car. We lived on the southwest side of town and I remember literally running to my mailbox and back just to pick up the mail in the afternoon. Our backyard was un-usable after early spring.

That summer, we would apply large quantities of repellant and attempt to “go for a walk.” I remember running home after a block or two because we were overcome with the swarms of neighbors that came out to greet us. Unfortunately, our human neighbors were not quite as accessible. Needless to say, our quality of life in Albert Lea was suffering.

How does this relate to today? Well, I am hearing echoes of what I encountered seven years ago. At that time, I approached the city and inquired as to why they were not spaying for mosquitoes. The answer I received was that the city had disposed of their mosquito spraying equipment and that spraying simply did not work. I still have the newspaper article where the City gave the following response to the infestation:

“Years ago (the city) used to spray for mosquitoes but it’s really not
effective. You kill one and a hundred come to his funeral. [The City official added that] he is sure the pests affect how the parks are used, but there is not much that can be done besides using mosquito repellent. That’s just the way it is, he said.”

Anyone who knows me is aware that I was raised in a family that simply does not accept statements such as, “that’s just the way it is.” Instead, I did what any expecting dad would do in the same situation. I started a petition drive and initiated a grass roots call for the city to control its mosquito population. My “Anti-Mosquito Petition” read as follows:

“To protect the quality of life in Albert Lea, including but not limited to: being able to mow your yard, being able to walk in your yard, being able to walk
down the street, being outdoors for more than 30 seconds, the ability to do anything outside, the ability to attract business to Albert Lea, the protection of tourism and business in the city, the protection of property values and in general, the health, safety and welfare of its citizens, we the undersigned demand that all reasonable efforts be taken to control the mosquito population in Albert Lea.”

As you can probably imagine, the petition went over quite well and people decided that they did not have to accept the situation -- “just the way it is.” Prior to even finalizing and presenting the popular petition to the city, they acted. http://www.albertleatribune.com/news/2001/jun/29/city-sprays-for-mosquitoes/ The city remembered that they still had the old mosquito spraying equipment and discovered that a company from southern Minnesota could be hired to effectively spray to control the infestation. In response to community demand, the city began spraying for mosquitoes in 2001. Guess what the citizens of Albert Lea have been quietly doing for the past seven years? Mowing their yards; walking in their yards; walking down the street and going outside for more than 30 seconds at a time!

I do not accept the statement that spraying does not work.

What I do accept is that the city has some tough budget decisions to make and perhaps mosquito spraying is a service that will be cut. So far, though, it appears that they have tried to only grab the low hanging fruit. Mosquito spraying is being presented as having questionable value and discretionary. The city can then argue that if citizens want this type of “extra”, they need to pay for them through fees or more likely as justification for a huge tax increase next year.

The initial work of the city and the budget advisory committee is commendable – more information is always better. Unfortunately, this is only the very beginning of the process, not the end. The tough question remains: how to provide long-term, affordable “core” local government services.

The statement that mosquito spraying is equal to one city employee is telling to the natural mentality of the city entering this process – protecting their turf. http://www.albertleatribune.com/news/2009/mar/07/should-city-spray-mosquitoes/. Reportedly, 80% of the city budget is personnel driven. How many mosquito-type discussions can occur without addressing the elephant in the room? Government and businesses across the country are already implementing personnel cuts and restructuring which services are provided and how.

City officials must accept responsibility for their decisions. If they choose to cut mosquito spraying-type services, they must accept responsibility for the replacement of neighborhood block parties with neighborhood swarms of uninvited guests. They cannot displace their responsibility by blaming the state or others for their woes. Accepting the status quo for 80% of the budget is a decision to raise taxes next year – no amount of repellant can protect city officials from that bite.

A ticket to anywhere!

2009-03-25T18:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I had lunch with my 4 year old daughter at her day-care. It’s spring break, so this is a different location from her normal pre-school. I sat in the small chairs with the kids and every child in the room had a story to tell. As we were eating corn dogs, baked beans and mandarin oranges, the boy to my right (Daniel) told me about his house, his dog, his grandparents and pretty much every other detail that he could think of. Not wanting to ignore my daughter, nor the other kids at the table, I tried to carry on only two conversations at a time. Daniel, however, was persistent and wanted to tell me that he liked my tie, my ring and my white collared shirt. Each time, he would politely tap my arm to get my attention. I would ask him to wait, finish my conversation with another child and then return to his inquisition.

At the end of the meal, I shook his hand and thanked him for letting me join him for lunch. As I did so, I noticed the ketchup and bean stained finger prints on the sleeve of my shirt. That certainly made me smile and left me a nice reminder the rest of the day of my enjoyable meal.

After the meal, I stood in line with the children while they took turns washing up and preparing for nap time, which my daughter is staunchly opposed to. While negotiating my escape back to work with my daughter, another child (Fawn) was vying for my attention. She also wanted to tell me about her family and her stuffed horse (not pony) that she cuddled with during nap time.

This morning, I again dropped off my daughter at her “new” day-care and as I was leaving was approached by Fawn. She had a small slip of paper in her hand. She quietly handed it to me and said it was my “ticket.” I said thank-you and she elaborated that I could, “go anywhere you want to with it.” All it had on it was the number 11.

In my structured adult mind, I initially assumed that I was the 11th person to get a ticket. From a four year old’s perspective, however, I wonder if all of the tickets probably had the same writing on them designating some secret four-year old code. Either way, I’ve been resisting my adult mindset of viewing this ticket as a plane-ticket or ability to go some place exotic and far-away. Instead, I’ve decided to keep the ticket in my coat pocket and whenever I need to get away, I’ll pull out the ticket and think of the refreshing meal I had with the four-year olds. Better yet, I may just go back for lunch with my new friends . . . only next time I won’t wear a white shirt.

LEGAL AID: QUIETLY GIVING A HAND-UP TO THOSE IN NEED

2009-03-15T14:53:00.000-07:00

I recently had the opportunity to testify at the local town-hall meeting of the legislature. The purpose of my testimony was to encourage continued funding for Civil Legal Services to support the important work that is done to provide access to the Justice System. I am a private attorney, having lived and worked in the Albert Lea area for over 13 years. My practice focuses primarily on business related issues, together with work in agricultural law, real estate and family law. Since moving to Albert Lea, I have taken an active interest in finding ways to make our community prosper in a positive way.

One of the quiet ways that our community accomplishes this goal is to provide citizens access to a fair and equal forum to resolve their disputes. We are fortunate in Minnesota to have a first class Justice System.

For many years, I have served on the board of directors of Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services (“SMRLS”) – one of the six regional Civil Legal Services providers in Minnesota. SMRLS provides affordable and understandable Civil Legal Services to all citizens, regardless of income.

During my tenure on the board, I have observed the inner workings of the SMRLS organization through the last budget crisis in 2002, the partial recovery budget of 2006 and now this terrible economic downturn. Let me share a few of my observations on how SMRLS has dealt with each of these challenges:

• SMRLS participates in an on-going process called “Future’s Planning.” This process is our constant attempt to find efficient ways to provide services to those in need. We strive to leverage our dollars during good times. This allows us to better respond during funding down turns.

