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Tuesday, 18 August 2009 17:40 |
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Away on vacation, I had the chance to listen to a town-hall meeting held by President Obama. The interesting part of the meeting was a series of statements President Obama talked about in regards to how "private" companies can compete successfully with the government.
His example: The United States Post Office, Federal Express, & UPS
He admitted that the FED EX and UPS are organizations that are superior and can compete successfully against a government run organization. Huh, ...... a private organization that is effcient.
In fact, The USPS is around because it is backed by US Taxpayers and if left to its current structure without deep pockets of taxpayers could not compete at all. The USPS contracts with the two private companies for their overnight service and would not be able to attain such a system of delivery profitably.
The USPS has been in tough economic times with their model and is trying to restructure because it cannot compete and costs are out of control. The cost containment structures they are proposing are reduced services including shorter workweeks and increased fees.
I wonder what happens when health care costs get out of control if we will see reduced services, lack of innovation, and longer lines to get in for care. After all it is taxpayer money and so choices will have to be made to keep costs down.
The President had better get back on message because he just defended the Republican position. I think this conversation could be the defining moment that health-reform is dead if the public is paying attention to what our President is saying. |
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Tuesday, 28 July 2009 09:03 |
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Oops.
U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson scrambled Monday to defuse a comment that, on its face, insulted a quarter of his constituents in the Seventh Congressional District.
Peterson had been quoted in an online story about conspiracy theorists, saying "25 percent of my people believe the Pentagon and Rumsfeld were responsible for taking the twin towers down. That's why I don't do town meetings."
Within a few hours, the state's Republican Party pounced, calling Peterson's statement "outrageous and offensive."
In a press release, GOP Chairman Tony Sutton was quoted as saying, "Peterson revealed just how out of touch and disconnected he has become in Washington. Given his liberal voting record, the real reason Peterson doesn't hold town hall meetings is because he is afraid to face the residents of his district."
Peterson quickly issued an apology for what he called "my off-handed comment."
Source: StarTribune
Mayor's Comment: It has been a while since Rep. Peterson has thrown one out there to reporters and bloggers. Many of you will remember him calling "organic farming and those who buy such produce dumb." At least we know why he doesn't do town hall meetings or show up for any debates during election season.
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Friday, 24 July 2009 11:39 |
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July 16th, 2009
Todd County Commissioners
347 Central Avenue, Suite 5
Long Prairie, MN 56347
Dear Commissioners,
We, the Mayors of Todd County, have formed the Todd County Mayor’s Association. Recently, we mailed a letter dated June 12th, 2009, to you the Commissioners and the County Administrator Nate Burkett, regarding a recent action of the Todd County Commissioners oversight of municipal plats. We requested to meet with you to work out a better joint solution, being proactive, and united to this issue. We have had no response from any of the commissioners or from the County Administrator.
Again, we fully understand that not all of our towns currently have zoning ordinances in place to assure that new plats are completed to the County’s satisfaction. However, instead of imposing another fee in another governmental entity’s jurisdiction and deterring development, all we are asking is for you to simply communicate with the cities and try to create a simple standard. We are willing and eager to work with you. Growth in any town in Todd County is cherished and needed. We do not need to over govern. We just simply need to implement a little common sense.
Please remember each town is a separate entity with different needs and requirements. What fits for one might not be practical for the next. We are still requesting that you send us lists of what you feel are possible problems so we can review them. Each City will review the issues individually and then jointly to determine if there is actually a problem. There is no reason why a developer who wishes to plat a piece of property in one of our towns needs to submit that plat to the county surveyor, at an unnecessary cost, when it meets our standards.
The Cities of Todd County are the counties growth engines; let’s not make it harder for us to cultivate development. We need to meet with you to work out a better joint solution, being proactive, and united to this issue. Not only would we like to meet with you regarding plats in the county, we would also like to meet with you on a regular basis promoting positive growth in our county and helping to keep each other informed on local issues.
Thank you for your time, we hope to hear from you soon. Please contact Mayor Mike Aksamit at 320-815-8567 to schedule a meeting.
Sincerely Yours,
Todd County Mayor’s Association
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Saturday, 18 July 2009 23:09 |
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It is time for our budgets and audits to be posted on-line.
I was roaming the internet trying to track down our Todd County Budget and 2008 Audit. I cannot find them anywhere, but before I complain, I need to observe the log in my own eye. Our city does not post any of this information out on the web. We will start.
I did find out from the StaplesWorld reporting that our county has 11.7 million is cash and investments. Our budgets have been stable for eight years running a surplus each time. Kudos to the Health and Human Service Department in Todd County for only running two percent increases year over year. The state and other counties may want to pay attention to what is going on. Property taxes apparently will not need to be increased by much, if at all, according to the new county administrator.
I will do some asking to find out what our reserve fund balance policies are and if we have one. I think that would be helpful in offsetting the LGA cuts by using extra funds to keep property taxes down. It is time to use reserves and have a serious discussion about what an appropriate amount of reserve balances should be given the poor economy and higher unemployment rates.
The reason I bring this up is budget priorities are starting to be drafted NOW by local governments. If you have an idea / complaint on where and how YOUR money is spent; stop by your local council meeting or administrator office and let them know.
Your input does mean a lot, but in order for everyone to know how we spend the money, I think it is time we start putting that information out in a place that is easy to obtain.
I am challenging every city and county here in Minnesota to get those budgets and audits up on the website by the end of the year. Previous years would be an added bonus and will earn you special rewards.
If you are not a citizen here in the area check if your local government publishes this information online, and challenge them to make YOUR government more transparent and more accountable. |
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Friday, 17 July 2009 13:35 |
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To The Editor
Dear Sir or Madam:
It seems to me appropriate, during the debate on paying for national healthcare, to question the immense sums spent for defense. Is discussion of that budget taboo? Healthcare costs have seemed to spiral out of control but so too have US defense costs. Why do we spend some 610 billion per year? Is it really necessary that we spend almost as much as the rest of the world combined? Is the public even aware that U.S. defense spending increased by some 71 % over just eight recent years? Why in this economic climate was it necessary to increase defense spending by 10% from 2007 to 2008? What would be a reasonable amount to spend? And what would happen if we were to spend half as much and dedicate the remainder to paying for heathcare? Why not discuss this widely?
Sincerely,
Donovan Russell
Moravia, NY 13118
Source of statistics - (SIPRI) Swedish International Peace Research Institute
Stockholm, June 2009.
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