February 12-13, 2018
Feb 12 07:01 Introducing Leah Phifer Feb 12 07:21 Dems still spinning tax cuts Feb 12 08:11 Elect Denny McNamara! Feb 12 09:44 DC doing what DC often does Feb 12 22:32 Special election update Feb 13 02:11 Fischbach lawsuit dismissed Feb 13 09:30 President Potter's legacy Feb 13 13:08 Central planners ignore the people Feb 13 23:34 Sen. Schumer's second shutdown
Prior Months: Jan
Prior Years: 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Introducing Leah Phifer
I'll start by admitting that other publications have written about DFL candidate Leah Phifer. This MinnPost article is one such article.
What's interesting is how strident Ms. Phifer is in her environmentalism. It started with this:
Fresh tensions over mining in CD8 began at the end of 2016, when the outgoing Barack Obama administration moved to deny the company Twin Metals a renewal of leases it held on a valuable trove of copper, nickel, and other metals in the Superior National Forest, a few miles from the protected Boundary Waters Area Canoe Wilderness.
That also set in motion a process to potentially impose a 20-year moratorium on any mining exploration or activity in a quarter-million acres of land. The U.S. Forest Service stated that the kind of technique that would be used to extract these metals, sulfide mining, is unlikely to be conducted in a way that does not seriously pollute the water and soil of the surrounding area.
Nolan, fresh off another close election victory, condemned this move harshly, and framed it as a "slap in the face and a punch in the gut" to the Iron Range and its economy. The Democrat joined 6th District GOP Rep. Tom Emmer in sending a letter to Trump, asking him to reverse the Obama decisions; the duo has met with the relevant Cabinet secretaries, Agriculture Department chief Sonny Perdue and Interior Department boss Ryan Zinke, to urge them to reverse the decisions as well.
It quickly transitions to this:
The Timberjay newspaper of Ely, in a recent editorial, pointed out a notable moment from May, in which Nolan appeared at the Twin Metals office on the Iron Range alongside Emmer and a handful of Republican congressmen from the so-called Western Caucus, a group that pushes strident right-wing views on resource extraction and public lands, to advocate for action to reverse the Obama decisions on the Twin Metals leases.
'His recent alignment with some of the Republican Party's most radical anti-environment and anti-public lands members of Congress has left Nolan incongruously positioned to the right of the Trump administration on the environment,' the Timberjay wrote.
That didn't sit well with Ms. Phifer:
"Certainly," Phifer says, "the legislation the congressman has pushed forward, especially throughout the summer, that has been the last straw for a lot of folks willing to overlook militant, pro-mining stances that could put the regulatory process in jeopardy. It's gotten to the point where we've lost quite a few people," Phifer says of Nolan's stance.
For her part, Phifer believes the Obama decisions should stand, and she is against defunding the U.S. Forest Service's two-year study evaluating whether or not to place a lengthy mining moratorium on the swath of Superior National Forest identified by the government. Nolan supported an amendment onto a spending bill that would have defunded the Forest Service's study, effectively killing it.
It isn't a stretch to think that Ms. Phifer is a strident anti-mining environmentalist. She isn't a bashful politician , either:
Phifer said she was "disappointed" in the characterization of the mining communities on the Iron Range, but that she has a broad perspective of life in the 8th District since growing up in Two Harbors and now living and working in Isanti. She hopes the two sides warring over the proposed copper-nickel projects can come together to talk about what is best for the 8th District.
"Really, acknowledging the divide and then moving on is a good plan because we need to start looking at this in a broader perspective and not letting these wedge issues completely suck the oxygen out of the room," Phifer said.
Though she isn't a typical politician, she is a politician nonetheless.
Posted Monday, February 12, 2018 7:01 AM
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Dems still spinning tax cuts
No matter whether people have lots more money in their paychecks, Democrats still insist that the Trump/GOP tax cuts are hurting the middle class . Rep. Brian Higgins, (D-NY), said "The American people are being bamboozled by rhetoric that doesn't match the reality. The reality is that this tax cut disproportionately, clearly, unequivocally, benefits the very, very, wealthy. And this is a continuing ploy, scheme, scam on the part of House Republican leadership to deliberately mislead people into believing that these tax cuts will go toward middle America."
