February 15-19, 2012
Feb 15 06:50 Debunking the DFL's 'Jobs Bill' mantra Feb 15 08:13 Rollins bloodies Mitt Feb 15 09:35 LightSquared's waiver vanishes into thin air Feb 15 16:10 Why are Bakk, Dayton pushing electronic pull tabs? Feb 17 06:09 Newt Gingrich: The only conservative heavyweight Feb 17 05:43 Speaker Zellers speaks out about LIFO vote Feb 19 09:05 I went to a union pep fest and a townhall meeting broke out Feb 19 10:31 LFR: Fearlessly taking on the LWV Feb 19 14:22 Koch Brothers reveal death threats
Prior Months: Jan
Prior Years: 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Debunking the DFL's 'Jobs Bill' mantra
This year more than most, the DFL is whining about how Republicans aren't
To be polite, after talking with local businesspeople, they don't share Ms. Lucking's opinion of Dayton's debt and gimmicks bill.
As usual, the DFL is telling the world that another bonding bill, aka debt bill, aka state stimulus bill, aka stealing money from the private sector bill, will create tons of new jobs that will reinvigorate Minnesota's economy.
It's a myth to think that bonding bills create jobs or invigorate a state's economy. That isn't a reflexive statement against all bonding. It's a statement that says creating a great business climate that attracts capital creation is a true jobs bill.
Bonding bills don't create jobs. More than anything else, they create pork. There are exceptions, like SCSU's ISELF Center or the flood mitigation system along the Red River Valley. It's mostly about politicians creating the impression that they're doing something.
Another facet of Gov. Dayton's "amazing jobs bill" is a gimmick featuring a $3,000 tax credit for hiring people who are unemployed. The businesspeople I've talked with directly said that this is a gimmick.
Among the things they said is that the $3,000 wouldn't pay that employee's health insurance bill for a year. Since this is a one-time credit, they'd be stuck with that employee's health insurance every year thereafter.
These entrepreneurs said that, after filling out all the paperwork and complying with the attendant regulations, they'd break even at best.
When they were in the majority, the DFL did nothing to create a great business environment. Now they're in the minority. They're still singing the same tune: Borrow money. Take money from the job creators. Transfer it to the DFL's political allies.
It's getting tiresome to hear the DFL's same whining jobs bill song year after year. Their 'solution' isn't a solution. It's a gimmick.
Tags: Debt , Jobs Bill , Bonding , Borrowing , Payoffs , Pork , Tax Credit , Mark Dayton , DFL , Entrepreneurs , Wealth Creation , MNGOP
Originally posted Wednesday, February 15, 2012, revised 19-Feb 10:39 AM
Comment 1 by eric z at 19-Feb-12 08:49 AM
Steve Jobs, I have heard of. But this Bill Jobs fellow, I don't know. Perhaps I should reread the post more carefully.
Rollins bloodies Mitt
Mitt's Achilles Heal has been his lack of conservatism. Ed Rollins' op-ed hits Mitt hard on that and other issues, starting with this observation:
Mitt Romney used the word conservative and conservatism more than two dozen times, according to the Washington Post's Dan Balz, in his speech last week at the CPAC convention. That rhetoric is quite different from ten years ago when he was running for Governor of Massachusetts.
He stated during that campaign that he was 'not a partisan Republican" but rather a "moderate" with "progressive" views.'
In his CPAC speech he described his four years in office as: 'I was a severely conservative governor of Massachusetts.' Whatever that means, many will argue that his most far reaching accomplishment, the implementation of 'Romney care," betrays all conservative principles. President Obama has on many occasions stated this was the model for his ObamaCare.
Mitt hasn't closed the deal for a host of reasons. First, he hasn't laid out a conservative vision for his administration. Mitt's 59-point, 160-page economic blueprint contains more anti-Obama commentary than it has conservative initiatives.
Keeping individual tax rates the same isn't a conservative initiative. Cutting the corporate income tax rate from 35% to 25% isn't a conservative initiative, either. Cutting the capital gains tax rates for the middle class isn't a conservative initiative, either.
Second, Mitt's timid, thread-the-needle, approach to campaigning, has told the activists that he hasn't embraced conservatism. Nowhere was Mitt's timidity more on display in Ohio:
But Romney would not say specifically if he supports S.B.5, which Ohio voters oppose by a 57-32 margin, according to a Quinnipiac poll out Tuesday
Instead, he issued only generic support for GOP efforts to control spending in Columbus.
'I am not speaking about the particular ballot issues,' Romney said , after being pressed by reporters. 'Those are up to the people of Ohio. But I certainly support the efforts of the governor to reign in the scale of government. I am not terribly familiar with the two ballot initiatives. But I am certainly supportive of the Republican Party's efforts here.'
