The Free Press, Mankato, MN

Local News

April 9, 2009

Earmarks? Kline declines

Congressman's cities left out

By Mark Fischenich

LE SUEUR — If Le Sueur had been founded a mile or so to the southwest or to the northwest, the city would probably have been in the game.

The earmark competition that will be unfolding in Congress in coming months would likely have included $3 million or $4 million for an interchange on Highway 169 to serve Le Sueur’s new industrial park.

A bit farther southwest and Le Sueur would have been in Nicollet County — which is served by Congressman Tim Walz, who has requested more than $105 million in funding for projects across the 1st District. A short distance to the northwest and the city would have been in Sibley County, represented by Congressman Collin Peterson, who’s seeking more than $40 million for the 7th District.

Instead, Le Sueur is where it is — Le Sueur County in the 2nd District, with Congressman John Kline.

“And he’s kind of “The Earmark Hawk,” said Le Sueur Mayor Bob Oberle.

Kline has requested $0 in earmarks, the third straight year he’s boycotted the congressional race for earmarks. The reason: he thinks the game is fixed.

“The fatal flaw in the earmarking process is that projects are still being prioritized by a member’s seniority and party affiliation rather than allowing them to compete on their own merit,” said Kline spokesman Troy Young. “Minnesota families would never prioritize their spending this way, Washington shouldn’t either.”

Walz, a Mankato Democrat, defends the process, saying it’s the duty of Congress under the Constitution to appropriate federal funding. Eliminating earmarks doesn’t mean the money won’t be spent, only that federal agencies will decide which projects win, according to Walz.

“Local leaders who are closest to understanding our deeply unmet needs in southern Minnesota brought these projects to our attention,” Walz said in a statement released with his list of earmarks.

That list of all earmark requests is something Walz has been putting out since he joined Congress in 2007, arguing that transparency is the best way to fight abuse of the system. Since 2008, he’s been including the total dollar amounts of all his requests as well.

Walz also praises reforms to the process since Democrats took control of Congress. This year, all lawmakers are required to post on their Web sites all of the requests they’re making — attempting to end a process that once included projects being anonymously added to spending bills, sometimes at the 11th hour of the lawmaking process.

Kline maintains that transparency won’t eliminate the huge disparity in the amount of funding going to senior lawmakers’ districts compared to those of less high-ranking members.

Oberle agrees with Kline when it comes to the worst kinds of earmarks, saying he, too, hates to hear of tax dollars going for silly pet projects pushed by powerful lawmakers. But the Le Sueur project is all about a traditional governmental role — providing transportation infrastructure that directly leads to economic opportunity, he said.

Oberle didn’t answer directly when asked if he would like Kline to change his tactics. He talked of finding the right balance between ideology and practicality.

“I hope he’s not just tilting against the wind,” the mayor said, drawing an analogy to the debate Minnesota has been having for years about subsidizing stadiums for rich professional sports owners.

It would be great if Minnesota took a stand and that put an end to team owners blackmailing taxpayers with threats of moving teams elsewhere. But Oberle doubts it would really accomplish anything other than making Minnesota a state without professional sports.

“You’ll be sitting there with your empty pot and your moral high-ground,” he said.

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Local News
  • Afghan visitors learn about community policing

    A delegation of Afghan police, prosecutors, judges and lawyers were in Mankato early this week to learn more about community policing, but Public Safety Director Todd Miller had to wait a day after the visit to let the public know due to safety concerns.

    May 22, 2013

  • mfp manufacturing survey 052313 Area manufacturers worry about health care

    82 percent are confident in the future of their own businesses

    May 22, 2013 1 Photo

  • Mankato man jailed after assault

    An argument between two Mankato men at a Liberty Street residence Saturday ended with one man on the sidewalk bleeding and the other in jail.

    May 22, 2013

  • Nicollet Co. asked to support ice arena

     Nicollet County commissioners were asked Tuesday to consider chipping in for a study on the feasibility of adding more indoor ice sheets and possibly a broader sports complex in Mankato or North Mankato.

    May 22, 2013

  • Education co-op plans N. Mankato expansion

    The South Central Service Cooperative is purchasing a 12-acre parcel in upper North Mankato for a future building expansion.

    May 22, 2013

  • mfp Roundabout mtg.jpg Roundabout concerns, affections voiced

    Drivers had a chance to learn more about roundabout plans for two busy Mankato intersections Tuesday. They also had the chance to voice their opinions about their use instead of stop lights for traffic control.

    May 21, 2013 1 Photo

  • mfp tea party pic Local tea party group protests at IRS office

    |MANKATO — Andy Johnson has been waiting for several years to ask the Internal Revenue Service for tax-exempt status for his group, Southern Minnesota Tea Party. His plan was to wait for the Rochester group to get that status, then copy their paperwor

    May 21, 2013 1 Photo

  • mfp fire autism 3 pic.jpg Scary environment turns into a safety-centered one

    Specialized training familiarizes kids who have autism with firefighters and vice versa.

    May 21, 2013 3 Photos

  • mfp robb colum pic Sad closure for a favorite story

    By the time I met Judy Roe, it was already too late. I met her at a dinner table at Pathstone Living, an assisted-living and nursing home facility near Sibley Park in Mankato. I'd been invited by her husband, Jim Roe.

    May 21, 2013 1 Photo

  • N. Kato seeking consultants for major plan

    The North Mankato City Council set the stage for two long-term plans Monday night, one for economic development and the other a comprehensive plan.

    May 21, 2013