• During the last budget deficit, SMRLS completely reorganized itself by centralizing its hot-line intake process and technology. We focused our resources on being one law-firm, rather than a series of offices around the state. This change helped to keep all rural offices open while absorbing staff reductions and has actually increased the number of persons who have been able to access SMRLS and enables SMRLS to provide more seamless services.

• During the last increased budget, we set-aside reserves and focused on preserving our best and brightest talent. A large majority of any Civil Legal Services provider’s budget consists of staff. Although legal aid attorneys are some of the lowest paid in the Justice System, we are able to attract a talented, compassionate and team oriented group of employees. They are the front-line in helping those in need navigate the legal process. This talent pool is especially important in hard times when we need to stretch our dollars further.

• SMRLS constantly searches for outside funds to leverage State and Federal Dollars. We accomplish this through aggressive grant writing and the successful Campaign for Legal Aid.

Those who know me know that I am a fiscally conservative Republican and that I believe in providing a hand-up, not a hand-out. I know of no other organization that epitomizes this motto better.

I am also now participating in the SMRLS Retrenchment Process (“Futures” planning during a downturn). As an organization, we recognize that an economic downturn of this magnitude results in more people that need help. Our challenge is to provide services to more people, while at the same time receiving less money.

In accomplishing this goal, our first priority is to keep our existing staff intact. SMRLS recently announced a salary and hiring freeze. We also recognize the need to utilize our reserves. Unfortunately, these steps only fill a few of the large holes in the budget. We continue to prioritize additional spending cuts to be ready to respond to the actions that legislators take in St. Paul.

I encouraged legislators to remember that the Justice System as a whole provides an important calming and public safety component. I refer to it as “Core Services, plus.” The plus being: preserving the rule of law, giving individuals a forum for their disputes and a mechanism to provide community stability in a positive way. As stated by our Board Chair, Kathy Bartz, we must “give our clients a sense of hope.”

Organizations like SMRLS are working hard to be part of the solution during these difficult times. The budget cannot be balanced through draconian cuts to the Justice System’s small budget pie. The Justice System is only 2% of the State’s budget, and Civil Legal Services is only 3% of that 2%.

I requested that legislators act quickly on Justice System funding. If cuts have to occur, minimize them to recognize the “Core Services, plus” component provided by the Justice System. Please watch this year’s legislative session closely and encourage legislator’s to support the quiet work being done by legal aid in our communities.

Addressing Budget Short-fall

2009-03-08T08:17:00.000-07:00

The City of Albert Lea recently took the step of creating a budget advisory committee. http://www.albertleatribune.com/news/2009/feb/23/council-approves-budget-task-force-members/

This begins the hard work of trying to understand the city budget and finding a way to prioritize the spending cuts. Information that would seem helpful in making these decisions includes:

1. An overall summary and pie chart showing all revenues and spending. The State of Minnesota has an excellent template that they are using to explain the current budget shortfall at the State level http://budgetforum.senate.mn/?page_id=23
2. Each of the profit centers or revenue streams should then be broken down by source of income and expenses,by department. Some departments have their own source of revenue and others are from the “general fund.” Again, follow the State’s template;
3. A 5 and 10 year history of the overall spending broken down by
department and category;
4. A comparison of these items to neighboring communities and similar positioned communities in Minnesota;
5. What recommendations have been made by each individual department head;
6. A summary of all pay and benefit packages for employees;
7. A summary of each union contract, including key terms and duration. Is the individual union amenable to re-opening negotiations to address the short-fall and avoid lay-offs? Many unions are reopening contracts to implement salary freezes to avoid lay-offs.

The City administration for years has touted their desire to limit their reliance on local government aid and this is a chance to make good progress on that goal. Also, City leaders should recognize the importance of planning for growth. How can changes we make now, make us more competitive locally and regional in the years to come?

Politics CAN be interesting . . . and maybe even fun!

2009-02-14T07:36:00.000-08:00

If you are even remotely interested in long-term public policy issues, this legislative session will be one for the record books. Politics seems boring to many, but mostly it comes down to what you pay attention to. This year, the size of the “budget deficit” distracts too many people from watching the real political maneuvering. As always, the significant and interesting issues are those occurring behind the scenes. If you want to appreciate my demented view of “fun” here are three epic battles that I will be watching this year:

1. Clean Water: In November, 2008, with a 56% yes vote, Minnesota approved a constitutional amendment adding 3/8% to the State-wide sales tax for Habitat, Clean Water, Parks and Trails and the Arts. For too many years, most of these issues were limited to policy discussions, always short on money. For the first time ever, clean water has some real funding coming in. I was recently at the Capital and there was a marked difference in the rooms where the new sales tax stream of revenue was being discussed (the “Happy Rooms”) and the rest of the Capital (the “Doom and Gloom Rooms”). There are two battles worth watching in this area. The first is the so-called “hook and bullet crowd” who have fought hard for many years to obtain funding for outdoor habitat and sports related issues. For them, this issue is about using the money for the objectives that they fought so hard for. They are vocal and almost militant about their objectives. The other power play is between the agencies (DNR and Board of Soil and Water Resources) and the non-profit, locally driven projects. The bureaucrats effectively argue that they have the experience and the infrastructure in place to put the money to good use. Argued just effectively, the locally driven organizations are lean and can quickly implement “shovel ready” projects that provide job creation and immediate environmental benefits.

2. Classrooms: What funding source provides the best education for our children? The powerful teacher’s union ($850,000 in expenditures in the 2008 election and in excess of 50 registered lobbyists) argues that increasing the existing funding formula is the answer. More funding provides better opportunities for all, they argue. In contrast, others argue that focusing the funding on classroom activities and teacher performance provides more bang for the buck.

The Governor’s Q-comp program is one example of an attempt to target resources towards teacher performance. In an opening salvo in this battle, the legislative auditor’s office recently released a report reviewing this program. http://www.auditor.leg.state.mn.us/ped/pedrep/qcomp.pdf
While the report reads like constructive criticism, many are holding up the report to suggest that Q-comp is a bad program. What appears to be the most quoted conclusion of the report, “There is not sufficient evidence to determine the impact of Q Comp on student achievement”. Likewise, there is little to correlate increased teacher pay, or increased health benefits with better education for our children. As acknowledged in the State Auditor’s report, "it is difficult to disentangle the effects of Q Comp from other initiatives."

It appears that so long as criticizing the “teacher’s union” is associated with being against kids, little classroom reform will occur. There are now more teachers that are legislators than any other profession. When lawyers ruled the roost, all jokes were fair game. I long for the day when I can tell a good-hearted teacher joke and not be labeled a “bad dad”.

3. Welfare Reform: The largest spending category and the second largest general fund expenditure in the State Budget should be hard pressed to come out unscathed in this budget cycle. http://budgetforum.senate.mn/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/slide9.gif. The reform advocates have presented many proposals that they consider low hanging fruit; outright fraud, people moving to Minnesota to take advantage of programs and those using benefit cards in other states. Ending Minnesota’s “welfare magnet” label: http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/01/21/welfare_reform/

Those against any reform argue that lowering our standards will allow people to fall through the cracks. They seem to argue that a few bad apples are worth it -- provided no one in need to goes without. So far, they seem to have maintained the moral high ground and continue to roll out more programs that will likely find popular support in today’s flailing economy and high unemployment.

