Thank you Rep. Garofalo! Maybe next time Sen. Thompson…

At my office, our HR director had all the employees do the Clifton StrenthFinder project.  My top strength is “Includer.” An include is described as:

“You want to include people and make them feel part of the group. In direct contrast to those who are drawn only to exclusive groups, you actively avoid those groups that exclude others. You want to expand the group so that as many people as possible can benefit from its support. You hate the sight of someone on the outside looking in. You want to draw them in so that they can feel the warmth of the group. You are an instinctively accepting person. Regardless of race or sex or nationality or personality or faith, you cast few judgments. Judgments can hurt a person’s feelings. Why do that if you don’t have to? Your accepting nature does not necessarily rest on a belief that each of us is different and that one should respect these differences. Rather, it rests on your conviction that fundamentally we are all the same. We are all equally important. Thus, no one should be ignored. Each of us should be included. It is the least we all deserve.”

If that is true about me, is it any wonder that I believe it is horrible for government to discriminate against gay couples who are lawfully excluded from obtaining the same benefits through committing to each other that straight couples have?

That is why I am very happy today’s vote by the state Senate was a vote for equality in marriage.  Everybody who wants to marry, can be included.

A lot of people in my district were surprised when Rep. Pat Garofalo (R-Farmington) voted to support the law in the state House.  I actually wasn’t.  I’ve been following Pat Garofalo for years, and I don’t believe he was against gay marriage when he voted to put the amendment on the ballot in 2012.  I just don’t think he had the political guts to stand up the way John Kriesel did.  And I called him out on that before the vote, urging him to vote what he believed, not what was good for him politically.

This time he voted for freedom, and I thank Rep. Garofalo.   And well I commend him, I am proud that the Minnesota DFL took the initiative to tackle this subject despite the impending threat by Republicans that this will divide the state like nothing since the Civil War.  That is absurd!  Anybody who follows politics today knows that topics no longer hold for more than a few months.  Where was the TEA Party in 2012?  Divisive issues holding for decades are a piece of history in politics.  People care about right now almost exclusively, and let’s face it, very few of us are going to be affected by gay marriages, other than a lot of people are going to be buying a bunch of wedding gifts soon.

This will pass and be a nonfactor in 2014.  Sure Republicans will try to use it as an issue, and I certainly hope they do, because it will carry very little weight?  I’m sure Rep. Garofalo will have a challenger, but really what’s the point?  He simply voted to let people make their own life choices without government limiting their abilities to do so.  Isn’t that what conservatives want?  That idea of letting people “make their own life choices” is why I find it funny that Sen. Dave Thompson (R-Lakeville) who regularly uses the term “nanny state” to describe Minnesota laws, voted to let our Minnesota government continue to make the decision for citizens about who they can or cannot marry.  Do you agree that is hypocritical?

As Sen. Thompson and his nanny state hypocrisy embarks on a run to try and defeat Gov. Mark Dayton, I am thankful that Gov. Dayton also supports this legislation, and that two of the three people who represent me in State government said yes to this bill giving people more freedom.  Thank you Gov. Dayton and Rep. Garofalo!  Hopefully Sen. Thompson will make a better choice next time when he is forced to choose between what he says he believes, and what he believes will work best for him on the floor of the Republican State Convention.

Republicans are huge government spending hypocrites! We need to vote with compassion.

Did you read this story in the StarTribune about Chip Cravaack’s massive pay raises to his staff after he lost the election?

StarTribune 3/31/13: Lame-duck Cravaack handed out large raises to his staff

This is exactly why I vote for people who demonstrate love and compassion for people first. You cannot trust politicians when they say they will cut taxes or spending, or eliminate waste. But when a politician has demonstrated sincere concern for other humans, and cares how people and families live and survive, you know they will vote to make their lives better, even if they eventually fail on spending promises.

