Clash of the Washington County Commissioners
I saw this article and thought it would be a good thing to share with everyone. Most of our focus is usually state and nationwide, but we need to focus on our own county as well!
Washington County Commisioners clash over late spending-cut proposal
Pulkrabek proposes $834,000 in cuts
by Mark Nicklawske
Regional Editor
District 2 Commissioner Bill Pulkrabek proposed slashing $843,000 from the 2010 Washington County budget during the Dec. 1 meeting. The proposal amounted to almost a 10 percent cut in the county property tax levy, currently set at $85.9 million.
The eight-point Pulkrabek plan found almost no board support and led to several heated exchanges with District 3 Commissioner Gary Kriesel.
Included on the list, Pulkrabek called for the county to end its financial support of the Historic Courthouse, the Workforce Center and the Meals on Wheels program. He recommended the county bill more for assessment services and multiple chemical dependency treatments.
“This is grossly unfair,” said Kriesel. “You’re doing a disservice to the department heads who are responsible for this budget.”
Kriesel criticized Pulkrabek for presenting the plan late in the budget process and accused him of missing four of nine budget workshop hearings earlier in the year.
–Pulkrabek said he proposed the plan to keep county spending down.
“I’m not going to support a budget that’s $1 more than last year,” he said.
The county levy is 1 percent higher than the 2009 levy. But a plan to include principal and interest payments on new bonding for a voter-approved Land and Water Legacy program could push the levy higher.
Pulkrabek accused Kriesel of “rubber-stamping” staff recommendations and said the board lacked the political will to proceed with the cuts.
District 5 Commissioner Lisa Weik said the Pulkrabek plan was arbitrary and last-minute. She said she would have liked to see the plan earlier in the process.Board Chair Myra Peterson agreed.
“That’s why we have a process,” she said. “You need to bring this to the table during the process.”
Pulkrabek said county staff should have enough time to deal with the cuts. He said the county will have one week to deal with citizen input following a Dec. 8 public hearing.
The board took no action on any of the Pulkrabek proposals.
Mark Nicklawske can be reached at news@presspub s.com or 651-407-1231.
Ben Bernanke Named Time Magazine’s Person of the Year
What a joke! Ben Bernanke, Chairman of the Federal Reserve, was just named Time Magazine’s Person of the Year. Bernanke ‘knows the economy would be much, much worse if the Fed had not taken such extreme measures to stop the panic,’ Time said in its cover story on the central bank head. The magazine also noted he had greatly expanded the Fed’s power through his efforts to fight the financial crisis.
Yet, instead of criticizing him for increasing the power of such a secretive agency, and his involvement in the recent bailouts, they make him a hero. I believe this decision was made by Time Magazine in order to boost Bernanke’s image now that disapproval of the Federal Reserve is at an all time high. One poll by Rasmussen Reports this month showed public support for Bernanke’s nomination at a scant 21 percent, with 41 percent stating opposition, but he continues to enjoy support on Wall Street and among many lawmakers (I wonder why?).
The Senate is considering Bernanke’s nomination to a second term to head the Fed – the U.S. central bank – and while he is expected to win confirmation, criticism of the Fed among the public and members of Congress is at its highest in decades, and understandably so after everything that has happened over the past year. Again, I believe the timing of this couldn’t have been more well planned by the powers that be.
The Fed’s role in bailouts of Wall Street has prompted criticism from both Republicans and Democrats. Lawmakers, such as Rep. Ron Paul, are pushing proposals to curb the Fed’s regulatory powers and open up its interest rate decision to congressional audits. Michele Bachmann, from our own Congressional District 6, is in support of auditing the Fed. There is even an Audit the Fed/End the Fed group that meets here in the Twin Cities. You can join them on MeetUp, Twitter or Facebook
Rep. Ron Paul’s book End the Fed is now available as well. I highly recommend it and believe it should be required reading for all conservatives. Hear Ron Paul’s thoughts on Bernanke and Time Magazine below:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJDmBhbwL-c&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1]
Anniversary of the Boston Tea Party
On December 16, 1773, the Boston Tea Party ignited a revolution. Today, a new generation of patriots has emerged.
This new generation is standing against out of control taxation and spending, along with corrupt career politicians, government expansion, abuse of power, the destruction of freedom and liberty, and the shredding of our Constitution.
Please, on this very important anniversary in our country’s history, support candidates with real integrity and encourage your candidates and elected officials to allow free markets to exist unhindered and restore the Constitution. The aims of our elected officials should be:
– to not institute any legislation which they have not read.
– to not initiate new programs, but to cancel out any programs that do violence to the Constitution.
– not to first discover if whether legislation is needed, but to first determined that it is constitutional.
– to uphold their oaths in office to protect the rights of the people and uphold the Constitution of the United States.
Then, if they are later accused of neglecting the interest of their constituents, they can reply that they were informed that our chief interest is liberty and that in that cause, they are doing the best they can.
Contact your elected officials today and remind them of the Boston Tea Party and the importance of freedom and liberty. Warn them that if they continue to ignore the constitution of this country and the people who stand for it, they will not be in office very long.