By Phillip C. Parrish, Candidate for Governor of Minnesota
Fellow Minnesotans,
I’m Phillip Parrish, and I’m running for Governor because our state—and our country—deserve leaders who tell the truth, even when it’s inconvenient for the political class. For weeks, we’ve watched the longest federal government shutdown in history play out in Washington. National parks are closed, federal workers are missing paychecks, food stamp delays are hitting families, and both parties are pointing fingers. But let’s cut through the noise. The real story isn’t just about D.C. gridlock. It’s about a broken system built on the erosion of the 10th Amendment, a culture of dependency, and the irony of a nation that screams “No Kings!” while worshipping centralized government as both tyrant and savior.
The Shutdown: Real Pain, But Not the Apocalypse
Yes, the shutdown hurts.
• 900,000 federal workers are furloughed or working without pay.
• Military families are lining up at food pantries.
• SNAP delays have forced states like Virginia to step in with emergency aid.
• Fraudulent ACA and Medicaid claims—billions lost to ghost patients, fake clinics, and lax oversight—are now political ammunition in the fight over subsidy extensions.
But let’s be honest: this is not Armageddon. Social Security checks are still going out. Medicare keeps paying. Air traffic controllers are on duty. And when this ends—as it always does—back pay will flow to federal employees under the 2019 law. The panic is real for those directly affected, but much of the hysteria is manufactured to keep you afraid, dependent, and loyal to one party or the other.
The Deeper Truth: Fraud, Waste, and Federal Overreach
Dig into the data, and the picture gets uglier:
• $40–50 billion in annual Medicaid improper payments.
• $650 million billed from fake substance abuse clinics in Arizona—for patients who never existed.
• Insurance brokers gaming ACA rules to enroll ineligible people and pocket commissions.
• States coerced into expanding Medicaid under threat of losing all federal funding—a textbook violation of the 10th Amendment.
This isn’t incompetence. It’s incentive design. When Washington writes the checks but states do the work, no one is truly accountable. Local officials don’t feel the pain of waste. Federal bureaucrats don’t answer to voters. And the result? A system so complex that fraud becomes a feature, not a bug.
The Irony: “No Kings!”—While Bowing to the Biggest King of All
Here’s where the hypocrisy reaches peak absurdity.
One side screams, “Trump is a king! He’s shutting down the government!”
The other side wails, “Only the federal government can save the poor, the sick, the children!”
Both are wrong. Both are dangerous.
We are told to fear a president—any president—as a monarch. Yet the same voices demand that Washington, D.C. control your healthcare, your income, your food, your future. That’s not freedom. That’s making government your religion—and the federal bureaucracy your altar.
Think about it:
• You can’t opt out of Social Security.
• You can’t choose a Minnesota-only health plan without federal approval.
• Your tax dollars fund programs you’ll never use—while local needs go unmet.
This isn’t governance. It’s centralized idolatry.
Minnesota’s Path: Take Back Power
As your Governor, I will fight to restore the 10th Amendment in practice, not just in theory.
Here’s how:
1. Reject federal mandates with strings — If D.C. wants to fund something, fine. But no more “comply or lose everything” coercion.
2. Block-grant Medicaid to Minnesota — Let us design a system that works for Minnesotans, with real-time fraud detection, local accountability, and competition between providers.
3. Empower communities, not bureaucracies — Fund food banks, faith-based shelters, and mutual aid networks that step up when D.C. fails.
4. End the shutdown theater — Demand Congress pass individual appropriations bills, not 2,000-page omnibus monsters at 3 a.m.
We don’t need a king in Washington—or a nanny state. We need self-reliance, local control, and personal responsibility—the values that built Minnesota.
A Final Word
Some will call this radical. I call it common sense.
Some will say we can’t afford to walk away from federal dollars. I say we can’t afford not to—because every dollar comes with a chain.
I’m not running to manage decline. I’m running to reclaim sovereignty—for our state, our families, and our future.
The altar of big government is crumbling. It’s time to build something better.
Phillip C. Parrish
Candidate for Governor of Minnesota
Philip C. Parrish is a Republican candidate for Governor of Minnesota, retired Navy intelligence officer, father, farmer, teacher, administrator, and lifelong Minnesotan running to restore integrity and prosperity.