April 21-22, 2020
Apr 21 02:58 Tim Walz's summer surge Apr 21 12:37 Is this Tim Walz's One Minnesota? Apr 21 19:02 The anti-transparency GOP? Apr 21 20:24 McConnell's Senate passes PPP bill Apr 22 01:42 Tony Evers' flagrant abuse of power Apr 22 10:30 Will Navy sink Iranian ships? Apr 22 12:31 Whitmer changes subject Apr 22 22:22 Prison of 2 ideas, COVID edition
Prior Years:
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
Tim Walz's summer surge
Tonight's e-letter update on Minnesota's COVID-19 situation, the DFL praised Gov. Tim Walz, saying "As the pandemic spreads across the globe, Minnesota's health care professionals are competing with other states and countries for personal protective equipment (PPE) and other critical care supplies like ventilators. Governor Walz today shared updates on his Administration's work to leverage public-private partnerships to ensure that when the COVID-19 surge hits Minnesota, the state has the PPE and medical supplies needed to save as many lives as possible. The Governor highlighted the productive partnerships underway across the state that are helping Minnesota source supplies around the world."
Back in Realityville, though, things looked significantly different . In Briana Bierschbach's article, she reports "The tweets mark the first time Trump has weighed in on Minnesota's coronavirus response and leadership, and his tone toward Walz is a departure from the more combative public relationship he's had with other governors in Michigan, New York and Washington. 'We are working closely on getting him all he needs, and fast.'"
That doesn't make sense whatsoever. In the official email, the DFL brags about how the "governor highlighted the productive partnerships underway across the state that are helping Minnesota source supplies around the world." In reality, that public-private partnership didn't exist. President Trump promised that he's "getting him all he needs, and fast."
Gov. Walz isn't tapping into a public-private partnership, at least to any appreciable extent. He's just asking President Trump for help. That isn't part of a public-private partnership. That's a flailing governor asking a president for help. President Trump is helping Gov. Walz, just like he helped other Democrat governors who didn't prepare properly.
Unlike Gov. Walz and other Democrat governors, President Trump is interested in solving problems rather than kicking the can down the road. This video is dishonest:
[Video no longer available]
Starting about 25 seconds into the video, the narrator states "It's unclear why Trump seems to be siding with the protesters given that the states in question have imposed restrictions that follow the recommendations laid out by Trump's White House coronavirus task force last month..." The problem isn't that Michigan and Minnesota have followed the task force's recommendations. It's that they haven't a) listened to the people, b) imposed recommendations that employ common sense and c) been consistent.
Why is it possible to go out on a Michigan lake in a canoe but not in a boat? Why was it that, until the morning of the Minnesota protest, that Minnesotans couldn't go golfing or fishing? Why was it that Michiganders who owned a cabin in addition to their regular home couldn't visit their lake cabin but someone from Illinois who owned a cabin in Michigan could visit their cabin?
The protesters were protesting the foolish rules imposed by Gov. Walz and Gov. Whitmer. They weren't protesting the CDC's social distancing guidelines. As for Gov. Walz's mid-summer surge, that likely won't happen.
Posted Tuesday, April 21, 2020 2:58 AM
No comments.
Is this Tim Walz's One Minnesota?
In 2018, Tim Walz ran on the theme of "One Minnesota." Unfortunately, he got elected. It's unfortunate because he didn't get his work done without a special session. He insisted that Minnesota needed a massive tax increase at a time when money was pouring in well ahead of projections. Ultimately, Minnesotans rejected that hair-brained idea and we got essentially the same budget in the special session that he could've signed without a special session.
Back then, Minnesota was running a surplus. Capitol sources tell me that we're likely staring at a record deficit in 2021. The biggest deficits we've had in recent years was north of $6,000,000,000. Part of that anticipated record deficit is due to Gov. Walz's major mishandling of the COVID-19 crisis. As I've highlighted with previous posts, Gov. Walz hasn't listened to the people. He insists on doing things his way. If businesses disagree, Gov. Walz hasn't cared.