The risk is that too many good intentions may cause the entire system to go bankrupt. It is unreasonable to expect ever increasing spending to be sustainable. Somehow, we must find a way to weather the storm and allow our economy to regain its health as quickly as possible. Finding middle ground in this area is necessary for this to occur. If you have an opinion or want to follow a true grass roots discussion – look here. http://budgetforum.senate.mn/?p=157

If you have an issue of interest, find the bill or proposed legislation you are interested in. There are then some tricks to following this legislation. First, go the State House or State Senate website at http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/ or http://www.senate.leg.state.mn.us/. There, you will find many great tools to assist you. For example, you can look up education related bills introduced in the House – 53 separate bills. You can read any of the bills, a research summary and the current status of the bill. Try this link.
https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/revisor/pages/search_status/status_results.php?body=House&search=basic&session=0862009&location=House&bill=&bill_type=bill&rev_number=&keyword_type=all&keyword=&keyword_field_short=1&keyword_field_long=1&keyword_field_title=1&topic%5B%5D=1186&submit_topic=GO&titleword=

If you want to get updates on the status of your area of interest, you can subscribe to receive email updates from the committees themselves, or subscribe to email updates from key legislators on each of the committees. You will be surprised how much push and pull is occurring on each of these issues. Often, you can even watch the debates unfolding on-line. By following some of the key players and knowing their names and issues, you will also begin to recognize their names in the newspaper and can watch for in-depth coverage on issues that previously would have caused your eyes to glaze over.

If you really become a junkie, you can subscribe to the session weekly or session daily and get on-line updates. Likewise, there are countless blogs and special interest organizations that follow the details of many of these issues.

The long and short: politics can be interesting if you know how to identify and follow something that interests you. Good luck and have fun!

Something has got to give!

2009-01-27T19:34:00.000-08:00

$4.8 Billion Budget Deficit for the State of Minnesota.

$700 billion bank bailout that may now cost $4 Trillion!
http://money.cnn.com/2009/01/27/news/bigger.bailout.fortune/

Proposed $825 billion economic Stimulus Package.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/obama_economy

I don't know about anyone else, but I'm starting to get a little worried. Can we actually print that much money?

Right now, most policy makers are pouring through the 258 page Federal economic stimulus bill to identify the line-item that applies to them. President Obama is driving his ice-cream truck around Capital Hill looking to pass a MASSIVE bill that has no remote relation to the "Pay-go" pledge of just 3 years ago. http://articles.latimes.com/2007/dec/04/nation/na-taxes4

The size of these dollars and the long-term implications are too large for most of us to comprehend. It is way too easy to be infatuated by the size of the cut to each of our pet programs and focus on how to preserve our turf. We probably should be talking about what is going to happen after the ice-cream sugar high wears off.

I realized the magnitude of this issue tonight when a well respected business owner explained his gold investment strategy. As he explained it, gold is the fall back when a currency collapses. In fact, recommendations now are to invest in gold coins, not bullion -- to avoid a great-depression like repeat of government confiscation.
http://www.blanchardonline.com/beru/beru.php?article=255&title=Gold_Confiscation_-_What_Do_We_Really_Think?

This business owner justified his move by citing age and paranoia. I wonder whether it may be age and wisdom?

I am certainly not an alarmist and continue to keep my money in the stock market. Yet, the fact that I cannot get my arms around the magnitude of this problem concerns me. My instincts tell me that spending large amounts of money that we do not have is a bad thing.

At some point, something has got to give. When it does, our infatuation with individual turf issues will likely feel embarrassing. I fear reality may not win the day.

Farmers Feeding the Hungry!

2009-01-13T16:44:00.002-08:00

With all the bad news, it is nice to focus on some good news.

The bad news? According to the United Nation's Food & Agriculture Organization, another 40 million people were pushed into the "hunger" category in 2008. The total number of undernourished people worldwide is now estimated at 907 million.

There is, however, a silver lining that is rarely talked about: U.S. Agriculture's role in helping to feed the hungry. American agriculture continues to tap increased technology, better animal care, better genetics and overall increased efficiency.

In America, we take for granted this sustainable model of producing more food per acre with less inputs per bushel. Our friends on the farm continue to push the envelope of efficiency every day -- better business models, better financing techniques, better seeds, better conservation of the soil, better control of weather-related factors, better weed control and more efficient use of fuel and inputs.

Starting in the 1940's, Norman Borlaug initiated the first "green revolution" and proved that historic steps in technology could feed the hungry. He developed semi-dwarf, high-yield, disease resistant wheat varieties that drastically increased yields around the world. His work earned him the Nobel Peace Prize and is credited with saving over a billion people from starvation.

Efforts to grow more with less continue: from the Albert Lea Seed House's creation of greater yields through organic production to the global commitment of Monsanto to double crop yields by 2030.

As a socially conscious world, we need to push and expect our agriculture sector to continue to get better at what they do. I recently received a pamphlet from America's Second Harvest, the "Nation's Food Bank Network." They challenge us, "How to make sure the land of plenty has plenty for everyone." Well said!

Too often, the trend for greater efficiency is misconstrued as "bigger" and therefore bad. American farmers have access to amazing opportunities to fill the stomachs of the hungry. We should do our part to help farmers to promote their crucial role in "Feeding the Hungry."

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT: SETTING EXPECTATIONS

2009-01-02T04:14:00.000-08:00

When an election is on the immediate horizon everyone has an opinion on what they expect from their candidates or ballot item. Letters flourish – tempers flare: and our local media is happy. After their vote hits the bottom of the ballot box, however, most citizens feel that they have fulfilled their civic obligation until the next election.

This past election, we were again bombarded with terms such as “historic election” and it became popular to have a short term interest in politics. On Election Day, numerous people commented to me, “big day today.” I responded that I thought every day was a big day for politics!

There is much more to civic engagement than a letter and a vote every other year. As a community, we need to constantly communicate our wishes and desires. Our public institutions and elected officials need to have expectations communicated to them with constant reinforcement. Upon the success or failure of the community expectation, praise or criticism may then properly be dispensed. The concept of “speaking at the ballot box” is too reactionary and quite frankly too slow. Thomas Jefferson warned us to not let our rulers keep us so busy that we didn’t have time to think and hold mismanagement to account.

The concept of “government accountability” only works if goals are established. Without proper expectations set, accountability is often morphed into a constant “gotcha” game of cat and mouse. Taking pot shots at elected officials does little to accomplish any actual results.

As an example, voters should expect that our local units of government will not repeat prior overly optimistic budget forecasts. In today’s economic climate, they should expect drastic cuts in the short-term and only minimal state funding increases in the long-term. Likewise, we should expect our city and county government to carefully leverage our tax base for more government good, not just more government.

