More Comments About the SD 16 Convention.

Cory Ewing added this comment to his earlier comment on DMO:

I would like to add that in this special District 16 Senate election, Alison Krueger was a weak candidate from the beginning. She has just been a puppet for a powerful group in District 16 that has future aspirations of a top position in MN. She has not once made up her own mind for herself and needs to be walked through everything by this group. Having to be advised to sign a non-compete and then waffling on it because she didn't realize what she was signing is not good character of a Senate Candidate. She comes across as a very whiny individual and does not know how to handle a loss. She complained about Mark's people showing up to the nominating convention and not her's. Work harder then next time. Where were your advisors on that one Alison??? We do not need a Candidate who is running only to help out someone else's future aspirations. Dinner at the Governor's Mansion would have been nice, right Alison?

Drew Emmer left this comment at MN Publius about Kruegger:

If said “elitists” truly wanted to control the outcome in SD16 they would have made their displeasure with Mark Olson’s candidacy known BEFORE the endorsing convention. To suggest that anyone should be precluded from having an opinion about the decision of the SD16 delegates runs counter to the Constitution.

The idea that Alison Krueger was chosen by a group of aggressive party elites is patently false. The only insider that influenced Alison was Senator Betsy Wergin when she asked Alison to run. I believe much of the SD16 displeasure with Betsy’s suggestion to run Alison was that Betsy didn’t clear it with the SD16 folks first. Considering Mark Olson supporters chilly regard for Senator Wergin it’s not hard to understand why she would make her suggestion independently.

The MNGOP had nothing to do with Alison Krueger’s candidacy. Ron Carey did show up and address the endorsing convention. But the state party organization did not recruit Alison nor did they promote her candidacy.

The best possible outcome for all of us would be if Mark Olson could clear his name legally and have the whole domestic flap removed from his record. Short of that, the left will use it against him evermore.

And everyone is welcome to their opinion.

Speaking of... Michael Brodkorb and his professor sidekick had a wild radio show last week about Olson... here's a piece of it:

Anonymous Rep. Mark Olson Supporter Threatens to Shame GOP Senators With Their "Personal Behavior"

An anonymous email to members of the MN GOP Senate Caucus, GOP Leadership, Senate Caucus, and "anyone else working against the SD16 endorsed candidate"fowarded to and posted on Chris Kumpala's What the Republic Can Do blog:

Senator Senjem, and Mr. Carey,

For the party of local control (at least the Republican Party once was, but it seems much of the 'Platform' gets thrown under the bus at election time) you seem to be sticking your nose where it doesn't belong. No matter Mark Olson's past - he is the endorsed candidate of SD16. He was legitimately selected by the seated Delegates and Alternates of SD16. These delegates and ONLY these delegates were selected by their neighbors to represent the areas interests in SD16. Please respect the process and SD16's wishes by graciously and cheerfully accepting Mark Olson into the Republican caucus come next year. I believe that it is the Party's responsibility to support the endorsed candidate, lest one can be REMOVED from the party. Please note your recent actions are easily deemed - not supporting the endorsed candidate Mark Olson. If you didn't notice there is some 'ire' against the Party and RINOs demonstrated at the State Convention. You may think you can get the candidates elected while ignoring the conservative base - I'm afraid you will be sorely mistaken come November. Just so we're clear here... bud out of Senate District 16. Those of us who have lived in the area know both candidates very well. We chose the best candidate and we will stand behind him. If you continue to meddle in our district, look for us in your district when you are up for re-election. We'll be watching your votes and your personal behavior for information for letters to the editor in your local papers.

Have a Great Day!

Ron, please extend my apologies to the unfortunate MNGOP fund raiser who called earlier today... I did not mean to take out my disgust at the party on him - but I must insist on directing my financial support directly to the truly 'conservative' candidates.

Signed --------

Chris Kumpala put that sentence in bold face, so I assume he's okay with snooping into elected officials "personal behavior" and shaming GOP senators and other politicians during an election. If not, Chris can correct me.

Rep. Mark Olson is the Endorsed GOP MN 16 Candidate and the GOP Supports Olson

For a few days, Brodkorb hoodwinked the media and even liberal bloggers into believing that the Minnesota GOP may not support Rep. Mark Olson. Now some folks are beginning to tell us it aint so.

Hal Kimball:

No one condones domestic violence. No one. There is never an excuse, even if one's tossing a Bible.