His "I'm with Ohioans but I won't take a stand" moment is the quintessential Mitt moment. He doesn't want to be against the people he'll need this fall. He just doesn't want to say something that'll upset those precious moderates he identifies most with.
Rather than showing he's a principled conservative leader with a spine, Mitt's repeatedly shown that he's another spineless Romney moderate:
Mitt Romney's father, George, was the three term moderate governor of Michigan. Like his son, George Romney was a successful business leader before entering politics.
After being elected Governor in 1962, he broke with conservative Republicans in the legislature and with Democratic support implemented, for the first time, income taxes on Michigan's citizens and also gave collective bargaining rights to public employees.
He, along with Governor Nelson Rockefeller of New York and Gov William Scranton of Pennsylvania, were the moderate leaders fighting to deny the 'conservative icon' Senator Barry Goldwater the Republican nomination in 1964.
I wrote here that George Romney met with Saul Alinsky:
'I think you ought to listen to Alinsky,' Romney told his white allies, according to T. George Harris's 1968 book, 'Romney's Way.' 'It seems to me that we are always talking to the same people. Maybe the time has come to hear new voices,' he said.
With a family history that screams progressive, Mitt's fight to win over conservatives was always uphill at best. Combining his family's political history with Mitt's statements made his fight that much more challenging:
Either for these reasons or others, Mitt Romney shied away from politics for decades and declined to register as a Republican until he shifted his voting status from independent to Republican in order to run against Ted Kennedy in Massachusetts in 1994.
He proudly stated in that campaign that: 'I was an independent during Reagan-Bush; I am not trying to return to Reagan-Bush.' He even declined in 1992 to choose between President George Bush and challenger Pat Buchanan in the Mass presidential primary instead voting for Senator Paul Tsongas in the Democratic contest.
Mitt's family's political beliefs weren't conservative. Mitt's insistance in his 1994 and 2002 campaigns that he was a moderate with progressive views hurt his conservative credentials, too. Couple those things with staunch TEA Party activists who insist on the real thing and Mitt's attempt to win over conservatives is most like him climbing Everest without a jacket on a cold day.
Mr. Rollins nails it perfectly when he said this:
Like George Romney decades ago, Mitt Romney is discovering, conservative activists must believe you share their views deeply.
Mitt hasn't shown that he's a conservative activist. Mitt's refused to show the base that he's a fighter for the right causes. His fight against Newt on Bain Capital didn't show people he was a conservative. It didn't prove he stood with Main Street.
That's why, despite all of his allies talk of inevitability, Mitt still faces an uphill fight to win over the activists the GOP candidate will need this fall.
Tags: Op-ed , Ed Rollins , CPAC , Mitt Romney , Conservative , Ohio , SB5 , Spineless , George Romney , Saul Alinsky , GOP , Election 2012
Posted Wednesday, February 15, 2012 8:13 AM
No comments.
LightSquared's waiver vanishes into thin air
The Obama administration's attempt to railroad LightSquared's ill-conceived product just vanished into thin air :
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, a Department of Commerce agency tasked with overseeing military and government spectrum use, determined that LightSquared's interference with other devices, including GPS devices, was unavoidable.
"Based on NTIA's independent evaluation of the testing and analysis performed over the last several months, we conclude that LightSquared's proposed mobile broadband network will impact GPS services and that there is no practical way to mitigate the potential interference at this time," the NTIA said in a letter (PDF) to the Federal Communications Commission.
Based on those findings, the FCC said it would "suspend indefinitely" the startup's conditional waiver to operate. "The commission clearly stated from the outset that harmful interference to GPS would not be permitted," the FCC said. "Consequently, the commission will not lift the prohibition on LightSquared."
In other words, the NTIA is putting national security ahead of cronyism. Until LightSquared totally rethinks their product, their product isn't getting off the ground.
UPDATE: Ed is now reporting that this deal is dead :
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) moved to reject LightSquared's planned wireless network on Tuesday after the president's top adviser on telecom issues said there is 'no practical way' to prevent the network from disrupting GPS devices.
Philip Falcone and his investment firm Harbinger Capital invested billions of dollars in LightSquared's plan to build a nationwide high-speed cellphone network, which now appears dead.
On Tuesday, Lawrence Strickling, the assistant secretary for communications and information at the Commerce Department, said government testing showed LightSquared's network would cause widespread problems with GPS devices, including ones used by pilots to prevent their airplanes from crashing.
'We conclude at this time that there are no mitigation strategies that both solve the interference issues and provide LightSquared with an adequate commercial network deployment,' Strickling wrote in a letter to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski.