Chip Cravaack was a huge government spending hypocrite! He talked continuously about “what’s best for all Americans.” He attacked Oberstar and Nolan on trust, spending, and government waste. He was a TEA Partier, which should mean he is concerned about how our taxes are spent. And he voted to cut aid and college grants for many people who needed it. I think it is safe to say, he didn’t like “welfare.” But apparently that only applied to people he didn’t know personally. People who pledged an allegiance to him were fine getting welfare. When he lost the 2012 election, he gave his full-time staff and friends a 93% government pay raise for the final two months of their government employment. And worse yet, this government spending hawk, and welfare hater, admits he gave them government welfare. Cravaack said “at the end of the year, I maxed out everybody because I had no idea how long these guys would be out of work.” He gave them extra unemployment. If any of them claimed unemployment Americans paid them twice!

It wasn’t his money to dole out to his lackeys. This is the perfect example of why you shouldn’t trust politicians who care more about taxes than people. This is why I don’t trust politicians like Chip Cravaack, John Kline, Michelle Bachman, Tom Emmer, or Dave Thompson, whose solution to everything seems to be lower taxes and less government. I want politicians whose solution is to improve lives for the next several generations, not to give me an extra $50 at the end of the year. I believe these are self-righteous politicians who want control and prestige more than they really care about their ideals. If these politicians were Doctors rather than lawyers, they would have a God Complex, and a few that I’ve met might have that anyway. In the end, I think they will do what benefits themselves and their friends not what benefits the rest of us, despite what they say.

That’s why it is so unimaginable for me to vote for Republicans these days. I think at one time, there were Republicans who cared about the future and families, and still had plans for less spending. Now it seems caring about people is a bad thing in the Republican Party, and the world and those less fortunate are jokes to them. I can’t see myself voting for anybody other than a liberal in the near future. It is about compassion first, even if fiscal responsibility is second. That’s not happening on the right side of the aisle.

Paul Thissen, Dave Thomspon, and Pat Garofalo, and the use of the word “idiot” by their “friends.”

After reading Dave Thompson’s most recent Facebook post earlier today, a “Comment on Gun Control Hearing,” I noticed something I thought was interesting, the use of the word “idiot” towards people they disagree with by commenters on his post. I’ve noticed it before, I’m sure I have done it before. After all, politics is a dirty business, passions flair, and insults are rampant. But I decided to look on couple other Facebook page for comparison. While I didn’t find the word “idiot” right away, I did find “stupid” right away on Pat Garofalo’s page, and I’m not talking about his picture. Bazinga! In all reality, I like to insult Pat because he insults so many people. The funny thing is that my son and his daughter are friends. They are only in 8th grade, but how funny would be if in high school they started dating…

It wouldn’t bother me, and I am guessing he is laid back enough to not be bothered either, but I digress. Now Dave Thompson has 1,831 followers on Facebook and Pat Garofalo has 414 followers, although that is his campaign page since I am not “friends” with him like I am with Dave, but I did send him a friend request…

So you would think if I looked at another politician with 4,362 “friends” – almost twice as many as my two legislators combined, I should be able to find a couple of insulting words about the opposition right away, right? I looked at Paul Thissen’s Facebook page. I think that is a pretty fair comparison, I think Dave Thompson will be, or at least should be, the leader of Republicans in the legislature, and Paul Thissen is obviously the top DFLer in the legislature. Pat Garofalo is an idio… I mean, Pat Garofalo is not a leader.

I went back as far as I could go, counting over 80 individual comments before I stopped counting comments. No “friend” of Paul Thissen insulted Republicans in the least. Interesting, huh? Posts were positive, the word compromise appeared several times, and yet, in Dave Thompson’s most recent Facebook post, two of his 1,831 “friends” call people they don’t agree with “idiots.” Maybe the legislature could get more done if there wasn’t as much discounting of the free opinions of people they have differing opinions with.

Hello Jason Lewis?? Dirty Tactics?? Your blaming the wrong side.

How absurd is Jason Lewis?  He wrote an opinion piece for the StarTribune this weekend titled “Voter ID foes fought dirty to get a win.”  A more apropos title might be Voter ID defeated despite dirty political tactics of conservatives to get it on the ballot.

