Don't blame Medtronic, thank the DFL

Photo by Kalikkio, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/

In a one-sided story, “Medtronic deal could sting for long-time shareholders,” the Strib again plays the big, bad corporation against the innocent “little guy” — but the real villain (hero?) is left unnamed.

“The thing that bothers me the most is that this is a Minneapolis-based company that depended on the Minnesota investment community for its initial financing, that attracted investment from Minnesota investors first,” Cohen said. “The ones that were there in the beginning are the ones that are going to get screwed.”...

Howard Richards, a certified financial planner at Securus Wealth Management in Plymouth, offers a worst-case scenario: a taxpayer subject to the top federal capital gains rate of 20 percent, an Obama­care tax of 3.8 percent and Minnesota’s top marginal rate of 9.85 percent.

Medtronic shareholders, who will be required to sell all of their shares (some at large gains over the purchase price) when the Covidien deal closes, should be thanking Congressional Democrats, Governor Dayton, and state DFL lawmakers for Obamacare, bailouts, MNCare, light rail trains that unite Minneapolis and Saint Paul, a new Senate Legislative Office Building, statues, fountains, civic centers, stadiums, the arts, regulatory burdens, and the overall quality of life that taxes make possible.

If we didn't tax capital gains at these confiscatory rates, it would only encourage large and small investors alike to invest more in the private enterprises of their choice. That would leave less wealth for redistribution by federal, state, and regional agencies, for the greater good. Ditto for ever-higher taxes on corporate profits.

Besides that, how fair is it to those less fortunate when you risk your own money in a small startup like Medtronic, and the stock increases in value over time as the company provides innovative goods or services that people want? You shareholders didn't actually do anything to deserve your windfall. How could anything that you would buy with that “free money” possibly be better than increasing the size and scope of government?

Quit whining about your first-world problems, Medtronic shareholders: you're rich. You'll still have well over half of your obscene profit even after taxes. For the greater good, share the wealth. Medtronic should be proud to pay the highest corporate tax rate in the world. You should be asking to be taxed more, not less. You should be voting Democrat.

Poll watching

"One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors." —Plato

Today is Election Day. Get out to vote!

Before you vote, review the Election Integrity Watch Action Plan, and if you see something, say something. To report any suspicious activity at your polling place, call 877-602-WATCH.

After you vote, share your voting story with Minnesota Public Radio News at their special web page.

After the polls close at 8:00 p.m., you can watch the results come in at any of several election watch parties, or hunker down at home in front of the TV. If you want to follow certain races closely, try the MinnPost Live Election Results Dashboard, which you can view from an Internet-connected computer or mobile device. The official results will be posted at the Minnesota Secretary of State website. There is a dubious report circulating that Secretary of State Mark Ritchie is hoping for a 150% voter turnout to defeat the Voter ID amendment.

Over the weekend, I was encouraged by the turnout at a Saturday morning campaign literature drop and Sunday afternoon phone bank shift. There were so many volunteers scheduled for phone bank shifts that all of the calling stations were full, so they were buying cell phones to enable even more calls. People also stopped by to pick up campaign lawn signs. Minnesota visits on Sunday by vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan and yesterday by presidential candidate son Josh Romney have Republican activists energized and hopeful for today's elections.

DFL running scared?

By David Faith, sd44gop.com

Over the last three days, I've received no fewer than three expensive glossy mailers paid for by the DFL attacking David Gaither. These mailers are the worst sort of political trash. They feature an unflattering screenshot of David apparently laughing and juxtapose it with a series of slanders, including (I'm not making this up) that he wants old people to starve. They are premised on the sad, tired DFL argument that only the central government can accomplish anything and that if, like Gaither, you believe government should live within its means then you must not care about the needy. They are premised on belief that only central government can help people, and that local governments, communities and private organizations don't exist. They are premised on the belief that rather than empowering people to help themselves we should treat Minnesotans as helpless sheep, powerless without the DFL shepherd.

