Tag: Mark Dayton

Republican Lawmakers Respond to Fundraising Efforts to Resettle Up to 1400 Afghan Refugees in Minnesota

Hayley Feland

Minnesota Republican lawmakers criticized the new Afghan refugee resettlement programs by the Minneapolis-based social welfare group Alight, formerly known as the American Refugee Committee, which was announced at a Saturday press conference by former Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton and Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), where the two asked for donations to support the effort.

“My hope is that we have improved the process, learning from our failings of the past. The conflict in Afghanistan was our nation’s longest,” said State Representative Jeremy Munson (R-Lake Crystal) to The Minnesota Sun.

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FLASHBACK: Mark Dayton Tells Minnesotans to ‘Find Another State’ If They Aren’t Happy

Anthony Gockowski

  Former Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton, a Democrat, once told a crowd of frustrated residents to “find another state” if they weren’t happy with Minnesota. The comments were made during an October 2015 forum in St. Cloud hosted by the local chapter of the NAACP. Dayton was responding to concerns some residents had about the large number of refugees settling in the area. “Minnesota is not like it was 30, 50 years ago. But this is Minnesota and you have every right to be here. And anybody who cannot accept your right to be here and that this is Minnesota should find another state,” Dayton said, calling the behavior of some St. Cloud residents “unacceptable, un-Minnesotan, illegal and immoral.” “If you are that intolerant, if you are that much of a racist or a bigot, then find another state,” he continued. “Find a state where the minority population is one percent or whatever. It’s not that in Minnesota. It’s not going to be again. It’s not going to be that in St. Cloud, or Rochester or Worthington.” Video of Dayton’s comments were circulating in conservative Twitter circles Tuesday in response to the mainstream media’s coverage of President Donald Trump. As…

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Elections Omnibus Bill Would Make Minnesota Member of National Popular Vote Interstate Compact

Anthony Gockowski

An omnibus bill that could radically transform elections in Minnesota recently passed out of committee and is making its way through the Minnesota House. Among the most drastic proposals in the bill is one that would make Minnesota a member of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, which is an agreement among states to award their entire Electoral College delegation to the winner of the national popular vote. Since 2007, 12 states and the District of Columbia have joined the compact, and several other states are currently considering joining. The agreement wouldn’t take effect until its member states cumulatively possess a majority of the electoral votes. The bill would also place Minnesota on a growing list of states to automatically restore voting rights to felons once they have completed their time behind bars. The omnibus bill incorporates elements of at least 10 bills introduced in the Minnesota House this session, and is sponsored by Rep. Raymond Dehn (DFL-Minneapolis), chair of the House Subcommittee on Elections, who said his proposal would bring “more integrity” to elections. The bill passed out of the House Subcommittee on Elections, and will next head to the House Government Operations Committee, according to a press release.…

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Professors Call Line 3 Pipeline ‘Science Denial’ During Protest at the Minnesota Capitol

Anthony Gockowski

Climate activists are continuing to pressure Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) against approving Enbridge’s Line 3 replacement pipeline, and on Thursday protested in the governor’s reception room of the Minnesota State Capitol. In November, the Public Utilities Commission unanimously voted in favor of green lighting the project, but former Gov. Mark Dayton’s (D-MN) Department of Commerce filed a last minute lawsuit to prevent the project from moving forward. Since his inauguration, activists have been following Walz everywhere he goes, and disrupted both his inaugural reception at the State Capitol and inaugural ball a few days later. A group called Science for the People joined the fight Thursday, and told Walz during a protest that allowing the project to move forward would be the equivalent of “climate change denial.” “If Gov. Walz truly wants to consult the science, we, as scientists, unequivocally state that forwarding fossil fuels infrastructure will have disastrous implications for Minnesota’s ecosystems, agriculture and economy,” Science for the People said in a statement before its Thursday protest. “Building Line 3 is climate change denial.” Christy Dolph, a University of Minnesota professor, encouraged her fellow scientists Thursday to “prevent ‘science’ from being used as cover for cowardly political decisions.” “We…

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Mark Dayton Slams Trump’s ‘Destructive Nature’ in Final Interview As Governor

Anthony Gockowski

Now former Gov. Mark Dayton (D-MN) officially left office Monday afternoon as moving trucks were spotted outside the Governor’s Mansion over the weekend. In his final exit interview with TPT Almanac, Dayton was asked by host Mary Lahammer for his opinion on the divisiveness in American politics today. “So much of it now is one man’s destructive nature. It’s not the way government should be. This guy tweeting at 3 o’clock in the morning. I mean, it’s just—it’s frightening,” Dayton responded. Dayton also addressed his declining health, which hospitalized him for a month in October. His administration was criticized for waiting several weeks to inform the press in November that he was still hospitalized after undergoing surgery. During his hospital stay, his administration sent out press releases stating that he was meeting with staff and top officials. “Well, I’ve been having trouble with my spine for a few years now, and I got a couple surgeries, which improved things. But it was deteriorating so I realized I had to deal with it again. So in October I had another spinal surgery, which had a bad after effect. It damaged my lungs, which has had the most limiting effect in terms…

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Enbridge Responds to Minnesota Gov’s ‘Erroneous’ Appeal of Pipeline

Anthony Gockowski
Mark Dayton

Minnesota’s Public Utilities Commission unanimously approved permits to replace Enbridge’s aging Line 3 Pipeline in November, but departing Gov. Mark Dayton (D-MN) is now appealing the decision. The Public Utilities Commission’s November vote to approve the replacement project was protested and disrupted by environmentalist activists who have opposed the project every step of the way. In one instance, they shut down a performance at Minneapolis’ Theater of Public Policy in protest. Activists say Line 3, which crosses through northern Minnesota, could present the risk of an oil spill in the Mississippi River, and will contribute to climate change by producing carbon dioxide, according to The Associated Press. On Friday, Dayton’s Department of Commerce filed an appeal against a certificate of need and a pipeline routing permit granted to Enbridge. “Enbridge failed to provide a future demand forecast for its product, which is required by state law,” Dayton said in a press release. “Instead, the company presented its analysis of the future oil supply from Canadian tar sands extractions. It failed to demonstrate that Minnesota needs this pipeline to meet our future oil demand. In fact, most of the product would flow through our state to supply other states and countries.”…

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Minnesota Gov. Dayton Lists ‘Diversity and Inclusion’ Among Top Accomplishments of His Tenure

Anthony Gockowski

Gov. Mark Dayton (D-MN) and his staff released a list of his “top 25” major accomplishments as governor on Wednesday as he prepares for the end of his eight-year stint in the governor’s mansion. “When Gov. Mark Dayton took office, he promised to build a better Minnesota. Eight years later, Minnesota is doing better—much better than it was before,” a press release from his office states, listing policies such as “education funding” and “free all-day kindergarten” as some of his most proud achievements. Dayton’s staff says that when he first took office, just 54 percent of Minnesota’s children were enrolled in all-day kindergarten, but now “165,000 children have benefited from free, all-day kindergarten.” “And their families have been spared the expense of paying for all-day K out-of-pocket,” the press release states. Dayton also touts the “economic growth” experienced under his administration, which took over when the unemployment rate was at 6.9 percent. Now, however, Dayton’s office notes that unemployment is at a 19-year-low of 2.8 percent and has been “at or below 4 percent for 53 months.” Among Dayton’s other most prized accomplishments are his efforts to promote “diversity and inclusion” throughout the state. As governor, Dayton hired “the first…

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