Tips on Voting with an Absentee Ballot in MN

Posted on July 12, 2022 by Publius Jr

Note to Reader: The following article is about my experience as an election judge on the Ramsey County Elections Absentee Ballot Board. I am not an official representative of Ramsey County Elections. ~~ Publius Jr.

I, Publius Jr, am an Assistant Head Judge in the City of St Paul. I have been serving in this position since the general election in November 2020, and I’ve been an Election Judge since the August Primary of 2018. I won’t tell you where my polling location is but it is inside the City Limits of Saint Paul. It is a paid position. In many cases companies or unions will either compensate an employee for the difference in pay or give an unpaid vacation day off. There is no excuse to not serve as an election judge as a Republican.

It had been a tough year in finding a job in 2020, so when I was asked to serve on the Ramsey County Elections Absentee Ballot Board for $16/hr at 90 Plato Blvd, I signed up right away. Contrary to what you may think, I don’t get paid to admin or write for this website or do the social media. So Monday thru Friday I’m employed at Ramsey County Elections on the Absentee Ballot Board. I have a major party partner to help me do my job of Accepting and Rejecting Absentee Ballots. My partner has declared as a DFL Election Judge. I’ve been paired up with other DFL partners. They are all very nice. I think they like me as I bring homemade cookies once a week.

There are a variety of jobs I can do on the Absentee Ballot Board, from clerical filing, to labeling, stuffing envelopes with instructions and ballots, but mainly I do Accepting and Rejecting Absentee Ballots.

Accepting & Rejecting Ballots on the Basis of Voter Identification

First off, I have to say Rejecting a Ballot does not mean the voter can not vote, it means the Signature Envelope (the envelope you put the ballot envelope that is brown into) does not match the Voter’s Identification number or signature on their application.

A friend called up and asked what a new housemate of theirs should put down for their Identification number on the Absentee Ballot Application, either their Driver’s License number or their Last 4 SSN. My response is write BOTH on their application.

Here are the reasons why to write down Both ID numbers:

  • Often it is months between when you apply for an absentee ballot and when you get it. You might forget which ID number you wrote down. By putting both down it doesn’t matter which one you put on the Signature Envelope. If you put down the wrong number and you applied online it will be set aside for scrutiny for election judges to see if there is a record of the other ID number in records.
  • If you put down the wrong number but you applied by mail or a paper application, your signature will be on file to compare to the Signature Envelope.
  • If you do not put an ID# on the signature envelope and you applied online then it is an automatic rejection.
  • Whether online, by mail or in person if there is no signature on the envelope it will be rejected automatically.

Election Judge Preference

Okay the application for an absentee ballot says either your Last 4 Social Security Number (SSN) or your Driver’s License or State ID number (if you do not drive) is required. That is a choice, but Election Judges processing your absentee ballot would prefer a few things to process your ballot quicker and accurately.

  • Apply with Both your State ID Number or Driver’s License Number AND your Last 4 SSN.
  • Put the Last 4 SSN on your Signature Envelope. Some people think the DL# is more secure but the Last 4 SSN is just as secure. The reason why Election Judges prefer the Last 4 SSN over the DL# s because the latter has a letter plus 12 numbers after it. That is 13 digits to read compared to 4 digits. After about 500 Ballots that’s a range of 6500 digits compared to 2000 with just the Last 4 SSN. We can process more ballots in an hour with fewer numbers to read.
  • Write legibly on your ballot. So often voters scribble out their numbers, or the first letter of their Driver’s License or State ID number. Some people have the idea machines read their ballot (this is true of the actual ballot) but on the Signature Envelope the only machine that is used is a bar code scanner to enter the ballot into the SVRS (State Voter Registration System). The rest of the Signature Envelope is READ By Humans. Most team members are wearing their reader glasses and or have a magnifying glass to decipher scribbled numbers and letters.
  • Treat the ballot with respect. So often people’s Ballots/Signature Envelopes are folded or ripped, Some have discolorations on the Ballot/Signature Envelope as if they used it to mop up coffee on the table.
  • Follow the Instructions to Vote. Voters will use a sharpie or marker to fill out a ballot, sometimes that bleeds through the ballot (this might spoil the ballot). Some Voters often will write a note saying they didn’t follow the Instructions and had to open the signature Envelope and Return Envelope because they forgot to put the ballot in the Brown Security Envelope before they put it into the Signature Envelope.