Yet in a way, I was actually glad to receive these mailers because they told me something very important. David Gaither has the DFL running scared. There are a lot of tight races in Minnesota and the DFL would not be spending massively in Senate District 44 unless they thought there was a very good chance that David Gaither can defeat DFL incumbent Terri Bonoff. Gaither could be the key vote to defeating Gov. Mark Dayton's plan to make Minnesota the highest-taxed state in the nation, and the DFL is willing to to dig deep into their coffers to keep him out of the Senate. I think you measure a man by his enemies. David Gaither has made an enemy of the DFL money machine. That should tell you everything you need to know about his candidacy.

Let's get out there and elect David Gaither to the State Senate!

David Faith is Vice Chair at Large of the SD44 Republicans. This article originally appeared on sd44gop.com.

Trick or treat?

Looking at this direct mailed campaign lit piece, you might think that Rep. John Benson (DFL-Minnetonka) has been endorsed by the popular former Congressman Jim Ramstad (R-MN3). Just look at that nice photo of the two shaking hands, under the headline that calls Benson "The Right Choice for Minnetonka and Plymouth." The word "right" is even underlined, in case you didn't get the hint.

At the League of Women Voters candidate forum, Benson said, "I have been endorsed by two very important and highly respected Republican politicians: a former Republican governor and a former long-term U.S. Congressman."

Although a picture is worth a thousand words, nowhere on the lit piece does it actually say that Ramstad, who has retired from partisan battles, has endorsed Rep. Benson. At the forum, Benson did not say which Republican former long-term U.S. Congressman endorsed him. When the campaign of Benson's challenger, Mark Stefan, asked Ramstad for clarification, here is what he replied via e-mail:

To Whom It May Concern:

I want to set the record straight that I have not endorsed State Rep. John Benson.

Sincerely,

Jim Ramstad
Member of Congress
1991-2009

The DFL legislators on this side of town are sure working hard to look like Republicans, at least until the Legislature is actually called into session. I wonder how many voters will fall for this trick-or-treat.

INFOGRAPHIC: Good for business: Republican or DFL?

Endorsements are political, but votes speak for themselves.

Why Legislative elections matter

Written by David Faith, SD44gop.org

Amidst the drama and 24/7 coverage of a Presidential campaign, it can be easy to lose track of state and local races. People have a tendency to think that bigger means more important and the federal government is obviously bigger than Minnesota’s.

State politics is poorly covered by the media and there are many otherwise well-informed citizens that couldn’t tell you who their state representative is. This is a problem because state and local governments have enormous power over citizens living in their jurisdictions. This is a problem because the state of Minnesota has a governor champing at the bit to raise your taxes dramatically in order to fund an enormous and likely-permanent expansion of state government. This is a problem because the only thing standing in that governor’s way is a Republican legislature.

An examination of the DFL platform and the governor’s agenda reveals exactly what they plan for Minnesota. Let’s take a look at just a few key elements.

