Steele County Republican Party

Michelle Bachmann wins poll

2011-08-21T20:52:00.000-06:00

The Steele County Free Fair for 2011 is winding down, and first estimates have attendance at over 350,000 people. The Steele County GOP ran a Republican Presidential Coin Poll, inviting fairgoers to drop some coins for their favorite candidate, those in the race and those in the rumor mill race. The slogan; 'Use your change to make Change.'

The results are in, and here they are:

Michelle Bachmann                    3,580 votes
Chris Christie                             3,260
Donald Trump                            2,798
Rick Perry                                  2,165
Ron Paul                                    1,922
Hermann Cain    1,434
Sarah Palin                                 1,074
Mitt Romney 957
Allen West                                    812
Newt Gingrich                               300
Paul Ryan                                      205
Rick Santorum                              180
Marco Rubio                                 112
John Bolton                                     58
Jon Huntsman                                  10

By request, a jar was added for Obama (398) and None of the Above (186).

A total of $194.51 was collected, half of which will be donated to the Steele County Foodshelf. Thanks to all those who participated, and thanks for a great fair!

Steele County Free Fair

2011-08-15T19:04:00.000-06:00

The Steele County Fair is this week, and it looks to be a great year. The weather will not be hot and muggy, no major rain storms are in the forecast, and politics is in the air after the Iowa Straw Poll.

The Steele County GOP will have it's own poll-a coin poll. Drop a coin or two into the jar of your preferred Republican presidential candidate, and we will announce the results each day, with the proceeds going to the Steele County Food Shelf.

Also of note, Sue Jeffers from KTLK will be appearing in our booth on Friday afternoon. Stop by and say hello, then catch Sue on AM 1130 from 4-7pm on Saturday night.

Sunday People's Press Letter to the Editor

2011-06-25T20:58:00.002-06:00

As our state comes closer to a shutdown, some facts are in order for people to understand how we got to this point.

• The Legislature passed a balanced budget with a 6 percent increase in spending. The governor vetoed these bills because he demanded a 27 percent increase in spending.

• Since the bills were vetoed, the GOP has offered three compromises, including matching the DFL budgets for public safety and K-12 education, and removing more than $200 million in business tax cuts.

• The Legislature is waiting on the governor to be called back into session. According to the state constitution, no bills can even be considered until the governor calls the Legislature into special session.

• House Republicans have a bill written and ready to go that would fund the state government at current levels until a deal can be reached. This would avert a shutdown, but the governor still refuses to allow it.

A state government shutdown will be easy for some, painful for others, and an inconvenience to many. But one fact is clear: A state government shutdown is in the hands of the governor.

Dave Thul
Co-chair, Steele County Republican Party
Owatonna

Washing county says Dayton shutdown is 'ridiculous'

2011-06-24T13:37:00.000-06:00

The Washington County Board unanimously agreed June 14 to send a letter advising Gov. Mark Dayton to accept a budget proposal as presented by the State Legislature. State government will shutdown July 1 if officials fail to reach a budget agreement.

It's fairly common to see cities wade into politics that is echelons above them, such as when the Berkley city council calls for an end to the Iraq War. But Washington County is risking trouble here by taking a stand on the budget debate. Washington County, like nearly every other county across Minnesota, receives aid from the state. So when they vote unanimously to tell the governor he needs to compromise, they aren't just passing a motion to make themselves feel good.

District 4 Commissioner Autumn Lehrke said the governor could end the budget standoff if he signed a budget bill approved by the Republican-controlled State Legislature. Dayton, a Democrat, said the bill does not provide enough funding for state programs and proposed a tax increase on the state’s wealthiest residents to balance the budget.

“I don’t think it’s worth a government shutdown to increase taxes,” said Lehrke. “Overall (the Legislature) is increasing spending by 6-percent but they’re not increasing taxes.”

The DFL mantra has been that Minnesota would suffer under a GOP budget, but Washington County knows better-that a shutdown will hurt everyone and that we can't afford yet another tax increase.

OPP lays the blame at Dayton's feet

2011-06-19T09:24:00.000-06:00

From the Sunday OpEd-

When it comes to pointing fingers and passing blame for the budget stalemate in St. Paul, Gov. Mark Dayton has done well. In fact, it has become for him almost an art form. But the truth of the matter is that if anyone is digging in his heels and not budging in the budget negotiations, it is the governor himself.

