April 1-2, 2007
Apr 01 00:51 Pushing the Envelope Apr 01 01:21 God Bless The Strib Apr 01 10:27 The Looming Property Tax Fight Apr 01 12:29 Political Doublespeak? Apr 01 15:46 Herb Carneal, RIP Apr 01 22:43 CNN's Michael Ware Ridicules McCain, Graham Apr 02 10:01 They Lied Apr 02 11:24 The Good Guys Win
Prior Years: 2006
Pushing the Envelope
According to this AP article Minnesota DFLers have "tested the limits of their legislative power in the face of Pawlenty's veto threats." That's a rather clever way of avoiding saying that they've gone stark-raving mad.
The Minnesota Senate approved what would be the nation's highest tax bracket for upper income levels on Saturday, but the legislation has little chance of becoming law.Sen. Saltzman, why haven't you been against all of the tax increases? It sounds like she just figured out that people are mightily upset with the Senate DFL for proposing to increase their taxes in a time of surplus. There isn't a group of people that the DFL would spare from their tax increases. People noticed that. They're mad as hell & they aren't going to take it anymore. Now it's the Right Blogosphere's job to start turning that anxiety into votes for GOP candidates.
Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty has promised to block the tax hike, which inflamed GOP senators and was also rejected by seven Democrats. The tax proposal was part of an education funding package that passed 35-29, just one vote above the bare minimum needed.
"When you read the papers and hear that Minnesota might be number one in the country in a particular tax bracket, I'm very uncomfortable with that," said Sen. Kathy Saltzman, DFL-Woodbury, one of five first-term DFLers who voted against the bill.
"This is an investment in our future," said Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller, DFL-Minneapolis. "This is an investment in our children." Pogemiller said Senate Democrats are holding out for property tax relief and a permanent increase in education funding this year. But he wouldn't elaborate on what a compromise might look like or how it would be brokered by the May 21 deadline for adjournment.Larry Pogemiller would have you believe that everything is for "the children." Taxpayers aren't that gullible. This tax increase is a pay off to Education Minnesota for their GOTV efforts. This is a payoff for Education Minnesota's campaign contributions.
My good friend King Banaian says that he gets a kick hearing about the DFL's "investments." King says that the DFL always 'invests' other people's money. I'd add that they only 'invest' in their political allies' pet projects.
There's an intentional deception happening here. It's something that nobody's talked about so I'll start the conversation here. Remember the budget projecting a $2.2 billion surplus? Remember that the updated forecast showed a surplus of $2.163 billion? Why didn't the DFL campaign on massive tax increases & huge spending increases? Surely they knew that the forecast was pretty accurate. Surely they knew which programs they wanted to increase funding to. You know that they knew with new initiatives they wanted funded.
Remember Sen. Steve Murphy's quote in the Strib:
"I'm not trying to fool anybody," said Sen. Steve Murphy, DFL-Red Wing, sponsor of the measure that would increase funding for roads and transit by $1.5 billion a year once it was fully implemented in the next decade. "There's a lot of taxes in this bill."Nora Slawik knew that she'd be introducing a bill to pay for childcare that costs $140 million the first biennium & over $1 billion in the second biennium. They didn't campaign on those sorts of things because they knew that if they did, they'd still be in the minority in the House.
I've referred often to Mike Hatch's acceptance speech at the state DFL Convention for a reason. The DFL intentionally tried sounding like fiscal moderates to camouflage their true intentions. Here's a reminder of what Hatch said:
Hatch gave his task an initial shot in a rambling acceptance speech that punched some of the right buttons. He cast Pawlenty as too stingy with education, responsible for large class sizes and rising college tuition. He tagged him for an inadequate response to soaring health care costs and the emerging biosciences industry. He promised more state investment in those things. Significantly, he said, "we can do this without raising taxes."Here's how it's playing in the real world:
Senators started their spring break after the floor session, with some thinking about how to explain their votes on the tax-and-schools package. One of them was first-term Sen. John Doll, DFL-Burnsville, who voted no. He said he was concerned about how his constituents would handle the number of tax increases being proposed this year, including a dime-a-gallon gas tax increase.TRANSLATION: I want to vote for this tax & for the increased spending but if I do, I'll be a one term wonder.
"It's a tough vote in that I campaigned on early childhood education needs," Doll said. But, he added, "I have to look at all of the folks in my district. It's a balance of trying to meet those additional needs and investments."
That's how it's playing in the suburbs. Don't be fooled by the message emanating from the WCCO/Strib/MPR echo chamber.
