Independence Minnesota

A Fresh Perspective on National Security

Posted Friday, 21 November 2008 by Jack Uldrich  E-mail

Yesterday, a long-time supporter of the Independence Party brought this fascinating article on Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion to my attention. The technology is still in its infancy, but it looks promising -- which is one reason the federal government has given a $600,000 grant to Lockheed Martin.

Now, I'm no fan of Lockheed Martin but it is worth asking the question: Which is more vital to our national security in the long-run -- developing clean, renewable energy sources or building 400 new F-35 jet fighters at $400 million a pop (which Lockheed Martin is also currently doing)?

I'd argue that the former is more important. If so, perhaps we should give Lockheed Martin $600,000 to develop a new jet fighter and $400,000,000 to develop new sources of energy.

My point is that we, as a country, seem to have our priorities wrong and the Independence Party needs to continue to shed light on the insanity of the situation.

Did you really expect them to bahave differently?

Posted Thursday, 20 November 2008 by Jim Moore  E-mail

After the the most negative campaign in Minnesota history, the US Senate Race has now in the midst of a recount.  And the negativity continues.  Charges, counter charges and challenges are the theme now.  After the recount, it will move to endless rounds of court challenges (As Ventura's chair of the Minnesota Commission on Judicial Election George Soule prognosticated, "Will this end up in the courts?  My best estimate is that it is a 100% likely.").  We're also seeing unfounded accusations of unsecured absentee ballots being driven around town and stroke victims having their absentee ballots rejected...BOTH FALSE...see Pat Kessler's Reality Check. Hang on, it can and will get uglier.

The Media, at it's Best and its Worst

Posted Thursday, 20 November 2008 by Jim Moore  E-mail

We are fortunate to have one of the best, if not the best, editorial cartoonist in the country in Steve Sack of the Star Tribune. He captured the historic sentiment of the country in his post election illustratration of  Abraham Lincoln (seated in his memorial) fist bumping a victorious President-Elect Barack Obama (see it here).  But just two weeks later, he captured the worst of media sentiment in his cartoon of Senator Joe Lieberman as a little boy being whipped by an angry DFL Donkey with a wet noodle (see it here). 

Read more: The Media, at it's Best and its Worst

Minneapolis 2009 IRV Election

Posted Saturday, 15 November 2008 by Peter Tharaldson  E-mail

More Cellphones = Fewer Roads?

Posted Wednesday, 12 November 2008 by Jack Uldrich  E-mail

About the only thing I hate more than being stuck in traffic is being cut off by some idiotic driver who is yakking away on his or her cellphone and, thus, isn’t paying attention to the road. It might then surprise you to know that I’d actually like to see more cellphones being used by drivers, in part, because they might lead to the need for Minnesota to build fewer roads. (Yes, you heard me right, fewer roads.)

To understand this counter-intuitive logic, I’d refer you to an article in today’s Technology Review entitled ”Tracking Traffic with Cell Phones.” It explains how data from cellphones can be retrieved from people’s cellphones (in a manner that doesn’t violate their privacy) but which can then be used to provide real-time traffic data.

If drivers can then use this real-time data to adjust their driving habits, it is entirely possible that traffic congestion will be lessened and Minnesota won’t need to build more roads. Instead, it will simply figure out how to use its existing roads more efficiently.

The Effort to Disenfranchise 437,377

Posted Friday, 07 November 2008 by Jim Moore Comments (2)  E-mail

There is a massive effort by disgruntled DFL activists to disenfranchise the 437,377 of you who voted for Dean Barkley on Tuesday.  Their effort has been aided by some less informed members of the media who are either blissfully ignorant of  the facts, or too complacent to seek them out.   Your principled vote did not elect Norm Coleman.  It made the Independence Party and its centrist candiates an even stronger force for change.

The claims offered by our detractors simply do not hold up to the facts:

Claim:  Dean Barkley cost Al Franken the election.

Facts:

• Al Franken failed to earn 240 more votes from the 361,955 who voted for Barack Obama and not Franken
• Al Franken failed to earn 240 more votes from the 25,000 who voted in the Presidential race but not the Senate race.
• The Star Tribune exit polling showed that if Barkley were not in the race  a whopping 45% would not have voted in this race while the percentages that chose Al Franken or Norm Coleman were statistically even.  The CNN exit polling revealed that an astonishing 75% of Barkley voters would have not voted in this race if Barkley was not on the ballot.  Barkley gave a solid option in a miserably negative race.
•  
• If the recount places Franken on top, the Republicans would then be blasting us.

Claim:  Independence PArty Candidates cost Ashwin Madia and El Tinklenberg their House Races.

Facts: 

• If IP candidate David Dillon were not in the race, Ashwin Madia would have needed to earn 86% of his votes.  Statistically impossible in a center right district. 
• The IP cross-endorsed El Tinklenberg.  Even if we could have excluded Bob Anderson from the ballot, Tinklenberg would have had to earn 65% of Andersons votes that came from more conservative areas of the District.

