Making Hay While a Minnesota Sun Shines.

As is the case, since ever I worked in any horse barn, the hay shows up on the real hot days.

Today was a beautiful summer day. Ninety and some odd degrees. This is Minnesota, we are surrounded by vibrant green fields and many, many lakes and ponds.

When the sun comes out lots of water jumps into the air.

First it's all around you and you can feel it. When you go out into the sun it is especially hot and thick. You get damp and hot.

You learn to appreciate a breeze.

Walking in fields is difficult. Cleaning stalls seems never ending. Just picking up a lead line becomes a chore.

It is hot and humid.

You can see over on the horizon, above the tree line, clouds growing. Thick white vapor columns rising and growing. These huge water monsters arise, awaken, and storm across the countryside.

But until then, probably about 4:30 this afternoon, the three hundred bales of hay need to be stacked in the overhead and the barn needs to be cleaned and then the animals need to come back in.

Some are a little sweaty.

They prefer the cool barn, it's not the heat it's the humidity.

Spring is Gone, Summer is Here.

It has been a very busy spring for me.

We have watched the leave come out of the trees and bushes and unfurl. They have that brand new crispness that makes the woods look especially brite and vibrant, you only get that in the spring.

I have seen more Bluebirds, as well as other fun little colorful birds, this spring than ever before. I think its because I am spending more time, especially mornings, very near the Mississippi river and a tributary stream to it - Silver Creek. This is perfect song bird territory and on one of the big migration routes.... Also the owner has bird baths, feeders, suet and hummingbird straws.

It is now the first day of Summer and we have had some hot humid days and some good rains, but not everywhere has had rain and there are many dry spots around Minnesota.

We have made lot's of progress on many fronts.

Base line daily work at the double H stables ("HH")/ Haines Tree Service with weekly forays in the nautical direction.

I also have been taking weekly "breaks" to work jumpcrew at some horse events located about Minnesota.

Just finished one yesterday (Sunday) out Loretto way. we had a happy little hummingbird come into the judges stand, twice.

(Loretto is west of the twin cities about 25 miles for those not familiar with our state. Wooded rolling moraines with homes and farms and lots of glacial remnant lakes.)

I had the sailboat "Liberty" along and got her out on Lake Independence and tested the repaired sail. All is good!

Steve also acquired the 28' "Aqua flite Deck 280" and we have had it up and operating.

It is a FANTASTIC lounging and fishing platform. "Steves' Clubhouse" is a twenty eight foot long and eight foot wide pontoon boat. The front two thirds are flat decked for fishing, swimming or lawn chairs, and the rest is under canopy, with Pilot chair, table and cushioned seating for four.

Steve is a great guy, a fine machinist, but Steve is also a tall heavy landlubber. I am always nervous when canoeing with him. Now we have the perfect platform for everyone! I am going to have to work on uploading some pictures.

I now need to go to get my motor boat out of the shop. 135 Johnson needed help we were not situated to give. This will be our runabout. It's an aluminum V-hull, as yet to be named.

Now she is turn-key ready.

I also had an opportunity to be part of an event in Shorview. I was speaking on the Forests of Minnesota at an event centered on free market ecology. I was the closer, fifth of five.

I think it went well, I brought along a large plywood cutout of the state of Minnesota for display and reference. Gave rough description of things and a little on succession.

I had been living the last week out of a motel in Medina, I am now home. While away I bought Jacklyn, now 4, some animals for her barn. A momma Giraffe and a Baby Giraffe. She liked them so did her mother. I also brought home the game "Hi-Ho Cherry-o". She likes games.

I got a call from the boss at "HH" last nite and she said I didn't have to come in today. That was nice, she new I was wiped.

So today I recover and get back to a normal pattern. Tomorrow I go to work back in Stillwater.

A Point in Time.

I have been following the Minnesota Legislature for about twenty years now. The House, the Senate, the Governor(s).

