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FARGO, N.D. -- North Dakota is promoting its business climate at Minnesota's expense, and some politicians east of the Red River are not happy about it. The Greater North Dakota Chamber has started a campaign that mocks proposals in the Minnesota Legislature, including bills that would raise certain taxes. A chamber release said Minnesota politicians are "making a strong case for business to come across the border to North Dakota." The first billboard went up Thursday along Interstate 94 in Moorhead, Minn., which borders Fargo. It reads "North Dakota" on the top line and "Open for Business" on the bottom....

What the young learners have in store for them in the future is anybody's guess. Legislators wish to create something called a "school climate center," which sounds meteorological, but would be, instead, a command center to fight bullying. Fight bullying? It sounds like no fighting in the war room, from "Dr. Strangelove." Bullying is a bad thing, and I imagine teachers and administrators and even the kids know it when they see it. But that isn't enough. It is apparently painful to DFLers -- all of whom passed the new anti-bullying measure in the House -- that Minnesota's anti-bullying law...

Four months ago when the legislative session began no one knew what to expect. It would be the first time in more than 20 years that the Democrats controlled both the House and the Senate as well as the Governor’s office. Now with just three weeks before the scheduled adjournment of the 2013 legislative session the intent of the DFL lawmakers actions are clear. They are doing everything imaginable in their power to drive entrepreneurs and job creators out of Minnesota. Just like a bunch of young cowboys driving a herd of cattle, the message these cowboys are sending to...

Recent events at the Capitol make clear that we ­Minnesotans are on track for one of the biggest tax increases in recent state history. But suppose you could wave a magic wand and erase our budget deficit, pay off the $801 million left from the school shift, actually have a surplus — and do it all without raising taxes. There’d be dancing in the streets, right? Well, our legislators could do precisely that right now. They would simply need to freeze spending for the next biennium at current levels — about $35 billion — and we wouldn’t need a dime...

House DFLers are going after "The One Percent" in a big way. Make that the 1.1 percent of Minnesotans who earn the highest incomes. The DFL-controlled House passed a tax bill -- 69-64 with all Republicans voting "no" -- Wednesday, April 24, that creates a new, fourth income tax bracket with an 8.49 percent rate -- up from the current 7.85 percent rate -- for the top-earning 1.1 percent of Minnesotans -- couples with taxable incomes over $400,000. On top of that, the bill would impose a temporary 4 percent income tax surcharge on the 0.5 percent of taxpayers making...

Editor's note: Reacting to a proposed tax affecting Minnesota "snowbirds," U.S. Rep. Trey Radel, a Fort Myers, Fla., Republican, sent this letter to Gov. Mark Dayton. It was published recently in the Naples Daily News.Dear Gov. Mark Dayton, I'm writing today to thank you. As a Floridian, I am overjoyed to hear about your plan to raise taxes on Minnesotans, most especially the so-called "snowbirds." Your proposal gives us a chance to shine here in the Sunshine State. We love to share southwest Florida with snowbirds from all over the country. We are proud to host or be home to...

Spend most of the year in St. Pete, pay the government in St. Paul. You may have heard it can get cold in Minnesota in January, or for that matter in April. Last week the temperature dropped to seven below zero in the Twin Cities, which is one reason many Midwesterners head to Florida or Arizona for the winter. But now Governor Mark Dayton wants to tax the snowbirds even if they are no longer legally state residents. "There is a snowbird tax—absolutely," the Democratic Governor told reporters the other day. . . . Details are sketchy, but the idea...

With a majority of the state's precincts reporting early Wednesday, Nov. 7, a proposed constitutional amendment to write man-woman marriage into the constitution has apparently lost. The defeat is historic, making Minnesota the first state to turn back an attempt to write man-woman marriage into a state constitution. The Associated Press said around 1:45 a.m. that the marriage amendment was defeated. But Chuck Darrell of Minnesota for Marriage, the lead group supporting the amendment, wasn't giving up. "No, we're not conceding. There's just too many counties out there," he said. Meanwhile, Richard Carlbom, campaign manager for Minnesotans United for All...

Democratic lawmaker called on to resign for having oral sex with boy, 17, in bushes at public rest stop after meeting him on Craigslist Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2191164/Kerry-Gauthier-Democratic-lawmaker-called-resign-having-oral-sex-teen-bushes.html#ixzz24DL9gNTt

State Democratic leaders are increasing pressure on a DFL legislator not to seek re-election after authorities said he had a sexual encounter with a 17-year-old boy at a rest stop in Duluth. "I am deeply disappointed with Rep. Kerry Gauthier's conduct," said House Minority Leader Paul Thissen, DFL-Minneapolis. "The conduct was wrong and ... I believe he should withdraw from the race for re-election." Last week, the St. Louis County attorney's office decided not to pursue charges against Gauthier, a first-term legislator from Duluth, for allegedly engaging in oral sex with a 17-year-old boy in a wooded area behind the...

