Boycotting DFL State Rep: ‘I essentially work for free’
DFL State Rep. Kristin Bahner of Maple Grove claimed in a constituent email this week that she essentially works for free at the legislature because of all the time she puts in on behalf of her community year-round. Rep. Bahner was responding to a Maple Grove resident who took advantage of American Experiment’s campaign to tell House Democrats to show up for work at the Capitol. Despite receiving a salary of $51,000 per year plus per diem, Bahner portrays her legislative work as a personal sacrifice:
I do not work outside the legislature and work full time year-round for my community, regardless of compensation. Put another way for the other months of the year, I essentially work for free.
Bahner’s response wins the prize for twisted logic trying to defend why she hasn’t shown up for work during the first three weeks of session (while continuing to collect a paycheck). She rambles on in her email about meeting with constituents outside the Capitol, meeting with stakeholders and trade groups, and working on important legislation. She then repeats the idea that taxpayers are getting a bargain for all her hard work:
All this work is done on my own time and is uncompensated. So, one might ask, why would a legislator take a pay cut to a third of their compensation in the private sector, to work 30-40 hours a week uncompensated from June through December and 60-80 hours a week for January through May, sacrificing time with loved ones to do this work.
Lots of excuse-making to hide the obvious: The most important job of a legislator is to vote, and you can only vote if you show up.
Rep. Bahner isn’t the only legislator providing outrageous responses to constituents urging them to return to work. American Experiment recently broadened our email campaign to include senators and Gov. Walz. What are they doing to end the government shutdown caused by House Democrats? Sen. Aric Putnam, a Democrat from the St. Cloud area issued a very rude, condescending email to a constituent who dared ask him to help end the shutdown:
I would have thought that my email address was a clue, but I’m a senator, not a representative. I’m in the Senate and not the House. Minnesota has a bicameral legislature. That means that the Senate and the House are not the same thing. I have absolutely no impact on or role to play in how the House does what it does.
l’d encourage you to read a newspaper or even some online journalism that would document for you that the Senate is in session and working in a remarkably bipartisan fashion.
-Aric
Putnam’s email response shows he is a Democrat first and a senator second. He’s more interested in the political power game than getting anything done for his district. Instead of condemning the House for not showing up, he ridicules his constituent, telling him to “read a newspaper.” Great leadership!
Rep. Matt Norris of Blaine argued in his email response that if Republicans take control of the House, his bills won’t receive a hearing and he won’t be appointed to any conference committees. Like many House Democrats, he repeated the term “denying quorum” like it is a commonly used legislative tactic. Norris even asserted that Pres. Abraham Lincoln once denied quorum while a member of the Illinois legislature.
If Honest Abe felt denying quorum was a legitimate part of doing his job if necessary, than I do too.
Alrighty then.
Matt Norris = Abe Lincoln.
Not going to work = working.
Getting $51,000 per year = working for free.