Returning to Normal Life

Wow! What happened! The last I remember, Obama had won Ohio and I said it would be a good night to pop in a video. And then there was a blur of time and now Christmas is three days away. Whoah.
I was sick for awhile and tired out for awhile and looking for work and feeling kind of dazed and confused. At one point, my wife and I went to St. Paul for a wrap-up banquet and there were big smiles on some faces and sober looks on others. And everybody said thank you and good luck and see you next time and then we drove back to Baxter. Surreal at the least. And now what?
Running for office was a worthwhile and educational experience and something everyone should do at least once. I feel like I've gained the kind of knowledge that can't be picked up in a library or a short course. At other times, I'm not sure what I've learned. Life has changed. I envy the candidate who had to run on lunch breaks and after work and then had that structure to slip back into after election night. And I keep wondering what comes next.
I'm in a play. My health is back. I'm working out at the YMCA again. Carol continues to be a trooper and the rock on which my life rests, if only I would relax and allow it. C stands for Control as well as Christmas which is around the corner.
Merry Christmas everyone. And have a Happy New Year.

I guess the paper hasn't been paying attention.

This morning's Dispatch Opinion tells us about the 'Bad News' coming and then tell us the candidates for the Legislature aren't talking about the state budget shortfall. At the bottom, Dispatch editorialists say the "topic isn't one our candidates are featuring in their literature". I suppose that's true if they're only watching the incumbent's material. All of mine includes the words Lower Taxes and Less Government and that's posted prominently on all the buttons, doorknocking cards, buttons, billboards and the web site.

What does Lower Taxes and Less Government mean to these people?

One more Norm visit!

US Senator Norm Coleman will be in Brainerd one more time early on election day, November 4th. He'll be doing a 48-hour marathon of cities in the final two days of this election cycle. Wow! 1:30am at Perkins on Washington. Your choice; the finish to a fun night or the beginning of an exciting day. No other invitation is necessary. See you there.

Three days left!

And a sprint to the finish line!

What a fantastic journey this has been! And fairly clean! My opponent has planted a few words in my mouth and some weird and totally untrue rumors have found their way back to me, but other than that, an absolute dearth of negative campaigning. As far as I know. We talked about it last spring, this seeming need for those running for public office to dish the dirt. I was told that the dividing line between above-board campaign challenges had to be based on the opponent's record and that's what I've tried to concentrate on. I know both of us have spent most of our time on portraying ourselves as the better choice, as opposed to how bad the other guy's character seems to be. That seems like a good first step away from the gutter politics all of us are tired of.

Don't forget to vote on Tuesday. The only poll that counts is the one that's taken on November 4th.

Gloom and Doom?

Looks bad, doesn't it? Just about every story you hear or read says the economy is in the dumper and we're headed for lots of change in the White House. I even heard about a Dems landslide and a repeat of 2006.

Don't believe it. I've spent 30 years in media and never, never I say, have polls predicted Republicans to win by lopsided numbers. Conservative media is a very recent phenomenon but even in the days of a complete liberal media monopoly, Republicans have won the overwhelming majority of Presidential races in the recent past. Few if any were predicted.

I knocked on doors in District 12A today. The people I talked to were positive, friendly, upbeat and conservative. The battle on the ground won't be over for another two weeks. Take heart. Be strong. We will prevail. Even the economy will turn around someday, perhaps sooner than we think.

Now things are getting exciting!

The election is two weeks from Tuesday. How's that for a thrill? Events to watch for this week: one last radio debate on KLKS, 104.3 from 2-3pm. The incumbent and I will open and close with canned statements but between, it's all live and unscripted. If you have a question, send or call it in the day before and Karen will hold it for us.

Event number two this week is a visit from Norm Coleman at the Black Bear at 1:30pm. He's visiting 90 cities in the last 20 days and Baxter is on the list. See you there.

Event number three will be at the Northland Arboretum at 7pm Wednesday night, October 22nd. The Brainerd Lakes Area Audubon Society will hold their fourth forum on environmental issues.

Event number four this week will be a forum at Edgewood Vista at 6:30pm Thursday night where we'll talk about a variety of issues.

18 Days To Go

The campaign to return some common sense to the state legislature has a little over two weeks to go. All is well. Signs are out. Debates have begun. Speaking of debates, its been fascinating to hear the opponent freely admit without any prompting that he likes socialized medicine and all tax increases, something most people have known but not heard before. The campaign has already had a number of positive results. More transparency is certainly one. Watch for more.

