Nonfeasant Politicians

With the government shut down, it is apparent that partisan gridlock is not working. Neither side can seem to agree on how to resolve the impasse that creates greater challenges for Minnesota each day. Republicans are opposed to any taxes to resolve the budget crisis. Dayton refuses to give in as Margaret Anderson-Kelliher and other DFLers did during Pawlenty's last term. 


The Republicans want Governor Dayton to "call them back to work." However, he will likely dismiss any bills they give him that do not include a tax increase. And what work did Republican achieve while "working?" It is laughable to say the Republicans were focused on the budget "like a laser" as House speaker Amy Koch claimed. They passed Constitutional amendments requiring photo identification to vote and an anti-gay marriage bill. Neither of these will save Minnesota any money long-term and could have been brought up next year when the budget is less an issue. Minnesotans wisely chose to focus on biennial budgets so that the first term could focus on budget issues. Republicans, primarily elected on fiscal issues, chose to push a social agenda Minnesotan voters have little taste for. 


What Minnesotans want is for government to work for them and not against them. Voters have a civic duty  to elect representatives who will represent them and theoretically hold them accountable for their actions. Yet Minnesota has a growing body of elected officials choosing to ignore their duties. These representatives and senators choose not to vote at all.


Voter anger over the government shut down is only beginning to stir. Some are asking what are neighbors in Wisconsin have and are beginning to do: How do we recall these good for nothing politicians?


 Minnesota was the first state in the country to pass a Constitutional amendment allowing for the recall of elected state officials. It essentially states, "State officers can be recalled for “malfeasance,” “nonfeasance,” and “serious crime.” So breaking the laws are clearly problematic but so is the issue of nonfeasance. Nonfeasance is defined as, "...intentionally and repeatedly not performing required duties of the office." Since elected officials are intended to represent their constituents, when they choose not to vote, are they not in derelection of their duty? I would certainly consider this a form of nonfeasance. 


Are state politicians really not voting when, in fact, they should be? People can miss all sorts of things. Democrat defenders of Bobbi Jo Champion claimed he had "family business back home" and could not vote on the gay marriage Constitutional amendment. We could ignore the fact that his district in predominately African American, a community that appears to support homosexual oppression.It's an astute political move enabling him to keep the label of a "progressive" within his party, while simultaneously prevent a primary threat in his own district. Senator Obama also chose to not vote on most controversial bills while running for President, so there appears to be legitimacy and precedence for not voting. 


Which elected officials "forget" to vote?


As you can see from the graphs below, most politicians miss out on voting. Next time you forget to vote, remember that even our politicians do not consistently. The average house DFLer missed 6.4 votes in this year's session(8.7 in the senate). The average house Republican missed 2.8 votes (3 in the senate). The clear outliers are who I would like to point out. 


There were a total of 164 bills (111 in the senate) that were voted on during their third reading. In the Minnesota House, On the Republican side you have Steve Smith (Mound) who missed 25 votes, Rod Hamilton (Mountain Lake) 21 votes, and Bob Gunther (Fairmont) 19 votes. On the DFL side, Carolyn Laine missed 45 votes, Bobby Jo Champion (Minneapolis) missed 37 votes, Kerry Gauthier (Duluth) 21 votes, and Karen Clark (Minneapolis - 61A) 19 votes.  The Minnesotan Senate was much more proficient in completing their duties.However, Republican Senator Geoff Michel (Edina) missed 12 votes, and DFLer Senator Roger Reinert (Duluth) missed 40 votes. 


During the government shut down, Governor Mark Dayton and some state senators and representatives are foregoing pay. Would you believe ALL of those mentioned above, except Carolyn Laine, are collecting paychecks during the government shutdown? This should be appalling to the constituents in these districts where your elected officials are refusing to fully represent you.    


In a perfect world, these politicians would be docked pay for not doing their job. For all the talk from Republicans about government being run like a business, it never applies to politicians. They are not the ones out of work right now and collecting unemployment. They are not worried about paying bills this month or next when the rental rebates are being held back. Politicians seem to be the last to feel the pain of the people, living in an immaculate bubble of delusions. 


Another solution that would still allow districts to be represented in each vote, would be to have alternate representatives. The candidate who received the second most votes could easily do this. If a Democrat or Republican chose not to vote for their district, one of their opponents could step in. This would be a boon for constituents who lack a voice in the legislature, to include major and minor parties. (Let me interrupt with a shout out: I'd love to have fellow Greens Farheen Hakeem and Dan Craigie at the state capitol to voice what is being ignored by the corporate parties!) 