Rejection of a Ballot Does Not Mean You Can’t Vote but Time is getting short to Return your Ballot to make it Count.

The permanent staff of the Ramsey County Elections say the Ballot needs to be postmarked by 3:00 pm on November 8th in the general election and by the same time on August 9th in the Primary. Ramsey County Elections will not be open to the public on August 9th nor on November 8th, so you can’t vote there.

If you turned your ballot in without a signature or a matching ID # on your Signature Envelope it will be rejected and while you may complain, August 9th is the last day for the Primary Election and November 8th is the last day to vote in the general election. So please pay attention to dates, and follow the instructions that come with your absentee ballot.

If you apply online for an absentee ballot and your ID number on the signature envelope does not match it will automatically be rejected because we can’t check your signature. Requesting your ballot application by mail we can check the signature on the signature envelope as there is a sample of your signature to compare it to. This is why we suggest you put both your last 4 SSN and DL or state ID number on your application whether you apply by mail or online.
UPDATE: 2022 Primary Elections & General Elections going forward you must have a WITNESS on your Signature Envelope of your Absentee Ballot or it will be REJECTED.

Voting in Person is Safe

If it is too late to vote by absentee ballot, the polling locations are perfectly safe to vote at. They are probably more safe than going to your local grocery store to buy food. Hand sanitizers are available, each booth is wiped down after each voter uses it, masks are available to vote. If someone refuses to wear a mask they will not be denied to be able to vote. If you are in line out the door at your polling location at 8pm on August 9th or on November 8th, STAY IN LINE. The Head Judge will have an election judge stand at the end of the line at 8 pm to mark the end of the line, when the end of the line and that election judge enters the building they will lock the door from entry.

There is a Difference Between Mail in Ballots and Absentee Ballots

There is a difference between “Mail in Ballots,” and “Absentee Ballots.” DFLers will tell you there is no difference but as President Trump has said an Absentee Ballot is solicited or asked for by the voter, while a “Mail in Ballot,” is a ballot that is sent out to all the registered or eligible voters in an area whether they want them or not. Mail in Ballots can be “harvested” as the 2020 Project Veritas expose on Rep Ilhan Omar’s alleged illegal voting activity showed. She is misrepresenting what voting is to immigrants and refugees and she is paying them to collect them…allegedly. Absentee Ballots are asked for by Voters and everything is done to make sure they are counted as long as you follow instructions that come with it.

I was right about this but the DFLers at my polling location assignment during the August 2020 Primary were ganging up on me telling me there is not a difference as they are “mailed in.” I know I’m the only Republican there. Which is why more Republicans need to become Election Judges.

This article was first posted on October 23, 2020. I’ve updated it with a fresh date and changed the primary and general election dates in the article as well. ~~ Publius Jr.

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988 Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Crisis Lifeline Goes Live on July 16, 2022

Posted on June 25, 2022 by Publius Jr

I, Publius Jr, am a US Army Veteran and every time I go to the VA Hospital or VA Clinic there are plenty of cards one can take that advertises the Veterans Crisis Line, 1-800-273-8255 press 1.

I have to admit I’ve called it more than once.  What about? A couple of different circumstances I couldn’t handle at the times I called.  Veterans in a room get very quiet when someone mentions the S-word (suicide). You can hear a pin drop.  I think it is because almost every Vet knows another Vet who tried or succeeded in committing suicide, or have contemplated it a few times. I know I have contemplated it.  Writing these articles aren’t always rosy, nor do some party leaders like to read them and they’ll assail me and call me names, or like some Never Trumpers who are staff at the HQ, threaten me.

Really, if you need help, or a kind voice to talk to about a highly stressful, high anxiety situations, please call someone.

988 For Mental Health Crisis Lifeline

Starting July 16, 2022, a new number like the emergency number 911, will be available on all devices, and that number is 988. It is easier to remember than 11 numbers plus an extension. I have the other number programmed into my cell phone, and my internet device.

The timeline to get to this place where there is a designated 3 digit Crisis Lifeline is a lot longer than I had imagined. It goes back to 2001 when President George W Bush signed it into law.  It isn’t until the Summer of 2020 when President Trump signs the authorization to make it into a 3 digit number to available on all phones by July 16, 2022.