Jason Lewis is a whiner, and I am already sick of conservatives who two years ago told Democrats to stop crying about elections — that the voters will was done.  But this year, are blaming the amendments (placed on the ballot by Republicans,) blaming independents, blaming the Independence Party, blaming Kurt Bills and Mitt Romney. In the words of Ann Romney, stop it!

And this argument of dirty tactics? RUBBISH! You know what dirty tactics are? Placing an amendment on the ballot to drive voters to the polls because you know you can’t win without it.  Another dirty tactic, changing laws to make it harder to vote, not easier.  That is dirty.  How about what one Farmington Republican told me: at least if the marriage amendment is on the ballot, liberals will spend all their money to defend gays and a Voter ID bill will pass easily, which only helps Republicans in the future. Has Brodkorb enlightened us on that tactic yet?  Was that rationalization his own, or did he get that idea from his state Senator, Dave Thomspon, who helped craft the ballot language on one and authored the other?  How slimy.

Two years ago all we heard was that elections have consequences.  Well elections have consequences still.  Do you know what else has consequences?  How you govern, how fairly you treat people, how you solve problems (can you say Republican government shutdown,) and how little you get done in the legislature.  2010 was a lucky break for Republicans because of Obamacare and the economy. 2012 was a realization that dirty politics, divisiveness, and gridlock come from one party far more than the other.

Andrew Brobston Files Today to Challenge Dave Thompson for Senate in 58

Andrew Brobston, a software engineer from Vermillion Township in rural Dakota County, filed today with the Secretary of State to run for the Minnesota Senate in District 58.  The district includes Farmington, most of Lakeville, and portions of rural Dakota and Goodhue Counties.

“I am running for Senate to represent all of us in the district,” said Brobston.  “I want to work to end the divisive politics that frustrate Minnesotans.”

“When the legislature and governor arrived at a standoff that shut down the state government last year, the people of Minnesota lost.  New business owners suffered delays in getting building permits.  Schools endured uncertainty about their finances.  We need a legislature who can work together to solve the real problems facing this state.  Contests of will and one-sided thinking have no place in our government.”

Brobston is a first-time candidate for public office.  His background extends into areas besides software.  He was a school music teacher for three years in Iowa before attending graduate school in music.  Brobston moved to Minnesota five years ago to participate in the doctoral program in saxophone performance at the University of Minnesota.

“To me, Minnesota is about quality of life,” said Brobston.  “The opportunities here are among the reasons I stayed in Minnesota after completing my coursework at the University of Minnesota.”

Andrew Brobston said that he looks forward to listening to the people he will represent if elected.

“As a software developer, I am used to listening to people’s needs and interests and finding workable solutions.  I look forward to putting my problem-solving skills to work for the people of my district.  I need your support to make that happen.”

Find more information about Andrew Brobston at www.AndrewBrobstonForSenate.com.

Sen. Dave Thompson’s commitment to extremist special interests

Did you read the comments on my last post titled “Sen. Dave Thompson’s dog-whistle, McCarthy style fear mongering about Sharia Law”?  The post prompted a very interesting comment by Mac Hall from Minnesota Central.

Mac asked how many questions I received during my campaign about Sharia Law.  Dave Thompson recently announced he would introduce an anti-Sharia Law bill.  That was until he realized, or maybe I should say other people realized for him, that it was unconstitutional, anti-religion and discriminatory against a group of Minnesota citizens.

I’m not sure how much of a concern it was from the people Dave Thompson talked to, but I received zero questions or comments about Sharia law.  I also don’t recall a lot gun questions or comments of any kind, although one of the other DFL candidates in the district was threatened with being shot, so maybe Dave Thompson was talking to that Lakeville resident.

I certainly didn’t hear anything about stealing money from our kid’s future by borrowing money from our schools with no plan or even willingness to repay the borrowed money.

