April 11-12, 2018
Apr 11 09:13 Military fat cats' fear-mongering Apr 11 10:44 Johanna Clyborne's incompetence exposed Apr 11 16:35 Gubernatorial Debate Alert! Apr 11 19:23 The DFL's dishonest propaganda Apr 12 03:55 Brown will deploy National Guard Apr 12 14:02 ISD 742 vs. MDHR
Prior Years: 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Military fat cats' fear-mongering
The military's fat-cats' fear-mongering was thick as thieves in this Military Times article . Fearing a break-up of their monopoly, they resorted to fear-mongering. Will Fischer, director of government relations for VoteVets.org, said "Each time you're taking resources out and putting them into the private sector, you're leaving VA dying on the vine. It's bit by bit draining of VA."
Shifting money away from the people who paid themselves bonuses while ignoring vets' needs isn't complaint. It's a feature. In 2014, Gen. Shinseki admitted that "an interim inspector general's report ... found 'systemic' problems with clinics misrepresenting patient wait times... Shinseki also announced he would oust senior leaders at the Phoenix VA, where allegations of improper scheduling practices first surfaced. Shinseki, speaking to advocates for homeless veterans, said he initially believed the problems were 'limited and isolated.' 'I no longer believe that. It is systemic,' Shinseki said. 'I will not defend it, because it is indefensible.'"
"Our view is that Congress and the administration must fix what is wrong with the VA health care system, improve hiring authorities, expand and fix its aging infrastructure, improve access, customer service, and not just simply turn to the private sector when VA facilities are having problems," said Carlos Fuentes, director of the National Legislative Service at Veterans of Foreign Wars. "Community care is part of the solution, but not the only answer."
This video is infuriating:
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According to this article , the VA used some tricky language:
Inspector General Richard Griffin, who oversees the VA's internal watchdog agency, stressed in his Aug. 26 report that investigators were '"unable to conclusively assert that the absence of timely quality care caused the deaths" of Arizona veterans who died while on secret wait lists for appointments. Media outlets widely 'reported that whistle-blower allegations were exaggerated and that veterans were not 'severely affected by wrongdoing at the Phoenix VA medical center.
But health-care experts say Griffin's report used a measure that is not consistent with pathology practices because no matter how long a patient waits for care, the underlying "cause" of death will be a medical condition, rather than the delay. Put simply, people die of pneumonia, heart conditions and bullet wounds, not waiting to see the doctor.
It's time to introduce competition into the VA system. That won't happen with the VA system because it's a monopoly. With multiple VAs being corrupt and patients dying as a result of that corruption, government-run single-payer system can't be tolerated.
Finally, Mr. Fischer's argument about the VA sounds exactly like the arguments that teachers' unions make against school choice. They argue that choice and competition might hurt the educational product. Meanwhile, there's mounting proof that the government's monopoly is hurting educational outcomes. Ditto with the VA system.
Posted Wednesday, April 11, 2018 9:13 AM
Comment 1 by Lady Logician at 11-Apr-18 06:35 PM
There is a point to be made FOR the fear mongering. The Federal government has a long storied history of taking benefits from GIs. Once upon a time, if you served, you and your family had health care for life. Now you have to jump through hoops to prove that your illness/injury was due to your service...and then the health care you get is substandard at best. Higher education, under the GI Bill may or may not be available, depending on when you served. What benefits that the GI Bill ever offered are gone, thanks to Congress....so yeah, excuse the military if they don't trust Congress to do anything more than make things worse.
Johanna Clyborne's incompetence exposed
The best thing that will be said about Johanna Clyborne is that she won't be around much longer. Based on her insistence on not cooperating with the legislature , this might be a case of good riddance.
For instance, state "lawmakers blasted a state agency leader Tuesday for not telling them about a report that blamed a former Minnesota IT Services executive for the problems in rolling out a new vehicle licensing system. The report ... focused on the performance of Paul Meekin, who held the title of chief business technology officer, blaming him for failing to address known defects prior to the MNLARS launch last summer."
That's bad enough but it gets worse. "During the hearing, Rep. Jim Nash, R-Waconia, told IT Services Commissioner Johanna Clyborne that he was concerned that the report surfaced in the media, and he didn't hear about it from her agency. "If it sounds like evasiveness and looks like evasiveness, it may be evasiveness. I'm just wondering when we were ever going to hear about this report from you, because had it not been for the press, I don't believe we would have known," Nash said."
It went downhill after that:
Rep. Sarah Anderson, R-Plymouth, the chair of the state government finance committee, said she too was left out of the loop. "MNIT is actually under the state government finance purview, and yet you never bothered to call."
Clyborne, who's only been on the job for two months, defended her agency's handling of the report. Clyborne said she told a key lawmaker that the report was completed. But she said no one in the Legislature asked for it. "It would be up to the body to request that information. I would be violating the laws that were put in place by this Legislature had I willy-nilly handed out that information, because it deals with an employee," Clyborne said.
