December 22-25, 2017
Dec 22 04:36 The Democrats' tax cut dilemma Dec 22 10:49 David Frum's TDS is showing Dec 23 06:17 Twin Metals lease reversal praised, criticized Dec 23 07:38 Exposing the nursing home patient abuse scandal Dec 24 08:14 Washington, DC's war on the truth Dec 25 09:26 Weaponized government, copper edition Dec 25 10:24 Merry Christmas
Prior Months: Jan Feb ~ May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov
Prior Years: 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
The Democrats' tax cut dilemma
It's apparent that Democrats don't understand that their unanimous vote against the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act has painted them into a political corner. Let's start with by examining the difficult position Sen. Manchin painted himself into .
Sen. Manchin said "he's repeatedly tried to find areas to reach across the aisle and vote with Republicans for Mr. Trump's agenda, but said he couldn't do it this time. 'There's some good in this bill. I acknowledge that,' Mr. Manchin said on West Virginia talk radio, after host Hoppy Kercheval pointed to the tax cuts he said the state's middle class residents stood to gain." Why do I think that Sen. Manchin's constituents will hold it against him for voting against their tax cuts? Why shouldn't West Virginians, aka Mountaineers, hold it against Sen. Manchin for voting with Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren on the tax cuts?
Later, Sen. Manchin complained that "the bills seemed too skewed toward business, pointing to the permanent nature of corporate tax cuts, compared to the planned expiration of the reductions in the individual rate." First, I'm reminded of President Reagan's saying that you can't be pro-jobs and hate the employer. Apparently, Sen. Manchin didn't learn that lesson. Next, Sen. Manchin is whining about the Senate's rules, which he's repeatedly voted to approve. If the Senate's rules weren't so screwed up, the individual tax cuts could've been made permanent.
Sen. Manchin's excuses sound like 'the dog ate my homework' excuses than legitimate excuses.
By contrast, Patrick Morrisey, Sen. Manchin's likely opponent, will be able to vote for eliminating coal industry-hating regulations, great judges and never vote with Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren out of party loyalty. Hint: Anyone that thinks Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren plays well with coal miners should view this video:
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Hillary lost West Virginia by 40+ points. What should frighten Sen. Manchin is that it wouldn't surprise me if Hillary is more well liked than Sanders or Warren.
At a town-hall meeting in Missouri last week, Sen. Claire McCaskill framed her vote against the bill as disappointment that the plan favored corporations. She argued the bill betrayed the principles Mr. Trump had originally proposed. "This isn't Trump's bill," she said at the event in suburban St. Louis. "Trump campaigned on the bill being about you." But one resident told the St. Louis Public Radio before the event that he didn't understand her opposition to the bill and hoped she'd explain it more. "I'm having a hard time finding a way that it does not benefit the people of Missouri," said Dennis Hugo, a 32-year-old, self-described Libertarian.
Finally, there's this:
In Indiana Sen. Joe Donnelly, another Democrat, told his voters he met with Mr. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence over the tax bill. "From the beginning of this year's tax reform effort, I've been willing to partner with Republicans, Democrats, and President Trump and his administration," he wrote in an op-ed in the Indianapolis Star. "Despite this common ground, the bill produced by Sen. Mitch McConnell and Speaker Paul Ryan was the complete opposite of what the president and I had discussed," Mr. Donnelly added.
In North Dakota Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, who said last month she was open to voting for the bill, said that the $1.5 trillion in additional deficits piled up by the tax cuts swayed her to vote against it. But some voters in her state don't see that as a reasonable opposition.
Sen. Heitkamp is gonna have a ton of difficulty peddling that excuse. There wasn't a tax cut package that wasn't going to pile up deficits according to the CBO's scoring. That's actually the least of Sen. Heitkamp's worries. She, along with Sen. Donnelly, Sen. Tester, Sen. Baldwin, Sen. Casey and Sen. Brown, voted against significantly reducing the estate tax on farmers' estates. The full expensing of equipment isn't insignificant to farmers, either.
In DC, the spin will be that this helps corporations, not working people. In Indiana, Montana and North Dakota, big farms are incorporated. Saying that the Democrats' messaging doesn't exactly fit those states is understatement.
Posted Friday, December 22, 2017 4:36 AM
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David Frum's TDS is showing
It's pretty apparent that David Frum's TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome) symptoms are showing. His article , titled "Conservatism Can't Survive Donald Trump Intact," is mostly a defense of Jennifer Rubin's intellectually dishonest criticisms of Republicans. Still, with a title like that, it's important to demolish the premise that Donald Trump is leaving the GOP in tatters.
It's important to rattle through the lengthy list of positive accomplishments that President Trump, with the help of Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan, has helped turn into a reality. Prior to passing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, getting Neil Gorsuch confirmed was the signature accomplishment. Having him sit on the Supreme Court for the next 25 years is a major accomplishment by itself. One of the things that hasn't gotten much attention but that's playing a major part in the Trump Boom is eliminating tons of counterproductive regulations by using the Congressional Review Act. On a slightly different front, President Trump has reigned in presidential abuse of the Antiquities Act by shrinking a bunch of national monuments, thereby returning tons of acreage to local control.
Passing tax cuts and getting Neil Gorsuch confirmed would be a pretty nice year if he got nothing else accomplished. The good news is that President Trump has gotten lots of other important things accomplished. Again, thanks to Mitch McConnell's and Chuck Grassley's efforts, 12 "fully qualified" conservative appellate court judges got confirmed in President Trump's first year.
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The Wall Street Journal gets it right in this article :
President Donald Trump and the GOP-controlled Congress, who opened their first year in full control of Washington on rocky terms, are closing it with a flush of late legislative achievements: a sweeping tax overhaul, a long-sought repeal of a pillar of the Affordable Care Act and a surprise deal to open up Arctic drilling.
I've repeatedly said that the economy is finally growing at a robust pace. Consumer confidence is soaring. Unemployment is at a 17-year low and it's about to get lower. GDP is expected to grow at 4% or higher during Q4 of 2017.
For years, the goal was for the United States to become energy independent. Thanks to rolling back a ton of Obama-era environmental regulations through the Congressional Review Act, the U.S. isn't just energy independent. We're on the verge of becoming energy dominant .
For years, Republicans have talked about energy independence, cutting taxes, confirming the next generation of conservative judges and getting the economy hitting on all cylinders. President Trump and Sen. McConnell worked together to get the judges approved. Then Sen. McConnell and Speaker Ryan worked with President Trump to cut taxes, get the economy humming and delivering on energy dominance.
To this conservative, I'm better than ok with that checklist of accomplishments. The start was bumpy but the finish of President Trump's first year is pretty smooth.
Posted Friday, December 22, 2017 10:49 AM
Comment 1 by John Palmer at 22-Dec-17 09:56 PM
For many years the talking heads, pundits, self impressed writers and elites of the conservative movement did not have to worry about their ideas actually becoming public policy. These folks were not people of action. Now a new kid from the wrong side of the tracks has arrived and his actions fit his words. Donald Trump might be doing the "right" things but he remains a person from the wrong side of the tracks and the talkers, writers and elites just can't accept that this is using their ideas.
Comment 2 by eric z at 25-Dec-17 11:37 AM
JP - Would Romneycare made national policy fit your characterization; where it got even more heat than any Trump action?
Twin Metals lease reversal praised, criticized
This article certainly will outrage environmentalists. In it, it is reported that "Twin Metals Minnesota will get back its permits to explore for copper on the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, and continue working toward a copper mine southeast of Ely, under a decision Friday by the U.S. Interior Department. The move by the Trump administration reverses a decision to hold back the federal mineral leases that was made one year ago by the outgoing Obama administration."
It doesn't stop there, though. Shortly thereafter, it says "The new opinion from the Interior Department's solicitor general concludes that the two leases Twin Metals held from the United States for years, passed on from other companies, granted the company a 'non-discretionary right' to another renewal and, therefore, the Bureau of Land Management did not have the discretion to deny Twin Metals' lease renewal in 2016."
If you thought that this decision might start a fight with environmental activists, your prediction would've been right:
"This shameful reversal by the Trump administration shows that big corporate money and special interest influence now rule again in Republican-controlled Washington," Dayton said in a statement. "We will have to uncover why the financial interests of a large Chilean corporation, with a terrible environmental record, has trumped the need to protect Minnesota's priceless Boundary Waters Canoe Area."
This doesn't have anything to do with special interests 'ruling' Washington, DC. It has everything to do with simple contract law. Once the contract is written and signed, its terms can't be unilaterally undone unless the contract provides for that.
Doug Niemela, national campaign chair of the group Save the Boundary Waters Wilderness, said his group would challenge the decision in court. He called the Trump administration move "a big, fat Christmas gift for a giant foreign mining corporation willing to do anything to exploit the watershed of Minnesota's crown jewel Wilderness. It runs contrary to fact, contrary to the law, and contrary to the views of Minnesota voters who love the Boundary Waters and rely on it for thousands of jobs, world-class hunting and fishing, and some of the cleanest water on Earth."
The good news is that Niemala's lawsuit will be filed in federal court, where there's at least a semblance of sanity and clear thinking.
As for Niemala's statement that Minnesota voters "rely on [the Boundary Waters Wilderness] for thousands of jobs, world-class hunting and fishing", Craig Seliskar, a resident of Ely, MN, offers a differing opinion of how much tourism adds to the city's economy, saying "The winter tourism season is starting extremely slow in Ely. It never has been comparable to the summer season. Proving once again that tourism alone CAN NOT hold a candle to the great economical impacts of mining!"
Seliskar notes that the streets of Ely are virtually empty less than a week before Christmas. That isn't surprising since Ely, MN isn't generally identified as a Christmas shopping hotspot. Then again, why should Ely residents suffer economically because people from 200+ miles away don't want mining in places that they rarely see?
The Twin Metals mine is predicted to produce valuable minerals for at least 30 years, including an estimated 5.8 billion pounds of copper and 1.2 billion pounds of nickel along with platinum, palladium, gold and silver.
This fight will soon continue in federal court. At least in federal court, Twin Metals has a fair shot at winning.
Posted Saturday, December 23, 2017 6:17 AM
Comment 1 by Chad Q at 23-Dec-17 06:36 AM
The only reason so called environmentalists don't want mining in the BWCA is that they want somewhere pristine to go to escape the urban areas they are destroying with their other liberal policies. I like clean water and fresh air as much as the next person and I believe mining has come a long ways in terms of environment protection, especially with all laws and regulations.
Exposing the nursing home patient abuse scandal
Friday night, after reading this article , I spoke with State Sen. Karin Housley, (R- St. Mary's Point) about this scandal. Sen. Housley is the "chairwoman of the Aging and Long-Term Care Policy Committee."
First, the article startled me when it reported that "the health department investigated 10% of the 3,400 complaints it received about public nursing homes and home-care treatment. In 2016, just 1% of nearly 21,000 cases were investigated through on-site investigations when facilities self-reported incidents." That information broke my heart.
In our conversation, Sen. Housley said "Since January, I have been working as the Chairwoman of the Aging and Long-Term Care Policy Committee to better understand the problems at the Office of Health Facility Complaints and what the legislature can do to help remedy those issues. While more funds were allocated to the OHFC last session at request of the Governor and the office itself, the problems have unfortunately not improved. It is clear to me, and it is becoming clear to the people of Minnesota, that there are systemic issues within the Minnesota Department of Health and the Office of Health Facility Complaints that need to be addressed before real change can take place. I called on the Governor and the Department of Health Commissioner Ehlinger to give us answers. The recent resignation of Commissioner Ehlinger is a positive first step toward achieving that change. I am hopeful that with legislative action and continued oversight, we can start to make progress and ensure that Minnesota's most vulnerable are protected."
Sen. Housley then directed me to the statement she issued after Dr. Ed Ehlinger resigned as the Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Health. Here's that statement:
SAINT PAUL, MN - Following Tuesday's resignation of Minnesota Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Ed Ehlinger, Senator Karin Housley (R-St. Mary's Point) issued the following statement:
'It is abundantly clear there is an urgent need for systemic changes in Governor Dayton's health department. For months, we have been hearing horrifying tales of abuse and neglect at Minnesota senior care facilities, complaints being thrown in the trash at the hands of an ineffective bureaucracy, and a climate of intimidation and harassment in this state agency.
There is no question - this change in leadership is desperately needed.
While the resignation of Commissioner Ehlinger is a step forward, there is much work to do to restore the trust of the most vulnerable Minnesotans. I look forward to working with Acting Commissioner Dan Pollock in examining ways to move forward in making absolutely certain our elderly population is cared for with the dignity, compassion, and respect they deserve.
My commitment is to not stop until we achieve meaningful change, as well as justice for the victims of the shameful negligence that has plagued our state for too long.
Senator Karin Housley
It's clear to me that Sen. Housley won't let go of this issue until it's fixed. It's equally apparent that the Dayton administration, of which Tina Smith is an integral part, isn't ready for primetime. This has been a problem for quite some time. Why Gov. Dayton didn't assign a troubleshooter to fix this 2-3 years ago is beyond me. Lt. Gov. Smith was Gov. Dayton's chief of staff in his first term. Why didn't she bring this crisis up at the time? This is inexcusable.
Reading this article , I'm left wondering what planet Gov. Dayton is living on:
During his tenure as Commissioner of Health, Dr. Ehlinger made many great strides to improve the health and wellbeing of Minnesotans. Commissioner Ehlinger led the charge to reduce tobacco use, improve community-based health programs through the Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP), improve health equity in our communities, and expand access to life-saving health care for Minnesotans. Dr. Ehlinger also helped lead the state through outbreaks of measles and avian influenza, and led the state's response to the global threat of Ebola.
It isn't that I want to diminish Dr. Ehlinger's accomplishments. It's that I find it difficult to buy into the notion that "Dr. Ehlinger made many great strides to improve the health and wellbeing of Minnesotans" after finding out that his Department ignored piles of complaints of patient abuse.
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Posted Saturday, December 23, 2017 7:38 AM
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Washington, DC's war on the truth
In his farewell speech to the US Senate , Sen. Franken said that as "I leave the Senate, I have to admit that it feels like we're losing the war for truth. Maybe it's already lost. If that's what happens, then we have lost the ability to have the kinds of arguments that help build consensus."
Later in that speech, Sen. Franken said "Often, the 'debate' here in Washington can sometimes seem arcane and tough to understand. Other times - especially in recent years - it can be so bitter that it doesn't even feel like we're trying to resolve anything, just venting our spleens at each other. I get that. I get why people want us to stop arguing and start, well, doing stuff. But since I am leaving the Senate, I thought I would take a big risk and say a few words in favor of arguments."
What BS. Literally the day after all Democrats in the House and Senate voted against the Tax Cut and Jobs Act, Sen. Franken is attempting to justify the Democrats' refusal to cooperate with Republicans in cutting people's taxes. This is a Democrat difficulty. It isn't just Sen. Franken who has difficulty working with Republicans. So-called moderate Democrats like Joe Manchin, Joe Donnelly, Heidi Heitkamp and Jon Tester made initial 'friendly noises' before voting like Elizabeth Warren.
It used to be said that the US Senate was the "greatest deliberative body in the world." It isn't that anymore. The definition of argument is "an oral disagreement; verbal opposition; contention; altercation." Meanwhile, the definition of deliberation is "careful consideration before decision."
With the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Democrats immediately opposed the legislation before the first page was written. That's the opposite of deliberation. There's nothing deliberative about that. That fits the definition of argument more than it fits the definition of deliberation.
Here's Sen. Franken's final speech on the Senate floor:
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There isn't any proof that Sen. Franken tried identifying the truth. That's why it's one of the first casualties upon entering Washington, DC. Rather than lamenting the death of the truth, Democrats should try employing it more consistently.