On the flipside, good government communicates with the public what they hope to accomplish. The public should take seriously activities such as the bridge avenue corridor study, the cities’ capital improvements plan and the project list created by the Shell Rock River Watershed District. These planning activities are their attempts to establish community expectations.

Our community should set expectations of our government and not let the government tell us what our expectations should be. I sincerely believe that community driven expectations will be less, in terms of scope and costs, than if we let the government tell us what to expect.

Upon setting our expectations, we should constantly reinforce and reward them for fulfilling these goals. Officials should likewise expect and invite “feedback” (positive and negative) upon their failure to reasonably meet those expectations.

Appoint a Retrenchment Committee for Albert Lea

2008-12-18T18:58:00.001-08:00

Open letter to Mayor-Elect Murtaugh:

Thank-you all for subscribing to my blog! I appreciate the opportunity to express my thoughts and comments in a format that is casual, yet publicly accountable. I believe it is important to be respectful, yet not be afraid to question generally accepted standards.

With that said, I have watched with interest the recent news coming from the State level. I respect the fact that the League of Minnesota Cities stepped up and issued their list of potential cuts to cities that MAY come forward. The numbers for Albert Lea are substantial!

http://www.lmnc.org/media/document/1/25_100million_cut_estimates.pdf

I happen to serve on the board of a state-wide legal aid organization that relies heavily upon funding from the State of Minnesota -- Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services. Without going into the great work that this organization does for those in need, I am most proud of this organization's ability to proactively respond to crisis. They strongly articulate their programs, but do not jump on the "poor us" bandwagon. At our most recent meeting, they appointed a "Retrenchment Committee." The goal of this committee is to carefully review our budget and recommend a series of scenarios of how we would respond to various levels of budget cuts. No-one wants to cut, but being prepared with responsible options seems beyond logical.

I suggest that you follow this lead and immediately appoint a citizen committee to carefully scrutinize the City budget and present a series of options for cuts. Use the Leagues' projected cut as the first tier, and a tier 5% greater than and a tier 5% less than that number. Most importantly, allow this committee to operate outside the sphere of influence of the staff and current council. This will not be a popular job and it is unfair to expect those with a vested interest in this year's budget to re-trench. The staff should be an available resource to this committee, as invited.

Set the expectations high and expect this committee to do a lot of heavy lifting to actually understand the complexities of the budget. Good luck!

The Beginning of the End of the Department of Agriculture!

2008-12-15T17:17:00.000-08:00

I'm afraid that we are seeing the beginning of the end of the United States Department of Agriculture. The USDA facilitates one of the largest sources of federal funding to Rural America. Under the new Obama administration, the trend of moving this funding source away from Rural America and to the population centers will undoubtedly be accelerated.

This week, an editorial from New York Times' columnist Nicholas Kristof entitled "How about naming a Secretary of Food," articulated this trend very clearly. Kristof states, "Renaming the department would signal that Mr. Obama seeks to move away from a bankrupt structure of factory farming that squanders energy, exacerbates climate change and makes Americans unhealthy – all while costing taxpayers billions of dollars."

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/viewpoints/stories/DN-kristof_13edi.State.Edition1.2a4e285.html

Kristof's editorial summarizes a long-time popular attack on traditional agriculture -- divert money away from USDA farm programs to food programs concentrated where the people are -- population centers. As argued by Kristof, only 2% of us are farmers, but 100% of us eat.

Kristof is no crackpot either -- he is the recipient of two Pulitzer Prizes and former managing editor of the New York Times. His opinions would certainly be considered mainstream in today's media world.

My concern is that while this frontal assault is being waged, Rural America continues to perpetuate the problem. Traditional agriculture continues to cling to the last remnants of their turf and resist reforms that would be more marketable to mainstream America. At the same time, each sector of agriculture attacks the other as they continue to fight over an ever shrinking piece of the pie.

The rural town kids, not recognizing that one of the largest returns on their tax investment is being systematically torn down, continue to tell farmer jokes and beat their chests reciting the motto, "get rid of subsidy payments for factory farms". As the saying goes, be careful what you ask for, you may get it. The new "Department of Food" will eliminate payments to farmers... and to Rural America.

LETTER FROM THE 2006-2007 CHAIR OF THE ALBERT LEA/FREEBORN COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

2008-11-14T02:43:00.000-08:00

September 2007

Exactly one year ago, I started my term as Chair of the Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors with a simple theme: “Promote, Promote, Promote!” I felt it was important to focus the efforts of our organization towards promoting the strength of our business community not only within our Chamber area, but also outside of our community. I am happy to report that we have made great progress in this area. Thank you to the wonderful Chamber staff that continuously make our success possible – Katie, Liz, Marcie and Tami – your energy is contagious. Also, I have had the opportunity to work with two very positive and energetic Executive Directors, Susie Petersen and Randy Kehr. Thank you!

The theme of this year’s Membership Celebration, “Raising our Community Profile” is the culmination of this year-long effort to focus the resources of your Chamber towards this goal. Without the tremendous support of our members, our organization would quickly fail. Rest assured that we value every member when they renew their annual dues and otherwise support our programs. We have worked hard in recent years to maximize your dues and to find other revenue sources.

As a result of these efforts, we are proud to announce that membership dues for the 2007 – 2008 year will not increase. This is the first time in many years we have been able to accomplish this goal. We do, however, continue to count on our members to support our programs and to help us to grow our membership roles. Not all local businesses recognize the importance of being a Chamber member, please help us to explain this to them to continue to expand our membership and our ability to promote the community.

I often hear the community nay-sayers comment that the Chamber is boring and doesn’t do anything for the community. I’m not sure where they have been in recent years, but they apparently have not been paying attention. The Chamber has successfully kept our community active by promoting the following: the Positive People program, the Gourmet Auction, the Farm Family of the year award, 3rd Grade Farm Tours, the 4-H Livestock Auction, the 3rd of July Parade, the Party for the Lakes, Eddie Cochrane Days, Career Day and the Annual Fireworks. Likewise, we are proud of our renewed partnership with the Big Island Rendezvous, which had a record-breaking year. I challenge any organization to try to beat the quality and quantity of these “community pride” activities. Our business community deserves kudos for their continued support of the quality of life in our area.

As for our programs, our long-time Housing Committee “graduated” this year and became independent of the Chamber and is now supported by the Albert Lea Housing Authority. Our long-time support of affordable housing in Albert Lea has paid huge dividends in addressing this important economic development issue. As always, the Chamber Ambassadors and the Chamber Lake’s Restoration Committee continue to host one quality event after another. Take the time to thank these volunteers for their hard work. Also, the Government Affairs committee hosted two legislative forums, the last one in July with three of the four State Legislative leaders in attendance and our greatest turn-out yet for a legislative forum.

To promote our community, it is important that we find ways to differentiate ourselves from others. We successfully promoted this concept by hosting another record breaking event in April of this year – “Celebrating our Green Community.” With the support of our Agriculture Committee, we rolled out the green carpet for over 400 guests from around the State for our Annual Agriculture Banquet, with Governor Tim Pawlenty as the keynote speaker.