This is a big blow against this administration's attempt to use the federal government's regulatory authority to help their political allies. This time, this administration's attempt failed.
Ed nails it with this commentary:
The only model this demonstrates is how Democratic donors got favorable treatment from the Obama administration. The Post doesn't mention that Obama was an early investor in a LightSquared predecessor, or how investors had access to the White House, nor how the White House tried to pressure witnesses to Congress to modify testimony favorably toward LightSquared.
Election Day can't get here soon enough. The GOP needs a candidate that can't be credibly accused of crony capitalism. That means Mitt can't be our nominee. Republicans should highlight the lengths that this administration ignored public safety in their attempt to give preferential treatment to their political allies.
Tags: Crony Capitalism , LightSquared , President Obama , FCC , NTIA , GPS , Public Safety , Philip Falcone , Harbinger Capital , Corruption , Democrats , Election 2012
Posted Wednesday, February 15, 2012 9:35 AM
No comments.
Why are Bakk, Dayton pushing electronic pull tabs?
The more I study the electronic pulltabs issue for funding a Vikings stadium, I'm left with more questions than answers. Considering the seriousness of these questions, it's puzzling why Gov. Dayton and Sen. Bakk support electronic pull tabs as a funding source for a Vikings stadium.
This article lays out some of the concerns about the electronic pull tabs option:
More than 1,200 nonprofit groups around the state offer paper pull-tab games in bars and restaurants as fundraisers for local school and civic causes. The groups have long argued they're taxed too heavily. Of roughly $80 million in net profits in 2009, they paid about $37 million in taxes and had $43 million left to contribute to community programs.
A substantial portion of the proceeds from these fundraisers go to high school sports programs. Another substantial portion of the proceeds go to charities and community organizations.
That information alone should tell politicians that this is treacherous ground to tread on. Apparently, Gov. Dayton doesn't think so. This article says that Gov. Dayton supports electronic pulltabs, aka e-tabs:
Dayton touts allowing electronic pull tabs as his favored form of stadium financing.
Gov. Dayton isn't alone in supporting e-tabs as the primary source of financing the Vikings stadium:
Senate Minority Leader Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, first pitched the idea of linking it to a Vikings stadium two weeks ago in Dayton's office. Bakk said he won't support a broader gambling expansion, but he supports the pull tab idea to help pay for a stadium and provide some relief for charities.
King Wilson, the executive director of Allied Charities of Minnesota, isn't sold on the idea. Here's a major reason why:
Wilson didn't specify what share the charities need to make the plan work, but he said if it turns out the state takes roughly half the $72 million for a stadium and devotes the other half to tax relief, "I think we can have some meaningful discussions, and I think something is workable." The problem, he said, is "there's other people bandying about much smaller numbers.
"It's simple: The higher the number the state needs for the stadium, the less money that's available to do reform and relief, which is our priority," Wilson said.
There's more reason for concern than those mentioned by Wilson. This House Research report offers a stunning opinion. The title speaks for itself:
2006-2010: Industry under Stress
That's just the tip of the iceberg. This information is troubling:
- Since fiscal year 2004, gross receipts from lawful gambling have declined by over 20 percent
- For fiscal year 2008, the industry reported its biggest drop in state gambling taxes paid - a 12.8 percent decrease from the previous year due to the drop in gross receipts
- Total receipts have gone from $1.500 billion in 2000 to $1.032 billion in 2009, a decrease of about 31 percent
Let's remember that Sen. Bakk, then the chairman of the Senate Tax Committee, knew this information when he proposed this 'solution' to the Vikings stadium situation. This information raises important questions, more than I can address in a single post. The biggest questions go to politicians like Gov. Dayton and Sen. Bakk.
The first question I'd want answered is this: why would Gov. Dayton and Sen. Bakk propose using revenues from an "industry under stress" the last 5 years? The next question I'd have for Gov. Dayton and Sen. Bakk is equally simple: Why would they put funding for charities and school sports programs at risk?
Tags: Electronic Pull Tabs , Vikings Stadium , High School Sports , Charities , Fundraisers , Mark Dayton , Tom Bakk , Revenues , Gambling , DFL
Posted Wednesday, February 15, 2012 4:10 PM
Comment 1 by J. Ewing at 16-Feb-12 05:55 AM
Sorry, but asking sensible questions of liberal politicians won't get you sensible answers. They're simply looking for something that sounds reasonable and believe it will work simply because they wish it. That's what liberals do, knowing that, if (really, when) it doesn't work, it will just fall back on the general taxpayer.
Response 1.1 by Gary Gross at 16-Feb-12 07:59 AM
The important point to this, Jerry, is that we should campaign against the DFL for their failures, which are legion. NO MORE!!! has become my battle cry. As in NO MORE!!! will we ignore the DFL's hair-brained schemes. As in NO MORE!!! will we assume that everyone knows that many of the DFL's initiatives are failures.