Does Gov. Walz's definition of One Minnesota mean that, during this crisis, Gov. Walz treats Crow Wing County the same as he treats Ramsey County? In case Gov. Walz hasn't noticed (he hasn't), Baxter is quite a bit different than St. Paul. In Gov. Walz's One Minnesota, one-size-fits-all is the name of the game. Counties that've specialized on shelter-in-place for a living, aka farmers, get treated the same way as people who ride light rail.
Gov. Walz is a political coward. When he joined a coalition of governors in the region, he essentially said that he a) couldn't think for himself or b) was too afraid to think for himself:
[Video no longer available]
Gov. Walz either wants the political cover or he isn't interested in coming up with innovative solutions. That's what I'd expect from a career politician whose career is best identified as a portrait in mediocrity.
Meanwhile, Minnesota's small businesses are hurting. Some are losing their life savings. Others are losing their family business that's been in the family for 2 generations. What's required in this situation isn't a catchy slogan. What's required is a leader who isn't worried about the newspaper reports. Unfortunately, we don't have that in Minnesota. Thankfully, we've got that in Washington, DC.
Posted Tuesday, April 21, 2020 12:37 PM
No comments.
The anti-transparency GOP?
I'm disappointed to find out that a majority of House Republicans voted to not include the roll call vote on Rep. Steve Drazkowski's resolution that sought to end Gov. Walz's peacetime emergency authorities . This is the video of the entire debate:
[Video no longer available]
I'd pay particular attention to the speeches given by Rep. Tim Miller, (R-Prinsburg), and Rep. Cal Bahr, (R-E. Bethel). Included in Rep. Miller's statement was him saying that "it's time to get back to business. It's time to get back to proper representation." He talked about being governed by constitutions and laws and about the separation of powers.
Right now, Minnesota state government is the furthest thing from a constitutional republic as it's ever been. At this point, Gov. Walz and the entire DFL have turned Minnesota into a DFL autocracy. Gov. Walz and the DFL won't let the legislature speak to Gov. Walz's mismanagement of this COVID crisis.
Unfortunately, Republicans provided political cover for the DFL by voting to keep the vote to suspend the rules for Rep. Drazkowski's resolution out of the House Journal :
MOTION TO SUSPEND RULES
Drazkowski moved that the rules be so far suspended so that House Concurrent Resolution No. 8 be now considered and be placed upon its adoption. The motion did not prevail.
House Concurrent Resolution No. 8 was referred to the Committee on Rules and Legislative Administration.
What isn't there is the denial of the vote to include the roll call vote into the House Journal. The roll call vote to suspend the rules by House Minority Leader Daudt for his resolution is included in the Journal. Why isn't the roll call vote for Rep. Drazkowski's resolution in the Journal? The vote on Rep. Drazkowski's motion was taken. Unfortunately, Republicans didn't fight for transparency for that motion. They only voted for transparency for Rep. Daudt's motion.
While I'm upset with the Republicans' actions, I'm thoroughly pissed with the DFL. Twice, the entire DFL voted to keep governing authority in Gov. Walz's incapable hands. Even if he was talented and making great decisions (which he isn't), I wouldn't hesitate to vote to take autocratic authority away from him. The fact that the DFL twice unanimously voted to afford Gov. Walz with autocratic authority is infuriating.
There's no right time to give a governor extended amounts of autocratic authority. That law must be changed ASAP. It's one thing to give a governor the right to act unilaterally for short periods of time. It's never right to extend that authority repeatedly.
Posted Tuesday, April 21, 2020 7:02 PM
No comments.
