Minnesota Elections

Election time is nearing it’s meridian and the elections here in Minnesota have been getting pretty ugly. They’re too ugly for me, really. Ugly enough that I’ve been reading up on the independent candidates a lot. The only problem with the Independents here in Minnesota is their vast inexperience in certain areas worry me. I’ve found one independent candidate I’m definitely voting for - Peter Idsusogie - his focus on Education would be good for this state I believe. I think Education should be one of Minnesota’s biggest concerns, yet so few candidates seem to want to talk about it. Here’s a good poll that shows just how important education is to Minnesotans this year. Not surprisingly, the budget defecit and taxes round out the top three.

The major candidates have been talking a lot about foreign policy, taxes, gas prices, and immigration. You know, the sensational ones that everyone gets all riled up over. I’m certainly not trying to suggest that these issues aren’t important, but like usual none of the candidates are really offering any coherent solutions to them. They’re just saying “so-and-so supported what-have-you, and I think that’s wrong!!!” So what’s the right way, smarty pants? Apparently we only have two kinds of politicians, those who have no ideas and love to complain, and those who have bad ideas and love to defend them.

Frankly, Minnesota’s current Governor, Tim Pawlenty (R), needs to go. While he was running around spending so much time trying to get the Twins a new stadium, college tuition rose by over 50% (link). Minnesota’s economy and public education systems are a mess. I’ve considered voting for him, but I just can’t make any real sense of doing so. The DFL candidate for Governor, Mike Hatch, seems pretty respectable on the issues. Plus, I’m sick of thanking Pawlenty every time my car gets an unwanted alignment from all the pot-holes all over the interstate highways.

In the U.S. Senate campaign - probably the ugliest campaign of them all in Minnesota - I can’t bring myself to vote for either Mark Kennedy (R) or Amy Klobuchar (D). They’re both sleazy candidates taking constant cheap shots at each-other on the airwaves, making empty promises about taxes, gas prices, and foreign policies. That kind of talk really turns off the middle-of-the-road people like myself.

In Minnesota’s 6th district for House, we have Patty Wetterling (D) vs Michele Bachmann (R). I don’t live in the 6th district, but I work in the 6th district so I’ve been watching that race a little closely. Wetterling is the candidate who made national headlines for using the Foley scandal in one of her political ads. Here’s a link to the TV ad hosted on Wetterling’s web site. And then here’s a good article about it that ran in the StarTribune. This is sleazy politics at it’s finest, people. Why is it relevant for Mark Foley (R-FL) to become part of Minnesota’s elections? He’s not running in Minnesota! If you didn’t hear about it, Foley was outed as a pedophile weeks ago when transcripts of disturbing online chats between him and a teenage boy surfaced. [ Here's an article about it. ] What it seems like Wetterling is trying to pull on us here is leading people to believe that if one Republican is a pedophile, they must all be. People aren’t that stupid, are they? Now I believe Foley deserves all he gets, what he did is disgusting, but the entire Republican party doesn’t deserve to be chastised because of him. Cover ups by his colleagues should be addressed, but it doesn’t belong in Minnesota’s political ads.

Is it always going to be like this? Am I ever going to find a party or candidates that I can wholeheartedly agree with or am I going to continue to feel so undecided and always have the feeling that I’m voting for the lesser of two evils? It gets awfully frustrating, no wonder so many people don’t vote. But I hope people will vote. Please go to polls and use your brains, hearts, and common sense rather than picking based on the D or R next to each name.

Aside from the politics, for me personally the busy season continues. It’s been an exhausting month, and there’s much more work ahead. My allergies are still keeping me miserable, but fall in Minnesota is just so beautiful. More so than North Dakota ever was, for some reason. The leaves are turning to their beautiful bright colors and the temperatures are perfect. If it weren’t for the allergies I have this time of year, this would be my favorite season.

Talk to you again soon!