The House DFL Caucus released the following video this weekend that features House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher calling for a special session to deal with the disastrous flooding in southeastern Minnesota. It’s only 3 minutes and it’s a Saturday; you have time to watch:
We need a special session, badly. Not just for the 35W bridge collapse but for the small communities in southern Minnesota that have been devastated by this flooding. The magnitude of these issues certainly warrants bringing the legislature back into session to address the problems in a fashion that will provide more than a band-aid solution. What is Governor Pawlenty afraid of here? What does he have to hide? All we ask id for him to provide an opportunity for our State Representatives and Senators to do their job; to provide the opportunity for our government to do its job! This is no time for appearance politics Mr. Pawlenty, no time at all.
Call Governor Pawlenty and demand a special session: 1-800-657-3117
Then problem I see is that Paw;enty will want to broker a deal with the DFL leadership as to what will be d iscussed at a Special session before calling one so that he can control the session. That’s not showing leadership. That’s being a control freak. Little will get done that way. There is no way Pawlenty will agree to a seperate package for Transportation that will involve the Gas Tax issue in and of itself. He wants that money to come from the General budget. So where would one cut???
The devestation to Southeastern Minnesota must be addressed THIS YEAR, not February!!! The issue of Transportation has to be decided this year as well. Any monies he will insist come out of the General Budget for Transportaion and Flood Relief, not from the so-called Surplus he thinks there is.
The Governor has done a stand up job convincing Minneaotans that there is a $2.2 BILLION DOLLAR SURPLUS!!! Flood Relief is going to run well over $100 Million to the Counties and towns most affected. Let the monies come from that. What’s the sense of having a surplus for times like this if it is not going to be used for those in need?
What is wrong with having an agreement between leadership of the parties before calling in all the legislators? Why does DFL leadership want to start meeting now even though it doesn’t have anything to do with when something will get done. I imagine it is because they would like to use the opportunity of a special session to push through things other than flood relief bridge/road issues. They had a good deal of their own supporters not happy with them at the end of the last session because they seemed more worried about finishing on time than holding to their “beliefs”. The bridge and the flood would be the perfect opportunity to gain back a little respect without being viewed as having failed to get their jobs done on time.
Pawlenty wants to get something back for an increase in the gas tax in part because he wants the public to understand all the things the DFL feels are more important than bridge safety. Anything that Democrats refuse to cut in order to increase spending on roads helps the Republicans. The DFL will have to say that LGA, schools, mass transit, farm subsidies, bike trails etc. are all more important than bridge safety. It will force the DFL to show that higher taxes are needed not because of roads but because of all of these other programs.
Kerosene Hat: So you can read minds now, eh? I’ll look in my crystal ball now - TPaw is meeting with the Tax Payers League as we type. I think he forgets that they don’t run the state and his job is for the people, not for his own reputation. He is such a prick…
I don’t have to be able to read minds. It is the same strategies each side used all session long. Only someone very naive thinks the DFL or Republicans are acting out of pure altruism and don’t plan their statements for the benefit of their parties first and foremost. Every tragedy or triumph is looked at as an opportunity to promote an agenda and increase the power of the party.
Ruthie,
Do you really think David Strom and Phil Krinkie would get a call from the governor after they have ripped him for gas tax, cigarette tax increase North Star, et all.? Tune in.
The Governor has put forward a plan to get 30 plus million into the flooded areas now. The 35W bridge has $250 million Now. Do you really think 201 legislators are going to rebuild this mess? It will take five years. Yes, it will take legislation. But do you really think they will be able to focus on the clean up? Listen to the transportation chair in the senate. Listen to the tax chair, they all want what they felt they should have got before.
Lets focus on cleanup in a one to two day special session as the Governor has proposed. Isn’t that what the Speaker says she wants? If so, where’s the deal?
Did anyone see pogemiller on Almanac. He is such a smug jerk. Why is he still in the leadership position. He has failed his colleagues in the senate and he has failed his constituents in Mpls. Tell me how does a creep like this get elected, let alone get put in a leadership position.