The next debate will be on KLKS from 2-3pm Tuesday, October 21st. 104.7 on your FM dial. The station will take questions from the audience but the questions will be screened and Karen the station secretary will write them down and bring them into the studio.

Thanks for all your support.

Pawlenty and Seifert in Little Falls Monday

Governor Pawlenty and House Minority Leader Marty Seifert travel to the Little Falls VFW tomorrow afternoon from 2-4pm. Everybody's welcome. If you've got a little extra time in the afternoon, let's show some support for Central Minnesota Republicans and House District 12B Challenger Mike LeMieur. See you there.

Three weeks and counting.

The campaign shifts into its last days and thanks to last week's debates, we know a little more about the incumbent. He likes socialized medicine and has no plan to balance the budget concerning the possibly $2-Billion shortfall beyond putting everything on the table. I wonder if that includes education? And the incumbent continues to favor the $2.5-Billion blanket increase in education he prefers to call the New Minnesota Miracle. Education will get few if any improvements or reforms if the bill is passed, just more money. One of the interesting features of the bill is the Location Equity Index, a feature that sends more money to big cities. There is no equity now. This bill would make it worse. Three weeks and change to go. Don't forget to vote.

Debate Number Two Tonight

My opponent and I will meet again tonight in the Lakeland Public Television debate in their studios in Brainerd. Once again, I believe you will see that the big difference between my opponent and I is how we think. He wants to spend another $2.5-Billion a year on education without changing the way we teach our most important resource, the next generation. The system is roughly 60 years old and we, too many graduates aren't ready for college, many of them aren't ready to fuction in society. I met with the Brainerd School Board Legislative Committee this morning. One department head suggested that the school year may have to be longer and classes may have to be tougher. Perhaps the key word in that last sentence is 'may'.

Minnesota education has to be more rigorous, more grounded in math and science, turn out better graduates. Another department head reported some are saying 70% of college freshmen need remedial courses! About 30% of recent high school graduates at CLC have to take remedial courses to get ready. And the graduation rate statewide continues to slip. A longer school year might be a good beginning. And merit pay for teachers. And longer school days. And entrusting only top college graduates with our most precious resource.

And my opponent wants more money for essentially the same system with not even a suggestion of improvement.

Check out tonight's debate. If you miss it, Lakeland said it will rebroadcast so check your listings for times and dates.

The difference between my opponent and I is that I want a better education system and he wants the same one only more expensive.

First Debate and All Is Well

My opponent and I squared off in polite debate last night in an event sponsored by the Brainerd Area League of Women Voters and the Brainerd High School Debate team. That week and a half of debate class I had in high school sure came in handy. No surprises from the opponent; more taxes, more programs, more progress, more money and just a hint of details. HF 4178 the Minnesota Miracle bill got a little mention. What wasn't said is that the bill will cost roughly $2.5-Billion a year! and includes an increase every year after that on inflation! I think the opponent and his cohorts are trying to do to Minnesota what Barney Frank and his Democrat pals did to the US economy.

The other insight of interest for me was his blanket statement, "I support a single-payer health care system!" That's the big kahuna, the Canadian-style, government-in-charge health care system that would make Medicare look like a lemonade stand. Perhaps its time to put the money back under the mattress.

The lines are becoming more clear all the time. Big government liberal versus common sense conservative, down here in hometown Crow Wing County.

Don't forget to vote on November 4th.

The Gindorff-Stolski Education Plan

Both C-I and Brainerd High School football teams won their homecoming games last weekend and it was a thrill to see the smiling faces and satisfied looks on players and fans alike. Could that happen in academics as well? Maybe.

Hence, the Gindorff-Stolski Plan, applying the lessons of football to the challenge of education. Question: Does either coach select the quarterback (or tight end or defensive guard) on the basis of advance study or the number of years on the squad or do they select them on the basis of talent and results?

Question: Is it possible to apply the same principle to classroom teachers?

Disclaimer: Neither Coach Gindorff nor Stolski has said I could use their name for this little exercise and neither should be blamed or accosted for the musings of a guy who is looking for answers, ways to make Minnesota education better and not just more expensive.

Homecoming Faith

Kudos to Pastor Andy at First Lutheran Church in Brainerd, the guy who put a lot of time and effort into bringing about the first Brainerd Homecoming Worship Serivice, this year at Forestview in Baxter. About 150 Christians of various denominations gathered to sing and worship Sunday morning and the people I talked to were very impressed, very happy, and looking forward to next year's Second Annual Brainerd Homecoming Worship Service.

How about a Homecoming Service including Crosby Ironton and Brainerd?