Claim:  The Independence Party always hurts the Democratic Candidate

Facts:

• 1992 Barkley in 6th CDHouse Race:  Republican wins (Grams)
• 1994 Barkley in US Senate Race:  Republican wins (Grams again)
• 1996 Barkley in US Senate Race: Democrat wins (Wellstone)
• 1998 Jesse Ventura in Governors Race: Independent wins (Ventura)
• 2000 Tom Foley in 4th CD House Race: Democrat wins (McCollum)
• 2000 Jim Gibson in US Senate Race:  Democrat wins (Dayton)
• 2002 Tim Penny in Governors Race: Republican wins (Pawlenty) -- Penny was leading until the tragic Wellstone death
• 2002 Jim Moore in US Senate Race: Republican wins (Coleman) -- Wellstone was well ahead prior to his tragic death
• 2006 Robert Fitzgerald in US Senate Race:  Democrat wins (Klobuchar)
• 2006 Peter Hutchinson in Governors Race:  Republican wins (Pawlenty)
• 2006 Tammy Lee in in 5th CD House Race:  Democrat wins (Ellison)
• 2006 John Binkowski in 6th CD House Race: Republican wins (Bachman)

Pretty even outcomes.  Democratic failures are in large part due to the weak and very abrasive candidates they ran in place of their rising stars: particularly Roger Moe, Mike Hatch, and Al Franken.  Imagine if the Democrates had ran another Amy Klobuchar or Republicans had run an Arne Carlson.  Alas, when you are beholden to the money train of special interests, it never works out that way.

To those 437,377 of you who voted for Dean Barkley, Thank You!  While those who fail to see their own shortcomings vilify you, you have done this state a great service in ensuring that the parties that put forth these filthy campaigns and partisan candidates are put on notice.  Marginalize us at your own risk.   We're here to stay and we're here to win. 

Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) would alleviate these concerns, but the powers that be do not have the courage to implement it, for it would show how weak their support truly is.  All of Minnesota would love to know how this race would have turned out with IRV, but we lack a political scientist or a media outlet with the curiousity to test the undercurrent of our three party elections.  Perhaps they fear losing their influence as well. 

3rd party fade theory goes down in flames!

Posted Wednesday, 05 November 2008 by Peter Tharaldson Comments (2)  E-mail

Political scientists, who have gotten practically nothing right this year, have long suggested that 3rd party candidates fade towards the election. Well- they better hit the books again. Every one of our candidates this year went up or held their own. That should not be a surprise. It has happened more often than not for Independence Party candidates. The fact is some go down, some stay the same, some go up, just like any other major party's candidates. It looks like that propoganda called "Third Parties in America", the one that uses seven presidential races going  back to the 1920's to make idiotic conclusions...is really a bunch of hooeey.

Oh BTW- we are still here and we are much bigger than before. I guess you will have to rip up chapter 13 as well.

What if Barkley hadn't run?

Posted Wednesday, 05 November 2008 by Peter Tharaldson  E-mail

What if Dean Barkley had not run?

According to the National Election Pool exit polls, 45% of his supporters would not have voted...they would have been disenfranchised. That's the real story for having other choices. BTW- Coleman and Franken would have only gotten 24% each (even), and sadly those voters would have been voting against the worse of two evils, the ones who slimed Minnesota with the worst campaigning ever!

Focus on Biotechnology

Posted Tuesday, 04 November 2008 by Jack Uldrich  E-mail

Change is in the Air

Posted Tuesday, 04 November 2008 by Jack Uldrich  E-mail

After almost two years of campaigning, it is finally here: Election Day! Change is in the air, but not for the reasons one might expect.

Regardless of a person’s preference for president, I don’t actually believe they (or any politician for that matter) will be the primary instrument of change in the near future. That mantle will instead belong to technology.

Let me just provide a quick glimpse from the world of technology through the lens of a single day—today.

I began my morning by reading this article on a “solar power game changer.” The piece describes how a new antireflective coating now allows for the “near perfect” absorption of sunlight. In other words, society is one step closer to solar technology replacing a number of conventional energy sources. Politicians can clamor all they want about “clean coal” and “more drilling,” but my hunch is that technological advances will render their opinions and policy suggestions moot.

Next, I stumbled across this article discussing a new ”heart-patching” technology. Combined with yesterday’s announcement by a Medtronic official that the “medical device industry is done,” it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that health care is quickly moving in the direction of preventative care.

Finally, over the weekend 60 Minutes ran a fascinating story describing the advances in brain-computer interface technology. If you didn’t see it, I strongly encourage you to watch it below. After you have done so, ask yourself this: How much do you think society will change by the time we vote again for president in 2012 and 2016?

Now, I believe in democracy and I believe it matters which individuals (and which political parties) control the White House and Congress, but our elected officials should spend less time promising that they will “deliver” change and more time helping society prepare for the change that is coming because it is going to be massive.