State Race Roundup

Wednesday, 02 June 2010 07:44 Last Updated on Monday, 07 June 2010 21:00

The deadline for filing for the 2010 election was yesterday and it looks like Representative Jenifer Loon has a last-minute challenger who has filed- Ray Daniels.  I recognize his name from letters to the editor and I'll make an easy prediction that the former seat of Congressman Erik Paulsen will remain red.

Loon is a tireless worker and she's built a strong reputation as somebody who has excellent constituent services and communication skills. She puts our surveys, she communicates results, she understands how to work well with all sides.   She has a great team of folks helping her throughout the Eden Prairie community and I wish her well in her campaign for re-election. 

The local GOP has a fantastic candidate to challenge Maria Ruud on the A-side of the District which is Eden Prairie north of Hwy 5 and the southern part of Minnetonka.  Kirk Stensrud was a top achieving corporate sales rep before buying a window washing franchise-- they have contracts with large commercial customers around the Twin Cities. Kirk doesn't have to come up with a made-up political gimmick like Ruud's  "Small Busines Caucus" in order to understand the issues of small business owners in Minnesota--- he is a small business owner in Minnesota.  It's laughable that Ruud-- who scored a big fat ZERO this legislative session from the MN Taxpayer's League-- would think this PR Stunt would go by without notice.  I'll have more on the phony caucus as Ruud proves again to be a Pinocchio in the public arena.

Back to Stensrud..if you meet him, you'll find he possesses a great quality in a politician- he listens.  Most importantly, he will be representing the taxpayers of 42A-- not the Unions and Enviro-groups who make up the base of Ruud's supporters. Republicans lost the seat by less than 250 votes in 2004...huge turnout for the Governor's race and coat-tails could help a lot in this district that has been represented by one of the most liberal House reps in the state for far too long.

Stensrud's been out doorknocking almost every day and as a salesperson he's naturally competitive and wants to win.  If you want to put money or time into a race, this is the one.  Although he has an Eden Prairie address (of some 20+ years), all three of his kids go to Minnetonka Schools (I think one is in college now) and his wife is a school nurse at a Minnetonka middle school.  Kirk's a strong supporter of public schools and a strong opponent of Universal government-run health care (Ruud, a public health nurse from UC San Francisco, is a longtime advocate.) The local GOP couldn't ask for a better candidate and there couldn't be a clearer choice in 42A.

Of course the local DFL is downright giddy about their golden guy-- Ron Case-- who is running against GOP State Senator David Hann.  Case loves to campaign so much that he started his campaign for State Senate in November of 2009, a mere 10 months after he was sworn in on the City Council for a four-year term!  This was the guy whose slogan was "Bring Back Ron Case" because we badly needed him on the Council--he campaigned vigorously and tirelessly for months and months, this is how strongly he felt about being back on the Council....but only 17 months in he doesn't want to be on the Council, he wants to be in St. Paul?  What about the promises he made to bring Eden Prairie back to 'Top 10 Status" (which he personally took credit for!)  It's quite obvious that he didn't count on being in the minority on the Council and the lack of power that comes with that position, so he wants to go where he'll never be in the minority- the Minnesota Senate where Democrats have held the majority for some forty years. 

Boundaries will be redrawn for the District this time next year...so Case hopes to win the seat and then campaign YET AGAIN in 2012?  Well, when you have a permanent "campaign headquarters" proudly displayed facing Pioneer Trail outside your home, I guess you need to put it to use.

State Senator David Hann is a quiet principled conservative and he has been since his days serving three terms on the Eden Prairie School Board where he gained the respect of Independents serving with him....if Hann were on the Board today I can guarantee there would be accountability for the shenanigans and closed-door politicking that's going on today.  He makes no apologies for his views- and the Senate is a good place for him.  The Senate is where you want the "thinkers"- the House is where you want the "doers." It's how our government was designed.  He's a solid and dependable vote against tax increases and growing government.  He's also a passionate advocate for public education and reforming education for the future.  If you get David talking about how to educate children for success, and local control of schools, you won't be able to get him to stop.  He also worked for thirty years in the private sector, something else that differentiates him from Case- whose career is in the public sector.  As I've mentioned on the blog before, Hann is not somebody who loves the campaign process and he really doesn't enjoy raising money (I find this refreshing, but it is a weakness.)  Past Eden Prairie Board Chair Carol Bomben came within 5 points of beating Hann in 2006-- but that was a very strong year for Democrats as it was a mid-term with Bush's approval ratings in the tank. 