Congratulations Brainerd Warriors!

What a great day for football! And the Brainerd Warriors won their Homecoming match with the Alexandria Cardinals, 42-14! Great day, great game, more fun than an old Warrior can imagine. The day started with the Homecoming parade and the short walk down the hill. We unveiled the new posters complete with my 1964 graduation photo. One supporter pulled me aside during the parade and congratulated me on the courage it took to display the photo in public. Another supporter looked at the picture and whispered "Geek Alert! Geek Alert!" Hey! It was a 'short-hair, thick-glass frame' kind of time, you know? On the other side of the ego, the woman at the printer looked at the posters, looked at me and said, 'hey, you were a bit of a hottie in the day!'

So there.

Go C-I Go!

Congratulations to the Crosby-Ironton Rangers on their Homecoming 34-28 win over the Braham Bombers. The long, 7-year dry spell of Homecoming losses is over. C-I should be very proud. Congratulations!

Sarah Palin

Just heard on some guy's radio show that the overnight ratings for last night's Vice-Presidential debates came in at a 46+, compared to the McCain/Obama 31.9 last week. I suppose you could argue that all those people tuned in to see if Joe Biden would use Walter Mondale's debate speech against Robert Dole 30 years ago but I don't think so. I think all those people wanted to see how VP-candidate Sarah Palin, how well she would stand up to one of the old guard. I think most people were either pleasantly re-assured or deeply depressed, depending on which side of the ticket they on which they usually vote. You have no idea how good it feels to hear the same philosophy of smaller, limited government and lower taxes come from a national political figure. Kind of makes one proud to be a Republican.

32 Days And Counting

Now we begin the final days of the campaign. My days are filled with knocking on doors and talking to voters and the message I'm hearing is voters are tired of politicians raising their taxes and standing in the way of a better economy. They're tired of hearing people say they are working hard and learning they're not working very smart. They're tired of watching a state government get bigger and bigger and know that their children and grandchildren are going to pick up the tab. And where does the money go? Some of it during the last two years went to pay legislators more for walking around money and a place to live in the Cities all year around instead of just when they're on the job. Those voters are right. That has to stop.

If you can, join us for the Brainerd Homecoming Parade Saturday morning at 11AM. The parade starts at 11:30a and moves from Fifth and Laurel by the Post Office south in front of the high school and then down hill to the practice field. Hot chocolate and tee-shirts and all you have to do is show up. See you then.

A Terrible Way To Run A Government

Imagine deciding today what you would include in your household budget ten years from now. 20 years from now. That's exactly what those behind the so-called Legacy Amendment ask you to do. The bill will increase the state sales tax by 3/8ths of a cent and dedicate the money to environmental projects. 20% of the money will go for supposed 'cultural heritage', unnamed, undescribed, unimagined arts projects paid for with your tax money. For the next 20 years. Whether we need them or not. At least those behind the environmental project have a committee in place to decide what activities should be supported. Those behind the arts projects have not formed advisory committees yet. If the constitutional amendment passes, it will be up to next year's legislators to decide. Imagine your worst arts project nightmare and think about including it in next year's state budget, and next year's and next year's and not allowing state legislators the discretion to raise, lower or delete it. The Amendment is a bad way to run a government.

Seven Years Ago

Seven years ago today, I was walking from the news studio to the main broadcast studio to update the PSA file or check the log or make sure the radio signal wasn't fading, just another day at the radio station, when I looked up at the television monitor. Smoke was pouring out of one side of one 100+ story tower of the World Trade Center in New York. Unbelievable! Most network commentators were saying that a small plane must have drifted off the flight path and collided with the big building. No one was suggesting that a huge jet airliner would have caused the damage. At that moment, the damage looked minimal, one small fire on the side of a huge building. The coverage continued. And then television images showed the second plane slamming into the second tower. And the world changed.

Those images will stay with me for the rest of my life, like the mental pictures from South Vietnam, like the Challenger exploding in mid-air, indelibly seared on my brain. Take a second at 8:46am and remember.

We Need Jobs!

A recent post from a pro-big government web site said recently that Minnesota had the 7th lowest employment growth rate in the nation for the years 2006-2007. The state's economy needs help. The conclusion writers for that site reached was to spend more on government, not less. Yesterday, I talked with a young man on the front lines of that particular battle. He's a small businessman and told me in no uncertain terms that small business supplies more than 90% of the new jobs in the state and what would I do to encourage that. I asked him what he had in mind and he listed a number of ways governments get in his way, slow him down, distract him from making a living, and adding a tax or two now and then for no more reason than to take from him to give to someone else. All of us know of examples of companies that have down-sized, closed or moved out of state because of international economic changes. Business people don't make those changes whimsically but to make a better profit, make more money, make their enterprise expand. And hire more people. There is a difference between government jobs and private sector jobs but more about that in another post. Meanwhile, the government has to help or get out of the way. The sooner the better.