McConnell's Senate passes PPP bill
Mitch McConnell's Senate passed by voice vote the PPP bill to refill the PPP refill account. After weeks of stalling, Pelosi's House will likely pass the bill Wednesday. It didn't come without plenty of grumbling from Democrats. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, virtually one of the members of the Democrats' Squad, didn't hesitate in talking about why the PPP refill bill was delayed:
WATCH ? Democrat Rep. Jayapal says she's worried about "giving away leverage" by supporting more aid for small businesses to pay their employees.
American workers are losing their jobs. Small businesses are closing permanently.
This is about people's livelihoods, not leverage. pic.twitter.com/Fky7BUTtBp
- Steve Scalise (@SteveScalise) April 21, 2020
According to Tyler O'Neil's article , Rep. Jayapal said "I think what you're hearing from all of us on the call is that we have real concerns about giving away leverage now without getting some of the priorities that we need." This isn't surprising. Pelosi used this tactic to hold Blue Collar America hostage when the PPP was created. Pelosi also tried this technique to negotiate the trial rules for the Democrats' faux impeachment trial.
In that instance, Pelosi ran into a brick wall named McConnell. Predictably, that negotiation went nowhere fast. I wrote about that negotiation here :
The Constitution gives the sole power of Impeachment to the House. If a House majority wants to impeach a president, the ball is in their court. But they have to do the work. They have to prove their case. Nothing in our history or our Constitution says a House majority can pass what amounts to a half-baked censure resolution and then insist that the Senate fill in the blanks. There is no constitutional exception for a House majority with a short attention span.
Look, I think everyone knows this process has not been some earnest fact-finding mission with House Democrats following each thread wherever it leads. The Speaker of the House did not reluctantly decide to impeach after poring over the secondhand impressions of civil servants. This was a predetermined political conclusion. Members of her conference had been publicly promising it for years.
Here's the video of that famous speech:
[Video no longer available]
But I digress. The point is that Democrats, whether it's a matter of people losing their jobs or some other life-and-death situation, always seek a political advantage. Doing the right thing right off the bat is never part of the Democrats' tactics.
Let's not forget that the leader of the House Democrats shot off her mouth on this, too. She and Schumer both essentially told Blue Collar America to go to hell. This is the Schumer-Pelosi Shutdown. Check this out:
[Video no longer available]
Literally millions of people have lost their jobs as a direct result of the Democrats' stall tactics. Any family that lost their family business should directly hold the Democrats to blame. This shutdown of the program was entirely avoidable. Pelosi's Democrats could've avoided the shutdown had they acted. Instead, these Democrats delayed helping Blue Collar America multiple weeks in search of a partisan advantage.
How disgusting is that?
Posted Tuesday, April 21, 2020 8:24 PM
Comment 1 by Chad Q at 22-Apr-20 05:33 PM
The PPP should be disbanded until actual thought can be put into who can apply for and get the money. Ruth's Chris, Shake Shack, Harvard (with a $41 bil endowment), and others got money but other businesses who actually need the money can't get it. Sure those companies are returning the money but only because they are being shammed into it. It's just another way to payoff your supporters whether they're on the right or left.
Tony Evers' flagrant abuse of power
Tony Evers, Wisconsin's Democrat governor, now has to deal with a lawsuit brought by Republican lawmakers . Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos filed the lawsuit in Wisconsin's state Supreme Court. If the court sides with the Republican leadership, which seems likely, it will be a stinging political defeat for Gov. Evers.
The GOP leaders are seeking to take away Department of Health Services Secretary Andrea Palm's ability to make unilateral decisions during public health emergencies and instead require her to gain their approval before taking action. They say the Evers administration's actions are outside the bounds of the law. "Purporting to act under color of State law, an unelected, unconfirmed cabinet secretary has laid claim to a suite of czar-like powers, unlimited in scope and indefinite in duration, over the people of Wisconsin," the complaint reads.
First, let's see what the evidence is before making judgment. That being said, if the Republicans' description is right, then Gov. Evers and Secretary Palm would likely be heading for a defeat.