Upon looking for information for this article at the SAMHSA website (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, I thought the messaging by the photos they have on the page are misleading, showing lesbians (on the timeline page). The website is not an aesthetically good feeling site. Also pairing up Substance Abuse with Mental Health is not a good recipe either.  Perhaps that will change with more people complaining to the government.

The positive is that relaying information to people who need help won’t require a long phone number to remember.

 

 

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CCHF Fundraising Gala Keynote Speaker General Michael Flynn September 15, 2022

Posted on June 11, 2022 by Publius Jr

It’s that time again for the Citizens’ Council For Health Freedom (CCHF) Annual Fundraising Gala.  This year by the flyer above and at this link here, you can see America’s Freedom Fighter General Michael T. Flynn will be the keynote speaker.

What:  Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom Annual Fundraising Gala 2022 with Keynote Speaker General Michael T. Flynn.

The Unapologetic Defense of Liberty:  Building a Free Market Framework for Health Care

When:  Thursday, September 15, 2022. Registration 6:00 pm, Dinner & Program 6:30-9:30 pm

Where:  Inwood Oaks Event Center, 484 Inwood Avenue N, Oakdale, MN 55128. Map

Cost:  $125 per person if you register prior to August 12th 2022, $150 per person after August 12th.

To Register:  To REGISTER and for more information on Table Sponsorships click the following link (case sensitive) BIT.LY/CCHF2022event. When you get to the registration page look below the flyer for the button marked “NEXT,” to begin registering for the event. 

Don’t wait until later to register. Tickets should go quite fast.

If you would like to know more about of what CCHF does, please visit their website, call, email, or write them at the information below.

Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom
161 St. Anthony Avenue, Ste 923, St. Paul, MN 55103 Map
P: 651.646.8935 | F: 651.646.0100

www.cchfreedom.org | info@cchfreedom.org

Saintpaulrepublicans.us is posting this notice as a courtesy to CCHF. We are not compensated by any donations to CCHF. ~~ Publius Jr.

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Bill Hosko Counters Senator Sandy Pappas on School Responsibility

Posted on June 6, 2022 by Publius Jr

Readers:  The following letter is posted by the permission of the author, Bill Hosko.  Mr Hosko is an independent with no party affiliation who is a St. Paul native. In my asking some questions during his run for St Paul Mayor in 2021 our email account was added to his email newsletter.  The content of the letter has not been changed nor the Community Reporter Letter to the Editor Bill Hosko submitted.  The links to the Community Reporter and to the YouTube link the theme song of “To Sir with Love,” were in the letter sent out by Bill Hosko. I’ve added the PDF of the letter Bill provided here. He includes the Letter to the Editor Sandy Pappas submitted in the PDF, and as provided below for context. ~~ Publius Jr.

Community Reporter – May 2022
By Bill Hosko, Letter to the Editor:
‘It’s time to take responsibility for our schools’

In Senator Pappas’ April column, Addressing Minnesota’s Public Education Crisis, she avoided using six critical words: parental responsibility, personal responsibility and professional responsibility. (Her column is below.)

Thousands of St. Paul kids have now been moved from public schools into charter schools by their parents and/or into private schools if they can afford them. Their number one reason is that order and respect in every classroom, for teachers and fellow students, is no longer expected. Privately, most teachers agree.

It is an election year, and Senator Pappas used her column, which the Community Reporter generously gives her, to with all due respect, sanctimoniously wag her finger at people who dare to disagree with her viewpoints. Increasing public school funding to record heights – in this case, let’s use tens of millions of dollars from the state’s revenue surplus, is her perpetual answer to our distressed public school system. ‘We must support our teachers and our students’ is her decades-old message.

The truth: Our public-school decline has grown exponentially under her oversight and misconduct has indeed been normalized. Subsequently, we continue to have one of the lowest graduation rates in the state, according to Minnesota Department of Education data. This can never be repaired until the following occurs:

1. Parents from all backgrounds and economic status need to be reminded of the importance that children get enough sleep, have a good breakfast before leaving home and are taught the importance of good behavior in school.
2. Our kids are as bright as kids anywhere. However, they do need to know it is expected that they behave and be respectful when in school. They can’t learn well, and neither can other kids in class, if they are acting up.
3. Lastly, our school board, superintendent and the politicians who send them funding, need to take an honest look at what is occurring under their collective watch. Continuing to allow misconduct and disruption of classrooms has been a massive mistake, and, based on my conversations with educators, it’s growing.

