You don't know what you've got 'till it's gone

The next time you hear someone say that they will be so glad that campaign season is over, or worse yet that they won't be voting, you might want to remind them that many of our patriots died to protect our free elections and freedom of speech, and that other governments have killed to prevent the same.

I have friends who fled Cuba in the 1960s after Fidel Castro began nationalizing private property and cracking down on political dissent. They will never take voting for granted or forget that freedom is not free.

The last Plymouth campaign sign report

As reported by the Plymouth Police Department:

• Theft, reported 10-25-2008. Political signs taken from yard. 165xx 39 Ave.


• Theft reported 10-26-2008. Theft of 5 political signs from their yards overnight. 38xx Glacier Ln N.


• Theft, reported 10-26-2008. Report of theft of political signs on Fernbrook Ln between 34th Avenue and Rockford Rd.


• Theft, reported 10-27-2008. Report that sometime overnight unknown person(s) took 3 political signs out of yard. 47xx Upland Ln N.


• Criminal Damage to Property, reported 10-29-2008. Victim reported her political signs were thrown into the street and her solar light was broken with a brick over night. No dollar damage amount listed. 144xx 19th Ave N.

The Plymouth Police does not publish the political party involved in these reports. Please report campaign sign damage or theft to your local police department.

Smilin' and dialin'

Yesterday I put in a shift at my local Republican Victory Office phone bank, calling identified Republicans to remind them to vote our Republican ticket, from John McCain and Sarah Palin, to Sen. Norm Coleman and Third District Congressional candidate Erik Paulsen, to Brian Grogan for Minnesota House (43B), to John Cooney, the Republican endorsed candidate for the nonpartisan Hennepin County Commissioner in District 6.

Phone bank work is essential, not only to remind Republicans to vote, but also to update party records with current names and phone numbers, which are constantly changing as folks move and get new phone numbers.

We're down to the final week before the general election, and your entire Republican ticket needs your help now. Contact your local Republican Victory Office to find out how you can make a difference.

Vote your values

The Minnesota Family Institute has a comprehensive voter education web site at MNVoter.com. One feature of the web site takes the typical interest group scorecard one step further, by allowing you to print a voter guide that is tailored to the candidates you will see up and down ticket, from President to legislative and judicial races. It has always been particularly difficult to make an informed vote on judges, so this feature alone is well worth your time.

This election isn't just about partisan agendas, it's about the economic, cultural, and political future of our country. Get informed, and vote on November 4.

More Plymouth campaign sign thefts

As reported by the Plymouth Police Department:

• Theft, Reported: 10-16-2008. A resident reported that his political signs were stolen out of his yard within the last day. 115xx 44th Ave N


• Theft, Reported: 10-16-2008. Victim reported the theft of political signs from the lawn overnight. 4xx Niagara Ln N


• Theft, Reported: 10-16-2008. Complainant reported a political sign was stolen from his front yard sometime overnight. Comp reported this is the second time in the last week, his sign was stolen or vandalized. 43xx Deerwood Ln N


• Theft, Reported: 10-18-2008. R/P called reporting his political yard signs stolen. 8xx Vicksburg Ln


• Theft, Reported: 10-18-2008. Theft of political sign from the yard sometime overnight. 39xx Arrowwood Ln N


• Theft, Reported: 10-18-2008. Victim reported that a political sign was taken from her yard sometime during the night. 60xx Annapolis Ln N


• Theft, Reported: 10-19-2008. Victim reported that 3 of his political signs were stolen from his front yard during the night. 48xx Orchid Ln N


• Theft, Reported: 10-21-2008. Political sign taken from yard. 110xx 40th Pl N

The Plymouth Police does not publish the political party involved in these reports. Please report campaign sign damage or theft to your local police department.

Fiscal restraint needed on Hennepin County board

The MPR story, "Hennepin County commissioners give themselves a pay raise," reveals the apparent hubris gone wild on the Hennepin County board. What else could explain how the commission could vote this way given the current economic situation?

St. Paul, Minn. — Hennepin County commissioners voted 5 to 2 yesterday to give themselves a 3.4 percent pay increase in each of the next two years.

Their salaries will top $100,000 in 2010.

The increases match the maximum raises offered to regular county employees for 2008 and 2009, and property taxes are expected to decrease slightly for many Hennepin County homeowners next year.

But the county is also facing a significant budget shortfall, and may have to make hundreds of layoffs in 2009.

Outgoing commissioner Penny Steele, of Rogers, abstained from the vote. She said she didn't want to vote for a pay increase she would not have to answer to voters for. Steele also said it was a bad time for a raise for elected officials.

