Letter: Drazkowski has played political games all too well

To the editor:

I am a state employee and try not to identify with either party. I am most interested in a politician that has the best interest of Minnesotans and Americans in mind, not only themselves, their party, corporations or unions. I get tired of the bashing, name calling, and political spinning that tells people only what they want to hear.

Steve Drazkowski knows how to play the game. He likes to tell part of the story. When it comes to state employee contracts, he talks about insurance premiums for individuals but fails to talk about increases in premiums for families, co-pays, and deductibles.

What about the whole “compensation package”? State workers may not pay a large amount for premiums, but do they receive a fair amount in wages? The aim is to be compensated “fairly,” not undercompensated or overcompensated.

Recent past contracts didn’t allow for cost-of-living increases and froze step level increases. Also, the continuation of the old contract, as Steve refers to as “autopilot,” was language agreed to in past contracts which protects the workers. Read Governor Dayton’s response to at http://www.scribd.com/doc/104331052/Dayton-s-Response.

Let us not forget Steve did not initially accept his pay during the shutdown but later took it. Being a representative is a part-time job, and the $31,140 salary is paid in equal installments throughout the year whether they are working or not. His excuse was claiming he worked overtime during the shutdown, even though he didn't serve on any of the working groups hammering out specific budget details. He would have been paid anyway, as I said, working or not.

Sometimes, I get the impression Steve is trying to make a name for himself.

I want someone willing to work with others and not just say “it’s my way or the highway.” In this case, I will support the opposition, who happens to be a Democratic moderate. Bruce Montplaisir is a Vietnam veteran, has been a member of the Sheriff’s Mounted Posse, and was a school administrator for many years. He believes in financial responsibility without accounting gimmicks and one-time funding sources. Bruce sounds like a perfect replacement to me.

Bret Olson

Zumbrota

Tags: opinion, letters