Today's Postcard from the Plutocrats
According to the latest two mailings in my box from the wealthy businesses and right-wing interests behind "Minnesota's Future," Peter Fischer -- who had the audacity to express a personal opinion in favor of organized trash hauling at some hearing a year ago -- has been retroactively promoted to being "a powerful political boss who helped impose a government takeover of Maplewood's trash business at the expense of the free market and the taxpayers."
Let's remember: The contract was awarded through a competitive RFP process, very much according to free market principles. Just like the free market principles that, say, allow the government to sell the exclusive rights to a section of electromagnetic spectrum used for the broadcasts of Hubbard Broadcasting (owner of KSTP among other stations) -- one of the companies that is funding these attacks on Peter. Or the government mineral leases to the natural gas companies that buy the products of Great Plains Sand, another one of the firms looking to buy this election for their anointed candidate, Stacey Stout.
As for the "expense of the taxpayers" -- the expense was in the old system, that did more harm than necessary to our environment and infrastructure, and cost Maplewood residents $1.6 million per year more than necessary. Companies like these -- and apparently Stacey Stout -- think that no expense is too great or wasteful as long as it goes to the bottom line of a private company.
One could protest the hypocrisy of these companies and their rich owners, but I doubt any of them care about ideological consistency or ethics. And I'm sure they don't care about trash hauling or any phony "political boss" stories they make up. They only care about their bottom lines -- about keeping a Republican majority in the legislature, to protect their wealth from taxes and to protect their businesses from regulations that might prioritize public health and safety above their corporate profits.
If they're attacking Peter Fischer and backing Stacey Stout, it's because they are convinced that Fischer will be worrying about protecting families like yours and mine -- and that Stout is committed to protecting their businesses and wealth first.
To me, each one of these postcards from this gang of plutocrats trying to buy the election, is a reminder of how important it is to vote for Peter Fischer. And after putting their junk mail in the recycling bin where it belongs, think about giving Peter's campaign a few bucks to help him fight back against the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars that these rich out-of-town businesses are spending against him.
Let's remember: The contract was awarded through a competitive RFP process, very much according to free market principles. Just like the free market principles that, say, allow the government to sell the exclusive rights to a section of electromagnetic spectrum used for the broadcasts of Hubbard Broadcasting (owner of KSTP among other stations) -- one of the companies that is funding these attacks on Peter. Or the government mineral leases to the natural gas companies that buy the products of Great Plains Sand, another one of the firms looking to buy this election for their anointed candidate, Stacey Stout.
As for the "expense of the taxpayers" -- the expense was in the old system, that did more harm than necessary to our environment and infrastructure, and cost Maplewood residents $1.6 million per year more than necessary. Companies like these -- and apparently Stacey Stout -- think that no expense is too great or wasteful as long as it goes to the bottom line of a private company.
One could protest the hypocrisy of these companies and their rich owners, but I doubt any of them care about ideological consistency or ethics. And I'm sure they don't care about trash hauling or any phony "political boss" stories they make up. They only care about their bottom lines -- about keeping a Republican majority in the legislature, to protect their wealth from taxes and to protect their businesses from regulations that might prioritize public health and safety above their corporate profits.
If they're attacking Peter Fischer and backing Stacey Stout, it's because they are convinced that Fischer will be worrying about protecting families like yours and mine -- and that Stout is committed to protecting their businesses and wealth first.
To me, each one of these postcards from this gang of plutocrats trying to buy the election, is a reminder of how important it is to vote for Peter Fischer. And after putting their junk mail in the recycling bin where it belongs, think about giving Peter's campaign a few bucks to help him fight back against the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars that these rich out-of-town businesses are spending against him.
Ugghhh!!! Now they have a video out too. It's amazing to me how much a little race like this is worth to people.
Posted by
JR |
10/28/2012 12:41:00 PM
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