Simultaneously, politicians are now ensuring that kids (and adults) are allowed to misbehave on public transit, openly shoplift and engage in any number of antisocial behaviors with little or no consequence.

This isn’t complicated and our kids are smart. Looking the other way, or worse yet, placating student misbehavior is basically telling them that ‘we don’t care enough about you to stop your mistreatment of others, or yourself.’

Lastly, for those who have never seen the film To Sir with Love, now is a perfect time to do so. Its message about earned respect between teacher and classroom is as timeless today as it was in 1967.

‘Bill Hosko, 59, is a Saint Paul native and a self-employed architectural illustrator/artist for 32 years and a downtown business owner of 29 years. He’s a political independent who has campaigned for St. Paul City Council and Mayor of St. Paul.’

To Sir with Love video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EV1qmmMwc9M

P.1

Community Reporter – April 2022
District Perspectives Column, By Sen. Sandy Pappas:
‘Addressing Minnesota’s Public Education Crisis’

The COVID-19 pandemic has upended our public schools over the past two years. Teachers are stressed, students are dealing with mental health issues, and parents have taken on extra responsibilities at home to help educate their children.

Lack of resources has left schools with crowded classrooms, unaffordable special education costs, and a lack of counselors to provide students with the support they need. To make matters worse, teachers are departing the profession at an alarming rate because they are burnt out and lack support. Students cannot learn in this environment. That’s why I’m fighting to provide schools with the resources they need.

Teachers, parents, and students across the state are all telling us the same thing: they need additional funding to hire on-site counselors, reduce class sizes, and provide funds to recruit teachers and retain the ones we currently have.

Funding for schools was once an area of bipartisan cooperation at the legislature. Unfortunately, it has become highly partisan in recent years. What I’m hearing from my community is that we should use our state’s $9.25 billion surplus to invest in the things our schools need.

Right now, the Saint Paul Public School District is swamped with special education costs. These costs take away funding that could be invested in other areas. If special education and English Language Learners (ELL) programs were properly funded, it would free up millions of dollars that schools could use to hire teachers, expand mental health resources and improve school facilities. That’s why it’s so important that the state begins to take this burden off our schools.

Minnesota also needs to confront its achievement gap. Communities of color have been disproportionately harmed by the pandemic. There are already existing programs, such as Grow Your Own, which helps identify future teachers at a young age, and the Collaborative Urban Educators Program, which provides scholarships for college students seeking to enter the profession. Investing in these programs and other educational initiatives will not only help students of color find careers but also create safer and healthier communities.

As the legislature works to appropriate our historic budget surplus, we must focus more resources toward public education by increasing salaries for teachers and expanding support for education support professionals (ESPs). Education has always been critically important to Minnesota families, communities and our economy. By making these necessary investments, we will take an important step toward keeping our schools strong now and into the future.

–

https://communityreporter.org/its-time-to-take-responsibility-for-our-schools/

Bill Hosko, 59, is a Saint Paul native and a self-employed architectural illustrator/artist for 32 years and a downtown business owner of 29 years. He’s a political independent, with no political party affiliation, who has campaigned for St. Paul City Council and Mayor of St. Paul.

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Shawn Ryan: US Sovereignty Being Handed Over to the WHO by May 22, 2022?

Posted on May 21, 2022 by Publius Jr

Normally I, Publius Jr, will make posts more elaborate but the information above is time dependent. I’m posting this before I go to bed, and I’m staying up long enough to do this. Morgen Zegers said this may go into effect on May 22, 2022. Please contact your Congress people and tell them to not let it pass, and please civil about it.  Below is directly from Shawn Ryan’s Rumble Channel. I’ve changed the way it is displayed and I also found the contact pages for the US House Representatives and the US Senators from Minnesota. There is an office for the vacancy left by the death Rep Jim Hagedorn too. ~~ Publius Jr.

🚨🆘Our current administration is trying to hand over U.S. Sovereignty to the World Health Organization while China has been buying influence in the WHO for years. 🆘🚨

[Shawn Ryan] brought Morgan Zegers the host of the Morgan Zegers Show who is well read and highly informed on this topic.

