Screw it....I'm going to become a pan fisherman, then I won't have to worry about this stuff getting me worked up. Seriously, though, this is politics at it's finest (or worst). What a bunch of sleazebags some of these people are! Would love to see term limits for all elected officials--city, county, state, and federal.
This is from the Minnesota Muskie Alliance Facebook page:
As we reported a while back, Senator Ingebrigtsen used his leadership position to ram his anti-muskie legislation through the Senate.Meanwhile, due to overwhelming public opposition to it, there were no Legislators in the House supporting his agenda.
We were able to show House author Nornes that his own Ottertail County constituents did not want it.
Mary Franson, representing the rest of Ottertail County, fought hard for us based on massive input from her constituents against the bill.
We had the House locked up. The key Chair positions did not want to accept Ingebrigtsen's Senate language on the House version of the Omnibus Bill.
The final step, before going to the Governor, is that the Hose and Senate get together in conference committee to negotiate differences in their bills.
The House conferees fought against including the muskie language.
Senator Ingebrigtsen threw a fit. He threatened to leave, refusing to work on anything without inclusion of his anti-muskie language. Basically, he held all of the work of all of the state Legislators hostage, and demanded the inclusion of his garbage.
Eventually, in the name of moving forward, they caved in and accepted it.
So the anti-muskie language is on both the House and Senate Omnibus Bills!!!
Our course of action now is to go to the Governor. ASAP.
We need him to veto the final bill if it includes this.
He has done it before. We have gotten the veto twice in the past over terrible legislation like this!
We need a huge public push right now!
We need EVERYONE to call the Governors office. Tell them how terrible this language is for MN anglers. Tell them how Ingebrigtsen has no integrity, and has railroaded this entire thing. Ask the Governor to please refuse to sign any bill with any anti-muskie language in it!
CALL NOW!!
If he gets this, it's the beginning of the end for muskie fishing in Minnesota! This will be the stepping stone for stronger, and farther reaching attacks on muskie management!
Governor Dayton's Office: 651-201-3400
Call NOW!!
Thank you,
Aaron Meyer
MN Muskie and Pike Alliance