February 14-15, 2018
Feb 14 10:07 Taxpayer-funded political activism Feb 14 11:05 Met Council vs. BNSF Feb 14 21:25 Sen. Graham vs. President Trump Feb 15 01:50 Common Sense Coalition's bill Feb 15 03:35 Heidi Heitkamp's crisis Feb 15 05:05 Republicans' startling turnaround Feb 15 06:20 Blackburn vs. Corker Feb 15 19:45 Steve Cwodzinski's dishonesty
Prior Months: Jan
Prior Years: 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Taxpayer-funded political activism
After reading this email, there's little doubt that Sartell High School's principal, Brenda Steve, engaged in political activism on the public's time:
From: Brenda Steve
Date: Sat, Feb 10, 2018 at 1:01 PM
Subject: Message from Gender Equality Club
Hello Sabres! This year, for International Women's Day, Gender Equality Club is selling shirts to fundraise for Planned Parenthood! All of the proceeds will be directly donated to the charity to protect the healthcare rights of women locally and around the globe. On March 8th, Women's Day, everyone is encouraged to wear their shirt in celebration! Thank you!
Shirts can be purchased via this link. Feel free to share the link, too! Additional donations are welcome :)
www.customink.com/fundraising/womens-day-sartell
Again, thank you!
GEC Presidents Monte Belmont & Belle LeBlanc
Here are email links to school officials:
Sartell HS Principal Brenda Steve: steve@SARTELL.K12.MN.US
Sartell Schools Superintendent Jeff Schwiebert: Jeff.Schwiebert@SARTELL.K12.MN.US
Link to contact the school board: dist-schoolboard@sartell.k12.mn.us
This is political activism. If it was nonpartisan, both pro-life and pro-choice organizations would have been listed. Further, Principal Steve would have listed the community health care clinics created through the ACA.
Taxpayers shouldn't pay for political activism. If Sartell High School's principal wants to be involved, that's the principal's right. That's only if it isn't taking time away from her official responsibilities.
Posted Wednesday, February 14, 2018 10:07 AM
Comment 1 by John Palmer at 14-Feb-18 10:42 AM
Thanks for calling attention to this abuse of the public trust and use of taxpayer's funds to promote a cause. I hope all your readers send a message to the Sartel school board demanding action to discipline Brenda Steven.
Met Council vs. BNSF
Apparently, the Met Council doesn't think it needs to reach agreement with the BNSF Railroad company before completing the Bottineau LRT. Apparently, it's too lazy to do the due diligence that Kim Crocket put into this article .
In the article, Ms. Crockett wrote about a letter from BNSF. The letter, written by BNSF vice president and senior general counsel Richard E. Weicher in a letter dated Jan. 9, 2018, said "BNSF is not prepared to proceed with any discussion of passenger rail in this corridor at this time. As we explained in discussions some time ago, we do not believe the Blue Line light rail project would be consistent with our passenger principles or protect the long-term viability of freight service along the Monticello Subdivision."
What part of that communication isn't clear? A supposedly intelligent person should be able to understand that as a rejection of the Met Council's proposal. Later in the article, Crockett asked some questions:
Why didn't the Met Council get these 'details' handled before committing to and spending taxpayer money on these projects? If BNSF does not budge, the Met Council would have to find a new rail route for the Bottineau line and start its application with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) all over. The application is currently pending in the engineering stage but far from approved. Since finding a new route is unlikely, why not drop LRT in favor of a top-flight bus system on existing and improved roads?
The answer to those questions is straightforward. The Met Council thinks that they dictate terms to the people and to whoever they have to deal with. They're finding out that their approach is deeply flawed.
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At this point, it isn't a stretch to think that the Met Council is out of touch with the people it's supposed to serve. That's the LFR definition of elitism.