Try telling that to the people who've received bonuses of $1,000, $2,000 and sometimes $3,000. Try telling that to the people who've just gotten their first pay increase since the 2006 midterms. Try telling that to the people whose companies just improved their benefit packages as a direct result of the Trump/GOP tax cuts.
Democrats hint that the Trump administration is fudging the tax tables. What's worse is that they're making the accusation without a hint of proof. It's increasingly obvious that Democrats will say anything to win control of the House of Representatives. This is an example of the Democrats' dishonesty:
Senate Finance Committee ranking member Ron Wyden (D-OR) and House Ways and Means Committee ranking member Richard Neal (D-MA) have asked the Government Accountability Office to take a look at the new withholding tables. "The real question with respect to withholding is being straight with the American people, and if you play games with this in order to advance a political agenda, [then] Americans get hurt," Wyden said.
Sen. Wyden doesn't have anything to go on that suggests the Trump administration is fudging the withholding tables but he's stopping just short of accusing the Trump administration of dishonesty. It's worth remembering that Sen. Wyden is the idiot that said this:
[Video no longer available]
Sen. Wyden foolishly said that "There is no magical growth fairy." Apparently, Sen. Wyden hasn't heard about this thing called capitalism. Whenever it's been tried, it's produced growth that's pulled people out of poverty. This isn't to be confused with crony capitalism. When crony capitalism is tried, government gets involved. When profitable markets are identified, there's no need to provide a government incentive to get entrepreneurs to invest in those products.
Sen. Wyden is a socialist so he isn't familiar with the wealth-creating principles of capitalism. Don't forget that Democrats insulted everyone's intelligence, first by telling people that they weren't getting a tax cut, then by insisting that the big increases they were seeing in their paychecks were "crumbs." Let this be a reminder of the difference:
Posted Monday, February 12, 2018 7:21 AM
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Elect Denny McNamara!
Republican friends in SD-54, today's the day we can elect Denny McNamara. Today's the day Republicans can solidify their Senate majority. In fact, a McNamara victory gives Republicans a chance to hand Gov. Dayton and the DFL a major defeat.
First, McNamara is excellent on environmental issues. He isn't a squish on these issues. He'd bring lots of grit to those issues, which is a big deal considering how many jobs-related issues are tied by the DFL to the issue. In Minnesota, the biggest jobs fights are tied directly to the environment. Electing McNamara will give Republicans a better chance of winning those fights.
Next, Jason Lewis supports McNamara . Jason even campaigned with him:
Tomorrow is the special election in SD54 and I am proud to support Denny McNamara! Be sure to get out and vote on Monday, Feb 12th! #mn02 pic.twitter.com/mLtN4hT2OP
- Jason Lewis (@Jason2CD) February 11, 2018
Sen. Dan Hall wants Denny McNamara as a colleague:
- Senator Dan Hall (@SenatorDanHall) February 12, 2018
Finally, a McNamara victory gives Republicans at least 34 senators regardless of the outcome of the Fischbach fiasco. Think about this possibility: The court rules that Sen. Fischbach can't keep her Senate seat. Gov. Dayton sets the date for the Fischbach special election. Fischbach resigns as Lt. Gov. With McNamara in place, Republicans elect a DFL senator from a swing district, perhaps from David Hann's or Dave Thompson's former districts. That gives Republicans a great shot at recapturing another seat in the Senate. After Fischbach wins her special election, combined with a McNamara victory and another victory from Hann's or Thompson's district, Republicans would have a 36-31 majority instead of the 34-33 majority they had last year.
That's a long way of saying it's important (imperative?) to get out and vote for Denny McNamara today .
Posted Monday, February 12, 2018 8:11 AM
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DC doing what DC often does
Reading this article is a reminder that DC often ignores what the people want. Early in the article, it says "But he later hedged, saying he wanted to wait to see what comes out of the Common Sense Coalition. This group of more than 20 senators, led by GOP Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), has begun drafting legislative text. But it still hasn't reached a consensus about what it could support. 'I think we're getting pretty close on coming up with a proposal that may or may not be offered next week,' Collins told reporters after the group's last closed-door session. 'There will probably be more than one [amendment offered] but it's too early to tell right now.'"
