February 20-22, 2018
Feb 20 00:47 Innovation saving lives? Feb 20 07:51 Gov. Dayton's MNLARS grandstanding Feb 21 03:54 The Democrats' credibility issue Feb 21 11:08 Billy Graham, RIP Feb 22 02:58 Walz's latest NRA flip-flop Feb 22 04:07 Sen. Bakk's political ambitions Feb 22 09:46 CNN's scripted townhall Feb 22 10:19 The Democrats' tax cut dilemma
Prior Months: Jan
Prior Years: 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Innovation saving lives?
KARE11's Boyd Huppert traveled to Somerset, WI, to see if Justin Rivard's invention would save lives. While DC-based politicians and special interests retreat to their predictable positions, Justin applied a little American ingenuity to the school shooting crisis situation to see if he could make a difference. What he created in shop class might impact more students' lives than anything that the politicians and special interests come up with.
The article opens by saying "The flag at Somerset High School flies at half-staff in honor lives lost in Florida. Inside, Somerset senior Justin Rivard was inspired in his shop class to try to save lives here. "I call this the JustinKase," Justin says of his invention. "You don't want to use it, but just in case you need it, it'll be there. Made of steel plates and connecting rods, Justin's device slips beneath a classroom door and latches to the door's jam. With his device in place, Justin has yet to find a person who can push a classroom door open, including linemen from his high school football team. "You can lock a door with a lock, it can get shot out," Justin says. "You can lock a door with this, it can't get shot out. You can't get around it."
It's time for politicians and special interests to step aside. It looks like Justin Rivard just built a better mouse trap:
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What's not to love about this invention? It doesn't violate a person's civil rights. Politicians can sit on the sideline and applaud old-fashioned ingenuity. Gangbangers can't get past it.
When a shooter is stalking the hallways, the police are 5 minutes away. Justin's device helps protects students and teachers until the first responders and law enforcement get there. Isn't it time the politicians and the special interests got out of the American people's way so they can fix this problem?
When a shop teacher challenged his students to build a device which could increase school safety, Justin Rivard rose to the occasion. Only 15 at the time, he researched current products and then sought to learn their strengths and weaknesses. After months of refinements, JustinKase was engineered, built, refined, and is now helping protect hundreds of students with orders meaning thousands of students in Wisconsin & Minnesota will soon be made safer due to his innovation.
Justin Rivard should get an award from the White House, Congress and others. Everyone knows there's a problem with school safety. Justin Rivard didn't complain that politicians weren't protecting him or his classmates. He just started innovating until he fixed a big problem. I won't pretend that this is the only thing that's needed to stop mass shootings. It isn't. The JustinKase will protect students until police arrive, though, which is a huge deal.
Posted Tuesday, February 20, 2018 12:47 AM
Comment 1 by Chad Q at 20-Feb-18 05:26 PM
I applaud this fine young man for coming up with a solution to a problem but he'll never get any praise from the DFL because it would mean that the people would still have guns. They want all guns banned no matter what they say and won't be happy until it happens.
Response 1.1 by Gary Gross at 21-Feb-18 02:38 AM
That's fine. He's going into the military so there's a good possibility that he's a conservative anyway. That's a better fit, right? Most importantly, providing solutions is what's most important.
Gov. Dayton's MNLARS grandstanding
When MNLARS got off to a difficult start, Republicans criticized the rollout. They'd seen this movie before with the MNsure rollout. Gov. Dayton took to the microphone to complain that Republicans were grandstanding for political gain, saying "Once again Republican Legislators are just delighted to jump on something if they think they can do damage to the credibility of state government, especially to a Democratic Governor."
This week, Jeff Baillon reported that Bob Helland, "a MNLARS Business Process Analyst", took his complaints about MNLARS directly to the governor's office. In "March of 2015, he went straight to the Governor's office." That's where he "met with Jaime Tincher, the Governor's Chief of Staff at the time and secretly recorded their nearly hour-long conversation." On one recording, Helland can be heard saying that there's "very little confidence in DVS management. This was kind of the last straw for me to say, there's no truth in the public about this project and we have no truth internally, so I felt compelled to let you guys know."
That's the last he heard about it. That's why Sen. Benson issued this statement :
Gov. Dayton knew MNLARS wasn't ready for primetime. They rolled it out anyway. When it flopped and Republicans criticized Gov. Dayton, he defended himself, saying that this was all about Republicans picking on a DFL governor. He deserved the criticism because his chief of staff at the time knew about the problems, then did nothing to get the project delayed or corrected.
