To the Editor:
Representative Paulsen, how many more lives will it take? You already know what we want, and it still isn’t going to change.
I don’t want to be scared of school anymore. I don’t want to lose any of my friends or siblings or peers, and I do not want to talk to my teachers about what to throw at a shooter first or what to hide behind. Continue reading “Listen up, Rep. Erik Paulsen”
At a recent Polar Plunge fundraising event in Eden Prairie, I was standing next to a very dear friend when Congressman Erik Paulsen approached the launching pad. My friend clapped loudly, and said something akin to “He’s a good man.” I’ve never met Mr. Paulsen, but my friend has, so I’m inclined to trust his judgement.
What I struggle with is reconciling my friend holding Mr. Paulsen in high regard to two distinctive but perhaps related observations. One s a well-documented record of Mr. Paulsen not conducting face-to-face, on-the-record town hall meetings with his constituents. The other is a dearth of public commentary regarding the personal conduct of the current president of the United States. Continue reading “The 3rd District needs accountability”
It is disingenuous of Erik Paulsen to state that he is not going to host real town halls because people will “grandstand.” He is denying us the right, his constituents as a group, to have a discussion with him as a community. Given that he was elected to represent the community from which he comes, is it not within all our right to expect town hall meetings together with him as that community?
Erik tries to skirt the system by claiming that he meets with citizens and holds phone call “town halls.” To be honest, it’s a rigged system. He or his staff vet who gets to meet in person with him, for the most part, and when they do it is private and the citizen is not allowed to record the encounter. Continue reading “Paulsen’s Phone Town Halls Aren’t Scheduled”
Rep. Erik Paulsen sure is busy telling everyone how great he thinks the tax reform act is. Erik, if the plans is so fantastic why don’t you plan an in-person town hall and have a conversation with your constituents so you can hear what we think?
We all understand that the tax reform act will reduce taxes overall, but it appears to be a gift to the wealthiest individuals and corporations, not working families. Home-owning Minnesotans, especially in cities like Eden Prairie, will see limited benefit or even tax increases while narrow interests, like real estate businesses will have windfall. Republicans used to abhor government picking winners and losers. No more. Continue reading “Income Taxes Aren’t Going to Go Down”
Erik Paulsen paints a very rosy picture for “American families and hard working taxpayers across the nation” in his commentary on tax reform, in the March 15 edition of the Eden Prairie News. This is the rest of the story.
It is important to keep in mind that the tax-reform provisions related to corporations are permanent, while those affecting individual taxpayers expire in 2025. As a result many individuals will have higher paychecks in the near term, thanks to the new tax bracket levels and several increased tax credits. However, the tax bracket levels will return to their previous rates after 2025, while many tax credits will expire. Therefore, depending on one’s personal situation, taxes may increase substantially in 2026. Continue reading “Don’t be fooled by short-term gains”
The following political cartoon appeared in the March 29, 2018 StarTribune:
Vice President Mike Pence wrote a love letter to President Donald Trump and his party that graced the Opinion Exchange page of the Star Tribune on March 28 (“Our tax, energy and trade policies are working for Minnesotans”). The article was misleading in a variety of ways, but particularly so for low-information voters.
Here’s Pence describing how Trump’s policies are “working for Minnesotans”: Continue reading “That was a VP (very poor) commentary.”
To the editor:
Rep. Erik Paulsen’s “town hall” meetings are a joke. First of all, they’re telephone conference calls because for some reason he’s afraid traditional face-to-face open forum meetings with his constituents would be too confrontational. Individuals who have questions for him are screened by an aide for further control. Then after you ask a question, your phone is muted so there’s no opportunity for follow up, which is frustrating because Erik rarely provides a direct answer.
Important questions were asked including why he supported tax reform that limits the state and local tax deduction to $10k and is detrimental to many in his district, why he supported a budget bill that projects a $1.5 trillion deficit, and concerns regarding his record of failing to deal with gun violence over his many years in Washington, as well as his “A” rating by the NRA. Continue reading “Paulsen Doesn’t Listen”
The following article was posted on the Fox9 website March 14, 2018:
(KMSP) – Students and teachers across the country plan to walk out of classWednesday in support of tougher gun laws.
Wednesday marks one month since the deadly school shooting in Parkland, Florida.
Thousands of students at schools across the Twin Cities metro are participated in Wednesday’s demonstration. Beginning at 10 a.m., students got up and left class for 17 minutes to honor the 17 victims killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Continue reading “Minnesota schools join national walkout to protest gun violence”
The article (“Paulsen flexes his muscle on economy”) summarizes the Dean Phillips campaign in the Third Congressional District as well-funded, then stops, as if funding is all that matters. Ideas, principle, passion and a willingness to listen to constituents also matter. Dean Phillips has these; Erik Paulsen does not.
Rod Fisher, Eden Prairie
StarTribune, March 14, 2018
