Dear Neighbor,
We’re now nearly three weeks into the House Democrat legislative shutdown with no end in sight.
House Republicans have been showing up every day, engaged in work for all Minnesotans. Then, just like that, Democrats and judges sympathetic to their cause pulled the rug out from under us with a questionable ruling last Friday regarding what constitutes a quorum to organize and act.
It was bad enough when Democrats weren’t showing up to work. Now, they have successfully sabotaged those of us were picking up the slack.
The House Democrats’ Capitol boycott is dastardly because, by their own admission, their goal is power. What else is the “power-sharing agreement” that they claim to be seeking, if not power itself? And, in pursuit of power, House Democrats are willing to hold up the work you need for your lights to turn on, your kids to be educated, your streets to be safe … name the issue.
Let’s not be fooled into thinking this is just a political issue, because it’s not. It’s more than that. We’re hearing real-life stories daily of how people are being impacted by the legislature being hobbled by the House Democrats' “strike.”
For instance, I recently sat down with folks from the Elk River municipal utility and heard about the real challenges they face that directly impact rate payers in Otsego.
The problem is legislative action to address energy issues cannot happen until House Democrats show up for work.
I also recently spoke with a mom who can't see her kids because she doesn't feel safe in Minnesota. She's been victimized at every stage of her life, whether it was by foster parents, family members or boyfriends when she got older. There's been no accountability in the state system, which allowed things to snowball and become worse and worse. She doesn't even live in this state anymore but, for the sake of other children, she wants to see change.
That speaks to our broader public safety agenda, which is a top priority for House Republicans this year. We laid out a 13-part public safety plan in a press conference this week, with provisions designed to equip law enforcement with the tools they need, ensure violent offenders are held accountable, and increase transparency in the criminal justice system.
This approach will help get our state out of the soft-on-crime policies that have tied the hands of law enforcement, emboldened criminals, and made our communities less safe in recent years. We simply need to hold criminals accountable, especially violent offenders.
The problem is legislative action to make Minnesota safer cannot happen until House Democrats show up for work.
Having been named to the House committee on education finance, I’m eager to get working on solutions to make sure the St. Michael/Albertville school district finally gets a fair shake in state funding. People in our district are well aware of this disparity issue and have long deserved a remedy.
The problem is legislative action to fix STMA’s state funding inequity cannot happen until House Democrats show up for work.
Then there’s the issue of fraud, where Minnesota taxpayers are being robbed blind by grifters. Just this week, a new KSTP report raised concerns that some of the state's largest Child Care Assistance Program recipients may be fraudulent, receiving millions of tax dollars for children purportedly currently enrolled in programs with no evidence of children or employees actually being present during repeated check-ins.
In all, KSTP reports there are 62 investigations underway involving Minnesota childcare centers. House Republicans are working on new measures to tighten controls and enhance accountability in our government programs, CCAP included. The least we can do for taxpayers in our state is make sure their hard-earned dollars aren’t handed over to fraudsters.
The problem is legislative action to root out rampant fraud in Minnesota’s programs cannot happen until House Democrats show up for work.
The list of problems House Democrats are causing by not showing up for work is long – and growing. And, to think, they’re willing to inflict all this pain on Minnesotans in the misguided name of power.
House Democrats need to show up for work.
Sincerely,
Walter