Pile Of Snow Proves No Global Warming/Climate Change Says Drazkowski

Representative Kate Knuth (DFL-Fridley/New Brighton) brings out a large box of scientific evidence from government organizations, including one that former Governor Tim Pawlenty set up to counter Republican assertions that global warming or climate change doesn’t exist. The House was debating a bill that repealed restrictions on coal buring. Republicans want to remove language that “human-caused greenhouse gas emissions contribute significantly to global climate change and pose challenges”.

Knuth points out the “scientific” sources Republicans have been using are not really scientific, but political.Knuth says when a general pattern of more severe weather happens, we should be concerned about the effect of man-made global warming.

Representative Steve Drazkowski (R- Mazeppa) is unconvinced. He points to a pile of snow that is still in the Sears parking lot on May 11th as proof that global warming and climate change doesn’t exist. Knuth responds that more snow is one of the results of climate change because a warmer atmosphere will have more moisture, and therefore more snow in it. Minnesota had one of the snowiest seasons on record this past winter.

Senior MN Legislators Pessimistic About Health Care Action

After former Minnesota governor Arne Carlson (moderate Republican) discussed Minnesota Health Care Issues, past and present, on Monday night, two senior DFL legislators were asked about the current legislative situation on health care and what was likely to happen. Senator Linda Berglin, (SD 61) and Representative Erin Murphy (HD 64A) expressed serious concerns about the process that is playing out in the last weeks of the legislative session. Former Governor Carlson argued for a return to civil debate about the issues. He said that until the structural financial problem was solved we were destined to lose ground. Quality of life was the major overriding consideration for many years; it is not a consideration in the current majority’s plan.

Abortion and Slavery Court Decisions Equated By MN GOP Representative

Representative Glenn Gruenhagen (R-Glencoe) says the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion is like the Dred Scott Supreme Court decision that confirmed that black people were slaves. First Gruenhagen says that the Roe v. Wade decision was “based on a lie” because the woman involved in the case later changed her mind.

He went on to say “I consider my comments about the fraud and lie to be objective truth. You can research it on the internet. The fact is the entire case was based on lie.

Secondly, one of the things I’d just like to say and its especially to the ladies in the room, OK? Ladies, the Supreme Court made this ruling. Their not infallible. If you remember right, the Supreme Court made a 7-2 ruling on slavery, with Dred Scott, in fact he was part of Minnesota here. And they said that black people were not fully human. They were wrong then. They were wrong in 1973. Let me just remind you, especially ladies, it was seven men that made abortion legal. Not seven women. Now what’s the significance of that? Men, a certain percentage have developed a perverted view of women and what abortion tells men is they can use women and lose them. OK? Use and lose them and run from their responsibility. Then on top of that we have the state showing up and paying for the sexual exploitation of women. Ladies, let’s put a stop to this. Let’s put a stop to sending a message to men that they can use you and leave you with the consequences and have the government pick up the tab for that.

(interruption for quieting the house)

The second thing is, the other thing I’d just like to say, if we look at taxpayer funded abortion, it unfairly discriminates against minorities. OK? Human life Alliance, right here in Minnesota, puts out excellent statistics about that. It’s the minority women that suffer the most consequences from the taxpayer funded abortions. and also suffer the consequences of the sexual exploitation of women in our society. Again I plead with you Ladies, help men support legislation that teaches men to accept their responsibility when conceiving with a woman. Don’t support government legislation and programs that tell men they can impregnate women and run away from their responsibilities. Please ladies, think about what’s been done to you in the last 40 to 50 years. Thank you Mr. Speaker.

Outlawing Gay Marriage Could Void Divorces, Says Rep. Kahn

Representative Phyllis Kahn knows a bit about marriage and divorce. She’s been married for decades and helped write Minnesota’s no-fault divorce laws many years ago. Kahn is concerned that the simple language of a Republican backed anti-gay marriage constitutional amendment could play havoc with Minnesota’s divorce laws.

The proposed amendment defines marriage in Minnesota as between “one man and one woman.” However, as Kahn points out, it says nothing about “sequential marriages” and needs language to the effect of saying “one man and one woman at one time.”

Constitutional amendment author Representative Steve Gottwalt objected to Kahn’s question, saying the committee that was hearing this bill was supposed to be focused upon fiscal impact. Kahn replied that since she helped write the no-fault divorce law, she knows that doing anything to void it could have very serious financial implications.

Gottwalt didn’t answer Kahn’s objections, and committee chair Representative Mary Liz Holberg argued that no additional language was needed in the constitutional amendment because state law already outlaws polygamy.

Ironically, that is the same argument opponents of the anti-gay constitutional amendment have been using: same-sex marriage is already against Minnesota state law.

MN Redistricted For Political Reasons? GOP Author Won’t Say.