Posted Sunday, April 1, 2007 12:51 AM
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God Bless The Strib
God bless the Strib again. Don't worry. I don't think that their reporting is fair & balanced. It's that they sometimes print an article that shines a bright light on what's really happening. This is one of those articles. Here's the tidbit of information that speaks volumes about the DFL:
DEMOCRATS VOTING NOThis information is about which senators voted against the DFL's $1 billion income tax increase. The DFL senators that voted against it are either from the suburbs or they're from outstate districts. Now let's look at which DFLers voted for it:
Bonoff (Minnetonka); Doll (Burnsville); Lynch (Rochester); Rest (New Hope); Rummel (White Bear Lake); Saltzman (Woodbury); Skogen (Hewitt)
DEMOCRATS VOTING YESEvery one of the most liberal senators voted for this bill, including Tom Bakk, Tiny Tarryl, Larry Pogemiller, John Marty, Steve Murphy, Gary Kubly, Sandy Pappas & Yvonne Prettner Solon. That group is so far left that they're worried that Howard Dean is a bit too conservative.
Anderson (St. Paul); Bakk (Cook); Berglin (Minneapolis); Betzold (Fridley); Carlson (Eagan); Chaudhary (Fridley); Clark (St. Cloud); Cohen (St. Paul); Dibble (Minneapolis); Erickson Ropes (Winona); Foley (Coon Rapids); Higgins (Minneapolis); Kubly (Granite Falls); Langseth (Glyndon); Larson (Bloomington); Latz (St. Louis Park); Lourey (Kerrick); Marty (Roseville); Metzen (South St. Paul); Moua (St. Paul); Murphy (Red Wing); Olseen (Harris); Olson, M. (Bemidji); Pappas (St. Paul); Pogemiller (Minneapolis); Prettner Solon (Duluth); Saxhaug (Grand Rapids); Sheran (Mankato); Skoe (Clearbrook); Sparks (Austin); Stumpf (Plummer); Tomassoni (Chisholm); Torres Ray (Minneapolis); Vickerman (Tracy); Wiger (North St. Paul)
Posted Sunday, April 1, 2007 1:21 AM
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The Looming Property Tax Fight
I think it's safe to say that Ed Gorman doesn't think highly of the DFL's proposed property tax increase on businesses:
A cod dinner at Gorman's Restaurant in Lake Elmo costs $9.05, and a bacon cheeseburger $6.60, since prices rose 40 cents in February. The owner, Ed Gorman, said he couldn't think of any other way to pay the restaurant's property tax bill, nearly double last year's. "We work on budgets around here; it's not like going to the store and buying $1,000 worth of hamburger and selling it for a profit," he said.Based on this article alone, it's safe to say that the business community is sick & tired of having a big red bullseye painted on their chest by the DFL. The good news is that businessmen like Mr. Gorman aren't alone in speaking out against the DFL's taxaholic ways. Chambers of Commerce are plenty upset, too:
The Senate tax bill, likely to be heard before the end of the week, will contain an increase in business property taxes of $222 million in FY 2008-2009 and $467 million in 2010-2011. It is clear that property tax relief is a priority for legislators, however, businesses should not pay for homeowners property tax relief. This priority should be funded out of the $2 billion surplus.The DFL-dominated Senate hasn't used common sense in awhile. If they did, they'd realize that they shouldn't raise small businesses' property taxes & small businesses income taxes in the same session. To steal a famous line, Minnesota's Chambers of Commerce are "mad as hell" & they "aren't going to take it anymore."
BUSINESS PROPERTY TAX BURDENS ARE ALREADY THREE TIMES THAT OF HOMES!
Call your Senator today. Tell them not to penalize Minnesota 's job providers and slow the economic engine of this state by raising your business property taxes.
The Minnesota Chamber's response is predictable when you hear that Mr. Gorman's property taxes have almost doubled in a year.
The tax increases puzzle Gorman and other Washington County business owners, who find themselves facing, in some cases, dramatic increases in the assessed value of their commercial property. "It was harsh and unexpected [and] wasn't budgeted for," said Thomas Loome of Loome Antiquarian Booksellers, a downtown Stillwater business that he said will close as a result.This example provides a picture of the real life consequences to the echo chamber politicians' tax increases. This is proof positive that small businesses, even established small businesses are being forced to shut their doors. Instead of increasing small business property taxes, they should be working to shrink these businesses' tax burden.