There are currently no actions to take against these officials apart from a recall. Twenty-five voters in a district could sign a petition stating their purpose for recalling, submit it to the secretary of state and get things started to recall their malfeasant elected official. If approved, there would need to be an organized petition effort to attain 25% of those who voted in the district's election. This is not an impossible goal if constituents are angry enough. If the government shut down lasts for too long, what was once unthinkable will manifest. 

Anti-Choice Democrats

This may come as a surprise, but good number of self-proclaimed Democrats are anti-democratic. Having experienced the wrath and dumbfounded anti-choice logic several times last summer feel it should be known.

My first incident was gathering signatures for candidates on July 4th, 2008 at Powderhorn Park. Those who arrived their early were primarily those who lived outside of Minneapolis and even Minnesota. Still talking about politics was fairly pleasant. Because I was not gathering signatures for Democrats some people of color assumed I was "the enemy" or something. They gave me a lecture about how the Republicans used to represent blacks but now only Democrats did. The Greens were not on their radar and they were mistrustful of why we even wanted to be involved in the electoral process. Clearly, there would be a benefit if people of color had a choice rather than a default vote, and an eternal blank check, for Democrats.

Next at Powderhorn, I found it increasingly difficult to gather signatures for our Congressional District candidate Adri Mehra. Local residents would sign to get Farheen Hakeem on the ballot, but refused to sign for Adri. The comments I heard were "I like Keith Ellison," "No thanks," and "he's doing a good job." Mentioning his unwavering support for sending more money to the Iraq war were met with sympathetic comments for "the troops" or simply blank stares. Mentioning that only America has such strict ballot access laws and if this were any other nation there would be no problem was also met with blank stares. I even asked a woman's parents visiting from Norway if their country had such anti-democratic tactics, which they didn't. I also asked if their nation had more than two political parties, which they laughed and said "of course we do!" Their daughter, a staunch DFLer, refused to lend her signature for the sake of democracy. Partisan Democrats simply do not care about democracy if it isn't "their" democracy.

Staunch partisans take note: Senator Al Franken signed every ballot access sheet for the Green Party's statewide candidates in 2006. If there are other prominent partisans who support democracy like Franken, I would like to hear about them. From my perspective, Democrats and Republicans oppose ballot access and open debates. While Senator Al Franken does not support the Green Party, he at least understands democracy should exist.

When I door-knocked for Farheen Hakeem, who ran for state representative, many were very excited with her candidacy. One woman in particular told me in a very upbeat manner "Oh, I think Farheen is great! I saw her on May Day and at Pride. Of course I will vote for her and all the other DFL candidates!" I did have to mention that on the ballot she would be listed as a Green, not a Democrat. "Oh," She said rather surprised. Her facial expression morphed to that of shock and utter disapproval "Well, now I am not so sure then..."

Not so sure? One second she was an enthusiastic supporter, the next all energy had dissipated into thin air. Is this the heart of the Democrat party? Discussing issues with her did not matter, because she only supported "DFL" issues. Those issues are less political and more social in nature. In Bill Bishop's book "The Big Sort" a theory is put forth that America is politically sorting itself. Democrats only consider moving and living in Democrat controlled areas. The same goes with Republicans. Red and blue regions are becoming more and more concentrated. It's like the Libertarian Free State Project except on a national scale.

So in regions like Minneapolis, the one political party control the majority of all politics. The other major national party does not exist, supplanted partially by a third party ( in Minneapolis, it is the Green Party). According to Bill Bishop, in areas with only one powerful political party, voting for that party becomes an "affirmation of your community." To vote DFL in Minneapolis is equated to being a good neighbor and citizen of the city. But if you don't like the candidate, you might be able to vote for a Green.

This does not mean this will happen. Not all cities have an active Green Party, and find the idea of an opposing political party to Democrats scary. I had a new neighbors last year from Chicago. I told them about my volunteering for Green campaigns and they were very skeptical. They thought we were Republicans in disguise and were stealing votes from Democrats. In fact, these thoughts are echoed on the Minneapolis Issues list where Greens are attacked for being extremists of the far right and left. Greens were either "too hot" or "too cold" but never "just right" simply because Greens are not Democrats.

One interesting phenomena in Minneapolis is that the local Republicans are becoming more active, having been revived by Ron Paul supporters. Their mayoral candidate is a former Green Party candidate for Attorney General Papa John Kolstad. In addition, he has the endorsement of the Independence Party and is seeking Green support also. While his candidacy is late in the game, viable strategy for change at this point. Whether self-proclaimed Democrats go against their afirmation of community remains to be seen. Even with Ranked Choice Voting, such social coercion is difficult to undo.

Further, the Republicans only have three actual candidates listed on the ballot with 95 total filing. The Green Party has five endorsed candidates and three more are seeking endorsement. Three who previously sought endorsement decided to run independently or as DFL.

