That's one way to look at it. Another is that without Northstar Commuter Rail, the nearly billion dollar Central Corridor boondoggle, and other wasteful spending she supported, we might have completed Highway 610 back when the economy was strong, and businesses were clamoring to build in Brooklyn Park.
Hortman is the same politician whose family salvage yard profited by receiving about 30% of Minnesota vehicles from Obama's Cash for Clunkers giveaway program. She's also the one who put all her eggs in the Northstar basket during the 2006 & 2008 elections. As many (including myself) predicted, Northstar is a disaster by any measure with embarrassingly low ridership, and is losing over a million dollars a month beyond the $317 million construction cost. The Reason Foundation calculated that taxpayers could have handed each of the 979 regular riders of Northstar over $275,000 and still saved money.
True political courage would have been addressing our transportation problems without massive tax increases or Obama's overwhelming debt by prioritizing existing funding on roads and bridges first, not expensive and inefficient rail toys.
-Andrew Reinhardt
Andrew Officially Announces His Candidacy for Minnesota House of Representatives, and Discusses Transportation Policy on The Late Debate with Jack and Ben Radio Show, July 26, 2011
Listen Here
Andrew Discussing Local Issues (with Former Rep. John Jordan) on The Late Debate with Jack & Ben Radio Show (65 min mark) July 7, 2011
Listen Here
June 30, 2011 Brooklyn Park Sun Post Letter to the Editor
Before Rep. Melissa Hortman was elected to the Legislature, Minnesota State Government never experienced a shut down in nearly 150 years. In seven years since Hortman was elected, we are now approaching shutdown number two. Sure, die-hard liberals will defend her saying that one Legislator cannot be blamed. But based on the facts, it should be quite obvious now to everyone in Brooklyn Park that Hortman is part of the problem, not part of the solution.
Despite campaigning as a bi-partisan moderate, Hortman has moved further to the left posting 0% scores on every Taxpayers League of Minnesota Scorecard since her first term average of 38.5%. She even accepted a position of Minority Whip. For those not familiar, "Whips are party 'enforcers', who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy," as defined on Wikipedia.
Hortman was the most outspoken critic of the House Redistricting Plan, but teamed with her fellow DFLers on the Redistricting Committee to offer no plan of their own despite having a staff and a budget. What a waste of taxpayer money! Arguably her most significant bill last session was adding $1.20 deposit to a 12 pack of pop or beer with uncollected money going to the state. Hortman was elected with the slogan "it's time to get the job done." Clearly the job is not getting done, and I hope voters will finally take that into account next November.
Jeff Grose, Brooklyn Park
AnokaCountyWatchdog.com June 10, 2011 Newsletter
TWEET OF THE WEEK
Last time the MN GOP shut down state government, they lost the MN House. What do they say about people who fail to learn from history? - State Rep. Melissa Hortman (DFL - Brooklyn Park)
The Watchdog says: Last time the MN DFL pushed a $1 billion tax increase, they lost the MN House AND the MN Senate. What do they say about politicians who don't get it?
March 3, 2011 Brooklyn Park Sun Post Letter to the Editor
Democrat politicians consistently talk about "the failed policies of the last eight years" against President Bush, giving the Obama Administration cover as it limps into year three. But now in a recent letter-to-the-editor, Rep. Melissa Hortman uses this phrase to attack the Pawlenty administration.
By blaming Pawlenty for all of Minnesota's problems, Rep. Hortman cunningly wants people to forget the DFL held a massive Senate majority for all eight years, and a large House majority for the last four years. Or that she's been a Legislator for the last six years, including being Assistant House Majority Leader for the last four. Always the victim, apparently Rep. Hortman bears no responsibility as a DFL leader for what happens at the Capitol?
Ok, while the Pawlenty Administration began with an inherited budget deficit, and ended with a deficit during difficult economic periods, it also produced a sizable surplus in more fruitful years. Pawlenty balanced the budget every year without raising taxes, and moved Minnesota out of the top 10 highest taxed states. Sure Pawlenty had some awful policies like the health impact fee, the disastrous Northstar Rail boondoggle, embracing global warming hysteria, and agreeing to spend the $2.1 billion surplus instead of saving or returning it. But these policies were all championed by DFL Leadership.
Republicans have put forward their first budget bill, and Governor Dayton may react, the same way that DFL leaders put forth their ideas to Pawlenty. Recycling stale George Bush attack lines so soon seems desperate and pitiful.
Andrew Reinhardt, Brooklyn Park
March 3, 2011 Brooklyn Park Sun Post Letter to the Editor
In a Feb 10 letter to the editor by State Representative Melissa Hortman, she claims that she voted against the Republican's first budget bill because "a fair and reasonable budget will burden all Minnesotans a little, rather than burdening a few Minnesotans a lot."
But the GOP budget bill was a package of spending reductions (representing! g only a fraction of the amount needed to close the deficit) that does spread things out. If Hortman doesn't want only a few Minnesotans to shoulder the entire burden, I look forward to her vocal opposition of Gov. Dayton's repeated promises to punish success, and stifle business by targeting a minority of "rich" Minnesotans to balance the budget.
But in fairness, Rep. Hortman's letter specifically focused on higher education tuition increases. On this topic, I hope she stands up to unions that feed her campaign, and addresses how over 2,300 public employees at the University of Minnesota alone who make more than $100,000 have a role in the cost of tuition (Minnesota public salaries are available at www.twincities.com/dataplanet).
And instead of taking a swipe at engineers' supposed rising salaries, never mind the furloughs and lay-offs, Hortman should challenge public Universities to take responsibility in channeling students into needed areas like engineering instead of having taxpayers heavily subsidize degrees in Gender Studies, GLBT Studies, Ethnic Studies, and other Liberal Arts that do little in helping us to compete with China, India, and Russia on a global economic scale.
Jeff Grose, Brooklyn Park