I was reelected today as SD51 BPOU Chair. I was also elected as a Delegate to the State Central Committee meeting.

Thank you to those who voted for me, it wasn’t a tough choice, though, I was unopposed for chair (So don’t hold it against them ). A big thanks also to those in my BPOU that took other positions in leadership. And especially for those who helped make the convention possible and go so smoothly.

Thanks to Ron Carey for making an appearance. We shook hands as he arrived and said hello.

A huge thanks to Congresswoman Michele Bachmann for spending the time to talk with our 6th CD sub caucus. She gave a great speech, took some time do Q & A with those in attendance. She even spurred us to do an impromptu show of hands straw poll for POTUS. This woman is going to quickly climb the ranks of conservative leaders in our party. It is also great to hear her speak and fire up the crowd.

(I snapped these 2 photos, they are with my cell phone, so excuse the graininess.)

Fred Thompson cleaned house in the unscientific poll. I believe around 19 or so of the 24 of our 6th CD members chose Thompson. We did go through all the major candidates, and I will leave it at that.

Thanks again to all who did take the time to show up. The next 2 years will be lots of hard work, but fun. Yep, I’m one of those people who enjoys this sort of thing.

The DFL legislature has decided to go for making Minnesota the state that people making $140,000 a year (BTW: who they consider the rich and wealthy) consider this state last as they search for homes and jobs as they search job markets.

Minnesota Senate Democrats today decided to back a new higher income tax rate for the wealthiest Minnesotans - the highest such rate in the nation.

Under the plan, sure to be dubbed a “soak the rich” proposal, joint filers earning $250,000 a year or $141,000 for single filers would pay a new 9.7 percent income tax rate. The rate would impact about 60,000 returns, which is means likely close to double that number of people would pay the higher rate.

And they expect successful people to move to Minnesota? More than that, all those high tech programs we’re paying through the teeth for at the U of M will be churning out grads looking for high paying jobs to fit their education (ahem, in this new tax bracket), and they come to a stark realization.

Minnesota will no longer have anyone providing these level of jobs, as most companies that can will have relocated. And these grads will be too smart to live in a state that is going to suck almost 10% off the top of their wages for the companies stuck here.

And why are Democrats so eager go soak the rich?

But Senate Tax Chairman Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, said the money would pay for property tax relief and increased education funding, which voters and the governor have said they want. Still, passage of the bill, expected Saturday, won’t be easy, he said. “It’s going to be a tough vote on the floor tomorrow,” Bakk said.

Who gets drenched by increased spending on new government programs based solely on new tax increases? Yep, you guessed it, everyone not wealthy enough to move away from this insanity, the rest of us.

Folks, friends, fellow voters,

I hope you understand this is nothing more than the DFL trying to pass so much crap that Gov. Pawlenty will be forced to veto these tax and spending increases which will cause a shut down due to ‘gridlock and legislative impasse’. Pawlenty has already dared them to make his day, and promised a veto. He’s set the tone to live with in the means of the revenue already collected. So why are the pushing so hard to cram the entire fringe liberal agenda into this one sessions?

The DFL knows that they got away with one in the 2006 election, and that things will likely equalize next time around at the ballot box. They are renting seats, and expect the average Minnesotan to subsidize the bill. Revenue streams come and go, but big government ideas and nanny state bureaucracy last lifetimes. Once tax revenue dries up due to the extremem burden placed on our economy by the DFL agenda, there’s a problem for the rest of us who didn’t chase a job into this state only to follow a better offer out of it.

Has their ever been such a rapid and blatant liberal swing in the agenda in a state before? Man, just take a look at how much they want to raise taxes in this state. We’re already in the top 5 to 10 in most tax burden rankings, and here we have them upping taxes across the board.

Just how much is enough for the DFL?

The other night Chad the Elder of the Fraters emailed a few bloggers about a true American hero and symbol of hope and inspiration for us all. (Chad’s post can be found here)

The man has probably done more to inspire and motivate people after the tragic loss of both his legs than 99% of Americans. He’s recovered from the injuries, helped bring hope to those that have followed him, and is now getting ready for the next courageous journey — back home.

Army Sgt. Neil Duncan, from Maple Grove, MN, was severely injured in Afghanistan on December 5, 2005 when an improvised explosive device (IED) ripped through his Humvee. Neil was seriously wounded as a result of the explosion. He lost both of his legs, shattered his jaw, broke his elbow and hand, and sustained multiple shrapnel wounds. Within a week of the attack, Neil was transferred to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC where he began the long road of recovery.

Neil went through more than 20 surgeries, rigorous physical and occupational therapy along with dental reconstruction over the last 14 months at Walter Reed. However, through his mental/physical strength and determination, Neil has overcome this huge hurdle as he is now able to do things he was once able to enjoy.

Neil led a very independent and active lifestyle prior to being wounded so his goal is to regain that lifestyle– just in a new way! Learning to walk using his prosthetic legs, Neil took his first steps on February 6, 2006, just two months after the explosion. He participated in Soldier Ride where he hand cycled from Long Island to Washington, DC (over 500 miles!). Neil has even re-learned to do the things he loves - running and skiing. He has been a huge inspiration to those who love him as well as other wounded soldiers recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He motivates them and shows them that they can do whatever they want to do if they just put their mind into it.

You can learn more about Neil Duncan here. This is a benefit blog set up to help him.

