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Author: |
Dan McGrath |
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3/10/2008 |
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Dan is a Minneapolis resident. Living in the heart of the beast, he brings an urban perspective to Minnesota conservatism. |
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Secretary of State Admits to Recordkeeping Failures |
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By Dan McGrath on
5/29/2009
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 Interviewed for a revised Star Tribune Story posted May 28th, Secretary of State Mark Ritchie admitted that there is a discrepancy between vote totals in the official election canvassing report and votes reported in the statewide voter registration system. He stated "you'll never get a perfect correlation between the two." He acknowledged a mismatch of vote totals, stating his goal was to eventually reconcile the number to within 1,000 and referred the reporter to the counties to "ask about their own numbers."
Ritchie's comments are in response to the lawsuit filed against the secretary of state alleging that his office and several county election officials have failed to update the statewide voter registration system with the 2008 election results within the statutorily mandated timeframes.
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Minnesota Majority Sues Secretary of State, County Election Officials |
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By Dan McGrath on
5/28/2009
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 Number of Voters Does Not Reconcile with the Number of Ballots
Minnesota Majority, joined by five state legislators and concerned citizens launched a lawsuit in the Minnesota Supreme Court today, charging that Secretary of State Mark Ritchie and 25 county election have failed to comply with election laws. The action was announced in a press conference this morning.
Plaintiffs in the suit are Minnesota Majority, Jeff Davis, Dan McGrath, Jean Sanford, David Fitzsimmons, Representatives Matt Dean, Tom Emmer and Mark Buesgens and Senators Warren Limmer and David Senjem.
The lawsuit is based upon research recently conducted by Minnesota Majority. We compared the Minnesota Statewide Voter Registration System (SVRS) to the official 2008 State Canvassing Board Report (SCBR) and discovered a large discrepancy between the number of voters recorded in the voter registration system to the number of ballots cast on Election Day. Both the SVRS and the SCBR were provided by the Minnesota Secretary of State’s office. In late April, Bert Black, legal counsel to Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, told Minnesota Majority that SVRS voter history updates pertaining to the 2008 general election had been completed by all counties, but the data on the SVRS disk provided showed that not to be the case.
The federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) and Minnesota statute 201.171 require the Secretary of State and county election officials to update the Statewide Voter Registration System (SVRS) immediately following an election. Minnesota Statute specifies that the task must be complete no later than 6 weeks following an election. But nearly 7 months after the November 2008 election, voter registration records are still not updated.
The lawsuit targets counties that are missing voter history updates for one or more precincts, but the out-of-balance problems do not appear to be limited to just these counties. “This isn’t simply a minor recordkeeping error,” said Davis. “If we cannot trust our election officials to perform the basic job of balancing their books, how can we possibly have confidence in our election system?”
“The state legislature wrote our laws to ensure integrity and transparency in our elections,” said State Representative Tom Emmer. “I’m troubled to see that the laws aren’t being followed by the officials who we have entrusted to administer our elections. Instead of transparency, we have mud. How can we determine what’s going on if we can’t even balance the vote totals?”
State Representative Mark Buesgens added, “This is simply unacceptable. The people of Minnesota deserve an election system they can be confident in and frankly, this doesn’t inspire much confidence in me.”
Minnesota Majority has advocated for improvements in the integrity of Minnesota’s electoral process since we initially discovered inconsistencies in voter registration records in October 2008. Specific reform measures, such as voter ID controls and independent audits, were introduced in the 2009 legislative session, but were defeated by the DFL-controlled state legislature.
Our investigation into election issues is ongoing.
Take Action: Sign the Election Integrity Petition.
This lawsuit will cost us thousands of dollars, but we think its worth it to improve the integrity of our elections. Please consider making an online donation to help fund the lawsuit.
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Minnesotans Escape Legislative Session Unscathed by Tax Hikes |
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By Dan McGrath on
5/19/2009
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 DFL Legislators tried to raise taxes up until the very last minutes of the legislative session that officially ended Monday at midnight. House leadership had hoped to enact $1 billion in new taxes and $381 million in new Health and human Services spending over the governor’s objection, but the House Republican Caucus held together, standing firm against the two veto override attempts. The Governor has promised no special session and the legislature is adjourned.
In a crafty move, Governor Pawlenty signed spending bills, but vetoed the tax hikes. The end result is an unbalanced budget, but with no possibility of a government shutdown like those that resulted from past budget negotiation impasses. With a budget shortfall to rear its head while the legislature is out of session, the governor will have the executive authority to unallot funding to bring the budget into balance. The budget will therefore be balanced via spending cuts without any tax-hikes.
The governor had indicated that he’d be willing to work with the legislature on alternatives to solving the budget, but the governor held firm on his word that tax hikes were out of the question. Democrats in control of the House and Senate were completely unwilling to consider any budget solution that didn’t include tax increases, but the governor’s move, bolstered by a cohesive House GOP caucus rendered the tax-raisers powerless.
