For whom should Minnesota's anglers, hunters, and environmentalists vote?

It's less than a month until Election Day. In Minnesota, early voting is available. We honestly wish we could point to a list of Democrats and say "These folks!" It's not that simple these days. Once upon a time, we believed the Democratic party were the "good guys" and were in favor of labor and environmental protection. Then came the 1968 Democratic Convention, the Chicago police riots, courtesy of Mayor Richard Daley (a Democrat). During the 1970s, we watched as a Republican President helped create the Council on Environmental Quality, the Environmental Protection Agency and many of the environmental laws Americans have depended on for generations: The Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act Amendments, and the Clean Air Act. These days we're hard pressed to find more than a handful of real environmental champions in either political party. The following is the best guidance we've been able to find to help us decide who we're going to vote for in less than a month. Minnesota is not without any good choices for protecting the environment, but we'd be better served if we had more, especially in mining and farming country.

near the northern end on MN's Congressional District 8

Photo by J. Harrington

The Sierra Club (full disclosure: we're long  time members) sent us an email with a link to their national Voter Guide. In Minnesota, as of about 11:45 am today, there's no endorsement for Congressional Districts 6, 7, and 8; nor for either Senate seat. The North Star Chapter's endorsements for state elections are listed here.

near the southern end on MN's Congressional District 8

Photo by J. Harrington

Hatch magazine (@hatchflymag) offers this perspective on who to vote for, or vote out, to protect clean air and clean water. The only Minnesota politicians we can find listed are Lewis, J., Paulsen, Emmer, and Peterson, all of whom voted "TO REPEAL THE STREAM PROTECTION RULE IN THE HOUSE." You can probably figure our for yourself whether that means they should be voted in or out.

Thanks to a Tweet from Agate Magazine (@AgateMag) in our Twitter time line, we found Outside Magazine's How to Vote for the Outdoors, which includes separate sections by:

•  The League of Conservation Voters
  The League offers a Scorecard, based on politicians voting records. Minnesota was disappointingly average, thanks to three Rs and one DINO in the House.


•  The Outdoor Industry Association
  In their Voters Guide, Eric Paulson(R) is the only endorsed candidate in MN. (?)


• The Trust for Public Land
  TPL seems focused on getting local funding measures passed, not on getting candidates elected.


• Backcountry Hunters and Anglers
  We found no voters guide information in the National nor the Minnesota Chapter section.

Each of these listings might get updated before the election, so consider checking back if you don't vote early. We're still hoping to find a political party that truly believes there doesn't have to be a tradeoff between a healthy economy and a healthy environment. The early effects of climate change that we're seeing these days make it clear to us that we need a major transformation in how we source, produce, deliver and dispose of our material goods. The best time to start that transformation was twenty years ago. The second best time is November 6, 2018.

Why I Voted the Socialist Ticket

By Vachel Lindsay

I am unjust, but I can strive for justice.

My life’s unkind, but I can vote for kindness.

I, the unloving, say life should be lovely.

I, that am blind, cry out against my blindness.

Man is a curious brute—he pets his fancies—

Fighting mankind, to win sweet luxury.

So he will be, though law be clear as crystal,

Tho’ all men plan to live in harmony.

Come, let us vote against our human nature,

Crying to God in all the polling places

To heal our everlasting sinfulness

And make us sages with transfigured faces.

********************************************
Thanks for visiting. Come again when you can.
Please be kind to each other while you can.