Kurt Bills' campaign released an online ad Monday, July 30, that mimics nearly shot for shot the landmark 1990 campaign ad entitled "Fast Paced Paul." That offbeat ad introduced Wellstone, then a virtually unknown college professor, to Minnesota voters. Initially seen as a sure loser, Wellstone upset incumbent Republican Rudy Boschwitz that year. Bills -- a high school economics teacher also largely unknown to state voters -- is encouraging a comparison as he challenges the popular and well-funded Democratic incumbent Amy Klobuchar. The version from Bills, "Quick Kurt," can only be viewed online.

Minnesota's secretary of state is our state's chief elections official. His duty to impartially administer elections requires him -- more than any other constitutional officer --to remain above the fray of partisan politics. Yet on the proposed voter ID amendment, which he opposes, Mark Ritchie has replaced the Legislature's straightforward title with a fog of bureaucratic gobbledygook. . . . Ritchie pulled a similar stunt on the marriage amendment, substituting a title that polling shows will likely push the vote toward his favored result. ... Ritchie knows partisan politics is strictly off-limits in his job. He acknowledged this in a...

Let us bury, once and for all, the unsupported assertions that Minnesota's election system is the best in the nation and there is no evidence of ineligible voting. Consider that on Election Day in 2008, more than 500,000 people walked into polling places, filled out pieces of paper called Voter Registration Applications, and then voted. The state treated these individuals differently from those of you who registered prior to the election. Specifically, your registration information was compared to the Department of Public Safety records indicating you are a citizen and are not a felon with unrestored voting rights. Additionally, your...

Dedicated readers of Minnesota Democrats Exposed began notifying us of robo-calls being sent out of a Washington, D.C. call center into the districts of GOP lawmakers over the last several weeks. The calls, paid for by the AFL-CIO union organizing machine, ask union members to stay on the line while they directly connect the caller to the phone number of their state representative, where they are encouraged to leave messages about how they strongly support tax increases to protect union jobs. Many callers, however, used the connection to their legislator as a chance to say “thanks” for standing up to...

Last Thursday, California's liberal Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law a balanced budget that doesn't raise income taxes. Imagine that -- on the same day that Minnesota's governor insisted on implementing a significant income tax increase, California -- a state that faced a budget deficit five times larger than Minnesota's -- did the right thing. It is living within its means. Fact is, we're the only state in the nation without a budget. That is because Gov. Mark Dayton is unable to shake the urge to fall back on the failed tax-and-spend politics of the 1960s. It's hard to imagine...

What we have here is a failure to compromise. Much of the state budget could have been passed, but the governor chose not to get those parts of the deal done. At midnight the lights went out unnecessarily on lots of state workers and government functions tied to parts of the budget that could have been passed. At the 11th hour legislators proposed a lights-on measure that would have kept the government running for a few more days. The governor dismissed it as a gimmick. In other words, bring on the pain - an unnecessary infliction of pain. But, as...

How did Minnesota careen off the cliff to a government shutdown? Looking back, we could have predicted on Jan. 3, 2011 -- the day Gov. Mark Dayton took office -- that we'd face a shutdown "crisis" in June. Dayton is the old-fashioned version of a tax-and-spend liberal. He yearns, with almost religious fervor, to increase government spending and to hike taxes on "the wealthy." In 2010, he squeaked into office by a mere 9,000 votes, in a political climate that swept fiscally conservative Republicans into power across the nation and in the Minnesota Legislature. Dayton's election was something of a...

During the gubernatorial campaign, Mark Dayton said he would not shut down government. In his State of the State address, Gov. Dayton said: "It should not happen; it need not happen - not as long as we are willing to work together and to compromise our individual views for the common good." We couldn't agree more. As Republican leaders in the Minnesota Legislature, we have no interest in shutting down government. We want to get down to brass tacks and resolve the state's budget before the June 30 deadline. But we are currently the only party to this negotiation. Despite...

Repeated again the other day in a letter to the editor by Ron Schally of Stacy, Minn., was the contention that Gov. Mark Dayton's family trust sits in South Dakota, avoiding much of his " 'tax the wealthy' pitch." I sympathize with Mr. Schally, although I can't quite nail down the location of Dayton's trust, how much it is worth and what exactly it means for the trust to be sitting in South Dakota. I called the guy who does my taxes, but being a smart fellow, he was out enjoying the few days of summer we might get this...

