Here is the e-mail Minnesota State Representative Tony Cornish sent out to all members of the Minnesota State Legislature and hundreds of other people. Below is my response:
Be Very Careful of This Man
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amaki000@centurytel.net
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Tony Cornish
11:04 AM (9 hours ago)
Dear Members,
If you get any letters from Alan Maki, I would suggest you do not answer them. I have been keeping his letters on file for 7 years. As soon as you don't agree with him, he will print your letters and make you out to be a horrible person. Then he claims you started it. Years ago he harassed Maxine Penas with insulting letters and called people ignorant that did not agree with him. He started this 7 years ago by calling all of us clowns before he was into any discussion with anyone.
This is what he wrote about Republicans; " Gees, I forgot, it doesn't do any good to talk to a Republican about morals or ethics, anyone who would walk around wearing a Bush‑Cheney
baseball cap must be on a team that doesn't have either morals or ethics.
He's written about a number of issues over the past concerning the war, the environment, the Cuba embargo, smoking in Casinos and the Ford plant. In November of 2005 in an environmental discussion, he said that former Senator and DNR Commissioner Gene Merriam committed a "racist and criminal" act regarding the environment.
One of his favorite tricks is to insult you and then say you started it and then copy everyone under the sun plus the newspapers which doesn't bother me. I wrote him a nice letter at one point and asked if anyone had gotten back to him, even though he was not my constituent. He wrote back and said no and then said that I had not one iota of concern for the environment.
In short, I would delete anything you get from this man and use your e mail block for him. His partner is David Thorstad who also writes in vulgar terms since 2005.
Here is a copy of the letter from 7 years ago and it has not let up. Just hit delete and e mail block.
My response...
From: Alan Maki
To: Tony Cornish
Sent: Thursday, September 20, 2012 12:34 PM
Subject: Re: Be Very Careful of This Man
Representative Cornish,
Yes, the "Circus in the Cities" continues with both Democrats and Republicans refusing to address the concerns of Minnesotans; you are living proof.
You know, Representative Cornish, you forget to mention that I apologized for calling you a "clown."
As you will recall, an association representing clowns from Barnum and Bailey, Ringling Brothers and the Shrine circuses strenuously objected--- claiming I was maligning their honorable profession.
Fact:
1. My initial contact with you and Maxine Penas was over the issue of casino workers--- a health issue, a worker's right issue, a poverty issue. Neither of you did anything.
2. Again I met with you concerning peat mining in the Pine Island State Forest in the Big Bog; the largest freshwater aquifer in the "Lower 48." My thinking was that since you were once a game warden in a former life employed by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to protect our resources, you would be concerned with this rape of our resources and the destruction of this aquifer. The "racism" comes in because in refusing to even consider this issue you and Commissioner Meriam slighted the people of the Red Lake Nation and their historic opposition to the commercialization of the peat which will destroy a very delicate ecosystem they require--- as former Red Lake Nation Chair Roger Jourdain pointed out in opposing this peat mining: "Destroy this freshwater aquifer and you destroy my people and our Nation." I requested you help me to get a letter from the DNR showing there was collusion between corrupt tribal officials, Congressman Oberstar and Koochiching County Commissioners--- you refused; the head of the Littlefork Forestry office of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources turned the letter over to me and DNR Commissioner Gene Merriam summarily demoted her--- and you did nothing. This peat mining is now underway with state and federal tax-payers footing the infrastructure bill so a Canadian multi-national can truck away the profits. I stand by my statement that former Minnesota DNR Commissioner Gene Merriam committed a "racist and criminal act" in granting a permit to mine peat in the Pine Island State Forest in the Big Bog.
3. Like many people, including American Crystal Sugar's management and other farm organizations, I have called for ending the blockade/embargo of Cuba. You are for maintaining this blockade. This blockade/embargo of Cuba is costing Minnesotans thousands of jobs. Like Canadians, I believe Americans should be able to travel freely to Cuba; you disagree.
4. As for the St. Paul Ford Twin Cities Assembly Plant. I am very proud of my activities trying to save this plant and two-thousand jobs as you and just about every single member--- with a handful of notable exceptions--- abdicated your fiduciary responsibility in trying to save this plant after hundreds of millions of tax-payers' dollars were allocated to Ford's operation after Minnesotans were promised by the Ford Motor Company and you legislators that these hand-outs to Ford would "assure the continuing operation of this plant for the next 75 years;" a direct quote from Minnesota State Senator, and gubernatorial candidate, Roger Moe. You abdicated your fiduciary responsibility after tax-payers built the Ford Motor Company a brand new training center in cooperation with MnScu--- over thirty-million dollars and now the plant is closed and slated for demolition and Minnesota tax-payers will be paying millions of dollars for many years after the demolition. Again, you were on the wrong side of this issue.
