If you have heard Severson speak, you know why he will crush Mark Richie in November.

The Federal Heath Care Bill

The big ticket item of the week of course, is health care.  Despite public opinion opposing that particular legislation (Rasmussen, CNN etc), the Socialists in Washington hammered through their Health Care Reform bill. They bought and bullied the moderate Democrats into submission, which will be sorely remembered in November. The electorate who bought the “Hope and Change” message in ’08 has figured out that this is now what they wanted.  We have been inching away from a free market capitalism for a century. The sudden leaps during toward socialism in the last few years (TARP, ARRA, big-time bailouts, HCR bill) has awoken the spirit of a people who truly wish for less Federal involvement in their lives. And the GOP had better get its message right.

The Republican party has been criticized by the far right for being “democrat light”, and rightfully so. The GOP had the opportunity in the past to actually reform government in the right way: practical reductions in it’s size and scope. When the pendulum swings our way again, let us not fail to do the right thing.

As for HCR itself, that battle isn’t over yet, of course.  State AG’s are lining up Constitutional Lawsuits. An of course, there is always the possibility of repeal from a future Congress.  Assuming a GOP majority in Congress, defeating Obama in ’12 would end it altogether. I haven’t done the homework yet, but is it mathematically possible to win enough US Senate seats, this year, for a GOP veto-proof majority? I may be dreaming….

A Surprise Visitor

Last Sunday evening, my doorbell rang. My first thought was “who the (expletive) could that be,” then opened the door for a pleasant surprise. On my doorstep was GOP Governor hopeful Marty Seifert, flanked by Representative Joyce Peppin (R, 32A- Rogers). I may lean toward Tom Emmer (I was on his slate, after all), but is good to see Marty working hard on his campaign. It’s good to know we have two excellent candidates. It will be easy to get behind whichever of them wins endorsement.

Now that I’ve made this public, should I expect a visit from Emmer?

The State Auditor campaign trail

Unless you count carrying signs at a parade, the first campaign I have ever been involved with is with State Auditor candidate Randy Gilbert. I’ve spoken on his behalf at several BPOU meetings and have taken a ton of pictures and video of speeches and debates; yes there have been debates for auditor hopefuls. I’m putting together a few media packages for gilbertforauditor.com, and perhaps more. If you are a delegate to the State Convention, you will be hearing from us soon. Randy is certainly the best candidate for this office this year (with all due respect to Pat, Jeff, and Tom).

Shameless Plug

With the above campaigning experience, I am becoming more comfortable (and  skilled) at campaign communication. If you are running for office, are on a campaign staff, or have an event you would like photographed or recorded, please contact me. I want you to win (If you are GOP, that is), and I want to help you deliver your message.

In Closing

I’d like to start following more closely the Hennepin County Commission, Met Council, and other such government agencies that kinda fly under the RADAR. Three Rivers Parks is another. If you have an event or meeting that deserves blog coverage, contact me. I’ll make it if I can.

Bill Whittle, who is rapidly becoming one of my favorite pundits, produced this wonderful piece about the “why” of America.

House Minority leader Kurt Zellers (R-Maple Grove) took issue with the tactics the House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher (DFL-Minneapolis) used to limit debate on the recent bonding bill.

This is my footage from Pat Anderson’s press conference from Tuesday morning, when she formally announced that she is no longer running for governor, but for her former office of State Auditor. I cut out a bit of fluff to fit it under 10 minutes.

It’s been a while since this site has been actively updated, but good news! I’m positioning myself (and schedule, for that matter) to get back in the saddle, so to speak. Between holidays, family tragedies,  and a seasonal overnight position, I haven’t had the time or wherewithal to keep RRGO updated. But it is time for a change! Minnesota’s legislative session is about to begin and the election cycle heating up, there is plenty to opine on.  I’m also involved in few other projects, which I may be able to talk about publicly in the near future.

Thanks for the patience, it will pay off soon!

Chris

Thanks to the Activist Next Door for mining this video.  It’s Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA) speaking against a solar technology subsidy.

I’m a bit late on commentary (especially since I was in the audience), soI’ll keep this brief. Here is the final words Lord Monckton’s speech at the debut of his documentary.

In interest of fairness, I have found a reliable source to the text of the Copenhagen Treaty, or at least a draft. I haven’t read it yet myself, but I ask my readers to join me to determine if this speech is on target or just alarmist prattle. I honestly hope it is the latter of the choices.

Read on.

*edit* you can see his entire presentation here.

Last Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission voted to construct basic “network neutrality” legislation designed to prevent ISP’s from favoring some content over other content.

Last November, The CATO Institute put out a 36-page policy analysis discussing the details of Net Neutrality and it’s unnecessity. From page 3: Continue reading »