Joe Doakes from Como Park emails:
Must be getting closer to an election, or something. Being pelted with emails from Senator Franken telling me how busy he has been. Yeah? Doing what, senator?
Fourth Annual Minnesota Hot Dish Cookoff. I won’t even comment on a silly PR stunt.
Banning Stalking Apps. Al’s concerned that smart phone apps track your location and that info can be shared with God knows who. He wants Congress to ban those apps. Honestly, Al, I’m a lot less concerned about Google tracking my movements than I am about NSA tracking me, reading my texts, listening to my conversations, and sharing that info with God knows who. Focus on your government oversight duties, please.
Still fighting the Comcast-Time Warner deal because it might result in consumers having fewer choices, higher prices and lousy service. Sorry, Al, you’ve been pre-empted by the City Council, who granted Comcast a monopoly franchise for all of St. Paul so consumers already have no choice, high prices and lousy service. Your services are not required.
Ensuring No Minnesota Child Is Denied School Lunch Because They Can’t Afford It. I’m sorry, did something change in the 40 years since I was a kid? Because we had free lunch for poor families back in my day. Seriously, Al, if you and your DFL buddies have been waging a war on poverty for two generations and still can’t get a handle on something as simple as school lunch, I have grave doubt about the usefulness of the entire program. Again, not seeing an Article I problem here. Not seeing where the Founding Fathers gave the enumerated power to Congress to oversee middle school Char-Burger On Bun With Lukewarm Milk.
Frankly, Senator Franken, it looks as if you’re keeping yourself artificially busy with make-work to avoid doing any real work. What with the Fast and Furious, IRS, NSA and Benghazi scandals, don’t you guys in Congress have enough legitimate work to do? Or are you avoiding that work because you’re terrified of what might happen to the DFL if you actually did your jobs?
Joe Doakes
I think “terror” fits the bill, yes.
Wouldn’t doing his job mean that Al Franken and our other pseudo-senator actually have debates in what was once known as ‘the world’s greatest deliberative body?’ They have allowed Harry Reid to violate settled law for six years by not even debating and passing something as basic as a budget! Grand bargains be dam*ed – do the basic work you were sent there for. The only ‘accomplishments’ Al Frankenstein can can point to are insignificant peripheral nothings. He hasn’t had an original thought since he wrote Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot and that thought was demonstrably false. He needs to be retired so he can move back to New York City where he fits in.
Maybe it’s the fact that I’m a non-native Minnesotan: The shocking thing to me is that this superficial youbetcha; yah, good neighbor; dey care about da kids, yaknow; how canya be against dat?; stuff works here. Amy Klobuchar was appropriately nicknamed “Senator Small Things” by Bob Davis (I thought of her as “Senator Vanilla Fluff” but his is better). Yet she will be re-elected in a landslide.
There is actually a television news station here covering the just started Twins season – not by pointing out that the Twins are likely to lose better than 50 games at home this season – but to note all the new mouth watering foods we will be able to enjoy if we actually decide to watch the dreck at the ball park.
J.D.: I certainly hope you sent this letter to the good senator. I doubt he reads Mitch’s blog.
Hot Dish Cook-off…. now that’s statesmanship!
At least he’s not another Maxine Waters, although he does bear a striking resemblance.
First, it is not “big education’s” role to feed anyone. They are there to educate. Period. The task, if deemed necessary could easily be farmed out to some public sector enterprise’ generate some jobs and income taxes.
Second, it is not “big government’s” job, or responsibility, to feed, clothe, provide shelter, of give them anything. That is the job of the parent(s). Period. Anymore than it would be my place to take-in your child, feed, bathe, and clothe her/him without your input.
However, it would be appropriate for big G to make these necessities available to parents in-need so that the parents can feed, clothe, and house their own children in a manner that is customary to their family. This should also help empower their parental and familial status by being, or at least appearing, to be the children’s primary caregiver, nurturer, provider, and protector. As is, it’s just another step to remove the importance of the traditional, nuclear family.