Consider: On Thursday, GOP legislative leaders presented the governor with yet another proposal. In an effort to solve the budget crisis and avert a government shutdown, the Republicans offered to drop their call for $200 million in tax cuts if the governor would abandon his call for $1.8 billion in tax increases. What’s more, they said that if the governor agreed, the money raised from eliminating those tax cuts would be spent on Mr. Dayton’s priorities — education, the environment, transportation, Local Government Aid, and flood and disaster relief.”

The governor’s reaction? No deal.

In fact, the governor went so far as to call it a “non-proposal” and compared the Republican’s actions to rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. Well, if the GOP leaders are rearranging the chairs, then surely Gov. Dayton must be the iceberg itself — frozen to a proposal and not willing to change.

The whole idea of negotiating is that one side offers something, and the other side offers something in return. The GOP gave up a fundamental component of conservative principles (cutting high taxes is good for the economy) and Governor Dayton couldn't even be bothered to look at the offer. If Dayton follows through on his threat to shut the government down (if he actually has the courage) the blame for the pain will be all his.

Facts on the Dayton shutdown

2011-06-15T08:56:00.000-06:00

From the Coalition of Minnesota Businesses

Budget showdown

2011-05-31T09:14:00.002-06:00

When asked why he robbed banks John Dillinger is often quoted as saying “Because that’s where the money is.” When government gets involved where do they go to get that money? To us, the taxpayers. There has been no budget agreement between the legislature and the governor. Both sides have decided to stand their respective ground and yet another not-so-special session looms in the near future. The problem as always is how much of the people’s money should we spend? The governor says more, the legislature says less.

The house and senate have emptied the wallet, broke open the piggy bank, once again shifted payments and even rifled through the couch cushions and have managed to come up with a little over thirty four billion dollars to spend. That’s a lot of money, but not enough for Governor Dayton and others in the legislature. They want more, and they will come to us to get it. I for one think it’s time those who thirst for more and more money to spend learn an important fact. Not every dollar earned by the people of Minnesota is the governments. We should not have to be thankful that government is gracious enough to let us keep a portion of it. The government should be thanking us, but what do we get? Threats of a shutdown.

Governor Dayton, there is a check for thirty four billion dollars sitting on your desk. All you have to do is sign it and deposit it like we do with our paychecks and the people of Minnesota can get back living their lives on much, much less than that. If not, we know who to blame.

Aaron Lindekugel

Owatonna

Letter to the Editor

2011-03-20T12:39:00.000-06:00

From Aaron Lindekugal, a letter in today's OPP-

The DFL and GOP are arguing over how to solve a five billion dollar budget gap. A similar issue is being contested in Wisconsin and many other states. Gas and food prices are spiking while job creation is being very stubborn. While these tough issues are being debated, the U.S. House of Representatives and US Senate are involved in a battle over whether we should cut one hundred billion dollars or four billion dollars of spending out of the current budget cycle. For anyone paying attention this is akin to debating whether we should bail out the Titanic with a one gallon pitcher or a five gallon bucket. The budget deficit for the current year is 1.6 trillion dollars and projected to be 1.65 trillion dollars for 2012. The Republican solution is to spend 6 percent less and the Democrat solution is to spend .25 percent less to finish out the year. Next year we have the same problem. The President Obama is requesting a 3.7 trillion dollar budget and our elected officials think shaving 100 billion dollars might help. It almost makes you wonder if Bernie Madhoff and his lawyers argued if they should eat at Applebee’s or McDonalds before he went to prison. For those of you who think Minnesota’s five billion dollar shortfall is hard to stomach consider this. At current spending levels the United States will spend four and a half billion dollars more than it takes in every day for the next year. EVERY SINGLE DAY! Cut spending, reduce entitlements, print money, whatever. Something needs to be done, and be done soon. But most of all it should be done wisely.

Aaron Lindekugel
Owatonna

Congressional Candidate Forum

2010-04-14T06:38:00.000-06:00

The People's Press has coverage of last night's CD1 forum, and there will be a more in-depth story (and video) to follow.

The forum and the fundraiser were a success thanks to all who volunteered to help out.

Steele GOP to host fundraiser and forum

2010-04-12T08:33:00.000-06:00

On Tuesday, April 13th, at 6:30 you can come meet the GOP hopefuls for the 1st Congressional District in a small group setting. 'Congress A La Mode' will be a fundraiser for the Steele County GOP and your chance to meet the candidates in person and see who they are and what they stand for. The requested donation is $5, which includes an ice cream social.

At 7:30, there will be a candidate forum, where questions on the issues of the day will be asked of each candidate. Some questions have been set in advance, and some will be submitted by the audience. The candidate forum is free and open to the public, but will be limited to the first 100 people.