Apparently, Ms. Clyborne thinks that oversight in the middle of a crisis is a time for business-as-usual. Didn't she notice that her ship is sinking and people are asking questions? This isn't a time for business-as-usual. It's a time for proactively doing the right thing.
[Video no longer available]
She's been on the job 2 months now. Isn't it long past time that she starts doing her job?
Posted Wednesday, April 11, 2018 10:44 AM
Comment 1 by eric z at 12-Apr-18 01:08 PM
It's easy to say "Do the job." Do you or your readers have any idea what the job is. Is there any experience in administering big data software development or repair.
I do not pretend to know what detailed problems exist and how to best proceed. Do you? Either Know, or Pretend?
Response 1.1 by Gary Gross at 13-Apr-18 12:38 AM
As a matter of fact, several of the conservatives that read LFR have experience with these types of products. The DFL went wrong when they didn't hire someone with the expertise for the job. Also, North Dakota just upgraded their system. We could've bought their system & installed it at a fraction of the cost MNLARS is costing. It's amazing how expensive things are when the DFL insists on writing blank checks, then doesn't conduct periodic oversights to measure the progress that's being made.
Comment 2 by Chad Q at 12-Apr-18 05:22 PM
The job is to get the vehicle licensing and registration software working. If no one at MNIT could figure out how to make a project of this magnitude to work, it never should have been started. I find it hard to believe that this project is so overwhelming and difficult to complete when there are 49 other states that have functioning license and registration software programs and there are numerous online retailers (Amazon comes to mind) that deal with more on a daily basis than MNLARS deals with in a year.
Gubernatorial Debate Alert!
A loyal reader of LFR just sent me a notice that the SD-14 GOP is hosting a gubernatorial debate next Wednesday, April 18. Here's the details of the event:
All of the GOP candidates will participate in this debate so it's people's chance to gauge the candidates' command of the issues and their poise without having to deal with the Twin Cities' Media filter. See you there.
Posted Wednesday, April 11, 2018 4:35 PM
Comment 1 by eric z at 12-Apr-18 01:04 PM
An amended notice to cover late arrivals?
Response 1.1 by Gary Gross at 13-Apr-18 12:32 AM
Afraid of someone? I don't doubt that you aren't afraid but, based on the DFL bigwigs' reaction, they're certainly worried about the latecomer in the race.
The DFL's dishonest propaganda
Unlike the DFL governor, Republicans haven't turned a blind eye towards the nursing home crisis. For 7 years, DFL Gov. Dayton hasn't paid attention to the nursing home crisis. After the Strib published a multi-part series on nursing home abuse, in which some people literally died of neglect, Gov. Dayton appointed a task force to look into the abuse.
Before that panel was appointed, the Strib examined state records. One of the appalling pieces of information was that there were "25,226 allegations of neglect, physical abuse, unexplained serious injuries and thefts last year in state-licensed senior facilities" and that "97 percent were never investigated." When I wrote this post , I noted something in State Sen. Karin Housley's statement. In her statement, she said "Instead of taking responsibility for the shortcomings and negligence of his own state agencies, one of the main drivers of this issue, the governor placed the blame wholly on the care providers. Despite a well-documented culture of intimidation and neglect that prevented the governor's Office of Health Facility Complaints (OHFC) from serving its function, the governor refuses to accept accountability for the failings of the executive branch."
Despite the DFL owning this crisis, the House DFL campaign committee, tasked with getting DFL legislators elected, issued this propaganda:
The bill fixing this DFL crisis was chief authored by Sen. Housley. The DFL knows that it's being run through the Senate first. (PS- the bill # is SF3437 .) The bill will be passed in the Senate first, then sent to the House, where it will be passed, then sent to Gov. Dayton.
This BS fundraising appeal reveals the DFL's (lack of) character. The DFL knows that their governor ignored the problem. The DFL knows that Republicans are cleaning up the DFL's mess. Still, the DFL is pretending like it's the Republicans' fault if the DFL's problems aren't fixed. Fortunately, Republicans are in the habit of doing the right thing. They're fixing the DFL's problem.
This is entirely on Gov. Dayton:
When investigations did happen, often they were essentially botched, with evidence destroyed or tampered with, interviews not conducted, and sometimes police or prosecutors not contacted as required by state law. Sometimes investigations were done by public employees or nursing home employees not trained in criminal investigations.
The legislative branch has nothing to do with the actual investigations. That's exclusively the executive branch's responsibility. Period.
This highlights the fact that the Dayton administration, aka Minnesota's executive branch the past 7+ years, was incompetent. The DFL's investigations were botched, which placed additional seniors in harm's way. Now the DFL is attempting to blame Republicans for the DFL's incompetence !
Finally, it's important to remember this November that the DFL was both dishonest and incompetent in dealing with this crisis. The DFL will campaign on creating a "Better Minnesota." That's BS. If the DFL thinks that this is a picture of "a Better Minnesota", then it's obvious that the DFL sees things through rose-colored glasses.
