In Defense of Senator Satveer S. Chaudhary

June 25, 2010

I must clarify my political, philosophical, and party affiliations that differ from Senator Satveer S. Chaudhary. I am not endorsing nor am I providing any political favor toward Senator Satveer S. Chaudhary. My intention is to work with Senator Gina Bauman in 2011 after her victory against Senator Satveer S. Chaudhary on November 2, 2010.

In the last days of the 2009 Minnesota State Legislature and the subsequent weeks, Senator Satveer S. Chaudhary found himself embroiled in the "amendment gate" scandal in St. Paul. It appears that Senator Satveer S. Chaudhary placed a last minute amendment to the omnibus DNR bill that had a direct impact on waterfront property that Senator Satveer S. Chaudhary owns in northern Minnesota. As a result of this attempt, DFL leaders in Senate District 50 held a town hall type of meeting with Senator Satveer S. Chaudhary; a senate ethics committee held a meeting in St. Paul with Senator Satveer S. Chaudhary; and the DFL party has considered rescinding Senator Satveer S. Chaudhary endorsement. To top off the attacks, Barb Goodwin, a local political activist, decided on the last day to file in the 2010 elections to run for Senate District 50 against Senator Satveer S. Chaudhary. An August primary runoff is now scheduled.

The defense I make is not for our Senator Satveer S. Chaudhary's actions in St. Paul, nor is it that I agree with Senator Satveer S. Chaudhary's unconstitutional action of submitting an unrelated amendment in committee or on the House floor. The defense is how extremely rampant this unconstitutional submission to a bill is at the Capitol. The action to subvert the constitutional process of review by committees or submitting an unrelated amendment is commonplace and practiced by both Democrats and Republicans in the Legislature. Over the years I have personally seen this practice on the House Floor while in the gallery. Our State Constitution provides no right of personal privilege of representatives to submit amendments to unrelated bills. No personal privilege exists in the legislative process.

The current issue that our Senator Satveer S. Chaudhary is experiencing is only a small portion of the problems in St. Paul. The leadership in St. Paul needs wholesale replacement across the board in 2010. "We the People" do have the power to return government to Constitutional limits on November 2, 2010; the question is "have you had enough yet" to want Constitutional governance.

Yes, our Senator Satveer S. Chaudhary did make poor choices to target specific property he owns for personal benefit. The solution is understanding every legislative bill introduced (3,864 in the last biennium) impacts every member of the Legislature and citizen in Minnesota. Every bill should stand alone as mandated in our State Constitution, travel the regulated review process through committees, and be openly voted on the House Floor by each representative, not voting for others, but making their own vote up or down. Law and personal security can only prosper when elected officials follow our constitutional process as I vow to do when elected to St. Paul in November 2010.