• Regulation – The DFL’s official party platform shows an astonishing faith in government regulation of private activity. It endorses “reasonable” regulations of “fair competition,” regulations of prices, environmental regulations, regulations of labor, regulations of businesses, and regulation of investment. It endorses requiring more government inspections, more government licensing, and even more government supervision of the election process. The platform never says precisely what “reasonable” regulations entail, but you can be certain that “reasonable” means “more.” This is despite the fact that we are already living in the most regulated society in American history. To cite just one example, in the 1950’s less than 5% of occupations required a license from the government. Now people in nearly 30% if occupations must obtain permission from the government before they can even practice their trade. If you think we should turn more power over to government officials to decide what we can and cannot do then the DFL platform is for you.
• Taxes – Mark Dayton is famous for being perhaps the most pro-tax governor in America. He has repeatedly advocated raising taxes and in the last legislative session vetoed a Republican effort to provide moderate tax relief to Minnesota businesses struggling with the comparatively unfriendly tax environment in this state. Unusually even for a Democrat he has waxed poetic about his love of taxes, calling them “the lubricant for the machine of democracy” and the “fuel of our social engine.” He flippantly declared “Read my lips, tax the rich.” Last year he proposed raising state taxes to 10.95%, the highest in the nation, on “rich” folks making the Donald-Trump-like sum of $85,000/year. Make no mistake, Dayton’s views on taxes reflect the DFL’s platform of “progressive” taxation, and it is only the steadfastness of our Republican legislators that has prevented him from enacting his tax policies so far.
• Religious Freedom – The DFL platform mentions separation of church and state twice, but curiously does not refer to the general constitutional rule preventing an establishment of religion under state authority. Instead the DFL endorses “separation of church and state” with regards to particular pet issues, including right to privacy, school curriculum and educational funding. To translate, the left has historically used “right to privacy” to advance their views on social issues, so “separation of church and state” in respect to privacy means that the DFL wants churches to butt out of social issues and to force churches to fund family planning and other practices that worshipers consider contrary to their religious beliefs. “Separation of church and state” as to education means that religious viewpoints are not welcome in schools and that the state should discriminate against religious schools by denying them, and only them, access to state funds generally available for other educational institutions (including other private institutions). The DFL platform also advocates taxing certain property of tax-exempt (often religious) organizations. Unsurprisingly, one thing you will not find in the DFL platform is an endorsement of the free exercise clause of the United States Constitution, which guarantees religious freedom against governmental interference.
• Second Amendment – The DFL platform advocates “reasonable firearm policies.” Three guesses what that means, and the first two don’t count.

Minnesota’s legislative elections this year matter, perhaps more than ever, because there is a clear distinction between the Dayton/DFL agenda and that advocated by our Republican legislature. If you want to live in a state with low taxes, fewer regulations, freedom of conscious and the right to bear arms, then it is vital that you get out there and support your state legislative candidates by giving of your time, your money, or at the very least, your vote.

David Faith is Vice Chair At Large of the SD44 Republicans. This post originally appeared on SD44gop.org.

Bonoff and Gaither to woo swing voters

Tuesday's town hall meeting at Plymouth City Hall hosted by Sen. Terri Bonoff (DFL-Minnetonka) was a Legislative session recap event for constituents, not a re-election campaign event. Still, a few likely campaign themes emerged during the senator's amicable 90-minute conversation with twenty or so of her constituents.

Senator Bonoff has been building her brand as a non-partisan, "moderate" legislator. Some Republican candidates in this area have done the same. Bonoff touts a bipartisan style at the Capitol. She even included a photo of herself with the popular retiring Sen. Gen Olson (R-Minnetrista) on the 2012 Legislative Report flyer that was distributed at the meeting. Her last campaign signs omitted the DFL label, and some of her constituents are still surprised to learn that she's a DFLer.

With victories in a special election and two general elections so far, she must be doing something right. But are Bonoff's Plymouth and Minnetonka constituents getting what they voted for?

Despite the nonpartisan branding, Bonoff was elected Assistant Minority Leader by the Senate DFL caucus. She is responsible for ensuring that Senate DFLers vote in concert to advance the DFL party's and Governor Mark Dayton's agendas (read: Vikings stadium). It is by definition a partisan role.

After voter ID legislation carried by former Minnesota Secretary of State and current Rep. Mary Kiffmeyer (R-Big Lake) was passed, then vetoed by Gov. Dayton, the Legislature sent a voter ID amendment to the Minnesota Constitution directly to the voters. With her DFL partisans in the Minnesota Senate, House, and Gov. Dayton, Sen. Bonoff opposes the ballot question, in spite of polls that show 80% of Minnesotans have consistently supported the idea since 2006.

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, "Bundlers are people with friends in high places who, after bumping against personal contribution limits, turn to those friends, associates, and, well, anyone who's willing to give, and deliver the checks to the candidate in one big 'bundle.'" The center's web site lists over 500 bundlers for President Barack Obama's 2008 campaign, only five of whom are from Minnesota. Terri Bonoff is one of them.