That store is about a third of a mile from its companion, Loome Theological Booksellers, but property taxes on each increased at far different rates this year. Theological Booksellers, in business for 25 years on N. 4th Street, saw a 5 percent increase. The tax at the downtown store jumped by about nine times that.
Larry's & Tarryl's actions haven't provided proof that they care about anything other than increasing revenues so they can lavish more money on their political allies. Their actions certainly don't reveal an understanding or appreciation for the vital role small businesses play in job creation.
Let's also understand that the commercial property tax increase proposed by the DFL won't be spent on badly underfunded programs. Much of the additional revenue would be spent on new programs. Some of the additional revenue would be spent on pet programs that are already funded quite nicely.
Most importantly, this specific tax increase is driving small businesses either out of the state or out of business. When taxes get to this level, businesses will decrease their activity. They won't re-invest their money. They certainly won't expand their businesses. In other words, a commercial property tax increase of this size might cause a recession.
Is that what Minnesota voters thought they were getting last November? I'd bet the proverbial ranch that they had no idea that that's what they were getting. Here's one final question:
Isn't it time for a taxpayers revolution?
Posted Sunday, April 1, 2007 10:27 AM
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Political Doublespeak?
According to Las Vegas Review-Journal journalist Sherman Frederick's latest column, Harry Reid is engaging in political doublespeak. Here's what Mr. Frederick cites as proof:
The U.S. Senate passed a war-funding bill last week. According to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, (D-NV), this will "change the course in Iraq" by giving our troops "an effective, successful strategy for victory in Iraq." Why, just reading that you'd think that Sen. Reid is giving American soldiers a green light to kick some major butt in Baghdad. You'd be wrong. What Harry is really saying is that "victory" means hightailing it out of Iraq.Reid and other anti-war Democrats in red states are in a pickle over the war. They can't sound like East Coast anti-war liberals like John Murtha. On the other hand, they can't afford to speak out for victory in Iraq because then they'd lose the campaign contributions they get from the anti-war gang.
What's happening as a result is that they have to make statements like Reid made to his constituents when he's home, then making a totally different statement to appease the anti-war moonbats when he's in DC. The bad news for Harry is that that's what Tom Daschle did with South Dakotans. Daschle got away with that until John Thune called him on it. Thune is now the junior senator from South Dakota. Tom Daschle is working the DC talking circuit.
Whoever taught Harry critical thinking skills back at Basic High School in the 1950s can't be happy. His creative writing teacher, however, must be ecstatic, because calling what the Senate did last week "an effective, successful strategy for victory in Iraq" is about as far from reality as one can get.Show me a Democrat with genuine critical thinking skills and I'll tell you that their names are Zell Miller or Joe Lieberman. Show me a Democrat with "creative writing" skills and you could be talking about anyone from the Clinton administration, a Democratic political operative or from one of the Democrats' special interest groups. In other words, they're a dime a dozen.
No one with an ounce of intellectual integrity can seriously call the Senate's action a blueprint for military success in Iraq. Arizona Sen. John McCain may not be my favorite political cup of tea, but he called it right on this one: "This bill should be named the Date Certain for Surrender Act. A second-year cadet at West Point could tell you that if you announce when the end will be, it's a recipe for defeat."I'm with Mr. Frederick in saying that John McCain isn't "my favorite political cup of tea" either. Mr. Frederick is right when he says that McCain nails it in calling this legislation a "Date Certain for Surrender Act." Reid's engaging in duplicitousness of the the worst kind. He should be made to pay with his political life the next time he's up for re-election.
Posted Sunday, April 1, 2007 12:30 PM
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Herb Carneal, RIP
Herb Carneal, the longtime voice of the Minnesota Twins, passed away today at the age of 83:
Longtime Twins radio broadcaster Herb Carneal died this morning of congestive heart failure at his home in Minnetonka, the team announced.One of the reasons that I fell in love with Twins baseball was because of Herb Carneal's broadcast style, which I'd describe as soothing. One Carneal trademark was that he measured his words, except in moments of humor. In short, his broadcasts were that of a gentleman describing a gentleman's game.
Carneal, 83, who received the highest honor in baseball broadcasting in 1996 when he was named the recipient of the Ford C. Frick award, had spent six weeks in the hospital this winter battling a variety of ailments.
He had been scheduled to work 36 homes games this season, including the Twins opener on Monday night against Baltimore.
Carneal, though, said late last week he had decided against working that game because of his health but was hopeful of returning to the booth at some point this season.