Two School Problems

A short visit to what's called the Washington Administrative Building on Oak Street in Brainerd brought back a lot of memories. My parents and brother lived three blocks south of the school. My sister was born when I was a senior and my brother and I used to walk her around the block after we came home from school. I even took a couple of minutes wandering through the old band room and then stopped in at the superintendent's office. If there's anything I regret, it's that I didn't apply myself and get even more from my years as a Washington High Warrior, looking forward to the next encounter with any sports team carrying the maroon and white of the C-I Rangers.

Things have changed, and I'm not talking about just the water fountains.

Minnesota schools continue to offer one of the best educational experiences in the nation but the rest of the world has caught up. Mr. Fox' typing class and Miss Torgerson's math have left lasting personal benefits and I've always wondered why. If we could bottle what they offered and make sure every young mind got the same treatment, perhaps our global standing wouldn't be so tough to talk about. Hopefully we can figure it out soon.

Meanwhile, there are two problems we could fix and perhaps within the near future. Unfunded mandates and equitable funding.

State and national governments should not be allowed to tell local schools what to do and then not pay for it. That practice has to stop.

And education for all students in Minnesota should get the same funding. In other states, lack of equal funding is close to reaching the courts and then we won't have the flexible to find a workable solution. Equal funding has to be achieved soon.

There are more problems to be solved but these two should be on the front burner. Perhaps then we can ask Mr. Fox and Ms. Torgerson for their suggestions on the others.

A Fantastic Radio Moment

To all the 3WI listeners who joined, Mary Koep, my opponent and I, thanks for the great questions. It was a good chance for voters to hear the two of us at the same time, talking about the same subjects. I hope it happens again, on 3WI or any other station. Perhaps our closing statements offer a good contrast; I said I was looking forward to becoming a citizen legislator to lower taxes and reduce government; my opponent said he was working hard and wanted to work year-round for the people of Minnesota. Working hard has pushed Minnesota's state budget to nearly $40-Billion, so far. Wonder how much my opponent believes is enough?

63 Days and Counting

Election Day 2008 is a little over two months away and the phone is starting to ring. Voters will now become more engaged in the issues of this election and I welcome that. I believe the best way to govern is to establish principles and use them as your guide. Lower taxes, less government and more personal liberty is a good place to start. And hard principles to argue against.

Civic Fest A Must See

Civic Fest at the Minneapolis Convention Center runs through the end of the Republican National Convention this Thursday and if it doesn't mess up your life a lot, don't miss it. Highlights include an exhibit of historic American flags, most from the 18th and 19th Centuries from the days before the specific design was passed into Federal law in 1912. One has the design of an eagle surrounded by stars. And don't miss the exhibit of the 14 Presidents before George Washington. A miniature White House, a 60' White House and Rose Garden, and a traveling Abraham Lincoln exhibit. Add the Sarah Palin announcement and you feel really proud to be an American and a Republican. Enjoy.

MN Republicans and Energy

Minnesota Republicans will make affordable energy one of our top priorities in the 2009 legislative session. House Leader Mary Seifert said Republicans will stand in the way of Democrats efforts to make energy more expensive by imposing electric energy tariffs and using 'cap and trade' schemes to regulate energy beyond what Minnesotans can afford. Established policy is stopping the free market from delivering cheap, reliable energy. Those barriers must be removed. "Seniors on fixed incomes and families stretched thin can't afford another session of legislators turning a blind eye to energy costs," said Seifert.

What a fantastic choice!

Earlier today on one of the talk shows I heard a caller say they are once again proud to be a Republican. Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's meteoric rise to vice-presidential candidate has a lot of people gasping, perhaps herself as well. What an honor and what a challenge, especially when there are so many who will say she's too young and inexperienced. But that's the point of our government, isn't it? Citizens run it, not trained professionals. We don't send gifted high-schoolers to graduate school and take Elected Public Official 101. Its supposed to be us common folk who have lives and jobs and families and take a couple of years out of our busy lives to help run the government. It should happen more often. And I have a strong belief that Governor Palin will get herself up to speed. Senator Biden could be in for a tough time.

A Money Shortage?