But how can Senator Coleman play standard bearer and cheer on the Senate Republican Caucus when Coleman himself has an "unconventional marriage"?

It's more likely that all of this faux outrage is coming from Norm Coleman's campaign. It may not have originated with Senate GOP Caucus... more on that later....

A comment on Hal Kimball's post sums it up:

What’s also amazing about Norm’s position is that he knows nothing about the other candidate the republicans put up. Nobody does.

She has never run for an office before or held any kind of public position.

She is listed as an “activist” but nobody knows what she was being an activist for.

So for all Norm knows she could be a complete wacko. Whatever she stands for is good enough for Norm because he knows better than the local 150 people who took the time to attend the convention.

Think of how bad she must have been for the 150 people to say “We’ll take the wife beater”.

I thought Norm’s pitch was that you should have some record of public service before you ran for a Senate seat. I guess that only applies to people running against him.

For 18 years Olson has been the laughing stock of the house. Now all of the sudden the Republicans are shocked at the idea of him running. MDE suddenly is offended by Olson. The Senate caucus is shocked!

Where the hell have these enablers been the last 18 years?

Where was the outrage the 1st time Olson assaulted a staffer? Or the 2nd time?

What did they say when he wore a gun on the house floor?

Where was the outrage when he was the only member of both bodies to vote against bills containing things like a task force to catch child pornographers?

The list goes on and on. He for ships being able to dump bilge water in Lake Superior, He stands alone against early childhood education. Hell he’s against public education period.

No matter to these guardians of republican purity, they don’t care how he votes or how many lives he destroys with his nonsensical bills and rhetoric. Now they are offended because he finally got arrested and convicted for what he was well known for.

Your reap what you sow, and for 18 years the Republican party has stood shoulder to shoulder with Olson.

Olson better that anyone else including Norm, represents the Republican Party in SD 16 and the Republicans here aren’t going to let a bunch of RINO’s tell them who they can endorse.

Lloydletta links to Olson supporter Chris Kumpula's account of the SD 16 convention.

Chris Kumpala's blog has the pledge signed by Olson and Krueger and a link to an interesting Polinaut post about Senate Minority Leader Dave Senjem's flip-flp on Olson:

The miracles of audio tape gives us some detail into Senate Minority Leader Dave Senjem's thoughts on Mark Olson.

When asked about Olson's candidacy on July 22nd, Senjem said this:

"Well, we welcome Mark. I mean democracy is a wonderful thing. If people want to run for office, they have that opportunity. Mark will go through the process now, through the endorsement process. We'll see where that leads. Certainly if he emerges he's our candidate and certainly we're riding with him."

After MinnesotaDemocratsExposed raised concerns about Olson's candidacy on Wednesday, Senjem said this:

"Character and integrity in this case rise above party and process. And we felt that Mark, given his circumstances in life, specifically his conviction for spousal abuse, really didn't pass the test if you will for the kind of candidate we wanted."

Update:

Senjem just told Tim Pugmire that he hadn't thought much about Olson's candidacy at the time. He said upon further reflection, looking back at the court records and thinking through the implications of Olson actually winning led the caucus to come to the conclusion to exclude Olson.

If there's any doubt that the MN GOP stands by Rep. Mark Olson, listen to "Chris" and MN CD6 Chair Mark "Swannie" Swanson on the Jason Lewis radio show Friday:

Strib, Brodkorb, Coleman and Swiftee Tell Olson to Quit

The Star Tribune's money quote:

Whatever their reasons, the GOP delegates of District 16 have put their state party -- and particularly the Norm Coleman reelection campaign -- in an awkward spot. How can Republicans fault DFL Senate candidate Al Franken for writing jokes they deem antifemale when they have put their official arms around a candidate convicted of assaulting his wife?

Brodkorb breathlessly delivers the judgement of Norm Coleman:

ST. PAUL – The following is a statement from U.S. Senator Norm Coleman regarding the Minnesota state Senate Republican Caucus’ decision not to support disgraced state Rep. Mark Olson.
“I stand firmly with the members of the Senate Republican Caucus who today announced that they will not support Mark Olson for the open Senate seat of Betsy Wergin. His endorsement by the party is a matter that is of great concern to me. In particular, given the circumstances behind Mr. Olson’s decision to not seek re-election to the Minnesota House of Representatives – a decision that I believe was the right decision – I believe the fact that he is our party’s endorsed candidate for Senate District 16 is simply unacceptable and unsupportable.