I have seen many of all kinds.

I remember Willard Munger before he admitted in the paper he was a socialist and told Paul Wellstone to vacate his pledge to only two terms as Senator.

House leadership under International Falls' Irv. Anderson and the rocky end of that era, leading to the Dee Long's, Phil Carruthers's and Margaret Anderson-Kelliher's.

With the spending and controlling mania of the DFL virtually unchecked, the Government costs has been doubling at an alarming rate while the individuals and businesses of Minnesota carry an ever increasing burden of rules and taxes.

Those that stay I mean, many are leaving. It is sad.

We all remember the Senate, with the firm controlling rule of the Joe Bertram years (of Paynesville in Stearns County). He, with his brother Jeff in the House, where so drunk with power they were handing out PCR chits worth fifty tax dollars to people for haircuts and stealing leather vests from stores.

I was one of his constituents and I went to his office while in session daily to call for his resignation.

He did finally, but the ways of the Minnesota Senate didn't skip a beat, marching ever forward to the glorious future of fairness.

They've had their own history of some rather ignoble behavior on behalf of the people of Minnesota.

Often it seems especially hard on the non-DFL women.

The way they treated Carol Molnau of late comes to mind, and Bob Greenburg, a local vegan eco-freak for light rail had to chose a women Senator (Flynn I think) to pie at the entry to the Senate.

The local papers said the "violence" was in the fist behind the pie. Justifying, at least to themselves, that it was not an act of violence.
I think she was violated.

But that's just the DFL (strib) rationalizing its own uncivilized behavior. They do that a lot you know.

Hubris, the DFL is loaded with Hubris by the tanker-full.

[The one balcony to the Senate is still closed due to the antics of the Sierra Club during the NSP nuclear dry cask storage "debate"]

In an attempt to appear stately the Senate has, in the past, left the more blatant smash and grab work for the more emotional House or maybe the latest "look at me" sitting in the Attorney Generals' Office.

But maintaining the growth pattern of their favorite pet; the Machine of Government here in the North Star State, has required them to sully their white shirts a bit.

And both bodies are much controlled by the agencies of bureaucracy now representing a large DFL voting block.

Just who is running the asylum?

We know if the agency doesn't like an Executive appointment to lead their bureaucracy they will mutiny.

Just as the tough guy; Jesse Ventura, about his attempted appointment of some FBI person to lead the DNR. [very powerful, the eco-govenmental complex of Minnesota]

This year, after five months of ignoring the big budget shortfall, the DFL leadership and majority in the Senate, lead by Lawrence Pogemiller and James Metzen {with a supporting role by DFL house tax committee chairman and governor hopeful of Cook Minnesota; Thomas Bakk} offered a tax increasing solution to vote on.

A big part was a 2 billion dollar item called "Property Tax Recognition Shift".
Sounds a lot like "Payment In Lieu of Taxes" or PILT money.

It seems we're running a little short of slush funds these days.

It also seems that when the Government owns more property, then local property tax revenues drop.

I think encouraging private property ownership, or at least not referring to it as a "Threat", would serve us much better.

In the process of bullying through this tax bill on the last day before the Constitutionally mandated deadline, the Senate leadership ignored the Rules of the Senate, rules of parliamentary procedure, Roberts Rules of Order, simple rules of protocol, respect, decency, and democracy.

Just like in their elections, the DFL legislatures are patronizingly gracious winners and ruthlessly vicious losers.

Spring is Here. The Boats are Launched and the Legislature is Docked.

It has been a very busy two/three weeks for me. I worked the horse show at Hugo.

Usually during the summer I work just the horse shows here in Minnesota with some off time between for other things, but this year I have a regular job working at the double "H" stables / Haines Tree Service out of Stillwater.

It makes the Sunday end of show breakdown and cleanup day a lead in to a week at "HH". It is a little taxing and makes Monday long.