🚨 It is important to contact your House Representative and US Senator in Congress on this matter by visiting the links below 🚨

www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative.

www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact

In Minnesota Your House Representatives are according to the latest Redistricting maps at:

Where is My New Minnesota Congressional District?

MN CD1 Open Seat due to Rep Jim Hagedorn’s Death

MN CD2 Rep Angie Craig (D)

MN CD3 Rep Dean Phillips (D)

MN CD4 Rep Betty McCollum (D)

MN CD5 Rep Ilhan Omar (D)

MN CD6 Rep Tom Emmer (R)

MN CD7 Rep Michelle Fischbach (R)

MN CD8 Rep Pete Stauber (R)

US Senator Amy Klobuchar (D)

US Senator Tina Smith (D)

Follow Morgan Zegers for more on the latest topics you won’t hear in mainstream media

Morgan’s Podcast: www.MorganZegers.com
The Freedom Records YouTube Channel
Morgan Zegers Show: www.youtube.com/c/MorganZegers1776
Donate to Support The Freedom Records: www.FightSocialism.org

Shawn Ryan is a former Navy SEAL and a CIA Operator. His videos are a great look at the people who serve in the Special Forces of the US Military. He started up Vigilance Elite to bring you this content. He also sells products on his website, especially Gummy Bears. Our website does not get any sort of compensation for promoting him.

If you would like to follow him on any of the platforms he is on go to:

#VIGILANCEELITE #SHAWNRYANSHOW
Vigilance Elite/Shawn Ryan Links:
Website – https://www.vigilanceelite.com
Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/VigilanceElite
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/shawnryan762

 

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Why are Problem Properties in St Paul & Minneapolis Allowed to Exist?

Posted on May 14, 2022 by Publius Jr

March 31, 2022 at about 9:15 pm about 40 shots broke the peace of the evening at the Maryland Supermarket at Maryland Avenue West and Arundel Street. When St Paul Police arrived they found a young man dying in the middle of Maryland Avenue and another man was wounded, not injured as the local press would say. They could not save the man in the street as he died of his gunshot wounds, while the other man was rushed to Regions Hospital.

April 3, 2022 at about 2 pm there was a shooting just north of the Maryland Avenue intersection with Arundel. There were shots fired near a Silver Sports Sedan and a victim was later transported from the scene.

Violent Crime Had Returned to My Neighborhood

I, Publius Jr, know these incidents could have been avoided because I live near the problem property of the Maryland Supermarket.

I missed the first shooting on March 31st by 35 minutes as I had caught a bus prior to the shooting to go grocery shopping in Roseville MN’s Har Mar Cub Foods store.

Upon returning on the 3A bus route the driver had informed riders she was detouring around the police activity down the street and if anyone needed to get to a destination between Dale & Virginia St to get off the bus at Dale St. I did so. Normally I ride the 3A so I can get off at Arundel as it’s only a block and a half away from my place, this is why I avoided taking the 65 bus that night.

I took this photo from near the Kent St Railroad Overpass on Maryland Avenue West, dreading what was still a mystery to me at that point in time.

When I approached the scene at Norton St and Maryland next to the coin laundromat everything had Police tape around it except a path around the Low income apartment complex Princeton Place, so I took that shortcut. I should’ve taken some photos, but I didn’t want the cops to delay myself longer than I had to, and I had 3 plastic grocery bags to struggle with. Once I got to my place I went online to find out what happened. I also turned on Broadcastify a scanner online to determine what happened and Twitter was a better source of information.

The next day April Fools day, there was nothing to joke about, my neighborhood had another notch on it’s belt for violent crime. There have been several since the new owner of the Maryland Supermarket took over some time ago.

No Shortage of Complaints

The St Paul Police Department has had no shortage of complaints about the Maryland Supermarket. It has a regular patrol in which a squad car will sit near the convenience store a block down from it to monitor the store. They also have a camera on the telephone pole northeast of the property.

With all the surveillance of the property the City Elders can’t pretend they don’t know anything is happening there. They know and yet they still let it exist.

In the Summer of 2021 Ramsey County Zoning Board solicited testimony from residents mostly through email. I sent in my testimony saying the property is a suspected drug front, as I had seen drugs being sold in the parking lot as I waited for the 3A Bus line.

