Archive for the 'Minnesota House' Category

Olson is Going To Say He’s A “Battered Husband”

by
Sean Broom
Published on July 10, 2007 at 8:25 am
, filed in Minnesota House
. 15 Comments

markolson-tm.jpgAs his oft-delayed trial starts this week Mark Olson (R-Wife Beater) is going to argue that he was a battered husband.

And those statements to the police where he admitted guilt? That was totally a misunderstanding you guys! What he really meant to say was, that according to his religion, “he was responsible for his family’s behavior as head of the household.”

My opinion of Representative Olson is not fit for print, so I’ll keep it to myself; lets just hope that if he’s found guilty he mans up to his own literature and he seeks a tougher penalty for the crimes he’s committed.

GOP CD6 Chair Makes Mark Olson’s Wikipedia Entry More Palatable

by
Matt Martin
Published on May 29, 2007 at 11:27 am
, filed in Minnesota House and Minnesota Senate
. 42 Comments

MarkolsonDump Bachmann has the dirt:

Rep. Mark Olson’s former campaign manager Mark Swanson made two revisions of the Wikipedia page for Rep. Mark Olson using the nom-de-wiki Swanny123. (I created that page).

Here’s a still of Swanson talking to Bachmann in Blaine last month from this You Tube video.

Swanson changed the heading “Domestic Assault Arrest” to “Personal Legal Notes”.

Swanson also changed “Legislative staff complained of being abused” to “It was aledged that Legislative staff complained of being abused by Mark Olson in his first term and again in 1997. There is no record of this in pertinent legislative administrative files.”

Swanson also changed “Minnesota House Republicans voted to oust Olson” to “Minnesota House Republicans voted to suspend Olson”.

So, does the GOP care about Mark Olson or not? I’m having a hard time keeping track here…

“Vote No Wardlow!”

by
Matt Martin
Published on May 22, 2007 at 7:02 pm
, filed in Minnesota House
. 14 Comments

Last night’s session gave us all quite a bit of insight into the Republican decision making process (“tax rich people=bad”) but the most lucid moment of insight was provided by some off-screen remarks made by House Minority Leader Marty Seifert. Watch the video below and listen carefully. Towards the end of the video you can clearly hear Rep. Seifert say “vote no wardlow” and then, almost immediately, Rep. Lynn Wardlow’s light signals a nay vote on the big-board. Take a look and listen:

Rep. Wardlow, who exactly is your boss, the people of district 38B or Marty Seifert?

Can we get all Republicans to do this?

by
Matt Martin
Published on May 22, 2007 at 4:29 pm
, filed in Minnesota House
. 6 Comments

This is Rep. Kohls on the floor of the House last night proving himself to be a fantastic role-model for all Republicans:
Kohls

BREAKING: No Special Session, Pawlenty to Sign Most Major Bills

by
Matt Martin
Published on May 22, 2007 at 12:07 pm
, filed in Minnesota House and Minnesota Senate
. 24 Comments

KelliherGovernor Pawlenty had a press conference at the Capitol this morning where he indicated that he will sign most of the major bills that came out of the session. The one exception may be the Tax bill due the outrageous (that’s sarcasm) provision that inserts inflation into the budget projection equation. The bill is revenue neutral, however, so it wouldn’t cause a shut-down of the government and, if vetoed, would only cause a modest one day special session. So, all in all, not a big problem. Although one astute reporter noted that the tax bill includes the letter of credit for the RNC so Pawlenty may shoot his party in the foot if he vetoes the bill. Not a decision changing fact, but it does add an interesting twist.

At the end of the day I think the DFL legislature has done an amazing job of pushing out a budget on time for the first time since 1999. Yes, major compromises were made but the DFL can chalk up some major wins: increased funding for all-day kindergarten, the strongest energy standards in the country, modest property tax relief (which would have been major if not for the Governor), capped tuition increases at the state’s universities, and tens of thousands more children covered by healthcare. When the guy holding the veto pen has his eye turned to the national field, these are pretty commendable victories.