Posted Wednesday, February 14, 2018 11:05 AM
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Sen. Graham vs. President Trump
When it comes to political wisdom, Lindsey Graham isn't too bright. The NYTimes is quoting Sen. Graham as saying that "The president's going to have a vote on his concept. I don't think it will get 60 votes. The bottom line then is: What do you do next? You can do what we've done for the last 35 years - blame each other. Or you can actually start fixing the broken immigration system. If you came out of this with strong border security - the president getting his wall and the Dream Act population being taken care of, most Americans would applaud."
Sen. Graham isn't too bright if he thinks he's on the winning side in this fight. Americans want a DACA fix as long as it comes with the wall and an end to chain migration. Each of those issues have approval ratings of 70%. If Sen. Graham thinks that President Trump is on the losing end of that fight, he isn't too bright.
The American people understand that bad bipartisan deals are really just bad deals. They've seen DC pass bipartisan deals for years while things got worse. They're upset with elitists in both parties. They're demanding that these elitists do something different this time. It's a revolutionary concept but it's worked in the past. It's called listening to the people. Don't tell us that the things that the American people want done in their name is complicated.
It's only complicated trying to explain why politicians ignored the will of the people. Then it gets real complicated -- for the politician. That's their problem.
Meanwhile, politicians in the "Common Sense Coalition" who are up for election this year better prepare to get their comeuppance in November. Watch Sen. Schumer's speech, then ask yourself whether he's bothered to listen to the American people:
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After watching that speech, I'm left wondering whether Sen. Schumer thinks the American people are simply an inconvenient afterthought. Lost in his political spin is whether the bill the Common Sense Coalition is putting together is something that the American people would reject. Also lost in Sen. Schumer's spin is whether the Common Sense Coalition's bill would fix anything or whether it would just be another bipartisan bill that doesn't do what the American people expect it to do.
Thanks to President Trump's populism and his commitment to the American people, Democrats and wayward Republicans are finding out that resisting the American people isn't a great way to earn a living in politics. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's speech summed things up perfectly:
My Democratic colleagues have spent months demanding the Senate take up this issue. They even shut down the government, unnecessarily, I might add, in order to secure this very week of debate. But now that the time has come to make law instead of just making points, they're stalling.
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Why? Why, after months and months spent demanding that the Senate take up this issue, do they now object to even starting the debate? Because they know, no matter how long they spend in closed-door negotiations, they can't change the fact that the president has spelled out a fair and generous framework that will be necessary to earn his signature. They cannot take 'yes' for an answer. So, instead of moving to fulfill their promises and address the DACA issue, they haven't even allowed the debate to begin.
It's clear that Sen. McConnell listened to the people. He's kept his promise. When he kept that promise, Democrats shut down debate . That's the indisputable fact.
If Democrats want to face the American people after shutting down the government so they could debate immigration policies, then shut down debate when Sen. McConnell scheduled a week of debate on immigration/DACA, that's their option. They shouldn't be surprised if the people, including DACA activists, take brickbats after them when Democrats campaign on immigration/DACA.
Finally, I'd put together ads for each of the members of the Common Sense Coalition that starts with Republicans wanting to fix DACA and border security, then transitions into a frame where the narrator asks these immigration liberals which side of their mouth they want to talk out of.
Posted Wednesday, February 14, 2018 9:25 PM
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Common Sense Coalition's bill
The Common Sense Coalition's amendment is pretty much a bait-and-switch con job piece of legislation. For starters, amnesty for DACA recipients is immediate. That isn't surprising. Next, building President Trump's wall isn't a priority. On Pg. 51 of the amendment, we learn that $1,571,000,000,000 is appropriated to build President Trump's wall in 2018. Further, $2,500,000,000,000 is available to be appropriated in each year starting in 2019 and going through 2027. Further, the legislative language states that "the amount specified in subsection (d) for each of fiscal years 2019-2027 shall not be available for such fiscal year unless (A) the Secretary submits to Congress, not later than 60 days before the start of such fiscal year a report setting forth a description of every planned expenditure..., (B) a description of the total number of miles of security fencing... etc.
In other words, they're limiting the speed with which the wall can be built. Further. they're making it possible for future Democratic administrations to kill the building of the wall.