An idea I have to improve the chances of Green candidates coming forward in the future and support is through voter education. Many do not know we exist and clearly do not know what Greens stand for. Gossip, rumors, and blatant partisan lies frequently fill the void. The national Green Party does not have the necessary literature, yet there should be a handout to explain the party's history and our Ten Key Values. Locals could create their own and start an outreach campaign to inform voters. I also think asurvey with key questions could allow for a more open-minded electorate. Mindless partisanship need not be inevitable in Minnesota, even if so in other parts of the country.

Blogger Disclosure for 2008

Another fun year has gone by. And one where Americans are beginning to come to turns that everything is indeed "changing" economically. A world without cheap oil is changing everything, and politics has yet to adjust.

In 2008, this blog had 3970 visits.

I have personally been involved in a few campaigns during 2008. Those I donated money to:

Bicking for City Council $22
Neighbors for Cam Gordon $22
Green Party of Minnesota $50
Cynthia McKinney for President - $35
Dean Barkley for US Senate - $50
Green Party of the United States $225
Neighbors United for Farheen Hakeem $65

Campaigns I have volunteered on in 2008:

Farheen Hakeem for Minnesota House 61B
Colin Lee for Minnesota House 36A
Adri Mehra for US Congress 5th District
Michael Cavlan for US Senate
Cynthia McKinney for President of the United States

I also distributed lawn signs to Minneapolis residents for the Dean Barkley for US Senate campaign and Cynthia McKinney for President.

2009 appears be an active year in local Green politics. Look forward to the new year!

Forget third parties in 2008 debates

It appears that third party candidates have blown their only chance at mainstream media coverage. It's unlikely they will have any shot this election year, apart from MPR. Perhaps one of them could go to Ohio and convince Joe the Plumber to endorse them?

America needs to hear alternative visions. Greens know that energy independence is an illusion - let's end our addiction! Greens know health-care is a right - let's stop corporate HMO rationing! And the majority of independents believe that our national debt will hinder the livelihoods of future generations - let's stop overspending!

At some point this may change. The media may decide dichotomy is too boring, and add more perspectives and political movements. Otherwise it appears the two "major" parties will lead our nation to downfall, as is currently underway.

Primary Election 08

US Senate

Tomorrow is the all important primary, and have done a little homework. I have decided to support Jack Uldrich for U.S. Senate. He clearly stated in one ad that off-shore drilling is like giving more cocaine to a coke-head. Sounds like he knows more about our addiction to oil than the "major" two-parties. You won't hear Al Franken mention anything about our nation's addiction to oil, you'll only hear it from people like Jack. Franken simply wants to end our "dependence on foreign oil" which will never happen if we never cut consumption.

I was appalled listening to bits of the RNC, when delegates shouted "Drill here! Drill now!" How much oil can be drilled in Minnesota? How about off-shore oil in Lake Superior? I'll bet there is oil that has runoff into Lake Calhoun - but that doesn't mean we should drain the lake, process the water, to get whatever is in it. Thankfully, Minnesota has no shale oil or uranium. Our best local energy solutions are solar, geothermal, and wind. But I didn't hear any catchy slogans about these at either "major" party conventions this year.

The only Independence Party member who could beat Jack is former US Senator Dean Barkley. He spoke at the "Open the Debates" super rally with Ralph Nader, Rosa Clemente, Governor Jesse Ventura, and others. He has support of Jesse and former Congressman Tim Penny. He does have experience as a U.S. Senator, unlike Al Franken. We will see how both of them do in the primary tomorrow.

Minneapolis School Board

I have thought about this, read some discussions on e-mail and online. I intend to vote for Mary Buss, Jill Davis and Lydia Lee. Doug Mann's opinion on Curriculum Based Measurement (CBM) and Response To Intervention (RTI)literacy strategies is in the comments section. But both Doug Mann and Thomas Picks are perennial candiates for school board and other local offices. I don't think it should be discouraged for people to run for office, but it is a factor.

Judicial Offices - Associate Justice 3 :

For the Supreme Court Tim Tingelstad's website screams "extremist Christian", but he does believe in abiding by the Constitution. Something I rarely hear anyone talk about lately, being the Supreme Law of our land. Tim has a good point that having our judicial branch appointed by committee doesn't allow for accountability. He emphatically states: "The seats on the Supreme Court belong to the people of Minnesota, not to an individual, not to the governor, and not to committees. Our courts must be accountable to the people."

But My vote will be going to Alan Lawrence Nelson, because he's a Minnesotan with a worldview. He also has the experience necessary for the job.

