Thursday, June 21, 2012
Patch asks readers to weigh in.
When Tom Emmer ran for governor in 2010, the public soon found out Target Corporation had donated $150,000 to MN Forward, an organization that was running ads backing the candidate, who was adamantly opposed to same-sex marriage. Following the discovery, a movement to boycott Target sprang up from the streets to social media platforms. Target was adamant that it had donated cash to both sides of the aisle. Richfield-based Best Buy also donated to the organization that year, however, Target caught the brunt of criticism as the corporation had been seen as an ally for the LGBT community for years. Now with Minnesota voters being asked to vote on whether to amend the state constitution to say marriage is between one man and one woman, …
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
The current Richfield House representative says Republicans didn't make good on their promises when elected two years ago.
Follow Richfield Patch on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our daily newsletter Now that the 2012 Minnesota State Legislature session has come to an end—and with all legislative seats up for re-election this fall—Richfield Rep. Paul Thissen said if Minnesotans decide to elect a DFL legislature, postive changes will follow. In a Star Tribune commentary column, Thissen said Republican legislators promised to end "business as usual" when they ran for election two years ago. However, he believes they failed to deliver on that promise. "The last two years have been marked by [Republicans] striking unwillingness to compromise, which led to gridlock and the longest state government shutdown in our history," Thissen wrote. "Republican …
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Regardless of the veto, the Constitutional amendment will be on the ballot this fall.
Less than a week after the Minnesota State Legislature passed the photo ID measure, Gov. Mark Dayton vetoed it Monday. The passage of the measure puts voters in charge of deciding whether to amend the state Constitution to require that a photo ID be presented at polling locations. However, constitutional amendments do not need the governor's signature, making Dayton's veto a symbolic one. Dayton acknowledged his action won't stop the amendment from appearing on the general election ballot this November, however, he called it a "proverbial wolf in sheep's clothing" in a letter to Minnesota House Speaker Kurt Zellers (R-Maple Grove). The amendment "goes far beyond its stated intention to require Photo ID's. Instead, it dismantles Minnesota's…
Monday, April 9, 2012
President Obama's Minnesota campaign releases a statement on the proposed anti-gay marriage amendment.
With Minnesota voters charged with voting for or against a Constitutional amendment that would define marriage between one man and one woman, President Obama's Minnesota campaign released a statement opposing the measure Monday, according to an MPR News article. "While the President does not weigh in on every single ballot measure in every state, the record is clear that the President has long opposed divisive and discriminatory efforts to deny rights and benefits to same sex couples," Kristen Sosanie, spokeswoman for the Obama for America—Minnesota campaign, said in the statement. "That's what the Minnesota ballot initiative would do—it would single out and discriminate against committed gay and lesbian couples—and that's why the …
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
The final legislative approval will require voters to vote for or against the amendment on Election Day.
This November, Minnesota voters will decide whether photo IDs are required when they go to the polls. The Senate, by a 35-29 vote, passed a bill on Wednesday afternoon that will send the question to the ballot as a proposed constitutional amendment. The House passed the same bill early Wednesday. Because it is a proposed constitutional amendment, Gov. Mark Dayton will not get a chance to approve—or veto—the bill. The issue has divided the Legislature on party lines, with Republican supporters saying it would add integrity to Minnesota's election system, while Democratic opponents say the measure is unnecessary and could disenfranchise some voters. Richfield's legislators were critical of the Republican backed bill from the start, with …
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
While many DFLers spoke out against the measure, the bill moves on to the Senate.
The Minnesota House of Representatives passed a bill early Wednesday morning to put a Constitutional amendment on the ballot next November requiring voters to show photo ID when they vote. The vote, like most others Tuesday on proposed changes to the bill, was along party lines, 72-62. Richfield Rep. Paul Thissen along with Reps. Ryan Winkler (D-Golden Valley) and Steve Simon (D-St. Louis Park) held a preview press conference Tuesday morning criticizing Republican priorites and the amendment itself. For months Thissen has slammed Republicans for putting amendments ahead of bigger priorities such as jobs bills. The Minnesota Senate Rules Committee takes up the bill Wednesday. If approved by the Legislature, voters will decide by referendum …
Kevin O'Donovan
12:21 pm on Monday, June 25, 2012
If the Government and individuals can express their opinions why shouldn't the same be true for businesses, which are comprised of people? If the City Council can speak well or ill of a company, shouldn't a company have a right to express its perspective? The same should be true for churches and other tax exempt groups, without being threatened with the potential loss of their tax exempt status. … more ›