April 2021 Newsletter
Dear Mom
by Al Brown
Dear Mom-I am at an impasse with my brother where it comes to his COVID vaccine.
Thank God you’ve got your shots. He shouldn’t kill you if he gets COVID. I’m not sure I could ever forgive him for that.
He can certainly end up in the hospital or worse if he gets the virus. That would tick me off, too Despite his hard head, I love him.
I can’t understand how we can talk to one another about children and holidays and hopes and loves, but not the life-saving vaccine available to him at no cost. It seems like that vaccine has become more about politics than medicine. Some vague, fluid conspiracy, changing shape as it moves from blog to chatroom to internet anti-vaccine pseudoscience. A malignant conspiracy of medicinal microchips inserted into arms by carnivorous, cannibal pedophiles.
I have read about cannibals. As a reporter, I actually interviewed convicted pedophiles. I’ve never known the two to meet. Certainly, not for pizza as the Q tips would have you believe.
President Joe and his team are handling this as well as anyone could, providing the vaccine and information as quickly and honestly to every American in every corner of this country.
The thing is a lot of mothers haven’t been vaccinated yet. With over 550,000 dead and trillions of dollars lost to COVID, how many more mothers – brothers, too – do we have to lose to misinformation and lies?
I guess that is one of the reasons I am becoming increasingly skeptical about Republicans working with Democrats over anything.
There are Republicans who know about infrastructure. Several know what needs to be done and are willing to talk about it in their states and districts. I don’t expect them to vote for anything with a tax tied to it. I do expect them to take credit for improvements while blaming Democrats for the cost.
Kind of like the way your mother used to complain every time Grandpa would drive when he took her to the doctor. She swore he didn’t know where he was going, but insisted he drive.
Grandma always thanked Grandpa when we got her home and gave him a kiss. I don’t look to Republicans for the same appreciation.
It’s too easy to talk about Mr. Potato Head and Dr. Seuss in a party where conspiracy theorists would rather argue Elvis lives than lives matter.
The guy at the laundry mat may be Elvis. Probably isn’t THE Elvis. Regardless, governments with nuclear weapons and a pandemic still raging should set aside Elvis and Mr. Potato Head … they might even leave the alien lasers for later.
We have a real shot at a year as good as 2020 was bad. President Joe is moving fast in the right direction. He is willing to drive Grandma Mitch to a strong and healthy economy on paved roads where Americans have clean power – even in Texas.
If you expect Sen. Cancruz to vote for it, though … you’ll have better luck getting Elvis at the laundry mat to fit in Size 32 slims again.
Love you,
Your Democratic son
THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION: MOVING AHEAD
Joe Biden remains popular. A recent poll of over 2,000 registered voters showed his approval rating at 58% (with 39% disapproving). His Cabinet nominations have all been confirmed, the last near the end of March. Only Neera Tanden’s appointment to run the Office of Management and Budget was withdrawn in the face of Joe Manchin’s opposition when every Republican indicated they would oppose her.
Biden’s $1.9 trillion dollar package for fighting the pandemic and providing relief to those affected by the pandemic is now law. About $2.6 billion will go to the state government and $2.1 billion will go to county and city governments in Minnesota ($31 million for Olmsted County and $17.6 million for Rochester). Most individuals who earned up to $75,000 the last year they filed taxes will get $1,400 and families who earned up to $150,000 on their last tax return will get $1,400 per person.
Biden just proposed an expansive infrastructure program of over $2 trillion in the next eight years, paid for by increasing taxes on corporations and individuals earning over $400,000 a year.
He has nominated his first 11 Federal judges. The nominees are far more diverse than Trump’s and a bit more diverse than Obama’s initial nominees with many more having careers other than as prosecutors or in big law firms.
Biden also supports voting rights legislation that would largely prevent many of the voter suppression laws being proposed (or passed) in Republican-controlled states. These bills have passed the House of Representatives, but will be a challenge to pass in the Senate.