The strength of our organization and our community depends on new energy and new ideas. In an effort to continue to develop future leaders, the Chamber has partnered with Riverland Community College to create our new “Leadership” program. Our inaugural class of 20 is currently completing their curriculum.

As a community, it is important that we promote a positive feeling inside and outside our community. In accomplishing this goal, we should strive to make our community more welcoming to families and minorities. We must have an available workforce for expanding or attracting employers. We must also foster a strong relationship with our local media and find a way to promote ourselves through media outlets outside of our community. Our business community is the key to setting the tone for community success. The Chamber is the catalyst to make this to happen. Together, we can continue to promote our community and “Raise our Community Profile.”

Why are they picking on small towns?

2008-09-10T17:12:00.000-07:00

It is interesting that so many people in Hollywood think that being from a small town disqualifies a person from being smart -- or qualified to be President? Perhaps they should recognize that being a movie star does not qualify them as political experts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6urw_PWHYk

Email Subscription

2008-09-07T04:02:00.000-07:00

Subscribe to Tilting -- Challenging your view of . . . by Email

The "Palin" Label

2008-09-07T02:06:00.001-07:00

For the past few years, it has been extremely unpopular for many people to even admit that they supported or voted for a Republican candidate. Whether it was President Bush's coarseness, or the media's successful villainization of his Presidency, it has been very uncouth to openly admit your Republican credentials.

When I ran for the Minnesota State Legislature in 2006, my traditional support of Republican ideas was a huge attack point against me. I was given the scoundrel label along with our President, as our local campaigns were tagged with national unpopularity. This is the unfortunate, yet realistic side of politics. Individuals, however, tend to avoid unpopular labels and therefore avoided admitting that they were Republican, even if they supported Republican ideas.

It appeared that this year's campaign season would be a rerun of the 2006 election, as many pundits have been predicting another successful Democrat year in the voting booth. So long as it was unpopular to wear a Republican label, it would be difficult to generate support for Republican candidates.

In one surprise appearance, Sarah Palin appears to have brought a designer label back to Republican politics. Her small town, straight talk approach is a breath of fresh air for many who have been wearing the "independant" label. This is a huge turning point for those of us who wish to have a discussion about issues, not labels.

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-ig-notebook7-2008sep07,0,7585060.story

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/points/stories/DN-dreher_07edi.ART.State.Edition1.26b4583.html

Vote for Common Sense

2008-09-03T17:06:00.000-07:00

Next Tuesday, the City of Albert Lea appointed housing task force will vote on the, now much publicized, Rental Licensing Ordinance. After much discussion and hard work, the task force will be presented with at least two proposals for consideration – one from the City and one from the Landlord Association.

From a big picture perspective, we should all continue to recognize that we are in this together. Everyone at the table has an interest in making the community a better place. With that said, an agreed upon purpose that has been now been added to both versions of the ordinance reads, “To preserve and promote tax base growth throughout the City.” This stated purpose recognizes the need for balance.

According to the 2006 Maxfield Research Housing Analysis, 90% of the housing stock in Freeborn County was built prior to 1980. In Albert Lea, 46% of the housing stock was built in the 1950’s or earlier. It is unrealistic and almost arrogant to believe that this quantity of aged housing stock can be “made like new” by the symbolic passing of a “tough” ordinance with unrealistic timelines.

A better approach is to acknowledge the problem, identify the parties that can help solve the problem and then find a common solution. The City must recognize that they cannot legislate their way to prosperity. They can tell people to fix up property in as tough of a manner as possible. If it is economically not feasible to do so, however, that property will fall off the property tax roll and into blight.

The landlord proposal actually takes a reasoned approach in accomplishing the goals of the City. There are no differences between the proposals on the need for inspections and creating a good inventory of the rental housing stock in Albert Lea. The differences arise under the implementation of the program. It appears that the City cannot resist their use of the stick in accomplishing their goals.

The major areas of difference are summarized as follows:

1. Talk Tough Language. The City continues to include tough language and the criminalization of every technical aspect of the ordinance. The Landlord proposal recognizes that the ordinance is legally enforceable, but softens this approach;
2. Owner-Occupied Property. The City wishes to require a license for a “dwelling unit occupied by the Owner and rented or leased by more than one Occupant unrelated to the Owner.” Consider whether you know any unmarried individuals living together with their families? Licensing is required if they share expenses. How about the host families for the new hockey team?
3. Length of Provisional License. The Landlord proposal requests 9 months after they receive the results of the inspection. The City gives 6 months after the provisional license is issued. That’s right, if it takes 5 ½ months for the City to get the results of the inspection to you, you have 15 days to complete the upgrades. “Do not worry” the City will tell us: the Ordinance says that we “may” give you an extension. Unrealistic and unnecessary? I believe so.
4. Payment of Taxes and Utilities. How does requiring payment of taxes help tenants and improve the housing stock? It doesn’t, it just adds current tax dollars to the City’s revenue stream. In our discussions, it seemed that the City was agreeing that, so long as you had a payment plan in place for your taxes you would not be “delinquent” and they would issue the license. Their recent proposal, however, has gone completely the other direction. Now, they’ve added the word “unpaid” to the ordinance. Meaning all current and owing amounts (including taxes, utilities and other charges to the City) must be paid in full to get your license. If not, you must immediately evict your tenant or you’ve broken the law. While I do not advocate non-payment of taxes, the current system is set-up so that there is a substantial opportunity to work through tough times before you lose your property. The City’s attempt to short-circuit this process is mean spirited when you consider the large short-term investment they are asking some landlords to make.
5. Landlord and Tenant Registry. The City continues to indicate that they may implement a searchable system in the future, but that they do not want to be obligated to do so. At first, Landlords were told that a registry would be illegal. Yet, it was later discovered that the City of Rochester has an on-line system that is accessible by all licensed landlords. Providing access to this information to the tenants and the landlords seems like a no-brainer. If the City wants to hold everyone else accountable, a little bit of accountability in their direction seems appropriate.

Given this explanation, it is my hope that you will understand the frustration that has been voiced by the landlords. These changes are more about fairness, than about “fighting the inspections.” In fact, as the differences are compared side-by-side, it appears that the City is driven more by dollars and cents, rather than common sense. I advocate for common sense.

Matt Benda

Published in the Albert Lea Tribune on September 6, 2008

Proud Americans

2008-07-18T03:33:00.000-07:00

Los Angeles -- Downtown??

What I pleasant surprise! I had always viewed L.A. as the symbol of excess in America. With Hollywood and all the glitz and in your face debauchery, to say I had low expectations for my visit to L.A. was a gross understatement.

My wife recently had a Rotary International convention there and we took, what prevailing wisdom considered, a chance and booked our hotel in the heart of downtown L.A. in Little Tokyo. What a great decision. The excitement, buzz and culture in this entire area was overwhelming.

The people were nice, the streets were clean and activities were everywhere. A short walk around town took from a sushi lunch with my wife (she then went to her convention), past a traditional Mexican dance and festival and into China Town. On my way back to the hotel, I wandered into a Catholic mission church and sat through mass in Spanish. The next day, we visited the fashion district, the toy district, the jewelry district and the garmet district -- people were everywhere.