From this point forward, conservatives must do everything possible to repeatedly highlight the DFL's biggest failures. That's because accountability is that important.
Comment 2 by Chad Q at 16-Feb-12 07:53 AM
Counting on gambling to build a stadium through pull tabs or just reducing the budget through slot machines at the horse tracks is a losing proposition no matter how much the governor or republican legislators are pushing. The State will have spent all "projected" revenue and will not get all that "projected" revenue and then will be further in the hole.
How about just growing the economy so you have more people working and in turn more income tax revenue. Or maybe do something as draconian as living within your income. Yeah I know, way to simple.
Comment 3 by Nick at 16-Feb-12 12:37 PM
Why not allow all Sunday Alcohol Sales? Sunday Liquor Sales seem to be way less controversial. Allowing Sunday Alcohol Sales increases revenue without raising taxes. David Wojnar, vice president of the Distilled Spirits Council says that year-round Sunday Sales of distilled spirits, wine and beer in Minnesota would lead to an estimated retailer revenue impact range of $54.7 to $76.5 million and net between $7.6 and $10.6 million for the state in additional sales tax revenue.
http://www.discus.org/media/press/article.asp?NEWS_ID=416
Comment 4 by J. Ewing at 16-Feb-12 08:27 PM
Why not just tell the Vikings to build their own #$%^ stadium and leave us out of it? Cut 'em a big tax break like we did for Northwest Airlines and a lot of other big corps if you want, and call that the taxpayer contribution. Then cut state spending to "pay for it." There must be some waste, fraud and abuse somewhere in that $36B.
Newt Gingrich: The only conservative heavyweight
All the talk about how Mitt "looks presidential" just evaporated. All the talk about Rick Santorum's momentum just vanished. All the crazy talk about Ron Paul...well, who knows with him. In a single afternoon, these three wimps told Georgia and Ohio that they'd be ignoring them . They also admitted that they're too wimpy to debate Newt Gingrich:
CNN has called off a March 1 Republican primary debate in Georgia that would have included Ohio participants asking questions remotely after Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul said they would not participate, according to spokesmen for the Georgia and Ohio Republican parties.
There's no doubt that these 'gentlemen' are wimps not worthy of being the next leader of the free world. There's no doubt because it's unimaginable that Newt Gingrich and Ronald Reagan would ignore the opportunity to debate their opponents.
Why would the former inevitable GOP nominee run from the opportunity to make his case to southerners? It isn't like he's made great inroads with Bible Belt Christian conservatives. Why didn't the former inevitable GOP nominee say no to the opportunity to make a connection with Rust Belt industrialists and blue collar workers? It isn't like he's forged a great connection with those voters.
Why would Mr. Momentum shrink from the opportunity to debate and prove that he's Newt's equal or Newt's superior? Instead, he's running as fast as he can from debating the only true conservative heavyweight in the field.
This is about more than image, too. Newt just raised a fistful of money in California. Thanks to that infusion of cash, he's got the money he'll need to belittle Mitt and Sen. Santorum. Mitt's decision will especially hurt considering what he told Newt prior to the Iowa Caucuses :
On the first stop of his statewide bus tour today, Mitt Romney delivered a blunt message to rival Newt Gingrich when it comes to his Super PAC's attack ads: You think this is bad? You ain't seen nothing yet.
"I know that the speaker would like to say that we shouldn't have any negativity," Romney told NBC's Chuck Todd in an interview on MSNBC's The Daily Rundown. "But, look, if you can't handle the heat in this little kitchen, the heat that's going to come from Obama's Hell's kitchen is going to be a heck of a lot hotter. We have to show that we, as a Republican Party, and as a candidate that we can stand up to the barrage that's going to come from the Obama world."
Now that Mitt's shown his true color (yellow) , isn't it time for Newt's supporters to throw that quote back in Mitt's face? Mitt's really the man with a porcelain jaw. He's good at throwing punches. He hasn't shown the ability to take them, though. Is that who we want going up against President Obama?
Rick Santorum has been riding a wave of momentum after his defeat of Mitt in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri. Fundraising was picking up. The national press was noticing him. Now he's essentially told the national media that he's afraid to go mano a mano against Newt. He's told the voters of Ohio and Georgia that he doesn't understand their concerns.
The other result of their decision is that Mitt and Sen. Santorum can't now raise small dollar donations from the blue collar workers that'll determine this election. They can't because blue collar, lunch pale types appreciate a fighter. Mitt and Santorum just proved that they aren't fighters.