The DFL, aka the Party of Big Government, hasn't done a thing to make certain that big government delivers the services that citizens need. If they won't do that, then we need a different governing model. ASAP.
Posted Tuesday, February 20, 2018 7:51 AM
Comment 1 by Rexnewman at 20-Feb-18 06:26 PM
And if Dayton knew, so did Tina Smith. #SheKnew
Response 1.1 by Gary Gross at 21-Feb-18 02:36 AM
Amen, Rex!
The Democrats' credibility issue
I'm predicting that the Democrats' campaign that focuses on criticizing the Trump/GOP tax cuts is on its last legs. This article doesn't do anything to change my opinion of that. Tuesday night on Shannon Bream's show, Guy Benson debated Jehmu Greene about the Trump/GOP tax cuts. It wasn't a fair fight.
Ms. Greene argued that Democrats had lost ground in the generic ballot polling because they didn't stay on offense. That's a foolish argument. Benson picked up on that immediately, saying that "Democrats don't have a messaging problem. They've got a reality problem." That's what I've been saying on LFR since the tax cuts passed. I'll question whether this is entirely a Nancy Pelosi problem, though. At this point, that's true. This fall, though, Nancy Pelosi will just be the icing on a very right, tasty chocolate cake. The 'cake' itself is that the Democrats voted unanimously against the Trump/GOP tax cuts.
When Pelosi infamously referred to the bonuses as "crumbs", didn't everyone notice that Democrats immediately distanced themselves from Pelosi? Here's the perfect illustration of the difference between crumbs and $1000 bonuses:
During the Benson-Greene debate, moderator Shannon Bream said that there's sure to be lots of ebbs and flows left in this race. That's true. What's equally true is that the last month of the campaign is utterly predictable. Republicans will run ads nonstop highlighting the fact that every Democrat voted against the tax cuts. Imagine the narrator stating "Democrats voted against pay raises, big bonuses and better benefits" before switching to a middle class couple thanking Republicans for voting for the tax cuts before explaining how his bonus let them start saving for their daughter's college education and how her raise is helping pay for a summer vacation. The ad would be finished by the GOP candidate saying "My opponent voted against you keeping more of your hard-earned money. I will fight for you, not the special interests."
. @guypbenson: "The Democrats don't have a messaging problem about the tax law. They have a reality problem about the tax law. They told us that this was a Frankenstein monster that was going to be the Apocalypse and the end of the world, and then that didn't happen." pic.twitter.com/djRZObuK0g
- Fox News (@FoxNews) February 21, 2018
The reality is that Democrats are facing a difficult endgame situation. Like Benson said, the Democrats made their bed. Now they can sleep in it.
Posted Wednesday, February 21, 2018 3:54 AM
No comments.
Billy Graham, RIP
This morning, America lost a person of utter humility and Godliness. Billy Graham, America's Pastor, died this morning at the age of 99. There will never be another man like him. Billy Graham's life should be a model for us all.
Rev. Graham was personable, gracious, humble and, most importantly, God-fearing. Because he worried more about living a Godly life, he was able to reach everyone. His message was simple: Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Jesus Christ.
During his life, he counseled 12 different presidents. It isn't a stretch to think that he positively impacted each of those men. Whether he spoke with politicians, pastors or regular people, Rev. Graham's habit was to treat everyone as though they were the most important person in the world. In doing so, he lived the Gospel message.
There's an old Christian saying that goes like this: Preach the Gospel wherever you go and, when necessary, use words. Thankfully, Billy Graham lived his life in such a way that, whether you knew him personally or whether you saw him from a distance, you knew that he was a Godly man. A staple of every Billy Graham Crusade was the hymn Trust and Obey . It was the perfect message for those great events. The hymn opened with this verse:
When we walk with the Lord
In the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way;
While we do His good will,
He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell issued this statement . This paragraph is especially well-received:
His kindly manner and unpretentious nature made him a trusted confidant to twelve U.S. presidents, reassuring generations of Americans that their leaders could count on this humble man of God for counsel and support. By standing right in the middle, Billy Graham could reach everyone.