Did Minnesota’s Republican Caucus look at possible political gain as a factor when drawing the legislative redistricting maps? A fair question you may say, and worth asking. Representative Melissa Hortman (DFL-Brooklyn Park) obviously thought so too and asked the question of the redistricting bill’s author Sarah Anderson (R-Plymouth). She asked not once, not twice, but eight times and never got a yes or no answer from Anderson.

Hortman wanted to know if Anderson or anyone in the Republican caucus had put together a spreadsheet that analyzed the political competitiveness of the new districts. Nearly each time the question was asked Anderson recited a list of factors for redistricting, but didn’t directly answer Hortman’s question.

Anderson tries to change the subject, asking Hortman where her plan is. Hortman responds that any plan she would put forward would need significant public input and since Republicans released the plan less than 24 hours before this public hearing, it would be impossible to get public input in that short amount of time.

Representative Pat Garofalo (R-Apple Valley/Lakeville/Northfield) is asked the a version of the same question and says he has not seen a spreadsheet analyzing the political competitiveness of the districts. He also tells Hortman she and other DFL members “aren’t earning their pay” because they haven’t created a redistricting plan.

MN GOP Proposed Legislative Redistricting Maps

Minnesota’s Republican legislative caucus is making its proposal for the revised House and Senate district legislative districts. These would take effect for the 2012 elections.
Click on the maps to view larger versions, or download PDF’s of the maps.
House Metro redistricting PDF
House Statewide redistricting PDF
or
Dig through the plans and reports here.

How Many Gays Must God Create Before We Accept That He Wants Them Around?

Representative Steve Simon (DFL Hopkins/St. Louis Park) says a proposed Minnesota constitutional amendment banning gay marriage is largely about religion. He says if sexual orientation is innate as science is showing us, and not a lifestyle choice, then God created gay people. He asks how many gay people must God create before we accept that he wants them around.

Full video of the House anti-gay constitutional amendment hearing can be found here.

Flood Relief, Roads, Buses May Suffer If Voter Photo I.D. Is Passed

By Marisa Wojcik
Dollars expected to help Minnesotans hit hard by the spring floods may be swept away by a Republican initiative to change how you vote.

Representative Ryan Winkler, DFL – Golden Valley, talked to The UpTake about the voter photo identification bill moving through both the House and the Senate this session. A House version of the bill is now approaching a vote on the floor.

The bill started out with “$40 million price tag” said Winkler, because of technological requirements associated with scanning and storing voter registration information. Newer versions of the bill are projected in the $6 million range as broadband scanners and electronic poll books are now optional for Minnesota counties.

The question still left to be answered is: how will Minnesota pay for it? … Continue Reading

Voter Photo ID Bill “Opens The Door For More Mischief” Says Rep. Winkler

A proposed law requiring a photo ID to vote may invite voter suppression tactics in Minnesota that have been used in other states. Representative Ryan Winkler (DFL-Golden Valley/St. Louis Park) pointed that out today as the House Government Operations Committee approved the proposal along a 12-8 party line vote.

The bill, authored by Representative Mary Kiffmeyer (R-Big Lake) sets up a provisional balloting system. Representative Winkler says under the system, a partisan volunteer for a party could challenge someone’s right to vote and the voter would have to drive to the county auditor’s office if they wanted their vote to count. In rural areas that could be as far as 200 miles. Representative Winkler says that “opens the door for more mischief” since an organized vote challenging could suppress thousands of votes.

Representative Kiffmeyer responds that her bill doesn’t change the state’s poll challenging laws and election judges at the polls will make the decisions. Representative Winkler counters that an organized effort could overwhelm election judges. He also asks why a poll challenger merely has to take an oath and that’s good enough, but a voter would no longer be able to vote by just taking an oath. He says that shifts the burden of proof from the challenger to the voter.

Costs of implementing voter photo ID uncertain
… Continue Reading

Voter Photo ID Not Needed, Doesn’t Work Says Sen Goodwin

Minnesota State Senator Barb Goodwin (DFL-Fridley) says that Minnesota already has protections in place that “covers just about every possible eventuality with people falsely voting.”

She told Senator Warren Limmmer (R-Maple Grove) sponsor of the bill to require voter photo identification “Your bill doesn’t prevent anybody from falsifying another document if they really want to fraudulently vote. They can still get a birth certificate. Even our election judge said she got a birth certificate and didn’t need much of anything to get that. No matter what kind of system you put together, there are going to be ways to get around it.”

“I have about 10 senior facilities in my district. A lot of people who can’t get out to get their pictures taken or get out to get a voter ID. We’re eliminating those people. What we’re also doing here is we’re eliminating those students that may have changed out of their dorm into an apartment a week or so before an election. ”

“We’re restricting it no matter how you look at it.”