Thanks to some too-clever-by-half political consultants, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum have now painted themselves as fair weather candidates. They can't credibly make the case that they'll take on Washington when they won't even debate Newt.
The one thing that I wouldn't expect from Newt, though, is his going negative. He's too busy laying out his plans for America's energy independence, for stopping President Obama's war against people of faith and how he'll repeal Obamacare, Dodd-Frank and Sarbanes-Oxley.
Newt will be too busy explaining why conservative economic heavyweights like Art Laffer and Thomas Sowell endorsed his plan. Newt will be reminding people how the WSJ said that his plan was the best job-creating plan. Newt will remind them how the WSJ said that Mitt's plan was timid.
At a time when America is at a crossroads, we don't need people who shrink from a challenge. We don't need candidates that are afraid of debating a true conservative heavyweight with a lengthy history of conservative achievements.
At this time, the best pick is Newt because he'll fight the smart fight for conservative principles.
Tags: Ohio , Georgia , Rick Santorum , Mitt Romney , Ron Paul , Wimps , Debates , Newt Gingrich , Art Laffer , Thomas Sowell , Taxes , Reforms , EPA , Dodd-Frank , Obamacare , Sarbanes-Oxley , GOP , Election 2012
Posted Friday, February 17, 2012 6:09 AM
Comment 1 by eric z at 17-Feb-12 07:13 AM
And the answer to that thing being called off is what?
Grieve and moan?
Re-caucus Minnesota so the attendees can all change their biases overnight and put Newt in front?
Re-caucus so that the multitudes of Newt-lovers can reflect upon their non-attendance previously, and pack the house?
I guess grieve and moan is it. The others would refuse to re-caucus - because, there is no other explanation, they are cowardly craven wimps. Unfit to face Obama. We will remember that viewpoint in November. Won't we?
Comment 2 by Bob J. at 17-Feb-12 09:23 AM
Unfortunately, Newt is only slightly more popular than scurvy among national voters according to the latest Rasmussen poll. Oh, and Ron Paul.
Santorum has debated Newt quite a bit over the interminable Republican debate process. Is there really any difference between the two men that hasn't been debated ad nauseum by now?
And Eric, either Rick or Noot would do just fine against your boss. We will be the ones remembering in November.
Comment 3 by Gary Gross at 17-Feb-12 12:32 PM
There's alot that we'd learn about the differences between Newt & Rick. Having other people on the stage matters because people have the time to regroup when there's more people on the stage.
Comment 4 by Grampstoolshed at 17-Feb-12 06:29 PM
Polls come and go.
True leadership sticks it out with the truth through good times and bad times.
Newt is a true leader.
He has the best plans to take on DC and reduce government, and increase freedom and prosperity!!!
He deserves our support!!
Vote, donate, and volunteer!!!
Comment 5 by eric z at 17-Feb-12 06:39 PM
I think Bob is correct about "interminable Republican debate process." It was for winnowing, and now it is down to four it will be to see what money buys. I guess it buys Romney the shot; and in four years it will be an entire new batch, with no incumbent. Santorum might try again, but Romney twice, and once getting the nomination and then losing, it will probably dull his ambition and with a big part of the party disenchanted the Rockefeller Republican faction will have a new face to offer against who, Christie, Ryan, Rubio? Oh no, Palin!
Comment 6 by eric z at 17-Feb-12 06:44 PM
I forgot to say, Gary, around Oct. 20 or so, I shall run a Crabgrass post referencing this LFR post, with a fair use quote. Not too extensive, not to barge too heavily upon intellectual property rights - but to make the point. After it is Obama-Romney, and the "only heavyweight" on the GOP side has struck out ...
I have set a browser bookmark, to not forget.
Speaker Zellers speaks out about LIFO vote
Thursday afternoon, House Speaker Kurt Zellers spoke out in this statement about passing LIFO, the Last In, First Out bill. Here's what he said:
"Seniority privilege should not trump student achievement. Decisions about who to fire, layoff and even promote in Minnesota classrooms are based solely on seniority and ignore teacher effectiveness.
Minnesota is one of a dozen states that require Last in, First Out based as part of state law. The Minnesota House of Representatives today approved legislation that removes this rigid and outdated state law. Experience matters but the number of years served is not an adequate measure of ability, competence and success in teaching kids.
We need to stand up for students. Our education reform agenda was developed to help students, close the achievement gap and ensure great, quality teachers in the classroom. Ending the Last In, First Out practice is a great step in the right direction."
Of course, EdMinn's puppets, aka the DFL, didn't see things that way:
Democrats say they agree that Minnesota's system of seniority-based layoffs is outdated and needs to be changed to base those decisions on performance. But there are too many issues that haven't been addressed, and it's linked to an evaluation system for teachers that won't be developed for another two years, they say.