The overwhelming observation I made was that L.A. was open and welcoming to all -- especially people celebrating their culture. After all, they have Little Tokyo, Little China, Little Italy ... the list goes on. Yet, to suggest that because these people celebrate their culture that they somehow are not "American" misses the entire point of L.A. This place is as American as it gets. These people are living life.

The only difference is they are choosing what it means to them to be American. Nobody will tell people in this community what it means to live -- after all isn't that the American dream? Watching the Celtics v. Lakers game at a sports bar in Little Tokyo confirmed it for me -- I am proud that there are so many people that are creating their own definition of what it means to be a "Proud American."

MEASURING COMMUNITY SUCCESS: Our Community’s Quality of Life

2008-04-12T08:34:00.000-07:00

How do we measure what is good and bad for a community? Is it good if an elected official says so? Does the newspaper editorial committee get to decide? More likely a successful community action is one that is talked about with pride around the dinner table or the coffee shop circuit. In other words, we’ll know it when we see it.

The phrase “quality of life” is thrown around like candy at a parade when describing our community measuring stick. One of our community’s greatest strengths is the “causes” that are started and implemented. Our community is vocal and engaged. When an individual or group starts a project, the volunteers and money often follow. This is a great indicator of a vibrant community. Yet, these successes still seem random and spotty. If a group declares their cause a “quality of life” issue does that mean it is good for the collective community, or just that particular special interest group. Broader community objectives should be taken into account.

Our community is interconnected and resources are finite. There is a limit to how many causes any community can successfully support. Rather than quantifying quality of life from an individual basis, perhaps we should measure quality of life from a community perspective. We should promote our “community’s quality of life.”

The school district successfully used this approach in promoting the “yes/yes” vote on the referendum. The Albert Lea Medical Center also promotes this message: quality affordable health care is a good the entire community. Yet, both of these organizations have a symbiotic reliance on community success and growth. They must support each other to be successful. Likewise, individual businesses need to think beyond their “economic bottom line” in quantifying success.

Local governments must also recognize that their funding sources are finite. They continuously struggle with providing community “good” within their means. The trap for them is to avoid mistaking more causes as progress. Again, how to promote the community’s collective interests, not special interests or causes.

It sounds like a simple concept! However, recognizing the interconnectedness of our community activities can go a long way in measuring success and allocating our limited community resources.

Could 2006 be the year of the woman?

2006-01-21T06:50:00.000-08:00

Outside of the American pop culture media, the news is all positive for the role of women in world politics. Recent world elections have shown that woman are more and more taking top level positions in the world political scene. In Germany, the first female was recently elected to be that country's Chancellor --Angela Merkel. http://www.tempo.com.ph/news.php?aid=20517. Recently, Chile added to the list by electing Michelle Bachelet as their first woman president -- and the first female leader of a major latin american country.

In another first for a woman, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was elected president of Liberia, again a first for any African State. The list continues with female leaders in: Ireland, Finland, New Zealand, Muzambique, Bangledesh, the Phillipines and Latvia. http://www.independentng.com/saturday/ccjan210602.htm

In the U.S., Condoleezza Rice has taken the role of Secretary of State to a new high in terms of profile and influence. Leading the diplomatic efforts in Iraq and the middle-east, at the same time performing a "sweeping" transformation of US Diplomacy in a post-cold war era. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/01/20/opinion/diplomatic/main1226605.shtml

Certainly 2006 is paving the way for women in the world political scene.

Political Commentary by Hollywood Hacks?

2005-12-21T07:20:00.000-08:00

It appears we have crossed a new threshhold in America's obsession with popular culture taking over for news. Even the local Albert Lea Tribune cannot resist the temptation of sensationalizing the news to sell newspapers.

Two of our esteemed political columnists are a comedian and a political satirist (definition: irony, sarcasm, or castic wit used to attach or expose folloy, vice, or stupidity. http://www.answers.com/satire&r=67). Let's call a spade a spade -- these folks do not deserve to be placed on a credible opinion page -- certainly not at the same time. Garrison Keillor, whose stories and voice enthral me -- has a political agenda. Here's an example of one of his tirades:

"The party of Lincoln and Liberty was transmogrified into the party of
hairy-backed swamp developers and corporate shills, faith-based economists,
fundamentalist bullies with Bibles, Christians of convenience, freelance
racists, misanthropic frat boys, shrieking midgets of AM radio, tax cheats,
nihilists in golf pants, brownshirts in pinstripes, sweatshop tycoons,
hacks,
fakirs, aggressive dorks, Lamborghini libertarians, people who
believe Neil
Armstrong’s moonwalk was filmed in Roswell, New Mexico, little
honkers out to
diminish the rest of us, Newt’s evil spawn and their
Etch-A-Sketch president, a
dull and rigid man suspicious of the free flow of
information and of secular
institutions, whose philosophy is a jumble of
badly sutured body parts trying to
walk. Republicans: The No.1 reason the
rest of the world thinks we’re deaf, dumb
and dangerous."

http://www.inthesetimes.com/site/main/article/were_not_in_lake_wobegon_anymore/

His resume is that he is extremely intelligent and spins a good yarn. I was actually enjoying Garrison Keillor's articles as he was keeping his comments away from politics. But, but . . .two liberal commedians on the same page. Please don't add Al Frankenstein to the editorial page!!

What about Will Durst? I was vaguely familiar with his name, but had to Google to really figure out who he was. One of my first hist hits was a webpage advertisting a video called "Voices of Dissent." Apparantly, Mr. Durst joined ranks with other well-known Hollywood "columnists" (described as "peace activists" on the website) such as Martin Sheen, Al Franken and Woody Harrelson. This video's tagline asks for buyers to view, "many of the surprising ways that Americans have found to express their views in dissent against the Bush administration policy of war in Iraq." http://www.voicesofdissent.us/Certainly, Mr. Durst appears to have obtained an informed view of his corner of the world from his home in California and he also tells a good joke. I do not question that these two columnist's are talented and are able to get their point across. However, do we really want to further "hollywoodize" how us mid-westerners obtain our political information?

Although, Mr. Durst does hail from Milwaukee, his comedy should probably appear on the comic page, not political opinion.

Imagine this conversation at the local Albert Lea coffee shop:Bernard: I hear President Bush is now trying to spin himself as an environmentalist. He's joining the "Green" party.James: No kidding. Where did you hear that?Bernard: From Will Durst!!James: Durst. Is that Crandall's neighbor?Bernard: No, No that's the guy from Comedy Central.James: Oh, I don't get CNN . . . cable prices just keep going up.Waitress [pouring 6th free refill]: I know who Durst is . . . he's that five-time emmy nominee that appears on PBS and NPR.James: Oh, I guess he does know what he's talking about.

What is intelligent design?

2005-12-06T19:42:00.000-08:00

The concept of Intelligent Design seems to be getting a lot of attention. Interestingly enough, the attention seems to be coming from the liberals attempting to refute it, when most of us have no idea what it's about. That should be reason enough to take a closer look.