“The Senate Republican Caucus has made the appropriate decision in rejecting the candidacy of Mark Olson. I understand there are other candidates who may remain eligible to run in the September Primary, and I would hope that they continue their efforts to become our party’s standard bearer.
“In the unfortunate event that Mr. Olson succeeds in the September Primary, I would ask that our party refuse to offer any type of assistance to his campaign. While the loss of a State Senate seat is unfortunate, I join Senators Senjem, Fischbach, Gimse, Hann, Koch and Michel in the strong belief that we must maintain and uphold our beliefs that violence of any kind, whether it is in word or in deed, should not be rewarded with our party’s

Even right-wing GOP blogger Swiftee piles on in the MDE comments:

We’re Rebublicans. We expect our leadership to maintain the highest standards in their professional and personal lives.
If Olson has gotten his life together, great. He has my firm wish for success as a private citizen…but he has proved that he hasn’t learned a frickin’ thing.

If he wants to continue a career in politics, he’s going to have to go Democrat, ’cause we won’t have him.

You know this is all just a show of mock outrage when Swiftee (who actually wears a wife-beater) shares in the mock outrage (that's Swiftee giving the finger on the left.) Good 'ol GOP "Family Values"!

Michael Brodkorb Says Senate GOP Won't Support Olson

Brodkorb is hyperventilating again on his blog about how responsible the MN GOP is for pretending to recoil in horror at the prospect of Rep. Mark Olson becoming a member of the august Minnesota Senate:

According to the statement, the Senate Republican Caucus will be not be supporting the Republican-endorsed candidate, Representative Mark Olson, in the primary election in SD 16. The Senate Republican Caucus will instead be supporting Allison Krueger. Should Olson win the election, Olson will “not be welcomed as a member” of the Senate Republican Caucus.

Total crap.

The GOP has always supported Rep. Mark Olson's one-man-wrecking-crew and they continued to do so in the House last year even as they claimed they had shunned him. This is what the politicos call "plausible deniability.

Over the last few years, too many Republican office holders, especially in Washington, were given a free pass for personal misconduct because they “voted right.” We could all recite the names. Well, it’s time we go back to holding people accountable.

But, Brodkorb won't be holding Olson accountable... not really. Brodkorb will only hold Rep. Mark Olson accountable for what has been reported in the media. Even though he doesn't support Olson's PRT boondoggle, Brodkorb doesn't include it in his list of Rep. Mark Olson's misdeeds.

Brodkorb has criticized Democrats for promoting bicycling as a mode of transportation (an efficient and popular mode of transportation), but remains mum about the totally phony concept that Rep. Mark Olson and other Republicans continue to support. There is very likely that Olson (and other GOP Pod People) were aware how bogus the Pods were even as he lobbied for the passage of his legislation back in 2004-05... legislation that would have permitted millions of taxpayer dollars to be wasted on a test track for an infeasible concept with a thirty year record of failure.

Note to Michael Brodkorb; Conspiring to rip off the goverment is a crime.

PRT Supporters Lose Special Election in Minnesota

(Cross-posted at Dump Bachmann)

The Northfield News:

Dahle won today's special election with 55 percent of the vote, defeating Republican Ray Cox of Northfield with 42 percent and Independence Party candidate Vance Norgaard of Northfield with 2 percent.

Ray Cox claimed in a debate that there was a PRT facility in Duluth. Cox later admitted to Eva Young and PRT promoter David Gow the the facility did not exist.

Message to Rep. Mark Olson and Michele Bachmann: Being a PRT supporter doesn't win elections.

Click To Play

SD 25 GOP Candidate Ray Cox Supports Rep. Mark Olson's PRT Boondoggle

If anyone you know still has any doubts that PRT is anything but a scam, listen to this segment of an interview I did with the Government's chief witness in the Zimmermann corruption trial.

January 3rd is the SD 25 election.

At the Senate District 25 candidate forum December 20th, candidate Ray Cox described himself and the Independent candidate Vance Norgaard as "PRT guys".

Ray Cox was referring to "Personal Rapid Transit". PRT is an infeasible, controversial transportation concept which has been wasting the time of citizens and public officials for over 30 years. There are no working PRT systems anywhere in the world.

Cox also says there is a 1/4 mile Personal Rapid Transit demonstration project in Duluth. That is not true.

Ray Cox also said PRT has "a lot of potential" and "the State should get behind it".