During the Summer of Covid in 2020, I had reported on 2 car accidents that took place at the intersection that happened within days of each other. I’m puzzled why the business is allowed to exist as I’ve heard of businesses being denied a location due to the lack of adequate parking space. The amount of business traffic seen at the store makes for a large amount of overflow parking within a block or two from the store.

I’m sure my phone number has been put on a list at the St Paul Police Department of concerned neighbors that will report either direct or indirect complaints about the store. Mostly I report gun shots heard. I can’t always tell where the gun shots come from as I live near Wheelock Ridge and it tends to bounce noises originating from other locations. Too bad there isn’t a shot spotter. Last Fall I reported shots fired to 911, and a half hour later I got a call from the St Paul Police Department asking where I thought the shots came from and I thought it was north of where I live. Forty Minutes roughly later a different officer called asking me about where I thought the shots had originated. I gave the same answer. A month later I got a letter from a SPPD Detective telling me they could not locate the origin of the shots fired. I thought it was nice they went the extra mile, but it wasn’t necessary to send me a letter. Sometimes it’s hard to discern the direction the shots come from being that there are trains that move through the area and occasionally brakes will bang out a noise that sounds like a gun shot, and also the corridor the train goes through will echo shots from further away. There is also a rise in fireworks shot at different times of the night outside of normal fireworks season around the Fourth of July and New Years Day.

Violent Crime Could’ve been Avoided

Earlier in this article I mentioned that the violent crime could have been avoided and here is how I would know this.

In 2019 I was in a Work Program at the VA Hospital where I would have a job there while I looked for another job, it is called, Compensated Work Therapy (CWT). I would catch the bus every morning 3A to A-Line, to Blue Line to the VA Hospital Station. It’s roughly about a 40 minute trip. One afternoon upon getting off of the bus I noticed the Sign foundation at the Maryland Supermarket had some of the cinder blocks busted off of the foundation. I thought some troubled youth might use the shards to break windows of cars or harm others with it. So I sent a note to my councilwoman Amy Brendmoen. She contacted the property owner and for a full month nothing happened. Then in an unrelated incident at the property a man was murdered while he sat in his car. When I came back from work that day, there were cops all about.

Police have been called to 444 Maryland Ave. some 1,700 times in the past three years, most notably for the fatal shooting of 21-year-old Marquez Perry-Banks, who was gunned down shortly after noon on a Friday in early May 2019. Another young man was later sentenced to 19 years in prison for intentional murder. (Photo courtesy of St. Paul Police Department)
Police have been called to 444 Maryland Ave. some 1,700 times in the past three years, most notably for the fatal shooting of 21-year-old Marquez Perry-Banks, who was gunned down shortly after noon on a Friday in early May 2019. Another young man was later sentenced to 19 years in prison for intentional murder. (Photo courtesy of St. Paul Police Department) (From Fred Melo’s article published on September 22, 2021 entitled “Maryland Ave. tobacco store owner sues city of St Paul over license denial“

At left you can see the foundation of the sign broken which I had complained about a month before the murder. The balloons and candles are at where the murder took place.

For more than a year, balloons and candles were located at the corner of the parking lot to commemorate the location where the young man was murdered while he sat in his car in May of 2019.

This isn’t Localized in St Paul

I made the acquaintance of a Pastor in North Minneapolis in the weeks after the George Floyd riots of late May early June 2020. I started following him on his Twitter account. He would talk about the insanity of violent crime in North Minneapolis. He has been at it for over 20 years. He believes just like I do that some areas are allowed to have violent crime and drugs being sold near those locations.  I had mentioned seeing high end sedans and sports coupes near the Maryland Supermarket and a barbershop several blocks to the east of that location. Why would someone park a Maserati Quattroporte in a blue collar neighborhood? It seems out of place like a car on cinder blocks in Beverly Hills.  He said if you see Ford F-150s in the parking lot of the supermarket then it’s probably someone from the suburbs there to buy drugs.

