March 23, 2007
Mar 23 02:07 Anti-War Liberals Relent Mar 23 02:41 Pav, Gabby Pave Way For Wild Mar 23 03:02 Scott Wright's Latest Mock Draft Mar 23 09:18 "We're Starving Higher Education" Followup Mar 23 09:37 Global Warming Hysteria Continues to Unravel Mar 23 09:59 Rep. Severson Announces Town Hall Meetings Mar 23 17:09 Ellison Votes For Defeat Mar 23 20:26 DFL's Disastrous Tax Scheme
Prior Years: 2006
Anti-War Liberals Relent
According to this Washington Post article, the Out of Iraq Caucus cracked under the pressure. They've now said that they won't block funding for the war. Here's the details:
As debate began on the bill yesterday, members of the antiwar caucus and party leaders held a backroom meeting in which House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) made a final plea to the group, asking it to deliver at least four votes when the roll is called. The members promised 10.The truth is that the bill will be stripped of deadlines and other restrictions once it gets to the Senate. I suspect that Emanuel told the Out of Iraq caucus that in his late night appeal to them. I also suspect that he told them that the party would look inept if they didn't pull together and pass this legislation. The truth is that they already have looked inept and discombobulated. Look for Emanuel to step into the Whip's chair more often because James Clyburn isn't the type of guy that instills a fear of going against the leadership.
"I find myself in the excruciating position of being asked to choose between voting for funding for the war or establishing timelines to end it," said Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.). "I have struggled with this decision, but I finally decided that, while I cannot betray my conscience, I cannot stand in the way of passing a measure that puts a concrete end date on this unnecessary war."
That was the message of Democratic leaders: This is the best deal they could make, and it is better than no deal at all. At a meeting of Democratic vote counters yesterday, House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel (Ill.) quoted the Yogi Berra line "When you reach a fork in the road, take it." "We're at the fork in the road," Emanuel said.
Shortly after, Out of Iraq Caucus leaders decided to break the pact that members had made to stick together against the bill. "We have released people who have been pained by all this," said Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.). "We told them we don't want them to be in a position of undermining Nancy's speakership."I hate breaking it to Rep. Waters but they've already undermined Ms. Pelosi's speakership. Their actions emboldened Code Pink and UFPJ to protest near Ms. Pelosi's office. Those pictures have found their way onto the internet, which will cause the DCCC lots of heartburn over the next 20 months.
The administration's stand has only increased the anguish in the antiwar movement. The liberal activists of MoveOn.org opted this week to back the funding bill, but the decision split the group's members and prompted accusations that the MoveOn leadership had stacked the endorsement vote. Win Without War, an umbrella group against the Iraq war, met Tuesday to decide whether to endorse the bill, but the divisions were too deep to bridge.That's what liberal defeat sounds like. Sirota might as well have said "We can't change things because the public would crucify us."
David Sirota, a former House Appropriations Committee aide who is now an uncompromising blogger, dashed off a memo to progressive lawmakers Wednesday night, imploring them to "accept the congressional world as it is right now," not to insist on the world as they wish it to be, and vote for the bill.
Democrats barely have a majority in the Senate as it is. Unlike the House, they can't choose their group of voters. They have to appeal to everyone in the state, whereas representatives get to pick their voters through gerrymandering and redistricting. While there is a majority of Americans that are dissatisfied with what's happened in Iraq thus far, there isn't a majority of Americans that want us to unilaterally declare defeat.
At the end of the day, expect the President to get his funding and for the timelines to be stripped from the legislation.
Posted Friday, March 23, 2007 2:15 AM
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Pav, Gabby Pave Way For Wild
This has been a fun night for me because, in addition to the Gophers signing Tubby Smith as their new head basketball coach, the Wild trounced the St. Louis Blues 5-1 at the Xcel Energy Center tonight. Pavol Demitra score the Wild's first goal on a breakaway, with Marian Gaborik giving him a perfect feed to send him in alone. Brian Rolston scored the Wild's second goal, his thirtieth of the season, which turned out to be the gamewinner. Gaborik got the next 2 goals, his 27th & 28th goals of the season, both power play goals before Mikko Koivu scored his eighteenth goal of the season to finish the scoring.
This has been a magical season thus far for Wild fans. After suffering through some disappointing seasons, GM Doug Risebrough finally put some talent around Gaborik this offseason. He started by trading for Gaborik's Czech friend Pavol Demitra on draft day. That paved the way for their resigning Gaborik, a true superstar, to a three year extension.
The chemistry between 'Gabby' & 'Pav' has been positively electric. Gaborik is a jet blur when he wants to be. He also has as nasty of a quick-release wrist shot as I've ever seen. Tonight, they worked together at as high a rate as Peter Forsberg and Joe Sakic did back in their heyday.
It'd be a mistake, though, to think of Gaborik & Demitra as the team's only stars. Nothing could be further from the truth. Another key move this past offseason was keeping Brian Rolston. While Gaborik has been Minnesota's most electric player this season, Rolston's been Minnesota's most consistent player this season.
There's been some magic involved, too, in this season's run. Another key offseason move was signing Niklas Backstrom from Europe. The thought was that they'd use him as an emergency goalie this season, a backup to backup Josh Harding, if you will. When Harding got injured in training camp, Backstrom became Manny Fernandez' backup. When Fernandez got injured, Backstrom became the starter, with Harding returning to be Backstrom's backup. Things couldn't have worked out better.
Finally, it'd be a huge mistake to not mention the job Jacques Lemaire has done in molding this team into the legitimate Stanley Cup threat that they are. Lemaire has always been one of the best coaches in the NHL. Now that he's got big league talent on all his lines, he's opening up the offense to play to the team's strength, which are its forwards.
How far the Wild will go this offseason is anybody's guess. What's certain is that nobody's anxious to meet them in the first couple of round of the playoffs.
Posted Friday, March 23, 2007 2:41 AM
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Scott Wright's Latest Mock Draft
Good news for NFL draft junkies: Scott Wright posted his most recent mock draft tonight. Make sure you check it out for your favorite team.
I'll just say that I like the players that Scott has going to the Vikings.
Posted Friday, March 23, 2007 3:02 AM
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"We're Starving Higher Education" Followup
Sandy Pappas is on the warpath again. She's got a bee in her proverbial bonnet because higher education funding will 'only' increase by $296 million over the next 2 years.
The measure ups spending $296 million for the next two years, leaving a higher education budget of $3.1 billion. "Personally I am very dissatisfied with it," Higher Education Chairwoman Sandy Pappas, DFL-St. Paul, said. "All we could do is fund a status quo budget."Pappas is complaining that higher education is getting 'only' a 9.5% increase. Perhaps she should look first into colleges that charge each of the students 'in-state' tuition rates. (How can it be called in-state tuition rates if everyone gets it, whether they lived in Monticello, Massachusetts or Moscow before moving here?) We're subsidizing everyone who gets those tuition rates, costing Minnesota's taxpayers millions of dollars.
As I've said repeatedly, the DFL won't look into cutting wasteful spending because that's part of their 'kickback' program for their supporters in education and organized labor.
It is a comment expected on the Senate floor often through April 2, when senators are supposed to have their spending bills finished. In general, committee chairmen are not happy that their leaders would not let them spend as much as they say is needed.As I've said before, the DFL wants to tax & spend us back into a deep deficit by dramatically increasing taxes & spending. In fact, it isn't a leap to say that the DFL think that a 15 percent spending increase over the next two years is what's needed.
However, some senators say privately they expect an income tax increase somewhat like House Democrats proposed to come forward. If senators go that route, more money could be spent.
The good news in all this is that Gov. Pawlenty is readying his veto pen. When these tax & spend monstrosities reach his desk, expect him to veto them the minute they arrive.
I recently spoke with a St. Cloud businessman. He told me that tax rates are already driving businesses out of the state. He said that increasing taxes is getting almost to the point of preventing new businesses from starting. He said they'd definitely keep established businesses from moving into Minnesota.
The bottom line in all this is that the DFL is so emotionally attached to huge spending increases that they're perfectly willing to drive the state into a recession to do it. As I've said before, I don't think that Minnesotans voted Democrats into office to dramatically drive up spending while taxing the state into a major recession.
It's time that Minnesota's taxpayers started a revolt against the DFL's irresponsible tax policies. It's time that Minnesota cut marginal income taxes so we can encourage new businesses to start. It's time that we all joined Gov. Pawlenty in telling the DFL to "Push away from the table. Put your fork down."
By the way, after getting a 9.5 percent funding increase, you'd think that tuitions would stabilize, right? You'd be wrong according to this:
Minnesota senators voted to increase higher education spending Thursday, but complained it was not enough to prevent tuition increases or to launch any significant new programs.If that doesn't infuriate parents, this statistic will:
Tuition has risen 112 percent in the past decade, Sen. Warren Limmer, R-Maple Grove, said.Here's how Sandy Pappas responded to Sen. Ingebrigtsen:
Senators, led by Democrats who control the chamber, also turned back an attempt to require illegal immigrants to pay out-of-state tuition instead of the cheaper in-state rates they pay today.
"We should not be paying for those who are not legally here," said Sen. Bill Ingebrigtsen, R-Alexandria, who brought the failed amendment to the Senate.
"We cannot afford to lose the talents and the skills of anyone," she said.Sen. Pappas, Isn't law enforcement a priority for the DFL? Furthermore, wouldn't we attract talented people to the state by lowering taxes? Shouldn't our goal be to make state government be efficient instead of thinking of the state budget a codified system of payback for political allies?
Frankly, I find the DFL's actions worse than reprehensible. I find their actions to be irresponsible & destructive.
Posted Friday, March 23, 2007 9:18 AM
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Global Warming Hysteria Continues to Unravel
Thanks to Jack Kelly for writing this column. It adds another bit of information to what we'll soon call the unraveling of the global warming hysteria. Here's how Kelly ridicules the global warming hysterians:
Two female explorers, Ann Bancroft and Liv Arnesen, planned a trek across the Arctic ocean earlier this month to highlight the dangers of global warming. They had to call the expedition off because it was too cold. "One night they measured the temperature inside their tent at 58 degrees below zero, and outside temperatures were exceeding 100 below zero at times," Ann Atwood, who helped organize the expedition, told the Associated Press.That isn't the last ridiculing that Kelly did in this column:
The Jim Jones of this Kool Aid testified on Capitol Hill last Wednesday. Former Vice President Al Gore was greeted as a "prophet" by Rep. Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat.Go read the entire column. You deserve a good laugh today, especially at the expense of 'The Prophet' and his minions.
Posted Friday, March 23, 2007 9:38 AM
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Rep. Severson Announces Town Hall Meetings
Here's the list of times & places for the meetings:
Sauk Rapids Representative Dan Severson is giving you a chance to voice your thoughts about whats going on down at the legislature. He will hold townhall meetings in the area next month.
The first of five meetings will be April 7th at 8:30 in Holdingford at T-K's Restaurant. Other meetings will be held in St. Stephen, Sauk Rapids, Rice and Sartell.
April 7th-
Trobec's 10am
Saturday April 14th-
Perkins- Sauk Rapids 8:30
The Old Creamery Cafe 10am
Liquid Assets 11:30
Posted Friday, March 23, 2007 9:59 AM
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Ellison Votes For Defeat
According to this Strib article, Keith Ellison voted for unilateral defeat in Iraq. This isn't a surprise for anyone with a bit of logic.
"I hate this war, and I want to end it as fast as I can, as quickly as I can," Ellison said. "The 'yes' vote was the antiwar vote."Rep. Ellison should be required to explain why he hates the Iraq War. The Strib shouldn't just record his quote. They should be pressing him on why he made this decision. That's part of reporting, too. Ellison's vote was both predictable & disastrous.
Personally, I'd like to know why Rep. Ellison wants us to lose in Iraq. I want to know why he seemingly doesn't care that Iran will install a puppet regime in Iraq. I want to know why Rep. Ellison doesn't worry about al Qa'ida setting up shop in Iraq after we leave.
The Strib reporter doesn't seem to care that Rep. Ellison's actions might have disastrous consequences for America. Part of a reporter's job is to tell his readers what impact a politician's vote might have on their lives. Brady Averill is only doing part of his job. Let's hope there's more information when he files an update to this article.
Posted Friday, March 23, 2007 5:09 PM
Comment 1 by Leo Pusateri at 23-Mar-07 09:48 PM
Really I'm kind of surprised that Ellison voted for this pork-laden bill.
After all, he is a Muslim.
DFL's Disastrous Tax Scheme
According to this Strib article, Minnesota's gas tax might double over the next decade. Talk about a total disaster for Minnesotans. This should scare the daylights out of every Minnesotan because it exposes the DFL for the tax increase addicts that they are.
The proposed 10-cent-a-gallon gasoline-tax increase moving through the Minnesota Legislature could end up being higher than that, maybe more than twice as high.It sounds like Sen. Murphy thinks that he'll escape the voters' wrath just by saying that he's being honest about his disastrous tax plan. It's apparent that he doesn't understand that people will think that they're getting ripped off by this monstrous tax increase.
Tucked away in a big transportation funding bill being fast-tracked to a Senate floor vote today are future increases in Minnesota's gas tax that could push it from 20 cents a gallon to more than 40 cents over 10 years, higher than any state's current bite at the pump.
"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."
St. Cloud voters should note that this bill is "being fast-tracked" to the final Senate vote, something that couldn't happen if Tarryl Clark didn't sign off on it. She must've had a major change of heart from when she talked with Leo & myself after the January townhall meeting. After that meeting, I asked her why the first 6 DFL bills all included tax increases. At the time, she told us that only 2 of the bills represented the views of the DFL leadership. She further said that one of the tax bills that the Senate would consider would provide property tax relief.
The bill also includes these other levies, all dedicated to roads, bridges and transit:The MOB has been talking about these tax increases since late January. These aren't newly minted tax increases. The only thing that's new is that it appears as though they're all rolled into one bill. Here's the 'laugher line' in the article:
- Higher registration renewal fees on future new car purchases, but no increases on currently owned vehicles.
- A half-cent rise in the general sales tax in the seven-county Twin Cities area, imposed without a voter referendum, plus a $20 excise tax on new vehicle sales in the metro.
- Local-option authority for half-cent sales-tax increases in the rest of Minnesota, subject to voter approval.
- Authority for all 87 counties in the state to impose a $20-per-vehicle annual wheelage tax. Three suburban counties levied the current maximum of $5 per vehicle last year.
- Increased fees for leased vehicle registrations, license plates, titles and drivers' licenses, plus a $20 reinstatement fee for a license suspended for theft of gasoline.
The bill passed the Senate Taxes Committee on a divided voice vote Thursday after the chairman, Sen. Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, tried in vain to reduce the immediate gas-tax increase to 5 cents a gallon.Tom, I'll clue you into something. Whether you started at a nickel or a quarter, this bill won't become law because the people have figured it out that the gas tax bill is a tax increase on auto-pilot. Besides, there's this pesky thing called a governor's veto, which he's promised on all tax hikes.
"The public is more willing to accept a nickel," he said. "A dime is never going to become law."
It's safe to say that the DFL has shown its true colors. They've shown themselves to not have a frugal bone in their body. They've shown that they don't have an ounce of fiscal restraint in their body either. They've shown that they aren't " a fiscally moderate caucus." Instead, they've shown that they're a fiscally irresponsible caucus.
Frankly, they're the worst Minnesota legislature in the state's history. They don't deserve to be the majority party because we can't afford their fiscal immoderation.
Originally posted Friday, March 23, 2007, revised 24-Aug 2:31 PM
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