Twins great Harmon Killebrew, who was getting ready to come to the Twin Cities from his Arizona home Sunday to attend Monday night's game, was saddened to hear the news.
"It's hard for me to say exactly what I thought about Herb Carneal," Killebrew said. "He was a wonderful man. He was not only a great announcer but a real professional. He was just a wonderful human being. We're going to miss him terribly."
Former Twins first baseman Kent Hrbek grew up in Bloomington listening to Carneal before joining the organization. He had continued to listen to Carneal since retiring in 1994.
"He has been part of Twins baseball as much as Harmon or Tony Oliva or anybody like that," Hrbek said.
"This is a sad day for the Minnesota Twins organization and millions of baseball fans across the Upper Midwest," Twins President Dave St. Peter said in a statement.
"Herb Carneal's voice was the signature element of Twins baseball for multiple generations of fans. Clearly he was one of the most beloved figures in Minnesota sports history. The Minnesota Twins will proudly dedicate the 2007 season to the memory of Herb Carneal."
St. Peter said plans for how the ballclub intends to honor Carneal at Monday's game were being discussed Sunday.
"We're going to adjust things within the pregame," St. Peter said. "I expect that fans will see both in the ballpark and obviously watching on TV and listening on radio, there will be a tribute to Carneal."
St. Peter said the Twins also likely will wear black arm bands for the game and that an on-uniform patch will be designed to honor Carneal.
Carneal joined the Twins broadcast team in 1962, the team's second season in Minnesota. He had spent the previous five seasons doing play-by-play for the Baltimore Orioles and before that had worked Philadelphia Phillies and A's games.
This would have been his 52nd season of describing major league games. Tired of the travel schedule, Carneal had cut back to just doing home games in 1998.
In addition to the honor he received from the Baseball Hall of Fame, Carneal was inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Metrodome's baseball press box was renamed in his honor in 2005.
Carneal's death marks the third year in a row the Twins have lost a beloved personality just before the season. Longtime public address announcer Bob Casey died at the age of 79 in 2005, Hall of Fame center fielder Kirby Puckett passed away last March at the age of 45.
Carneal is survived by his daughter, Terri, and grandson, Matthew. Funeral arrangement are pending and will be announced when they become available.
It isn't overstatement to say that Major League Baseball, especially the Minnesota Twins, have lost a great man today. Herb, I pray that you rest in peace.
Posted Sunday, April 1, 2007 3:46 PM
Comment 1 by Winslow Bunny at 02-Apr-07 12:52 AM
Amen, my man. You are absolutely right. Herb Carneal was a pleasure to listen to. He WAS the Twins to those of us who listened to the game far more than being able to attend, and his precise, accurate style was a favored contrast to some other announcers that I had heard in other cities. I'd tune into WCCO when living out in Denver just to hear the Twins game and how Herb was describing it. In fact, the broadcast came across pretty clear - everywhere except Florida.
Herb, you were a treasure to listen to for years and years. You brought hours of pleasure to many, many people. May you rest in peace.
CNN's Michael Ware Ridicules McCain, Graham
This is pretty disgusting stuff if it's true. CNN's Michael Ware heckled Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham during their visit to Baghdad this weekend:
During a live press conference in Baghdad, Senators McCain and Graham were heckled by CNN reporter Michael Ware. An official at the press conference called Ware's conduct "outrageous," saying, "here you have two United States Senators in Baghdad giving first-hand reports while Ware is laughing and mocking their comments. I've never witnessed such disrespect. This guy is an activist not a reporter."First of all, let me say that Mr. Ware's behavior is disgusting. He deserves to be ridiculed right out of a job. He don't have any credibility anymore. He's clearly an advocate who's only interested in reporting things that fit his worldview.
Senators McCain and Graham flew into Iraq and drove into Baghdad, making stops at an open market and a joint Iraq/American military security outpost before appearing at the press conference.
This is not the first time Michael Ware has taken issue with Senator McCain's comments about early progress in Iraq. Last week, after Senator McCain told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that he needed to catch up on the news coming out of Iraq, Michael Ware responded, saying:
"I don't know what part of Neverland Senator McCain is talking about when he says we can go strolling in Baghdad."
Michael Ware has also publicly expressed his views on the war last year in an interview with Bill Maher, saying, "I've been given a front-row ticket to watch this slow-motion train wreck , I try to stay as drunk for as long as possible while I'm here , In fact, I'm drinking now."
