Minnesota Democrat Andy Smith Jokes About Possible Arson of Conservative Offices

Andy Smith

Democratic legislator Andy Smith was widely criticized for his reaction to the news that three conservative organizations may have been the victims of arson — so much so that he almost immediately deleted his Twitter account.

A Golden Valley building that houses the Center of the American Experiment, TakeCharge, and the Upper Midwest Law Center caught fire early Sunday morning. The ATF confirmed with Alpha News that federal and local agencies are conducting an “arson investigation” into the fire.

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Minnesota Golf Club Pays Damages After Canceling Conservative Event

A Rochester country club reimbursed the Center of the American Experiment $5,300 last week to settle a lawsuit after abruptly canceling the group’s public safety event in March.

American Experiment filed a lawsuit in Olmsted County District Court accusing Rochester Golf and Country Club of a breach of contract after “leftist activists” pressured the venue with an online petition signed by 90 people. The center said it was only given a two-day notice of the cancellation.

The think tank said around 50 attendees were “left standing in the parking lot … because of the last-minute arbitrary cancellation.”

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Minnesotans Demand Permanent Tax Cuts: ‘They’re Stealing from Us’

Minnesotans are calling on Gov. Tim Walz and the Legislature to return the record-breaking $9.3 billion budget surplus to the people by permanently cutting taxes.

A crowd gathered inside the Minnesota Capitol rotunda Saturday for the “Give it Back Tax Rally.” The rally was hosted by the Center of the American Experiment and involved several speakers including multiple radio hosts and a former U.S. congressman.

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Tax Rallies to Return to Minnesota Capitol Saturday

The Center of the American Experiment is hosting a tax rally outside the Minnesota Capitol to call for the return of the state’s enormous budget surplus to taxpayers.

The event, the “Give It Back Rally,” will take place on Saturday, April 23, at 11 a.m.

“We’re hosting a Tax Rally in St. Paul to pressure Gov. Tim Walz and the legislature to return the record-breaking $9.3 billion budget surplus to the hardworking taxpayers of Minnesota,” according to a press release.

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Raise Our Standards Tour Duluth Stop Attracts Protesters

Duluth Lift Bridge

The Center for the American Experiment’s (CAE) Raise Our Standards Tour made it to Duluth after four venues declined to host the event, where attendees were met by protesters. According to the Duluth News Tribune, the event drew about 30 attendees and 40 protesters. Before the event started, “protesters gathered along Minnesota Avenue with flags and signs promoting racial justice.”

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Scuffle Broke Out at American Experiment Anti-Critical Race Theory Tour

A Black Lives Matter activist was arrested for ripping an “All Lives Matter” button off a participant at the Moorhead stop of the Center for the American Experiment “Raise Our Standards” tour. The tour – taking place across Minnesota – aims to educate parents and others about Critical Race Theory and the danger that they say it poses to schools.

Catrin Wigfall, a presenter during the tour, says there are ways to teach the history of America without implementing critical race theory as a teaching tool. She explained, “The problem with Critical Race Theory is it puts a race-based lens on everything.”

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Shocking Report Finds Minnesota Taxpayers Foot the Bill While State Employees Are Placed on Leave for Crimes and Misconduct

  A shocking new report found that state employees who are under investigation for crimes and misconduct are paid millions in taxpayers dollars while they are on administrative or investigative leave. KARE 11, who uncovered the scandal, is dubbing the controversy “stay away pay,” since state employees are effectively paid to stay away from their place of work. A.J. Lagoe of KARE 11 found that Ramsey County Correctional Officer Travis VanDeWiele, for instance, received $121,555 in pay over a two year period while he was on administrative leave. VanDeWiele was placed on leave for using excessive force, and continued to receive pay for a year after he plead guilty to disorderly conduct. Former Minneapolis Police Officer Thomas Tichich, meanwhile, was paid $65,000 over a 13 month period while awaiting trial for sexually assaulting a passed out woman. Tichich was convicted and is now in prison. In total, the investigation found that between January 1, 2015 and May 31, 2018, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Ramsey County, and Hennepin County paid out $3.7 million in “stay away pay.” “Well I think it’s a scandal. I think people are rightly outraged when they find out that many public employees in this state have been…

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Minnesota’s Premier Think Tank Ramps Up Efforts to Expose ‘Bad Ideas’ at Minnesota Capitol

The Center of the American Experiment, Minnesota’s leading think tank, has launched a new Capitol Watch project to monitor the radical bills and the people behind them at the Minnesota State Capitol. Since the start of the 2019 session, the Minnesota House and Senate have already introduced a combined 1,482 pieces of legislation. As The Minnesota Sun has reported, among these bills are proposals to make Minnesota a sanctuary state, ban plastic straws across Minnesota, legalize marijuana, and the like. “The idea of Capitol Watch is to shine a light on what’s happening over at the Capitol. There are a lot of very silly legislative proposals, there are a lot of very bad ideas, some of which are probably going to pass, that really need to be exposed as they get introduced and as they work their way through the system,” Center of the American Experiment President John Hinderaker told The Minnesota Sun. As an example of the sort of thing Capitol Watch will seek to expose, Hinderaker pointed to a DFL legislative priority to introduce a 50 percent renewable energy mandate in Minnesota. One bill, Senate File (SF) 425, wants to make Minnesota the first state in the nation…

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