His problem property is in the area of a liquor store and a gas station at the intersection of Broadway & Lyndale in North Minneapolis.  Shots fired there are quite common.  The Police know what’s going on there.  I know the neighborhood and it’s creepy during the day time. I had to take a Creative Job Search Seminar at the Career Center nearby at the start of the VA’s CWT program. One time I had nodded off on the bus and had missed my stop by about 4 blocks. When I exited the bus I walked with a purpose a bit quicker than normal to get to the Career Center.  North Minneapolis has a bad reputation for a reason. I felt out of place.  I had asked the VA to relocate that Job Seminar somewhere else as I didn’t feel safe there. Read that again as: I’m a US Army Veteran and I was afraid for my safety in that neighborhood near Lyndale & Broadway.

Maryland Supermarket Sued the City of St Paul

After Ramsey County voted unanimously to rezone the property where the Maryland Supermarket and Golden Grill are located to be residential, the owner of the convenience store sued the City of St Paul. They cited the denial of their tobacco store will effectively put them out of business. Throughout the year prior to that ruling they would openly advertise menthol cigarettes sold there, which was in violation of a city ordinance banning such products to be sold in St Paul.

The owner of the Maryland Supermarket can claim he knows nothing about the drug sales around his property or that he is related to anyone who does sell there, but prior to him buying the store, that element did not exist at the store.  There were no thugs hanging around harassing people who lived nearby.  There were no gunshots fired in the neighborhood that related directly or indirectly to the customers of the store.

If the store owner would like to expand his business he should move somewhere else where there is more parking. He seems to have a healthy business there. The parking lot is too small for his clientele. The City of St Paul should help him move out of the neighborhood to a more commercial property. I bet the crime and violence will move out of the neighborhood with him. Maybe it won’t.

The Residents of My Neighborhood Deserve Better.

The City of St Paul and Ramsey County seemed to have made a decision to not be sued and let the citizens of my neighborhood be in a continued state of danger from an unwelcome element.  They are okay with the drug dealers selling their product, and thugs shooting indiscriminately, not caring if a innocent bystander is wounded or killed.

This should be an issue that Elected City Council members should try to correct instead of sweeping it under the rug.  Since they don’t live here it must be okay as long as the violence doesn’t spill into their neighborhood.  Their inaction of not removing this element from the neighborhood has produced over a couple thousand Police calls since 2016, several shootings, and people killed and wounded.

The first comment my friends said when they heard me telling them about the shootings was, “Can you move?”  My response was I shouldn’t have to move, the people causing it should have to move or be arrested.

The Police photo is from an article Fred Melo, a reporter from the Pioneer Press published on September 22, 2021.  The original story is called “Maryland Ave. tobacco store owner sues the city of St Paul over license denial.”  ~~ Publius Jr.

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President Donald Trump: “I was Right about Everything”

Posted on May 13, 2022 by Publius Jr

President Donald Trump sat down with CBN for an exclusive interview on May 4, 2022.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6LN1QQUKxo

The CBN News Crew met President Trump at his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida.  They talk about many things to include the possible overturn of Roe v Wade, his future political plans, the T of the LGBTQ people.  He talks about how Christianity is very important to him, and all the gains and protections he did for Christians.

Here is the full article by David Brody who did the interview.

We’re posting this for the benefit of Republicans gathered at the Republican Party of Minnesota’s State Convention May 13 & 14, 2022. President Trump was supported by all the Governor candidates except for Dr Scott Jensen.  As a Minnesota Republican, I’d like to see the one issue candidate Scott Jensen permanently leave the Republican Party to the party he supported in the 2020 Presidential Election, the Libertarian Party. We wouldn’t endorse a DFLer would we? Why endorse a fake Republican like him? ~~ Publius Jr.

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Pothole Reporting in the Twin Cities Metro Area and on MN Highways

Posted on April 23, 2022 by Publius Jr

Potholes are a nuisance in the Twin Cities Metro Area

Potholes are everywhere in Minnesota where there is an asphalt surface.  They can form at any time of the year, but usually after Winter in the Springtime when a general thaw is in process.

We citizens complain about them, but if you don’t notify the proper city, county or state officials about a pothole you’re just as much the problem as the pothole is.  Just as in Ray’s Challenge our post about a St Paul citizen willing to return stray shopping carts back to the cart corral to proactively help other people, you need to think about other drivers who might be driving along and not see the pothole in time; they might get into an accident because of it. We admit from the numerous potholes out there the Public Works crews in St Paul and other parts of the state can’t know where all the potholes are at all times.  That is why your help is so vitally needed.

