We had an interesting and fun morning today hearing from Sen. Karin Housley, Rep. Keith Franke and Rep. Tony Jurgens. It was an insiders view of the Legislature. Sen. Housley explained how busy they are in the Senate this session and happy to be ahead of schedule. She loves chairing the Aging and Long-Term Care Policy committee. Did you know that by 2020 there will be 20 senior citizens for every 1 adult in MN? Rep. Franke was excited to talk about some of the 9 bills he has authored including one to create a strategic plan to reduce HIV/AIDs and another making terrorism a crime in MN. Rep. Jurgens district covers parts of two Counties. One of his big issues this year has been a safety and speed limit issue on Hwy 61 and 316 in Hastings that was in the news as he challenged MNDOT not to raise the speed limit until safety concerns were addressed. We enjoyed getting to know these Legislators better and are proud of their service in the MN Legislature. Thanks so much!
***We will be taking a collection for area food shelves during the spring meetings. If you like please bring a non-perishable food donation***
You’re invited – Sat. Apr. 8, 2017 from 9 – 11:00 am
Lake Elmo Inn, RSVP by Thurs April 6, 2016 – Buffet this month
Speaker(s): Legislative Panel of Washington Co. elected representatives: Confirmed are: Sen. Karin Housley, Rep. Tony Jurgens and Rep. Keith Franke (several are unable to attend)
To reserve contact: Brian at: 612-462-2163 or email him at: [email protected]
Cost: $20. non-member; $16. members and $10. Students. Join for the year: $25 and it will pay off in 5 meetings.
Each attendee will be eligible for the drawing for a door prize!
Larry Walzer, retired Lt. Col. US Marines, spoke to our group in March. The Marines have a lot to be proud of: today’s Marines are as strong, fast, and dedicated as ever. Today’s Marines join to fight and are doing a great job! Lessons that Larry learned from his 22 year career in the Marines: This isn’t Burger King – you can’t have it your way, right away in the Marines. You also can’t have it your way, right away in the world either. Look at how long US troops have been in Korea – 70 years.
Another lesson learned is: Hope is not a course of action. A lot of effort is put into the military planning process to make the best decisions. The result in Iraq and Afghanistan also depended upon the ability of their people with the variety of culture, religion and ethnic conflict to be successful.
Question the narrative: Comparing to other oxymoronic phrases like “smart tax”, “affordable care act” terms like “responsible withdrawal” was used to describe how we left Iraq. Another one is “extreme vetting” – is this even possible? We fight with one hand and bring the bad guys in with the other hand.
We thank Larry to speaking to us and for his service to keep Americans safe!