Rep. Jim Davnie, DFL-Minneapolis, said letting go of teachers based on evaluations that could be up to 3 years old and is private data under state law is a recipe for an explosion of lawsuits. If a teacher is laid off, he said, they have no ability to determine why they were let go because of those privacy laws. "I have no ability to find that out. That's going to bring me into the courtroom. That's going to bring in the lawyers," Davnie said.
If Rep. Davnie is so worried about these evaluations and the treatment of data privacy, he should write legislation that fixes those things rather than just whining about them. To be fair, solutions aren't the DFL's specialty.
This sounds like the type of spin that EdMinn would use in opposing reforms without sounding like they're opposed to important reforms. Make no mistake about it. EdMinn is opposed to LIFO legislation, partially because it's something that Michelle Rhee's StudentsFirst organization supports:
LIFO isn't the silver bullet that will singlehandedly fix Minnesota's schools. It's another important step in reforming Minnesota's learning system.
Since regaining the majority in the House and gaining the majority in the Senate for the first time ever, Republicans have enacted important reforms. Their biggest reform in education thus far has been getting Gov. Dayton to sign the Alternative Teacher Licensure legislation.
That was part of Reform 1.0; LIFO is part of Republicans' Reform 2.0 agenda. The test now is on whether the DFL will reflexively reject reforms or whether they'll accept Republicans' straightforward reforms. The jury's still out on that.
Tags: LIFO , Michelle Rhee , StudentsFirst.com , Education , Reform 2.0 , Kurt Zellers , MNGOP , EdMinn , Jim Davnie , Lobbyists , Unions , DFL
Posted Friday, February 17, 2012 5:43 AM
No comments.
I went to a union pep fest and a townhall meeting broke out
When John Pederson, Steve Gottwalt and King Banaian scheduled Friday night's town hall meeting at St. Cloud's Public Library, they had no way of knowing that public employee unions were planning on disrupting it. Things didn't get ugly immediately but it didn't take long before things got out of control.
The first question of the night was directed at Dr. Banaian, the economist, not Rep. Banaian, the Minnesota House member. Here's the statement and question: "Study after study has shown that right-to-work lowers wages for all workers. Is this true?" Banaian said that there are many studies on the subject but no conclusive evidence in either direction, in the minds of labor economists.
After that, the meeting went downhill fast. When Rep. Gottwalt attempted to respond to a different question posed by a union member, a different union member interrupted, asking "Are you wearing your legislator's hat or your Coborn's hat"? When Rep. Gottwalt replied that he's no longer employed by Coborn's, the man who interrupted quickly apologized.
That was the first time union members in the audience interrupted. It certainly wasn't the last time. In fact, union members in the audience made interrupting the rule, not the exception.
In fact, the most confrontational moment came when Rep. Banaian was answering another right-to-work question. Jerry Albertine interrupted, saying 'Don't sit there with your hairspray and your tie, you've never worked labor, and say you know what the unions are about.'
That was a statement Rep. Banaian forcefully responded to, saying that he's a college professor who's paid union dues to the IFO for over a quarter century.
There were approximately 100 people in the room, with approximately 60-70 of those people union members. AFSCME had a strong presence at the meeting. AFSCME was clearly visible in their bright colored logo on the back of their windbreakers.
Several times, Rep. Gottwalt mentioned how union members, many of whom are nurses, have told him that they want the choice of whether to be in a union or not. At one point, a person in the audience suggested that Rep. Gottwalt was lying, saying that it was convenient that these union members didn't have names and that they wouldn't come forward.
Rep. Gottwalt said that Friday night's union antics are why they haven't come forward, saying that they don't want to deal with the unions' retribution to those 'wandering from the faith'.
The meeting lasted a little over an hour. During that time, 2 questions were asked about Photo ID, another question asking for a law requiring a legislative panel review whether legislation was constitutional and one question about the closing of the Aviation Program at St. Cloud State.
Another gentleman asked about the the possibility of a constitutional amendment ballot question for an Initiative and Referendum system and about Sunday licquor sales. All other questions were about a potential right-to-work constitutional amendment.
If not for the presence of St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis, the meeting could've taken a nasty turn. That's attributable to the unions' disruptive, disrespectful behavior.
The unions quickly turned the event into an us vs. them confrontation. They quickly turned it inot a 1 percent vs. the 99 percent confrontation. They came armed with their predictable chanting points. They came intent on citing each of those chanting points. They didn't come to discuss. They came to start a full-fledged confrontation.
They succeeded in that last point, though it's safe to say that they didn't change anyone's mind on the issues they cared most about.
BTW, about the townhall meeting I mentioned in the title: it never had a chance. This was a union pep fest, pure and simple.
