The Fraud that is the Minnesota GOP

The Minnesota GOP, since winning the state House last November, has tried to portray their image as pro-Minnesota business, pro-worker, and pro-out state, rural communities.  They've insisted the small towns of the state have been ignored by the big, bad Twin Cities metro for too long, and they were going to make Minneapolis/St. Paul pay, but once again, the Republicans have shown their true colors.  The Minnesota GOP is only in politics for the wealthiest of the wealthy and for their own self promotion.

First, some background on a current issue which exposes the Right as the frauds they are.  Chinese steel has been flooding the world market, propped up unfairly by the Chinese government.  As the world prices have bottomed out, the Minnesota steel and taconite industry is feeling the pain, with layoffs announced across the Iron Range.  Minnesota Democrats came up with a good idea; they introduced a bill making American-made steel the only steel to be used in Minnesota public works projects.  Great idea, as it puts American products first, helps Minnesota's mining industry, and might prevent some of the layoffs.

The Republicans in the MN House voted the bill down.

It would be simple to call the GOP hacks, but lets break down their motives:

1) The GOP will do everything in their power to make sure any rural districts represented by the Democrats, including many of the districts on the Iron Range, get nothing which may be perceived as helping their constituents.  They had success in 2014 by playing the anti-metro card, and if they can make rural districts with DFL Reps. languish in an economic downturn, they might be able to win those seats in 2016.  You just have to convince the voters to forget the Republicans were the ones who voted to hurt them.

2)  If they can make them desperate enough, the miners of the northland might become a louder voice in support of the sulfide mining operation proposed for the Ely area.  This type of mining is an environmental disaster, and has never, NEVER, been done safe and clean.  The mine will poison the pristine northland, and as the environmental dangers become more widely known, public sentiment is turning against it.  Creating loyal foot soldiers, desperate for any job they can get, might help the Republicans pro-sulfide mining cause.

3)  A main reason the GOP voted down help for the Iron Range was because they didn't want their corporate executive puppet-masters to have to pay a slightly higher price for steel.  They contend they're pro-America, but 'America First' is only a campaign slogan for the right.  If profits are involved, the Republicans will always take the cheap side, even if it goes against the best interests of their own state.  Because of their blind allegiance to corporations, and Chinese steel, the MNGOP is anti-Minnesota worker and anti-Minnesota products.

What this latest example shows is the complete lack of interest MN House Speaker Kurt Daudt and the rest of his tea party underlings have for the citizens of Minnesota, regardless of where they live.  The Republicans don't care about rural Minnesota.  They were the ones who torpedoed major aide to the rural communities in last session's bonding bill, they're the ones who've failed to follow through on any of their campaign promises to the rural communities in the funding bills they just passed this session, and they're going to continue to go out of their way to make life as miserable as they can for rural Minnesota, hoping they'll blame the DFL, the one party who has delivered for all Minnesotans.

It should be noted the Republican bills passed by the state House this session show a clear hatred of the Twin Cities metro area too.  Why anyone not ultra wealthy in either city limits, or in the suburban communities, would vote for the GOP is a mystery.

Rural Minnesota, the Republicans aren't going to help you unless you're one of the wealthiest 1000 in the state.  If your bank account doesn't have more than six figures in it, you won't see any help from the GOP.  The Republicans need you to indiscriminately vote for them, and will keep feeding you lies so you stay obedient.  When you wake up to that fact, and stop buying the right's lies, then you'll see more positive change, just like you did under the Democrats the last two years.