To the Editor,
It was encouraging to read Brad Finstad’s passionate condemnation of the Mankato State professor who used his position of authority to voice his approval of recent assassinations. The spiritual reflection that led him to do so will no doubt move him to similar condemnation of people who spoke approvingly of the beating of Mr. Pelosi or the leader who sent a mob to commit violence and murder on January 6. I look forward to reading it.
Thank you,
Ed Hammell
Caledonia, Minn.
Anonymous says
Maybe Finstad will address the topics you raised in the flurry of town halls he must surely be holding all throughout his district to remind his constituents about how much better their lives are now than they were nine months ago? Finstad can also remind his constituents of how much better it is for them to be paying higher health care insurance premiums and driving longer distances for medical treatment with many rural hospitals closing.
This website tracks the positions and votes of all politicians, so I’d encourage readers to go there to see what Finstad does, not merely what he says. We’ve frequently been reminded throughout our lifetimes that actions speak much louder than words alone: https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/evaluations/38612/brad-finstad
Although it was open earlier, you may need to set up a username and password to enter the Vote Smart website, where you’ll find the information that will be provided in the next paragraph.
At the previously cited VoteSmart website, by left clicking on the topic heading, you’ll see that for the category “Animals and Welfare”, with respect to four related organizations, Finstad has three 0% ratings and another rating of 8%. He has two 0% ratings from both organizations that advocate for campaign finance reform. Finstad has three 0% ratings from organizations concerned with Elections. Under the heading “Entitlements and Safety Nets”, you’ll see that he’s received a 7% rating from the Alliance for Retired Americans and a 0% rating from the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare (NCPSSM). For anyone who wishes to leave behind a clean environment for their children and grandchildren, under the heading “Environment”, Finstad has one 22% rating, a 12% rating, a 10% rating and four 0% ratings. Under “Family”, you’ll see that Finstad has received a 0% rating from the Children’s Defense Fund Minnesota. For all you gun lovers who are O.K. with anyone who wants to use your children and grandchildren for target practice at school, Finstad has three gun advocacy ratings of 85%, 92% and an “A” grade. Under the heading, “Natural Resources”, Finstad has received 0% ratings from Clean Water Action and the League of Conservation Voters. Given the amount of oil drilling sites that proliferate in SE Minnesota, voters will be pleased to see that Finstad has received a 100% rating from the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA). Conservatives will be pleased with his 80% ratings from the John Birch Society and women will love his 0% rating from the American Association of University Women.
The ratings in the preceding paragraph strongly suggest that Finstad represents some interests, but how many of those interests benefit you? Does the immense windfall of wealth enjoyed by billionaires during the past nine months improve your life, assuming that improvement of your own life even matters?
So, how often has Finstad voted in line with White House priorities? If you go to this page, you’ll find that Finstad voted as the White House wished 100% of the time, as did his other three Republican counterparts from Minnesota, simply scroll ahead to page 6 of 29 for House of Representatives votes: https://www.americanprogressaction.org/article/the-trump-scorecard-how-often-members-of-congress-vote-with-the-trump-administration/
Couldn’t Finstad and his like-minded Republican colleagues simply sign the equivalent of a proxy indicating that they are willing to allow the White House to vote on their behalf? He could then simply stay home. But isn’t voting with the Executive Branch 100% of the time the same as living in a dictatorship?
Regarding the comments made by the Minnesota State University, Mankato professor, this story by the Mankato Free Press provides some further context: https://www.mankatofreepress.com/news/local_news/finstad-renews-call-for-resignation-of-msu-professor/article_ed61877d-6bcf-41e3-816f-4c8f72669c2d.html
Come to think of it, where are the stories in the Fillmore County Journal (FCJ) about the town halls that Finstad has been holding in SE Minnesota?
How could Finstad resist the opportunity to boast to his constituents about all his party has done to improve the lives of the 99% in this country, i.e., the people who actually know how many houses and cars/trucks they own?
After conducting an online search, this writer found many stories about Finstad being invited to attend town halls and refusing to attend. What is it or who is it, exactly, that Finstad is afraid of?
Is Finstad going after the Minnesota State University, Mankato professor to distract the voters from the fact that he seems too terrified of his constituents to hold public town hall meetings?
There may be something to be said for knowing who we are voting for during elections and rather than relying upon slick campaign advertising or the “D” or “R” designation that follows their name, conducting our own research to determine if a candidate running to re-election has done anything to improve our life or rather, if their actions have made our lives more difficult.
Perhaps we might do well when when we vote to ask ourselves if we are willing to cast our vote for someone who holds us in such low regard that they don’t believe it worth their time to meet with us to explain their actions and answer questions that are posed to them?