Ahhhhh, day one of the Minnesota Legislature has already shown us just what the Democratic leadership is all about. That would be, that the perks and privileges of being a State Senator are far more important than solving the multi-Billion dollar budget deficit. 

The Minnesota Legislature started its 2009 session on Tuesday with debates over how much lawmakers would spend on their own postage stamps and travel as they grapple with a $4.85 billion budget shortfall.

Faced with making painful spending cuts, the House and Senate convened shortly after noon to take their oaths of office and handle routine steps to get organized for the year.

A feisty little band of Senate Republicans — they’re outnumbered by Democrats, 46-21 — created the first friction of the session by challenging the majority party to start cutting its own spending immediately.

Sen. Amy Koch, R-Buffalo, made a motion to trim the senators’ postage allowance from 5,500 to 3,500 first-class stamps, saying that would save the state about $56,000. Legislators don’t need to mail that many letters “in these days of e-mail, Facebook and Twitter,” Koch said later.

But Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller, DFL-Minneapolis, said some senators need all their stamps to maintain contact with their constituents, and most DFLers agreed. They voted down Koch’s motion, 36-29.

Well we did get 8 Democrats to think about starting to cut some fat. But don’t get excited….

Next, Sen. Ray Vandeveer, R-Forest Lake, tried to bar senators from getting reimbursed for travel during the session. He said it would show their willingness to sacrifice and set an example for the rest of the state.

But Pogemiller said the Senate already has drastically cut its travel budget — both the House and Senate slashed their budgets by $800,000 in the first round of spending reductions in December — and some travel is needed to educate lawmakers and inform the public. Again, the DFL leader prevailed on a 49-12 vote.

After the two-hour floor session, Senate Minority Leader David Senjem, R-Rochester, said the Republicans’ unsuccessful attempts to start making small spending cuts immediately were symbolic gestures to demonstrate their intent to “find savings within government.”

Cut our photo ops? Are you mad? We have to get reelected. ….. Siiiiiggggghhhhhh

Over to the House. 

Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Delano, proposed reducing daily expense payments and housing allowances for legislators, but House Majority Leader Tony Sertich, DFL-Chisholm, promised the issue would be taken up in a future committee hearing.

For some reason I highly doubt the House DFL’s goon/bully/hired muscle, Sertich, will remember he said that. He’s pretty darn good at being the DFL thug who makes sure all good Republican ideas that could get in the way of the DFL agenda find a nice dark corner of the Capital to die.

And let’s also not forget about the traitor. 

Another legislator who was clearly happy to be there was Rep. Jim Abeler, R-Anoka, one of the “Override Six,” a group of Republican legislators who voted last year to go against the party and governor and support a controversial transportation spending bill. After being chastised by party leaders, several of them were either defeated or chose not to seek re-election.

“I stuck my neck out for them, and they backed me up,” Abeler said of his constituents.

He said legislators must be especially thoughtful this year as they try to figure a way out of the state’s projected budget deficit.

“We need to figure out what’s essential, what’s important, and what’s nice,” he said.

Abeler said that, for him, the time leading up to the session had been very collegial. He said Kelliher, for example, appointed him vice chairman of the Health and Human Services Finance Division, a figurehead position usually reserved for a member of the majority party.

Jim, you moron, for all intents and purposes you are a member of the minority party. I know everyone thinks that if you vote for the right person for Speaker that the rest is all forgettable, and we just need to move on as a unified party….. but I remember what you did.

You made my gas more expensive. You made my sales tax higher, thus making everything I buy more expensive. And the billions you helped rip out of Minnesotans’ hands on the theory of transportation is not going to relieve one single lane of congestion. You forced Minnesotans to pay for something that most of us will never use and it will cost us billions. Your stupid vote for that disgusting Transit Tax bill last year is the perfect example of why Governments are broke right now. Wasteful spending on things well outside the priorities that Government should focus on. 

You sold your political loyalties for your so called conscience so the lobbyists would like you. You thought crossing the isle to stab your party in the back was the right thing to do, and we Minnesotans got stuck with the results. You didn’t deserve to get the GOP endorsement, but for some reason someone decided to give it to you. Fine you got sent back by voters, but I don’t have to like it.

(I’m so tired of this sleazy career politician and cannot wait until I cross paths with him.)

Kelliher was re-elected as speaker on an 86-42 vote

Hmmmm, there are 47 Republicans aren’t there? Yes, yes there are 47 Republicans.

Really? ReallY? It is a meaningless vote, but 5 Republicans voted for DFL Kelliher? 

I see it is going to be one of them kind of sessions again. 

Be ready to light up the phones again this year folks. I have the feeling these people are going to need to hear from us again. I think the hundreds and hundreds of lobbyists are going to need a little competition.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 7th, 2009 at 7:49 am and is filed under 2010, A.R.O.R.A., It's The Spending Stupid, Know Thy Enemy, Minnesota, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.