Take Action: Governor Pawlenty has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to hold the line on taxes and brilliant strategic leadership on the budget issue. Contact Governor Pawlenty’s office now to thank the governor for stopping plans for big tax hikes in their tracks.
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Rules? What Rules? |
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By Dan McGrath on
5/19/2009
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This video is an example of the current DFL majority's leadership style in the state Senate. Five minutes before the midnight adjournment deadline, a tax bill ( HF 2323) was brought to the floor and a roll call vote on it was rammed through without regard for Senate procedure, rules or debate.
Senator Dick Day began collecting Senate rulebooks from his fellows, declaring, "we don't need these anymore."
No one had read the bill as it stood. It had just emerged from a conference committee. It didn't seem that anyone actually knew exactly what was in it (or at least the Republican minority hadn't been let in on the secret).
The bill, which aimed to raise Minnesota income taxes and create a new top bracket of 9% (among other tax hikes) was for all practical purposes vetoed before it even hit the Senate floor. DFL leaders knew that before they rammed the bill through at the last moment. Roughly the same tax and spend bill had already been vetoed once and there were not enough votes for an override. That begs the question: Why? Was this rule-trampling maneuver orchestrated simply so DFL leaders could say they passed a budget? Was it simply a final, childish act of defiance? Or, is there some greater strategy at work behind the scenes?
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At End of Session, Bill is Passed to Undermine Election Integrity |
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By Dan McGrath on
5/18/2009
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 A House/Senate Conference Committee just passed an election provisions bill. SF 1331 makes substantial and potentially dangerous changes to the way elections will be conducted in Minnesota.
The bill introduces early voting and no-excuse absentee voting, which would allow untold thousands of ballots to be cast without the traditional scrutiny of citizen election judges and poll challengers. It also removes requirements for party balance for certain election judge activities.
Amendments to the bill that would have improved the integrity of our elections were offered but defeated. There will be no ID requirements, improved transparency or better election data handling processes. Instead, the bill opens our already vulnerable election system to greater risk of errors and abuse while removing layers of citizen-oversight. Appointed bureaucrats will take the place of election judges on newly established “ballot boards.”
This elections provision omnibus bill was initially passed in the House exactly along party lines with 87 Democrats voting yes and 46 Republicans voting no. In the Senate, the bill passed by a vote of 40-27, with all Republican senators voting against. Five Democrats also broke ranks and voted no.
Now that the bill has emerged from conference committee, the final form needs to be adopted by a floor vote in both houses of the state legislature before being sent to the governor’s office.
Update: Governor Pawlenty vetoed this bill.
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Budget Hawks Jam & Bash Thursday Night at Trocaderos |
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By Dan McGrath on
5/13/2009
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 Join in the fight to protect our wallets and reduce state government spending. Minnesota Majority, together with like-minded organizations, is sponsoring the 3rd Budget Hawk’s Jam & Bash at Trocadero’s Night Club in Minneapolis on Thursday, May 14th from 5:00 - 8:00 PM.
Our last two events in February and April were wildly successful, with hundreds gathering for refreshments, networking, chats with like-minded neighbors, and political leaders.
Learn more about what you can do to fight liberal lawmakers who want to increase spending and raise our taxes at this fun, free event. An immediate call to action is expected. Be prepared to take the next important step to preserve our rights to the fruits of our labor and our liberty.
Here’s a link with a map to Trocadero’s and here’s a link with a map for parking. Hope to see you there.
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New Ad Campaign Exposes Tax-Raisers |
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By Dan McGrath on
5/11/2009
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Minnesota Majority has launched a new cable TV ad campaign calling attention to state representatives who voted for a $1.5 billion tax hike on Minnesota’s working families last week. The bill, HF 2323 would have eliminated state mortgage interest and charitable contribution deductions, allowed counties to ditch property tax hike caps and impose new sales taxes and raise taxes on tobacco, alcohol and recreational vehicles (ATVs, snowmobiles, boats, etc). The bill also establishes a new top tax rate of 9% on incomes over $169,000. This would be one of the highest state income tax rates in the nation.
The Senate recently passed a similar bill, and differences in the House and Senate bills were hammered out in a conference committee. The resulting tax bill has already been vetoed by Governor Pawlenty, forcing legislators back to the drawing board.
The ad draws attention to the legislators who supported these huge tax hikes, and provides a phone number for constituents to call. Upon calling, the constituent is provided recorded background information on their representative and the bill in question and then connected directly to their legislator’s office. This allows constituents a convenient way to provide feedback to their legislators.
If these ads aren’t running in your district, you can still easily make your voice heard by contacting your legislator using the tools below.
Take Action:
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Tax Cut Rally Photo Contest Winner: Dane Christiansen |
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By Dan McGrath on
5/11/2009
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 We’ve received a lot of great photos of the 2009 Tax Cut Rally and we appreciate all the submissions. It was a hard decision to make, but ultimately, we decided on this great picture by Dane Christiansen that features what appear to be a father and son in the foreground, clasping their hands together as they listen to Jason Lewis from within the crowd of tax protestors.
