Minnesota majority

Thousands of dedicated conservatives braved an icy wind chill to shout their support for lower taxes and smaller, less intrusive government at Saturday's Tax Cut Rally, hosted by Jason Lewis and 100.3 KTLK-FM. The most encouraging thing about this year's annual event was its continuing — you'll pardon the expression — evolution beyond a radio station promotional event to a trade fair of conservative thought and organizations.

I was able to distribute hundreds of True North business cards to spread the word about the online hub of conservative thought in Minnesota. The most prominent fiscal conservative organization in the state, the Taxpayers League of Minnesota, had not one but two booths where signs and information were distributed. Its president Phil Krinkie handed out copies of the Taxpayer League 2007 legislative scorecards. They also had copies of the Derek Brigham-designed "wanted" poster, featuring the mug shots of the six Republican legislators who brought you the largest tax increase in state history.

Minnesota Majority's booth was packed with forty laptop computers for folks to sign their online tax-cut petition, and there were long lines to sign up. (Go to the web site if you missed signing up at the rally.)



Other groups with a presence at the rally:

• Global Climate Scam - Exposing the truth about global warming hysteria
• It's My DNA - a project of the Citizens' Council on Health Care opposed to the state of Minnesota's "DNA warehouse"
• Numbers USA - opposing out-of-control immigration
• Fair Tax - real tax reform that replaces all payroll and income taxes with a more fair, integrated system
• Collegians For A Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT) - the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Campus chapter of the national student organization that promotes free market thinking about the environment, economics and policy
• Twin Cities Republican Association - a dedicated group of Republicans dedicated to preserving (or restoring) conservative values in the Republican Party of Minnesota
• Minnesotans for Global Warming - "Because it's stupid to politicize the weather"

Speaking of what's hot and what's not: business cards with talking points and a web site address are hot, flyers are not. Business cards are easy to hand out, fairly cheap to produce, they are attractive when printed in color, and you can easily hand out several for redistribution. Flyers are clumsy to hand out and keep (you have to fold them up so they'll fit in your pocket), and they seem to have a more negative connotation. NumbersUSA had a fold-over design with a colorful graph inside showing population and immigration trends (a picture is worth a thousand words).

See True North and KTLKFM.com for more photos and coverage. Thanks to Jason Lewis, KTLK-FM, Sue Jeffers, and emcee Chris Baker for a festive, successful, and important event. It was fun to see old friends, meet people and connect with groups for the first time. I'm already looking forward to Tax Cut Rally 2009.