Bulletin letters to the editor: City water use, a kind offer, Lehrke-Schoen race, marriage amendment
September 28, 2012 at 1:15 am in South Washington County Bulletin
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Bulletin letters to the editor: City water use, a kind offer, Lehrke-Schoen race, marriage amendment
12 Comments
Good information to know Leon Moe, thank you. We keep being told that they city closed the pool becuase of the costs and water usage.
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Correct me if I’m wrong – and I’m sure you will even if I’m right – much of the water from the splash pad is recycled, treated and reused.
And, I laugh at the letter that says Derrick has a command of the issues and is thoughtful? He held up a meeting for 45 minutes once because he voted no when he meant to vote yes and then was upset that that he didn’t understand what he was voting for. He held the up the next meeting for another 45 minutes because he was mad that the meeting minutes accurately reflected how he voted the previous time. There is waste in government and he is running as a GOPer for the state house in district 54.
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I’m having a hard time supporting Dan Schoen – yes, he is a “good guy” but his stance on voter ID doesn’t fit! As a policeman, would he allow a motorist he pulled over to not have a photo verifiable identification? absolutely not. Why is it OK to vote without one? Due to his profession, I would think he would understand the importance of ID’s more than anyone. I believe his stance on the amendment is simply that he wants to follow along with the DFL and that is NOT what I want in a representative. I want a rep who will do what is right, not just rubber stamp party objectives.
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Not everyone drives a car so not everyone has an driver’s license for an ID. According to the League of Women Voters: “Approximately 11% of the voting population does not carry a photo ID that meets these rigid requirements. The percentage is higher among certain groups: the elderly (18%), younger adults (18%), minorities (25% of African-Americans) and people who are low-income (15%).
Proposed legislation in 2011 allowed only 3 kinds of photo IDs for voting: a Minnesota driver’s license, a Minnesota-issued photo ID card, or a newly created form of voter photo-ID.
The ID would have to show the voter’s current home address. Voters could not use a passport, military ID or student ID.”
We all ought to be very afraid when the legislature doesn’t want to allow military IDs or a passport as Voter IDs. If you want more information from the non-partisan League of Women Voters, check this out: http://www.lwvmn.org/document.doc?id=312
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Personally I don’t mind showing my id when I vote, I am more then happy to comply. Before my kids got drivers licenses they had MN Photo ID’s, so what is the problem with people getting an id? They are not difficult to get
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It’s pretty simple to get an ID when you drive. For people who don’t drive, don’t own a car, it’s not that simple. What about the military and students? Their IDs won’t have current addresses, and the way the legislature wrote the bill that was vetoed by Governor Dayton in 2011, they would not be able to use their IDs as one of the 3 government IDs, and their driver’s license wouldn’t have a current address so they would not work either.
More info from the League of Women Voters:
“Myth: No Minnesota voter would be unable to vote on Election Day. Free voter photo-IDs will be made available to those who do not already have one.
FACT: There is no such thing as a free photo ID. The cost for the IDs themselves would be paid by Minnesota taxpayers.
People applying for a “free” voter photo-ID would have to travel to a Department of Vehicle Services office – in some cases 50-100 miles roundtrip — and would be required to show
secondary documents, which may cost $35. For example, a married woman who changed her name after she got married would have to provide both her birth certificate and her marriage certificate to get a “free” ID. A birth certificate costs $26 in Minnesota and a marriage license costs $9. She also may face delays in getting those documents, especially if they are coming from out of state.”
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if you don’t drive, you simply take your birth certificate to the Bulletin License Center and get a Minnesota ID. They look about the same as a a drivers license. Sheesh, What’s the big deal?
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I have no problem showing my ID either. But, a 75 year old who may have let their driver’s license lapse would have a problem. Also, many 18 year olds don’t have licenses – they don’t want them like our generation did. How many of them will go out of their way to get a voter ID if they didn’t want to get a licenese? I’m all for providing proof, but this ammendment is designed to restrict voting rights not protect them. I’m tired of everyone trying to babysit society. GOP says stay out of my bedroom, but I want to be involved in yours. DFL has their issues too. Stupid.
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Buzz, imagine you live in out-state MN and you need to take a long drive to get an ID. Did you read this from the LWV? There is no such thing as a free photo ID. The cost for the IDs themselves would be paid by Minnesota taxpayers.
People applying for a “free” voter photo-ID would have to travel to a Department of Vehicle Services office – in some cases 50-100 miles roundtrip — and would be required to show
secondary documents, which may cost $35. For example, a married woman who changed her name after she got married would have to provide both her birth certificate and her marriage certificate to get a “free” ID. A birth certificate costs $26 in Minnesota and a marriage license costs $9. She also may face delays in getting those documents, especially if they are coming from out of state.”
Perhaps you have the means to pay for these expenses, but for a senior or anyone on a limited income, this is just a big hassle they’re most likely to skip – which seems to be the intention of the Republicans — to try to stop people who would usually vote Dem from voting. Even if that’s not their intention, it’d be the most likely result for enough people that we should not want to keep from voting.
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You’re supposed to have most of these documents you mentioned anyhow- you need them for other things besides voting, regardless of your age. Rural residents have to travel pretty far to vote also, so I’m not buying that excuse. This issue shouldn’t be a republican vs democrat thing. It’s common sense. Our 2 party system is failing us anyhow. When I registered to vote, I was required to have a valid ID and proof of residency. They shouldn’t be free either. They should cost the same as a drivers license and discounted for seniors. You know the trouble with politics is politicians are involved.
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Thank you Marlyne Leary for your letter on defeating the Marriage Amendment. I agree, VOTE NO on the Marriage Amendment. Do you really want to start limiting freedoms within our Constitution? First we limit Marriage between same sex couples, next we limit marriage to be only within the same race, next we limit to only the same religion, and on and on. Think about it everyone, do you really want to go backwards as a society like that?
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Update. I was informed that we splash pad water is not recycled, but goes back into the ground, with a lot of it draining into the Highlands pond. People have commented that the pond has never looked cleaner – so, I guess that is a benefit. Usage of the splash pad is also up significantly over what the pool had, so, there are trade offs. I think it is a neat amenity and unique for Cottage Grove and something that will attract younger families.
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