5. You have supported all of these dirty wars that Bush started.
6. Are you a "clown?" Anyone who saw you walking around the state legislative building and seeing you on the floor of the legislature wearing your little beanie emblazoned with "Bush-Cheney" was laughing at you; just as people laugh at you when you respond to serious health concerns relating to second-hand smoke in the workplace by suggesting they vote for Romney/Ryan.
7. About these wars. Yes, I am opposed to these dirty imperialist wars; you support them. No doubt you are for going to war in Syria and Iran--- please correct me if I am wrong (I hope that I am wrong).
8. The Minnesota State Legislature voted for the "Freedom to Breath Legislation." I criss-crossed the state supporting this legislation while you opposed it for years only to have the legislation passed with the only exclusion being the Indian Gaming Industry and now you legislators pay for a conference (really nothing but an outing for the mobsters who manage the Indian Gaming Industry) to study the impact of second-hand smoke in these casinos when the health and science communities have determined that second-hand smoke in the workplace causes heart and lung problems, cancers, problems with child-bearing and complications with diabetes. If you know of any reason why casino workers would be immune to the consequences of second-hand smoke please set me straight.
I do find it interesting that you now bring forward every single issue under the sun when the concern I wrote you about now is health care reform and you say not one word in response to what I have written concerning this problem.
Then you warn people about engaging in dialog with me when you have engaged. LOL! I'm rolling on the floor laughing out loud.
Come on, Representative Cornish; now that we know you can say and write more than "blah, blah, blah," respond to my concerns about what it is going to take to solve this health care issue.
As far as your slanderous, libelous and malicious statement that I am in any way "partnered" with one David Thorstad, I challenge you to back up this lie. I can't help who responds to issues of concern to me.
But, the real issue here is not who I am partnered with, or not partnered with; the issue, when it comes to health care reform is who are YOU partnered with, Representative Cornish.
And, when it comes to the issue of health care, you are partnered with the health insurance and pharmaceutical industries along with the American Medical Association. You are partnered with all the greedy, money-grubbing profiteers whose dirty hands we have to remove from health care so we can keep people well and get them well when sick.
Please respond to the points in my original "Letter to the Editor." Once again you have removed that letter from your response while telling us what you have in your file. Obviously you are going to file away my "Letter to the Editor" to bring forward on another day with another issue as you have done here.
So, again I provide you with my "Letter to the Editor" requesting you respond to the here and now--- two-thousand jobs (the Ford Plant) are down the river thanks to your inaction. Oh, before I forget. You allowed the Ford Motor Company to use the subsidies from tax-payers to build a new plant--- not in Minnesota, not in the United States... but in Thailand of all places where the production of Ford Rangers continues and as part of the Trans-Pacific Pact (TPP) initiated by Obama and supported by Romney/Ryan those Ford Rangers will be allowed to be sold here in the United States.
But, back to health care. Here is my letter that so inflamed and incited you without explanation which I sent to you in very cordial and civil manner after which you started doing what? Harassing me?
One more letter for your file:
This "Letter to the Editor" is being submitted exclusively to Northern Watch Newspaper for publication in rebuttal to a previously published "Letter to the Editor."
In the Northern Watch (September 8, 2012; Page 4 < http://www.trftimes.com/news/index.php?option=com_flippingbook&view=book&id=186%3Aseptember-8-2012&catid=1%3Adefault-category&Itemid=18 > a letter written by Valerie Solem, Chairperson of Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Senate District 1, was published about healthcare; specifically her letter was in support of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare; or, a more accurate description is the "Health Insurance and Pharmaceutical Industry Bailout and Profit Maximization Act of 2010."
The objective with health care is not, as Valerie Solem states, to provide health insurance for everyone. This only benefits the profitability of the insurance industry and assures profitability for the pharmaceutical industry, private hospitals, nursing homes and the greedy doctors for whom health care is nothing more than a racket from which they grow richer at the expense of a population getting sicker with people suffering needlessly and dying prematurely.
Health care is all about keeping people healthy and helping to get people well when they are sick.
For health care to work most effectively and efficiently at the lowest possible cost the profit motive behind health care has to be removed.