For an explanation of ID from the advocates themselves at the Discovery Institute.

http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=3059&program=CSC&callingPage=discoMainPage

A Muslim's view of ID

http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=3062&program=News&callingPage=discoMainPage

An easier read explanation of ID

http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=3063&program=News&callingPage=discoMainPage

Great Article on Supreme Court Nominations

2005-08-04T06:35:00.000-07:00

http://www.startribune.com/stories/1519/5529574.html

Minnesota has the lowest rate of uninsured in the country

2005-04-29T14:28:00.000-07:00

Despite the noise in the traditional media and many individuals who criticize Republicans about anything and everything, Minnesota has the lowest rate of uninsured in the country. See attached AP article

Even the Star/Trib had to run the article... I believe on page 6 or 7.

For previously misplaced angst expressed by the Albert Lea Tribune editorial page click here

Senator Norm Coleman is definitely on to something

2005-04-25T13:45:00.000-07:00

It appears that UN Secretary Kofi Annan is up to his ears in scandal. In a little reported incident in the mainstream media, a senior investigator in the UN's oil for food investigation resigned on "principle" in protest to the conduct of the investigation.

See attached AP article.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20050424/D89LI1J00.html

What a beautiful Sunset

2005-04-13T03:28:00.000-07:00

The Albert Lea City council did agree in February to sunset the storm water and lighting utility fees at the end of 2005. http://www.albertleatribune.com/articles/2005/02/15/news/news4.txt

Please watch, however, as technically they put a sunset on the fees, but not on the utilities themselves. The public has been promised that they will review these utilities at the end of the year and determine whether the property tax is the more appropriate location. Time will tell.

Also, this year's bonding bill is to include funding for some city projects. If these projects have been budgeted for in the city budget, will there be adjustments made to next year's budget process?

Landlords are part of the Meth Solution

2005-03-31T06:46:00.000-08:00

Opposition to “super-reporting” requirements in Meth Bill

To: The Governor and the State Legislature.

I have followed with interest the developments at the legislature in regards to the attempts to crack down on the statewide meth epidemic. I have become growingly concerned, however, with what I consider a gross over-legislation in this area.

I am admittedly a landlord and an attorney who represents numerous landlords in Freeborn County and therefore do have a vested interest in this issue. Likewise, I also represent many families who have been devastated by the destructive power of meth. I understand why it is easy and/or popular to get tough on this issue.

My concerns, however, stem from the need to maintain and promote affordable housing in communities; as well as providing many small real estate owners the ability to preserve the substantial investment they have made in rental property. I believe that it is easy to villanize landlords and promote a “punishment” philosophy rather than a cooperative free market approach. As I testified to in front of the Freeborn County Commissioners when they considered a similar County Ordinance:

“This is a community problem that requires a community response. Landlords are the front line of this defense. They should not be treated as if they are part of the problem. As a landlord and as an attorney who represents landlords, I find many parts of the proposed ordinances unacceptable. From a community perspective, those interested in continued economic growth should also be concerned. We are on the verge of an expected growth spurt in workers and business in our community. To create a hostile environment for landlords all but guarantees a limit on affordable housing in our community. Availability of affordable housing is a necessary pre-requisite to adding employment to our community.

* * *

The landlords are not the criminals and cannot realistically be expected to financially guarantee a drug-free rental property. Tenants rightfully enjoy legal protections to use their property without constant monitoring and harassment of their landlords or others. Addressing this community problem should require a community response.”

What I consider the greatest example of this over-zealousness is in regards to the “super reporting” provisions that have been included in the current version of H.F. No. 572 and S.F. 0423 (the “Meth Bill”). The Meth Bill provides for multiple provisions that are intended to protect the innocent tenant or property purchaser:

1. First, the Meth Bill requires that any property found to be contaminated be prohibited from being occupied until a department of health guideline clean up has occurred.

2. Second, the Meth Bill mandates that each local community health services administrator shall maintain and make available to the public a listing of the status of any meth contaminated property.

3. Third, the Meth Bill requires that all sellers of real property disclose whether meth has or has not occurred on the property.

4. Finally, the Meth Bill further mandates that an affidavit be filed against the property at the county recorder’s office, designating the property as a “Meth Lab Property”.

The super-reporting provision that I strongly advocate against is the last item listed above: the ability to record a Meth Lab Property affidavit with the County Recorder’s Office. Quite frankly, given the other three protections that are included in this legislation, this provision to me is unnecessary and constitutes a “punishment” provision to property owners. The title to a property is not the proper place for this designation.

If the intent of the Meth Bill is to protect innocent tenants, then the “no-occupation” order will prevent anyone from living at the property. As for property purchasers, the local department of health records and the mandatory disclosure provisions will protect the innocent property purchaser.

I have discussed this issue with many individuals and no one has been able to articulate why this “super-reporting” provision is necessary. Instead, I understand the Meth Lab Property Affidavit as an “extra” protection for the innocent tenant or purchaser. Such super reporting is not necessary for fire damage, flooded basements, sewage back up, chemical spills or even mold infestation and is unnecessary in this case.

I would request that the super-reporting provisions of this bill be eliminated.

Alternatively, I would request legislation to create a centralized database with the Minnesota Department of Health that would allow for designation of the location of a meth lab and a record of whether the meth lab has been cleaned in compliance with MDH guidelines.

I am also advocating for the Meth Bill to allow for innocent property owners to utilize the low-interest loans for clean-up purposes. I request that innocent property owners, having no notice of the clandestine activities should be eligible to utilize this money for clean up.

Without dragging out this issue I would simply state that undoubtedly private property owners would be more efficient in accomplishing the clean-up efforts than a government entity that will simply pass on the clean-up costs as an assessment against the property.

I fear that overzealous legislation in this area threatens to cool the rental market and put an unnecessary cap on a community’s capacity to enjoy economic growth.

For a link to the status of HF 572: http://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/revisor/pages/search_status/status_detail.php?b=House&f=HF572&ssn=0&y=2005

For a link to the status of SF 0423: http://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/revisor/pages/search_status/status_detail.php?b=Senate&f=SF0423&ssn=0&y=2005

When is a good time?

2004-12-29T18:17:00.000-08:00

It is interesting to read the comments by members of the city council and the Albert Lea Tribune suggesting that the time for debating the issue of the creation of the new storm water and lighting utility has passed.

Please remember that the taxpayers were unaware of the financial implications or even the amount being proposed until a city council meeting held on December 13th. The Albert Lea Tribune gave the story light coverage by making a vague reference to "an equivalency factor" of $2.95 per residential lot under one acre and a "graduated system" for commercial and industrial property on the storm utility. The article did not even mention that the rate was per month, not per year. Same coverage on the lighting utility. Likewise, the coverage provided no explanation of what revenue was being collected or what the new revenue stream was to be used for? http://www.albertleatribune.com/articles/2004/12/21/news/news2.txt

Even more telling of the public's "ignorance" on this issue is revealed in the Tribune's coverage of the budget and levy limit decisions made by the city council. The coverage on the city council budget and levy amount made absolutely no reference to how much the levy was increased. I only learned that the city had increased it's levy by 25% by reviewing the minutes from the meeting. The Tribune instead ran an article indicating only that the levy was about the same as the year 2000. http://www.albertleatribune.com/articles/2004/09/14/news/news2.txt

I must confess that when I originally read that article my brain processed that the levy was about the same as last year -- I did not recognize that the comparison was to 4 years ago until much later.