If Speaker Kelliher wants a special session to deal with flooding, all she has to do is sit down with Pogemiller and the Governor and make an agreement. It shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes to agree. The problem is that the DFL wants to hijack the disaster in SE Minnesota to raise the gas tax and other taxes to spend money in other areas.
Debra is right about Pogemiller being smug. He couldn’t hardly disguise his contempt and disinterest for the people that got flooded out in SE MN. He actually said we were stealing money from other people in the state to help the people who got flooded out. That’s greedy and outrageous. I thought Democrats had a monopoly on compassion. Pogemiller shows that unless you live in Minneapolis, St. Paul or the Iron Range, Democrats don’t care about you.
Actually Debra, he’s been representing NordEast Mpls for over 25 years. If you know anything about Mpls, you’d never confuse that part of town with the Lefty activists of others parts.
Chris, those are good places to care about. We also care about Southern Mn and the entire Western region. Walz and Peterson would agree.
The anger and partisanship from Pogemiller, Murphy and Tschumper is so over the top, even libs are asking them to crank it down several hundred notches.
Pogemiller to the top ranking Woman Republican in the House “You have no idea what you are talking about”
Blames the Governor for the failure to call a special session and pass a transportation bill. This after the Governor offered a special session with a transportation bill and a tax increase.
Murphy to the Governor: This administrations bridge replacement policy is to replace them after they fall down”
Claims last years gas tax increase, tab tax increase, sales tax increas, wheelage tax increase are now “below the floor”
Tschumper accuses the Governor of coming to the flooded area as nothing more than a “photo op” and demands $100,000,000 to be drawn from the state’s “treasury” and spent in a single day because he “gave” one of the richest men in the state four times that for a stadium (might want to check with your speaker before launching that one again).
RT wants a light rail train and two new interchanges.
Tinky Winky was on the TV blaming the Governor with the bridge in the background even as injured were being treated. Things have gotten worse since.
Pogemiller is one of the most liberal members of the State Senate. Who do you think you’re kidding.
On Almanac, Pogemiller said that the flood victims were taking money from other parts of the state. Sounds pretty greedy to me. If Pogemiller and Kelliher were concerned about the flood victims, they would sit down with the Governor and work out an agreement for the special session. Let’s hope they did and the Governor is announcing this.
Loading ...
Then problem I see is that Paw;enty will want to broker a deal with the DFL leadership as to what will be d iscussed at a Special session before calling one so that he can control the session. That’s not showing leadership. That’s being a control freak. Little will get done that way. There is no way Pawlenty will agree to a seperate package for Transportation that will involve the Gas Tax issue in and of itself. He wants that money to come from the General budget. So where would one cut???
The devestation to Southeastern Minnesota must be addressed THIS YEAR, not February!!! The issue of Transportation has to be decided this year as well. Any monies he will insist come out of the General Budget for Transportaion and Flood Relief, not from the so-called Surplus he thinks there is.
The Governor has done a stand up job convincing Minneaotans that there is a $2.2 BILLION DOLLAR SURPLUS!!! Flood Relief is going to run well over $100 Million to the Counties and towns most affected. Let the monies come from that. What’s the sense of having a surplus for times like this if it is not going to be used for those in need?
What is wrong with having an agreement between leadership of the parties before calling in all the legislators? Why does DFL leadership want to start meeting now even though it doesn’t have anything to do with when something will get done. I imagine it is because they would like to use the opportunity of a special session to push through things other than flood relief bridge/road issues. They had a good deal of their own supporters not happy with them at the end of the last session because they seemed more worried about finishing on time than holding to their “beliefs”. The bridge and the flood would be the perfect opportunity to gain back a little respect without being viewed as having failed to get their jobs done on time.
