IMPORTANT NOTICES

1.  Newsletter: Annual Meeting, Election, Picnic

click here > 2009may

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2. Senior Caucus Calendar click here to go calendar page

3. The door to the White House is now open.  Just a click away!

Visit the Open White House
Track the Stimulus on Recovery dot Gov
Contact the White House

Senior Caucus Board. 2009-2011

A new Senior Caucus Board was elected at the Annual Membership Meeting, May 30, 2009.  Two officers, Secretary and Treasurer were elected.  The following list includes their CD and SD.

Pawlenty needs to drop cuts to get Federal Medicare money

Governor needs to eliminate cuts to get federal Medicare money..

Respond to Governor Pawlenty’s Veto Threat Now!

>Forum on National Healthcare Solutions-May 12,2009

>Merit Selection & Retention Elections for MN Judges

>Resource – Unemployment Lifeline

Unemployment LifeLine is a joint project of Working America, the Working America Education Fund and the AFL-CIO, with the help of AFL-CIO Community Services Liaisons throughout the country. The United Way of America, on behalf of 2-1-1 US, is a contributor to this project.   Click here for info.

MN Republicans on a Veto track

Today’s news from the Minnesota House…

Minority leader reiterates no new taxes mantra

House Minority Leader Marty Seifert sent a stern warning to House and Senate Democrats about the need to strip proposed tax increases from their omnibus bills.

http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/hinfo/sessiondaily.asp?yearid=2009&storyid=1798

Published 4/17/2009

Budget News

Several of the House’s major spending bills were split up and realigned to match up with the Senate’s budget proposals.

http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/hinfo/sessiondaily.asp?yearid=2009&storyid=1801

Published 4/17/2009
Education

The omnibus K-12 education finance bill was approved by the House Finance Division without one controversial provision.

http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/hinfo/sessiondaily.asp?yearid=2009&storyid=1800

Published 4/17/2009
Stimulus

The House speaker said that stimulus funds could complicate a smooth end to the end of session.

http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/hinfo/sessiondaily.asp?yearid=2009&storyid=1799

Published 4/17/2009

MN Budget – Keep up to date!

What is the latest on the Minnesota Budget deliberations?  The answer to that is constantly changing.  One of the best and most readable sources for keeping in touch is MinnesotaBudgetBites.org.  Try going there and see if it works for you.

Minnesota Budget Info On-line

New (Apri 6) budget information is available

>Sales tax expansion recommended

4/21/09.  Expanding the state’s sales tax to necessities could become reality

>Budget Tensions – Governor vs House

The House speaker discussed legislative leaders’ ‘tense’ first

meeting with the governor on budget solutions, and also previewed next
week’s legislative activity.
Click here
Published 3/27/2009

>Action! Help Needed with Red River Flood

ACTION ALERT: Help Needed with Red River Flood

Minnesotans in the Red River Valley desperately need our help to protect their communities from flooding.  Governor Pawlenty has formally declared a disaster in seven northwestern Minnesota counties and the time for us to act is now to help save homes and lives.

Go to the DFL website for more info.

The Salvation Army is on the scene.  Go to SALVATION ARMY for more on this and to donate.

Health Plan for All – Concerns it Raises

A Health Plan for all and the concerns it raises.  By Reed Abelson, NY Times, Mar. 25. 2009

It is one of the most contentious health care proposals President Obama has floated: offer a federal, Medicare-like insurance plan to anyone, at any age. And let commercial insurers offer their private health plans alongside it.

“It gives consumers more choices, and it helps keep the private sector honest, because there’s some competition out there,” Mr. Obama said this month at a health care forum in Washington.

But

Info notice – Instant Runoff Voting

“Adopt Instant Runoff Voting for state and local elections” is a DFL Action Agenda position click here to read.

Fair Vote Minnesota has put out a call for volunteers for March 21:

March 21 – Volunteer for the DFL City Convention

Start: Mar 21 2009 – 9:00am

End: Mar 21 2009 – 12:30pm

The Better Ballot Campaign will share Instant Runoff Voting information, make walking sign holders of volunteers, and let the delegates try IRV out with a tasty breakfast demonstration election. Come to volunteer (you don’t have to be from St.Paul), stay to rally!

If you are interested or curious, go to http://www.fairvotemn.org/node/1100

Want to know more about IRV, click on Instant Runoff Voting Primer at the above Web page.

>More on the “Switch to Digital TV”

Back on Feb 10, we posted an item about the mandatory switch to digital TV being delayed until June 12 at the request of the Obama Administration.  A couple of you had questions and one person commented that the post did not mention that viewers with a digital TV set  hooked up to cable were okay.  That’s one option, but some may find it too costly.  For those who have questions about who will be affected by this switch and what you can do about it, the following website seems to cover the subject thoroughly and has a link to obtaining a converter coupon.  If you have questions, check it out.  If you have friends without internet access that will be affected by the switch, please share the info with them.   Now, go to >

http://www.dtvanswers.com/

>What did Legislators learn at the Listening Sessions?

House DFL leaders called the 23 town hall meetings held around the state a success in public problem solving, and said Minnesotans appear keenly aware of the deficit government has gotten itself into.

Unfortunately, that hole is expected to get deeper when the February Forecast is released on March 3.

>Minnesota’s Michele Bachmann Tells Michael Steele: “You Be Da Man!”

From Huffington Post article

Minnesota’s “loose-cannon” is at it again —

>Something to think about – Lobbyists Line Up to Torpedo Speech Proposals

“Industries from health care to agribusiness to mining that stand to lose under President Barack Obama’s policy agenda are ramping up lobbying campaigns to derail or modify his plans.”

Read this article

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123561083268377547.html

>Healthcare – “Comparative-Effectiveness”

A relatively obscure proposal in Obama’s economic stimulus plan, named “comparative-effectiveness,” stirred passions on both sides of the healthcare reform effort.

To go to LA Times article click here or read entire complete article on the website here.