It is not reasonable to expect the public to understand the intricacies of municipal finances. Yet, the public tends to have yardsticks it uses to keep an eye on what the government is doing. The primary gauge that the public watches is the annual levy increase. For example, the Tribune ran an article that the county levy increased by 5.8% from last year. Perhaps the public would not have been so quiet had they known earlier that the city's levy increase was 25%, plus two additional user fees.

It is also disingenuous to suggest that opposition to the new utilities is somehow coming out of the woodwork. Any follower of local politics knows that generally items pass through the city council with little public scrutiny. Yet, the creation of these new utilities had across the board opposition. Two of the other taxing authorities -- the school district and the watershed board -- opposed the creation of these utilities. Also, the Chamber of Commerce, representing over 500 members, clearly advocated for the use of the property tax system in lieu of the new utilities. The city council also heard from two respected members of the community, including the former mayor of Albert Lea, Bob Haukoos, asking the city to look closer at what they were doing. http://www.city.albertlea.org/9-13-04min.htm

To suggest that the public did not voice it's opposition upon the creation of these utilities is untrue. Likewise, to suggest that the public should have seen through a crystal ball what the financial implications would be at the time the "concept" was proposed seems unreasonable.

HOLD ON TO YOUR WALLETS

2004-12-21T08:00:00.000-08:00

If part of your year-end includes planning your monthly budget for 2005, you should plan on paying more per month for the honor of living within the Albert Lea city limits. As mentioned in a previous posting, residential homes will pay two new user fees: storm water fee of $2.95 per month and lighting fee of $3.85 per month.

As if a 60% increase in local revenue was not enough, the City is also proposing to increase its sewer and water charges. At the last city council meeting, a request was made to increase the sewer bill by 15% or $2.81 per month; and the water bill by 5% or $.50 per month.

If you are comparing budgets from 2004, plan on spending another $10.11 per month or $121.32 per year.

http://www.city.albertlea.org/minutes.htm

Important Links

2004-12-18T15:47:00.000-08:00

http://www.city.albertlea.org/9-13-04min.htm

http://www.albertleatribune.com/articles/2004/09/14/news/news2.txt

The Stealth Tax: The City of Albert Lea Quietly Raises Taxes by over 60%

2004-12-18T15:30:00.000-08:00

Would you be surprised to learn that the City of Albert Lea is increasing the amount of money paid by local property owners by over 60% in 2005? The City has quietly increased its property tax levy by over $500,000.00 and is proposing to impose new user fees of $840,000.00.

All Albert Lea residents and businesses recently received a flyer to notify them of the new Storm Water and Public Lighting Utility. As explained by the city, these "user fees" are designed to "provide a continuous, dedicated source of revenue." On December 27th, the city will be holding a public hearing to input regarding the actual rate that will be charged against each parcel of land within the city.

It is possible that if you own farmland or a vacant parcel in city limits that you did not receive the notice, as they were mailed with the water bills.

The proposal is for each parcel of land within city limits to be charged a user fee for storm water run-off and public lighting. Each residential parcel that does not exceed one acre will pay $2.95 per month or $35.40 per year for the storm water utility. Each business will pay $5.90 to 7.38 per month -- or $70.80 to $88.56 per year. If any of these parcels exceed one acre in size, the rate increases times the number of acres.

For the public lighting utility, each parcel outside of the Central Business District (regardless of size of the lot) will pay $3.85 per month or $46.20 per year. If you own property inside the Central Business District, your proposed rate is $7.70 per month or $92.40 per year.

Overall, a standard (one acre or less) residential lot will pay an additional $81.60 in annual user fees. Businesses (one acre or less) will pay anywhere from $117.00 to $134.76 per year. If you happen to have business property in the Central Business District, you will be paying user fees of $163.20 per year. This figure can be substantial if you own large tracts of land in city limits, or if you are holding vacant property for development.

The City projects that the Storm Water Utility will generate revenue of $470,000 the first year and the Public Lighting Utility will generate $370,000, for a total new revenue stream of $840,000.

As always, there is a story behind the story. Please consider the following information in determining what input, if any, you feel appropriate to give to your city council representative(s). On September 13, 2004, the City Council approved the creation of the two new public utilities. These utilities were created with Councilors Warren Amundson, Randy Erdman, Jeff Fjeslstad and Mary Kron voting yes; and Councilors Al Brooks, George Marin and Mayor Jean Eaton voting no. There was considerable discussion regarding the purpose and need for these new fees. The Watershed Board, the School District and the local Chamber of Commerce all opposed the creation of these new utilities.

Numerous citizens requested that the Council either continue to fund these projects through the property tax formula, as they had always done previously; or to delay the decision so that a thoughtful review could be conducted. No one from the public spoke in favor of the new utilities.
In regards to the storm water utility, the City Staff explained that the driving need for this utility was the possibility that the state pollution control agency would require compliance with increased maintenance efforts. If this mandate were to be placed against the City, they apparently would have 18 months to comply. As for the need for the lighting utility, it was explained that this was necessary initially to fund the new lighting to the Wal-Mart side of town.

Currently, the pollution requirements are not projected to take effect until March of 2007. If the 18-month grace period still applies, the city will have until September of 2008 before these new requirements are mandated.

The City indicated that they initially came up with the idea of the new utilities because they were under the mistaken impression that they had a "levy limit" in place. In previous years, the state legislature had imposed a limit on how much a city could increase its property tax levy. Since the legislature did not put this limit in place during last year's session, the City of Albert Lea did not have a limit to the amount it could increase its property tax levy to cover any extraordinary expenses.

Not to be deterred, and perhaps seeing a political opportunity, a split City Council voted to move forward on the creation of the new utilities. Most beneficial to the City from a public perception standpoint was that the new utilities allowed for a creative accounting shift to occur. They were able to shift $400,000 from their general fund obligation to be funded instead by the new utilities. This allowed for the City to have the friendly headline, "Levy remains about the same as 2000", in the Albert Lea Tribune. This headline itself is deceptive as the levy actually increased 25% from last year: even with the $400,000 shift of spending out of the general fund.

If you undo the accounting shift and add back the $400,000 to the general fund, the city would have increased its property tax levy by $ 945,940 or 42%. Under the new system, their actual total local revenue collection is even higher. The local increased payments from the property tax levy increase and the new utilities are an additional $1,385,940; or a whopping 61% increase from last year. The headline should have read, "City of Albert Lea increases local taxes by 61%."

Greetings From Q

2004-12-07T17:34:00.000-08:00

"So what seems to you to be a barber's basin appears to me to be Mambrino's helmet, and to another as something else. It shows rare foresight in the sage who is on my side to make what is really and truly Mambrino's helmet seem to everyone a basin."

Don Quixote -- Part I Ch. XXV