< snip > Dayton's plan is appalling -- not only for the services it deems "critical" but, more important, for those it does not. For example, the governor plans to stop all aid payments to schools. Additionally, health care providers who serve Minnesotans on medical assistance will also go without payment. And at a legislative hearing this week, an administration official acknowledged that bridge assessments also did not make Dayton's list, apparently failing to meet the governor's "critical service" standard. < snip > Dayton is hiding behind the state's courts and Constitution to justify a cynical and draconian plan motivated...

Republican legislative leaders said today they are disappointed that Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton pulled two of his key budget commissioners out of a legislative budget session today. Calling the action counterproductive, they said it's important to get a better understanding of what types of budget cuts Dayton wants to prioritize as the two sides try to resolve a projected $5 billion deficit. They also rejected Dayton's recommendation that a professional mediator help them bridge their differences. "We were elected to lead,'' House Speaker Kurt Zellers, R-Maple Grove, said. The Republican response came two hours after Dayton announced he had asked...

The disconnect between the way government and private enterprise conduct business is never more evident than during hard times. Private-sector employees see their wages and benefits frozen, or in some cases permanently cut. Doing similar things in the public sector brings howls of protest to state capitols everywhere. So in Minnesota, we merely "delay" payments promised to all the beneficiaries of state spending. Now the empire is striking back, demanding reimbursement for deferred monies. Which explains why our state budget is $5 billion in the red even though revenues for the next biennium are going up. That's right: If we...

From every corner of Minnesota and all walks of life, our freshman class of Republican legislators came to the Capitol with a simple goal: bring responsibility back to government and job growth back to our communities. The four of us represent different areas and diverse backgrounds, but what unites us is our belief in the people and that with a sustainable, accountable government we can set Minnesota on track for a stronger future. Earlier this week Gov. Dayton vetoed our balanced-budget plan that increases state spending 6 percent, utilizing revenue growth under existing tax levels. It would raise education funding...

A former DFL state lawmaker is sponsoring a "Tax the Rich Forum" this weekend aimed at firing up Democrats as the budget debate intensifies at the state Capitol. "It's a forum for Democrats I put together to try and get out of the malaise of last fall's election and to try and focus on what is certainly going to be a tug of war at the Capitol to solve the budget crisis," said former state Rep. Ken Tschumper of La Crescent, who served one term in the Legislature. Tschumper invited Democrats from Houston, Fillmore and Winona counties to the event,...

Minnesota is confused. Minnesota confuses everyone, if they bother to look. One year it’s a governor who would sooner saw off the arm he uses to cast a fishing rod than raise taxes; the next it’s Al Franken, who would raise taxes to subsidize auto-amputations. (Your body, your choice.) The state that elected Paul Wellstone and Jesse “The Body” Ventura. In 2010, the House and Senate of the local legislature flipped to the GOP; the people also elected a Democrat governor, Mark Dayton, who promptly proposed taxes on the “rich.” He understands what it’s like to struggle, having sold off...

Minnesota's 39th governor, Tim Pawlenty, at noon today (Monday, Jan. 3) will hand over the reins of the governorship to the 40th state governor, Mark Dayton. The swearing in ceremonies take place at St. Paul's Landmark Center. Doors opened at 10:30 a.m. with limited seating available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Since Nov. 2, we've heard lots of grumbling from Minnesota Democrats. In a year of unprecedented GOP gains across America, they're not satisfied that their candidates won every statewide office in our state (subject to a recount in the governor's race). DFLers, it seems, are sore that they didn't win the Minnesota House and Senate as well -- completing their sweep. They don't seem to grasp that the tide that washed through the Minnesota Legislature was a nationwide phenomenon, as voters shouted "enough" to a Democrat-led glut of taxes, spending and deficits. Today, Republicans hold more legislative seats across the...

For the first time in more than a generation the GOP swept to control of both houses of the Minnesota Legislature. In a stunning victory, Republicans swept into the majority in the Minnesota Senate for the first time in more than a generation and by early Wednesday had followed that by also taking control of the House. The dual victories left many of the state's top DFLers speechless, and erased months of optimistic projections that the party would buck a nationwide trend toward Republicans. Even Republicans, who gained confidence with each passing hour as key races broke their way, said...

Authorities in Crow Wing County are investigating possible voter fraud involving people with mental disabilities. An affidavit, filed Monday by Brainerd resident Montgomery Jensen, claims a large group of mentally handicapped people were told whom to vote for by mental health staff members and that staff filled out the ballots themselves without the disabled voters close by. Jensen said he came to the Crow Wing County Auditor's Office in Brainerd at approximately 4:40 p.m. Friday to fill out an absentee ballot, because he wouldn't have time to vote there on Nov. 2.