Both events will be held on the second floor of the Four Seasons Building in Owatonna, map here .

With the endorsement up for grabs this Saturday at the district convention, this may be your last chance to see the candidates before the endorsed candidate is elected.

Steele County votes for Emmer

2010-02-02T23:23:00.000-06:00

Results for the gubernatorial straw poll

Emmer 50
Seifert 45
Hann 11
Haas 2
Herwig, Davis and Carney 0

Blank ballots or none of the above votes 5

Mike Parry wins!

2010-01-26T22:43:00.000-06:00

Republican Mike Parry has won the special election to replace retiring Sen Dick Day in SD 26. Despite a tough three way race, Parry garnered a won by a higher margin (13%) than the last election (Day by 9%). This shows that despite popular rhetoric, Steele County is not turning blue.

Congratulations, Mike!

Governor Pawlenty to visit Owatonna

2010-01-19T16:23:00.000-06:00

As Mike Parry said at the last candidate forum, the number one thing he hears from people in SD 26 is jobs, jobs, jobs. Mike will join the governor to hear directly from local business owners and leaders Wednesday night.

Michele Bachmann endorses Mike Parry

2010-01-19T15:36:00.000-06:00

From Minnpost-

Congresswoman Michele Bachmann has endorsed Republican state Senate candidate Mike Parry in the special election to fill the seat vacated by Dick Day.

Said Bachmann:

“Mike is a strong fiscal conservative who will be a powerful voice for lower taxes, limited government and economic opportunity in St. Paul. As a small business owner, Mike understands the need to set priorities and hold government accountable for results. The people of Waseca, Steele and Rice counties will be well served by this steadfast champion of conservative values who will stand up to the big spending, big taxing liberals in the legislature.”

Come meet Tom Emmer

2010-01-17T18:04:00.000-06:00

Tom Emmer, candidate for governor, will be visiting Waseca and Owatonna on Monday, the 18th. Come on out and meet Tom and ask him what he thinks about the issues facing Minnesota. Tom will be at;

Waseca Godfathers Pizza from 4:00 to 5:30 and

Owatonna Torey's Restruant from 6:00 to 7:00

Afterwords, Tom will hopefully be stopping by the Steele County GOP meeting, which is at 7pm at the Farm Bureau Office in Owatonna. All Republicans are welcome to attend this meeting.

Conservative Coffee

2010-01-16T09:25:00.002-06:00

9:20 Fireside Coffee is busy this morning! 1CD Congressional candidate Jim Hagedorn is here talking with local conservatives, and Secretary of State candidate Dan Severson just showed up as well.

10:01 Dan Severson says there is no reason we should call an election certified until all the military votes are counted. I agree completely!

Mike Parry TV ad

2010-01-12T17:58:00.000-06:00

Here is the ad playing on local TV for Mike, if you are like me and have satellite than you need to watch it here.

Mike Parry meet and greet

2010-01-08T08:25:00.013-06:00

Update-here is the link to the People's Press story about the meet and greet, and you can watch video of the event here.

8:25 I'm at Central park Coffee in Owatonna, getting set up for a practice run at live blogging.

8:35 Mike Parry is here and talking with local residents

8:41 question from the audience, 'doesn't a 15% reduction in state spending mean payroll cuts?' Mike says yes, and that will be the hard part of cutting

8:44 comment from the audience 'my son's company is mandating 30% pay reductions for everyone, why don't government employees have to do the same?

8:46 Mike says we need to pay based on performance, that is how he has been successful as a businessman and that needs to be brought into government

8:49 Claire Kennedy from the People's Press is here with camera and video camera, so I will link to the story and video from their site when it is available

8:53 question from the audience, 'do you support Dick's idea to bring in Racino?' answer from Mike- ' I'm all in favor of it! We have Diamond Joe Casino in northern Iowa getting Minnesota residents and Minnesota tax dollars to come across the border'

8:55 comment about the clean water legacy act, Mike responds 'that bill cost us an employee. I own a Godfather's Pizza, and that additional tax meant that we had to back off on one employee to keep our prices from going up'

9:01 Mike comments about the ongoing school teachers negotiations in Faribault, and how the kids will be penalized if the school district doesn't agree to terms quickly. Comment from the audience that the law says school districts lose money if negotiations go too long, but 'why don't unions get a penalty at all?'

Mike Parry for Senate

2010-01-05T17:09:00.000-06:00

Here is a collection of the news coverage of Mike Parry, the endorsed candidate for the special election in SD 26 to replace Sen Dick Day.