Ware's 'reportage' also casts doubt on CNN's objectivity in reporting from the Iraq War. Between Michael Ware's mocking of the war to Eason Jordan's accusing the US military of intentionally killing journalists to their admitting that they buried stories about Saddam just to keep their Baghdad bureau open, I'd say that CNN's international reporting is pretty much worthless.
Posted Sunday, April 1, 2007 10:44 PM
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They Lied
There's no other way to describe the Senate DFL's hiding of their tax increase agenda thanks to this WC Trib article. Here's what the Trib is reporting:
Minnesota Democratic senators knew in February they would suggest raising taxes to fund their top priorities, but first talked about it publicly last week and on Saturday passed a nearly $1 billion income tax increase. The tax increase was kept under wraps to direct attention toward education needs, the Senate's education finance chairman said.This has Larry Pogemiller's & Tarryl Clark's fingerprints all over it. They knew that they'd be hit hard in public opinion polls if they revealed early what they wanted to do. Their deceit will catch up with them, though, because people will be reminded that the DFL didn't campaign on increasing taxes. As I've said time & time again, they campaigned as fiscal moderates. Their gubernatorial candidate's acceptance speech said that they could make their 'investments' without raising taxes:
"There is a hesitancy on keeping the center of focus on taxes rather than investment," Sen. LeRoy Stumpf, DFL-Plummer, said Saturday after senators approved his bill adding $444 million to education funding while raising income taxes on the richest.
Hatch gave his task an initial shot in a rambling acceptance speech that punched some of the right buttons. He cast Pawlenty as too stingy with education, responsible for large class sizes and rising college tuition. He tagged him for an inadequate response to soaring health care costs and the emerging biosciences industry. He promised more state investment in those things. Significantly, he said, "we can do this without raising taxes."Here's more from the Trib article:
Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller, DFL-Minneapolis, admitted the income tax increase won't survive in its current form. However, the leader said, the "Senate is committed to not going home without fixing property tax and investing in education." That means more taxes are needed, he added.That quote is a crock of Barbra Streisand. Larry Pogemiller isn't committed to "fixing property tax"; he's committed to increasing taxes. What this means is that the DFL campaigned knowing that they were intentionally lying to the voters. They knew because they knew how dramatically they wanted to increase spending. They knew that they were spendaholics.
If they ever did a truly scientific study into DFLers, I'd bet that they'd find them genetically predisposed to increasing taxes. I'm betting that that study would find them favorably disposed to increasing taxes when there was a major surplus or when there was a DFL-caused record deficit.
For weeks, Senate leaders have refused to talk about a tax increase, even though Stumpf now says they knew one would be coming. Stumpf said avoiding talking about taxes was intentional. "It's a way for us to direct the message," he said.With all due respect to Sen. Stumpf, the average citizen would say it was a way for the DFL to deceive people.
God bless Ray Vandeveer for this quote:
"This is the mother of all pigs," Sen. Ray Vandeveer, R-Forest Lake, said.I couldn't put it better myself.
Posted Monday, April 2, 2007 10:01 AM
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The Good Guys Win
The Supreme Court handed the Bush administration a major victory in the fight against global jihadists with this decision:
The Supreme Court rejected an appeal Monday from Guantanamo detainees who want challenge their five-year-long confinement in court, a victory for the Bush administration's legal strategy in its fight against terrorism.Of course, the AP had to throw a damp rag onto the article:
The victory may be only temporary, however. The high court twice previously has extended legal protections to prisoners at the U.S. naval base in Cuba. These individuals were seized as potential terrorists following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks and only 10 have been charged with a crime.The Supreme Court's ruling in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld held that: (a) the administration couldn't create military tribunals on its own and (b) that the legislature had to create these tribunals, which it did. The opinion in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld didn't mandate trials. A prior ruling gave prisoners the right to counsel. The Geneva Convention, which the US is a signatory to, gives nations the right to hold POW's without trial.
It's also worth noting that the prior rulings that "extended legal protections to prisoners" was one of the final rulings of the Rehnquist/Sandra Day O'Connor court. The Roberts Court gets these things right.
A federal appeals court in Washington in February upheld a key provision of a law enacted last year that strips federal courts of their ability to hear such challenges.The court that the AP is referencing is the DC Circuit Court of Appeals, often referred to as the second most powerful court in the land behind only the US Supreme Court. The DC Circuit's rulings aren't often overturned. I don't have the statistics in front of me but I'm betting that they're the least overturned court in the land.
Posted Monday, April 2, 2007 11:26 AM
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