"You know, obviously, with the kind of pressures on the people that live in Hennepin County, in terms of job losses in terms of their own property taxes still perhaps going up or not being reduced, and yet the valuations are not where they were a few years ago. I mean, there's a lot of pressure on the people that live in this county," Steele said.

Commissioner Linda Koblick, of Wayzata, voted against the pay raise.

Both Steele and Koblick are retiring from the board. They both heroically opposed the confiscatory taxpayer subsidies granted to the Minnesota Twins professional baseball team and its owner, Carl Pohlad, that enabled the new Twins stadium to be built in a brazen example of public debt financing private profit.

In November, the property taxpayers of Hennepin County desperately need to elect two commissioners that will carry on Steele and Koblick's record of service to the taxpayers. Jeff Johnson is running to succeed Penny Steele in District 7, while John Cooney is running to succeed Linda Koblick in District 6. Both candidates are Republican endorsed, and Johnson is running as a self-proclaimed "taxpayer watchdog."

Grogan on the air

I returned home from a lit drop in time to get some yard work done (it was a beautiful day for either activity) and hear House District 43B candidate Brian Grogan interviewed on Saturday's Northern Alliance Radio Network show, "The Final Word."

Grogan talked with host King Banaian about reducing the number of mandated coverages in Minnesota on health insurance, which increases premiums; repealing the state moratorium on nuclear power plant construction; making the business tax and regulatory environment more attractive to investment and job creation; the incumbent Rep. John Benson's (DFL-Minnetonka) record as a tax-and-spend liberal and his opposition to school choice and parental choice initiatives.

Click the button to hear a replay of the show, courtesy of AM 1280 The Patriot. The Grogan interview begins about 1/3 of the way into the 46-minute segment.

Chillin'

Although not jaw-droppingly vast like the selection at U.S. Liquor & Wine in Minnetonka, the selection of beers and hard ciders at Sid's Discount Liquors is surprisingly wide and discerning. Sid's has imports like Moretti Birra Firulana from Italy and Smithwick's from Ireland; the local socially-conscious Finnegans (no apostrophe), brewed by Summit; obscure craft brews like Hobgoblin dark English Ale; and even a novelty brew called Monty Python's Holy Grail Ale ("Tempered over burning witches"). They also have a variety of brews from Milwaukee's Sprecher Brewery and seasonal variety packs from Sam Adams, et al.

A distinctive feature of Sid's is the walk-in, self-serve cooler, which backs up the standard glass-doored refrigerated aisle. It's just the thing when you need a few ice-cold 24-bottle cases for the party (yes, they also have kegs). Buy some Genuine Draft if you must, but treat your more adventurous guests (and yourself) to a choice of craft brews, imports, and ciders.

The Sid Applebaum family operates five Twin Cities locations under the Sid's and Big Top brands.

Sid's Discount Liquor
10200 6th Avenue North
Plymouth, MN 55441
763-545-0099

Plymouth campaign sign thefts

From the Plymouth Police Department:

• Theft, reported 10-11-2008: Political sign that was nailed to fence was broken off and taken sometime within the last week. 143xx 50th Pl N


• Theft, reported 10-12-2008: Theft of political sign overnight. 117xx 26th Ave N


• Theft, reported 10-12-2008: Victim called to report that 2 of his political signs were taken from his yard during the night. 47xx Kingsview Ln N

The Plymouth Police does not publish the political party involved in these reports. Please report campaign sign damage or theft to your local police department.

Gorgan would live within our means; Benson, not so much

Brian Grogan, who is challenging Rep. John Benson (DFL-Minnetonka) for the seat in House District 43B, recently made a promise "to the citizens of Minnesota to solve the projected 2009 state budget deficit by advocating for reductions in government spending before supporting any tax increases on Minnesota citizens and businesses."

Benson has not signed the Live Within Our Means Commitment, a one-page statement of fiscal restraint. The statement is sponsored by the Minnesota Coalition for Fiscal Responsibility in Government, an informal alliance of organizations established solely for the purpose of administering the Live Within Our Means Commitment process. According to the Live Within Our Means Commitment web site, "Coalition members agree that it would be more responsible for the Minnesota state legislature to seek first to reduce government spending before giving any consideration to increasing taxes for Minnesota families or businesses."

Minnesota is projected to have a $2 billion or greater budget deficit in 2009. Because our state constitution requires a balanced state budget each biennium, the Legislature must cut spending or raise taxes in order to address the budget shortfall.

Over sixty candidates for the House have signed the commitment so far. Visit the Live Within Our Means Commitment web site to see whether the candidates in your area have made this promise of fiscal restraint, and ask them whether they would cut spending before raising taxes.