Priorities
By Mitch Berg
Over the weekend, Governor MessingerDayton sent out a fundraising email blast (that didn’t involve asking Sotheby’s to help him hock a Renoir).
The interesting part (emphasis added)?
I ran for Governor because I knew that our state was falling behind. Cuts to education, endless gridlock, and budget gimmicks jeopardized our shared future.
We’re starting to turn Minnesota around by investing in our schools, training our workers, and, critically, recognizing the freedom to marry.
The school and “worker training” “Investments” are the usual double-talk, of course…:
But was gay marriage really “critical?”
I mean, sure – to gays marriage activists it was. And one can even argue it was (or was not) the right thing to.
But to the overall conduct of this state? Especially it’s economy?
If you’re a jobless mine worker? If you just got laid off from your medical device manufacturing job? If your company is moving to Texas? If you’re shopping for new daycare?
How “critical” was gay marriage?
Is gay marriage “critical?”
July 1st, 2013 at 7:50 am
Is gay marriage “critical?”
For DFL fundraising, yes.
July 1st, 2013 at 7:54 am
Don’t know how critical it is, but it certainly fits in with today’s narritive. Today is the day the Democrat legislature & Gov. Jim Beam sodomize every worker in the state.
Even I didn’t escape the raping…until I divest my properties, I’ll be paying a $5 surcharge on my property insurace.
July 1st, 2013 at 9:07 am
Perhaps critical issues are those which can be easily understood and discussed, and don’t require a great deal of mathematic ability.
“Freedom to marry”? I freely married thirty years ago. We all know what it is. Ashamed to name it? Same with “pro-choice.” If you’re afraid to speak the word (although the Paula Deen saga may make silence a wise option), there is a problem with your issue. Same for “pro life.'”
July 1st, 2013 at 11:21 am
“Is gay marriage “critical?””
Is gay “marriage” critical?
Wrong word in quotes. And no, it’s not.
July 1st, 2013 at 11:26 am
In fairness to the Governor, he did campaign on the issue in 2010. His campaign website had a prominent listing of gay marriage “marriage equality”, so he isn’t too far out of line on taking credit for it.
July 1st, 2013 at 8:27 pm
I too heard something about the DFL campaigning on raising taxes and marriage equality as well. The MN economy is doing well and nearly twice as well as our neighbor Wisconsin’s economy. The GOP had better pray for a economic reversal if they want to advance their campaign message of over-spending and over-taxing.
July 1st, 2013 at 9:17 pm
Emery,
Wait until the new taxes kick in. That genius move to raise cigs $2 a pack will cost Dayton the election, if the republicans can put up a decent candidate…
July 1st, 2013 at 10:15 pm
Smokers comprise a very small percentage of the voting population.These days you see very few college students or graduates under 40 smoking. Smoking has become anti-aspirational; only the poor and the old smoke. That’s a tremendous switch from 30-40 years ago. When a character smokes in a movie these days it’s signalling that he’s weak and a loser, is poor and uneducated, or is a Nihilist headed for an early death. Smoking is just not cool anymore. The combination of intensive anti-tobacco education for 9-12 year olds and restrictions on tobacco advertising and marketing have had profound long-term effects. I fully expect the US numbers to fall further as the older generation of smokers wheezes their final gasps. Smokers are treated as addicts who smell bad these days, i.e. with a mixture of sympathy and contempt.
Although I would expect you to appreciate the business end, when one considers all those souls coming your way. :^)
July 2nd, 2013 at 7:24 am
Emery:
I live in Minnesota. You obviously never leave your apartment on the planet you live on. If you think everything is okay keep something in mind. The people who you are saying has done a good job locally despite four years of putting in what you will call wonderful policies on a national policy hasn’t gotten unemployment to drop below 7% on the national level. Under Bush is under 5%.
You like to make comparisons between Minnesota and Wisconsin. Keep in mind for the eight years before Dayton took office you had Tim Pawlenty taking care of the state in a good way while Wisconsin was destroying itself big time. Walker before November 2014 is going to have Wisconsin roaring while at the same time Minnesota’s growth is going to start declining because of the damage inflicted on it this year.
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN