August 20-24, 2011
August 20-24, 2011
While I don't agree with all the votes Rep. Gene Pelowski, (DFL-Winona), has cast, it'd be wrong to say I haven't admired his independent streak. In 2009, Rep. Pelowski didn't just vote against the DFL's tax increases. He actually publicly criticized the DFL's tax increases .
Recently, Rep. Pelowski said some interesting things during his interview with the Caledonia Argus . Here's the eye-popping stuff he told the interviewer:
Saying that these opinions don't fit well with Gov. Dayton's, Sen. Pappas's or Rep. Thissen's opinions is understatement. The things Rep. Pelowski is talking about are things that most Minnesotans would agree with.
Minnesotans would especially agree with the statement that MnSCU officials shouldn't get big bonuses while tuitions are increasing. Whether it's corporate CEO's getting big bonuses or university presidents or provosts getting bonuses, the principle is the same.
Cronyism shouldn't be tolerated.
Rep. Pelowski is totally right in saying that we don't need 300 independent school districts in the state. The Greater St. Cloud area has 4 ISD's, one each for Rocori (ROckville, COld Spring and RIchmond), Sauk Rapids-Rice, Sartell and St. Cloud.
The savings that could be realized by eliminating administrative positions by merging districts would be significant. Potentially, that means hiring more teachers to lower class sizes or stabilizing property taxes. It might mean a combination of both.
Finally, and possibly most importantly, reforming MnSCU must be a priority for the 2012 session. Having MnSCU university presidents accountable only to the MnSCU chancellor and the MnSCU board won't produce accountability.
Accountability isn't possible without a local board of trustees reviewing the universities' results and responsiveness to the community's needs.
Most Minnesotans would be furious to find out that MnSCU has a headquarters in St. Paul filled with overpaid employees. MnSCU should be monitoring what programs the universities are offering. They've failed miserably in that mission. If they aren't providing that foundational function, what's the justification for their existence?
Rep. Pelowski is right in saying we don't need 33 MnSCU colleges. Why can't alot of the programs offered at community colleges be online-only classes? Doing that would eliminate alot of administrative expenses. It would reduce the number of professors required, too.
Finally, redesign legislation must include provisions that limit the number of soft degree programs offered. How does Minnesota benefit from a college benefit from a Masters degree in Social Responsibility? It doesn't. It doesn't benefit the students, many of whom accumulate thousands of dollars in student loan debt.
Higher education redesign is something that's long overdue. Thankfully, Rep. Pelowski gets that. Hopefully, he'll find lots of enthusiastic allies in modernizing the state higher education system.
I'm betting he will.
Posted Sunday, August 21, 2011 2:15 AM
Comment 1 by Rhett Zenke at 24-Aug-11 07:16 AM
Love her or hate her, Sarah Palin is a force of nature. SarahPAC's video of her visiting the Iowa State Fair shows why she'll be a force to be reckoned with when she gets into the race:
First, the production quality of the video is high. Most importantly, her conduct is fantastic. It's telling that Wolf Blitzer said that Gov. Palin made it a priority to talk with everyone. It proves that Gov. Palin means it when she talks about trusting the American people instead of relying on government.
America has always thought of itself as a nation of problem-solvers since its inception. Despite the liberals' best attempts to create a mindset of dependence, and their attempts were intense and sustained, Americans thirst for the thrill of achievement.
Sarah Palin gets that. President Obama doesn't.
This video sets the stage for Sarah Palin to get into the race. Had she been a candidate in Iowa, Gov. Palin would've dominated Iowa Straw Poll. It wouldn't have been a close fight like it was between Michele Bachmann and Ron Paul.
People that think she can't win a general election fight with President Obama are wrong. Look at the reaction she got across the country in 2008. She drew huge crowds wherever the campaign went. She's a conservative's conservative. She's a big believer in the private sector and free markets. She'd unleash America's energy producers. She trusts the people.
These are things that large majorities of people agree with.
Sarah could raise the money that's needed to defeat President Obama. She's the type of feisty candidate that alot of people, conservatives included, are looking for. Most importantly, she's the type of person that won't let the Beltway deter her.
Let's remember Gov. Palin's acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention:
Where Sarah differs from Michele Bachmann is that Sarah Palin has a list of accomplishments where she took on the old boys club and the backroom operatives and finished the fight on top. She took on a corrupt oil company and won. She took on corruption within the Republican Party of Alaska and won, too.
I don't know if Sarah Palin will win the GOP nomination. In fact, I don't know for certain that she'll get in, though I'm confident she will. What I'm certain of, though, is that she'll frighten the Obama campaign because a) people don't agree with President Obama much and b) she's the anti-Obama.
Only 26% trust President Obama's handling of the economy. President Obama's economic policies rely on the federal government spending lots of money. Both in the 2010 midterms and in recent polling, people are rejecting that economic model. They're rejecting it because it's failed. They're rejecting it because they're tired of waiting for the economy to start growing at a robust rate.
Either way, Republicans and independents can't wait for November, 2012 to get here. They can't wait to rid themselves of this long national nightmare and this administration. They can't wait until the incompetence, corruption and cronyism is part of history, not part of the current administration.
Posted Saturday, August 20, 2011 3:33 PM
Comment 1 by Bob J. at 22-Aug-11 09:05 AM
This October, the Minnesota Supreme Court will hear testimony from civic organizations before issuing the congressional and legislative maps that determine Minnesota's political boundaries for the next decade.
That they're conducting these hearings despite the fact that the House Redistricting Committee held 13 hearings at the Capitol and 3 hearings around the state is telling.
Shouldn't the courts be seperated from public opinion? Shouldn't their job be to apply the laws and the Constitution to the census data?
It isn't that we shouldn't hear testimony from civic organizations. It's that that's the committees' responsibility. The courts hearing from civic organizations means that the courts are adding an additional political step to the process.
Politics should be limited to the political branches of government, aka the legislative and executive branches. Judicial proceedings should be limited to making judicial rulings based on the law and Constitution.
Based on where the population shifts happened the past decade, the maps put together by Rep. Sarah Anderson's committee are quite defensible maps that Gov. Dayton shouldn't have vetoed. His veto was purely political, designed to keep his base happy.
Politics should be removed from redistricting. Redistricting committees already rely on redistricting software. After the committee hears from the interested civic organizations, the information should be plugged into the redistricting software.
Whatever system is used, the Minnesota Supreme Court shouldn't be engaged in anything but the law. It shouldn't engage in hearings. That's the legislative branch's responsibility.
It's time for the courts to stick with their responsibility. It isn't their responsibility to get involved in conducting political hearings.
Posted Monday, August 22, 2011 12:28 AM
Comment 1 by Greg at 22-Aug-11 11:33 AM
Comment 2 by #6 at 22-Aug-11 05:58 PM
Last Monday, St. Cloud State President Earl Potter spoke at a St. Cloud City Council study session. After his presentation, Councilman George Hontos asked him about the decision to shut down the Aviation Department. This post compares what President Potter said with Jeff Johnson's response to President Potter's statements.
It's important to know that Jeff Johnson wears 2 hats that relate to this issue, the first being an instructor in the aviation department at St. Cloud State. The other hat is that of a St. Cloud City Council member.
Now that that's out in the open, here's the first thing cited in Councilman Johnson took issue with and his response:
Here's Councilman Johnson's response:
This might be the most foolish thing President Potter said in his presentation:
That doesn't align with the facts that Councilman Johnson presented:
The fact that President Potter can't pick which lie he'll use to which audience says everything. Either it's "a successful program [Aug. 15,2011]" or it's a program that "was unlikely that [the program] would get there."
It's one or the other. It can't be both.
Here's another interesting piece of information from Professor Johnson:
The availability of this type of opportunity should've been embraced. Instead, it was rejected. How can the SCSU Strategic Action Plan say that it's a priority to "expand Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) initiatives", then reject this opportunity?
Their statement doesn't match with their actions. With people demanding accountability, it's time SCSU started living up to its stated goals instead of just paying lip service to them.
Posted Monday, August 22, 2011 2:35 PM
No comments.
During his appearance at the St. Cloud City Council study session, SCSU President Earl Potter made a number of foolish statements, which were recorded in this post . As this article will show, they weren't the only foolish statements President Potter made. Here's a quote attributed to President from a Star Tribune article:
The affordability question is resolved quickly with this information:
When did spending $1,218,000 on studying "social justice, peace, activism and animals" rate a higher priority than spending $275,000 on a program with a good job placement? If that's representative of the quality of SCSU's decisionmaking, then it's being mismanaged.
Here's another statement President Potter made:
Here's Councilman Johnson's reply:
The thing that hasn't been determined is whether the MnSCU Board of Trustees was sold a bill of goods or whether they were given accuate information. Based on the 3 trustees' actions, it's likely that they weren't given accurate information.
Finally, this is the most infuriating information in Councilman Johnson's statement:
The St. Cloud business community is furious over the university's refusal to involve them or inform them in a meaningful way of this decision. According to MnSCU Board policy, the community, faculty and students were supposed to play a much bigger role in the process.
The misinformation that President Potter used in 'informing' the public and the secrecy involved with the decisionmaking process isn't the picture of transparency or accountability. Instead it's quite possibly the only way President Potter could get this outcome.
Posted Monday, August 22, 2011 11:26 PM
No comments.
I've long thought that Gov. Perry's message would gain traction in libertarian New Hampshire. Thanks to Marc Thiessen's article , that belief is being confirmed:
It's natural that Gov. Perry's straight talk would play well in New Hampshire. Gov. Perry's statement that he wants to "make Washington as inconsequential in your lives as possible" is certainly a statement that'll play well in a state whose motto is "Live free or die."
If Gov. Perry campaigns hard in New Hampshire, there's no reason why he can't exceed expectations there. If that happens, that puts alot of pressure on Mitt.
If Mitt doesn't win with an impressive margin of victory, he'll pretty much need to do better than expected in South Carolina, a state where he isn't expected to do well.
Gov. Perry doesn't have to win either Iowa or New Hampshire. He just needs to do well in those states. If he finishes a close second to Michele Bachmann in Iowa, which is very possible,that's a big deal considering her native daughter status and her being from a neighboring state.
If Gov. Perry goes into Mitt's back yard and is competitive in New Hampshire, he will have accumulated alot of delegates in his chief rivals' states.
The powerful sentiments expressed in this paragraph shouldn't be overlooked:
I've written before how liberals attempt to pick winners and losers by manipulating the tax code. Regulations, especially those created at the behest of a company's lobbyist, is another way of picking winners and losers.
It's also a way to kill jobs. It's time that the federal government stopped creating tens of billions of dollars of additional expenses for America's job creators. If they want job creation to jump, the federal government needs to stop their meddling.
The shortest path from this economic malaise to a robust, booming economy would be to repeal Dodd-Frank and Obamacare and to have the Federal Reserve stop devaluing the dollar. Follow that with a robust domestic energy harvesting effort and you'd have an economy that'd quickly be hitting on all cylinders.
This paragraph explains why this administration is worried:
Fisher's speech raises some interesting questions, starting with whether Gov. Perry's policies would translate into job growth on a nationwide scale. It isn't a stretch to think that they would. In fact, it isn't a stretch to think that they'd do better nationally.
Couldn't it be argued that lowering taxes and regulations might convince capital that's currently at work around the world to return to the United States? If a temporary 'repatriation tax holiday' were enacted, that might have the same powerful effect as President Reagan's capital gains tax cut had on Detroit in the early 80's.
If Gov. Perry can convince people that his track record is predictive of what the national economy can look like, he'll be a formidable candidate in every state he competes in.
Posted Tuesday, August 23, 2011 8:40 AM
No comments.
It's too early to say that Mitt Romney is giving up on winning the South Carolina primary but it's appropriate to question whether Gov. Romney is making a bad decision to skip the Jim DeMint Debate :
Mitt's pretending that Gov. Perry doesn't exist is stupid. Acting like he's the frontrunner is one thing. Acting like you're the inevitable choice is taking things a step too far. With Mitt not being in the DeMint Debate, expect Gov. Perry and Rep. Bachmann to take shots at Mitt's Romneycare and his stated belief in AGW.
Taking on Mitt's stated belief in AGW is smart politics because it's a way to question his commitment to eliminating the EPA's overregulating the economy into the ground.
Gov. Perry's promise to make Washington "as inconsequential in your lives as possible" tells everyone that isn't comatose that he'll make regulatory relief a high priority in creating jobs and growing the economy.
Alot of people nationwide are starting to question whether Gov. Romney is committed to conservatism's core principles. There's no question that Mitt will put a priority on getting the economy going. Unfortunately for Mitt, there's questions aplenty that he's a limited government conservative.
Candidates that don't have the DeMint troops' enthusiasm behind them won't do well in South Carolina.
While South Carolina voters might not get miffed at Mitt not participating in the DeMint Debate, they won't appreciate his less than enthusiastic support of conservative principles.
If the Romney campaign keeps making mistakes of this type, they'll quickly find themselves as irrelevant.
Posted Tuesday, August 23, 2011 9:51 AM
Comment 1 by Bob J. at 24-Aug-11 10:03 AM
Comment 2 by walter hanson at 24-Aug-11 11:36 PM
When James McCormick retired as MnSCU Chancellor, he didn't say that he'd be getting a bonus check for his last year. According to this article , that's precisely what happened:
Surely, he earned that money by doing some extraordinary things, you're thinking, right? Actually, he didn't:
Considering the fact that he's making $360,000, shouldn't Minnesota's taxpayers expect the highest paid MnSCU official to do those things as part of his job? After all, $360,000 isn't chump change.
It's important to remember that $360,000 was McCormick's salary. That wasn't his total annual compensation. If you add in a gold-plated Cadillac health insurance policy and a gold-plated defined benefit pension, you're easily past $600,000 annual compensation.
If that isn't a big enough injustice, MnSCU Board Chairman Scott Thiss tried whitewashing the payment:
Performance pay, my ass. They established a matrix that only the most inept, incompetent idiot couldn't reach. Chairman Thiss should be ashamed of himself for paying out a bonus, much less that excessive of a bonus.
MnSCU needs a major restructuring as does the U of M system. This time, we found out about the MnSCU racket too late. It won't be long before this type of cronyism will be all but eliminated.
Posted Wednesday, August 24, 2011 2:34 AM
Comment 1 by State employee at 29-Aug-11 08:53 AM
Aug 20 15:33 Unleashing SarahPAC's video, unleashing Sarah Aug 21 02:15 Gene Pelowski: A legislator who gets it Aug 22 00:28 Are courts politicizing redistricting? Aug 22 14:35 President Potter on city council hot seat, Part I Aug 22 23:26 President Potter on city council hot seat, Part II Aug 23 08:40 Gov. Perry playing well in New Hampshire Aug 23 09:51 Is Romney ceding South Carolina? Aug 24 02:34 Retired MnSCU Chancellor still on state gravy train
Prior Months: Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul
Prior Years: 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Gene Pelowski: A legislator who gets it
While I don't agree with all the votes Rep. Gene Pelowski, (DFL-Winona), has cast, it'd be wrong to say I haven't admired his independent streak. In 2009, Rep. Pelowski didn't just vote against the DFL's tax increases. He actually publicly criticized the DFL's tax increases .
Recently, Rep. Pelowski said some interesting things during his interview with the Caledonia Argus . Here's the eye-popping stuff he told the interviewer:
The Winona representative cautioned that the belt tightening will continue.
'The state can't afford to have more than 300 independent school districts. We can't afford to have 33 colleges in the MNSCU (Minnesota State Colleges and Universities) system. And we can't afford to have 87 independent counties anymore. There's far too much duplication of services. With the current economy, and I don't see it changing for some time, we just can't afford all the duplication. I'd like to do all the wants and needs of the people in Minnesota, but it's just not realistic anymore.
'The size of the state legislature needs to be cut as well. I'd like to see 20 less seats in the House and 10 less in the Senate,' he added. 'There would be some savings in this and it would send a message to the public that we are making cuts in our houses too.'
Pelowski stated that the bonuses that MNSCU officials received last year was appalling.
' Tuition costs went up and the debt went up. And they gave themselves bonuses. How wrong was that? '
Saying that these opinions don't fit well with Gov. Dayton's, Sen. Pappas's or Rep. Thissen's opinions is understatement. The things Rep. Pelowski is talking about are things that most Minnesotans would agree with.
Minnesotans would especially agree with the statement that MnSCU officials shouldn't get big bonuses while tuitions are increasing. Whether it's corporate CEO's getting big bonuses or university presidents or provosts getting bonuses, the principle is the same.
Cronyism shouldn't be tolerated.
Rep. Pelowski is totally right in saying that we don't need 300 independent school districts in the state. The Greater St. Cloud area has 4 ISD's, one each for Rocori (ROckville, COld Spring and RIchmond), Sauk Rapids-Rice, Sartell and St. Cloud.
The savings that could be realized by eliminating administrative positions by merging districts would be significant. Potentially, that means hiring more teachers to lower class sizes or stabilizing property taxes. It might mean a combination of both.
Finally, and possibly most importantly, reforming MnSCU must be a priority for the 2012 session. Having MnSCU university presidents accountable only to the MnSCU chancellor and the MnSCU board won't produce accountability.
Accountability isn't possible without a local board of trustees reviewing the universities' results and responsiveness to the community's needs.
Most Minnesotans would be furious to find out that MnSCU has a headquarters in St. Paul filled with overpaid employees. MnSCU should be monitoring what programs the universities are offering. They've failed miserably in that mission. If they aren't providing that foundational function, what's the justification for their existence?
Rep. Pelowski is right in saying we don't need 33 MnSCU colleges. Why can't alot of the programs offered at community colleges be online-only classes? Doing that would eliminate alot of administrative expenses. It would reduce the number of professors required, too.
Finally, redesign legislation must include provisions that limit the number of soft degree programs offered. How does Minnesota benefit from a college benefit from a Masters degree in Social Responsibility? It doesn't. It doesn't benefit the students, many of whom accumulate thousands of dollars in student loan debt.
Higher education redesign is something that's long overdue. Thankfully, Rep. Pelowski gets that. Hopefully, he'll find lots of enthusiastic allies in modernizing the state higher education system.
I'm betting he will.
Posted Sunday, August 21, 2011 2:15 AM
Comment 1 by Rhett Zenke at 24-Aug-11 07:16 AM
Maybe you should double check your stories before this pops on Google Alerts all over the state.
If this comes back to bite me in 2012, I'm going to ask you for help!
He's no independent.
Rhett Zenke
Winona County BPOU Chair.
Response 1.1 by Gary Gross at 24-Aug-11 07:29 AM
Mr. Zenke, I'm working my ass off to make MnSCU a thing of the past. If Rep. Pelowski helps me accomplish that, he'll get credit for that. It's just that simple.
Unleashing SarahPAC's video, unleashing Sarah
Love her or hate her, Sarah Palin is a force of nature. SarahPAC's video of her visiting the Iowa State Fair shows why she'll be a force to be reckoned with when she gets into the race:
First, the production quality of the video is high. Most importantly, her conduct is fantastic. It's telling that Wolf Blitzer said that Gov. Palin made it a priority to talk with everyone. It proves that Gov. Palin means it when she talks about trusting the American people instead of relying on government.
America has always thought of itself as a nation of problem-solvers since its inception. Despite the liberals' best attempts to create a mindset of dependence, and their attempts were intense and sustained, Americans thirst for the thrill of achievement.
Sarah Palin gets that. President Obama doesn't.
This video sets the stage for Sarah Palin to get into the race. Had she been a candidate in Iowa, Gov. Palin would've dominated Iowa Straw Poll. It wouldn't have been a close fight like it was between Michele Bachmann and Ron Paul.
People that think she can't win a general election fight with President Obama are wrong. Look at the reaction she got across the country in 2008. She drew huge crowds wherever the campaign went. She's a conservative's conservative. She's a big believer in the private sector and free markets. She'd unleash America's energy producers. She trusts the people.
These are things that large majorities of people agree with.
Sarah could raise the money that's needed to defeat President Obama. She's the type of feisty candidate that alot of people, conservatives included, are looking for. Most importantly, she's the type of person that won't let the Beltway deter her.
Let's remember Gov. Palin's acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention:
I'm not a member of the permanent political establishment. And I've learned quickly, these past few days, that if you're not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone.
But here's a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I'm not going to Washington to seek their good opinion. I'm going to Washington to serve the people of this country. Americans expect us to go to Washington for the right reasons, and not just to mingle with the right people.
Where Sarah differs from Michele Bachmann is that Sarah Palin has a list of accomplishments where she took on the old boys club and the backroom operatives and finished the fight on top. She took on a corrupt oil company and won. She took on corruption within the Republican Party of Alaska and won, too.
I don't know if Sarah Palin will win the GOP nomination. In fact, I don't know for certain that she'll get in, though I'm confident she will. What I'm certain of, though, is that she'll frighten the Obama campaign because a) people don't agree with President Obama much and b) she's the anti-Obama.
Only 26% trust President Obama's handling of the economy. President Obama's economic policies rely on the federal government spending lots of money. Both in the 2010 midterms and in recent polling, people are rejecting that economic model. They're rejecting it because it's failed. They're rejecting it because they're tired of waiting for the economy to start growing at a robust rate.
Either way, Republicans and independents can't wait for November, 2012 to get here. They can't wait to rid themselves of this long national nightmare and this administration. They can't wait until the incompetence, corruption and cronyism is part of history, not part of the current administration.
Posted Saturday, August 20, 2011 3:33 PM
Comment 1 by Bob J. at 22-Aug-11 09:05 AM
Sarah Palin would make people forget Rick Perry.
Are courts politicizing redistricting?
This October, the Minnesota Supreme Court will hear testimony from civic organizations before issuing the congressional and legislative maps that determine Minnesota's political boundaries for the next decade.
That they're conducting these hearings despite the fact that the House Redistricting Committee held 13 hearings at the Capitol and 3 hearings around the state is telling.
Shouldn't the courts be seperated from public opinion? Shouldn't their job be to apply the laws and the Constitution to the census data?
It isn't that we shouldn't hear testimony from civic organizations. It's that that's the committees' responsibility. The courts hearing from civic organizations means that the courts are adding an additional political step to the process.
Politics should be limited to the political branches of government, aka the legislative and executive branches. Judicial proceedings should be limited to making judicial rulings based on the law and Constitution.
Based on where the population shifts happened the past decade, the maps put together by Rep. Sarah Anderson's committee are quite defensible maps that Gov. Dayton shouldn't have vetoed. His veto was purely political, designed to keep his base happy.
Politics should be removed from redistricting. Redistricting committees already rely on redistricting software. After the committee hears from the interested civic organizations, the information should be plugged into the redistricting software.
Whatever system is used, the Minnesota Supreme Court shouldn't be engaged in anything but the law. It shouldn't engage in hearings. That's the legislative branch's responsibility.
It's time for the courts to stick with their responsibility. It isn't their responsibility to get involved in conducting political hearings.
Posted Monday, August 22, 2011 12:28 AM
Comment 1 by Greg at 22-Aug-11 11:33 AM
You people are hypocritical idiots! Of course re-districting is political. You just don't like it when it might not go your way. It's the same complaint you scream about "activist judges", except when their allowing the Koch brothers et al to pump millions into elections. You people are fools, and when we end up in a neo-Gilded age, trying to stay above water, you'll undoubted be whining louder, trying to blame everyone but yourselves.
Response 1.1 by Gary Gross at 22-Aug-11 11:58 AM
First, don't hear what I didn't say. I didn't call anyone an activist judge. You heard what you wanted to hear.
Second, I didn't say politics aren't part of redistricting. I simply said that politicking should be left to the political branches of gov't, aka the legislative & executive branches.
Finally, there won't be time for whining or celebrating. It'll be about eliminating this administration's trillion dollar deficits. It'll be about getting the economy growing without the government's help. The good news is that we'll have a Republican president & a Republican Senate majority.
Comment 2 by #6 at 22-Aug-11 05:58 PM
Though the last time we had a Republican President and majority in both houses, we got Medicare part D - the biggest expansion of welfare since the Great Society. If the Republicans in office are big government liberals, it really doesn't matter. That's why the TEA party is so important. The TEA party people are the ones we need running the show.
Hopefully it'll happen in 2012.
President Potter on city council hot seat, Part I
Last Monday, St. Cloud State President Earl Potter spoke at a St. Cloud City Council study session. After his presentation, Councilman George Hontos asked him about the decision to shut down the Aviation Department. This post compares what President Potter said with Jeff Johnson's response to President Potter's statements.
It's important to know that Jeff Johnson wears 2 hats that relate to this issue, the first being an instructor in the aviation department at St. Cloud State. The other hat is that of a St. Cloud City Council member.
Now that that's out in the open, here's the first thing cited in Councilman Johnson took issue with and his response:
"I (Potter) cannot subsidize the airport. The program operated at a loss. Its enrollments (meaning the aviation program) trended down for 5 years and the program operated at a loss."
Here's Councilman Johnson's response:
SCSU does not subsidize the airport. Aviation students engaged in flight training utilize an approved flight training vendor, Wright Aero, at the St. Cloud Regional Airport. Wright Aero is a small business. It is true that aviation enrollments trended downward for a few years bottoming out in 2006 but then had rebounded upward through the date Dr. Potter announced the program's closure which was September 2010.
This might be the most foolish thing President Potter said in his presentation:
"It was not a judgment that it was a poor program...it was a successful program."
That doesn't align with the facts that Councilman Johnson presented:
Let's look at documented statements made by President Potter in chronological order:
November 10, 2010 : Aviation was mentioned as a " viable academic program" by Dr. Potter to be cut in an SCSU campus radio station interview .
December 10, 2010 : Video grab segment in a presentation to the SCSU community:
"Accreditors noted that and for two years no progress was made; accreditors noted the deficiency of the curriculum and for two years no progress was made ."
Keep in mind that in July 2009 (17 months) before this statement was made which was last December 10, 2010, the aviation department successfully completed reaccreditation. Some of our present and past adjuncts include a Benton County District Judge and a county deputy prosecutor. In the same presentation on December 10, 2010 Dr. Potter further stated:
"And it was my judgment that not only financially and programmatically did we not have a program that aligned with the core mission of the university successfully but it was unlikely that we would get there."
The fact that President Potter can't pick which lie he'll use to which audience says everything. Either it's "a successful program [Aug. 15,2011]" or it's a program that "was unlikely that [the program] would get there."
It's one or the other. It can't be both.
Here's another interesting piece of information from Professor Johnson:
According to the SCSU Strategic Action Plan:
Character that reflects our region. St. Cloud State University will become distinctive by offering an array of programs that reflect the character of our region with a commitment to meeting the needs of our community.
1. Institutionalize our commitment to civic and community engagement.
3. Expand Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) initiatives.
4. Develop and focus strength on building healthy communities.
Did you know that one of my colleagues applied for a grant and won a multimillion dollar Boeing 727 jetliner from FedEx? This non-flying aircraft would have been based at the St. Cloud Regional Airport to be used for K-16 science and technology initiatives.
For example, middle and high school students would use the aircraft for learning how an aircraft works. College students in aviation, physics, and mechanical engineering could also use the aircraft for learning as well. The research indicated that St. Cloud would have had a student regional draw for a radius of approximately 60 miles for this type of educational initiative. The SCSU Provost said, "No!"
The availability of this type of opportunity should've been embraced. Instead, it was rejected. How can the SCSU Strategic Action Plan say that it's a priority to "expand Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) initiatives", then reject this opportunity?
Their statement doesn't match with their actions. With people demanding accountability, it's time SCSU started living up to its stated goals instead of just paying lip service to them.
Posted Monday, August 22, 2011 2:35 PM
No comments.
President Potter on city council hot seat, Part II
During his appearance at the St. Cloud City Council study session, SCSU President Earl Potter made a number of foolish statements, which were recorded in this post . As this article will show, they weren't the only foolish statements President Potter made. Here's a quote attributed to President from a Star Tribune article:
May 27, 2011 in the Star Tribune: "We have very fine students in a very strong program we can no longer afford." Potter said.
The affordability question is resolved quickly with this information:
Here is one example of affordability: SCSU spends a little over $1.2 million on faculty salaries alone for a Master of Science in Social Responsibility program where students study "social justice, peace, activism, and animals" compared to less than $300,000 for aviation faculty."
When did spending $1,218,000 on studying "social justice, peace, activism and animals" rate a higher priority than spending $275,000 on a program with a good job placement? If that's representative of the quality of SCSU's decisionmaking, then it's being mismanaged.
Here's another statement President Potter made:
"We (Potter) have support across the board. The Board of Trustees is firmly committed to this course of action. It is a done deal. It is a business decision."
Here's Councilman Johnson's reply:
I spoke with 3 of the Board of Trustees individually last spring all within a few minutes. None of them were aware that Minnesota is in danger of losing its last two aviation bachelor degree programs.
The thing that hasn't been determined is whether the MnSCU Board of Trustees was sold a bill of goods or whether they were given accuate information. Based on the 3 trustees' actions, it's likely that they weren't given accurate information.
Finally, this is the most infuriating information in Councilman Johnson's statement:
In closing, perhaps what troubles me the most is there was no effort by SCSU to have public hearings with the community before closing any academic program which as outlined in MnSCU Board policy 3.36 that states, "The academic program application but be documented by information, as applicable regarding consultation with appropriate groups including students, faculty, and community."
Sadly, SCSU never had any public hearings last year where they actively invited the Chamber of Commerce, area businesses, and the public at large to the table before they went ahead and reorganized and closed academic programs.
The St. Cloud business community is furious over the university's refusal to involve them or inform them in a meaningful way of this decision. According to MnSCU Board policy, the community, faculty and students were supposed to play a much bigger role in the process.
The misinformation that President Potter used in 'informing' the public and the secrecy involved with the decisionmaking process isn't the picture of transparency or accountability. Instead it's quite possibly the only way President Potter could get this outcome.
Posted Monday, August 22, 2011 11:26 PM
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Gov. Perry playing well in New Hampshire
I've long thought that Gov. Perry's message would gain traction in libertarian New Hampshire. Thanks to Marc Thiessen's article , that belief is being confirmed:
He left his cowboy boots in Austin, but Gov. Rick Perry brought some Texas straight talk to New Hampshire. 'Live free or die, you've got to love that,' Perry told an audience in Bedford last week, adding that the state motto reminded him 'of a little place down in Texas called the Alamo.' Perry's promise to make Washington 'as inconsequential in your lives as possible' is resonating in libertarian New Hampshire. He has moved into second place here after just a few days in the race, registering 18 percent support among Granite State Republicans.
It's natural that Gov. Perry's straight talk would play well in New Hampshire. Gov. Perry's statement that he wants to "make Washington as inconsequential in your lives as possible" is certainly a statement that'll play well in a state whose motto is "Live free or die."
If Gov. Perry campaigns hard in New Hampshire, there's no reason why he can't exceed expectations there. If that happens, that puts alot of pressure on Mitt.
If Mitt doesn't win with an impressive margin of victory, he'll pretty much need to do better than expected in South Carolina, a state where he isn't expected to do well.
Gov. Perry doesn't have to win either Iowa or New Hampshire. He just needs to do well in those states. If he finishes a close second to Michele Bachmann in Iowa, which is very possible,that's a big deal considering her native daughter status and her being from a neighboring state.
If Gov. Perry goes into Mitt's back yard and is competitive in New Hampshire, he will have accumulated alot of delegates in his chief rivals' states.
The powerful sentiments expressed in this paragraph shouldn't be overlooked:
At Epoch Homes, a Pembroke modular home-builder, Perry held a town hall where he explained the Texas model: keep spending low and put a stop to over-taxation, over-litigation and over-regulation. 'We're over-regulating ourselves out of work,' he said, pointing out that new regulations under the Obama administration last year cost American businesses $26 billion, money that could have created 650,000 good-paying jobs. That made sense to Dave Quinn, who has worked at Epoch three years and says regulations are preventing Epoch from expanding and hiring more workers. 'I like his big push on deregulation,' Quinn told me. 'I'm undecided, but that push to give control back to the people, that's what's really swaying my position to support Governor Perry.'
I've written before how liberals attempt to pick winners and losers by manipulating the tax code. Regulations, especially those created at the behest of a company's lobbyist, is another way of picking winners and losers.
It's also a way to kill jobs. It's time that the federal government stopped creating tens of billions of dollars of additional expenses for America's job creators. If they want job creation to jump, the federal government needs to stop their meddling.
The shortest path from this economic malaise to a robust, booming economy would be to repeal Dodd-Frank and Obamacare and to have the Federal Reserve stop devaluing the dollar. Follow that with a robust domestic energy harvesting effort and you'd have an economy that'd quickly be hitting on all cylinders.
This paragraph explains why this administration is worried:
The power of Perry's jobs message is not lost on the White House, which is why Obama officials spent much of the week trying to shoot down the 'Texas miracle', arguing that most new Texas jobs are low wage and have little to do with Perry's policies. So it is significant that while Perry was campaigning in New Hampshire, back in Texas the Democratic head of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Richard Fisher, gave a speech supporting Perry's claims . Over the past two years, Fisher said, 'Texas has accounted for 49.9 percent of net new jobs created in the United States,' and the vast majority were equal to or above the national average for weekly wages. 'These jobs are not low-paying jobs,' he said. Moreover, Fisher added, the reason so many people and businesses have been moving to Texas is that 'private sector capital and jobs will go to where taxes and spending and regulatory policy are most conducive to growth.' Translation: Texas is creating half the new jobs in America, thanks to the pro-growth policies Perry presided over.
Fisher's speech raises some interesting questions, starting with whether Gov. Perry's policies would translate into job growth on a nationwide scale. It isn't a stretch to think that they would. In fact, it isn't a stretch to think that they'd do better nationally.
Couldn't it be argued that lowering taxes and regulations might convince capital that's currently at work around the world to return to the United States? If a temporary 'repatriation tax holiday' were enacted, that might have the same powerful effect as President Reagan's capital gains tax cut had on Detroit in the early 80's.
If Gov. Perry can convince people that his track record is predictive of what the national economy can look like, he'll be a formidable candidate in every state he competes in.
Posted Tuesday, August 23, 2011 8:40 AM
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Is Romney ceding South Carolina?
It's too early to say that Mitt Romney is giving up on winning the South Carolina primary but it's appropriate to question whether Gov. Romney is making a bad decision to skip the Jim DeMint Debate :
South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint announced today the four GOP presidential hopefuls who will headline his Palmetto Freedom Forum, sponsored by the American Principles Project over Labor Day weekend in Columbia, and it looks like the champion of the Tea Party might get a couple of high-profile snubs.
In order to receive an official invitation to the event, Republican candidates had to garner at least 5 percent in the RealClearPolitics polling average for the GOP nomination fight. The eight who made the cut were: Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, Rudy Giuliani, Sarah Palin, Ron Paul, Rick Perry and Mitt Romney.
