Budget Impasse Continues

Minnesota Report People were told Sunday negotiations would continue, last night, Governor Walz (DFL-MN), House Speaker Melissa Hortman (DFL-36B, Brooklyn Park) and Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka (R-09, Nisswa) met to discuss the stalled budget negotiations. This...

2019 University of Minnesota Regents Selection Results

Minnesota Report The results of the University of Minnesota Regents selection was announced by voice vote, but no documentation was available from the floor yesterday. As we now know, Mike Kenyanya was selected as the Student Regent, Jaynie Mayeron 5th Congressional...

University Regents Selection Under a Colored Prism

Minnesota Report Today, at noon, both houses of the legislature will meet in joint session for selection of four the University of Minnesota Regents. The positions are the Student Regent, 5th Congressional District Regent, and two At-Large Regents. Since the positions...

Checks & Balances Publishes Opinions with Which We Even Disagree

Minnesota External Opinion  In the past, we have agreed with the Minnesota Voters Alliance in their opposition to Ranked Choice Voting and appreciated their willingness to take the issue all the way to the Minnesota Supreme Court which allowed the flawed system to be...

There Will Be a Joint Convention on U of MN Regents

Minnesota Report Today, on the House floor House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler (DFL-46A, Golden Valley) announced there will be a joint convention between the House and Senate for the selection of University of Minnesota Regents. The selection will include the student...

No Surprise, Legislative Leaders Fail to Make Self-Imposed Deadline

Minnesota Report Aspirational goals are an element of politics and emblematical of how politicians make promises they fail to keep. With Minnesota being the only state in the nation with divided government, the making of a political promise, even a joint one, between...

Taxpayers Versus Tax-takers

Minnesota Report Before his election of US House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI01) used to refer to the people of our nation as the Makers v. the Takers. This juxtaposes against the Democratic view of the Haves v. the Have Nots. As we listen to the discussions about the...

Walz’s Numbers Don’t Add Up Well

Minnesota Report Governor Tim Walz (DFL-MN) was a social study teacher and not a math teacher, so its not all surprising to learn that the numbers in his budget don’t add up well for the economically disadvantaged and this is in large part because there is not a...

Sanders, Buttigieg and Harris All Miss the Point

National Report During the CNN town hall, when US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) stated his support for a universal reenfranchisement of the voting rights for felons including the Boston Marathon Bombers (Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and Tamerlan Tsarnaev) and sexual offenders...