Republicans who hope to unseat Bonoff with their endorsed candidate, Sen. Bonoff's SD43 predecessor David Gaither, will not impress swing voters in this district by attacking the incumbent with overheated direct mail attack pieces. On the flip side, Occupy-style rhetoric will also suffer a cool response from the folks who eschew At Issue and Almanac: At the Capitol for brunch at The Original Pancake House or a burger at The Muni. Voters in this west metro district, where the women are strong and the school districts are all above average, will respond to the candidate who clearly presents the better plan to solve local problems and improve the statewide economy.

As I greeted Plymouth City Council member Tim Bildsoe after the Bonoff meeting, he said, "I guess this is the start of the season for you." So it is. Grad parties and weddings will soon make way for door knocking, campaign lit dropping, parade walking, sign pounding, candidate debates, and shifts at the get-out-the-vote phone bank. And blogging. See you on the trail.

Brave Sir Dayton

In case you missed the Progressive-Liberal-Demcorat agenda, Mobopolis artist David Burnon provides his perspective in this spoof of the Eric Idle character. Click the image for a high resolution version; the detail is almost as breathtaking as the disaster if Dayton is elected governor.

Warning: these donuts may be hazardous to the economy

Public Service Announcement:

WARNING: Purchasing State Fair Grandstand DFL Donuts May Result In Higher Taxes, Increased Regulation, Enlarged Government, Loss Of Employment, Insatiable Spending, And Higher Budget Deficits.

Dollars to donuts (to DFL)

It's State Fair time, and once again those clever entrepreneurs at Grandstand DFL Mini Donuts will be fundraising for DFL BPOUs in Ramsey County. And judging from the 2009 report filed by the donut stand PAC with the Minnesota Campaign & Finance Disclosure Board, the amounts of money donated to the DFL amount to much more than (ahem) peanuts:

SD50 DFL: $6,950
SD51 DFL: $2,800
SD53 DFL: $9,700
SD54 DFL: $12,500
SD55 DFL: $6,950
HD66B DFL: $11,100

2009 Total Contributions to Party Units: $50,000.00, up 4% from 2008. That's a lot of bread, man.

The Tenth Ward & Rural Ramsey DFL PAC is not required by the State Fair or any law to disclose at the booth itself where the proceeds from the sale of their deep-fried guilty pleasures are going. I'm not sure whether their sales would increase or decrease if they did. I just thought that you, dear readers, would like to know. Or as Rep. Laura Brod (R-New Prague) was quoted last session:

“If you go to the State Fair and buy doughnuts at this booth, you think you’re buying doughnuts when, in actuality, what you’re doing is making a contribution to a political party of which you have no idea. You don’t know if you are donating to Republicans. You don’t know if you are donating to Democrats. You don’t know if you’re donating to defeat a ballot initiative.

“I want them to know that they’re just not buying a doughnut. They are buying a philosophy along with it."

The forgotten man

In a thought-provoking podcast interview, Walter Hudson (Fightin' Words blog) interviews Don Allen, an African-American North Minneapolis activist who feels that the Republican Party of Minnesota has for too long written off his neighborhood, and other DFL strongholds, like so much bad debt.

Why doesn't the RPM have more boots on the ground in North Minneapolis, the University of Minnesota, or Lucky Rosenbloom's Dale Street neighborhood? (Rosenbloom should be one of Hudson's next one-hour interviews.) According to Allen, some folks in the urban core think that funding distributed by the city, state, and federal governments (and spent by school districts) should be more accountable and transparent (ahem, are you listening, Pat Anderson?), and that concerns about light rail transit's impact on neighborhoods are falling on deaf DFL ears.

Allen thinks that conservative solutions to urban ills should be heard and discussed within his community. He has invited Republican officials to stop by his town hall meetings at the Sunnyside Cafe, but so far they have been no-shows. Allen wants Republican leadership, not just well-meaning twentysomething "outreach" coordinators, to begin cultivating relationships in his neighborhood.