I’ll be damned, the Special Session’s in the Governor’s Hands

by
Matt Martin
Published on May 22, 2007 at 12:08 am
, filed in Minnesota House and Minnesota Senate
. 17 Comments

Well, despite what it looked like only 20 minutes ago (they really need to have play-by-play commentators on the TV live feed) the House managed to pass all of the essential bills just under the wire. The transportation lights-on bill had already been passed earlier so the lack of an override doesn’t mean a special session is necessary. So, unless the Governor vetoes one of the major bills it looks as though the legislature has avoided a special session. This is the first legislature to pass a budget on-time since 1999. That’s a feather that the DFL and the legislative leadership can put in their caps.

Override Fails

by
Matt Martin
Published on May 21, 2007 at 11:50 pm
, filed in Minnesota House
. 5 Comments

At first the vote was 86 to 47 but then a bunch of wusses changed their votes to nay and the final vote is recorded to 83 to 50. Yeah, big surprise.

Oh well, hope you like your congestion.

Yeah… Special Session, here we come

by
Matt Martin
Published on May 21, 2007 at 11:39 pm
, filed in Minnesota House and Minnesota Senate
. 2 Comments

I’m watching the State House right now and there’s pretty much no way they pass these bills before midnight. I lay a lot of blame at windbaggy republicans like Kohls and Seifert… Everyone already knows how they will vote on the damn veto-override so shut up. Oh great, now Olson is talking… yeah, special session here we come.

Sprinting Towards Compromise: Where will the Finish Line end up?

by
Matt Martin
Published on May 21, 2007 at 11:21 am
, filed in Minnesota House and Minnesota Senate
. 18 Comments

Today’s the big day: whether the work is done or not the state constitution mandates that the legislative session ends tonight at midnight. The signs coming out of the capitol lead me to be cautiously optimistic that the work actually will all be done by deadline (a notable accomplishment in of itself) but the question remains as to what the compromise will look like.

It’s pretty clear that there will be no major new revenue sources out of this session. The proposed tax increases have been scuttled due to the Governor’s unyielding devotion to the tax-payer’s league (which apparently only represents the 1% wealthiest Minnesotans because I think the average tax-payer would have loved some property tax relief). And without a new revenue source I can be pretty confident that we won’t have significant property tax relief (the DFL will get some into the budget, but not near what they wanted), no per-pupil student funding increases, no tuition caps at the state colleges, no new transportation funding, and our nursing homes won’t get the help they need. These political corpses (a long with scores of others) can be laid firmly at the Governor’s feet.

But that’s just my two cents, what does everyone think of this legislative session so far? Did we get what we bargained for when we sent overwhelming majorities to the state capitol? Did the DFLers overextend themselves when they reached for those upper-level tax increases? Or is this all just part of the regular bargain/compromise cycle that happens at the capitol?

Discuss.

Reflections on the Smoking Ban: Protecting People or Protecting Choices?

by
Matt Martin
Published on May 15, 2007 at 1:04 pm
, filed in Minnesota House and Minnesota Senate
. 31 Comments

Note: I write a column twice monthly on the first and 15th at Minnesota Monitor. This article is cross-posted at Minnesota Monitor.

While I’m sure that every Minnesotan with a set of eyes is likely to want to read more on the smoking ban about as much as they’d like to read a dissertation on ear wax growth, I humbly ask you to indulge me for a moment. Don’t worry though, this isn’t so much about the pros and cons of banning smoking in public, indoor places statewide as it is an analysis of the implications of this kind of legislature. I think that the passage of this ban demands that we reflect on the philosophy of Government that allows such a ban to be passed and how we should or should not apply that philosophy down the road. Plus, I promise not to talk about the dang thing again after I get this one last piece out!
Continue reading ‘Reflections on the Smoking Ban: Protecting People or Protecting Choices?’

Local Rep. Tom Emmer on “Climate Porn”

by
Matt Martin
Published on May 14, 2007 at 12:28 pm
, filed in Minnesota House and Minnesota Senate
. 30 Comments

State House Deputy Minority Leader Tom Emmer was on the floor of the State House last week doing his usual “there’s another side to the global warming debate” song and dance. Big surprise, right? Well, what is actually somewhat surprising is the new terminology he’s incorporated into his usual rant: “Al Gore’s Climate Porn.” Wondering how that sounds in context? Fortunately we have the very amusing clip for your viewing pleasure:

Just as a side note, when the GOP was in control of the State House they actively suppressed the discussion of global warming. So, I find it rather amusing to watch these GOPers flail as their responsible counterparts pass wide-ranging, environmentally sound legislation. But that’s just me and, at any rate, I have to return to watching this hot climate porn.