Simply put, this bill has no chance of getting 6o votes. It doesn't stand a chance of getting signed into law, either. Here's a picture of most of the members of the Common Sense Coalition:
It's worth noting that a significant percentage of these senators are either retiring or will be defeated this fall. Sen. Donnelly fits that description. Jeff Flake definitely fits that description. Joe Manchin is inching closer to fitting that description. Heidi Heitkamp definitely fits that description. Claire McCaskill and Bill Nelson fit that description. The senators from New Hampshire don't exactly fit the description but they're getting there. Bob Corker fits that description.
Simply put, most of the senators in the Common Sense Coalition won't be in the Senate a year from now. That doesn't mean they don't have the right to vote. That's their right until their replacement is sworn in, either after their retirement or their defeat. What it means, though, is that members of the Coalition don't care about national security. They certainly aren't interested in listening to the people. Thus far, they haven't listened to the people.
This coalition isn't made up of principled politicians. It's made up of elitists who aren't interested in listening to the people. Chuck Grassley is the senior senator from Iowa. He isn't part of that Coalition. He's just a politician who's interested in doing the right thing, both for DACA recipients and for national security. He's the chief author of a bill that's been endorsed by President Trump. It's the only bill that the Senate will debate that President Trump will sign or should sign. Listen to Sen. Grassley's speech explaining why senators should vote for his legislation:
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The text of Sen. Grassley's bill, known as the Secure and Succeed Act, is significantly different than the CSC's legislation. The biggest difference between the 2 bills is that the Grassley bill appropriates the money for the wall right away. In the section titled "Subtitle C - Border Security Enforcement Fund" the following appropriations are made:
The Secretary shall transfer, 8 from the Fund to the "U.S. Customs and Border 9 Protection - Procurement, Construction and Improvements" account, for the purpose described in 11 subsection (a)(1), $18,000,000,000, of which - 12 (A) $1,571,000,000 shall be transferred in 13 fiscal year 2018; 14 (B) $1,600,000,000 shall be transferred in fiscal year 2019; 16 (C) $1,842,000,000 shall be transferred in fiscal year 2020; (D) $2,019,000,000 shall be transferred in 19 fiscal year 2021; (E) $2,237,000,000 shall be transferred in fiscal year 2022; (F) $1,745,000,000 shall be transferred in fiscal year 2023; 177 (G) $1,746,000,000 shall be transferred in fiscal year 2024; (H) $1,776,000,000 shall be transferred in fiscal year 2025; (I) $1,746,000,000 shall be transferred in fiscal year 2026; and (J) $1,718,000,000 shall be transferred in fiscal year 2027.
Barring an act of Congress, the money for President Trump's wall will be appropriated this year.
The Common Sense Coalition's bill appropriates approximately $1,700,000,000,000 this year, then requires separate appropriations in the years following to build the wall. The Grassley bill appropriates the money immediately.
It's worth noting that Democrats have the proverbial gun pointed at their heads. If Democrats don't agree to President Trump's conditions, DACA collapses and the recipients hold Democrats responsible. Remember this?
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The chances for a repeat of that scene is high if Democrats don't deliver.
Posted Thursday, February 15, 2018 1:50 AM
No comments.
Heidi Heitkamp's crisis
It's clear that Heidi Heitkamp, the junior senator from North Dakota, has some difficult decisions ahead of her. More importantly, she doesn't have much margin for error after voting against the Trump/GOP tax cuts that are working so well. Now that the Senate is debating DACA/immigration reform, the decisions will get tougher.
Sen. Heitkamp wants to portray herself as a moderate, something that's getting increasingly difficult considering her support for the Common Sense Coalition's bill .
I'd say that Sen. Heitkamp knows she's in a tight spot based on her saying " know that people want to get some certainty for these kids. We're being asked to make some tough compromises." Later, she admitted that she'd support "the Common Sense measure."
Sen. Schumer has a crisis on his hands, too, though he didn't admit it yesterday morning, saying "The American people know what's going on. They know this president not only created the problem, but seems to be against every solution that might pass because it isn't 100 percent of what he wants. If, at the end of the week, we are unable to find a bill that can pass, and I sincerely hope that's not the case due to the good efforts of so many people on both sides of the aisle, the responsibility will fall entirely on the president's shoulders and those in this body who went along with him."
Coming from the guy who got blamed for the government shutdown, that's rich. Yesterday, Sen. Schumer tried limiting the discussion. He failed. Republicans will keep offering bills that build the wall, provide a DACA fix and end chain migration. (I've come up with a new nickname for chain migration. It's called 'anything goes migration.')
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If Sen. Schumer wants to keep pretending that Democrats hold the upper hand in this debate, that's fine. The longer the delusion, the harder the fall. That fall for the Democrats isn't a matter of if but when. The media tried blaming the government shutdown on President Trump. The American people, through social media, defiantly declared that it was the #SchumerShutdown.
Thanks to the Schumer Shutdown and Sen. Schumer's strategy on the tax cuts, Sen. Heitkamp is in a difficult position for re-election. If she gets this wrong, she might not be able to recover.
Posted Thursday, February 15, 2018 3:35 AM
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Republicans' startling turnaround
It's truly amazing what good policy will do for a political party's fortunes. Put differently, good policy makes for great politics. It always has. It always will. The Democrats' lead on the generic ballot question has officially disappeared .
That's the verdict of "a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll that, for the first time since April, also shows President Donald Trump's approval rating equaling the percentage of voters who disapprove of his job performance. Fully 39 percent of registered voters say they would support the GOP candidate for Congress in their district, while 38 percent would back the Democratic candidate. Nearly a quarter of voters, 23 percent, are undecided." With almost 9 months left until the midterm election, there's time for several dozen more swings.
Still, there's no disputing that Democrats lost ground after voting unanimously against the Trump/GOP tax cuts. What's worse is that they're caught in a difficult situation on DACA/immigration reform. If Democrats don't make a deal on immigration, a major part of their base will be upset with them. What's worse is that another significant part of their base will be upset if they do cut a deal with President Trump on immigration.
That's what a damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-don't situation looks like.
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I never took the 'building blue wave' talk seriously for multiple reasons. First, Democrats haven't done enough to win back blue collar voters to expand their bi-coastal base. Until Democrats start taking blue collar workers seriously, they'll be the minority party. It's that simple.
Next, Democrats made huge strategic mistakes by unanimously voting against the Trump/GOP tax cuts. I can't emphasize enough how that's killing Democrats. What's making that worse is Nancy Pelosi's bone-headed "crumbs" statement:
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That's what being tone deaf sounds like. It's this cycle's "basket of deplorables" moment:
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Later, Democrats made the mistake of unanimously voting for shutting down the government. Then Democrats compounded that by voting to re-open government by voting yes for the exact same bill that they voted against on Friday night. Talk about Keystone cops. This can't make Tom Perez happy:
The new year has also produced a Trump polling bump. In the new poll, 47 percent of voters approve of the job Trump is doing as president, while the same percentage disapprove.
Just 6 short weeks ago, President Trump was in the upper 30's. Now, he's in the upper 40's in terms of approval rating. These statistics can't leave the DCCC smiling:
"Not only have Republicans increased support on the generic congressional ballot, they are now trusted more to handle the most important issue when voters head to the polls: the economy," said Kyle Dropp, Morning Consult's co-founder and chief research officer. "In mid-December, 39 percent of voters said they trusted Democrats more to handle the economy, compared to 38 percent who said Republicans. Today, 43 percent say Republicans and 32 percent say Democrats."
That's a huge swing in 2 months. With the economy growing and showing no signs of slowing down, it isn't foolish to think that the generic ballot question might cast the Republicans in a more positive light by Memorial Day.
Posted Thursday, February 15, 2018 5:05 AM
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Blackburn vs. Corker
If Bob Corker decides to not retire and to run for the seat he currently holds, it wouldn't be surprising if he'd get soundly defeated . According to "the latest survey from a group backing Blackburn, Senate Conservatives Fund, she led the senator 49 percent to 26 percent. Former Rep. Stephen Fincher garnered 9 percent."