Tags: Unions , Right to Work , 1 Percent , 99 Percent , Confrontation , AFSCME , DFL , Steve Gottwalt , King Banaian , John Pederson , Dave Kleis , GOP
Posted Sunday, February 19, 2012 9:05 AM
Comment 1 by Eric Austin at 19-Feb-12 10:16 AM
Oh those crafty unions! How dare they get their members to attend the open town hall meeting of their legislators. To top it off, they asked questions? It's appalling, really.
http://www.outstatepolitics.com/?p=20431
Comment 2 by Patrick at 19-Feb-12 10:33 AM
The union folks are very good at playing the game framed by Saul Alinsky's Rules for Radicals.
Comment 3 by Jethro at 19-Feb-12 09:35 PM
Gee...Eric isn't being sarcastic, now is he? I don't think any reasonable person is accusing the union members for organizing, showing up and asking questions. However, civility went down hill faster than a liberal can make an emotional argument. As Gary posted (and yes, the Times as well) the following emotional "in your face" statement: Jerry Albertine interrupted, saying 'Don't sit there with your hairspray and your tie, you've never worked labor, and say you know what the unions are about.' What does hairspray and a tie have do do with the fact that Jerry didn't realize that Dr. Banaian has been in a union? Jerry Albertine obviously didn't know who he was talking to and his statement was clearly out of line.
Comment 4 by Nick at 20-Feb-12 02:16 AM
Some of the union members were just plain rude and acted like they knew better than the legislators. The questions that I asked were about potential state statutes, not constitutional amendments. MN is unfortunately a big labor state. MN also has the 7th highest public pension per household obligation. The state of MN has the highest public pension obligations per household in the entire midwest. You can find this here: http://workplacechoice.org/state-map/big-labor-vs-taxpayer-detailed-information/
Also check out the map: http://workplacechoice.org/state-map/
Comment 5 by Bob J. at 20-Feb-12 11:03 AM
Banaian is right over the target. Great piece, Gary.
Between Minnesota, Indiana, Arizona and hopefully many other states, the unions will have to fight on many fronts.
LFR: Fearlessly taking on the LWV
In his latest post , lefty blogger Dave Mindeman finds it incredible that the MNGOP is willing to take on the League of Women Voters, aka the LWV:
And now, here in Minnesota, the Republican Party has decided that in the interest of their quest for voter integrity, they need to take on the.....League of Women Voters?
The League does not like the Voter ID amendment. Their mission is to educate and promote voting. And that means getting everybody to vote. They promote voter registration, they promote candidate debates, and the promote ballot education. The League of Women Voters has a history of making the exercise of your right to vote, their goal.
But because they don't agree with the Voter ID amendment being pushed onto the November ballot by the Republican Party, the GOP is convinced that the League of Women Voters is now a partisan operation.
Imagine that. An organization that was formed in 1920 out of the Women's Suffrage movement and whose purpose is....
Formed from the movement that secured the right to vote for women, the centerpiece of the League's efforts remain to expand participation and give a voice to all Americans.
Yet, because they see Photo ID requirement as an obstacle to their purpose, they are now considered a partisan operation by the Republican Party.
Republicans think that an organization that teamed up with one of the most corrupt, most hyperpartisan, organizations, TakeAction Minnesota, is a partisan organization.
Republicans are right in thinking that the LWV is partisan because they teamed up with TakeAction Minnesota in an allegedly grassroots operation called Draw the Line Minnesota. DTL-Minnesota was sold as having a citizens commission at the heart of the organization.
It didn't take long to find the LWV's connections with TAM. A quick scan of DTL-Minnesota's website showed that the LWV, Common Cause MN and Minnesota Council of Nonprofits teamed with TAM in creating DTL-Minnesota.
Why would a supposedly good government, nonpartisan organization like the LWV team up with TakeAction Minnesota? TAM's member organizations played a prominent role in funding the biggest smear campaign in Minnesota gubernatorial history in 2010.
TAM's highest profile organizations, AFSCME and the SEIU, recently tried, with Gov. Dayton's help, shoving unionization down the throats of child care small businesses.
Why would anyone think that an organization that teams up with a corrupt partisan organization be a partisan organization? Perhaps it's because their publicly-stated goals are so dramatically different.
After the Senate Local Government and Election Committee passed SF1577, TAM issued this eye-popping statement :
All we have is one vote, a vote we have the constitutional right to keep. And now, a band of conservative legislators, doing the bidding of the 1% who put them in office, seeks to restrict voting rights for hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans simply because they can. It's wrong and we will continue to fight this.'
