Classified ad of the week

Looking for a job or a career change?  We have over 20 employment ads in our classifieds for your consideration.

http://www.herald-journal.com/classifieds/employment.pdf

Girl Scouts plan food, book drive

Girl Scouts Troop 34045 of Winsted, Howard Lake, and Waverly (second graders) will conduct a food and gently used children’s book drive Jan. 23 to Feb. 20.
Drop-off locations are NAPA, Bryan’s Service Station, Duran’s Photography, and the public library in Winsted; Joe’s Sport Shop and Emmy’s Salon in Howard Lake; and Adjust to Wellness and Mark’s Service in Waverly.
Donations may also be left with troop leader Lisa Baumann, (320) 485-7476.

WHAT UP Cancels skating party

Due to poor ice conditions, WHAT UP has canceled their ice skating party scheduled for Saturday, January 14 at 1:00.

Freedoms and rights should be maintained

From: John Norman
Buffalo
Are we getting mixed messages from the Minnesota Republican Party and their legislators? They have taken the high ground on family values and fiscal responsibility under false pretenses, and now appear to have abandoned them completely.
Recent events demonstrate their inability to manage their own party, let alone govern our state. They always claimed that government doesn’t work and now have proved it, after taking control of the legislature in 2010. Examples are the state shutdown and the two proposed constitutional amendments.
In order to bypass Governor Dayton’s potential veto, they proposed putting a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage on the 2012 ballot. This amendment is in complete opposition to the concept of individual freedom of all citizens to marry the person they love.
Our constitution guarantees the right of every eligible citizen to vote. This right is threatened by the GOP’s proposed constitutional amendment to require a photo ID for all voters. The supporters of this amendment make the frivolous claim of voter fraud, but it is a blatant attempt to discourage the elderly, students, and lower-income citizens to exercise their right to vote.
To defeat these amendments, we Democrats have to make sure the voters hear the truth about what the Republicans are proposing to do to the gay community and our potential Democratic voters.

Did the voter process work?

From: Harlan Wegschied
Winsted
I noticed a small item in the Jan. 2 edition of the Herald Journal mentioning that the local school superintendant commented on the bond referendum. Quote “the biggest factors were the total cost and the tax impact. He said the school board had received the same feedback.”
A group of us have been at every meeting of the board since the referendum failed and I guess I have not noticed any evidence that they got the message. People keep asking me what was the point of having a referendum in the first place, since the board seems to be hell-bent on spending every last dollar they can get away with.
I went back to the comments made on your blog site right after the vote; it makes for interesting reading. Chairman Bob Carlson, “I now have to seriously consider changing my philosophy based on the decisions of the majority. There will be a lot of thought and review over the next few months.” Yeah, like about five seconds.
A week later, they had a plan to get around the expressed wishes of a large majority of the voters. Fred Blaser said, “It is your right to vote the way you want, it is your responsibility to vote informed.”
So, how many people knew, until it came out in the paper one week before the vote that there was really a $7.5 million  plan on the table? Who did such a good job of keeping the public informed?
Ann Meyer said, ”I’d like to see referendum opposers step up and help make a plan that they will support.” Point of fact, a group of us have been at every meeting since the vote, we’ve been on the phone with boiler companies, we’ve had reps from two of the largest come out and look at them, l’ve been on the phone with the Minnesota Dept of Education finance division, the ones who approve or disapprove the plan.
I’ve had some very interesting conversations. A citizen at the last meeting asked the board’s consultant, advisor, or whatever, what he was wearing that night, “How much do you get for this?” Answer: 18 1/2 percent. On the original plan for $7.5 million, he would have gotten $1.387 million. If he gets that percentage on whatever comes out eventually, do you think the board is getting unbiased advice? I don’t . . . .
Does anyone on the board, or the referendum supporters for that matter, read the local paper? How about the statement by the county auditor-treasurer, Cindy Schultz, at a meeting in Winsted, “I feel for the main street commercial property in McLeod County. I don’t see much future if it keeps going the way it is.” Have any of you “yes” supporters taken the time to ask them how bad they are getting hit this next year, not to mention what will happen after next year, when the taxes for this project come online?
Somehow, the supporters argued that this $7.5 million was going to grow the town. Go figure I’ve held up on this letter one full day while Gene Feltman tried to get the reps from these two boiler companies on the agenda of the next board meeting, but nobody wants to talk to us and they sure don’t want anyone who knows what they are talking about to tell them why the biggest mistake they can make is throw out two Kewaunee boilers that were built to be repaired, and incidently, are built for both steam and hot water, and replace them with modern day throwaways.
We could just have them show up and take advantage of the three minutes allowed anyone there for comment period, subject to a total of five person, 15 minute limit, but, the hell with that. Ah, democracy in action.
I’ve been a member of this district for 51 years, paid my taxes like a good little boy, used the school two years when my sons went to kindergarten, and, like a lot of other people, stayed out of school politics.
That was a big mistake. We end up with a board of spend-thrifts. We get no vote on any of this foolishness, but there will be votes in the future, called school board elections.
I still think people will look back in the not-too-distant future and wish they had never opened this Pandora’s box of troubles. I even tried to get a community meeting with pro-voters to see if we could reach some kind of agreement on a program we could all agree on, but that fell flat on its face
Suddenly, people who signed their names to letters to the editor in support don’t want to be connected in any way. So, it’s back to retirement in my private stockade. This time, I will abide by the oath I took 23 years ago, to never, ever, ever again get involved in anything other than an individual’s issues. Bon-jour. Honk as you go by.

Chili feed Jan. 21 in Winsted

Lake Mary VFW 9232 and Auxiliary will host a chili feed Saturday, Jan. 21 at the Winsted American Legion from 4 to 7 p.m.
Menu includes chili, homemade corn bread muffins with honey butter, garlic bread, veggies and dip, and homemade desserts.
Advance tickets are $8, or $9 at the door. Tickets for children ages 6 to 10 are $5. Advance tickets are available from Rhonda Decker, Mary Quast, or Amy Gatz at Flagship Bank Winsted.

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