Waseca County News

Faribault Daily News

StarTribune

WCCO

Republican Party of Minnesota on Facebook

And of course you need to check out Mike's campaign website. Volunteers and donations are needed to keep SD 26 in conservative hands. Door knocking, literature drops and phone calling are being done daily, so if you can donate some tie or money, both would be greatly appreciated.

Special election update

2009-12-16T13:59:00.001-06:00

The timeline is set for the special election process to replace Sen Dick Day.

Dec 28th 6pm The endorsing convention will be held at the Elk's Club in Faribault. Each candidate will have a chance to address the delegates and make their case about being the best candidate. It is important to note that the delegates and alternates for the convention will be those elected in Feb 2008.

Dec 23rd-Dec 29th Filing season is open for the race. Candidates need to understand that if more than one candidate files with the Sec State as a Republican, there will have to be a primary election as well. Candidates who file but are not endorsed are strongly encouraged to withdraw their candidacy affidavit with the Sec State.

Jan 12th Primary election only if needed

Jan 26th Special election day

Special Election

2009-12-08T16:49:00.001-06:00

Update-Mike Parry is officially running.

Well, Steele County politics got turned upside down this morning with the announcement by Sen Dick Day that he will be resigning to pursue the Racino idea that he has championed over the last several years. Aside from the political implications of having a dedicated and passionate man like Sen Day spearheading the Racino bill next session, it also means that there will be a special election to fill his seat.

Senate District 26 covers all of Steele County, and part of Waseca and Rice. It also crosses over the 1st and 2nd Congressional Districts, all of which means that this will be an involved process. What we know at this point is this-

-The governor will call for a special election at a date to be determined. State law requires at least 28 days before holding it, but the legislative session starts Feb 4th, which means the election will most likely be held sometime in mid-January.

-Several candidates have expressed strong interest in running for the GOP endorsement so far this morning, which will happen at an endorsing convention.

-This will be the only election happening in Minnesota until next year's primaries, which means we can expect a good deal of media interest from outside the district.

-This election has the potential to be a great organizing event for Steele County Republicans, as we will move from the endorsing convention (early Jan?) to the special election (mid Jan?) to the precinct caucuses to the county convention.

No word yet on any DFL candidates, but I would expect to see them coming out quickly.

More updates will be posted here and on www.steelegop.com as they become available.

Congressman Walz and health care

2009-08-11T17:16:00.001-06:00

From the Owatonna People's Press-

While the media reports on angry town hall meetings around the country on the health care reform bill, Southern Minnesota residents should be asking one question: Where is our Congressman? With Rep. Walz home for the August recess, it seems logical that we the constituents would have a chance to meet with our congressman and express our opinions on this drastic legislation. But the congressman’s Web site shows no public meetings coming up, and an Internet search shows no public appearances for Rep Walz in the near future.

The proposed health care reform is, to say the least, extremely controversial. It would bring huge changes to the health care industry, and there are dozens of questions that have yet to be answered. The most important such question is this: If this plan is so good for America, why haven’t any congressmen committed to putting themselves and their families on this radical plan? In 17 years in the military, I have learned one rock solid rule about leadership: Never send your soldiers to do a job that you would not be willing to do yourself.

Congressman Walz will vote next month on a health care plan for America that he appears to be unwilling to submit his own family to. If Congressman Walz truly believes in this plan, he should use his experience in the Army to demonstrate his belief, and lead from the front.

Dave Thul
Co-chair, Steele County GOP
Owatonna

No town hall meetings for Walz?

2009-08-07T09:50:00.002-06:00

So says a letter writer to the Austin Daily Herald-

"I called the office of Congressman Tim Walz and learned that he will not be holding town hall meetings during the August recess. Walz’s office said town hall meetings are not constructive; he is holding targeted meetings instead."

Suddenly, town hall meetings are not constructive? Sounds like someone is afraid to hear what the voters think of Obamacare.

Where is Congressman Walz?

2009-08-06T11:28:00.002-06:00

The US House of Representatives are on their August recess, home to talk to constituents about important bills, notably the Health Care Reform bill, popularly known as Obamacare.

While other congressmen are holding townhall meetings across the country, Congressman Walz has none scheduled. His website lists no public events coming up, and calls to his Mankato office get a response of 'no information available at this time'.

Congressman Walz has asked residents to call or write him, but given that he is back in Minnesota for almost a month, is it too much to ask to be able to ask him a question in person?

26B candidate

2009-07-24T06:46:00.001-06:00

Former Medford mayor announces candidacy

From the Owatonna People's Press-

MEDFORD — Former Medford Mayor Dan Kaiser announced Thursday that he would seek the Republican nomination for the District 26B seat in the 2010 legislative election.