THE BENEFIT
The benefit is scheduled for Saturday, April 21, 2007 from 2-6 p.m. at the American Legion in Osseo, Minnesota. It will be open to the public and seeks to raise money to help Neil make the difficult adjustments that lie ahead, such as buying a house and adapting it to his specific needs. The event is being organized primarily by Neil’s parents, sister, and brother-in-law who are actively seeking contributions from the public as well as from private organizations who want to be a part of this noble cause.

Folks please clear you calendars or send him a kind donation.

Silent auction and cash donations can be mailed to either:
Neil Duncan Benefit
14480 Sumter Avenue
Savage, MN
55378

Neil Duncan Benefit
8986 Comstock Lane N
Maple Grove, MN
55311

There’s also a PayPal Link on the benefit blog. Please give what you can.

Duncan sacrificed for us, now it’s our turn.

Luckily one of my co-workers thinks I have a sense of humor about my passion.

(Click to enlarge)

Now we politicos need to take a big step back and remember that this is what the common voter thinks about elected officials.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty is supporting Ron Carey for reelection as Republican Party Chair.

(Now pay attention)

Joe Repya is challenging Ron Carey for Party Chair, this is after he turned down a job offer to be the national Chair of Veterans for McCain.

(Pay attention)

I am now hearing word of calls being made to Delegates in the Republican Party today saying that Repya is a McCain supprter and therefore not a real conservative, so people can’t support him.

(What comes to mind at first when you here this?)

Tim Pawlenty is currently serving as national co-chair of John McCain’s Presidential Campaign and is speaking at his behalf across the country and on TV. One could say Pawlenty is McCain’s biggest supporter.

(Anyone, anyone, Bueller?)

Now, I did ask Repya about the McCain thing earlier this week, and he fully understands that he must remain neutral, and he said so right in the PiPress story. He is not working for John McCain and he is not going actively campaign for McCain or against any Republican candiate as party chair. He knows that the Chairman MUST remain neutral.

(Keyword: Neutral, That means not for or AGAINST a Republican candidate.)

Does any one see the complete irony of this one?

I would highly encourage the Joe Repya detractors to do their homework a bit better BEFORE they run out bashing Repya. Joe Repya just might surprise you as being just what this party needs. He’s a uniter, not a divider. He wants this crap to end, not become the norm. He wants an open debate about the direction of the party, not to divide and conquer.

Kevin has a post up about Joe Repya’s entrance into the Chair’s Race. (emphasis mine)

Sounds like a breath of fresh air, and would be appealing even in the best of conditions. But the MN GOP is by far from the best of conditions right now. There are alot of activists very very very bitter about this last cycle. Even if it actually wasn’t his fault, it would almost seem better for Carey to step aside and let the slate by wiped clean. No reason to have internal rivalries and bitterness spill over….which seems almost guaranteed to happen.

Go check out all of his post.

I’m talking about me here, settle down EVERYONE

Tomorrow morning is my BPOU Convention. I am taking today off to finalize last minute details, to watch my nephew while his rents are at work, and get all the papers and forms printed up. For those of you who don’t know, a lot goes into these events, and there’s always one more thing.

Tomorrow a few dozen people (hopefully more) will gather for a few hours, listen to speakers, debate local Party Constitution changes, elect local leaders, Delegates & Alternates to the Central Committee, and then go home. (for the most part) What goes into getting ready for this is countless hours of meetings, phone calls, and dead trees. Yes, lots of dead trees, sorry Al Gore. (OK, I think the toner fumes are making me giddy)

Anyways, back in December, I hadn’t decided whether I was going to run for reelection as SD51 GOP Chair or not. Now BPOU Chairs are volunteers, and there is no real glory in the Chairman’s position at any level of Party politics. After working with other great volunteers locally to come up with plans to make 2008 different, I decided I would run for reelection.

Here’s the letter I will be handing out tomorrow.

We’ll find out tomorrow if I end up going out on my date tomorrow night to celebrate or drown my sorrows. My fate lies in the hand with my local Delegates, where it should.

Yes, my meter expired last night while I was at Keegans. Yes, I know it is the ‘law’. But it had been expired for about 1 to 2 minutes before the crack team of meter maids slapped the ticket on my window. They know exactly which ones to go patrol, because thanks to the nanny state thought police who control the city, they put short term meters in front of bars.

I am sooooo paying this one in pennies. Why don’t they go catch a real criminal? Oh wait, its hard to catch them, and isn’t a revenue maker for the city.

Normally I park in a super secret undisclosed location, but it was full. It just slipped my mind, and I didn’t hear my smartphone alarm go off.

grrrrrrr

Anyone know the address I can drop off a wheel barrow full of pennies at?

Seriously, have the people holding vigil for the terrorists in Guitmo bothered to way in on the Iranian hostage crisis?
The Iranians have broken quite a few if not all of the rules for captives. And I remember these people kicking and screaming over far less when Americans did it.

Where’s the outrage from the left? Heck, where’s the outrage from the right?

Oh wait, there was outrage from Congressional Republicans, but Pelosi and the Democrats refused to hear it and went on vacation instead. Yeah, they just wanted to pass a resolution stating support for our friends the Brits.

Is anyone willing to add this to list list of acts of war yet? If this was the US, holy heck would be breaking out from the Left.

Has anyone been able to add up all the spending increases by the DFL yet? There are so many massive spending increases out there, I can’t keep them all straight, and I am wondering if anyone has the total of what the budget would be if the DFL got their way. I’m not talking about their actual budget bill. I want tax increases plus spending increases. People need to know how drunk they are with our money.

Anyone?