Case, on the other hand, is all over the place- both literally and figuratively. He will be all over the district campaigning relentlessly to win.  But his chameleon-like persona-- a Republican one day, a Democrat the next ,makes him the Arlen Specter of Eden Prairie politics.  He's a politician who will change both position and party in order to gain power.  Think about that for a minute.  Stick-your-finger-in-the-wind-pulse-check-before-principle-win-at-all-costs.....how will it play in 2010 when people are so fed up with business as usual politicians? 

I think the people of the District will see through the game and understand that sending one more Democrat to St Paul is not a good idea when spending is so out-of-control and our ecnomy uncertain.  But beyond that, I hope they want leadership that fights for the taxpayer and insists on moving jobs back into the private sector where they belong before Minnesota is a "colder California."  (A borrowed line from Marty Seifert.)

All and all- some interesting races to watch- more interesting to see if  Senate District 42 bounces back from their Obama vote of 2008 (the first time the District voted for a Dem for Pres since the District was created in 2000.)  From my micro-level analysis I see that many of the Obama bumper stickers on the SUV's and Mini-vans of Eden Prairie seem to be disappearing and that's good news.

Concerning

Friday, 28 May 2010 09:43 Last Updated on Thursday, 03 June 2010 09:52

Great article by Mark Styne in Canada's Macleans Magazine:

"We're Too Broke To Be This Stupid"

When Michelle Obama turned up to serve food at a soup kitchen, its poverty-stricken clientele snapped pictures of her with their cellphones. In one-sixth of British households, not a single family member works. They are not so much without employment as without need of it. At a certain level, your hard-working bourgeois understands that the bulk of his contribution to the treasury is entirely wasted. It’s one of the basic rules of life: if you reward bad behaviour, you get more of it. But, in good and good-ish times, who cares?

....green jobs” is just another of those rich-enough-to-be-stupid scams. The Spanish government pays over $800,000 for every “green job” on a solar-panel assembly line. This money is taken from real workers with real jobs at real businesses whose growth is being squashed to divert funds to endeavours that have no rationale other than their government subsidies—and which would collapse as soon as the subsidies end. Yet Tim Flannery, the Aussie climate-alarmist who chaired the Copenhagen racket, says we need to redouble our efforts. “We’re trying to act as a species,” he says, “to regulate the atmosphere.”

When will we wake up and say "enough"?

A must-watch video of an Investigative Report by local news stations WSB in Atlanta about what's REALLY going on down at the Mexican Border.   When will our government respond to this?  (Thanks to a friend for sending)  Where is the national news on this?

A $100 million mosque being build near ground zero in NYC....Americans still so badly want to prove to the world how "good" we are....somewhere in a cave Osama is smiling.

Our President has been on vacation all week taking in 3 rounds of golf in four days.  Even the New York Times is mocking his leisurely pace. 

Bill Clinton was famous for the creative way he kept score. Both George Bushes would speed-golf through 18 holes as if they had to beat the clock, not the course.

And President Obama?

Long, slow rounds. A lot of time hunting for balls in the woods. All dished up with a dollop of trash-talking.

...Unlike Mr. Clinton, who had a reputation for shaving strokes off his score, Mr. Obama “doesn’t fudge his scores,” Mr. Van Natta said, adding: “If he shoots an 11 on a hole, he will write down 11.” (Mr. Obama shoots in the 90s on a good day, Mr. Van Natta said.)

11?  Woah.

White House officials, trying to protect their boss from guffaws, refuse to divulge Mr. Obama’s scores. The president himself envelops his golf game in a cloak of secrecy. Unlike the drill with many of his predecessors, who allowed reporters to watch them play the first hole, and then return to the 18th to watch the grand finish, the White House press pool covering Mr. Obama is kept far away from the action.

