Each year the Republican Party of Minnesota has a booth at the State Fair. Congressional Districts are assigned days that they are responsible to cover the volunteer shifts. CD6's day is Tuesday September 1st and we need your help. Come show your support and help volunteer.

Please contact Rosella if you are able to volunteer.

2008 DFL candidate El 'Gas Tax' Tinklenberg has conceded in his bid to run again for Congress. What is amazing is that it was just last week that Tinklenberg announced his candidacy, we're some 6 months or more away from Precinct Caucuses, and over a year away from the 2010 election.

A week after he announced he was running again for Congress, Elwyn Tinklenberg this morning said he had reconsidered his prospects in an increasingly competitive field of candidates in the Sixth District race.

“I am terminating my campaign for Congress,” he said in a statement. “This is obviously not an easy decision for me, but I have come to the conclusion that it’s the right one.”

Read the rest if you must.

It is just amazing that the guy who couldn't knock off one of the most outspoken conservatives in one of the worst years to run as a Republican has decided not to try again in a year when the tides have changed and the wind is now blowing in the face of the Democrats when it comes to public sentiment. Really, I'm shocked that he hasn't been able to pull ahead of a fair weather DFL and one of the most liberal tax and spend Senators the Minnesota Legislature has seen.

I'm guessing Tinklenberg either got a phone call from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. or his coffers have been stuck on save it Tink and the DFL powerbrokers have decided they are going with a woman to run against Bachmann in 2010.

People in the know tell me that DFL Sen. Tarryl Clark is the favorite and Maureen Reed will run as an Independent. Republicans can't take anything for granted though, Congresswoman Bachmann is a target of the national radical left and of course millions of dollars will flow into Minnesota from K Street to Beverly Hills.

[posted by Andy Aplikowski]

The following is from Congresswoman Bachmann's blog

One of the hot points of contention throughout the health care debate has been whether coverage will extend to illegal immigrants.

Roll Call reports that last Friday, leaders of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) met with Speaker Pelosi to "reiterate that illegal immigrants should be covered under health care reform legislation" that comes out of the House.

"Asked if CHC leaders will ask Pelosi to specifically spell something out in the bill to address illegal immigrants, [one] Member said no. Rather, the Member said the CHC simply wants to make sure the bill — as drafted — doesn’t prohibit illegal immigrants from accessing care. 'Sometimes if you don’t say something, something happens,' said the Hispanic lawmaker."

Interesting. Especially when you put it in the context of the House Ways and Means Committee's party-line vote to reject a commonsense amendment that would have ensured that illegal immigrants are not covered. The amendment, offered by Nevada Republican Dean Heller, would have simply required that the same citizenship verification mechanisms used to screen welfare recipients be used to screen health benefits recipients.

The relationship between illegal immigrants and our nation's health care system is one that cannot be overlooked. In 2006, the Census Bureau reported that there were 46.6 million people without health insurance of which about 9.5 million were not United States citizens. The expense of illegal immigrants' health care in California, for instance, has become so unbearable that many municipalities had to eliminate this benefit to save tens of millions of dollars. Texas estimates that illegal immigrants cost hospitals there $1.3 billion in 2006 alone.

It's clear that a bill that is silent on eligibility means a bill that includes illegal immigrants.

Please come help show your support for Congresswoman Bachmann this weekend at the Stillwater Lumberjack Days parade.

Event: Lumberjack Days parade
Start Time: Sunday, July 26 at 12:30pm
Where: Stillwater Junior High - Line Up Number: H-28

Our Congresswoman Bachmann will be on Fox Business with Neil Cavuto TONIGHT
Tuesday, July 14th
6:10 pm ET - 5:10 pm CT

Regarding the Latest Democrat Bailout Scheme

The following is a post from Congresswoman Bachmann's blog.

A Government-Controlled Economy

Posted by: Michele Bachmann at 2:02 PM

With the federal government about to take majority ownership of GM by the end of the week, it's imperative that we as a nation examine the unprecedented role our government is taking in private industry.

The Washington Times sums it up like this:

The takeover, which is the most extensive federal intervention into the operations of a major industrial company, follows in quick succession a government-assisted bankruptcy reorganization of Chrysler LLC, the assumption of partial ownership of two of the nation's biggest banks -- Citigroup and Bank of America -- and the seizure of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as well as insurance goliath American International Group Inc.

That's quite a portfolio.

According to William Boyes, an economics professor at the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, "the government now owns or controls businesses that generate about one-third of U.S. economic activity."

It's shocking to see the ever-expanding role that government is taking over the private sector under the guise of crisis. The White House says it wishes it didn't have to do what it did, and that it is acting to save the economy from total collapse.  Time will tell how genuine that “duress” was. 

But in the mean time, the private economy as we once knew it has radically changed.

As Mr. Boyes notes: "I didn't think I would ever see the United States move to a primarily government-controlled economy, and its happened in just a few months."

