Capitol View: June 13, 2011 Archive

MAPE objects to lawmaker comparing unions to Hitler

Posted at 2:34 PM on June 13, 2011 by Tom Scheck (6 Comments)
Filed under: MN Legislature, Mark Dayton

The executive director of the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees is objecting to a Republican lawmaker comparing unions to Adolf Hitler and Fidel Castro.

Jim Monroe is referring to e-mails between Rep. Tom Hackbarth, R-Cedar, and MAPE member Robin Seifert, who lives in Hackbarth's district.

Seifert was urging Hackbarth to support DFL Gov. Mark Dayton's budget plan that would raise income taxes on Minnesota's top earners. Here's the e-mail that she sent him:

Dear Representative Hackbarth,

You have a choice. As a legislators, you could chose to ask the most fortunate among us to pay their fair share or you could inflict severe pain on the middle-class and vulnerable Minnesotans.

I oppose the all-cuts budget which will increase property taxes on homeowners, renters and small businesses by more than one billion dollars.

The all-cuts plan will eliminate support for battered women and crime victims and slash funding for public universities by $411 million.

We have a choice. We can either protect the richest Minnesotans and large corporations or we can protect the vital services that average Minnesotans depend on.

Are you willing to take away health care from 140,000 Minnesotans just to protect the 40,000 richest people in Minnesota?

I also support the Viking stadium they are part of Minnesota and need to stay here. We have waited to long to get a stadium they time is now!!

Please tax the richest 2% of Minnesotans. Ask them to pay their fair share.

Sincerely,

Ms. Robin Seifert

Seifert says Hackbarth responded with this e-mail:

I can't believe what I'm hearing from folks? All, similar letters to yours.

Are you a Union member? If so, are they the communist giving you this propaganda?

Do you know the who, what, when, where, why, and how, of Fidel Castro?

Hitler rose to power using and blaming the jews for the destruction of the German economy. Castro built his army of murderers by blaming the rich bankers and capitalist for destroying Cuba and taking advantage of the Cuban people. Hummmm?

Representative Hackbarth

Robin Seifert told MPR News that she got the e-mail from Hackbarth but declined further comment. Hackbarth has not replied to an e-mail message from MPR News. Hackbarth's legislative assistant and House Republican Caucus Spokeswoman Jodi Boyne both said Hackbarth was out of town and that they were trying to reach him.

Hackbarth's response prompted Monroe, with MAPE, to send a letter to Hackbarth (and put out a press release) asking why the representative was comparing union members to Hitler and Castro.

Do you really equate advocating for the middle class and Minnesota's vulnerable citizens as communist propaganda? Do you really believe that when our members ask you to protect 140,000 Minnesotans from losing their MnCare benefits rather than having the richest two percent of Minnesotans paying their fair share of taxes it compares to the rise of Hitler and targeting the Jews? When did supporting public services for battered women, crime victims and students in public universities become a fascist notion?

When did humanity and caring for our neighbors and asking for millionaires to pay their fair share become supporting Fidel Castro and his murderous armies?

This isn't the first time Hackbarth has been under scrutiny.

He lost his committee chair in December after he was spotted carrying a loaded handgun in a Planned Parenthood parking lot in St. Paul. Hackbarth said he was checking up on a woman he was dating. Hackbarth had a permit to carry a handgun. No charges were filed

Winkler: Courts can't appropriate money

Posted at 2:51 PM on June 13, 2011 by Tom Scheck
Filed under: 2011 Shutdown, MN Legislature, Mark Dayton

Rep. Ryan Winkler, DFL-Golden Valley, is taking issue with an effort to ask a judge to step in and keep some government services running if state government shuts down on July 1.

Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson is asking a district court judge to rule that some government services should continue if state government shuts down on July 1. Swanson filed a petition today in Ramsey County Court asking a judge to grant authority to continue funding "essential services" like prisons, public safety and health care for the poor, elderly and disabled.

Winkler says he believes the petition is more sweeping than previous requests. He says the petition seeks too much power for cities, counties, state agencies and other units of government.

"This petition says each government unit can define for itself what a core function is," Winkler said. "And they present a bill to the state and the state has to pay it. So this is putting a small check on how money would be spent."

Winkler also questions whether it's constitutional for a judge to fund government agencies. He says that's the job of the Legislature and the governor.

"The Minnesota Constitution requires the Legislature and the governor to compromise and pass a balanced budget," Winkler said. "The idea that powers should be separated into three branches, and that each branch should serve as a check on the other branches, is fundamental to our system of government."

The courts did step in and appropriate money during the partial government shutdown in 2005. A lawsuit was filed to challenge the constitutionality of the process but the Minnesota Court of Appeals rejected the challenge on constitutional grounds.

The court ruled that the lawsuit should have been filed earlier since then Gov. Pawlenty and the Legislature resolved their budget impasse before the court could act on it.

Ethics Committee says Hoffman should apologize over Twitter comment

Posted at 7:08 PM on June 13, 2011 by Tom Scheck
Filed under: MN Legislature, Mark Dayton

The Senate Ethics Committee says it will dismiss a complaint against Sen. Gretchen Hoffman, R-Vargas, if she apologizes to Sen. Barb Goodwin, DFL-Columbia Heights, in writing for a comment she wrote on Twitter about Goodwin. The Ethics Committee also says Hoffman has to delete the tweet in question and link to the Ethics report on Twitter. Hoffman was facing an ethics complaint for mischaracterizing on her Twitter feed that Goodwin called people with a mental illness "idiots and imbeciles" during a Senate floor debate.

Godwin says she's satisfied with the action taken by the Ethics Committee.

"We want to make sure that we prevent these kinds of things in the future," Goodwin said. "I'm hoping for a decent apology and that it's a sincere apology."

The committee of two Democrats and two Republican met to discuss an ethics complaint against Hoffman. Hoffman tweeted the comment in May when the Senate was debating a Health and Human Services budget bill. Goodwin said Hoffman mischaracterized her comments because she was discussing the historical context of mental health treatment in Minnesota.

The Ethics Committee debated for several hours and quibbled over how Hoffman should apologize, where she should apologize and how long an apology should be posted on Twitter.

"We're asking for different apologies twice now," Sen. Bill Ingebrigtsen, R-Alexandria, said as he questioned why two apologies were necessary. Ingebrigtsen also said that the committee "was all caught up in this Twitter thing."

Democrats argued that Hoffman should apologize in writing and on Twitter because she made the comments on Twitter.

"I'm narrow in my focus not about what everyone else here is doing in terms of Twittering and Tweeting," Sen. Kathy Sheran, DFL-Mankato, said. "I'm simply focused on what I think is reasonable for us to ask Sen. Hoffman to do..."

The Ethics Committee held the hearing to act on an ethics complaint filed by Sen. Ann Rest, DFL-New Hope.

"Each of us, as one of the 67 Senators, does need to be held to account even during an emotional debate on important topics for what each of us says," Rest said.

Hoffman did not testify during the hearing. Her attorney, Fritz Knaak, said Hoffman was upset with Goodwin's comments and urged the committee to not start policing comments by members during difficult political debates.

"I certainly hope that the Ethics Committee doesn't want to get on its plate into the heads of members of the debate, subjective positions being taken in difficult political contexts and difficult political debates," Knaak said. "I would submit to you that that's not a place that you want to go."

The Ethics Committee will not dismiss the complaint until Hoffman apologizes on Twitter and issues a written apology to Goodwin.