Yesterday Steve, Gary and I took the motorboat to the shop, we need to get the 135hp Johnson up and running.

We also have acquired a 28 foot pontoon boat and trailer. It needs some work. The deck needs replacement, the motor is shot, and the pontoons have a few dents.

But its twenty eight feet long and we will get it up and on the lake. It may have little power at first but it will have a gas grill.

We intend to launch it and anchor it as our flag ship. Then we can canoe and sail our other vessels around and also have a lounge area on the lake.

This is going to be great!

Changing the subject to give a little closure to the legislative session, the DFL at the last moment pulled out their plan - raise taxes. No one was surprised.

They seem to think that talking about trivial things till the last moment would jam the Governor to follow their lead.

They thought that they left him with the choice of signing on to their plan or force a government shutdown or a special session.

Bad assumptions by the big brains in the DFL.

The Governor was not moved by their tear soaked pleas to follow the words of Jesus and further empower the tax collectors. (How they got that interpretation, I still don't know.)

The Gov. vetoed their government employment plan and began taking charge of the States Budget and began line item "un-allotments" to balance the budget.

The typical and predictable wailing and gnashing of teeth commenced.

The press releases describing tales of woe and doom to come from this horrible action by the Governor have been issued constantly from all government quarters; State, County and City as well as all government subsidized enterprises and "non-profits".

We have been bombarded by threats that the “sky is falling” and other false threats for years.

All to induce fear in the populace to coerce them into following the DFL in there liberty thieving and tax guzzling ways.

It has worked for years.

But like Abe Lincoln (who died on April 15) says: “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.”

I think the “F” in DFL no longer stands for “Farmer”, but “Fool”.

May in Minnesota

It is now the second week of May. Today is Mothers Day.

Here in Minnesota, the leaving of winter behind is now total, even though it is 30 degrees in International Falls.

The trees are leafing out, and the song birds are back and nesting. The clouds are racing by in front of a high pressure system bringing in bright, but cool Canadian air.

The first mowing of the year has been done in most yards and the tulips are opening brilliant red and yellow this morning. The coffee is perfect.

It is warming and this is one of the best canoe times of the year, no bugs yet. I'll be on the Saint Francis River meandering through parts of Sherburne County before it meets the Elk Rivers' trek to the Mississippi.

The Fishing opener was Friday and the Governor held his event just south of Forest Lake in White Bear Lake. I was in town and ate breakfast at the diner. It was a nice day but with a chilly wind and more clouds than blue sky.

In town, the large "workers rights" [communist] May Day parade at Powder Horn Park in Saint Paul had a float drive over an individual, nothing major but rather symbolic if you ask me.

In Saint Paul the legislature is now being compressed to the May 18 deadline and the demand for tax hikes is beginning to increase in pitch.

It is proposed by the DFL that we adopt a fourth income tax bracket, and raise all of the ones we already have.
This would make two of the highest income tax brackets in the nation exist here in industry crushing Minnesota.

Also they intend to raise taxes on alcohol consumers. The stuff for drinking, they still want to subsidies that intended for the gas tank.
[More irrational energy nonsense brought to you by the powerful environmental lobby.]

The tax-guzzling, special interest groups that live off of working Minnesotans are also making maneuvers for the new monies generated by the "legacy" amendment.

It was voted into law last election based on a false, fear mongering, tax funded, campaign that brow-beat Minnesotans into believing that our water was dangerously polluted and needed this additional remedy now.

To secure political support at the Capitol the so-called "sportsmen" joined with the so called "arts" lobby. They ended up splitting this new revenue stream and are giddy with new money, power and influence.

Watching such sycophantic and demeaning groveling and pawning by these groups and their members at the feet of these committee meetings, is embarrassing enough. To know that we are paying these people handsomely to behave so cravenly is more than a little disturbing.

Public Broadcasting here in Minnesota did well by their (our) marketing investment on behalf of the tax hike.