While we would love concrete roadways on priority streets everywhere in the State of Minnesota, concrete roads have issues too, just not always in the area of a pothole. They have cases where a slab of concrete will buckle upwards and ruin someone’s day.  That’s an article for another day.  For now Report those potholes and other road problems.

Here are some resources below to do that in Hennepin and Ramsey Counties, Saint Paul, Minneapolis, and along MN State Highways and Interstate freeways.  ~~ Publius Jr.

Potholes Reporting

Make a note of where exactly the pothole is (street address, highway & nearest mile marker), what the shape of it is, how deep it is.  If you can you can send a photo of it (if the web form allows you to send a photo).

  • MNDOT (Minnesota Department Of Transportation)

www.dot.state.mn.us/metro/maintenance/potholes.html

  • St Paul Public Works

Phone:  651-266-9700

Email:  Potholes@ci.stpaul.mn.us

  • Ramsey County

www.ramseycounty.us/residents/roads-transit/report-problem

  • Minneapolis

www.minneapolismn.gov/report-an-issue/pothole

  • Hennepin County

www.hennepin.us/residents/transportation/report-a-roadway-problem

How Does a Pothole Form?

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Give It Back Rally, April 23rd 11am to 1pm at the MN State Capitol

Posted on April 22, 2022 by Publius Jr

What:  Give It Back Rally, by Center for the American Experiment

When:  Saturday, April 23rd, 11:00 am to 1:00 pm

Where: Minnesota State Capitol Steps (inside the Rotunda if it is raining)

If you plan to be there or can’t make it because you’re at a Congressional District Convention go to www.GiveItBackMN.com and sign the petition.

The Rally Speakers:

John Hinderaker–President of the Center of the American Experiment

Jason Lewis–Former MN CD2 Representative

Jon Justice & Andrew Lee from Justice & Drew Morning Show

Scott Hennen–Host of “What’s on Your Mind”

Dan “Ox” Ochsner–Host of KNSI’s Ox in the Afternoon

Al Travis–Host of Between the Lines

If it is raining, look for the Rally inside the Minnesota Capitol Rotunda

Reasons to Give the Surplus Back

The Center of the American Experiment give reasons for giving the Surplus back, but really when you take more than what you need, it’s obvious you need to give it back. Here’s their reasons:

  • Most of the $9.3 billion surplus is structural — meaning it can be used for permanent tax cuts.
  • State spending is at an all-time high after increases of 8% in 2019 and 5% in 2021, including huge increases to K-12 education each year.
  • The current budget is scheduled to grow another 10% in 2022-23 to $52.3 billion!
  • Minnesota’s tax rates are the sixth highest in the country. In fact, our lowest rate would be the highest rate in 24 states!
  • The state’s savings account ($2.656 billion) is at an all-time high and one of the strongest in the country.
  • School districts, cities, counties and the state all received (and spent) billions in federal aid for the pandemic.

This article was posted as a courtesy to Center for the American Experiment. Saintpaulrepublicans.us is not associated with CAE.  We believe citizens shouldn’t have to decide what they can afford to purchase after they pay their taxes. Citizens shouldn’t be burdened with out of control spending of government when they have less to live on from feeding a growing government.

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Have a Happy Resurrection Day

Posted on April 17, 2022 by Publius Jr

It is important to remember the reason why America was first founded and how other less important goals seem to crowd out the Original American Dream of Worshipping Jesus Christ without government intrusion. There are some who will say the original reason to come to the New World was for business reasons.

This is covered in the article, “Can Trump Save Thanksgiving?” It covers this struggle between these two goals. Clearly those who concentrate on their Christian Faith first will be blessed in other areas of their life.

Our party has not done as well when we do not support Judeo-Christian Values and concentrate only on Financial/Fiscal/Tax Policies. Being on the “Right Side of History,” as some  put it when Same-Sex Marriage was enacted in Minnesota has not resulted in Statewide Republican Candidates being elected.

So we have to remember who has redeemed us despite our faults and shortcomings. This is why the unmerited gift of Redemption Jesus Christ has given us with His ultimate Sacrifice and the Ability to defeat Death for us with His Resurrection is such Great News indeed!

Remember the reason for the season and have a Happy Resurrection Day!

 

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