Ray Cox is misinformed. PRT is a classic boondoggle. There isn't a community in Minnesota that would willingly cut down half the trees on their streets for a monorail-like structure with a view into their second-story windows.

PRT was promoted heavily in 2004 by Rep. Mark Olson (recently ejected from the House GOP Caucus) and former Minneapolis Councilman Dean Zimmermann (now serving a sentence for bribery).

Rep. Mark Olson's PRT bills inn 2004 would have allowed Duluth (or Minneapolis) to bond for PRT, but those bills never made it past the conference committee.

Rep. Margaret Kelliher said in 2004 that PRT had "junk bond status"... she was right then and she is still right. PRT is a boondoggle that has wasted hundreds of millions of dollars in cities around the world.

Even if PRT was everything its promoters claim it to be, PRT is not funded by the Federal Government as they do with conventional transportation infrastructure projects.... Minnesota taxpayers would have to pay for the ENTIRE cost of developing the technology AND building a system (if it were possible) that would cost billions of dollars just for the Metro Area alone.

I hope the voters of SD 25 elect a senator who supports proven, conventional transportation initiatives. Minnesota does not need more fiscally imprudent legislators eager to risk scarce public dollars on pie-in-the-sky concepts like PRT.

Bigpedia PRT vs Wikipedia PRT

There's something called Bigpedia that uses a lot of the material from the Wikipedia PRT page... but also includes facts that PRT fanatics have kept out of the Wikipedia page including links to skeptical sites like mine and Light Rail Now's "Cyberspace" article.

Go to the Bigpedia PRT page and scroll down to "Disadvantages":

Disadvantages

Most planners say that no economically successful PRT system has been demonstrated, and there have been too many failures for a prudent person to spend public funds. Transit planners normally evaluate a new transport method as part of an intermodal network. In these cases, a PRT line may compete against a rail or bus line. When operated in an intermodal transit network, PRT may not fully realize the travel time reductions advanced by proponents, because connections to other mass-transit modes are only possible when the other vehicle arrives; a disadvantage where infrequent transit can be the weakest link in an intermodal system. Timed connections between conventional mass-transit modes, though rare, can be more efficient than PRT intermodal use.

The claims made by proponents depend on certain reasonable but nonstandard design features (see above). Many planners argue that if conservative ridership, operating expense ratios and inter-vehicle lead distances (for bus and train systems) are used, PRT systems are less attractive than bus and train systems.

In transit planning with standard ratios, if PRT were built in an existing high density corridor, it would be less efficient than trains. Only if additional capacity were required in a low density corridor, would it be more efficient than a bus line or automobile, since the capital costs of streets are already sunk.

Because of network effects, PRT is not fully useful until it is widespread. In this view, a small PRT system will not attract demand because it does not go to many destinations. Many people say that only a large PRT can attract sufficient demand to be self-sustaining. How it could grow from a niche to a local or metropolitan network is unclear to these persons. Growth to a national network is thought especially unlikely.

Skeptics say that PRT just idles entire vehicles, which is true. The effects of vehicular recycling at rush hours are also disputed by some transit planners, because they are simulations. Some skeptics have said that since gross capacities have to be comparable (because the same number of people are being transported in the same time), no advantage can occur. However, comparing capacity (people per hour), and capacity utilization (money per person per hour) is a fallacy.

Some experienced advocates claim that the chief problem is that PRT threatens existing livelihoods associated with cars, busses, trains and related services. Since the market in rapid transit has a limited (government) budget in each city, and existing options are the best-funded, existing options and organizations tend to win political battles. As of 2001, this may be changing, because existing options have been unable to solve traffic problems.

The claimed very high vehicle utilizations (vehicles are usually carrying passengers at full speed, rather than parked), means that there might be less need for, and investment in private vehicles, and auxiliary private services such as repair and insurance. Although these are social advantages, they directly threaten the livelihoods of many persons.

PRT systems may be as unattractive as other public transit. People cannot customize them to their tastes, and therefore rarely have anything approaching the enthusiasm shown for a new car. At Morgantown, most students use, but casually despise the transportation system, and recount stories of its failures. Some jokingly claim the term "PRT" is said to stand for "Pretty Retarded Train."

Some call PRT a prime example of a federally funded "pork barrel" project, one of many located in West Virginia due to the influence of Senator Robert Byrd.

A PRT system is said to have lower costs and automated operations. These could lead to simpler organizations and smaller staff at governmental transportation offices. This directly reduces the responsibility and authority of government officials, which in most civil service systems, reduces their pay. It does not offer much incentive to administrators to adopt it.