Corker's career is essentially finished. Just "before he announced his retirement," Corker feuded openly with President Trump, "referring to the White House as an adult daycare center." That isn't the way to win friends and positively influence people. In fact, it's a way to permanently imperil a political career.
Much of this is created by DC. According to David Drucker's reporting, "But Corker allies insist that Blackburn is more vulnerable than she appears and that the movement to recruit the senator into the race is deeper than it appears. (Republicans connected to leadership argue the effort is basically a creation of Corker; Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-TN, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC. That trio of squishes should be squashed ASAP. I can tolerate Alexander but Corker and Graham are almost as worthless as Flake and McCain.
Replacing Corker with the candidate in this video will be a major upgrade:
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Then there's this:
"She is the best fundraiser in the country and is beating Phil Bredesen in several polls. We aren't worried about these ego-driven, tired old men," Blackburn campaign spokeswoman Andrea Bozek said.
I don't have a vote in Tennessee's primary but if I did, I'd vote for Marsha Blackburn. It's time to get squishes like Bob Corker out of the Senate. It's time to replace them with solutions-oriented people like Marsha Blackburn.
Posted Thursday, February 15, 2018 6:20 AM
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Steve Cwodzinski's dishonesty
Apparently, Steve Cwodzinski isn't capable of telling the truth. In this recent interview , Sen. Cwodzinski was asked "What are the biggest issues facing your district this session?" Sen. Cwodzinski's reply was "Right now, the thing I am hearing most about from my constituents is the federal tax bill, and the increased taxes that they will pay because of it. The cap of $10,000 for deductions of state and local taxes will massively impact residents of Senate District 48. I am hopeful that both DFLers and Republicans can come together to find a way to reclassify some state taxes and restore these deductions."
First, the truth is that everyone's tax rates have dropped. That's indisputable fact. Next, numerous studies have verified that the only people who will pay more in taxes are upper middle class people who itemize their deductions rather than accept the standard deduction. The chances of there being a significant number of people who fit into that category in Sen. Cwodzinski's district is minimal. This is a DFL talking point. Period. Third, it's important to note that people living in high tax states are paying more than people living in low tax states but that doesn't mean that they'll pay more in taxes next year than they'll pay this year.
If the DFL doesn't figure it out that we're losing wealth to other states because of our high taxes, it won't be long before we're in the same sad shape as California and Illinois. The truth that the DFL has denied is that we're losing wealth to other states in all age categories . That's been happening for years.
This has stupidity written all over it:
What should the legislature do about the $43 million request by Gov. Mark Dayton's administration to fix the Minnesota License and Registration System?
This is an incredibly difficult issue. If we do have the funds, and are not in a deficit, I would still like to know what other options there are. I'm not sure what choice we have other than seeing this through but have been working to see what possibilities we have.
Here's a thought: the bureaucrats failed miserably and repeatedly. It's time to hire a private company to fix this immediately. That $43,000,000 isn't coming from an ATM. It's coming from taxpayers. DFL politicians like Sen. Cwodzinski haven't demanded accountability. They've essentially thrown their hands up, then thrown money at the problem in the hope of doing the same thing will produce a different result.
That's the definition of insanity. That's why the DFL should be stripped of its ability to govern. The DFL has earned a place on the sidelines. That starts with Gov. Dayton and continues through Sen. Cwodzinski and other DFL politicians.
What are your thoughts about the latest delays in the Southwest Light Rail Transit project?
These delays are completely unacceptable. Our state has put together the resources necessary to get this done, and now the federal government is leaving us waiting. As I said earlier though, I am very hopeful that out state and the federal government can build an effective partnership on infrastructure. Southwest LRT is the cornerstone of that, so am hopeful that we will receive the federal funds this year.
Hopefully, President Trump will prevent money from reaching boondoggles like SWLRT. Let those projects die.
Posted Thursday, February 15, 2018 7:45 PM
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