Felon seeks GOP congressional endorsement

By Susan Larson | The Daily Journal

Published Friday, March 21, 2008

Photo by Jeff Hage

Alan Roebke visits at The Journal office Thursday.

Despite being a convicted felon, Alan Roebke, Chaska, believes he is the best man for the congressional seat held by Dist. 7 Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minnesota).

Roebke, 58, isn’t kidding when he calls himself, “The most unique candidate running for Congress today.” In 2003, the former farmer was convicted of fraud for “taking my own grain” — grain that was pledged as collateral for a government loan. A jury found him guilty on five charges and he was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison. He spent two years incarcerated and three on supervised probation.

“It was the learning experience of my life,” Roebke said.

An experience he feels, in some form, will help him should he find himself elected. At one point, Roebke said, he was a multimillionaire; he now claims to carry, “My life savings in my wallet.”

“I understand economics,” he said, “because I’ve experienced it from top to bottom.”

Describing himself as “an old-school Republican,” Roebke grew up on a farm in Hector, Renville County, and farmed as an adult.

He could never understand, he said, why he was offered subsidies, since he was successful.

It’s a view he still holds. If elected, one of Roebke’s goals is to slash, “Billions in shamelessly wasteful subsidies … This Easter when Congress is on break, we need to tell them to drive the stretch of (Highway 210) between Fergus Falls and Wahpeton-Breckenridge and witness the success (of farmers) along that road … We need to stop giving direct subsidies to those farmers who are doing well … It’s an outrage for the working class of the Seventh District.”

Something else lacking in the Seventh District, by Roebke’s estimation, is an agriculture policy relevant to the people of the district.

“I come to the race understanding that times have changed and we need new leadership in the district,” he said.

Roebke proposes extending the present farm policy for just one year. As an amendment to that policy, “With $5.2 billion (from the subsidies) we would address the needs of the most needy … Keeping taxes down for all is my goal,” he said, “and bringing balance back to industry.”