We need to assess whether the actions of the government are working now and whether they are really in the best interest of our nation and future generations of Americans.

Minnesota Majority may have discovered election fraud and a connection to Secretary of State Mark Ritchie.

Do Non-Citizens Have the Right to Vote in Minnesota?
Election records suggest non-citizens casted ballots in the 2008 election

St. Paul – In the course of its ongoing research into irregularities into Minnesota’s election system, Minnesota Majority has discovered evidence that non-citizens may have voted in the 2008 election.

In September 2008, Representative Laura Brod (R, New Prague) contacted Secretary of State Mark Ritchie with concerns that non-citizens were apparently present on Minnesota’s voter registration rolls. State law requires drivers licenses issued to non-citizens residing in Minnesota on temporary visas must bear the mark “status check.” That mark acts as a flag to law enforcement officials to check the expiration date of the individual’s visa to verify they are still legal visitors. Visa information also appears in the computerized Department of Public Safety Records. A comparison of DPS records with the statewide voter registration list revealed several non-citizens had somehow become registered to vote, which is in itself illegal.

Several weeks prior to the election, Secretary of State Mark Ritchie held a press conference in which indicated that he was unaware that the DPS had, for nearly two years, been providing his office with a monthly list of drivers’ license records containing non-citizen visa information.  He thanked Representative Brod for bringing the issue to his attention.  He also assured the public that his office would be checking this information prior to the election and that appropriate challenges would be issued at polling places to prevent non-citizens from voting.

A review of 2008 election records by Minnesota Majority shows that many of the non-citizens Representative Brod originally brought to the attention of the Secretary of State prior to last year’s election are still on active voter registration rolls and several actually appear to have voted in the 2008 general election.

“I can’t understand it,” said Jeff Davis, Minnesota Majority’s president, “Representative Brod provided the Secretary of State with the list of names. She pointed right at the problem.  Secretary Ritchie acknowledged the problem and said that he had corrected it. But now we find that election records show these people are still on the rolls and several actually voted. If these records are accurate, this is an unconscionable failure to safeguard the integrity of our elections.”

Minnesota Majority has also received reports from election poll watchers that same-day registrants with “status check” flags on their identification cards were allowed to register and vote in the 2008 election.  A formal complaint filed by one poll watcher states that an official from the Secretary of State’s office told precinct election officials that the words “status check” on a voter’s identification card was not justification to deny a vote to anyone. Only non-citizens have driver’s licenses or state-issued identifications marked “status check” as this is an indication that the person is visiting the US on a visa.

CONTACT                                                                                                   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jeff Davis
Minnesota Majority
1730 New Brighton Blvd #233
Minneapolis, MN 55413
612-605-3303 ext. 702

Rep. Steve Gottwalt (R 15B) has a response to DFL Assistant Minority Leader (and rumored CD6 DFL possible candidate) Sen. Tarryl Clark (D 15) and her complaints about Gov. Pawlenty cleaning up the mess the DFL Majorities left for him. 

 Representative Steve Gottwalt (HD15A St. Cloud) in response to Senator Tarryl Clark (SD15 St. Cloud) complaining about the Governor
performing his Constitutional duty to balance the budget since the DFL controlled legislature did not.

"The bottom line is this -- and I just listened to Gov. Pawlenty make many of these same points over lunch:  Since 1960, the average state biennial budget increase has been 19 percent.  State spending is growing at an unsustainable rate and Sen. Clark's only answer is to heap more taxes and regulations on struggling Minnesotans, pushing more of them into government programs.  How many jobs has Minnesota lost because we are ranked dead last in terms of small business climate?  How many jobs has Minnesota lost because we are the land of 10,000 taxes (and growing)?  We remain among the highest taxed states in the nation.  Virtually all the states outperforming Minnesota in terms of job creation and economic growth have LOWER taxes and LESS regulatory burden than Minnesota.

By the way, Sen. Clark, where were you and your majority caucus during five months of legislative session?  Where was your plan? Where was your solution?  That was your opportunity to solve the budget deficit by setting good priorities and living within your means instead of raising taxes.  You and your caucus refused to use that opportunity, and from the start decided to "go it alone" balancing the budget by growing state government and jacking up taxes on Minnesotans who've seen their "revenues" dry up.  Talk about hypocritical!  And just a reminder, Sen. Clark, Gov. Pawlenty signed YOUR bills, and took responsibility for doing what you and your caucus could not:  Cut state spending to live within our means.  Your failure to lead created the very situation about which you complain so loudly!

Minnesotans and Americans are waking up to the nightmare being visited upon them by an out-of-touch Democratic majority that only knows how to tax-and-spend, grow government and raise taxes in a mistaken attempt to achieve better living through government (a.k.a. socialism).  It is time to show them the door!

Representative Steve Gottwalt, 15A - St. Cloud