Minnesota Bonding Bill: Pork or Good use of money?

Minnesotans, this week our glorious Senate passed $1.2B bonding bill. The bill has moved to the House and could see a vote as earlier as Monday. That is if the State Legislature does not observe President's Day. Many of you already know that Minnesota is experiencing a budget shortfall. The shortfall is so dire that Gov. Pawlenty used unallotment to balance the budget that is now being contested in court. Here is a short list of the critical items that are needed in Minnesota:

• New and upgraded exhibits at the Minnesota Zoo - $21 M
  
• New trails, paving and connecting existing trails – over $31 M
  
• A new volleyball court in Rochester - $5M
  
• A new women's hockey center in Blaine - $1 M
  
• Four new ice rinks in Big Lake, Cokato, Fergus Falls and New Hope - $2M
  
• Regional amateur sports facilities in Marshall and Moorhead - $5M
  
• Campground expansion in Two Harbors - $1M
  

This doesn't even include the millions spent for a planetarium, renovations to a civic center or updates to Arts Center. I understand interest rates are low and it will save the state money to make these update but are these updates really wise while millions of Minnesotans are out of work and trying to make ends meet? The pork barrel spending being proposed is not warranted and to burden future taxpayers with additional debt makes little sense. Or is this the time to spend millions on the items above? The small town I live is struggling to grow and faces mandates to keep its I/I up to code. Mandates that if not met will result in fines to the city. While Hamburg would like to expand and attract new residence and businesses, we cannot because our water/sewer system is tapped out. Any new business or residence can only occur if we improve our I/I ratio. That will cost the citizens of Hamburg over $1M. To put this in perspective, it could lead to an assessment to Hamburg residents in the neighborhood of $5000 or more and that does not include the sewer hookup.

Call your House Representative today to let them know how you feel about the bonding bill. For those in Hamburg, our representative if Rep. Kohls. Rep. Kohls can be reached at 651-2946-4282.

Race for Governor of Minnesota has started!!!

Gov. Pawlenty announced several weeks ago that he will not seek another term as Governor of Minnesota. Although the election is 17 months away, many are starting to line up for their party nomination. With a wide open field and several of candidates to choose from, my neighbor and I decided to hear what one of those candidates had to say first hand.

Last night at the Chanhassen American Legion, Rep. Paul Kohls held a kick off meeting for his campaign to become the next Governor of Minnesota. Mr. Kohls spoke for about a hour on what it will take to win the nomination and the Governorship, gave insight into his position and character, and finally asked for support of those in the room. Back in April at the Tea Party held at Capitol, Chris Baker challenged the crowd to not end their participation in the process with the Tea Party gathering.

I took that personally which was part of the reason why I attended the meeting last night. Rep. Kohls has been out to Hamburg to hear the biggest issue facing the city. In fielding questions from the City Council and the general public, he didn't use vague terms or political talk when answering the concerns. Since that meeting, I have corresponded with Rep. Kohls to gain greater understanding of his stance on issues that concern me the most.

During the meeting last night many questions were asked but I still left the meeting with a few questions unanswered. I did leave my questions for Rep. Kohls and look forward to hearing his responses. As an Independent, I will find a candidate to support that best fits my core ideals. From my conversations with Rep. Kohls and observations from his website, my support is leaning his way.

That is my challenge to all that read my blog. Find a candidate that represents your ideals best. While there will be several candidates vying for your vote for Governor, take a moment to visit each of their websites to learn more about them. One can start by visiting www.kohlsforgovernor.com

Medical Marijuana passed by Minnesota Senate

April 29th the Minnesota State Senate passed Senate bill SF0097 with a 36-28 vote to allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes. Many believe that marijuana is a “gateway” drug. The use of medical marijuana is meant to assist those suffering from the pains of cancer and HIV/AIDS; not for recreational use. How is the use of medical marijuana different then one in a hospital bed pushing the morphine button?

In the article, Minnesota Senate approves medical marijuana by Mark Brunswick, former county sheriff Sen. Bill Ingebrigtsen is reported to have said, “I’m here to tell you there is a potential opportunity for abuse here, and kids are watching to see what we in the Legislature are going to do.” Sen. Ingebrigtsen is short-sighted and raises a sky is falling approach. With anything there is a chance for abuse. Every person entering into the policy academy brings along with them an opportunity of abuse. Are we not more intelligent or respectful of each other to go beyond the argument of potentially abuse?

My own Senator, Julianne Ortman, was quoted in the article of her concern of theft and violence. I attempted to contact Sen. Ortman last week but have not heard anything back on her concerns. Adding medical marijuana to legal activities in Minnesota is not going to increase theft or violence, this is just another sky is falling approach.

The bill has moved onto the House. I did contact Rep. Kohls to get his position. Rep. Kohls echoed the concern of protection. Rep. Kohls is opposed to the current form of the bill because of the way it prescribed and dispensed and if one has a doctor note it does not prevent them to buy it off the street. “If we could get that done, my concerns would be resolved,” stated Rep. Kohls.

I applaud the Senate in passing a medical marijuana bill and it is time for Minnesotans to display accountability when dealing with this issue. I agree with Rep. Kohls that tighter control on dispensing of medical marijuana to ensure those suffering from cancer and HIV/AIDS are obtaining their marijuana from legal avenues. Hopefully the House can correct this piece to the legislation passed by the Senate.

Friday Night Bonfire

Last night the weekly bonfire started without me as I had two games of softball to play at 8 and 9 pm. We went 1-1 for those wondering. When I arrived back from softball the glow of the bonfire was readily seen from the county road as I passed through town. After getting my beverage of choice, I proceeded to join the conversation. A few neighbors had come and went but several remained. Once again the conversation was all over the board. It ended up dying down on the topic of Hamburg and the increases we have all seen since moving here.

When I first arrived in Hamburg, almost six years ago, our water and sewer bill was on a quarterly basis. Not to long after that it become a monthly bill but at the same amount as the quarterly bill. The reason for the hike was water quality mandates put forth by government agencies. To my recollection I have not heard of one illness or death arising in Hamburg due to poor water quality.

Now Hamburg is facing another issue trying to grow the town through new housing and businesses. The trouble is our sewer and water system is already taxed to it limit. In order to meet the government guideline requirements, the city needs to expand the system and repair an aging sewer system. The few neighbors that remained wondered what can be done and why are our city council members not doing their job.

I tried my best to convey the message that Hamburg City Council and Clerk have been trying to the best of their abilities to deal with the situation. To assist we as residents can call and write our representatives to gain assistance. Citizen action is the bane of every elected official. It is time to become active. Write and call Sen. Ortman and Rep. Kohl's on the state level. As well Carver County Commissioner James Ische. It wouldn't hurt to contact Sen. Klobucher and Rep. Kline to voice concerns about government mandates that are not funded.