Pawlenty wants to get something back for an increase in the gas tax in part because he wants the public to understand all the things the DFL feels are more important than bridge safety. Anything that Democrats refuse to cut in order to increase spending on roads helps the Republicans. The DFL will have to say that LGA, schools, mass transit, farm subsidies, bike trails etc. are all more important than bridge safety. It will force the DFL to show that higher taxes are needed not because of roads but because of all of these other programs.
Kerosene Hat: So you can read minds now, eh? I’ll look in my crystal ball now - TPaw is meeting with the Tax Payers League as we type. I think he forgets that they don’t run the state and his job is for the people, not for his own reputation. He is such a prick…
I don’t have to be able to read minds. It is the same strategies each side used all session long. Only someone very naive thinks the DFL or Republicans are acting out of pure altruism and don’t plan their statements for the benefit of their parties first and foremost. Every tragedy or triumph is looked at as an opportunity to promote an agenda and increase the power of the party.
Ruthie,
Do you really think David Strom and Phil Krinkie would get a call from the governor after they have ripped him for gas tax, cigarette tax increase North Star, et all.? Tune in.
The Governor has put forward a plan to get 30 plus million into the flooded areas now. The 35W bridge has $250 million Now. Do you really think 201 legislators are going to rebuild this mess? It will take five years. Yes, it will take legislation. But do you really think they will be able to focus on the clean up? Listen to the transportation chair in the senate. Listen to the tax chair, they all want what they felt they should have got before.
Lets focus on cleanup in a one to two day special session as the Governor has proposed. Isn’t that what the Speaker says she wants? If so, where’s the deal?
Did anyone see pogemiller on Almanac. He is such a smug jerk. Why is he still in the leadership position. He has failed his colleagues in the senate and he has failed his constituents in Mpls. Tell me how does a creep like this get elected, let alone get put in a leadership position.
If Speaker Kelliher wants a special session to deal with flooding, all she has to do is sit down with Pogemiller and the Governor and make an agreement. It shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes to agree. The problem is that the DFL wants to hijack the disaster in SE Minnesota to raise the gas tax and other taxes to spend money in other areas.
Debra is right about Pogemiller being smug. He couldn’t hardly disguise his contempt and disinterest for the people that got flooded out in SE MN. He actually said we were stealing money from other people in the state to help the people who got flooded out. That’s greedy and outrageous. I thought Democrats had a monopoly on compassion. Pogemiller shows that unless you live in Minneapolis, St. Paul or the Iron Range, Democrats don’t care about you.
Actually Debra, he’s been representing NordEast Mpls for over 25 years. If you know anything about Mpls, you’d never confuse that part of town with the Lefty activists of others parts.
Chris, those are good places to care about. We also care about Southern Mn and the entire Western region. Walz and Peterson would agree.
The anger and partisanship from Pogemiller, Murphy and Tschumper is so over the top, even libs are asking them to crank it down several hundred notches.
Pogemiller to the top ranking Woman Republican in the House “You have no idea what you are talking about”
Blames the Governor for the failure to call a special session and pass a transportation bill. This after the Governor offered a special session with a transportation bill and a tax increase.
Murphy to the Governor: This administrations bridge replacement policy is to replace them after they fall down”
Claims last years gas tax increase, tab tax increase, sales tax increas, wheelage tax increase are now “below the floor”
Tschumper accuses the Governor of coming to the flooded area as nothing more than a “photo op” and demands $100,000,000 to be drawn from the state’s “treasury” and spent in a single day because he “gave” one of the richest men in the state four times that for a stadium (might want to check with your speaker before launching that one again).
RT wants a light rail train and two new interchanges.
Tinky Winky was on the TV blaming the Governor with the bridge in the background even as injured were being treated. Things have gotten worse since.
DJZ,
Pogemiller is one of the most liberal members of the State Senate. Who do you think you’re kidding.
On Almanac, Pogemiller said that the flood victims were taking money from other parts of the state. Sounds pretty greedy to me. If Pogemiller and Kelliher were concerned about the flood victims, they would sit down with the Governor and work out an agreement for the special session. Let’s hope they did and the Governor is announcing this.