Billy Graham should be a reminder to us all that humility, gentleness and a spirit of forgiving can turn ordinary people into great ambassadors for Christ. Mike Huckabee spoke to those things in this interview:
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I was fortunate to attend a Billy Graham Crusade in the old Metrodome in 1997. That Saturday night, he held a crusade for youth groups. Not only did he fill the Metrodome, which held approximately 75,000 people for those types of events, he had an overflow crowd outside in a series of parking lots, complete with Jumbotron monitors. The estimated crowd that Saturday night was just short of 100,000 people. I attended the Sunday night event. That night, the crowd easily exceeded 100,000 people. And what a night that was.
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Posted Wednesday, February 21, 2018 11:08 AM
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Walz's latest NRA flip-flop
It's apparent that Tim Walz will say anything to win the DFL endorsement for governor. This article is proof that, when it comes to governing principles, Walz doesn't have any.
Walz isn't a leader. He's a legislator, aka a talker. On the issue of gun violence, Walz said he'd "build new coalitions to 'finally end the obstruction, get the NRA out of the way and get us to the common-sense solutions that we all agree on, including universal background checks, a bump-stock ban and yes, after listening hard to Minnesotans, an assault-weapons ban in Minnesota.'" First, banning assault weapons isn't a solution. It's a PR ploy meant to make people feel like they've done something without fixing anything.
The reason why is because the 1990s definition of assault weapons is mostly about cosmetics. The 1990s definition of an assault weapon is essentially a semi-automatic weapon with a few cosmetic changes. If the definition of an assault rifle stays essentially the same, it'll be meaningless. If it's expanded, the Supreme Court will likely strike it down because it's too vague or expansive. That's the opposite of a solution. That's the definition of pandering.
Next, it's important to highlight how Walz insists that Minnesotans need to "get the NRA out of the way." How will Walz do that? The NRA isn't a nefarious boogeyman organization. It's an organization filled with people who feel passionately about protecting everyone's civil liberties while protecting their families.
Michael Graham's article sets the ill-informed straight:
Let's start with a basic fact about the NRA that seems to have been lost: The "A" is for "Association." As in "freedom of association?" Or "assembly" as it's called in the First Amendment. Some 5 million Americans choose to pay dues and "associate" with other like-minded people who share their views on gun ownership.
This distinction doesn't make the NRA good or bad, but it's simply wrong to look at them the way we look at, say, the National Beer Wholesalers Association when it comes to the issue of DUI laws. The NRA isn't the beer sellers. It's the beer drinkers.
The DFL can't win without its collection of boogeymen to vilify. Their arguments, like Walz's, are intellectually dishonest or incoherent.
Admittedly, more significant was the money the two groups spent promoting their cause and attacking their opponents, $15 million by Planned Parenthood and $54 million by the NRA. Both of those figures, however, pale in comparison to the $90 million California billionaire Tom Steyer spent on the 2016 presidential race by himself--his part of more than $2 billion in total spending on the Hillary vs. Trump battle. The NRA's contribution to Trump's election, $30 million - is about 1.5 percent of that total.
And once again - remember where most of that money comes from. Not from the profits of Dr. Evil's "Virtuecon," but from members and donations. Citizens who pay dues and write checks for a cause they believe in.
It's time to ignore show-me-the-money politicians. That's what Walz is. Show him enough money and he'll fight for anything. Literally:
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Posted Thursday, February 22, 2018 2:58 AM
No comments.
Sen. Bakk's political ambitions
While my constitutional position on Lt. Gov. Fischbach hasn't changed, Don Davis' article reminded me why I despise Sen. Bakk's political tactics. It's why Gov. Dayton didn't trust Bakk. According to Davis' article, Bakk said "he wants to time a lawsuit so the court can remove Fischbach as senator when Democrats can best elect a replacement for her in the central Minnesota district. If that happened, Democrats would take control. Fischbach said she is confident she can win her district again, if a court orders he removed from the Senate. But Bakk said Democrats have a candidate waiting who is 'a good fit for the district.'"
That good fit must be Larry Hosch. He's the only candidate who'd have a prayer in that district. If Hosch isn't the candidate, then Sen. Bakk is just blowing smoke. The DFL's bench in that district is virtually nonexistent. From what I've been told, Hosch's wife is from Paynesville, which would be important to winning a special election.
That being said, Hosch announce his retirement from the House the minute that Rockville was added to his House district in 2012. Rockville consistently gives the GOP House candidate 80% of their votes. The minute the redistricting map was announced, Hosch essentially admitted that he'd get his butt kicked if he ran for re-election. What part of that sounds like Rep. Hosch is "a good fit for the district"? What part of this looks competitive?