Many authorities say that the cost of constructing and operating the system is unlikely to be as low as claimed. Some systems (such as Morgantown) have had much higher costs than planned (Morgantown has to use steam heat to keep its tracks free of snow). Any new technology has to climb a learning curve, and for every new system, promoters must make speculative claims when asserting low construction and operating costs. Historically, costs are underestimated on transit projects and demand overestimated. Further, methods of recovering unplanned cost overruns can cause political and public strife.

The neighbors of such a system could oppose unsightly towers holding an elevated rail system, as well as the guideway itself. New infrastructure is hard to build, particularly without the support of the community.

Dan Severson is Rep. Mark Olson's New PRT Pod Partner

Lawrence Schumacher reports in today's SC Times:

"[Rep. Dan] Severson and Rep. Mark Olson, R-Big Lake, called for new approaches to funding and for studying transportation alternatives, such as a system of elevated rails on which small pods travel a fixed route, known as Personal Rapid Transit."

Rep. Dan Severson R-Sauk Rapids is on the Transportation and Transit Policy Subcommittee and the Transportation Finance Division. I look forward to seeing what kind of legislation Severson cooks up with Rep. Mark Olson.

PRTista Phil Krinkie, "Pit Bull" (Against LRT)

From a February 2, 2000 City Pages article:

To streetcar fans like Gov. Jesse Ventura and MNDoT commissioner Elwyn Tinklenberg, Krinkie has come to resemble a political pit bull with his teeth in his prey's pants leg--an indefatigable yapper who is still fighting a battle many believe he lost long ago.

... Krinkie was furious...

This, Krinkie figured, was the smoking gun. In late September he along with Rep. Tom Workman (R-Chanhassen) and Rep. Carol Molnau (R-Chaska), held a press conference denouncing what he called a cover-up. Though opponents, namely gubernatorial spokesman John Wodele, have referred to the trio as "a small group of disgruntled legislators," the three are not exactly back-benchers: Krinkie chairs the House's State Government Finance committee, Workman the Transportation committee, and Molnau the Transportation Finance committee; in other words, together they control the three panels most likely to consider light-rail funding.

Since then Krinkie has taken to framing the issue in the language of Watergate: "I'm saying [to MNDoT], 'What did you know and when did you know it?'"

.... Krinkie was relentless...

At MNDoT, the mere mention of Krinkie's name is enough to invoke exasperated sighs. "He's received a lot of information," contends engineer Winter, who says staffers have provided plenty of paperwork and spent hours talking to Krinkie. "He's looking for this piece of information that clearly indicates that the department misled the Legislature," Winter maintains, "and it doesn't exist."

Winter adds that Krinkie's crusade has been frustrating for MNDoT staff. "We want to move ahead and it seems like we spend a lot of time rehashing these issues that have been settled, at least in our mind." Krinkie, meanwhile, suggests that he's not about to relent: "The next lawsuit," he announces, "may be with regard to the fact that the department has willfully withheld public data."

That was then.. and now?

Krinkie in an opinion piece in the Saint Paul Legal Ledger (HERE) about Molnau's choice to pick the highest bidder on the replacement for the collapsed 35W bridge, Krinkie sneaks in a jab at the HIawatha LRT:

Let's revisit just how this term "best value" slipped into the state government lexicon? It began with another large transportation project in the Twin Cities --- the Hiawatha light rail line. In order to fast track the construction of the states first light rail line, MnDOT wanted to use the "design-build" process. Under the design-build method, one contractor is selected to do both the engineering design and the actual construction of the project. Under extreme pressure in 2001 to speed the construction of the Hiawatha LRT project, MnDOT was exempted from following the standard procedure of awarding bids to the lowest qualified bidder.

Incidentally, Elwyn Tinklenberg's campaign has informed me that he will make Congresswoman Michele Bachmann's support for PRT an issue in the next election.

Phil Krinkie who like Bachmann has also promoted PRT has even allowed fellow PRTista Rep. Mark Olson to use his name on a recent fundraiser:

Daventry Politicos and Media Promote Pods That Citizens Didn't Ask For

The Daventry Express:

Pods prove a huge hit

By Alice Dyer

MORE than a 1,000 people visited an event to get a glimpse of Daventry's possible future.

The event, which ended on Friday, showcased Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) vehicles, which ran along the cycle path in Eastern Way.