All state constitutions must meet the US Constitution's provisions on separation of powers and checks and balances. It isn't likely that the Democrats' Great Lakes governors' shelter-in-place orders would meet constitutional muster. With a single person making the decisions, it's impossible to legitimately say that there's a check on that person's balance.
These Democrats (Walz, Whitmer and Evers) have overstepped their authorities. It's just a matter of time before someone questions Gov. Walz's authority. If nothing else, some GOP House member should challenge Walz's authority. It isn't a matter of whether the judge likes or doesn't like Gov. Walz's intentions. The only thing that matters is whether Gov. Walz has the authority to strip Minnesotans' constitutional rights from them.
The First Amendment states "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." One way that the people petition the government is through our representatives. Taking away their policy-making authority for an extended period of time strips the people of that essential right.
These protests and lawsuits aren't going away until these governors stop acting like autocrats. Whitmer, Walz and Evers think they're above the will of the people because they want to do good as defined by them. The Constitution limits what governments can do, not what people can do.
[Video no longer available]
Posted Wednesday, April 22, 2020 1:42 AM
No comments.
Will Navy sink Iranian ships?
President Trump has instructed the U.S. Navy to "shoot down and destroy" any Iranian gunboats harassing American ships. If the Iranian Navy has a death wish, the U.S. Navy should help them meet their 72 virgins.
According to the article, six "U.S. Navy warships were conducting drills with US Army Apache attack helicopters in international waters off Iran last Wednesday when they were repeatedly harassed by 11 Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Navy vessels, the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet reported. The Iranian ships repeatedly crossed in front and behind the U.S. vessels at extremely close range and high speeds, including multiple crossings of one ship, the Puller, with a 50-yard closest point of approach and within 10 yards of another ship, the Maui's, bow, a 5th Fleet statement said."
They've been warned multiple times. If this persists, Persian Gulf recreational divers will get new shipwrecks to explore. President Trump issued this tweet to announce his decision:
I have instructed the United States Navy to shoot down and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they harass our ships at sea.
- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 22, 2020
The Navy said that the Iranian's dangerous and provocative actions 'increased the risk of miscalculation and collision' and were in violation of international maritime 'rules of the road.' The Navy also said they were not in accordance with international law to act safely with other vessels in the area.
The incident last week came one day after Iranian gunmen stormed a Hong Kong-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz before quickly leaving when they learned the vessel was from China.
The Iranian Navy has been put on notice. What happens next is their decision.
Posted Wednesday, April 22, 2020 10:30 AM
No comments.
Whitmer changes subject
Gretchen Whitmer doesn't like the spotlight . That's why she's lashing out at President Trump on immigration. She's embroiled in a scandal of her own. She's implemented an executive order that's filled with overreach and irrationality.
Her controversial EO lets people from other states visit their Michigan cabins but Michiganders are prohibited from visiting their Michigan cabins. People can buy produce at the grocery store but they aren't allowed to buy seeds from their gardens. This is what airheaded Democrats do when they have the chance for a power grab.
It's apparent that she's auditioning to become Joe Biden's running mate:
"These broad statements that come out I think are so problematic and counter to I think what we need right now more than anything - which is fact based scientifically proven, best practices and an optimistic vision of where we are headed and the thrust to make it a reality," said Whitmer, who said the focus should be on making swabs for testing. "This is what we need right now - not additional new things to be upset about, fearful of or mad about."
You can't be a serious candidate nationally if you don't shaft Blue Collar America. The best way to do that if you're a Democrat is by advocating for open borders. It's one of the Democrats' articles of faith, along with climate change and the separation of church and state.
When Whitmer endorsed Sleepy Joe Biden, she tipped her hand:
[Video no longer available]
Nothing says 'Joe's my guy' like saying "When the chips were down, Barack Obama was there for us." Talk about lukewarm endorsements.
Posted Wednesday, April 22, 2020 12:31 PM
Comment 1 by Chad Q at 22-Apr-20 05:25 PM
Yeah, what we need right now is more people bringing in more disease.