It will take more activists like Allen and candidates like Eva Ng, who ran for mayor of Saint Paul last year; Barry Hickethier, who is challenging Sen. Larry Pogemeiller (DFL-Minneapolis) in SD59; and Joel Demos, who is challenging Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN5); running year after year, to plant conservative ideas and grow a GOP presence in the cities.

As Hudson suggests, it will likely take more like a decade than an election cycle to change voting habits, and the RPM has some tough return-on-investment decisions to make with limited resources. But with that hopey-changey thing not working out so well, what better time than 2010 to get started?

The MOB rules at Keegan's

During last night's ideal summer-like evening at Keegan's Irish Pub in near Northeast Minneapolis, the trivia questions were especially obscure, but the Minnesota Organization of Bloggers emerged from behind their screens and keyboards to christen Keegan's new, improved deck out back with $2.75 pints of the refreshing Sam Adams Summer Ale, bar food, a few cigars, the Yankees-Twins game on a shiny new TV, and the standard, lively banter that one has come to expect at a MOB gathering, even with some of the stars of the MOB galaxy missing in action.

The conversations at my table, between trivia questions, centered around the various state campaigns. The gubernatorial endorsement battle between former state Rep. Marty Seifert (R-Marshall) and the eventual endorsee Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Delnao) reportedly got too heated for Seifert's comfort, even with his campaign slinging most of the arrows. The consensus on DFL gubernatorial hopeful Matt Entenza's pick for lieutenant governor, Robyne Robinson, is that it's a primary election play against Mark Dayton's money and the Margaret Anderson Kelliher-John Gunyou ticket. The new WIN Minnesota PAC will apply some big money to try to put a Democrat in the governor's office.

There was optimism that Secretary of State candidate Dan Severson can defeat incumbent Mark Ritchie with an urgent call for voter ID and election integrity, although the liberal 527 Secretary of State Project will be a force to be reckoned with. And yes, SD43 state Sen. Terri Bonoff (DFL-Minnetonka) is "beatable" in this November's election, even with her incumbency, union endorsements, and "Republican lite" persona facing the center-right leaning district. Several MOBsters present said they have been impressed by Bonoff's Republican-endorsed challenger, Norann Dillon, tirelessly working the district for months already, meeting, greeting, listening, and refining her message.

Blogger and Northeast Minneapolis resident Barry Hickethier told us that he will appeal to disaffected independents, DFLers and Republicans in his bid to unseat SD59 Sen. Larry Pogemiller (DFL-Minneapolis).

The affable Mitch Berg of Shot in the Dark and AM 1280 The Patriot, sporting a sharp-looking black Shot in the Dark t-shirt, received props for his recent blog post on the mythical relationship between local government aid and property taxes. Berg anticipates the next MOB gathering for late summer after primary election day on August 10, and before the State Fair.

State fair photoblog

Here are my morning and afternoon images of the Minnesota DFL (few visitors) and GOP (crowded) booths at the 2009 Minnesota State Fair, which ends today.

Donuts for donkeys

Top reasons to avoid Grandstand Mini Donuts at the Minnesota State Fair:

1. 54 calories per donut
2. 27 calories from fat per donut
3. 6 g total carbohydrate per donut
4. Undisclosed contribution per bag to the Tenth Ward & Rural Ramsey DFL Political Action Committee (PAC)

Now that the Great Minnesota Get-Together is underway, it's a good time to recall Mitch Berg's report that Grandstand Mini Donuts, located outside the Grandstand, is a stealth fundraising booth for a DFL PAC that in 2008 donated $45,000 among six DFL Senate Districts, courtesy of some unsuspecting fairgoers (many among whom likely were Republicans!).

The State Fair does not require that vendors publicly disclose where their proceeds are going, but why wouldn't Grandstand Mini Donuts do so? As a public service, you could print out a few copies of the two-page Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board filing Schedule B2 (last two pages of this PDF file), and just happen to post them somewhere nearby!