Capitol View: July 21, 2009 Archive

Klobuchar differs with Bachmann on census

Posted at 2:21 PM on July 21, 2009 by Tim Pugmire

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., took a firm stand today in support of the 2010 Census.

During a Joint Economic Committee hearing, Klobuchar emphasized the importance of Minnesotans filling out the Census, noting that Minnesota could potentially lose a congressional seat. Klobuchar then sent out a news release stressing the point.

"The Census has a profound impact on Minnesota's communities," Klobuchar said. "It's important that every Minnesotan is counted, so we get our fair share of congressional seats and federal funding."

Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., has gained a lot of attention this summer for her plan to largely boycott the Census. She has said the questions are too intrusive. Bachmann also signed on to a bill aimed at limiting Census information.

That's "Mr. Secretary" to you

Posted at 2:16 PM on July 21, 2009 by Mike Mulcahy (1 Comments)

Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie was elected national secretary of the National Association of Secretaries of State at the group's conference in the Twin Cities over the weekend.

Secretary Ritchie will be on Midday at 11 tomorrow to answer questions about the conference, the long-delayed outcome of the U.S. Senate race, and other election issues.

Minnesota once again led the nation in voter turnout last year even though it took a while to figure out exactly what all those voters decided.

So if you have a question for Ritchie about his job as secretary or secretary call in tomorrow.

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Pawlenty was in Afghanistan too

Posted at 5:20 PM on July 21, 2009 by Tim Pugmire

Governor Tim Pawlenty followed up his weekend trip to Iraq with a stop in Afghanistan.

His office said today that the governor spent two days this week in Afghanistan visiting Minnesota troops in Bagram during the second leg of an overseas trip. Pawlenty also visited the U.S. Embassy and military installations in Kabul. There are 12 Minnesota National Guard soldiers and 20 airmen deployed in Afghanistan with more scheduled to arrive there soon.

Pawlenty and the governors of Illinois, Missouri, Nevada and Texas made earlier stops in Iraq and Kuwait. A news release issued after the delegation left Afghanistan, said the governors had arrived in Germany to visit a U.S. military hospital in Landstuhl before returning home. Pawlenty will be back in Minnesota on Wednesday.