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1. 
   whatajoke said: On February 1, 2011 at 4:01 PM

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   When Gov. Mark Dayton nominated Paul Aasen to be his commissioner of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, he signaled that he’s putting a higher priority on siding with environmental extremists than on creating jobs.

   Dayton said he’d like to reform Minnesota’s regulations.

   He’s also said he and Aasen agree that the MPCA should be changed to the Minnesota Pollution Reduction Agency.

   Minnesota already has some of the most stringent environmental regulations in the nation, but Dayton prefers making Minnesota’s environmental regulations even more stringent.

   It’s time for Dayton to decide whether he’s serious about creating jobs in Minnesota or whether he’d rather chase companies to the Dakotas.

   Jobs lost?

   Do people know that the organization Aasen worked for, the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy was among several groups that filed lawsuit after lawsuit against the much-needed Big Stone II power plant?

   Do people know that MCEA is still filing lawsuits against the proposed PolyMet copper nickel mine in Aurora in the hopes of killing that project?

   Or that creating that mine would generate, by MCEA’s own admission, more than 1.5 million labor hours of construction work?

   Former state Auditor Pat Anderson said that’s roughly the equivalent of a $300 million bonding bill.

   Clearly, MCEA’s lawsuits against PolyMet aren’t just to delay PolyMet from becoming a reality.

   That’s the tip of the iceberg.

   The minute PolyMet’s permits are approved, dozens of smaller, though similar, mining projects would get green-lighted.

   The economic boost that would create for the Iron Range would be significant. It also would be a major boost to Minnesota’s economy.

   Ultimately, union construction workers should know that litigation brought by Aasen’s organization is at least partially responsible for the killing of Big Stone II and for delaying PolyMet.

   Lawsuit-happy

   Aasen’s organization seems to have the attitude that they should sue first, then conduct an investigation to see if their lawsuit has merit.

   Does that sound like the type of appointee a governor makes if he’s committed to creating jobs?

   What’s worse is that confirming Aasen to head a prestigious environmental agency like the MPCA is that Aasen would have the agency’s budget and prestige behind him when he sues the next target of the fringe environmentalists’ wish list.

   Remember, it’s the MPCA that brings the lawsuit, can file a friend-of-the-court brief and even pursue stiff fines to make sure a company couldn’t make money.

   By picking Paul Aasen to be his MPCA commissioner, Dayton is putting all that at risk.

   Is that the type of pick a governor would make if he wanted to create jobs and a strong economy?

   I don’t think so.

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• 
  eastender said: On February 1, 2011 at 4:39 PM

  This is the opinion of St. Cloud resident Gary Gross, a conservative activist and blogger. It appeared in the St Cloud Times on January 15, 2011. It’s always appropriate to give credit to the original author.

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2. 
   whatajoke said: On February 1, 2011 at 5:18 PM

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   Thanks I negated to include that as intended. This is the opinion of St. Cloud resident Gary Gross, a conservative activist and blogger.

   At any rate, it still stands and I see no reply to the denial of it.

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3. 
   whatajoke said: On February 1, 2011 at 6:36 PM

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   Yes I wont reply with a comment and just hit dislike because I don’t know any better and am ill informed. Good! The more dislikes the better. It just goes to show that they have no clue and if they do post they attack the person and not the issues without explaining and no valid reply. Gotta love those. Case in point the reply about mine above. It only mattered that I did not give appropriate to give credit to the original author and nothing more. Know why? Because she cannot explain it away and hence the attack.

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4. 
   whatajoke said: On February 1, 2011 at 6:37 PM

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   THE BEST OF MARK DAYTON

   By Luke Hellier | May 19, 2010

   Here are the Top 5 Stories from Mark Dayton’s time as a Senator:

   5. Dayton Graded Own Senate Performance An “F.” “If U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton, D-Minn., was to grade himself on his accomplishments in Congress, it would be an ‘F,’ he told students Thursday at the Renville County West High School in Renville.” (Tom Cherveny, “Senator Says He Gives Himself An ‘F,’” West Central Tribune, April 21, 2006)

   4. Time: Dayton “Passed Few Bills,” Tried To Create A Department Of Peace & “Confounded His Colleagues.” “Inside the Senate, Dayton has passed few bills partly because some are too liberal for the Republican-controlled body, including one that would have created a Department of Peace and Nonviolence. He has confounded his colleagues by complaining about basic facts of the job, such as his limited power in a chamber where authority derives from seniority.” (“America’s Worst – Mark Dayton: The Blunderer,” Time, April 14, 2006)

   3. Dayton Shut Down His Washington Senate Office Over Theoretical Terrorist Threat. “When Senator Mark Dayton shut down his Washington office last week, ostensibly out of concern for his staff’s safety, many on Capitol Hill wondered if the Minnesota Democrat knew something everyone else didn’t. The answer, it turns out, is far from it. Dayton last month received the same briefing as his fellow Senators about a CIA worst-case scenario involving simultaneous terrorist attacks across the country. Yet he apparently took the hypothetical threat as an imminent one. ‘Most people who heard the briefing,’ sniffs an intelligence official, ‘understood the context. It was theoretical.’” (Elaine Shannon, “Why Didn’t 99 Other Senators Close Up Shop Too?” Time, October 25, 2004)

   2. Time Magazine: Dayton One Of America’s Five “Worst Senators.” “When he was elected in 2000, Minnesota Democrat Mark Dayton seemed well prepared, having worked as an aide to Walter Mondale in the 1970s. But he has exhibited erratic behavior since then: in October 2004 he shut down his office for almost a month, citing an unspecified terrorist threat.” (“America’s Worst – Mark Dayton: The Blunderer,” Time, April 14, 2006)

   1. Dayton’s Number One Priority: Raise Taxes. “Asked what bill they would want passed first if they were elected governor, Gaertner said the main thing is to balance the state’s budget. Former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton said he would increase funding for public education and ‘link it to progressive tax increases on the wealthiest people, who can afford it.’” (Bill Salisbury, “700 turn out to hear 11 DFL governor hopefuls make case,” Pioneer Press, November 24, 2009)

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5. 
   whatajoke said: On February 1, 2011 at 8:02 PM

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   Case in point but off topic a blogger, commenter said this and it was not even in the article at all!
   So you fire 5 highly-paid people and hire 25 at a lower salary? How does that save money? Aren’t you spending the same? Isn’t the argument to DECREASE the size of government and, at the same time, lower costs?

   Go figure the dislikes. Like I said, uniformed…

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6. 
   whatajoke said: On February 1, 2011 at 8:04 PM

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   http://www.dglobe.com/event/article/id/45043/

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7. 
   whatajoke said: On February 1, 2011 at 9:15 PM

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   Apparently someone has no opinion that states otherwise, hence the dislike button. Smart. God help this generation.
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntQY7CEj-i4&feature=player_embedded

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