May 2, 2001
A balanced budget is required in our state Constitution and this means the projected revenues must offset spending in the biennial budget. Revenue collection comes from the tax bill. Let us point out we have discussed the possibility of there not being a tax bill this...
May 2, 2001
Minnesotans have frequently been called fair weather fans when it comes to our sports teams, especially the Minnesota Twins. As the old adage goes “they love you when you are winning.” With an 18-7 record, the team with the lowest payroll is generating...
Apr 25, 2001
If you have a party and no one comes you know you are having a bad day, but if you have a party and it seems like everyone is there, then that can only be considered an unequivocal triumph. In the biggest fundraiser in DFL history, the party raked in $200,000 and...
Apr 25, 2001
Before anyone wants to write the political obituary for Erich Mische, saying he is out of favor with Mayor Norm Coleman (R-St Paul) or something just as ludicrous. Let the record show the Checks & Balances knows for a fact Mische will not play an active role in...
Apr 25, 2001
Sunday was the final day in the St. Paul Mayoral caucus process. Now all of the numbers are known. There is a fixed number of delegates from named sub-caucuses, unnamed sub-caucuses, and super-delegates totaling 556. In the battle for named sub-caucuses Jay...
Apr 25, 2001
There has been some comment about the involvement of former Congressman Vin Weber (R-MN) in the recent events in the Republican US Senate race. Weber is frequently mentioned as a key strategist in the rise of Newt Gingrich (R-GA) and the neo-Conservatives. Our...
Apr 25, 2001
The Republican state Senate Redistricting Committee members launched the first salvo in their effort to stir up the mix in the Reapportionment Game. They proposed a restructuring of the political boundaries quite familiar to us here at Checks & Balances since we...
Apr 25, 2001
On Wednesday, the State House voted down an amendment to move the state party primary to June versus its current September date. The majority Republicans opposed the change and a number of DFLers followed suit. The measure failed by a large margin, 80-52. The DFL...
Apr 25, 2001
In electoral politics, the conventional wisdom is a larger turnout favors Democrats and small turnout favors Republicans. If that is the case, then anyway someone can discourage one group or another from going to the polls it is an advantage to Republicans. The call...
Apr 25, 2001
The initial measuring stick applied to politicians is the hiring decisions they make, and next, it is the actions taken over the first 100 days. US Senator Mark Dayton (D-MN), Congressman Mark Kennedy (R-MN02) and Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D-MN04) have all dealt...