Nothing in this article seems like they're even slightly worried about what the American people want. If this "Common Sense Coalition" ignores the will of the American people as expressed in the 2016 election, the legislation should be defeated outright. Common Sense Coalition is just a slick attempt at marketing. It doesn't have anything to do with doing the right thing by the American people.
These idiots in the Senate seem to think that the Trump coalition is irrelevant. Any member of the Common Sense Coalition that lives in a red state and that's up for re-election in 2018 or 2020, regardless of party, should expect to be defeated.
Look at how dismissive Chris Wallace is of the American people:
[Video no longer available]
Here's the key part of the transcript :
WALLACE: Let's turn to immigration. The Senate takes up DACA this week trying to find some solutions, some compromise, and what they are talking about -- and also what the president is talking about, is a package that includes -- now you put the tough part first, the president and some Republicans say that it all comes together, that you're going to have a path to citizenship for the Dreamers in 10 to 12 years. You're going to have tougher border enforcement on our southern border and also tougher enforcement both legal and illegal immigration.
Would you support that package?
JORDAN: I'll support a package consistent with what the voters said. I mean, look, the voters don't trust that Washington is going to do the right thing on immigration and they are tired of this , oh, we'll give some kind of amnesty to folks who came here illegally and we promise, promise, promise will do something to secure the border -- they're sick of that play.
What they want is border security first. So, build a border security wall, end the chain migration, get rid of this crazy visa lottery, do things in a way that make good common -- sanctuary city policy, get rid of those. Do those things first and then we'll deal with the DACA situation. That is consistent with the mandate of the 2016 election and frankly consistent with what the president and what Republicans campaigned on.
WALLACE: But I'm asking you --
JORDAN: And that is consistent with Goodlatte's legislation. That's why we want to pass that.
WALLACE: I'm asking you a direct question because that isn't where this compromise seems headed in the Senate. They are talking about doing them all at once, the path to citizenship and these other things all at the same time, not enforcement first.
What part of Jim Jordan's statement didn't Chris Wallace understand? The American people want the DACA fix only if the wall is built and chain migration ends immediately. This isn't that complicated.
This is what happens when DC starts thinking that they can push the American people around. The fuse is lit. It won't take long before DC pays the price for its stubbornness. DC-itis isn't just something found in politicians. It's also found in the media.
Posted Monday, February 12, 2018 9:44 AM
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Special election update
In the special election to replace State Sen. Dan Schoen, Karla Bigham leads Denny McNamara by 607 votes with 33 of 34 precincts reporting.
In the other special election, Jeremy Munson trounced Melissa Wagner by 1,285 votes. The margin was almost 20 percentage points.
Posted Monday, February 12, 2018 10:32 PM
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Fischbach lawsuit dismissed
Ramsey County Judge John Guthmann dismissed Destiny Dusosky's lawsuit , saying that 'the suit lacks ripeness,' adding that her claim 'is premature and based on speculation.'" Judge Guthmann then wrote that "Dusosky, a Sauk Rapids resident, 'failed to demonstrate that she was injured in a way that is any different than all residents of Senate District 13.'"
Sen. Fischbach's best argument might be that "past court cases say she can hold down both offices if the lieutenant governor job is 'temporary.' She said that since the job would end early next year, it must be considered temporary." The counter-argument to that is that the job isn't temporary in that it's for the rest of the term.
The bad news for Sen. Fischbach is that "the judge dismissed the case in a way that a new one may be filed. His decision also may be appealed. The judge made it clear a new case could be accepted. 'However, this is not the right case, the right plaintiff, the right time or the right legal context. ...'"
In other words, a new lawsuit will be filed soon. Either that or this ruling will be appealed to the Minnesota Supreme Court, which Gov. Dayton packed with DFL activists. If I was a betting man, I'd bet that the Minnesota Supreme Court will rule against Sen. Fischbach. By that time, most of this session will have been wasted.
Sen. Fischbach could've avoided all this by simply resigning her Senate seat, taking the oath of office for Lt. Gov., then resigning the minute Gov. Dayton announced the date for the special election to fill the SD-13 seat. Had Sen. Fischbach done that right away, she'd be Senator-Elect Fischbach. That would let her vote for a weak DFL senator in a swing district to be the next Lt. Gov.