But only half are planning to go: Perry, Bachmann, Cain and Paul.
Neither Giuliani nor Palin are in the race yet, so neither has confirmed attendance. Palin, for her part, will be in Iowa that weekend for a mega-rally on Saturday, Sept. 3. DeMint's conference, however, isn't until Monday, Sept. 5. It's not clear why Gingrich will not show.
A spokesman for Romney did not return a request earlier in the day about whether Romney would make it but it looks unlikely. Romney announced late Monday on Twitter that he'll be rolling out his jobs plan the very next day, Sept. 6, in Nevada. Romney's unveiling is designed to coincide with the major jobs speech President Obama intends to give right after Labor Day so that the two plans will be compared side-by-side. Given Romney's strategy to date; his campaign casts him as a general-election candidate interested only in taking on Obama , the decision to skip the South Carolina forum in favor of contrasting with the president comes as no surprise.
Mitt's pretending that Gov. Perry doesn't exist is stupid. Acting like he's the frontrunner is one thing. Acting like you're the inevitable choice is taking things a step too far. With Mitt not being in the DeMint Debate, expect Gov. Perry and Rep. Bachmann to take shots at Mitt's Romneycare and his stated belief in AGW.
Taking on Mitt's stated belief in AGW is smart politics because it's a way to question his commitment to eliminating the EPA's overregulating the economy into the ground.
Gov. Perry's promise to make Washington "as inconsequential in your lives as possible" tells everyone that isn't comatose that he'll make regulatory relief a high priority in creating jobs and growing the economy.
Alot of people nationwide are starting to question whether Gov. Romney is committed to conservatism's core principles. There's no question that Mitt will put a priority on getting the economy going. Unfortunately for Mitt, there's questions aplenty that he's a limited government conservative.
Candidates that don't have the DeMint troops' enthusiasm behind them won't do well in South Carolina.
While South Carolina voters might not get miffed at Mitt not participating in the DeMint Debate, they won't appreciate his less than enthusiastic support of conservative principles.
If the Romney campaign keeps making mistakes of this type, they'll quickly find themselves as irrelevant.
Posted Tuesday, August 23, 2011 9:51 AM
Comment 1 by Bob J. at 24-Aug-11 10:03 AM
You wrote: "If the Romney campaign keeps making mistakes of this type, they'll quickly find themselves as irrelevant."
To that, all I can say is that we can only hope.
Comment 2 by walter hanson at 24-Aug-11 11:36 PM
Um Mitt you are aware that in the terms of getting the Repubican nomination competiting and winning South Carolina is vital.
In 2000 it saved Bush from McCain building up the mo to keep the nomination.
In 2008 the win in South Carolina led to McCain winning the all important Florida primary just a couple of days later which is what led to the McCain nomination.
Furthermore this is basically the second of two early states that Romney has given up on the other being Iowa.
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
Retired MnSCU Chancellor still on state gravy train
When James McCormick retired as MnSCU Chancellor, he didn't say that he'd be getting a bonus check for his last year. According to this article , that's precisely what happened:
The former chancellor of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system received $50,000 in performance pay for his work last year, once again raising the ire of union officials who represent rank-and-file employees.
The decision to give now-retired Chancellor James McCormick his performance pay was made by the Board of Trustees in June. But members left the amount to the discretion of chairman Scott Thiss, who announced Monday that McCormick received the full $50,000 allowed under the contract. McCormick's base salary was $360,000.
Surely, he earned that money by doing some extraordinary things, you're thinking, right? Actually, he didn't:
Thiss said McCormick worked diligently in his last year with MnSCU and met all of his performance goals. Those included leading an initiative to make applying, registering, transferring schools and paying bills much easier for students , as well as a program to grow and retain leaders within the MnSCU system.
Considering the fact that he's making $360,000, shouldn't Minnesota's taxpayers expect the highest paid MnSCU official to do those things as part of his job? After all, $360,000 isn't chump change.
It's important to remember that $360,000 was McCormick's salary. That wasn't his total annual compensation. If you add in a gold-plated Cadillac health insurance policy and a gold-plated defined benefit pension, you're easily past $600,000 annual compensation.
If that isn't a big enough injustice, MnSCU Board Chairman Scott Thiss tried whitewashing the payment:
'This is performance pay, not a bonus. It must be earned,' Thiss said. 'We had a very specific set of goals for the chancellor, and he met them.'
Performance pay, my ass. They established a matrix that only the most inept, incompetent idiot couldn't reach. Chairman Thiss should be ashamed of himself for paying out a bonus, much less that excessive of a bonus.
MnSCU needs a major restructuring as does the U of M system. This time, we found out about the MnSCU racket too late. It won't be long before this type of cronyism will be all but eliminated.
Posted Wednesday, August 24, 2011 2:34 AM
Comment 1 by State employee at 29-Aug-11 08:53 AM
Sick... especially when any merit pay (bonus for projects above and beyond) was frozen for the little people two years ago. Add in the higher costs to students and the layoffs of so many staff and the total equals fiscal irresponsibility of taxpayer money.