Posted Sunday, December 24, 2017 8:14 AM
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Weaponized government, copper edition
Anyone living in the western United States knows the damage that weaponized government can do to people. While this post isn't directly related to Bears Ears or other western monuments, westerners won't have any difficulty recognizing the players involved in this episode involving weaponized government.
According to the article, "On January 19th, 2017, the day before President Trump was sworn in, the previous administration published a 234,328-acre federal mineral withdrawal application in the Federal Register, to restrict for a 20-year moratorium, lands within the Superior National Forest in Northeast Minnesota. This action immediately placed this vast area off limits to future mineral leasing, exploration and potential development for two years while the 20-year withdrawal is being considered. The total withdrawal application boundary spans approximately 425,000 acres, including 95,000 acres of state school trust fund lands. In conjunction with this massive mineral withdrawal, the Obama Administration's Bureau of Land Management inappropriately rejected Twin Metals Minnesota's application to renew two hardrock mineral leases in Minnesota's Superior National Forest - leases that were signed in 1966 and renewed without controversy in 1989 and 2004."
Another part of the "Congressional Western Caucus (CWC)" press release stated "These bureaucratic decisions could decimate local economies, stifle job creation as well as cause significant harm to K-12 education and mining in Minnesota. These were political, anti-mining and anti-education actions taken by the Obama Administration." Consider this proof that the Obama administration put a higher priority on weaponizing government to hurt its enemies than it put on helping people and strengthening the economy.
Nobody in their right mind thinks that decimating am entire region's economy is wise. Nonetheless, that's what environmentalists are pushing for. They're pushing for it in the name of preserving pristine lakes and streams but they're still pushing for decimating the Iron Range's economy.
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Of course, Betty McCollum is outraged :
I spoke with the Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on the phone yesterday and he reiterated to me directly just how precious the waters of the Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness Area are and the need for ongoing environmental study. Twenty-four hours later, he broke his word and issued mining leases footsteps from the BWCA to a foreign-owned mining company. Clearly, the numerous assurances I received from Secretary Zinke about protecting the BWCA were worthless and deceitful.
The Trump administration is blatantly dishonest and cannot be trusted. They are determined to sell, exploit, and destroy the American people's natural treasures like Bears Ears National Monument, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and now our own Boundary Waters and Voyageurs National Park. For every Minnesotan and American who believes in conservation and values our national resources, the battle lines are drawn.
I'm betting that Zinke and Trump are quaking in their boots. Not . The truth is that the Trump administration is simply letting mining companies mine. As for anti-mining adversaries opposed to applying common sense to these situations, I've got this simple question: Considering the fact that environmentalists use products that use the precious metals they're opposed to mining for, will you make up your mind? Either you're opposed to using products using precious metals (think iPads and iPhones) or you're a bunch of hypocrites.
Posted Monday, December 25, 2017 9:26 AM
Comment 1 by JerryE9 at 26-Dec-17 07:51 AM
I should note here how vehemently these watermelon environmentalists (green on the outside, red on the inside) opposed a mine north of the Arctic Cirle. Their complaint was that "tons of heavy metals" were "escaping from the mine site." True. It is a LEAD mine, run by and for the native Eskimos, and the waters near there are now more clean than they have ever been; fish have come back. Seems like removing the lead was a GOOD thing for the environment, but of course facts don't matter in these nonsense political battles.
Merry Christmas
Royalty in a manger:
6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. 8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
The Lord of lords and the King of kings was born in a manger. He wasn't born in a palace befitting His stature. He chose to live among us. That's why He's called Emmanuel, aka God with us. (Matthew 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.) He stepped out of Heaven and lived amongst those who had betrayed His teachings. (We're known as sinners and everyone's a member of that 'fellowship'.)
Among the many commands He gave us is to pray for our leaders. That's why I was left speechless after seeing this picture:
Merry Christmas, everyone, and may God bless you with the very best of new years.
Posted Monday, December 25, 2017 12:52 PM
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