No, these all seem to be coming from someplace else.  Honestly, I don’t know much about ALEC, and have not paid a lot of attention to all of the ALEC complaints, but maybe there is something to it.  I say that, because I talked to a lot of people who were concerned about jobs, the ineffectual legislature and its extreme partisanship, and either their threatened foreclosure or their neighbor’s foreclosure.

It’s funny because when the Pioneer Press endorsed Dave Thompson, they thought he would be a more effective legislator for his district.  Well they were right about him being a more effective legislator, but he is a better legislator for extremist special interests, not his district.

It is too bad that the Senate District DFL met for their endorsing convention yesterday and didn’t endorse a candidate to take on Dave Thompson in 2012.  If there is a Lakeville or Farmington resident willing to take on Dave Thompson this fall, I will do everything I can to help, just contact me.

Sen. Dave Thompson’s dog-whistle, McCarthy style fear mongering about Sharia Law

Senate District 58 Republican Senator Dave Thompson is introducing an Anti-Muslim Sharia Law bill, at the Capitol on Monday.  Why exactly does he need to do that?  Are we really afraid of other Americans because they sometimes dress differently, or sometimes have a different color of skin?  It is 2012 not 1912 right?

I have to say that based on those few interactions I had with Dave Thompson in 2010 as his senate opponent, I thought he seemed fairly logical and pragmatic, and that he simply had a much for politically conservative view of the world than I did.  But, I was obviously wrong about him being a logical and pragmatic.  I think Dave Thompson might be one of those bigoted crazies who is scared of Muslims? It kind of blows his whole “he’s being logical” argument out of the water about Voter because he obviously isn’t logical.

Of course maybe this is just a ploy for something bigger.  If Dave Thompson is doing this dog whistle “Southern Strategy” anti-Muslim stuff, maybe he is running for president, and we just don’t know it.  You know, kind of like Dan Severson running for US Senate…   I read recently that full Sharia Law is really only in effect in Saudi Arabia and parts of Nigeria.  Most Muslim countries follow its principles with regards to banking, contracts, marriage and inheritance.  So, with a Sharia system of justice taking hold in only one and a half Muslim countries, why are Dave Thompson and all his extremist fear-mongering Republican buddies worried that it will ever take hold in Minnesota or in America?

Oh wait!!!  I see it now.  I said marriage in that last paragraph.  That’s it.  If people of the Muslim faith can use Sharia Law regarding marriage, what’s next?  Then gays can use their own “gay laws” to enforce rules!  Now the pieces of the puzzle are falling in to place.  This is all about Rick Santorum and his man-on-dog marriage fear.  Got it, make sense — oh wait, no it doesn’t.

Maybe the Senator from Lakeville needs to worry more about the promotion of business in Minnesota and families in Lakeville and Farmington who are still having their houses foreclosed on, instead of some dog-whistle, McCarthyist style fear mongering that appeals to the only those who have their thinking done for them by a Republican Party that has realized the only way they can actually keep winning it through fear and deception.

Sen. Thompson’s “Right-to-Work” legislation provides no rights and no work

I submitted the following letter to the editor of the Farmington Independent, attention Editor Nathan Hansen, on Monday January 23, 2012.

Earlier that day, State Senator Dave Thompson posted on Twitter and Facebook that he intends to introduce “Right-to-Work” legislation as a constitutional amendment for voters decide on in November.

The letter that follows is the unedited version of the letter that was published January 26th in the Farmington Independent.  The MLK quote at the bottom was removed:

Letter: Legislation’s real goal is busting unions

State Senator Dave Thompson of Lakeville posted on Facebook and Twitter earlier this week that he intends to introduce what he is calling an “Employee Freedom Bill” as an amendment to Minnesota’s Constitution.  This type of legislation has been in the works across America for decades, and is more commonly referred to as “Right-to-Work” legislation.  But don’t let the phrases “Employee Freedom” and “Right-to-Work” fool you.  Those buzz phrases were carefully developed to mislead people.  “Employee Freedom” and “Right-to-Work” legislation is simply intended to bust unions.