MINNESOTA LEGISLATIVE SESSION IS 2/3RDS DONE FOR 2021-PROCEEDING AS EXPECTED
The Minnesota Legislature is on its Passover/Easter break this week. When it reconvenes on Tuesday, only 6 of the 19 weeks in the session will be left. We haven’t seen a lot of bills make their way through the Legislature and to Governor Walz for his signature so far this year, but that’s typical. Much of the work in the first three months of a legislative session is done in committee but that will change after the break is over. By the end of next week, committees in both the House of Representatives and Senate that control parts of the state budget will pass their bills out of committee. The action in St. Paul will then move to the floors of the two Houses as the legislature tries to pass a budget and enact policy bills before it must adjourn on May 17. This could be a challenge, as the two Houses are controlled by different parties with very different views of how Minnesota should be governed and how big its budget should be. Just like in 2019-20, we’re the only state with divided control of the Legislature.
The deep cuts many feared would be necessary early in the pandemic won’t be needed. The latest state budget forecast shows the state has a modest surplus (and the Federal government will be sending over $2.5 billion to Minnesota, though that’s a one-time transfer and has to be used soon). However, if the Legislature doesn’t pass a budget by May 17, a special session will be necessary to pass any compromise that’s reached later. We hope a budget will pass by June 30, so we don’t face another partial government shutdown.
One interesting tidbit that became public recently is that Carla Nelson is thinking about running for Governor, which may explain why she’s had a higher profile than usual lately. Our Minnesota Senate race will look a lot different if Nelson doesn’t run for re-election to the Senate.
SENATE DISTRICT 26 DFL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETS APRIL 12
The next Executive Committee meeting will be Monday, April 12 from 7-8:30 PM. It will be a virtual meeting on Zoom. DFL meetings are public, so if you want to “attend”, contact the Chair at mark.liebow@gmail.com. We will hear officer reports, continue strategic planning, and discuss whether we will participating in typical summer events if they can occur in 2021.
We are still looking for an Outreach and Inclusion Officer and for three Directors, two of which must be filled by people who live in House District 26B. All Director positions must be filled by someone not identifying as male. Please contact the Chair at mark.liebow@gmail.com if you’re interested.
DONATE TO SENATE DISTRICT 26 DFL
We know this is a tough time economically for many people in Senate District 26 because of the economic effects from the pandemic. Not everyone will be able to donate right now, but if you can, we need your help to make the DFL a bigger presence in Rochester. We have a year-round office, which is expensive, but is crucial in a battleground area like Rochester. While one-time donations are welcome, we especially need monthly donations. We don’t get money from the national Democratic Party. The state DFL only contributes $500 a month, less than 1/3 of our rent. We rely on our local supporters to keep us going and to get the DFL message out. We need the money and you want an active DFL. If you give, there will still be an office for DFL events and meetings when those are possible again, DFL participation in events and parades that require entry fees, technology that makes the DFL work better, and outreach into underrepresented communities. Donate to Senate District 26 DFL and you can get up to $50/person or $100 per married couple back from the state of Minnesota if you are eligible to vote in Minnesota. You can make a refundable donation in 2021 even if you made a contribution and are eligible for (or already received) a refund in 2020. Do it now. Make your donation via ActBlue (https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/senate-district-26-dfl-party-1?refcode=sd2). If you would rather write a check, please make it payable to DFL SD26 and send it to:
P.O. Box 9044
Rochester, MN 55903-9044
Send us a donation and we’ll send you a receipt. Send the receipt and a form
(https://www.revenue.state.mn.us/media/59866) needed to claim the reimbursement to
Minnesota Revenue Political Contribution Refund
St. Paul, MN 55146-1800.
Make a donation, file a claim, and you’ll get a check back soon. If you send a check, please include whether you are retired, self-employed or employed. If employed, include the name of your employer and your job title. The Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board requires us to collect that information. If you use Act Blue, the appropriate information is collected.