The Minnesota Film Board is angling for some of these "new arts dollars". They can be seen interviewed on "news" shows saying how a dollar they are given creates five in the economy.

They may understand lobbying and grant righting and all that, but they have a clear lacking in the understanding of basic economics.

Minnesota is vast and varied in terrain, vegetation and climate. There are advantages to making a movie here naturally. We do not need a "film board".

I don't think we need a department of tourism for many of the same reasons. Trust me, people will vacation in Minnesota without the MN Dept. Of Tourism.

They did before.

These closed-loops, that lobby for tax dollars with tax dollars, have contributed significantly to the unsustainable financial mess Minnesota and its industrious citizens are burdened under.

Things must change. Things will change.

Politically that is.

Minnesota will always be beautiful in May.

Green Bays' Jetsam Drifting to Minnesota.

There is much discussion lately around here in Minnesota, as well as amongst our neighbors to the east in Wisconsin, about the possibility of Brett Favre quarterbacking for the Minnesota Vikings.

Many people have been voicing strong opinions all around.

In Wisconsin, where the Green Bay Packers are the Government owned professional football team, they speak of betrayal and disappointment.

They also make taunting remarks usually about Superbowl victories and the possibility of Brett making it possible for the Vikes to actually win one.

In Minnesota most think Favre, although very talented, is past his prime.

I think most people, including the professional sport journalists, are not reading the data properly and are coming to wrong conclusions.

I do not believe that Mr. Favre has any intentions of the quarterback position with the Vikings.

I think Brett Favre is very possibly going to be on the coaching staff of the Minnesota Vikings.

Rally's for Tax Cuts

This weekend there will be a gathering of some friends of mine at the State Capitol in Saint Paul.

We have been meeting for many years now. I started having these little regular get togethers after the first billion dollar bonding bill well over a decade ago.

It was just a small group of us then. Myself, Colin my brother and Charles Test; then Chair of the Libertarian Party of Minnesota.

I reserved the steps at the Capitol, built the "lug-a-lectern" and the "port-a-podium".
We hauled them up the stairs, set up the works (with a sound system provided by C. Test), weighed it down with sandbags and cranked up the tunes.

I did the M.C. work for most of them.

Over time others who were there include then State Representative Phil Krinkie, Tom Workman, Todd Van Dellum, Kevin Knight, and State Senator Linda Runbeck and Carol Molnau, just to name a few.

There were lots of people you never heard of. Many helped in many little ways. Some fed me, some bought me gasoline or lunch. Ken Iverson gave me an old car of his when mine died.

These get togethers came to be called rallys.

Some were titled such as the "Give it Back", "Give it all Back" and "Tax cuts Now!" rallys.
Eric Escola of CBS came to refer to us as the "Give It All Back" crowd on "Almanac" and elsewhere.

Jesse Ventura spoke at one of our "Give it Back" rallys prior to his election as Governor. The pictures are funny in that I built the podium to fit me, at five feet seven inches. Needless to say Jesse Ventura is quite taller than that.

At least a year before that, house Speaker Steve Sviggum spoke. He had a great prop I helped him display, a very large pink porciline pig.

The crowd loved it and the photos are great.

Now these rallys are known as the annual "Jason Lewis" tax cut rallys.
You saw me lead the Pledge of Allegeance at last years "Tax Cut Rally".

(I and some others had a complaint sustained by the MN News Council from last years coverage by WCCO. Read my complaint here at; "Complaint to MN News Council")

I delivered the Pledge of Allegiance at the "Tea Party" on the 15th of April.

I am very happy with the momentum and support gained over these many years.

What started with three is now easily thirteen thousand strong, and growing.

I may not get the opportunity to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance this year, but I don't mind at all.

It is nice to watch and not have to worry about making cues, setting lecturns and all the other incidentals I have done for all these years.

It is good to sit down and look back with satisfaction at the movements growth.

Hopefully we shall see our efforts bear fruit.