Associate Justice 4 :

I personally like Jill Clark, who stated this about incumbent Lorie "Gildea votes overwhelmingly with Justice Barry Anderson. Justice Anderson is a well-developed jurist, but aligning so often with him indicates that Gildea is not." And I just liked her statements overall.

4th District Court - Judge 53 :

David Piper is running - and he called me just about an hour ago asking for my vote. I think he got a hold of some of the DFL candidate's supporter list. ( it's too easy to get on these, you just sign up as a supporter of say.... Al Franken ). It's tough to weed through six excellent candidates, but being a part of the DFL establishment doesn't bode well with me. I am most likely going to vote for Paula Brummel.

US House - CD5 :

No one. I am voting in the Independence Party primary, but have no intention of supporting their candidate.

• More info on Minnesota Judicial Elections go here:http://www.minnlawyer.com/elections/2008/index.cfm
• In Hennepin County, you can find your polling place and a sneak peak at your ballot : http://www16.co.hennepin.mn.us/voterinfo/addrsrchnonfrm.jsp
• On Minneapolis School Board: http://www.startribune.com/local/minneapolis/27939899.html

Sister's Camelot WINS Myspace Impact Award!!

When I initially voted for them, they were in third place and needed promotion. Sisters Camelot didn't even have a video to encourage voters, and thankfully did get one in time. Thanks to everyone getting the word out and voting because they won! Their reaction:

We are thrilled to receive this award and would like to thank everyone who voted, giving us this wonderful gift. We will use the money to continue rescuing organic fruits and vegetables from going to waste, and making sure they end up in tasty dishes eaten by hungry people in our communities.
- Karen Eisert (Collective Member & Staff Member)

They will be able to buy another bus and further expand their amazing work!

Thank you to everyone who voted for them! If you live in the Twin Cities, I encourage you to volunteer with them. It's fun and you get a bunch of food also!

Peace,

-Kevin

Which would you pick:McCain's War Economy or McKinney's Green Economy?

Unless McCain is living in some warped reality, which he is, the economy needs a LOT of work. Not being able remember how many homes you own is a bit disconcerting. I mean, Norm Coleman only owns one! And he rents his place in Washington!

Let's consider that if McCain considers the fundamentals of our economy to be just fine - then do not think he will address our addiction to oil. He will not address the need to properly ensure access to education for future generations of Americans. He will not worry about the growing National Debt or reducing our imperialistic ambitions abroad. Why worry about the Homeland when you have to prop up your empire instead? Because, Mr. McCain, empires fall. And they can do so gracefully, or they can collapse in a heap.

So, if the Presidential race were done by Instant Runoff Voting, I wouldn't even put a number by McCain - unless it were double-digit. In the #1 spot would be Cynthia McKinney, who I adamantly support and WILL be on the ballot in Minnesota. Her ideas for a Green economy are expressed in the video below:

Jim Ogonowski's campaign - A Major Party theme?

I am sensing a trend here. And it crosses both sides of the political "aisle" so I can't complain right? That is what a political pundit or even an "activist" journalist might say. But I am not beholden to partisan co-workers or corporate advertisers while writing. I am appalled at the state of our democracy and how candidates for US Congress can choose to beg for money but not state where they stand on issues.

My initial statement on this issue was Jackie Speier, whose supporters have attacked me for blogging about their most worthy candidate because she begged me for money for months. When you beg for money you should state your issues. Some of what her website now states as her issues were taken from e-mails I sent her, and that is fine with me. ( In example energy is a national security issue. )

Speir fans should take note, she has a photo of soldiers wearing DCUs on your website. Those have been out of commission since 2005, maybe you haven't heard about ACUs, but that is what the ARMY wears now. But her thoughts on Iraq are like Hillary Clinton's: fund the war indefinitely and end the war someday over the rainbow.

Now we have a Republican running against John Kerry in Massachusetts for US Senate. He has no issues page at all. The Speier fans went into a frenzy claiming I couldn't justify saying she was a non-issue candidate because she now has issue statement. Well, she didn't for 3 months while she badgered me for money. Now Mr. Ogonowski is begging and has no issues page at all. Unlike Ms. Speier who had one but each page stated a synonym of "coming soon. " At least she tried.

Mr. Ogonowski makes a cheap flash movie on John Kerry and tests its fund-raising ability. Nice way to run a campaign! So what do you stand for again? Oh, whoever gives you the most money can decide. Very Major-Party-like of you.

So to "prove" that he has no issues, I have taken an image of his website and will post it here. At least we know that West Coast Democrats and East Coast Republicans have something in common: they want money and power and won't let the public truly know how they will use it. And immigrants think America is less corrupt than their homeland!