Forecasts are beginning to leak out about Minnesota government's near future and most sound pretty bleak. From my years in broadcasting, I don't remember too many that sounded upbeat and perky. Slowly, I believe people are catching on and looking around at their own personal experience. And it doesn't match up with reports of doom and gloom. And just like in their personal lives, balancing a budget becomes a matter of prioritizing. Minnesota's economy is basically sound. It's government that spending more than it has. One forecast predicts that it will grow by 9.7% for the 2010-2011 period. That's moving in the wrong direction. We now know that millions of our welfare dollars are being spent in every other state in the nation. That taxpayer disrespect and abuse was pretty easy to find. How much more can we discover if we really try? The forecast I want to see some day is that Minnesota government will spend 9.7% less. And I'd like to see it soon.

Civic Fest Update, More info

The Civic Fest at the Minneapolis Convention Center will run from Friday, August 29th through September 4th and we expect to see lots of people checking it out between Republican Convention meetings. The people in charge have already said to expect political celebrities and to keep our cool and remember why we're there, to showcase the exhibits, to maintain our pride in our nation's and state's history. Get more information at www.civicfest.org. The Civic Fest is designed to be a non-partisan event and we've been told it's not paid for with tax dollars. What's not to like about that?

Civic Fest

Civic Fest is an event loosely connected to next week's RNC Convention that opens tomorrow/Friday that will feature a display of old American flags, FDR and Ronald Reagan limousines, a section of AF One from the 70s, and a Smithsonian-type display on US Presidents and their documents BEFORE George Washinton (you savvy folks know about the Articles of Confederation and the Treaty of Paris signed after the Revolution and before The US Constitution). Check out Civic Fest at the Minneapolis Convention Center. It will run at the same time as next week's Republican Convention and beyond and promises to be a fascinating look at US and Minnesota history. More later.

Soucheray Visit

My wife and I went to the Minnesota State Fair on Wednesday. In amongst sharing a cheese curd with the Governor and visiting the Republican Party booth, I found myself on AM 1500's Joe Soucheray Show. Producer Angie predicted it would be a version of 'Grilling the Politician' but the 6 minute appearance turned quickly to talking about the $486-Million per cash welfare benefit payments, millions of which were paid out in every other state in the nation; $1.3-Million in Illinois last year, nearly $3,000 in Hawaii. This is the Minnesota welfare program, not the United States welfare system funded solely by Minnesota taxpayers. Soucheray asked if I would sponsor legislation to repeal the system and replace it with one that makes sense and I said that would be at the top of the list next January, if elected. Then he asked me how many terms I was willing to serve and I said two. Just in case you weren't listening to the Soucheray show. My opponent and I will be on the WWWI program Koep-ing with Government next Wednesday, September 3rd at 9am. 1270AM, 95.9FM. Join us.

What I believe Minnesota's K-12 public education system should become.

I believe that Minnesota’s K-12 public education is not broken but badly bruised. And the system can be fixed.

I believe that the most important element of K-12 public education is the student. And the most important relationship in public education is between concerned, talented, well-educated teachers and motivated, engaged students. Teachers must have not only a depth of knowledge of their subject matter but an ability to inspire.

I believe that the early years are the most important ones of a child’s educational life. They deserve the most qualified teachers and our immediate future as citizens depend on it. Therefore, beginning elementary school teachers should be paid more than they currently are. Qualified beginning teachers for all grade levels should be courted away from competing industries with competing salaries. And teacher salary should be based primarily on merit with fewer artificially-imposed advances such as steps and lanes. Great teachers should be paid accordingly; poor teachers should be encouraged to find other ways to make a living. Professional educators should expect life time job security no more than doctors, lawyers, engineers or broadcasters.

I believe we should reverse the trend to bigger schools that waste student time shuffling through crowded hallways to overcrowded classrooms. Students should learn in smaller settings, and we should increase the use of computer-enhanced education. Those smaller settings should be closer to their homes and we should stop using up student lives by shipping them across artificial boundaries in lengthy school bus rides.

I believe the primary focus of K-12 public education should be to pass on the lessons of Minnesota and American culture and experience. Our future depends on an educated population that believes the United States of America became the leader of the free world because of hard work, ingenuity and the liberty to choose our future. We live in the greatest nation in the history of planet Earth and K-12 students should know why.

I believe K-12 public education should be controlled locally by concerned parents and community members without interference from outside special interest groups, including state and federal governments. All unfunded mandates should be repealed and disallowed in the future. Too little tax money reaches the classroom and too much finds its way toward supporting overly generous health plans, retirement programs, questionable educational school fads and expensive consultants selling theoretical programs untried in the real world.