None of what the government medical "experts" are telling us is based in science. They are peddling fear and basing their predictions on highly flawed models, no different than the global warming/climate change crowd.
Prison of 2 ideas, COVID edition
Greg Gutfeld frequently talks about the prison of 2 ideas in the context of people accepting that a decision comes down to just 2 options. With Georgia deciding to reopen their economy, Georgia Democrats are doing their utmost to prevent that from happening :
Georgia House Democrats urged Gov. Brian Kemp to immediately rescind an executive order that will allow some businesses and restaurants forced to close during the coronavirus pandemic to reopen later this week.
The letter sent Tuesday by House Minority Bob Trammell and dozens of Democratic legislators called Kemp's decision "too much too soon" and warned that reopening close-contact businesses like tattoo parlors and massage therapy centers will make it impossible to maintain social distancing.
"Combined with the state's well documented struggles with testing capacity, this premature executive order puts Georgians at risk and may very well wind up resulting in more prolonged restrictive measures in the future," the Democrats said in the letter.
This is a purely partisan ploy. Democrats know that they don't have a legal leg to stand on. As Andy McCarthy explains in this interview, states must meet multiple legal thresholds:
[Video no longer available]
Talking about US AG Bill Barr's statement about states going too far with their shelter-in-place orders, McCarthy said "What he's saying is that when the government regulates your fundamental rights, which might include your right of free association, right of exercising your religion, your right to work, in many ways, they have to narrowly tailor their restrictions so that it's the least restrictive way of burdening your fundamental rights and the Justice Department has already intervened in a case in Greenville, Mississippi, on behalf of religious believers who were being denied the right to do communal observance of Easter. So this is not like it's a threat in the air. This is something that they've already done. And I think that the most important thing he said, Neil, especially for what you've been covering today, is that it's not your burden as an American that your job is essential. It's that it's their burden, that is, the government's burden, that your job can't be operated safely before they can shut it down."
Minnesota business owners participating in this upcoming Sunday's #Liberate Minnesota protest at the Governor's Mansion should highlight this information. Let's force Gov. Walz to justify why he's doing what he's doing. Let's force him, and the DFL, to explain how this is the least restrictive way of accomplishing the goal of flattening the curve and reopening Minnesota's economy.
Gov. Walz might be able to accomplish one of those goal. I'm certain that he can't accomplish both. Brit Hume brought another bit of common sense to this discussion in this interview :
"I think it's time to consider the possibility, Shannon, that this lockdown, as opposed to the more moderate mitigation efforts, is a colossal public policy calamity," he stated. "That the damage to the economy, businesses that I see, businesses are closing. Many may not reopen. Those jobs will be lost. Those businesses will be lost. Those incomes will be lost."
"Plus, the effect on children who don't have their normal life. They don't have school. They can't play with their friends, even outdoors. All these things are accumulating," he continued. "They're not going to get better, Shannon. They're going to get worse with time. And, as I say, we may not recover from many of these losses for a very long time if ever."
"Nobody is talking about going back to exactly where we were," he explained. "What they're talking about is moving forward, ending the lockdown, allowing people to continue to take the measures of avoiding crowds, washing your hands a lot, social distancing wherever possible, you can do that in offices, you can stagger the way people come to work. Some people stay home some days. Some people come in. There's an awful lot that could be done. Wearing masks when indoors, particularly in stores and so on."
It's time to discard some of these prison of 2 ideas options. There are less restrictive options available. If that's the case, implement them, not the draconian options that Gov. Evers, Gov. Walz and Gov. Whitmer have adopted.
This is the United States. We're the most innovative nation in recent history. The notion that we have to be trapped in a prison of just 2 ideas isn't part of our national DNA. Let's apply common sense. Let's innovate our way out of this just like we've our ways out of other calamities.
Posted Wednesday, April 22, 2020 10:22 PM
No comments.