Posted Wednesday, April 11, 2018 7:29 PM
Comment 1 by eric z at 12-Apr-18 01:03 PM
Housley is a blowhard and her spouse is as mediocre coaching NHL hockey as he was playing it.
Response 1.1 by Gary Gross at 13-Apr-18 12:30 AM
FYI- Housley is the 2nd best Minnesota-born hockey player behind Neal Broten. FYI2- Keep underestimating her.
Brown will deploy National Guard
Whatever you think of Jerry Brown, aka Gov. Moonbeam, it's indisputable that he's a typical career politician. The latest proof of that is Gov. Brown's announcement that he's sending National Guard troops to reinforce the border but that "they won't be used for 'enforcing federal immigration laws.'"
In his official communication with the administration, Brown states "Your funding for new staffing will allow the Guard to do what it does best: support operations targeting transnational criminal gangs, human traffickers and illegal firearm and drug smugglers along the border, the coast and throughout the state. Combating these criminal threats are priorities for all Americans, Republicans and Democrats. That's why the state and the Guard have long supported this important work and agreed to similar targeted assistance in 2006 under President Bush and in 2010 under President Obama."
Next comes the important part for Gov. Brown, especially politically. Gov. Brown states "But let's be crystal clear on the scope of this mission. This will not be a mission to build a new wall. It will not be a mission to round up women and children or detain people escaping violence and seeking a better life. And the California National Guard will not be enforcing federal immigration laws."
That's what's known as CYA. There never was an expectation that the National Guard would build the wall. Further, it's been established practice that the Guard supports the Border Patrol by manning surveillance posts, keeping vehicles in good repair and other non-law enforcement activities.
[Video no longer available]
Finally, this is what's called caving to political pressure. Suffice it to say that Gov. Brown and California Attorney Gen. Becerra didn't expect this much push-back on illegal immigration. What's interesting is that Gov. Brown admitted that illegal aliens are part of "transnational criminal gangs", are human traffickers and illegal firearm and drug smugglers."
With those types of crimes on their rap sheets, and with California protecting criminal aliens, it's more accurate to call California a fugitive state than to call it a sanctuary state. It's difficult to say that today's Democratic Party cares about enforcing laws or protecting people. Finally, it's difficult to take Democrats seriously about #MeToo when they turn a blind eye towards human trafficking.
Posted Thursday, April 12, 2018 3:55 AM
Comment 1 by eric z at 12-Apr-18 01:01 PM
Trump Tower should target international criminal gangs; dating to the breakup of the Soviet Union and with a focus on real-estate based money laundering.
A "sanctuary" tower, to cash paying real estate buyers.
Comment 2 by Lisa at 13-Apr-18 02:27 PM
And here we see & hear Brown appearing to care about the legal citizens of California. It's all a smoke screen to make Democrats appear less as criminals right before the elections. Most Democrat voters will believe this BS.
ISD 742 vs. MDHR
ISD 742 was one of the 43 school districts that received a letter that "for suspension and expulsion disparities that the department claims violate the state Human Rights Act 'because they deny students of color and students with disabilities educational access and negatively impact academic achievement.' The human rights department offered the district two agreements to consider as a way to eliminate those disparities. A lawyer offered the district a modified agreement."
Unfortunately, the District has already bought into this liberal ideology. According to the article, "the board voted Wednesday to offer the human rights department a fourth option, a version that highlights the work the district is already doing to eliminate suspension disparities and to change the focus of the agreement to keeping all students in school by using nonexclusionary practices."
Discipline in the district was effectively nonexistent already. Commissioner Lindsey's Department will make things worse.
The 'remedy' is worse than the disease:
The agreement the board approved submitting to the human rights department lists policies implemented by the district to reduce instances where student behaviors result in exclusionary discipline. Those include:
- Eliminating zero tolerance policies except where required by law,
- Having an in-school suspension policy designed to result in less adverse effects on minorities while still allowing disciplined students to be separated from the student body when necessary,
- Having a Positive Behavior Intervention and Support program,
- Practicing restorative justice,
- Implementing culturally responsive instructional practices,
- Implementing social and emotional learning initiatives,
- Providing additional staff training in classroom management, conflict resolution and ways to deescalate classroom disruption and misconduct,
- Providing programs to engage families,
- Educating students on conflict resolution skills, and
- Providing district resources to provide in-school alternatives to suspension.
Setting discipline based on racial quotas rather than behavior is counterproductive. This isn't discipline. Potentially, it's a protection racket. Don't think that gangs won't keep track of this. Thanks to 'quota-based discipline', gangs will know when disciplining them is off-limits.
[Video no longer available]
Further, there's no proof that restorative justice leads to better educational outcomes. After reading this article , I'm more than skeptical of restorative justice's viability. That term is similar to strategic patience or leading from behind, which are different ways of saying doing nothing.
The MDHR is an activist position that pays a person a bloated salary. Further, the threats MDHR extends aren't based on actual complaints but from statistics. Quota-based discipline is a collectivist's system of discipline. That sounds more like a system based on implicit bias than on what's actually happening.
Posted Thursday, April 12, 2018 2:02 PM
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