Finally, I believe we must transform Minnesota’s K-12 public education system into one that is completely, unmistakably and unquestionably student-centered.

These challenges will not be accomplished overnight but trends weakening our education system and endangering our student’s futures must not continue. These trends must change and those changes should start now.

A Great Fair

Congratulations to the Crow Wing County Fair Board and anybody who had anything to do with this year’s fair. This was my first fair experience as a candidate for public office and I experienced nothing but warm, friendly people doing their best to make sure everyone had a good time. I know I did. I’ve spent most County Fair days in the past four years as the News Director for KLKS, interviewing 4H kids, goat handlers, politicians, master gardeners and even a couple members of the livestock world. This year, I was the subject, on exhibit, and I have nothing but good memories from the way I was treated. The people who attended this year’s County Fair were open, honest, friendly and engaging and the week was an absolute pleasure.

Next year's fair is sure to be even better.

Crow Wing County Fair Week

My week at the Crow Wing County Fair is about half over and I hope fair-goers are enjoying themselves as much as I am. My experience so far has been to reinforce my decision to run for office and to get to talk about issues with District 12A voters. Other candidates have stopped by to hang out in the booth and they've expressed their envy that Crow Wing County has such an incredible event. Now and then someone comes to debate the lower taxes, less government message but usually its to nibble around the edges. One voter last night said I was wrong to oppose the gas tax increase but there were other options at the time. And perhaps now we understand better why the opposition was so insistent on the increase; light rail. By latest estimates, 20% of the money collected from the increase will head to the Metro to build expensive, less efficient electric trains to replace established, relatively cheap and effective bus lines. And no one said during the veto override, we're doing this for light rail! Roads and bridges was the mantra and some of us are still believing the money would go for roads and bridges alone. Stop by the booth in Building #1 and voice your thoughts. I look forward to seeing you.

$1.1B for Light Rail?

My source in St. Paul told me that roughly 20% of the Gas Tax Increase would be spent on light rail projects in the Metro. Yesterday, I heard the figure $1.1-Billion of the total Gas Tax Increase of $6.6-Billion! I don't remember our local elected officials saying anything about money for light rail. I heard roads and I heard bridges and I heard money for the county road department. Perhaps they forgot, somewhere between the meeting in St. Paul where they learned about the formula and the next time someone asked them about the Gas Tax Increase. The County Fair is around the corner. Make sure you ask incumbents where the money goes!

Unfunded Mandates Keep On Keepin' On

The Brainerd School Board meet earlier this week and talked about a new state mandate requiring those driving school cars and vans carrying students to have the same training, qualifications and certification as those driving a school bus. The state mandate came with no money to pay for classes, training or increased certification cost. And the mandates keep rollin' in.

21-cents on the dollar

Crow Wing County Commissioner Rosemary Franzen reported at yesterday's (7-22-08) board meeting that 21-cents of every dollar collected from the gas tax increase collected in Crow Wing County has been returned to be spent in Crow Wing County leaving 79-cents on the dollar to be spent elsewhere. Projections developed by Minnesota House researchers estimates that at least 20% of the gas tax increase will be spent on light rail projects in the Metro. Looks like we've been fooled again.

An afternoon at Big Lou's

Thanks and gratitude to Gary and all the folks at Big Lou's in downtown Brainerd. We talked for more than two hours and maybe even solved a few of the world's problems. Very interesting. Later, someone asked me if I'd gotten that panicky feeling that I was in over my head and wanted to run for the nearest exit yet. I said no, that I couldn't imagine that happening, that I enjoy talking to people and learning about their lives, especially their ideas for making Minnesota an even better place to live. Public education seemed to be the most popular topic at Big Lou's on 7th and Front Street, not how much more to spend but how to fix it. Some interesting ideas from recent public education consumers with first-hand knowledge. Thanks for the input, Gang. See you next time.

www.davidallanpundt.com

The campaign web site is up and running. I may be a little biased but I think it looks great. Check it out for yourself. Way back in the planning stages, in fact way back in my radio newscaster days, I wondered how it would feel to express myself openly. Radio newscasters have to be objective, you know. At least, I believe they should be. Let me say for the record (now, where have I heard that old chestnut before?) it feels just fine. I've held conservative views for decades but too often kept them to myself. And the career that connected for me is anything but conservative. Its nice to be out in the open. Feels fine.