Posted Tuesday, February 13, 2018 2:11 AM
Comment 1 by MtkaMoose at 13-Feb-18 03:17 PM
I'm not sure why the Republican senators don't just nominate The Democratic person they want out of the senate most (or whose district is most likely to elect a Republican in a special election!) as President, then have Fischbach resign as Lt. Gov. Since Fischbach never resigned her Senate seat and still holds an election certificate she can return to her rightful place. Then we can watch the Dem's try to walk back their words on ability to hold two positions at once!
This way we don't have to worry about relying on the MN Supreme Court, since they will obviously rule based on the party of the applicant. With the legislative funding issue decision we know they aren't at all clear on what is or isn't constitutional.
Response 1.1 by Gary Gross at 13-Feb-18 04:20 PM
It's in the Democrats' favor to let this play out in the courts. As long as it's being fought in the courts, Republicans don't have a majority, which means they don't have gavels for committee hearings, either. Further, since Sen. Fischbach already is the Lt. Gov., Republicans don't have the votes to turn the tables on the DFL. Thanks to the judge's ruling, the minute she votes, the lawsuit is re-instated.
Comment 2 by Rexnewman at 13-Feb-18 08:41 PM
This is one rare time when I continue to disagree with LFR. I welcome the court's ruling. Stand your ground Senator F.! You were duly elected to serve your District. Let's see if even a Dayton appointee dares to needlessly interfere. This is the Governor's problem, trying again to be too clever by half. To say it was justified because Tina Smith the best or only choice would be - is - absurd.
Response 2.1 by Gary Gross at 13-Feb-18 09:10 PM
Gov. Dayton's DFL operatives on the MN Supreme Court won't hesitate a split second. They're DFL operatives first. They aren't neutral justices. A month after the ruling, Minnesotans will forget about the Supreme Court's egregious actions. We will have wasted a ton of time when we could've dealt the DFL a crushing political defeat. I'm not in favor of letting the DFL tricksters off without punishment. If we want them to stop with the dirty tricks, which this clearly was, we must tell the DFL that they'll pay a steep price for their dirty tricks. If there's no price to be paid, why should the DFL stop with the dirty tricks?
Comment 3 by Rexnewman at 14-Feb-18 08:05 PM
I would characterize the Dayton judges as cowards. On the veto, they snaked their way through the thin path of avoiding any actual decision, for the Constitution or against the Governor. Such history will repeat itself here, taking no action since they can hide behind several precedents. Which is good for Fischbach and Minnesota.
Response 3.1 by Gary Gross at 14-Feb-18 10:27 PM
I watched the oral arguments. The Dayton-appointed justices weren't cowards. They were snakes looking for any way to support Gov. Dayton.
President Potter's legacy
When President Potter's legacy solidifies, one of his biggest failures will be closing the Aviation program. This article , written years after the fact, verifies the foolishness of that decision.
The article starts by talking about a major problem, saying "As baby boomers gear up for retirement it has left the aviation industry struggling to replace positions quickly. Boeing, for example, is estimating that over the next 20 years, North America will need about 117,000 more pilots." Next, it talks about a possible solution to this major problem, saying "Most recently, Rochester Community and Technical College announced they are looking at starting an Aviation Pilot Education Program. If the program is approved, the college says it will be designed for students to get an associate's degree in aviation and then transfer to Minnesota State University, Mankato to finish their bachelor's degree. Here in St. Cloud, St. Cloud State University discontinued their aviation program in 2011. The last students graduated from the program in 2014. As for the future, St. Cloud State says they are not considering bringing back the program leaving just one option for Central Minnesota students who wish to soar the sky, Wright Aero."
Shutting down the Aviation program was stupid, both in the long- and short-term. The Aviation program was one of St. Cloud State's anchor programs but it didn't fit President Potter's or Dean DeGroote's blueprint for the future. The question isn't whether shutting the program down was the right thing to do. The question is why the leadership team isn't considering re-instating a successful program.
As I wrote back then, the program had a significant following. Also, the University's costs associated with it were minimal. The simulator, for instance, was bought with student fees. When Aviation shut down, the flight simulator was sold; the cash went into the University's general fund. (In light of the University's ongoing financial difficulties, that isn't surprising.)