TAM's statement on SF1577 shows that they're clearly aligned with the corrupt Occupy Wall Street
Tags: League of Women Voters-Minnesota , Draw the Line-Minnesota , Redistricting , Photo ID , Voter Fraud , TakeAction Minnesota , ABM , Smear Campaign , Mark Dayton , Alida Messinger , Forced Unionization , AFSCME , SEIU , Corruption , DFL , Child Care Providers , Small Businesses
Posted Sunday, February 19, 2012 10:31 AM
Comment 1 by Jethro at 19-Feb-12 09:40 PM
Sure glad there is no voter fraud here in Minnesota.
Stearns County felony sentencings, June 2011
Lacy Jewel Graditi, 24, St. Cloud; ineligible voter knowingly votes, Nov. 4, 2008; imposition of sentence
stayed on five years probation and 10 days in jail - may be served on electronic home monitoring,
fined $300 plus surcharges, ordered to provide a DNA sample and remain law abiding. Judge: Grunke.
Comment 2 by J. Ewing, at 20-Feb-12 09:46 AM
You forgot to mention that the LWV are now known liars. That's partisan, depending on who benefits from the lie, and we know who benefits from fraudulent voting. It certainly isn't the "right to vote."
Koch Brothers reveal death threats
Everyone's known that the hardline left hasn't hesitated in criticizing the Koch Brothers. Most of the Hate-filled Left's criticisms have been childish boogeyman-types of arguments. This article , however, exposes the depths of the Hate-filled Left's hate:
Charles Koch, his brother and employees have in recent months been getting death threats, hundreds of obscenity-laced hate messages, and harassment from some far left-wing groups, Koch said on Thursday.
'We are under attack from various directions, both with threats of violence against us personally, and with threats of attacks on our businesses,' Charles Koch said Thursday, in a phone interview from his office in Wichita.
Koch, the billionaire head of Koch Industries, rarely gives interviews, especially about the various political causes that he and his brother David support. The privately held company rarely releases information about its activities.
On Thursday, Charles Koch authorized employees to reveal the contents of hundreds of e-mails that the Kochs and employees have received in the last year , some of them containing death threats. 'I hope you all DIE,' one e-mail, received last year, said. 'You people are ruining our country, and all for $$$.' 'Choose your expiration Date, Brothers' said another. 'The Koch brothers will DIE!!!!!' said another.
The Hate-Filled Left's attacks are beyond disgusting. Evil isn't too strong a word. Unfortunately, the Hate-filled Left's threats of violence aren't new. It's important that we remember Katherine Windels, an early-childhood development teacher in Wisconsin, allegedly threatened several Wisconsin legislators' lives :
Madison - A 26-year-old woman was charged Thursday with two felony counts and two misdemeanor counts for allegedly making email threats against Wisconsin lawmakers during the height of the battle over Gov. Scott Walker's budget-repair bill.
Katherine R. Windels of Cross Plains was named in a criminal complaint filed in Dane County Criminal Court.
According to the criminal complaint, Windels allegedly sent an email threat to State Sen. Robert Cowles (R-Green Bay) March 9. Later that evening, she allegedly sent another email to 15 Republican legislators, including Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau).
The subject line of the second email was: 'Atten: Death Threat!!!! Bomb!!!' In that email, she purportedly wrote, 'Please put your things in order because you will be killed and your families will also be killed due to your actions in the last 8 weeks.'
'I hope you have a good time in hell,' she allegedly wrote in the lengthy email in which she purportedly listed scenarios in which the legislators and their families would die, including bombings and by 'putting a nice little bullet in your head.'
Apparently Ms. Windels is a card-carrying member of the Hate-filled Left. It isn't a stretch to think that some of the people who've made death threats on the Koch Brothers are political allies of Ms. Windels.
It's important that people remember SEIU thugs beating up a black conservative . His crime? Selling Don't Tread on Me flags outside a townhall meeting.
That's in addition to having SEIU thugs threatening a private home . As a result of the SEIU's thugs acts of intimidation, the child whose property was invade is still having nightmares about that afternoon.
People would be disgusted and outraged if this was the comprehensive list of death threats, acts of violence and intimidation. Unfortunately, the things I've listed here don't even amount to a paragraph from the abridged version of the Hate-filled Left's disgusting and sometimes criminal behavior.
The Hate-filled Left's apologists will undoubtedly attempt to whitewash the threats and intimidation. I won't let that happen. The Hate-filled Left will work hard to hided their violent tendencies. It's citizen journalists' job to not let them get away with their attempted whitewashing.
Tags: SEIU , Intimidation , Katherine Windels , School Teacher , Death Threats , Democrats , Koch Brothers , Activism , TEA Party , Conservatism , Americans For Prosperity
Posted Sunday, February 19, 2012 2:22 PM
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