A Day At The Capitol

I spent Tuesday at the State Capitol in St. Paul with most of the other Republicans running for seats in the state legislature. Standing on the steps during the press conference, looking out over downtown St. Paul, at the State Office Building, the Cathedral, the Capitol grounds was a bit surreal. I've always been determined to run for state office, to stand for conservative principles and do what I can to lower taxes and limit government. But something about being there, at that time impressed upon me how important this was. This is larger than myself, greater than anything I've attempted before. I chatted with a friend this morning in Pequot Lakes, mostly about highways through town or around town, and we talked about running for office and serving, something he's done. And we both agreed that we would be part of a wiser electorate if everyone in the country would run for office and learn from the inside. Perhaps there's potential legislation in that idea.

Parade Number One.

Thursday, July 3rd was my first parade as a candidate for public office. I've been in parades before, for KLKS, on various floats, as an actor, and as an announcer in the booth talking about parades. But something about Nisswa was different. Probably I was the one who was different. I started walking the parade route early, handing out stickers and talking to people. Nothing about the conversation was all that deep and certainly not all that political and I guess I was surprised at how many people knew something about my life, the new political part, the old radio days, or Mom. And it became much like a large outdoor party chatting with friends about stuff, some inconsequential, some vitally important. I wondered how I would adapt to being the center of attention in my small portion of the parade and my biggest regret was that I couldn't stop and talk to everyone. My feet didn't hurt, my legs weren't sore, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

A night of beauty and class.

I accomplished one of the most difficult and challenging tasks over the weekend; I judged a Miss America-sanctioned scholarship pageant Saturday night. Not an easy thing to do. Congratulations to Emily Wyman, Miss Brainerd Lakes 2008 and congratulations to the other seven young women who performed so well. You did not make judging easy. And thanks and congratulations to Vicki Randall and Bill Musell for resurrecting the pageant six years ago, keeping it going, and making this a class offering. Thanks for letting me be a part of it.

New Picture

By the by, this was taken in Tucson earlier this year. The young lady is my wife, Carol.

Campaigning on the ground.

Just a little update on how I spend my time these days. Yes, radio broadcasting and doing the news was a lot different. But there is something in common. One of my favorite activities then was meeting listeners. And now I'm meeting voters, in their homes. Most of them have definite concerns about state government and most of the concerns are about taxes. Few have said how happy they are that they now get to pay for more people on the state health care program, MinnesotaCare. Few have said they are happy they now get to pay a little more for gas and few have said they look forward to October when the state gas tax will go up another nickel or so. And few have said they are pleased as punch to know the new education funding bill will cost taxpayers an additional $1.6-Billion a year, every year, for who knows how long. None have said that. Perhaps they believed all those things deep inside and just didn't want to share with me.
This is a part of running for office that has immediate rewards and I'm not talking about sore feet and new mosquito bites. The reward is getting to meet voters face to face, knowing the future of the state is in their hands. We'll be fine. The doom and gloom merchants are wrong. Our best days are still before us.

Money for public education, the simple, easy way.

Let's break this down into easily digested bites.
Minnesota's education funding system is not broken but flawed. Funding should be equal, school to school, student to student. Therefore, the current convoluted system should be replaced with one that spends the same for each student. To keep this amazingly good public education system functioning, there also must be some way to make sure schools spend within their means. And government has to get off the backs of public education; no more unfunded mandates, period. So, in order to make sure this solution remains short, concise and simple, I'll stop typing now.
But we'll get back to it in the future.

PAYING FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION

Hold on to your pocket calculators folks. The Dispatch is absolutely right about education finance. Its not fair and balanced, it’s lopsided and plays favorites. The questions we should be asking is how did it get to be that way and is House File 4178 dubbed the ‘new Minnesota Miracle’ the right way to fix it. A friend of mine gave me a copy of the 151-page education funding manual recently. Just about every page features yet another way to ‘equalize’ funding from an extra couple of hundred dollars for districts that recently consolidated to extra money because high schools in one district are farther apart than those of another. I’ve heard a number of officials say funding should be so much per pupil, period and the Democrat-controlled state legislature is pretty proud of the $800-Million delivered to public education in 2007. But somehow we’ve gotten to 151-pages of taking money from this pile and adding to the other pile. With the continued tug-o-war between Metro and outstate lawmakers, do we believe simply adding more money to all the categories will be a permanent solution? Governor Ventura was right; there will never be enough money.