FYI- HD-13A used to be Hosch's district. He would've been lucky to lose by only 15 points if he'd chosen to run. Sen. Bakk can yap all he wants about good fits for the district but the numbers tell a different story. Whoever the DFL would run would get annihilated.
The point is that Sen. Bakk is either incredibly stupid or he's playing a game. I don't think he's that stupid but I might be wrong.
Posted Thursday, February 22, 2018 4:07 AM
Comment 1 by JerryE9 at 22-Feb-18 08:37 AM
Perhaps Forrest Gump could be enlightening, here. "Stupid is as stupid does." Liberals have reasons for what they do, they're just incomprehensible to us normal folks.
Comment 2 by eric z at 24-Feb-18 12:19 PM
Jerry, please. Do not call a pure opportunist a "liberal," anymore than I would call Newt Gingrich a "conservative."
Werner Herzog made a film, "Jeder fur sich und Gott gegen alle," which reminds me of Bakk and Gingrich.
CNN's scripted townhall
Apparently, CNN gave Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student Colton Haab a scripted question they wanted him to ask during last night's televised townhall. According to the article, "'CNN had originally asked me to write a speech and questions and it ended up being all scripted,' Haab told WPLG-TV."
"Colton Haab, a member of the Junior ROTC who shielded classmates in the midst of terror says he did not get to share his experience," WPLG's Janine Stanwood explained. "Colton wrote questions about school safety, suggested using veterans as armed school security guards but claims CNN wanted him to ask a scripted question instead so he decided not to go," Stanwood reported.
First, Colton Haab is a legitimate hero for saving his classmates' lives. If everyone put others' lives first like Colton, this nation would be infinitely better than it's currently in. This is Colton's indictment of CNN:
"CNN had originally asked me to write a speech and questions and it ended up being all scripted," Haab said. "I don't think that it's going get anything accomplished. It's not gonna ask the true questions that all the parents and teachers and students have."
What's required to make substantive changes that improve students' lives is to listen first. Let the people who just experienced something horrific talk. The panelists should first listen to the students and teachers before responding. Next, it's essential to answer on point rather than reverting to pre-scripted talking points.
This isn't about winning political points. It's about changing things so students and teachers are safe. Period. That's what Dana Loesch did in this CNN townhall meeting:
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CNN's ratings as a serious news outlet have been questioned. This will just add fuel to that fire.
Posted Thursday, February 22, 2018 9:46 AM
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The Democrats' tax cut dilemma
IBD's editorial highlights the changing political dynamics surrounding the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, aka the Trump/GOP tax cuts.
Initially, IBD highlights the Democrats' intention to run on the unpopularity of the tax cuts, saying "Writing in the Atlantic in December, longtime political reporter Ron Brownstein argued that 'President Trump and congressional Republicans have just taken the same leap of faith that Democrats did when they passed the Affordable Care Act.' He went on to note that after Democrats passed ObamaCare in early 2010, despite strong public opposition, the backlash from voters 'helped propel Republicans to the biggest midterm gain in the House for either party since 1938 and gave them a majority in the chamber they still haven't relinquished.'"
A funny thing happened on the Democrats' path to the 2018 bloodbath. Much to the Democrats' dismay, "the more people know about the GOP tax cuts, the more they like them. In fact, the latest poll from The New York Times finds 51% supporting it. That's up from 37% in December and 46% in January. Other polls, including the IBD/TIPP poll, have found similar shifts."
The Democrats' biggest problem is that they unanimously voted against the tax cuts . That means they voted against a bill that's increased wages, increased take-home pay, triggered $1,000 bonuses, bigger corporate contributions to 401(k)s and greater job security.
Candidates like Phil Bredesen will have to fight that stigma. The Democrats will be a weight around his neck now that he's jumped into the race. Good luck fighting those headwinds. The argument will be something like this: if Joe Manchin wouldn't vote for the Trump/GOP tax cuts, why should Tennesseans believe that Bredesen would've voted for them?
The other thing that Bredesen will have to fight is the fact that he's 74 years old:
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It just fits into the larger GOP narrative that the Democrats' bench is mostly old farts. It's difficult picturing a bunch of old farts as being change agents.
Posted Thursday, February 22, 2018 10:19 AM
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