Message from Ward Chair John Hogg My name is John Hogg and I am the newly elected Chair of Ward 5. I am pleased to be able to announce that Nik Ludwig, our former Ward 5 Chair, was elected Vice Chair. Nik and I are looking forward to building up the ward to become a conservative Republican powerhouse for years to come. I have lived in Minneapolis for close to 30 years. I have seen Minneapolis government growing larger and and more intrusive over the years. As a voter, I have been looking for but mostly have not seen, candidates who reflect the conservative point of view, i.e., smaller and less intrusive government, freedom for the individual, and promotion of the free market.

If we can achieve even a small portion of these goals, we will continue to be the "shining city on the hill" as President Reagan has so eloquently described America. Our opponents say they are fighting for rights of minorities. I say we must fight for the rights of the smallest minority! By doing this we will guarantee the rights of all minorities. And what is the smallest minority? Most of us have not been trained to know who the smallest minority is, in fact we have been trained not to think this way. Certainly, I did not know what the smallest minority was when I first heard of it and yet it is very obvious. Think about it for a few moments before reading the answer below.

The answer is the individual. In other words, it is each one of us. By focusing on the 'smallest minority' you will automatically protect all minorities because we will want to protect and promote ourselves!

I am putting out the call, here and now, for conservatives to join us in the Republican party. The Republican party is the natural party for conservatives! For a long time, I have watched the Republican leadership fritter away our opportunities, act like Democrats by pushing big government programs, and fail to even run candidates to oppose democratically held seats, particularly here in Minneapolis. I began to understand, though, that the problem wasn't at the ballot box, by then it was too late to do anything but feel impotent. The problem lies with we the voters who need to be involved at the primary level, i.e. the grassroots! While politicians have passed many bad laws, we can't blame them too much because for the most part (until recently that is) they have only been doing what they perceived the people wanted. For too long the 'silent' majority has been silent. Reach out, speak out, do not be a candle under a bushel, and above all teach the conservative way. Join me in in this great endeavor!

I am looking forward to meeting you all in the near future! Please watch this spot for announcements of upcoming events.

John

"Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it." President Ronald Reagan