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Andrew Kearney

Stillwater, MN
Commenter for
4 years 11 weeks

Recent Comments

Posted on 05/03/13 at 11:43 am in response to Brett Stevens: Lavender magazine columnist riles gay activists by pushing for civil unions

I think Brett is right. There has not been enough conversation about this. The move from opposing a constitutional amendment to legalizing gay marriage was too quick and too abrupt. People in conservative areas are mad about this. They think they have been lied to by Minnesota United. We should all consider that perhaps it is time to separate marriage and civil unions-leave marriages to the church or for any private ceremony and require all marriages to be civil unions-the same for...

Posted on 04/30/13 at 02:46 pm in response to The importance of Keith Ellison, a patriotic American who's also a Muslim

Joan Walsh's article is a bit over the top. We should not be villfying whole groups of people AND we should be aware that there is a radicalizing movement going on within very small segments of the Muslim community. The best people to take care of this is the Muslim community. I would much prefer to see Rep. Ellison spend equal time on condemning this radicalization as he does warning against group blame. I think the Police Commissioners' operations are justified. Could they be augmented...

Posted on 04/20/13 at 11:50 am in response to Where Bachmann campaign probes stand after a busy week

Did I miss it or did the media completely miss MB traveling overseas to attend Margaret Thatcher's funeral?

Posted on 04/13/13 at 10:16 am in response to Minnesota for Marriage holds state-wide rallies to oppose gay marriage legislation

I am all for the above and cultural peace, too. I am also in favor of marriage equality. But I think the proponents of a legislative change this year have been dishonest. In rounding up opinion last year to stop the constitutional amendment we were told to reassure voters pondering this that a vote No would not mean there would be 'gay marriage'. It seems dishonest and dis-genuine to be rolling this out within months of the historic defeat of the amendment. It does not give more...

Posted on 04/10/13 at 04:53 pm in response to Repair of special-ed funding gap is missing from omnibus ed bill

is driven by two main factors. First, it costs more to provide extra services to students with disabilities. That's a no-brainer. Second, special education funding is driven by parental veto over services. Schools can't really say no. (thank goodness most parents are reasonabl) That is one of the four foundational pillars of special education (IEP, LRE and FAPE are the other three). It is federal law and it is bipartisan. Congress passed the law in 1972 and included in the law that the...

Posted on 04/08/13 at 10:55 am in response to Less prosperous school districts pin hopes on Legislature

I hear the complaints from folks like the Anoka superintendent-his is the real world whereas sometimes the campaigning around school finance is a fairy tale. A couple observations: taxpayers are paying for achievement gap resolution three times over-first with the basic formula and levies, second with integration aid and thirdly with special education funds where a plurality of the money goes to Specific Learning Disabilities-the program that unsuccessfully and expensively tries to repair...

Posted on 03/28/13 at 12:07 am in response to Sequestration is a big blow to an already ailing mental-health system

Almost simultaneous to sequestration another blow to the mental health system occurred within the state system but was caused by national forces. Each year rates are set for the publically funded privately provided mental health system. These rates include payment for everything from out-patient counseling to day treatment, in-home mental health and a variety of other services. The provider community was shocked as were state officials to find that the rates for 2013 will decrease. For...

Posted on 03/15/13 at 12:27 pm in response to Background-checks gun bill advances in Senate, but fate uncertain

It's unfortunate that Latz uses a term (petulant) about a woman legislator that he would not use with a man. But the man has now made two very big political blunders. If the House is lost in 2014 DFL'ers should hold Latz accountable. He has purposely introduced two of the G (Gays and Guns) issues into the Legislative calendar after the party campaigned against the Republicans for 'promoting 'divisive social issues' in the 2012 Legislature. These issues are not going to play well in rural...

Posted on 03/15/13 at 08:31 pm in response to Background-checks gun bill advances in Senate, but fate uncertain

I don't want to be too PC but I think men have to watch their language. Latz who 'instructed the committee' on the powers of the chair calls someone petulant because he took her bill hostage. Who's he kidding? That's petulant. I do not care for Julianne Ortman and other harsh Sarah Palin types. I find them more offensive than many R men but I temper that with the recognition that this is the way many women are. I don't buy into the feminist perspective that 'if we ran the rowld it...

Posted on 03/08/13 at 11:40 am in response to Political boomerang: GOP’s defeated amendment put same-sex marriage on fast track

Everyone knows that in the swing districts that make up control of the MN Housethe populace is strongly opposed to this. There is a strong possibility that if these members vote yes as many want to do they will lose their next election.So DFL'ers have a choice. Wait two years to let the new policies in every other area of government settle in and re-make Minnesota in the way so many of us believe is our real soul-bringing justice and equity to the working poor and give two years for the...