While he taks 5 hours to play a round of golf, He's taking a 3-hour-tour of Louisiana this afternoon before heading to Chicago this weekend.  Don't spend too much time down there, don't you worry about it Mr. President.  Oh, and he won't be at Arlington National Cemetary for the traditional Memorial Day ceremony.  Why doesn't this suprise me?

Worst.  President.  Ever.

Meanwhile, news just hit that it was supposedly Bill Clinton who was asked by Rahm Emmanuel to talk Joe Sestack out of running in the Senate Primary against Arlen Specter, but that the job offered was an unpaid position on an Advisory Board.  There are major connections between Bill Clinton, his former document-stealing National Secuirty Advisory Sandy Berger, and Joe Sestak. 

Now, I want to be generous and believe this story, but I don't.  We're talking about men who have lied to federal grand juries and Congressional committees.   And we're just supposed to trust the White House on this?  Right.   If this were a Republican, the press would be all over it, but they're not.  They're buying everything being fed to them, no questions asked (even quoting CREW Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington who isa George Soros funded group.).  

I'd hope that an Independent Counsel would provide some clarity, but it won't.  Regardless, these charges of corruption need to be investigated.  Where's our conservative CREW to file suit? (as they did against the Bush Administration in the Valerie Plame fiasco.)  Our Democracy is in trouble.

Eden Prairie Teachers Slam Superintendent Melissa Krull

Wednesday, 26 May 2010 10:29 Last Updated on Saturday, 29 May 2010 18:48

Eden Prairie Schools District Administration was taken to task last week by the local Sun Current newspaper for a potential violation of Minnesota's open meeting laws when they didn't provide materials from a Board meeting to a reporter.

They've certainly been taken to task by me over the last year for their blatant waste of taxpayer dollars for hiring an acting troupe  to tie up kids in order to instill "cultural empathy" and for attending conferences and hiring consultants from the controversial consulting company Pacific Education Group.  I've also written about the district's complete lack of transparency in their selection of citizen commissions

They've been taken to task by parents for years for their complete lack of planning and financial accountability in creating a new speciality school within the district.

Now they've been taken to task by the group of people closest to your kids....their teachers.

An un-named source sent me this survey yesterday:

Almost 350 teachers took this survey, my understanding is it was taken sometime within the last year...Here are the findings:

Pretty harsh. Lack of trust, no room for complaints, worry about retaliation?  It sounds like the Soviet Union in the hallways of our EP Schools. 

I have friends who have worked for the District for years, another friend's child teaches in the District...it's not the first time I've heard concerns about this Administration and Board....but that's all anecdotal.  This survey is not...

So just how did the District react to these findings?  The way they always react.  By scheduling a "listening session" with a "focus group"  via invite-only last minute emails: (emphasis mine)- This email was sent out to certain teachers this week:

There is a focus group being held tomorrow to follow up on staff 
survey results from last year.  Invitations were sent to some staff, 
but we have some additional seats available so we hope you'll 
considering joining us.

So, besides the Chamber of Commerce and the Eden Prairie News-- who does approve of the job that Superintendent Melissa Krull and School Board Chair Kim Ross are doing in this district?  Before you answer, I have one stipulation: You have to answer that question without citing a taxpayer funded survey performed by a private survey company hired by the Administration....Good luck.

CORRECTION:  I've been told that the focus group held WAS NOT in response to the survey above.  The survey above was conducted by the Teacher's Union.  The survey results discussed were around another survey done more recently.

Segregated Field Trips...Coming to a School Near You?

Tuesday, 25 May 2010 15:03 Last Updated on Tuesday, 25 May 2010 18:57

A few weeks ago, a story about a segregated field trip in an Ann Arbor, MI 5th grade class hit the Drudge Report and other conservative news outlets.