With fewer and fewer of us as union members, unknowingly we accept the negative stereotype about unions and union members that has been constantly promoted by corporate interests and the politicians who tie themselves to those interests.  Together they have spent billions of dollars to promote an anti-union agenda.  State Senator Dave Thompson, is now tying himself to special interest groups like the MN Chamber of Commerce who spends more than twice as much to lobby our legislators as any union does.  (MSP Biz Journal, 2012)

If State Senator Dave Thompson gets his wish and puts this on the ballot for all of us to vote on in November, voters have an important decision to make.  We need to decide if we want to accelerate the downward plunge in the quality of life many middle-class Minnesotans are experiencing, the way other states that have these laws of de-unionization have reduced middle-class wages and working conditions.

Do we want more Minnesotans to be without the ability to bargain for decent medical benefits?  Do we want to risk a living wage and prevent employees from being able to bargain collectively for the pay they deserve?  Do we want corporations to decide what air is safe to breath and what equipment is safe to operate?  Do we want employees to be fired because they complain about unsafe work conditions?  Do we want the gap between rich and poor to increase even more and even faster?

Take a close look at the constitutional amendments that will or might be on the ballot in 2012.  State Senator Dave Thompson and the other politicians like him will use compelling words to use emotions to get you to support these amendments.  But, every potential constitutional amendment so far seems to be about taking rights away from people who don’t have the power to fight back. 

Vote no on any so called right-to-work amendments. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said it best: “We must guard against being fooled by false slogans, as ‘right-to-work.’ It provides no ‘rights’ and no ‘works.’ Its purpose is to destroy labor unions and the freedom of collective bargaining… We demand this fraud be stopped.”

Steve Quist
Farmington, MN

Link to Letter on The Farmington Independent site: http://www.farmingtonindependent.com/event/article/id/19101/

SQ

Why don’t Dave Thompson and the GOP understand the conflict of interest?

Tom Scheck and Catharine Richert of MPR published an article titled “Chairman’s spending decisions on insiders helped lead to GOP debt.”  The article features my own State Senator, and the candidate who defeated me, Stat Senator Dave Thompson of Lakeville.

Scheck and Richert document the unethical and nepotistic spending frenzy carried out by Tony Sutton and the GOP that helped lead to the Republican Party’s current $2,000,000 debt.  Yes, that is two million dollars in irresponsible debt owed by the party that claims the mantra of fiscally responsibility.  And do not get me started on what happened in 2001 when the Republicans rented out an amusement park for 500 people with a pyrotechnics show, paid $9K, and refused to pay $22K because the amount was not properly approved… Like I said do not get me started.

The entire story by Scheck and Richert is very interesting, but the section titled “PARTY INSIDERS AND CANDIDATES ON THE PAYROLL” was the most interesting to me.

First of all, my name is in that section of the article, so somebody brought it to my attention.  But my name is not what makes it interesting.  The interesting part is that the section discusses the unethical employment practice, unethical at least in the eyes of many, including the DFL which has a policy preventing it, of the Party hiring candidates running for office to fill party jobs, including candidate Dave Thompson.

State Senator Dave Thompson was paid $70,000 for “communications consulting.”  While we were running against each other, I knew he was working for Lee Byberg who was running for Congress up in the 7th district, but I knew nothing of his work for the Republican Party that he was being handsomely paid for.  No wonder he drives a Mercedes.

Obviously his work did not affect me, or my run, but how did it affect his run?  He defeated Farmington City Councilmember Christy Jo Fogerty, and Lakeville School Board Member Bob Erickson.  Did he get any extra Party help because he was being paid by the Republican Party?  Was there anything else unethical in how the voting was conducted?  Did Sutton and the Republican machine arrange his win?

Do I believe any of that?  No, but the most important thing when it comes to this sort of thing, outside of basic ethics and morals, is not to allow anything that could create a shadow of a doubt to outsiders.