In fact, as can be seen from many other countries, including our neighbors to the north in Canada, health care works the best the more the "for profit" motive is removed from health care; Obama care does just the opposite by enhancing the profits of the health insurance industry, the pharmaceutical industry and greedy doctors.
As an active member of the Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party, including having served as the elected member of the State Central Committee of the Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party for Roseau County which is part of Senate District 1 and having frequently been a delegate to state conventions and having participated actively in Senate District 1 conventions, I know first hand how Valorie Solem has worked to undermine taking profits out of health care.
I am also the author of the resolution passed by 72% of the delegates to the Minnesota DFL State Convention calling for single payer universal health care; a resolution that was a compromise because there were the well-heeled in the Minnesota DFL, like Valerie Solem, who refused to support what is really required if we are going to solve our health care problems--- now a crisis with almost 50 million people still without any health care and over 100 million people under Obamacare unable to afford the "Cadillac" health insurance premiums so they are stuck picking up the co-pays which are often so huge it results in people having to declare bankruptcy.
Single-payer universal health care like our Canadian neighbors have would be far superior to what we have now.
However, to solve this health care mess will require nothing less than a National Public Health Care System.
A National Public Health Care System would create over twelve-million good paying, real living wage jobs for people who would be providing us with health care for free through neighborhood and community health care centers.
A National Public Health Care System would provide no-fee/no-premium, comprehensive, all-inclusive (general medical, eyes, dental, mental health), universal health care from pre-natal through burial. A National Public Health Care System would be publicly financed, publicly administered--- and most importantly health care would be publicly delivered.
In other words, a National Public Health Care System would function of the same principle--- and in the same way--- as public education or Social Security.
In fact, the socialist Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party led by such distinguished advocates for the rights of working people like former Minnesota socialist governors Floyd B. Olson and Elmer Benson along with Iron Range U.S. Congressman John Bernard were advocates of just such a health care system.
The question is always brought forward: How would we pay for a National Public Health Care System?
We could stop fighting these senseless wars and pay for National Public Health Care with the resulting "peace dividend."
We could "tax-the-rich."
We could institute a payroll tax like that which funds Social Security.
No one would suggest we should turn our public schools over to Wall Street to profit from. Who in their right mind would suggest that the parents of each child should have to pay the teacher a fee like we pay doctors. Privatization doesn't work for education and it sure as heck isn't working for health care.
That Republican Mitt Romney, de facto supports Obamacare as Valerie Solem points out, does not validate Obamacare being legitimate as Valerie Solem would like us to believe.
In fact, the very fact that Romney and Obama support the same "for profit" health care system--- the "Health Insurance and Pharmaceutical Industry Bailout and Profit Maximization Act of 2010" (ACA, Obamacare)--- only goes to prove there is no difference between Obama or Romney; they both come before the American people promoting Wall Street's reactionary agenda of greed before human need--- in this instance of health care it is profits for the few versus health care for all. On the health care issue, like all other issues, no matter if Romney or Obama win the election the American people will lose.
A very sad commentary on the state of our democracy.
And this is why I will cast my ballot for former Democrat Rocky Anderson who is running on the Justice Party ticket for President and Michael Cavlan of the Open Progressive Party for United States Senate. Both of these candidates have fought long and hard for the very modest reform of a single-payer universal health care system like our neighbors to the north in Canada enjoy--- at a cost far less than even the cheapest insurance premium leaving a huge co-pay; and fifty-million people uninsured without health care.
Hopefully, in 2016, we will have a candidate come forward articulating the need for a National Public Health Care System.
We don't even have to look to other countries for a model when it comes to a National Public Health Care System. We have three very effective--- effective in terms of low-cost and superior delivery to the private sector--- public health care systems in this country: VA, the Indian Health Service and the National Public Health Service; all funded by our tax dollars.
There is a lot of talk from Obama supporters like Valarie Solem that Obama is like President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Nothing could be further from the truth. President Roosevelt's Secretary of Labor, Frances Perkins, was a vigorous advocate of a National Public Health Care System and President Roosevelt had to remove a National Public Health Care System from consideration from the New Deal reforms because the American Medical Association (AMA) demonized Frances Perkins as a "Bolshevik" for advancing a National Public Health Care System. It is time to stand up to these bullies like the AMA and all those who profit financially from people getting sick.
--
Alan L. Maki
Director of Organizing,
Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council
58891 County Road 13
Warroad, Minnesota 56763
Phone: 218-386-2432
Cell: 651-587-5541
Primary E-mail: amaki000@centurytel.net
E-mail: alan.maki1951mn@gmail.com
Blog: http://thepodunkblog.blogspot.com/