GIVE DFL CANDIDATES SOME MONEY WITHOUT SPENDING ANY
If you’re doing your 2020 Minnesota taxes soon, you can increase how much our local candidates who participate in the Political Contribution Refund Program will get in 2022 without spending any of your own money, even temporarily.
Partway down the first page of the 2020 Minnesota Individual Income Tax Form (M1) is a section titled State Elections Campaign Fund, where you can designate $5 of your state income taxes to go to a political party. As the form says, “This will not increase your tax or reduce your refund.” Put the code 12 above where it says Your Code to direct the money to the DFL. It will go into a pool to be distributed to your DFL candidates in 2022. If you are filing a joint return, your spouse can also designate 5% for the DFL pool in that section. It’s a great way to help DFL candidates without costing you anything and to keep candidates from having to depend on big money donors.
REDISTRICTING UPDATE
We won’t know until the end of this month whether Minnesota loses a Congressional district or keeps its current 8 districts, though most insiders think we will lose a district.
The detailed data needed for redistricting Congressional and legislative districts may not be sent to the states until September 30. It’s unclear how the Legislature, which is supposed to pass a bill (or bills) that redistrict Congressional and state legislative districts, but must adjourn by May 17, will deal with this. Though each house of the Legislature has a redistricting committee, which can define its principles for redistricting and take other preliminary steps before May 17 and can work unofficially after that, Governor Walz would have to call a special session before the committees and then each House can try to pass a redistricting bill. If the House and Senate pass different bills, which is extremely likely, the two Houses can try to work out a compromise bill in conference committee. If they do, that bill will go to Walz to sign. It’s not clear if Walz will call that special session, since once it starts, only the Legislature can end it and there is a risk the Senate will try to kick out some of Walz’s commissioners.
A case has been filed asking the courts to redistrict. In the past the Minnesota Supreme Court appointed a special redistricting panel to hear testimony and draw district maps. The DFL will be part of the case. It’s not clear how long the courts will wait for the Legislature to act before taking over redistricting.
Olmsted County will be a major focus of redistricting. The Supreme Court changed how the two Senate districts in Olmsted County were drawn dramatically in 2001, roughly splitting Rochester in half. From 1992-2002, there was a Senate district almost entirely in Rochester, approximately covering the two House districts now represented by Tina Liebling and Liz Boldon. The change didn’t seem like a big deal then since all the legislators elected from districts primarily in Olmsted County had been Republicans from 1974, when people starting running for the Legislature with party labels (for the first time since 1912), to 2000, but that redistricting, which changed only marginally in 2011, is the main reason both Senate District 26 and 25 have Republican Senators even though President Biden, Senator Smith, and Dan Feehan carried Olmsted County by at least 8.5%. Olmsted County is one of the few Greater Minnesota counties that have grown faster than the state as a whole, so the two Senate Districts primarily in Olmsted County (which will likely have new numbers) will cover less territory than they do now. Most people assume that much of the part of Dodge County that is now in Senate District 25 will go to a different Senate district and some of current Senate District 26 territory will be transferred to Senate District 25’s successor. Will that territory be in Rochester or in the townships?
SD26mn.dfl@gmail.com AND OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA
This is a monthly newsletter. However, events often happen on short notice, so we may not be able to include them in the newsletter. Check our website and Facebook pages for the latest news on what is happening.
Official communications come from SD DFL (though the full address is above). Watch for them.
We tweet from @sd26dfl and have a website at www.senatedistrict26dfl.com
We have a closed Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/144866495637545/
We share an open Facebook page with Olmsted-25 DFL and Senate District 25 at
https://www.facebook.com/sd26sd25olm25/?fref=ts
Our Instagram account is at dflsenatedistrict26.
Our office is unstaffed for now because of the safer-at-home order but you can leave a message for us at 507-536-9785. We are monitoring the messages.