Crow Wing County authorities are investigating an allegation of voter fraud in which the ballots of two mentally ill voters were filled out by their minders. The Brainerd Dispatch reports that 29-year-old Monty Jensen of Crow Wing Township filed a formal complaint on Monday about what he saw at the courthouse on Friday. Jensen says he saw what appeared to be staff members of a mental health facility fill out a client's ballot and tell another client who to vote for during absentee balloting.

Tax the poor some more. That is exactly what one of Mark Dayton's tax hike proposals will do. He proposes a 30 percent surtax on consumer loans that carry an interest rate in excess of 15 percent annually. Minnesota would become a national outlier as the only state with a surtax on loans. The Minnesota Legislature passed this surtax on consumer loans in 2009 and it was vetoed by Gov. Tim Pawlenty. The authors of this surtax said they wanted to tax predatory credit card companies instead of taxing their constituents. Some lawmakers were concerned that this surtax would hurt...

The Democrats are proud of their generosity to the poor, and owing perhaps due to some unclear thinking aren't aware that charitable acts must be of free will, and there's no merit in being generous with other people's money. Hat tip to Ray at Stella Borealis for this item. But with them it's always the same, high crime and higher and higher taxes. Now there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said: Why was this waste of the ointment made? [5] For this ointment might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and given to the...

Tarryl Clark appears to have run out of ideas in her race against Michele Bachmann in Minnesota’s 6th CD — and also reached the end of her vocabulary. In an effort to paint Bachmann as disconnected from her constituents, Clark runs through a variety of issues in which Bachmann’s vote actually seems closer to the consensus of the electorate, including on ObamaCare, to which Clark euphemistically refers as “reform.” At the end, though, Clark just skips the euphemisms altogether to use a bleeped-out scatalogical curse word (via Cubachi and Liberty Pundits):

Former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton appears to narrowly have won the Democratic-Farmer-Labor nomination for Minnesota governor early today. Dayton came from behind to apparently defeat state House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, the DFL endorsed candidate who had led in early returns. The Associated Press declared Dayton the winner at 12:25 a.m. But Kelliher refused to concede defeat. "We're going to make sure every vote counts," she said. Dayton said he wouldn't declare victory until the results are final and he hears from Kelliher. "I totally respect Speaker Kelliher's preogative to wait until every vote is counted," he said.

If you’ve followed Ed’s coverage on Hot Air, you know that Minnesota has a genuine choice in its gubernatorial election this year. The GOP has endorsed Tom Emmer, a solid conservative in the Chris Christie mold. The DFL’’s endorsement (the Minnesota term for “Democrats”) depends on an August 10 primary – but as this is written former Senator Mark Dayton has a commanding lead over the DFL-endorsed candidate (speaker of the MN House Margaret Anderson-Kelliher) and former state Rep. Matt Entenza. Yes – that Mark Dayton –...

An embattled state senator owes the federal government about $250,000 in past-due income taxes, the Duluth News Tribune reported Friday. Sen. Satveer Chaudhary, DFL-Fridley, was stripped of his party's endorsement late last month because he inserted last-minute language into a major fish and game bill to improve walleye fishing on a northeastern Minnesota lake where he owns a cabin. That provision was one reason Gov. Tim Pawlenty vetoed the bill. On Friday, the newspaper reported that tax records show Chaudhary and his wife, Denise, failed to pay $100,000 in income taxes in 2007 and $151,000 in 2008.

U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann says she raised $1.7 million toward re-election in the second quarter, nearly double the total of her Democratic challenger. State Sen. Tarryl Clark reported raising about $910,000 in the quarter. Clark, of St. Cloud, said that pushed her total for the cycle to more than $2 million. That's still well below the Republican Bachmann's $4.1 million in the cycle. Both campaigns touted their success with small donors. Neither provided detail on how much money they spent in the quarter or how much they had left in the bank.

Minneapolis is one of four contenders vying to host the 2012 Democratic political convention expected to nominate President Obama for a second term. "When there's a big event in the United States, Minneapolis-St. Paul should always be a logical choice," said Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, who learned Wednesday that Minneapolis made the final four cut. Minneapolis and two other contenders -- Cleveland and St. Louis -- are in likely battle- ground states. The fourth -- Charlotte, N.C. -- is in the Republican-friendly South

The Democratic-controlled Legislature pushed Monday to send new income taxes for the highest-paid Minnesotans to a tax-averse Gov. Tim Pawlenty as part of their plan to wipe away a $2.9 billion deficit. The proposal barely cleared the Senate on a 34-33 vote before heading to the House. Pawlenty, a potential Republican presidential candidate, eliminated any suspense by promising to veto it. Lawmakers and the governor are hard-pressed to balance the budget before the state constitution requires the legislature to adjourn in a week. The state Supreme Court made the crisis more acute last week when it said Pawlenty exceeded his...

