Mining for Answers

One thing seems to be clear from the end of the Minnesota Legislative regular session, Polymet Mining of Canada has likely bought and paid for politicians from both major parties in the state.  What is most shocking, and unforgivable, is how our DFL Senate Majority Leader seems to have forsaken well established Democratic party platform positions for Canadian mining.

The GOP is easy to understand.  Most of what they do is geared towards self fulfillment and punishing perceived enemies.  Looking at what they laid out this last session backs that up.  They got silencers legalized in the state, pandering to dim bulb voters who only vote how their gun tells them to at night, and to the NRA and all of that sweet, sweet gun and bullet manufacture campaign cash.  They went after campaign finance rules, so big money from a handful of individuals can potentially buy the state government for them.  They went after public schools and teachers, as they want to redirect tax payer education dollars into the coffers of the wealthiest 1000, and punish the teachers union, one of the last strong unions.  They waged war on Minneapolis and St. Paul proper, a region filled with people they want to punish for daring to vote Democrat.  Same story, different day; the GOP is easy to understand.

Some of the policy positions the GOP passed need to get signed into law. They really do, as they are the controlling party in the House.  As much as I don't like it personally, I accept silencers were legalized, campaign finance rules got re-written and the Governor's education plan was toned down (although with a pile of 1.9 billion in cash, I have no idea why).

It was three other issues that passed which, frankly, scare me.  I understand the House GOP's wish list would contain legalizing toxic pollution for corporations ("It's Un-Amercian to not pollute!"), limiting the public's say in environmental regulation ("Constituents having a say...NEVER!  Big corporations should always be trusted!") and dismantling oversight of the state ("Corruption is FUN!"), but a DFL leader going along with them, making sure those things got into a compromise bill, and rushed through the Senate before the majority of Democrats had a chance to stop it (the Senate passed it with a handful of Democrats voting along with the minority Republicans) is unthinkable.

But that's exactly what Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk did.  Before anyone comes at me, criticizing my calling him out, let me say I don't mind having differing opinions on the Democratic side, but there are some things which make Democrats, Democrats.  The appearance of selling out your party for a Canadian mining company is not one of them.  I was just as critical when a certain Democratic west metro Senator went after the teachers union.

Governor Dayton vetoed the environmental bill, effectively stopping Bakk and the GOP's anti-environment agenda, which included the Oopsie law, making it legal for corporations to pollute with no recourse whatsoever, and the dismantling of the Citizens Board of the Pollution Control Agency, ensuring corporations are the only ones influencing environmental decisions in the state.

But the third issue, the attack on State Auditor Rebecca Otto, the Democrat, who just won re-election, and the fact they attached it the the omnibus spending bill, is inexcusable.  They attached it to that bill because they knew the Governor had to sign it to keep the majority of lights on in the state.  Bakk, either stupidly or intentionally, set the Governor up, putting him into the position of being the bad guy if he vetoed the omnibus bill, and dramatically weakening his negotiation position if he demanded the Auditors office's power be reinstated during a special session.

Why did he do this to the Auditor?  Former Republican Governor Arne Carlson, a supporter of the Auditors office, sized it up perfectly;  since the Auditor serves on the state boards which have a say in mining, and since Rebecca Otto has publicly announced her opposition to the Polymet mine, Bakk went to war with her office, going along with the plan to effectively neuter the oversight agency, crippling her budget, and eventually making her office defacto useless.

A reminder, he is supposed to be a Democrat.

I pray Governor Dayton stays vigilant and refuses to allow a special session to begin without guarantees the Oopsie law, the dismantling of the Citizen Board, and the attack on the Auditor's office  are overturned.

Senator Bakk seems to have quickly sold out his Democratic principles.  The party needs to take a long hard look at his leadership position.

It's also very clear the mine proposed for the eastern Iron Range was never concerned about the environmental cleanliness and safety of their operation, something they publicly have insisted, but  something exposed to be lies when you see their legislative backroom dealings.  They planned to try to eliminate any state hurdles, paving the way to unlimited polluting with no accountability.  This undeniable reality is something which should negate any further DFL consideration of sulfur mining in Minnesota.