Dave Thompson who was being paid by the Republican Party told the MPR reports: “I guess I never saw that as being any kind of conflict, and still don’t to this day.”  Not a conflict?  Hello… 

It is entirely a conflict.  State law forbids a candidate from paying himself for work for a reason.  Just because state law does not prohibit political parties from hiring candidates doesn’t mean it is ethical.  And it does not mean it shouldn’t be against the law.  The MPR story quoted Mike Dean of Common Cause Minnesota who said:

“…he believes the Republican Party of Minnesota is circumventing that law. ‘This practice doesn’t meet a smell test in terms of what is ethical,’ Dean said. ‘There should be a clear bright line that says candidates for office should not be paid by other candidates for office or political parties.’”

The big concern is that the party, or other candidates in conjunction with the party, could work to provide the candidate a means of livelihood while they campaign.  When I ran against Sen. Thompson, I worked until 5, drove home to Farmington in traffic, got home around 6, ate dinner with my family, then went out and door knocked for a couple hours, maybe visiting 10-20 houses before it got too late or too dark.  If I could have door knocked areas during the day because I was being paid by Lee Byberg, the Republican Party, or even another candidate with a surplus of funds for “contracted services,” maybe a few more votes could be had.

If the DFL thinks it is unethical, and if other groups think it is unethical, but the Republican Party doesn’t think it is unethical, or Dave Thompson doesn’t think it is a conflict, what is wrong with them?

The party of fiscal responsibility?  What a hypocritical group of jokers.  If anything has come out of recent elections, The Republican Party is the party of special interests and conflicts of interests.  The next thing you know they will try nominating for President a former Speaker of the House who wanted to prosecute a President for having an affair, while that Speaker of the House was having an affair…

Occupy Farmington? Me? An Occupier? Maybe…

Am an Occupier?  I’m not physically protesting anywhere.  I’m not camping anywhere.  I am not resisting anything.  But, I am fed up with the widening gap between the rich and the poor.  I’m fed up that the same people who ruined the economy are donating huge sums of money to political campaign slush fund PACs and special interest groups so they can have the opportunity to ruin the economy again.  I am fed up by the fact that those same people are doing everything they can to keep from paying their fair share while maintaining their own interests at the expense of the interests of those who can’t fight them.  And I am fed up that politicians in Washington and in state legislatures across this country, including Minnesota, are doing very little to fix or combat any of it.  I’m definitely one of the 99%.

Does that make me one of those Occupy protesters?  Maybe not, but my Representative Pat Garofalo made a Twitter joke that made me think about being one.
 
@PatGarofalo tweeted:  “So disappointed that #OccupyFarmington skipped out on my tax townhall with Commissioner Frans. Great meeting about vision of state.” (Tweeted around 8:30 pm, 1/11/12)

I responded with my own tweet:

@Quist_Galaxie tweeted: “@PatGarofalo, I am probably about it for #OccupyFarmington, but I had church last night.  Sorry to disappoint.” (Tweeted around 9:30 am 1/12/12)

I know Rep. Garofalo was making a joke, he makes a lot of jokes.  And it’s good to have a sense of humor about politics, so I applaud him for that.  But his joke got me wondering about my community of Farmington.  How many people would join an Occupy Farmington event?  I thought that maybe I would be it.  Just me. 

My tweet was also a bit of joking, but it had truth in it too.  My political district that includes Farmington and Lakeville, is among the strongest Republican districts in the state.  Strong Republican voters, but I don’t really think a lot of people pay very much attention to politics, and very few are involved.  Sen. Dave Thomspon held a town hall meeting last year that was attended by just a few people.  As a candidate myself, very little of my help came from people I didn’t already know in my district, little money, and fewer volunteers.  I’m guessing it is not much different for the Republicans, it is probably a lot of the same people doing everything.

It is difficult to stay energized, and difficult to maintain interest.  The same people can’t keep doing things, burn out is inevitable.  I had big ideas, and got a lot of positive response from a lot of people, but it didn’t really amount to much.  So Occupy Farmington?  Yeah, maybe it is just me.