Before the St. Cloud State University program was discontinued, on average Mavencamp says about 200 students were learning through Wright Aero. If a program through either institution was to start up again, Mavencamp thinks it would take about 5-10 years to get it to the successful point of the former St. Cloud State program.
I don't doubt Mavencamp's figures if the program were to be rebuilt to what it used to be. That being said, it would be foolish to not expand the Aviation program to include drone training and aerial firefighting. Those disciplines are growing new opportunities. With St. Cloud State's declining enrollments and chronic deficits, why shouldn't the program be re-opened and expanded?
The job opportunities in both those new disciplines are high, with jobs being virtually guaranteed upon graduation. I'll ask the previously unasked question: why was the Aviation program shut down? Apparently, the people in charge were allergic to success.
Posted Tuesday, February 13, 2018 9:30 AM
Comment 1 by Crimson Trace at 13-Feb-18 08:15 PM
Great post, Gary! One of my all time favorites is the aviation gospel according to President Potter. Videos do a great job in revealing the truth. Killing the 10th largest program was really stupid. Lying about it was even worse. http://www.letfreedomringblog.com/?p=12549
Comment 2 by Crimson Trace at 13-Feb-18 08:21 PM
Great quote:
At Meet and Confer on March 28, 2013 between the Administration and Faculty Association, President Potter said that 'to admit a mistake would make his leadership team look weak.' He was referring to the closure of SCSU's accredited Aviation Program and not Coborn's Plaza. Most of us expect that our leaders continuously rethink their decisions in light of new information and, when warranted make a correction - even if it means admitting a mistake. I kind of like the idea of a leader who admits that they just might be wrong every now and then. To me, it doesn't make them look weak; it makes them look like a true leader.
http://www.letfreedomringblog.com/?p=14759
Central planners ignore the people
As with most central planning projects, the people directly affected by the project aren't taken into consideration. That's certainly the case with Blaine's rejected solar energy proposal . As with most projects, this was a power play built on the premises that central planners know best and that the uppity peasants should just listen.
That's certainly the message that comes through loud and clear when it's written "From the start, City Hall threw its clout behind the proposed field of solar panels with a capacity to power about 760 homes, giving the project an aura of inevitability. 'It's an alternative energy and limits the use of coal, which everyone wants,' Blaine Mayor Tom Ryan said at a December public meeting. 'It limits the carbon footprint.'"
Nowhere is it written that the neighborhood's wishes were taken into consideration. Nowhere did the central planners think that renewable energy wasn't a high priority of the neighborhood. That's what happens within a bubble.
Homeowners determined there'd never been a big solar farm placed so close to a residential neighborhood anywhere in the country. When residents spot checked zoning regulations in other jurisdictions, they learned that none of the nine cities and three counties allowed big solar farms near residential neighborhoods like theirs.
Yet residents got the feeling city officials were more interested in rubber-stamping the project than in listening to their concerns over safety, aesthetics and property values. "Cities should put their citizens first because that's who they are there to serve," said Chris Hildrum, a Blaine resident who led the opposition. "They should not put energy companies, government entities or anything above the people they are there to serve. And when they do that, they create problems for everybody and everything."
Mr. Hildrum's statement is blasphemy to central planners. People are subjects unworthy of consideration with central planners. The people aren't their concern. Here's proof of that:
Days before city officials were set to amend the city code to allow solar farms in Blaine in late December, residents finally got through to City Councilor Julie Jeppson.
"I'm guessing this is not the last time we're going to hear about it. So let's prepare ourselves so when the right opportunities come up so we're ready for them," said Jeppson, a supporter of prudent solar development. "So we don't have these huge miscommunications with neighbors and make them feel like we're sneaking something under the radar with them. Have it out there, this is our policy , this is how we're going to uphold it."
Nothing in those statements indicates that she's listened to the people.
Posted Tuesday, February 13, 2018 1:08 PM
Comment 1 by Chad Q at 13-Feb-18 05:41 PM
So called environmentalists crack me up. On one hand they say that urban sprawl is taking up too much farmland and that we need to live in 400 SF apartments so we can grow enough food to feed the world and then on the other hand, the build solar farms that eat up farmland by the 10's and 100's of acres at a time. Same with wind farms but that's another waste of money. I think the government needs to get out of the business of subsidizing utility companies and HO's for using so called green energy and see where it all plays out.
