Cynthia Kafut Hagen Demonstrates True Independence

If you have been following the special election for State Representative in Legislative District 5B, you have certainly heard all of the important issues. You have heard from the state Republican Party that DFL endorsed candidate Carly Melin may not meet the residency requirements to qualify as a candidate. This would be an important issue if it were true, but the state Republican Party has chosen to contest her residency in the media, instead of with the courts. You have heard the state Democratic Party attack a controversial piece of campaign literature distributed by the state Republican Party. Just as the Republicans showed complete disregard for their candidate by issuing the piece without their candidate’s knowledge or approval, the Democrats showed the same level of disregard by issuing the condemnation of the piece from the state party instead of through their candidate.

These are the issues that the state Republican and Democratic Parties have been pushing and publicizing. These are the issues that they want you to base your decision on.

I attended the debate on Wednesday night. What I saw was telling, and troubling. The good news is that I saw three candidates who each had the work experience and civic involvement needed to represent the citizens of the Iron Range effectively at the State Capitol. The bad news is that I saw two candidates who were visibly uncomfortable with the position their respective parties had put them in.

Paul Jacobson, the Republican, was in the most obvious distress over the actions of his party. The Republican Party created and distributed a controversial piece of campaign literature without his approval, or even his knowledge. When asked, by the Democratic candidate, to condemn the piece, Jacobson replied that “Miss Melin does not know what my discussions have been with the party since then.” Unfortunately, neither do the voters.

When the candidates were asked what they would like the campaign to be focused on, Carly Melin stated very pointedly, “the issues”. She lamented that other things had stolen the spotlight. Unfortunately for Melin, her state party’s response to the Republican attacks has also played a role in keeping the focus off of “the issues”. Melin never took the opportunity herself to criticize her own party’s actions in this regard.

This leaves us with Independence Party endorsed candidate, Cynthia Kafut Hagen. She stated very clearly that “the law should be changed so that nobody can put out information that the candidate doesn't want. If the Independence Party did that to me, I would not be happy or with them still." As the incoming state party Chair, I was proud of her willingness to make that stand in front of me and the voters. That is a brave stand that her opponents have both shied away from.

Earlier that day, I was asked what the word Independence stood for in our party’s name. We are not a loose knit group of independent voters. We are a political party. We have a platform of issues that we expect our candidates to support. We believe that the word Independence means that members and candidates can support that platform in a manner that suites them and their constituents best. It means Independence from state party manipulation as a candidate and as an elected official. For voters, it means that the only dependence an Independence Party candidate has is on your support and your vote.

Cynthia Kafut Hagen demonstrates Independence perfectly.

The Real Reason We Should Support Bonding for Roads and Bridges throughout Minnesota

Wednesday, I drove from Maplewood to Hibbing to attend a debate between the 3 major party candidates for State Representative in Legislative District 5b. The road conditions on Interstate 35 were appallingly bad. It appeared that every seam in the concrete had separated and degraded into crevasses measuring four to six inches across. Of course, this being the heart of winter, there were also numerous potholes ranging in size from divots to open pit mines. If my driveway looked that bad, the City of Maplewood would be justified in issuing me a citation for an unsightly and unsafe driveway.

The Democrats argue that the infrastructure projects needed to improve these roads create jobs. The Democrats go on to explain that more people on a payroll will lead to more spending which will lead to greater economic activity. Then the Republicans respond with their arguments that real job growth needs to come from business. They go on to explain how burdensome taxes are keeping our business community from expanding and hiring more people. We end up in a traditional disagreement between government spending and lower taxes. But spending and taxes are not the point of the original argument.

And that IS the point of this article. Partisan posturing by the two other major parties often causes us to lose sight of the real issues. Regardless of your stand on government spending and tax policy, the fact remains that our roads and bridges are falling apart and they need to be repaired or replaced sooner than later.

Because infrastructure projects are being bid at amazingly low prices, and because today’s investments in infrastructure will benefit the comfort and commerce of at least the next two generations, and because we still have a highly skilled construction workforce, we should support strong bonding measures to finance these critical infrastructure improvement projects.