The school took a group of thirty African American students to meet an African American rocket scientist.  The white kids, Asian kids, and Hispanic kids all stayed back at the school.  When the group of black kids returned from the trip- they were allegedly booed by the other students.  (A normal reaction by a bunch of 10-year-olds jealous about the other kids receiving preferential treatment.  I remember at this same age being "booed" by kids when our group of "gifted" students was pulled out for special programs.) 

The principal of the Ann Arbor elementary school went into the classroom and berated all of the kids.

Per the Ann Arbor news:

Parents have complained he was yelling at the class and belittled a Muslim girl who said she also had experienced racism and discrimination.

Wish one of those 5th graders had an iPhone....

The story made CNN's blog a couple of weeks later:

Should eligibility for a school field trip be determined by a student’s race? Seems like that happened at an Ann Arbor, Michigan school. About 30 African-American elementary students went to visit an African-American engineering professor at the University of Michigan. Their white counterparts did not go. Teachers and administrators said it was a motivational trip to help bridge the gap between black and white test scores. The Michigan Attorney General’s office said the field trip appears to violate the state constitution. In 2006, voters approved a ban on affirmative action programs that give preferential treatment to groups or individuals based on race, gender, color, ethnicity or national origin for public employment, education or contracting purposes. So far, no complaints have been filed with the attorney general’s office.

"So far"...hmm, I wonder what would happen if an Eden Prairie parent complained to the Attorney General's office about tying up their kid?  Forget it- it's Lori Swanson- so absolutely nothing would happen.

It was reported on both Fox News and CNN News...I heard it on Rush...the story was everywhere.  Now, guess who's been consulting Ann Arbor School district on "equity" for almost six years? Come on, guess.

You guessed it!  Pacific Educational Group.  The consulting company that's fleeced Minnesota taxpayers to the tune of $1.2 MILLION and counting.

Per the Ann Arbor news:

District administrators said the intent of the program was to work in a mentoring relationship with black students to help boost their achievement. They said it was part of the district’s work to combat the achievement gap, which in Ann Arbor is commonly referred to in terms of the difference in test scores, grade-point average, discipline and graduation rates between white and black students. 

Much of that work is being led by a consultant, Glenn Singleton, and his Pacific Educational Group.  The district has been employing the company since the 2004-2005 school year and has paid it $341,000 so far, Roberts said.

Well, at least Eden Prairie Schools hasn't spent that much....yet.

Roberts said the district is making progress in closing the gap, pointing to multiple areas in the latest Michigan Educational Assessment Program data, where achievement for black students is up. That includes eighth-grade math scores, where the percentage of black students scoring proficient has climbed 23 percentage points since the 2005-06 school year.

I will wager a bet that there are other factors that led to this increase in test scores...and that it had nothing to do with this crap:

Much of the work PEG is doing centers on “things we can control in the school,” Roberts said. That includes making sure black and Latino students see artwork in classrooms and read literature that reflects their culture. PEG is also helping district staff discuss race and cultural issues and figure out how to effectively teach students of different cultural backgrounds. 

Roberts said he is happy with the work PEG is doing.  "There are conversations in the district and a greater focus on all the students and how we can help them.  I can't say they are the only reason for the growth, but they are key."

 "Key" for $341,000....it better be absolutely, indisputably the reason for success.  But there's no way to measure it, is there?  What a scam. 

Seems that EP Schools and Ann Arbor Schools share a love for overpaid consultants.

Here's a question:  When Superintendents spend hundreds of thousands of dollars every year on stupid, pointless exercises and people who tell them how to perform stupid, pointless exercises...then what exactly does the Superintendent do?  I mean, I know this Superintendent serves on a ton of boards-- outside the District-- but what does she do?  Where else can you get a job, not do your job, hire people to try to do your job (with other people's money) and then pretend you're doing your job?  (Besides the government.)

I hear the $500-$800 per hour Glenn Singleton was recently at Cedar Ridge Elementary observing classes.  Wonderful, more money down the tubes.

Simply more discontent from one conservative activist, you say?  A group of 600+ Eden Prairie parents and taxpayers who just like to complain?  Not quite....Try the vast majority of teachers in the district who also think this administration is a disaster.  More very soon.