Minnesota risks running out of money if those affected by overturned budget cuts seek immediate back pay. A spokesman for Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty said Thursday the state doesn't have the money on hand to cover $2.7 billion in cuts thrown into doubt by a Supreme Court ruling. The spokesman, Brian McClung, says while the ruling was tailored to a special nutrition program others hit by Pawlenty's 2009 cuts may ask to have state allowances restored. Legislative leaders met for an hour with Pawlenty and members of both parties emerged to describe the fiscal crisis. Pawlenty has asked lawmakers to...

Coleman said he issued the order as a protest, following several other cities and organizations that are boycotting Arizona. "This law sets a dangerous example for the rest of the country," Coleman said in a press release. "It will create a culture where racial profiling is acceptable, and will create a dangerous wedge between police officers and the communities they serve."

One of the state's largest unions has reached out to police after getting what it considers threatening voicemails at its main office Tuesday night. The public service employees' union says it doesn't get too many phone calls from the public until it starts airing television ads. It says its latest "Tax the Rich" ad has prompted more than 1,000 phone calls. For every 10 supportive ones, AFSCME says one is negative. They also say one caller crossed the line.

Republicans love to bash Education Minnesota, claiming the statewide teachers union and its powerful lobbying force essentially control the Democratic Party. But this legislative session, the union is alienating even some of its DFL allies. Observers say relationships are strained because of the union's resistance to proposed reforms — particularly bringing in new teachers and stabilizing the statewide pension for educators. "I'm just absolutely frustrated with some of the stances they're taking on the issues," said DFL Rep. Marsha Swails, who is an English teacher at Woodbury High School. "Maybe all those folks in the Education Minnesota building are a...

Two of Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann's Democratic colleagues are rallying with union members as Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin arrives to help Bachmann on Wednesday. Reps. Keith Ellison and Betty McCollum are appearing in the state Capitol rotunda for a demonstration organized by the Minnesota AFL-CIO. Event organizers are calling on state leaders to raise taxes on the wealthy to help solve the state's budget problems. The union event happens a couple of hours before Palin and Bachmann are slated to lead a rally together at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Palin is also attending a private fundraiser for Bachmann, who is...

Some Minneapolis activists are petitioning for more requirements at the polls. A nonprofit voting group and a Minneapolis advocacy organization are starting a petition to require photo identification for people voting in city elections. Republican Rep. Mary Kiffmeyer of Big Lake will speak today in Minneapolis to kick off the petition drive. She was secretary of state from 1999 until 2006, when she was defeated by now-Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, a Democrat. Similar petitions have started in St. Paul and Duluth.

A Minnesota senator has introduced a bill that would require indoor inflatable play centers to get liability insurance and staff a trained supervisor. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Katie Sieben (DFL-Newport), will be heard by a Senate committee Monday. The new law would apply to indoor play centers with bouncy castles, houses and other inflatable equipment. It would not apply to equipment rented for private home parties or at carnivals and other festivals.

Nora Slawik, a DFL representative from Maplewood, is championing a bill that would prohibit drivers from smoking when children are in the car. She probably has the lungs of infants in mind, but the version of the proposal that I read takes it up to age 18, which means that when you return from getting shot at by the Taliban and happen to hitch a ride downtown with Mom, you would be safe from her secondhand smoke. In not necessarily unrelated news, we have learned that the city has closed the ball fields at the Jimmy Lee Recreational Center because...

They are the longest of long shots, the darkest of dark horses. Since 1946, Republicans have lost 31 straight elections for Minnesota's 4th District congressional seat, and Democratic Rep. Betty McCollum has won her last four elections by lopsided margins. Nonetheless, Republicans are fired up about their chances of unseating her this year. Four candidates are competing for the party's endorsement:

On Wednesday, March 3, the House Civil Justice Committee will hold a hearing on House File 1396. This bill includes a provision that would allow a court that issues a domestic abuse protective order to prohibit the respondent from having any contact with a PET OR COMPANION ANIMAL OWNED, POSSESSED, OR KEPT by a party protected in the order. This new provision could have serious consequences for Minnesotans who exercise their right to keep and bear arms.

Rep. Tom Huntley (D-Duluth) will try to mandate that every person's medical record be placed online and made available to state government, researchers, federal government and others. All without your consent.