Comment 2 by JerryE9 at 14-Feb-18 10:05 AM
I'm still waiting for the power company to justify that solar farm south of here based on "return on investment." The last I heard, the electricity produced by these hazardous-waste-filled sheets does not pay for them for something like 100 years, and they only last about 25.
Sen. Schumer's second shutdown
Sen. Schumer's second shutdown is puzzling at best. Debate was supposed to start Tuesday on immigration reform. Sen. McConnell promised unlimited debate on the topic. Before the debate began, though, Sen. Schumer used the unanimous consent rule to prevent the debate from starting. Sen. Schumer, the senator that shut down the government to force a debate on DACA 2 weeks ago, has now shut down debate on DACA.
Sen. Schumer got his nose out of joint when Sen. Pat Toomey, (R-PA), introduced an amendment "that would withhold funding from so-called sanctuary cities that shield undocumented immigrants from federal law enforcement." Sen. Schumer complained, saying the amendment "does absolutely nothing to address DACA, does absolutely nothing to address border security."
Sen. McConnell agreed to a debate on immigration reform. He didn't limit the debate to DACA. If Sen. Schumer doesn't like that, tough. It's time for Sen. Schumer to pull his big boy britches up. Acting like a whiny wimp because he didn't get his way is what wimps do. If that's the first reaction of a US senator, then it's time to stop referring to Senate Democrats as being part of the world's greatest deliberative body. It's time to start thinking of them as crybabies.
Chuck Grassley's speech puts things into proper perspective:
[Video no longer available]
Why wouldn't Sen. Schumer not welcome this debate? If he thinks that stripping funding from sanctuary cities is that unpopular, he should welcome that debate. Instead, Sen. Schumer apparently prefers protecting his vulnerable members from debating an issue that the overwhelming majority of Americans agree with.
Yet if the debate's slow start is dispiriting for the hundreds of thousands of people whose lives could depend on its outcome, it's not particularly surprising. "If you didn't go into this debate realizing something like this was going to happen, you weren't paying attention," said Jim Manley, a veteran Senate aide who worked for Edward Kennedy and then for Harry Reid when the latter man served as majority leader. "I defy you to find worse debates in recent history than those over immigration. They are ugly, bloody debates chock-full of highly partisan social issues that seek only to divide and don't bring anyone together."
This isn't about DACA recipients. It's about Democrats playing political games. They don't like it that President Trump and Sen. McConnell have called their bluff. Thanks to changing the dynamics of the debate, Republicans have put the Democrats in a difficult position to defend.
By opening up debate on all immigration-related matters, Sen. McConnell has put the Democrats into a position where they'll have to debate all immigration-related issues. That's the last thing that Sen. Schumer wants. Frankly, this should frighten vulnerable Democrats from red states.
Sen. McConnell couldn't put Democrats in this pickle, though, without President Trump's steadfast support :
But if the Democrats want to make a deal, it's really up to them, because we want really tremendous border security, but we have to have Democrat support for DACA, and they are starting that process today. We didn't want to have it in the big budget, because if we have it in the big budget, it's going to get mixed up with all of the other things.
So now we have our military taken care of, and now we start very serious DACA talks today. And we are - I can tell you, speaking for the Republican Party, we would love to do DACA. We would love to get it done. We want border security and the other elements that you know about. Chain migration, you know about. The visa lottery, you know about. But we think there's a good chance of getting DACA done if the Democrats are serious and they actually want to do it.
But they didn't want tax cuts. They fought - we didn't get one vote for massive tax cuts that have turned out to be unbelievably popular. And what came up - which was even a surprise to us - were, the big companies stepped up, and millions and millions of people have gotten tremendous bonuses. Nobody knew that was going to happen. That was a - that was just the beginning point.
The Democrats say that they want a DACA fix. If that's true, it's time they stepped up and provided votes to fix the problem permanently. If Democrats hide behind Sen. Schumer's skirt, that's their problem.
Democrats will be known for participating in Sen. Schumer's second shutdown.
Posted Tuesday, February 13, 2018 11:34 PM
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