The Dispatch editorial is right about its last line too; restructuring should be a top priority for 2009, just like it should have been in 2008. House Education Finance Chair Mindy Greiling told me last November that the reform committee was ready to meet again in January and a solution was very close. She introduced HF 4178 in April. Greiling told me then that the ‘second Minnesota Miracle’ would increase education funding by $1.6-Billion per year plus another $600,000 to replace local property taxes. Greiling said the money would probably come from increasing the state’s sales tax. The House Education Finance Committee held a supposedly official public hearing in Brainerd Monday night, June 16^th. Taxpayers paid for seven legislators, a state government staff member and his 5 assistants to sit and listen to 20 more-money-for-education devotees and me. And the wheels on the bus go ‘round and ‘round.

Public hearings are supposed to be official gatherings of information and encourage citizens to give testimony on both sides of an issue as opposed to rubberstamp bills worked out ahead of time and cast in concrete. I was the only one who spoke against the bill. Everybody else thought the Red Sea had been parted once again.

A Brainerd teacher recently took me to task for ‘inappropriately’ mentioning I was the House District 12A challenger running against the temporary chairman of the committee for that night thereby politicizing the procedings. The 12A incumbent is not a member of that committee so his ‘official’ role in that ‘official’ public hearing was, what? Officially?

First, we need to decide what public education in Minnesota includes. Then we can get a better idea of what it should cost.

What is a conservative?

Good question. I'm supposed to present a short lecture on this and other political topics later this summer so this will be good practice.
A friend once asked for help to decide which political party to join. My advice was to think about what she believed in, what values were most important to her. She said she believed in freedom, liberty and self-determination and believed they were the most important elements that has made the United States of America the most successful, prosperous nation in the history of planet Earth. She said she believes that capitalism and its respect for private property is the most practical and successful economic theory invented so far and that it has made not only her nation great but is now transforming much of the rest of the world. She said the sanctity of human life is most important to her and that she believes it begins at conception and should be protected and honored until natural death. And that the most important amendment in the US Bill of Rights was the 2nd, the one that guarantees government will make no laws prohibiting citizen's God-given right to keep and bear arms. And it was most important because without it, the rest would be academic at best. Then I told her to take those beliefs and find the political party that embodies those beliefs most closely.
Up in my neck of the woods, I talk to people everyday who believe those same principles but still vote for candidates from a party that does not. Members of this party seem to be on a crusade to soften them, broaden them, always for the best of good intentions regardless of the consequences. I was talking to a young friend last week who told me an incumbent public official had lied to her. I asked her if she was going to vote for him again and she said yes, because she belonged to his political party and they believed in so many of the same things. I reminded her that he had lied to her, about a vote he'd made. She said she understood but she still wasn't going to change her vote. I reminded her, once more that he had lied and decided to move on.
Our political beliefs and principles shouldn't be up for grabs depending on what our friends think or how polished the latest political flavor happens to be. And they should bear critical scrutiny, mostly from ourselves.
If a political party has changed, perhaps its time for you to change too.
There are 134 days left before election day, 2008. Discover your truth and hang onto it with both hands.

Welcom to the official campaign blog.

Welcome. This is the official campaign blog for the election of David Allan Pundt as he works toward becoming the next Minnesota State Representative from House District 12A. The district includes the cities of Baxter, Brainerd, Crosby, Ironton, Riverton and some of the most beautiful rural areas in the state of Minnesota. Ah, let's throw in Wisconson, North and South Dakota, Michigan, Ohio, upstate New York, and lots of other places. It's a beautiful world and I am blessed to be fortunate enough to live here.
Until a short while ago, I was the news director for KLKS in Breezy Point, a beautiful little town about 20 minutes north of Baxter where I live now. About five years ago, I started thinking about running for political office. Every journalist has an opinion and I kept mine to myself as much as possible and presented news and information as balanced as I could. But eventually, it became too frustrating to have an idea of where I wanted the nation and my state to go and see it go the other way. I believe in conservative family values, low taxes and constitutionally-limited government, the elements at the foundation of what made this country the best place to live on the planet, past or present. Ronald Reagan said once that the government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take everything you have. Those of us who pay taxes shell out roughly 43% of what we produce to be governed, by local, state and national bodies. At the beginning of the 20th century, that number was closer to 7%. It's been an expensive tap-dancing experiment in socialism-lite and the sooner we give up on failed notions of how to run a country, the better.
Join me on this merry adventure into getting involved first-hand. Politics has been a spectator sport for me since I was in college, mostly because I was a responsible journalist that parked his opinion at the door when he went to work. I left that work behind for the time being to see what I could do myself, to stop complaining about the government part-time, to throw myself into the fray and discover if I could do any better. No matter what happens, it's going to be an interesting journey. Later. David