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| | Email this article • Print this article | Rob Crowe
Thursday was a great day to be outdoors in Minnesota.
Thousands of people were enjoying the Great Minnesota Get-together at the Minnesota State Fair while I was touring a hillside farm near Swatara on the seat of a 60-year-old tractor.
The warble of the two cylinders was music to my ears as I rolled over the rain-darkened hay, hoping to bale it up if the old equipment hangs together for another couple of hours.
A little into the project, the burly, hard working owner of the property stopped to chat while on his way to set out bait for a bear.
We talked about the old homestead and what it could tell us if only it could talk.
I noted the walnut tree on the edge of the field and learned it was probably a butternut tree, amazing that it produces nuts this far north.
After a little more farming talk and noting the great number of deer, we both continue on the tasks at hand.
Hopefully, the baling can be completed without breakdowns – not so this time.
A bolt drops out of the draw-bar but a quick search through the toolbox nets a 1/2-inch bolt and nut and with some help from the Hi-lift jack I was back baling the dusty hay.
Done before 5 p.m.
and quickly home to eat, do some research and attend a builder's meeting in Grand Rapids by 8 p.m.
Between breakdowns, the seat of the tractor is a good place to do some thinking.
One recurring thought on this day is speculating just what it would take the DFL to censure Tommy Rukavina.
Ms.
Thurmer noted in her column that Tommy has the wholehearted support of the party through his latest escapade.
I’ll mention that he also had their support when he talked about committing violence against Patty Anderson, the state auditor.
Had either of these happened to a Republican legislator I think that the DFL and the Minneapolis Star Tribune would have been posturing and editorializing about how this person would be unfit for office.
Maybe someone could help me out on this one ...
just what would it take?
At the national level
Ms.
Thurmer noted that the Democratic Party, in the past, “labored for the laborers” and some would try to tell you today that this is so.
John Edwards (tens of millions of dollars) and John Kerry (hundreds of millions of dollars) are the Democratic candidates for the highest offices in the land.
Now, I think it is great that people can make this kind of money in this great land of ours as long as it is legally done and doesn’t come at my expense, but, let’s be frank.
These two have shown no credentials to speak for the working man.
I don’t believe the Democratic Party speaks for the working man either.
Even though the labor unions are big supporters of the Democratic Party, the agenda of the party appears more driven by extremist environmental groups than by the interests of people who farm the land, revitalize the forests, mine the minerals and in general, keep this great economy rolling.
This party appears to be one that advocates letting the forests burn along with the nearby residences of the citizens, advocates eliminating most use of the natural resources for it's citizens and advocates taxing the economy out of existence.
In this election season, the task at hand is to cover the information and position essays coming from the Bush-Cheney and Kerry-Edwards campaigns.
Fortunately, the Web sites of both are easy to navigate and contain volumes of information.
The problem is to discuss the information in an understandable way, you can be the judge of whether I succeed in that.
I’ll start with some of my impressions.
John Kerry likes to throw money at problems – your money.
For health care, he has a complicated plan to increase the federal government’s role in health insurance.
On the surface, the Kerry’s State Children's Health Insurance Program/Medicaid expansion proposal appears attractive, but research by RAND Health suggests that as many as 18 million Americans will lose their employer-sponsored coverage and end up on Medicaid.
This forces taxpayers to bear the costs that today are voluntarily paid by the private sector.
Ms.
Thurmer mentioned Kerry’s tax credit for employers who provide health insurance.
As an employer, it would be nice to receive this, but the accompanying regulations in Kerry’s plan would likely drive up costs for everyone.
If he wants my support, drop the legions of regulations and let the market respond.
I like the idea of medical savings accounts that Congress passed and George Bush signed into law.
I’ve always thought that money spent for medical costs shouldn’t be taxed and MSAs takes care of that.
The jury is still out on how well this works, but it looks promising.
The Prescription Drug benefit for Medicare users has to be lauded, it may end up being more expensive than first touted, but will help seniors without a doubt.
Bush has many proposals on the table, but the most important has to be Medical Liability Reform.
Liability insurance has been one of the biggest drivers for increased health care costs.
With so many ambulance chasers like John Edwards around, something has to be done, but I’m sure the trial lawyers’ lobby will do all it can to defeat this.
Bush’s Association Health Plans, Refundable Tax credits and HSA Deductibility plans are innovative and will reduce, not increase, the tax burden on the citizens.
On the energy front, President Bush has allocated $ 2.1 billion for Clean Coal technologies and $ 1.7 billion for the Hydrogen Fuel Initiative.
Kerry takes the “Sugar Daddy” approach – just spend more money on these programs: $5 billion for Hydrogen and $10 billion for Coal.
Is that good? Possibly, but not necessarily.
Hydrogen fuel cell drivetrain assemblies for automobiles, last time I looked, cost about 25 times more than gasoline drivetrain assemblies.
If the technology is promising, private industry will invest in it, huge amounts of government money are not needed.
It is a stretch to conclude that the privatization that has served this country so well through 215 years deepens the gulf between us as citizens of the greatest nation on earth.
Kerry’s solution is socialization which has the end goal of bringing everyone (except the ruling elite) to a lower level.
That is not good enough.
Rob Crowe chairs the Aitkin County Republicans and raises kids and cows on a farm near Hill City.
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