They don't seem to understand one simple thing.

Here is what the Minnesota AFL-CIO president wrote about the Minnesota economy. It is from there web page, http://www.mnaflcio.org/.

There is one thing that the AFL-CIO does not understand. It is the State house that is responsible for our troubles. That is of course lead by the DFL party. Why would the AFL-CIO not attack them? Oh wait that is right, that is who they support. They can't blame there own.

The Governor does try to set the budget however it is up to the state house to approve it and this is were the water get muddled with pork. Governor Pawlenty has done a good job of dealing with what he has been dealt by the DFL.


MN AFL-CIO President tells Governor “Invest in Minnesotans --create jobs!”


"The latest budget forecast of the Pawlenty Administration shows the disastrous impact of the Governor’s economic policies.” Minnesota AFL-CIO President Ray Waldron said today. "We MUST invest in Minnesota to rebuild our economy, our state and our long-term prosperity. The quickest way to rebuild our state is to create good-paying jobs—a move that will help workers, employers and the state as a whole.”The need is clear, Waldron said. The Jobs Now Coalition reported this week that the number of unemployed workers in the state has risen by 98 percent1 during the past eight years, while the number of job openings has dropped by 63 percent 2. Right now, 165,0003 unemployed workers are competing for only 52,0004 open jobs.
Open jobs in Minnesota today: - 38 percent are part-time - 61 percent require no education past High School - Median wage $10.58 The impact of creating good jobs: "Every 1,000 jobs created through investment in construction will support 610 total upstream jobs." From "Infrastructure investment and economic recovery." Testimony of John Irons, Research and Policy Director, Economic Policy Institute before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on Wednesday, October 29, 2008. Notes & Sources 1,2,3,4,5—Jobs Now Coalition Updated Jobs Vacancy Survey, Dec. 3, 2008www.jobsnowcoalition.org

Also appearing on the page was this,


Budget Forecast: Ugly… The Dec. 4 State Budget Forecast forecast was grim: the state, already facing an unexpected half-billion dollar deficit, expects income from taxes and fees to drop as unemployment continues to rise. One of the results of that…unbudgeted costs for folks who no longer have jobs or employer-paid health care. On Thursday morning, Minnesota AFL-CIO President Ray Waldron called on the Governor to create jobs to help pull Minnesota out of its budget morass; leaders of the House and Senate DFL caucuses echoed that call. …and the

Governor's response is just as uglyGovernor Pawlenty sang his ‘no new taxes’ song and suggested that health care for low-income and unemployed folks might be first on the chopping block.Action steps: Union members can let their legislators know that the best way to rebuild our economy is to first, preserve good paying jobs and secondly, create those jobs where none exist.

I found this head line funny.

Headline reads,Frerotte, Vikings aiming to find offensive rhythm.

We are going into week 13 don't you thing we should already have an offensive rhythm?

Minnesota a swing state again this year?

The last two presidential election Minnesota was in the news a lot. As we were viewed as a swing or battle ground state. Well the state both times went the way we all thought it would Democrat. However President Bush has respectable numbers in the state.

This year it looked different. It looks as if Minnesota would get little to no exposer except for the Republican convention. Even that was put on hold the first night because of hurricanes. The numbers looked like the Democrat candidate Barack Obama was going to win the state handily. Just a month ago Obama was up in Minnesota by 15% points and was polling away with the state.

Then all of a sudden yesterday the Star Tribes poll has the two in a dead heat at 45% each. This again making Minnesota a battle ground state of the final 50 days of the election. The Republican candidate John McCain has make a huge effort to cut into the lead of Obama in Minnesota and it is clearly working. McCain has picked up support over the last month in almost every voting category. Young people, , men, women vote totals are all up in the last month.

This means you will see a huge increase of advertising, grass roots efforts and even possible more visits to the fine state of Minnesota by the candidates and or there VP picks. The next 50 or so days will be very interesting for Minnesota. What will be more interesting is will Minnesota vote for a republican for the first time in many years. I believe the last republican presidential candidate that was a republican to win the state was Richard Nixon.

Red plan or not?

I recieved this email from Harry Weltywho blogges here http://www.lincolndemocrat.com//.

If you don't agree with the red plan I would strongly urge you to email the people in this post. There are local State Representatives. You can also call and write them as well. Now is the time to take action. Here is the email. Also check out the let Duluth vote web page. There link is in the email as well.


Our chance of voting on the Red Plan is better than ever . . . if you help!
Let Duluth Vote's petition will be sidetracked to the Minnesota Attorney General for a few weeks so the School Board can ignore it a little while longer. But they can't ignore Mike Jaros' bill, HR 4127, which will force a vote on the Red Plan that counts!
Three local legislators must be contacted to co-sponsor Mike's bill. Call them. Write them. Email them. You have about two weeks. And copy the URL for this page ( http://www.letduluthvote.com/ ) and email it to all your friends. Tell them to do what this page says to do.


Tell these legislators that you want to vote on the Red Plan and tell them why.
Senator Thomas M. Bakk (DFL) District 06 email 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.Capitol Building, Room 226St. Paul, MN 55155-1606Capitol office 651.296.8881 (Home 218-666-5041)
Thomas Huntley (DFL) 07A email* 585 State Office Building100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155(651) 296-2228 (Home 724-6568)E-mail: rep.thomas.huntley@house.mn


Senator Yvonne Prettner Solon DFL District 07 email75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Room G-9St. Paul, MN 55155-1606Telephone: 651.296.4188 (Home 727-3997)contact Prettner's assistant. Legislative AssistantMarnie Burau Keslermarnie.burau@senate.mn(651) 296-4188


And consider thanking Mary Murphy for joining Mike Jaros: (Mike doesn't need our email)
Mary Murphy (DFL) 06B email* 343 State Office Building100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155(651) 296-2676 (800) 890-5428 (Home 729-6399)
Also: Be sure to bring all your friends to speak or back up speakers at the next School Board meeting in Old Central at 6:30 PM on Tuesday, April 15th.
Enter here for more information about Let Duluth Vote and the Red Plan
You can find this page at: http://www.letduluthvote.com/