Congratulations, Dane Christensen (who submitted some other good shots as well) and thanks for sharing your photos with us. A check for $50 will be on its way.
Honorable Mentions
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2009 Tax Cut Rally a Huge Success |
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By Dan McGrath on
5/4/2009
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Jason Lewis headlined the annual Tax Cut Coalition Rally at the State Capitol on Saturday, calling for smaller, more responsible government and lower taxes with an estimated crowd of over 8,000 people.
In the early part of the program, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann fired up the crowd with a rousing speech and then Governor Pawlenty arrived, promising to veto any tax hike that crossed his desk.
KTLK’s Chris Baker emceed the event, interviewing exhibitors during the break between speaking programs.
Measuring attendance at events like the Tax Cut Rally can be a bit tricky and results vary widely depending on the estimator’s political ideology. Where one TV news channel or newspaper may report “a crowd of hundreds,” another may say “thousands of protestors,” and yet another may use a police estimate like “8,000 – 10,000.”
Minnesota Majority had a plan to more accurately count attendees this year, up to a point: We had 5,000 copies of a Pocket Constitution booklet to hand out to attendees. All 5,000 were given away, so all that tells us is there were over 5,000 attendees.
With the event spread out over 5 hours, exhibitor tents all over the mall and people coming and going, it’s pretty hard to measure total attendance with a snapshot, too. There may have been 10,000 people or more. At the rally’s peak, experienced crowd estimators guessed around 8,000 in the gathering.
By any measure, a lot of Minnesotans showed up to protest high taxes and ever-growing state spending. There were over 30 exhibitors and all reported great response and turnout.
This year’s rally added some new features, like a conservative bookstore and food vendors. There were non-stop lines down the block to get a burger or some BBQ pork and the Borders employees running the bookstore didn’t get any breaks in transactions. Next year, one or two more food vendors might be in order to help cut down on the lines.
Prizes were awarded for best signs and costumes at the rally, as well as a prize for pre-rally entries of promotional videos. “Chicken Little” was awarded $50 for best costume. “I’m Two Years old and My Debt is already $31,000,” won another $50 for best sign. Mike Wilson produced the winning promotional video and was awarded a $100 cash prize at the rally.
Now that the 2009 Tax Cut Rally is over, preliminary planning for the 2010 rally is already getting underway. Evaluating what worked, what didn’t, what we need more or less of and what can be done to make next year’s rally even bigger and better is already under discussion. Suggestions and comments are being solicited at TaxCutRally.com. Add your two cents while it’s still fresh on your mind.
What’s Next?
At the Tax Cut Rally, many people asked what the next event for Minnesota Majority would be. The answer is: AM 1280 The Patriot’s Obama – The First 100 Days at the Minneapolis Convention Center on Tuesday, May 12th. Bill Bennett, Denis Prager and Hugh Hewitt will discuss President Obama’s presidency to date in the context of the traditional first presidential milestone. Tickets start at just $12.80.
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House and Senate Pass Huge Tax Hike on Minnesota Families and Businesses |
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By Dan McGrath on
4/28/2009
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 Minnesota’s House and Senate have each passed gigantic tax increases to close a $6.4 billion budget deficit of their own creation. The Senate plan (SF2074) calls for across the board income tax increases and a new top tax bracket of 9.25% to collect $2 billion in new revenues. The House plan (HF2323) is a patchwork of tax hikes on income, tobacco, alcohol, recreational vehicles, and even includes a tax on homeowners who have higher energy (natural gas) use during winter months (shame on you for using your furnace when the temperature is below zero).
Property tax caps are swept away and counties will be given the option to increase local sales taxes by .5%.
The House bill also eliminates some pretty substantial tax deductions, like the mortgage interest deduction and education tax credits. A slew of other changes remove subtractions from federal taxable income and throw in some additions, like motor vehicle and property taxes paid, and some charitable contributions. All of this has the effect of inflating the amount of personal income that the state will compute taxes on. The House tax bill also establishes a new top tax rate of 9% on income over $169,000 (or $300,000 for married couples filing a joint return).
Because the House and Senate plans are different, their next stop is a conference committee, where members of the House and Senate will put their heads together to reconcile differences in the bills (and likely make the tax-hikes even bigger) before sending the merged bill to the governor’s desk.
These bills do little to nothing to address the fundamental problem of government over-spending. They rely on the taxpayer’s wallet and accounting shifts (delaying payment until later) and one-time money, meaning the legislators will be back looking for even more tax dollars in two years when they have to make good on delayed payments and one-time money is no longer available. In the face of the state’s biggest-ever budget deficit, these legislators haven’t even given any consideration to substantial spending cuts. They’ve spent the state into the red and rather than cut back, they’re asking us to cut our family budgets back even more.
Take Action: Attend the Tax Cut Rally on Saturday, May 2nd.
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