Chris Millar, leader of Daventry District Council, said: “The showcase was a success. Most people, especially the younger ones, loved the concept.

“It was a great success in raising the profile for what Daventry is working to achieve and it’s alerted people to the positives before us.”

Members of the public, local school pupils, businesses, organisations and media from across the world all visited the site to see the driverless vehicles in action and some were given a ride in them.

If plans are given the go-ahead, an £80 million project could be launched to install a state-of-the-art PRT system across Daventry to replace the existing bus network.

It is hoped the scheme will ease congestion and save parking spaces with the town’s population set to increases to 40,000 by 2021.

Cllr Millar added: “The next stage will be looking towards the pilot scheme [which would run from the town centre to Middlemore] in two years time and getting the funding for it.”

... another letter dismissive of Cllr Millar's pod proposal:

Make more of what we have

AS TWO long-serving members of the Grange Residents' Association, we are becoming increasingly concerned with the health and welfare of council leader Chris Millar.

He appears to be suffering from delusions if he believes that the Daventry people share his vision of what we want for the future.

He also appears to be suffering with amnesia, as the promises he made to this estate about investment have been forgotten.
Thereby, the reason for this letter asks one question.

If this vision for Daventry's future, which nobody appears to want, can be achieved with investment, why can't reality come first?

Invest now in what you've got. Bring this estate, and others, up to the 21st century standard we, the people of Daventry, deserve.

Ann Smith (chairman) and M J Coomber (secretary)
Grange Residents' Association

The same old story... Minneapolis, Saint Paul, Duluth, Austin, Denver, Cincinnati, Seattle... citizens ask for a little improvement in their living conditions and the politicians like Rep. Mark Olson, Dean Zimmermann, Phil Krinkie and Michele Bachmann tell them to wait for pods in the sky by and by.

Letters to the Editor About Personal Rapid Transit in Daventry

Letters About the Daventry Council's plans for PRT in the Daventry Express:

Pod scheme is up in the air

It will be interesting to see how close the test track along Eastern Way for the proposed new transport system comes to reality.
A brief investigation will show that from a safety standpoint any new PRT system will have to be completely separate from existing pedestrian and vehicle routes.

The potential supplier's own web site states that where the track passes over roads there has to be 5.7 metres of headroom and for pedestrian transit 2.5 metres of headroom.

They also estimate that in an urban environment, such as Daventry, over 90 per cent of the system will have to be elevated. So if the system gets approval, much of it including the stations, will be almost 20 feet up in the air!

How much of the test track will be at this level?

Allan Simmonds
Drayton

Living in Disneyland?

I wonder if the people of Daventry share the enthusiasm of the council for the proposed PRT system reported last week.
At an estimated cost of £80 million, which will be inevitably optimistic, the comment "the officers in Daventry have the will and motivation to try something that has never been tried before" raises questions about the council's expertise and judgement.

Coming on top of the proposed marina and canal link, would we be wrong in asking whether the councillors are spending too much time on 'Disneyland' dreams instead of concentrating on the town and county management?

It would also be interesting to hear from them where the funds are coming from for the project; the recent conference and the consultancy firm instructed. Personally, I have considerable doubts about the practicalities of the scheme anyway.

G. Pearse
Highlands Drive,
Daventry

Town is world leader already

Daventry needn't worry about this new pod travel system – as it is already a leader! Leader of the highest petrol prices that is!
For the last four or five months the petrol prices at all garages in Daventry have stayed the same – they do not compete.

The petrol price has gone down everywhere else but Daventry! In the last month I have found petrol in Devon, Somerset, Essex and central London considerably cheaper (up to 5p a litre less) – surprising as the latter two are supposed to be more expensive to live in! Even petrol on the motorway services is the same as Daventry's or cheaper.

Why are we allowing ourselves to be ripped off?
Lets see some competition between the local garages!
G Bottomley
Elder Drive
Daventry

Tackle the real issues

Well done Daventry District Council, yet another brilliant idea...not!
Pods – well at least the kids will have something to do surfing, shooting, burning and wrecking the pods as they go round.

If there's £80 million on offer why not develop something for them to do, bin these crazy ideas and stop this town going completely down the toilet.

There is too much housing, too many people and so very little to do. I've lived in this town for 39 years and watched it slowly be destroyed by the local council who don't have the town's real population at heart. No police, broken roads, run-down estates, feral kids – these are the issues that need addressing not some hare-brained scheme like pods.
Wake up and smell the coffee DDC.

