Podcast 533-Matt Stevens

Podcast 533-Matt Stevens. Heads up for the North Metro Tea Party alliance as an Elk River man alleges serious campaign finance violations by officers of the North Metro Tea Party and Political PACs associated with it. In Podcast 533-Matt Stevens, the man who filed the complaint tells why he did it, and details his charges. As of post time I contacted the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board, and North Metro Tea Party Officials who were not available, although Jake Duesenberg posted a note on his FaceBook page which I include in this podcast. It was pretty late, and Matt’s tweets had been gathering steam all day. At issue is the ongoing fight in Minnesota House district 35 between incumbent Republican and Speaker of the Minnesota House Kurt Daudt and his primary challenger Alan Duff. The primary is August 9th. Is this a dirty trick by the Daudt Campaign to blunt Duff’s challenge? Or is this is a question of competency as it pertains to political neophytes who have come into the process through Tea Party meetings. It’s all in the hands of the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board now. See for yourself, here’s Matt’s twitter feed, where you’ll find the tweets and links to the documents detailing his allegations, in a letter to the campaign finance board. If you’re interested here is one source detailing the campaign regulations/guidelines related to 501C3 corporations similar to the Tea Party which is an organization devoted to education, not a political action committee. It’s important to note that I know many of the principles in this story personally and they have always been gracious to me, and good to me. I do not know Matt Stevens, but most of the people I talked to the night of this podcast have a favorable impression of him. The fact is, we don’t know whether the allegations are true or false, we don’t know the motivation, and we don’t know whether the Tea Party officials made a mistake or there is no ‘there, there’, to turn a phrase. It’s all up to the Minnesota Board of Campaign Finance and it’s going to be a big story, so here is the first interview of record on the subject. We’ll see now what happens. Sponsored by X Government Cars.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:00 — 66.4MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Podcast 363

Minnesota, Land of Confusion. What is the nature of what has been described as Minnesota’s ‘quirky’ political tendencies? Doubling as a Minnesota News Update, and commentary on the political state of affairs in the state, this podcast delves into the top political stories in the current time frame, and the conservative ‘movement’ in the state. As the House, with a Republicans majority vote to increase the education budget, the Senate with a Democrat majority votes to increase the gas tax by 16 cents. A tax which will come on top of the state’s 28 cent a gallon gas tax, federal taxes and local taxes. What’s the money going to used for? Roads and Bridges … Oh wait! Transportation. This, in addition to some three hundred million dollars a year which comes from the state’s recent Transportation Amendment, and existing bonding and budgeting for, well, roads and bridges. Senator Scott Dibble makes the ridiculous statement that ‘young people are leaving … for better transit options’. Richard Florida’s unproven assertions aside, studies show young people are moving to smaller, and larger cities like Austin, and Dallas, Denver, Des Moines and Omaha for career opportunities and cheaper housing. And what about the ‘lack of investment’ in the last thirty years? Projects on 94, 35W, 62, 100, the 610 interchange, the interchanges on 100 in the west metro this summer, innumerable ’roundabouts’ built all over the state, not to mention trains, trains, trains! And new buses. And a police force for the Met Council, and salaries for the Met Council. It seems as though, in this state Infrastructure, Education and Trains have taken their place next to entitlements as ‘third rail’ issues. Everyone wants more money, but they don’t want to have to pay for it. Solution? Tax the rich, tax corporations. And how many people in rural Minnesota really think they’re going to get their farm road repaved, or a new bridge down on the corner when the mayors of Minneapolis, Saint Paul, Duluth and rich Doctors in Rochester have their hands out for ‘infrastructure’ and transit projects of their own? And yet another Minnesotan has been killed by the ‘safe and clean’ Green Line … this one an employee of the Minnesota Senate. Meanwhile, reports are the Met Council actually plans for about 5 deaths like Lynne Thomas’ every year. Target laid off another 100 employees downtown, with more to come. Educators lied through their teeth about how STEM education was needed because STEM jobs were going unfilled in Minnesota. Most jobs in the state are for unskilled labor. Despite all this, it appears the conservative ‘movement’ in the state is failing. The republican leadership is moderate. Polls show the state’s population leans to the left. Why? Minnesota is an island of old-time-democrat-union-monopoly, in a sea of forward thinking, business oriented policy and politics in all the surrounding states. What’s wrong with us? Year after year the same arguments about Sunday liquor sales, stadiums and light rail, and yet the money is taxed, the outraged brooked, and the cycle starts over again. Is this how Minnesotans ARE? What can be done about it. SHOULD anything be done about it? Sponsored by Ryan Plumbing and Heating of Saint Paul. Image from the tenth amendment group. 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 34:08 — ) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS