May 21-22, 2007
May 21 07:36 They're Still Caving May 21 08:13 White House Returns Carter's Fire May 21 08:55 The Spinning Starts Here May 21 09:20 That's Confirmation May 21 12:10 Shocking News From the Capitol May 21 16:24 "I Quoted Him 'Fair' and 'Accurately' " May 21 16:52 Bachmann Calls for Death Tax Repeal May 22 16:12 A Tale of Two Parties
Prior Years: 2006
They're Still Caving
According to this STrib article, the DFL is still losing the negotiating on this year's budget. Here's some good analysis from House Minority Leader Seifert:
Seifert said that the Republicans' latest negotiating positions were ironic and that they were in the process of pulling traditional DFL issues out from under them.I think the DFL is in terrible shape following their full-scale retreat to a determined underdog GOP. Simply put, the DFL thought that they were rulers of their domain. They acted like their votes were all that mattered. They treated the GOP like second class citizens. Now they're reaping what they sowed.
"Wait until they [DFLers] have to go back and explain they could have gotten more per-pupil funding and more for nursing homes but didn't," he crowed. "Suburbanites and moderates are getting hosed this year. They'll be sorry they ever voted for Democrats."
Control of the House turned last year on suburban seats that flipped from Republican to DFL control, some electing DFLers for the first time in more than a decade.
DFLers still tried spinning their collapse:
When an agreement is reached, Kelliher said, the House should be able to say that it extended health coverage to an additional 30,000 Minnesota youngsters, expanded all-day kindergarten and brought a halt to double-digit college tuition increases, along with providing a measure of property tax relief.What Maggie Kelliher isn't saying is that they could've wrapped things up a week ago if not for Larry Pogemiller & the DFL's massive tax increases. Also implicit in their finishing on time, is the fact that they'll have to cave even more because Gov. Pawlenty & the House GOP aren't signing off on something just to say that they finished on time.
And, the Minneapolis DFLer noted, "it will be the first time since 1999 that the Legislature has finished on time in a budget year." DFLers lost control of the House in 1998 and did not regain it until the 2006 elections.
One DFLer is sort of facing reality:
"I am leaving this session without the one thing I came for: property tax relief," said Senate Taxes Committee Chairman Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook. "We'll get a little bit, but nowhere near what we wanted."As King & I have discussed, the DFL's property tax relief was smoke & mirrors. The tax increase on the wealthy was guaranteed; the property tax relief wasn't. Here's How King put it:
But Bakk and other DFLers lay the blame for that shortfall at the feet of Pawlenty, who opposed every tax increase that could have funded the $450 million in property tax relief DFLers had sought. Sunday's negotiations had increased property tax relief significantly from the $18 million now in the tax bill, Bakk said, but "this is going to be a significantly watered-down version" of the Senate's original proposal.
My point is that the amount of property tax relief is overstated in two ways, one of which is tax shifting. The other, which I didn't make in the article, is that the way the PTR is written in, you wouldn't have gotten the money unless their budget actually balanced. If higher taxes caused a recession and money to flee, the government could not have transferred the LGA money. (This is irrelevant at this point as the tax bill appears to be dead. But just so you know, the income tax increase was a definite, the property tax relief was a maybe. )
Here's what I pointed out that makes King's statement fact:
House Tax Committee Chair Ann Lenczewski says that everyone would benefit from the House DFL plan. The property tax relief isn't guaranteed, though:That's what makes the property tax relief that Sen. Bakk is talking about a mirage.
However, that relief will not come if money is not available to fund it.
DFLers found themselves outmaneuvered on several fronts by small but unified Republican minorities that found strength in their pledge to uphold Pawlenty's numerous vetoes of DFL initiatives.That's a pretty categorical quote. I'm done worrying about that legislation this session.
Seifert scoffed at persistent rumors late Sunday that House DFLers would pick up enough votes to override Pawlenty's veto of the hefty transportation bill, which includes a 7.5-cent-per-gallon gasoline tax.
"We are locked down and bolted shut on transportation," Seifert said, amid Republican members who nodded heads while eating. "There will be no override."
Posted Monday, May 21, 2007 7:36 AM
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White House Returns Carter's Fire
Saying that he didn't intend on saying anything about Jimmy Carter's latest mindless diatribe, deputy White House spokesman Tony Fratto nonetheless returned Carter's fire when a reporter asked about Carter's diatribe. Here's what Mr. Fratto said:
"I think it's sad that President Carter's reckless and personal criticism is out there," Fratto said. "I think it's unfortunate, and I think he is proving to be increasingly irrelevant with these kinds of comments."As I've said here and here, Jimmy Carter is a buffoon. He's also the worst president and worst ex-president of our generation.
This man is a hatemonger and a total fool when it comes to foreign policy. In a perverse way, he's the father of the global jihadist movement because he chose not to challenge the terrorists. Had he done so, the global jihadist movement might not have taken root.
Implicit in Carter's beliefs is that appeasement works. He's too proud to admit that it doesn't. The sad part is that I can't imagine him changing his mind on that belief even if presented with verifiable, undeniable proof.
It's time that we put this doddering old fool out of our misery.
Posted Monday, May 21, 2007 8:14 AM
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The Spinning Starts Here
MSNBC just posted this article, which is nothing more than an attempt to rehabilitate Jimmy Carter. Here's a key section of the article:
Former President Jimmy Carter on Monday said his comments over the weekend about the Bush administration were "careless."He later said this:
Interviewed on the TODAY Show about the comments, Carter said, "They were maybe careless or misinterpreted." He said he "certainly was not talking personally about any president."This is 100% spin. The only part that I agree with was Carter's admitting that his statement was careless. I'd also add that his statements revealed a deep-seated jealousy towards President Bush. Here's the context of Jimmy Carter's remarks:
When pressed by NBC's Meredith Vieira as to whether he was saying his remarks were careless or reckless, the former president said, "I think they were, yes, because they were interpreted as comparing this whole administration to all other administrations."
Carter said he was answering a question about the foreign policy of former President Richard Nixon, as compared with that of the current administration. He said he wasn't comparing the Bush administration with all those through American history. But in comparison to Nixon's, the Bush administration's foreign policy "was much worse," Carter said.
Former President Carter says President Bush's administration is "the worst in history" in international relations, taking aim at the White House's policy of pre-emptive war and its Middle East diplomacy.It's impossible to spin that first quote. When you call someone's administration "the worst in history" in international relations, it isn't possible to then make this statement:
The criticism from Carter, which a biographer says is unprecedented for the 39th president, also took aim at Bush's environmental policies and the administration's "quite disturbing" faith-based initiative funding.
"I think as far as the adverse impact on the nation around the world, this administration has been the worst in history," Carter told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in a story that appeared in the newspaper's Saturday editions. "The overt reversal of America's basic values as expressed by previous administrations, including those of George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon and others, has been the most disturbing to me."
He said he wasn't comparing the Bush administration with all those through American history.How can Jimmy Carter say on Saturday that President Bush's administration is the worst in history, then expect to be taken seriously when he says that he wasn't comparing them with all others throughout American history? As I've said numerous times, that distinction is owned by Carter's administration. Carter's administration was the worst in economic policy and the worst in foreign policy. You can't sink lower than that.
Posted Monday, May 21, 2007 8:56 AM
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That's Confirmation
Here's what the Strib is saying about a possible budget agreement:
PROBABLY INMy contacts at the Capitol also say that LGA will get "a nice boost". If these things finally become law, this will be a big win for Tim Pawlenty, Marty Seifert, the House GOP caucus & DFL moderates. Conversely, it'll be a stinging defeat for Larry Pogemiller, Tarryl Clark, Margaret Anderson-Kelliher, Tony Sertich & Steve Murphy, all of whom pushed the DFL's radical tax increase agenda.PROBABLY OUT
- More property tax relief for homeowners, a must-have for DFLers and Republicans alike.
- Tightened tax rules for businesses with foreign operations, a DFL priority.
- More funding for Q Comp merit pay for teachers, and for lifting standards at select high schools, priorities for Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
- JOBZ, Pawlenty's controversial job creation program for outstate Minnesota, which is likely to survive with some changes.
- Robust funding increases for nursing homes. Their increases will be smaller.
- Big boosts for per pupil school funding. They'll get modest increases, along with more special education money.
Taxpayers also would be a big winner, getting much-needed property tax relief that isn't a mirage. They'd also be big winners because the DFL's budget-busting spending increases will have been defeated.
Stop back often today. I'm sure I'll have more updates as the day progresses.
Posted Monday, May 21, 2007 9:20 AM
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Shocking News From the Capitol
I just talked with Rep. Steve Gottwalt, GOP-St. Cloud, about the progress being made on the budget. What Steve told me is inexcusable & shocking. Steve said that the DFL spent the overnight writing new legislation for several different spending bills. The shocking, & frankly disgusting, thing about that is that they shut Gov. Pawlenty out of the process. From my perspective, there's only one reason to proceed that way & that's to try one last time to shove legislation down the GOP's throat in the hope that they can blame the the special session on the GOP.
Steve also reported that:
- the DFL twice defeated the GOP's transportation bill, the last time by an 87-34 vote.
- the reason why the Special Education funding bill isn't more generous is because the DFL's HHS bill, which eliminates many of the welfare reforms of the 1990's.
- the DFL's clock management has been inefficient at best.
Taxpayers should be furious with the DFL for eliminating the welfare reforms of the 1990's. Steve said that had the DFL done real health care reform, they would've saved alot of money, money that could've gone towards funding Special Education. Instead, they've chosen to dramatically increase spending on failed status quo programs. Taxpayers shouldn't stand for that. They should reject that 'vision' of governance with a resounding thud in November, 2008.
During the presidential debates of 1992, Bill Clinton said that insanity's definition was doing the same things over & over again & expecting different results. I'd suggest that voting for Democrats is insanity because they're opposed to reforming the biggest sections of the budget. They're certainly opposed to health care reform. There's no denying that they're opposed to conducting oversight into the possibility of wasteful spending in the Education budget. We know that because the DFL wouldn't exist if not for Education Minnesota.
It's time we started rallying to the party of ideas, common sense & reforms that will improve our lives. That isn't the DFL. In fact, the DFL is the polar opposite of that. The only real choice is the GOP.
Isn't it time that you got plugged into that movement?
Posted Monday, May 21, 2007 12:10 PM
Comment 1 by Drew Emmer at 22-May-07 01:59 PM
The DFL shut out the GOP all session long. If they wanted to do good things for Minnesota they could have brokered a whole bunch of good legislation within the limits of the Governor's budget.
They did not come here to work in good faith.
"I Quoted Him 'Fair' and 'Accurately' "
So says Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Religion Editor Frank Lockwood, the man who interviewed Jimmy Carter. Here's some insight into the interview that started the debacle:
The proof, he says, is in audio posted on the Democrat-Gazette Web site http://www2.arkansasonline.com/news/2007/may/19/carter-calls-bush-administration-worst-ever/ and his own blog, http://www.biblebeltblog.com/.There you have it. It sounds pretty straightforward to me, which is what I said in this post. Despite Carter's attempts to spin this episode on the Today Show, the statements speak for themselves. So does this:
"I think the president's words speak for themselves," Lockwood told E&P. "He's accurately quoted, he's quoted in context, and it's fair."
Lockwood's story in Saturday's Democrat-Gazette quoted Carter as saying: "I think as far as the adverse impact on the nation around the world, this administration has been the worst in history.
Carter added that he had been asked a question comparing the foreign policies of the administrations of George W. Bush and Richard M. Nixon, suggesting that the "worst" title was limited to foreign affairs.Compare that with Carter's spin:
But in the audio of the interview, which the Democrat-Gazette posted on its Web site Saturday, Lockwood can be heard asking: "Which president was worse, George W. Bush or Richard Nixon?"
And in a telephone interview, Lockwood noted that Carter went on to condemn the Bush administration for a wide variety of faults in domestic as well as international arenas. "He criticized the current president's policy on war, the environment, the separation of church and state, arms control, diplomacy; it was broad, sweeping criticism basically," Lockwood said.
Interviewed on the TODAY Show about the comments, Carter said, "They were maybe careless or misinterpreted." He said he "certainly was not talking personally about any president."Based on Lockwood's statements, I'd say that Jimmy Carter is guilty as sin of berating President Bush on a personal level as well as on a policy level.
Posted Monday, May 21, 2007 4:25 PM
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Bachmann Calls for Death Tax Repeal
Rep. Michele Bachmann has joined with Rep. Bud Cramer, (D-AL), and Rep. Kenny Hulshof, (R-MO), in introducing a bill that would permanently eliminate the Estate Tax. Here's the reasoning behind the bill:
- The death tax is a job killer. One study estimates that between 175,000 and 250,000 potential jobs are lost each year as a result of the death tax.
- The death tax is inefficient. Small businesses and family farms must divert resources from productive uses to engage in financial planning designed solely to avoid punitive taxation. These resources would be better used growing our economy.
- The death tax discourages savings and investment. The threat of a large tax discourages continued investment in a family business or farm operation. Not only is this a perverse incentive, it punishes a lifetime of success.
That said, I think this is important legislation that demands a serious hearing. The logic behind the bill is rock-solid. Rep. Bachmann frames the issue very well here:
"Dying shouldn't be a taxable event," said Bachmann. "The death tax hits people at the worst possible time. Just as they're dealing with the passing of a loved one, they have to settle with the IRS. By repealing the death tax, we would allow the economy to create even more jobs, which would make all of us better off," said Bachmann. "This bill is an important step toward increasing fairness in the tax code and promoting economic security for Minnesota families, farmers and business owners."Rep. Bachmann, I couldn't agree more.
Posted Monday, May 21, 2007 4:52 PM
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A Tale of Two Parties
Today, I attended two press conferences. They couldn't have been more different.
Gov. Pawlenty's news conference talked about how the DFL didn't set their targets, which made it difficult to work a final budget out. He also said that the DFL's insistence on putting an inflation accelerator into the budget breaker, saying that legislatures should set priorities when putting together a budget.
Then came the DFL entourage. Upbeat & smiling, they couldn't have looked happier. Tarryl talked about how they didn't get everything they wanted but that they did good. She said that she couldn't imagine why Gov. Pawlenty would veto the Transportation Bill. (Perhaps it's the $5.5 billion in new taxes, Tarryl.) She said that one of the goals of the legislature was to put forward a balanced approach to solving the budget's rollercoaster budget problems.
Next up was Larry Haws, who went absolutely vesuvial. Red in the face & pounding his fist on the podium, he was upset that they didn't get property tax relief done. (Larry, if Tarryl, Larry Pogemiller, Margie Kelliher & Tony Sertich hadn't stuffed the HHS bill so full of welfare rollbacks, we might've gotten it done.)
Larry Pogemiller was also there but didn't say much. He was actually quite quiet. He said that there was alot of bipartisanship in the Senate, meaning that there's alot more RINOs over there.
Margie Kelliher said that they "just ran out of time" before blaming it on the GOP for filibustering things the last couple hours. Hey Maggie, you wouldn't have needed to worry about it if you hadn't wasted so much time on things in January, February, March & April. Then again, it might've finished on time if they hadn't wasted Gov. Pawlenty's time with bills that he'd announced would be vetoed.
But the most amazing thing from the press conferences was when Larry Schumacher asked Kelliher what grade she'd give. I also died when she said, "B+ or A-." You've got to be kidding me. They deserved a D at best. They wasted tons of time just shuffling papers in January & February, then hopped in between negotiating sessions with Gov. Pawlenty to mini floor sessions. Their clock management was atrocious & their partisanship was the worst that several of the reporters at the press conference had ever seen.
The other funny moment came when Josh leaned over & asked if we should start chanting veto while Kelliher talked about the Transportation bill, to which I said "Not if we want to make it out alive."
The truth is that the DFL isn't bound by the truth. One of the local reporters asked me if I'd learned anything from the DFL. I said, "Yeah, that the DFL is a good bunch of bullshitters." This reporter just laughed & said, "Yeah they are, aren't they?"
Originally posted Tuesday, May 22, 2007, revised 26-May 2:12 PM
Comment 1 by Josh at 22-May-07 10:10 PM
You're right Gary, there could not have been more of a difference between the two parties. It is clear that the DFL leadership is trying to squash the media nightmare they have created with their "Fiscal Moderation" pledge prior to session. They are right about one thing: we did end up with some budget bills that some what displayed "fiscal moderation." However we would have never seen these bills display that had the Governor not vetoed and told them to get real and go back to the drawing board. His veto made them cut those bills up more than Margie cuts up a Thanksgiving Turkey.