Name and address
supplied

Nice idea but wrong scheme

I have no wish to run down everything Daventry District Council comes up with and indeed it should be applauded for its forward thinking because, like it or not, oil will run out eventually and we must look for alternative soloutions to the car as we know it.
But I have to say I can not really see the pod as a realistic answer because if you think about it a horse and cart, although a lot slower, would be a better form of transport taking you closer to your home and using or causing very little carbon emission.

The pod system is bound to fail while there are still cars giving the public door-to-door conection and if you try to stop the entrance of cars to our shopping centre, people will simply go else where thus killing the town centre.

Leslie Weatherley
Via email

PRT, what a joke.

Vectus PRT is a Joke

Vectus is the reincarnation of the defunct Raytheon PRT project... with no headroom for passengers!!!

Click To Play

Rep. Mark Olson is Poster Boy for Minnesota NOW

From a recent Minnesota NOW Political Action Committee mailing:

REPRESENTATIVE OLSON CONVICTED OF DOMESTIC ASSAULT!

Representative Mark Olson, District 16B, was convicted of domestic assault in July 2007. The assault against his wife occurred in November 2006, yet Representative Olson maintained he was the battered spouse and he refused to step down from the Legislature. With the conviction, it is hoped that the House Ethics Committee will review Representative Olson’s actions and ask him to resign from the Legislature.

The personal IS political! How can a representative who assaults his wife have any credibility on domestic violence issues? At least 13 women and 11 children were murdered in Minnesota as a result of domestic violence in 2004. In Minnesota, domestic violence crime victims account for over 25% of all crime victims. Minnesotans deserve better representation on this issue than can be given by Mark Olson! The MN NOW PAC demands that Mark Olson resign from the Legislature.

Sweep Out the Convicts!

Editorial Calls on Minnesota Women to "Clean House" of Rep. Mark Olson

by Shannon Drury in the Minnesota Women's Press

Women of Minnesota, it's time to clean House.

Last July, Rep. Mark Olson (R-Big Lake) was convicted of one count of misdemeanor domestic assault with the intent to cause fear. Sherburne County District Judge Alan Pendleton sentenced him to two years' probation and required Olson pay $400 in fines as well as court costs for repeatedly pushing down his wife Heidi during an argument.

That seems like a pretty light sentence, you say. A person convicted of a domestic assault charge ought to draw a stricter punishment, you think to yourself, and you're not alone. In December 2006, not long after the charges against Olson were filed, Gov. Tim Pawlenty was quoted by Minnesota Public Radio: "If it turns out that he's found guilty or pleads guilty to the conduct alleged, then it's just not appropriate for him to be serving in the Legislature." (Fun tip: At MPR's website you can hear this tough talk for yourself.)

So what happened? Nothing. Olson won't quit. Last fall his Republican caucus dumped him, but no one in the party has made another peep about wanting him to resign.

You don't need to be a state officer of a national feminist organization (as I am) to hear this news and want to puke. You don't need to be a victim of domestic assault and/or know someone who is (as most of us do) to feel repulsed. You just need to give a damn about the people of Minnesota to know instinctively that Mark Olson has got to go.

Would a representative convicted of real estate fraud be allowed to serve in a body that determined the laws governing such transactions? If dear Gov. Pawlenty, heaven forbid, had a file full of speeding tickets, would we want him wielding his veto power over a bill that would put such repeat offenders in prison?

The budgets of women's shelters and domestic abuse education programs are determined by the Legislature. Should Mark Olson be allowed to have a vote when such a bill comes before him? Would you trust him with that kind of power?

It wasn't that long ago that a friend admitted to me that the breakup of her long-term relationship was caused by her partner's abuse. "Some feminist I am," she said, laughing bitterly. My response then was that it's not anti-feminist to be abused; abuse can and does happen to anyone. Victims aren't defined by their class, race, gender, sexual orientation, or even political orientation. "It's feminist to leave," I said, and I still believe that now.

For all the endless hand-wringing over what is and isn't feminist (lipstick? "Sex and the City?" hot pink iPods? heterosexuality?), let's all agree on one thing: It's feminist to speak up and speak out. Even a hater like Ann Coulter enjoys the right to press charges against a partner who beats her up, and she has a hundred years of feminists to thank for the privilege.

