The Savage Republican

Please accept my apology for electing you governor. You are a good man and deserve better than having to deal with the childish behavior displayed by the Minnesota Senate. Obviously taking a cue from their friends in Washington, they decided it would be more fun to do nothing than actually do the work of the people of Minnesota. They also have decided they know better than the people of Minnesota and will keep us from voting on the Defense of Marriage Act. What makes this even sadder is that with the Minnesota system of elections, we only have the opportunity every four years to get rid of these children, so we are stuck with this nonsense for another election cycle.

I am surprised that with all the “Minnesota nice” that exists, four DFL senators could not be found to put partisan politics aside and do what is good for the entire state. Where is the bipartisan cooperation we are always hearing of?, Does bipartisanship only mean Republicans voting with Democrats, but not the other way around? If just four senators had decided to vote for Minnesota instead of for their party, things would have been different. But alas, they did not.

Luckily, Minnesotans had a chance to see what happens when you let one party stay in power too long. We have seen them view their leadership role as a right, not a privilege. With the current political trends in Minnesota, it will not be long before the Senate goes the way of the rest of Minnesota’s government and becomes Republican. Until that time Mr. Pawlenty, please accept our apology and our prayers.

Now for the current issue of an education commissioner. Once again the Senate decided they did not like an opinionated woman with strong moral values in a leadership position. They seem to have forgotten that education was a major theme of all the gubernatorial candidates, each with a different vision and view. Mr. Pawlenty was the one chosen by the people of Minnesota, but apparently that doesn’t matter to the DFL senators. They want to continue to receive their checks from the union, so they do not want to listen to the people of the Minnesota, but only maintain partisan politics. They were smart enough to understand what they were doing was wrong, so in the dark of night they rejected a qualified commissioner and cashed their checks. Such is the sad state of politics in Minnesota.

Now you must make a choice for a new commissioner. Luckily for the people of Savage, we know of a great person who would be perfect for the job. Representative Mark Buesgens. His credentials are impeccable for the position: Master Degree in Education Administration. Twenty years in the field education. Ten years as a school administrator including coordinating Math education for an entire school district. He also comes from Scott County, which is one of the fastest growing areas, not only in the State of Minnesota but also in the country. To have a commissioner from here would not only be a great representation of a large population, but Mark has a strong record of representing the ideals and values of this area.

I can think of numerous other reasons that would make Mark qualified, but as the Senate has shown, it is not the candidate’s qualifications that matter, but what political advantage they could gain. This too would actually be to their advantage. Mark has been an active representative in the House. By making him commissioner, the DFL would eliminate one of their opponents in the House. While having him appointed commissioner would be a great loss to us, it would be a great gain for the State of Minnesota. Please seriously consider Mark Buesgens for Education Commissioner.

And now for my next letter.

Dear Mark Buesgens:

Please accept my apology for getting you appointed Education Commissioner.
You are a good man and deserve better than having to deal with the childish behavior displayed by the Minnesota Senate.

(Robert Thibodeaux is one of about a dozen people in the Savage community who write for Community Voices. This column features a different writer each week and is one of several opinion and commentary pieces appearing regularly in this newspaper.)