Vote NO, DelaNO

This is a two part entry on one thing I heard while at a friend’s house for lunch today.

It is an example of the Republican two-faced approach that they take on everything

and possibly a tale of a terrible, misleading, masterful, piece of Republican deception

that could play out in November - having long-term negative affects on Minnesota.

While at a friend’s house for lunch today

we were talking in the kitchen when I heard someone on the TV say

“Vote Yes Delano”

This comment immediately piqued my attention and immediately pissed me off.

PART ONE

This part is a cautionary tale to all of Minnesota

if these types of

terrible, misleading, masterful, pieces of Republican deception campaigns

start cropping up across the state FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

We have two amendments on the ballot in November

Ban on Gay Marriage

Voter ID

Which are both a VOTE NO!!!!  in my opinion.

Because of this, I was instantly on alert to this "Vote Yes Delano" statement I heard on the TV.

Then I looked at the TV and it was a school board meeting.

Something you should note about Delano Minnesota:

46% Catholic – only 27% Evangelical Lutheran

And then you have this little fact about Delano:

Yep – almost all White

On my…………….

So, while progressives across the state

are out in droves trying to get people in Minnesota

to VOTE NO

in regards to the Marriage Amendment and the Voter ID Amendment

– the town of Delano has established a webpage called VOTE YES DELANO.

NOT - Vote4Delano Shools, Vote Yes for Delano Schools
Vote Yes Delano
Supposedly for their school levy only. HAH!
What a crock!

PART TWO

If you were to think about the Democratic Party, the traditional talking points from the Democratic Party regarding education include:

Public education is a vital resource for our community, our state and our nation.

Communities that have a high performing school district have higher real estate values, thriving businesses, involved community members, decreased juvenile delinquency, increased community safety, and a well-educated and contributing population. We cannot let our school district decline.  We will all suffer and it will be extremely difficult, if not impossible to recover if this happens.

Class sizes will increase in grades 2-6.  The higher the class size, the less time our kids get 1:1 with their teacher.  Personlized [sic] instruction is key for our kids and if they cannot get it, the quality of education they receive will suffer.

Our republican form of government requires its people be educated in order for democracy to thrive. Our founding fathers realized the necessity of this when our nation was formed and took steps to ensure that public education was free and available for all.

BUT, these aren’t statements from the DFL in Minnesota – these are statements that are made on the Vote Yes Delano webpage to promote a school levy that will be on the ballot in November  (with again - the Marriage Amendment and the Voter ID Amendment – which are a VOTE NO in my opinion). 

Republicans taking Democratic talking points to push their case - what a two-faced piece of crap.  That's not what you hear Republicans tlaking about the rest of the year. Cut, cut, cut, cut, cut - class size means nothing - junk science.  Privatize, privatize, privatize - the free market will prevail.

What is interesting and disgusting about this entire Vote Yes Delano "campaign" is that Delano is a Republican stronghold town (home of ALEC Alum Tom Emmer), located in the Republican stronghold of Wright County Minnesota, located in the Republican stronghold of MN-CD 6 (Michelle Bachmann).

In the 2008 elections, Delano and the adjacent township voted thus:

In the 2010 elections, Delano and the adjacent township voted thus:

·       

·    The majority of residents in Delano elected the austerity loving Republicans that are now in our State house.

·    The majority of residents in Delano elected the austerity loving – don’t fund our schools – Republicans that are now in our State house.

·    The majority of residents in Delano elected the austerity loving – don’t tax the rich – Republicans that are now in our State house.

AND NOW – that same majority of Delano residents – who voted REPUBLICAN – who put austerity loving Republicans in the House have the gall to put up a webpage page – asking the citizens of Delano to VOTE YES – on the November ballot because:

State funding to Minnesota schools has not kept up with inflation. Schools have been forced to make sacrifices just as we all have in our personal lives.

These costs have gone up and the state funding is not keeping up with inflation.

This levy does not include funds to supplant these fundraisers, nor does state funding allow our schools to purchase the kinds of things that these fundraisers bring in.

Funding for public schools from state sources has been flat since 2009 **

In addition to flat funding, the State of MN has implemented a policy of shifting payments owed to school districts.

It's also important to note that the $60 per pupil increase was given in anticipation that school districts will incur interest charges because the state is shifting 40% of the state aid into the next fiscal year, which helps the state balance their budget while the schools experience cash flow problems

As you can see from the chart above, even though our student population stays the same or increases, state funding hasn’t.  We’re basically back where we were in FY09. 

And whose fault is that?

The REPUBLICANS

that the MAJORITY OF VOTERS IN DELANO helped put into office.

And NOW – the Republicans in Delano want all the citizens of Delano and Franklin Township 
to dig deep into their empty wallets and pocketbooks - in a town with decreasing home values 

– to BAIL OUT the school systems
– that the REPUBLICANS THEY PUT INTO OFFICE are destroying.

Moral of the story

– because the majority of voters in Delano and Franklin Township

– made a mistake in the voting booth in 2008 and 2010

– they want everybody to pay for their REPUBLICAN MISTAKES.

If I lived in Delano – I would tell them to go to hell.

I’m sure my friends will do that in November – when they VOTE NO to DELANO.

I’m sure my friends will be saying - Hell NO DelaNO!

You wanted austerity loving Republicans in office - live with the consequences!