The home can be a dangerous place. In my last column, I wrote about the little hairline fractures that develop in one housewife, and the devastating consequences of going too long without help. Reactions among my readers ranged from support ("you nailed it") to admiration ("that was so brave") to embarrassment (one woman told me she was "shocked by the nakedness of your despair"). It shouldn't be surprising news that hurt exists, but that's America. It takes disaster to elicit change.

Yet for every single woman who speaks up, hundreds of her sisters remain silent. And why not? Put yourself in the Crocs of a housewife, radical or no, sitting in her living room one evening last summer as she watches Don Shelby deliver the news of Mark Olson's conviction. As part of the story she sees Olson report that he'll remain in the Minnesota Legislature, and the Republican leadership will let him. She has to move the ice pack from the bruise on her cheek; it's getting soaked with her tears. If a public person like Mark Olson won't have to pay for his crime, how will her partner? She might just change her mind and not file that police complaint after all.

Each of us must call our legislators to demand Olson be brought before the Ethics Committee at the start of the 2008 session. (The House switchboard, at 1-800-657-3550 can assist you. Another suggestion: If you're reading this and you live in Big Lake, Becker or elsewhere in District 16B, do not hesitate for a moment. Run against him.

Men need to join women in booting Olson from the legislature. There's a history of good ol' boys at the Capitol like Steve Sviggum allowing Rep. Mark Olson to avoid responsibility for abusing his staff:

Rep. Mark Olson and the Republicans Who Support Him

Curmudgeon at Pubhouse Dialogues:

It's Monday, 1 October. Convicted criminal Republican Mark Olson is still in the State Legislature. Heck, he's even held a fundraiser for his re-election.

How is it that this criminal Republican hasn't gotten a condemnation, especially since condemnation is one thing the Republicans seem to love to do just now?

Oh yeah, the Law and Order crowd, the folks who flout words like 'responsibility' and 'accountability' (without bothering themselves in the slightest to bother knowing what those words actually mean) at every possible turn seem to have no problem with a wife-beater as a Legislator. 

If the Republicans cannot even keep their own ranks in order, and lack the ability to do the right thing and usher Mark Olson from his seat, why should the Republicans be trusted with public office at all? 

The answer is obvious: Republicans cannot be trusted with public office.

To give you an idea how much of a "Law and Order" hypocrite jailbird Olson is, he has no problem executing innocent people with the guilty:

Michael Brodkorb Exposes Himself

Last week, Republican Party consultant Michael Brodkorb (Minnesota Democrats Exposed) was all over the internet last week warning Democrats not to engage in finger-pointing in the wake of the 35W Bridge collapse. Brodkorb now joins the chorus of mouth-breathers who are scapegoating Congressman Jim Oberstar for his advocacy for bicycling:

What do you think? Should we be focused on bike trails or highways?  In my opinion, it's all about priorities. In the aftermath of the 35-W bridge collapse, I think the public will be closely monitoring state spending and watching how politicians spend the taxpayers' money.  What should come first?  More bike trails or highways?

Nevermind that one of the first people on the scene of the bridge collapse was a bicyclist. (Listen to him tell how he rescued victims).

Bicycling is a viable mode of transportation.

If MDE wants make an issue out of a ridiculous mode of transportation, he need not look further than that perennial time-waster beloved by the right-wing of his own party "Personal Rapid Transit" (PRT).

For over thirty years, the Minnesota Legislature dinked around with PRT. In recent years, PRT lost the support of most DFLers and the cult has only a few acolytes remaining among extremists in the MN GOP (Michele Bachmann, Mark Olson) and the lunatic fringe in the Green Party (Dean Zimmermann, Michael Cavlan)

Michael Brodkorb claims he doesn't know anything about PRT. I suggest he ask The Taxpayers League's President Phil Krinkie who told me he was an ardent supporter of PRT in 2006. Here's a list of representatives who voted for one of Rep. Mark Olson's PRT amendments voted down 26 to 107 on April 12, 2006:

Anderson, B.
Bradley
Buesgens
Demmer
Eastlund
Emmer
Erickson
Hackbarth
Heidgerken
Holberg
Hosch (DFL)
Knoblach
Krinkie
Marquart (DFL)
Nelson, P.
Nornes
Olson
Ozment
Smith
Soderstrom
Sykora
Urdahl
Vandeveer
Wardlow
Westrom
Wilkin


And Michael Brodkorb can see for himself what a joke PRT is in this You Tube video featuring the Bible-hurling Rep. Mark Olson:



Ken Avidor blogs about Bible-hurling Republicans who promote Personal Rapid Transit.