TO THE EDITOR:

The comic strip ìFamily Circleî has a frequent character named ìNot Me.î When a lamp gets broken or the dog let out of the kennel, itís always ìNot Me.î When I was a young boy, I made a mistake or two, and tried to blame ìNot Meî myself. But my parents always taught me that it was better to tell the truth. Taking responsibility is always the right choice, no matter the consequences. Hiding the truth and blaming ìNot Meî is far worse.

ìNot Meî has become a major player at the State Capitol these days. Some legislators talk about accountability, but hide from responsibility. ìNot Meî is to blame for the partisan gridlock. ìNot Meî didnít get the job done.

The facts tell a different tale. Minnesota Senate File 65 ñ the ìlights onî bill ñ was passed late in the evening on June 30. No matter how hard he tries his partisan spin, Senator Nienow voted ìNoî ñ he voted instead to shut down our state government. When the ìlights onî bill reached the Minnesota House, Rep. Nelson voted against even allowing the bill to be debated. Moments later, Rep. Nelson voted to adjourn without any vote to keep our state working. Please, donít just take my word for it: read it yourself on page 521 of the Senate Journal and page 100 of the House Journal.

When asked about the historic failure in St. Paul, legislators keep blaming ìNot Me.î They fail to take responsibility for their partisan voting records all session long. I think Minnesotans demand bipartisanship ñ not just for the cameras, but real cooperation and coalition-building. Republicans such as Dan Dorman and Jim Abeler joined Democrats such as Mindy Greiling and Ann Rest to find common ground throughout the session. Unfortunately, the bipartisan effort from Chisago Countyís legislators was led by ìNot Me.î Accountability without responsibility is just lip service.

Jeremy Kalin
Chisago Lake township

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