Too Funny

by
Matt Martin
Published on May 11, 2007 at 2:18 pm
, filed in Minnesota House and Minnesota Senate
. 2 Comments

A friend just forwarded this to me, so I’m not sure where it came from, but it’s too dang hilarious not to post:

BREAKFAST AT TIMOTHY’S (As sung by the House Majority Leader to the House
Minority Leader)

Marty, you say we’ve got nothing in common
No common ground to start from
And we’re falling apart
You’ll say the Dream Act came between us
The Tax Bill came between us
But I know you just don’t care

CHORUS:
And I said what about breakfast at Timothy’s?
He said, “I think I remember the eggs,
And as I recall, I think, we both kinda liked it.”
And I said, “Well, that’s the one thing we’ve got.”

Marty, we’d never try to tease you
We changed our bills to please you
I guess you’ve had your fun
So what now? It’s plain to see we’re over,
And I hate when things are over -
With so many bills undone

CHORUS:
And I said what about breakfast at Timothy’s?
He said, “I think I remember the tea,
And as I recall, I think, we both kinda liked it.”
And I said, “Well, that’s the one thing we’ve got.”

You say that we’ve got nothing in common
No common ground to start from
And we’re falling apart
You’ll say that Pogey came between us
Trial lawyers came between us
But I know you just don’t care

CHORUS:
And I said what about breakfast at Timothy’s?
He said, “I think I remember the toast,
And as I recall, I think, we both kinda liked it.”
And I said, “Well, that’s the one thing we’ve got.”

Rep. Joe Atkins Makes an Impassioned Plea from the Floor

by
Matt Martin
Published on May 3, 2007 at 1:35 pm
, filed in Minnesota House and Minnesota Senate
. 14 Comments

State Representative Joe Atkins (DFL-Inver Grove Heights) has been championing a “good faith” bill in the House that would allow individuals to take action against an insurance agency if a court finds that they have been wrongfully delaying action on a given filing. It’s a bit complicated, but it really is a good bill; and, despite what the insurance companies have been spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to push, it would not increase the number of lawsuits in case of an accident or rocket insurance prices sky-high. Unfortunately, the insurance industry does have the majority of the House Republicans in their pocket and, it looks like, the Governor as well. Even though 46 other states have a similar law on the books (many are more strict than Atkins’), the state GOP seems intent on torpedoing the thing. At least some one is standing up for the little guy:

What is “your fair share”?

by
Matt Martin
Published on May 1, 2007 at 2:39 pm
, filed in Minnesota House and Minnesota Senate
. 13 Comments

On the 1st and 15th of every month I write a column for Minnesota Monitor.

As I wrote in my previous column in this space, I think that the DFL leadership in the Senate and, to a lesser degree, the House has made a strategical error in the formulation of their budget plans. Ceding the language of “America’s highest income tax bracket” is an almost inexcusable mistake and the accompanying sales tax increases don’t help the cause. That being said, the Governor has led us down a path that leaves us at a crucial juncture with only two options: raise revenue or dismantle Minnesota’s legendary quality of life.

Slowly but surely I think Minnesotans are beginning to wake up to this reality. Whether it’s the extra minutes each day that your commute is taking from your home-life, the steady decline of our public school system relative to the rest of the nation, or the ever increasing sting of the property tax bill, everybody is starting to see and feel the pinch. Which is where the state legislature’s slight fumble finds its silver lining: a renewed interest in debating the merits of the tax code.
Continue reading ‘What is “your fair share”?’

Mark Olson: Tobacco not Causing Cancer

by
Matt Martin
Published on April 27, 2007 at 12:59 pm
, filed in Minnesota House and Minnesota Senate
. 21 Comments

There was a lot of craziness going on on the House floor yesterday due to the debate over the smoking ban bill but, as usual, Rep. Mark Olson (R-Big Lake) managed to up the crazy to a whole new level.

Yep, that’s right, Mark Olson is asserting that if you drink 32 glasses of water after smoking that you’ll have absolutely no risk of cancer… wow. He also kept talking about centurions when he meant centenarians. Although, maybe he really did mean centurions; I guess I can’t really account for how professional officers of the Roman Army reacted to tobacco…