Kaiser, who did not seek a third term as Medford mayor last year, announced his candidacy for the Minnesota House of Representatives in a statement released to the press.

“Minnesota faces many challenges while also providing great opportunities, and I believe I can make a difference by serving in the Minnesota Legislature,” Kaiser said in the statement.

District 26B includes eastern and southern Steele County, as well as the Steele County communities of Medford, Blooming Prairie and Ellendale, southern Rice County, and the communities of Faribault and Morristown. The legislative seat is currently held by Rep. Patti Fritz, DFL-Faribault.

Issues survey

2009-06-30T08:53:00.001-06:00

Tell us what you think.

Poll numbers on the budget showdown

2009-05-19T20:44:00.003-06:00

The StarTribune Instant Poll is showing a slight edge towards the DFL solution for the budget in raising taxes, 44% to 40%

The Owatonna People's Press however, showed today a 2-1 margin of support for no new taxes, 64% to 34%.

Of course these are informal and non-scientific numbers, but they give a sense of where Owatonna stands in relation to the rest of the state.

The budget shortfall

2009-05-19T20:11:00.002-06:00

Courtesy of the Owatonna People's Press-

As the budget crisis in Minnesota has crested and is now in full flood stage, it is interesting to note that much like the federal government sitting on a significant source of revenue via drilling for oil in ANWR, Minnesota has spent a decade sitting on its own untapped source of revenue-casino gambling.

Sen Dick Day has been calling for a full casino at Canterbury Downs for a decade, which would have generated at least 100 million dollars each year for the last 10 years.

Governor Pawlenty tried to involve the Native American tribes in 2005 by offering an Indian run casino in the metro area that would also pay taxes to the state, likely adding 100 million to state coffers every year.

Both ideas have been shot down by the DFL. Both ideas would have generated hundreds of millions of dollars for the state budget. Both ideas would have collected tax revenue from people who voluntarily choose to gamble. Both ideas would have created hundreds if not thousands of new jobs.

As the DFL spins the outcome of the budget with stories of public libraries closing, police laid off and poor people dying for lack of medical coverage, please keep in mind that there were other options available for solving Minnesota's budget that didn't involve raising taxes.

Tea Party petition delivered

2009-05-12T06:54:00.002-06:00

Yesterday, after nearly a month of emails and phone calls, I finally got to meet with Congressman Walz to give him over 150 signatures of his constituents asking that the stimulus bill be repealed and that Congress stop bailing out private businesses. Whether or not he acts on the message we delivered, he certainly can't say that he didn't hear us.

The next Tea Party in Owatonna is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, July 1st in Central Park.

Tea Party Pictures

2009-04-15T20:43:00.004-06:00

If you have pictures of the Tea Party, send them to david.thul@yahoo.com to add them to this page.

Owatonna Tea Party

2009-04-15T07:15:00.002-06:00

The Owatonna People's Press gave us a front page story leading up to the Tax Day Tea Party in Central Park this evening. Will you show up tonight to help write the story that will appear in tomorrow's paper?

Bring a sign, bring a flag, bring a friend, but make sure you bring your voice!

2009-04-13T09:18:00.002-06:00

Join us in Owatonna's Central Park on Wednesday from 5-6pm to show Congress that we've had enough of massive government spending. This is not a partisan event! Both political parties have demonstrated their ability to spend our tax money of frivolous projects.

If you have never been to a protest/rally before, don't be intimidated. All you have to do is show up and share your voice and opinion. If you want, bring a sign. Bring a US flag to wave. Stop by for five minutes or stay for the hour. But don't wait for the next election to make your voice heard! The country may be bankrupt by then.

Owatonna Tea Party

2009-04-02T12:33:00.001-06:00

We're on the map, literally.

Stop the spending spree!

2009-03-30T12:46:00.003-06:00

It's official, Owatonna will be standing with other cities around the state and nation to host a Tax Day Tea Party on April 15th. Come join your friends and neighbors from 5-6pm in Central Park in Owatonna. Find out just how much the government is spending and what you can do to help stop the incredible spending spree our government is on.

New facebook group

2009-02-04T09:15:00.003-06:00

The Steele County GOP has a Facebook group. Just search Steele GOP on Facebook and anyone can join. If you don't have a Facebook account, it's simple and easy to get started. Go to www.facebook.com and connect with friends, family, and all sorts of people with the same interests as you.

Steele County Blog

2009-01-29T15:12:00.001-06:00

This blog will serve as the companion to the Steele County Republican website located at www.SteeleGOP.com.