February 21-22, 2011
Feb 21 08:35 Getting Lectured By a Fool Feb 21 12:57 Unions, Progressives Failing U of M Students Feb 21 18:11 Obama's Incredible Shrinking Base Feb 22 00:51 Freeman Makes My Point Feb 22 00:36 AFL-CIO Are Spoiled Brats Feb 22 08:27 Economy Heading for Double Dip Recession? Feb 22 14:04 Walker: 'Democrats' Flight Has Consequences' Feb 22 21:31 DFL Fuming Because Rep. Brod Most Qualified
Prior Months: Jan
Prior Years: 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Getting Lectured By a Fool
If there's anything that should be ignored, it's Tim Geithner lecturing anyone on job creation . That's the picture of absurdity. It isn't like anyone takes him seriously, especially on job creation.
Republicans' bill to slash federal spending this year would hurt efforts to spur growth and create jobs, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Saturday.
He was asked at a press conference following a Group of 20 meeting for his reaction to House approval of measures that will cut spending by about $61.5 billion from current levels in a move seen as a challenge to the Obama administration to show it is serious about reducing deficits.
The House action is expected to be stopped by Obama or Democrats in the Senate, but it points to a growing possibility of government shutdowns if a compromise is not worked out by March 4, when current funding expires.
"In our judgment, the continuing opposition...in the House would undermine and damage our capacity to create jobs and expand the economy," Geithner said.
Last month, President Obama declared in his SOTU speech that they'd "broken the back of the recession." The first Friday of February, the BLS reported that 36,000 jobs were created in January.
Meanwhile, Salena Zito's report offers a report from the real world:
An American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus sign guards the majestic National Trust for Historic Preservation building just beyond DuPont Circle.
The sign, like so many others Americans have seen along highways the past two years, proudly marks a spot where "Your government is at work for you."
"Maybe it's stimulating the grass to grow?" remarked a friend as we hustled down Massachusetts Avenue, seeing no construction in sight.
The sign has stood there for nearly a year. It provided no stimulus funding for the National Trust or its grass. But new sidewalks are being installed behind the building, said someone answering the phone at the Trust, and the District of Columbia Department of Transportation "has been working on it since at least July."
In other words, according to Obama administration spin, ARRA is a cornerstone to a thriving economy. In the real world, things are lethargic at best. The reality is that more people are questioning the Obama administration's economic team's expertise.
The economic team's track record is pathetic. It's a record of incompetence. It isn't difficult to make a strong argument that Geithner is the worst Treasury Secretary in recent history. That's saying alot considering Bush's forgettable Treasury secretaries.
That's why President Obama is facing an uphill fight for re-election. With it being unlikely that job creation will pick up anytime soon, President Obama will have to face the voters with high unemployment and virtually no economic accomplishments.
Considering the national mood, that isn't likely to be a winning strategy.
Posted Monday, February 21, 2011 8:35 AM
No comments.
Freeman Makes My Point
I've been fighting for Photo ID for several years now. Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman's op-ed proves the point I've repeatedly made: that voter fraud does exist and that it potentially could tip elections. Here's the part of Freeman's op-ed I'm pointing to:
In 2008, when more than 665,000 people voted in Hennepin County, 40 were charged with voting while a convicted felon, and three with voting twice.
Those 43 votes could've potentially defeated by state representative, King Banaian. King's certified margin of victory was 13 votes.
Freeman rightly says that "Illegal votes are exceedingly rare." That's the wrong benchmark. Statistically insignificant isn't the right benchmark. Electorally significant is the right way of measuring voter fraud's impact.
Those perpetrating voter fraud don't target lopsided races. They target the tightest of the tight races. They did that in Seattle in the 2004 gubernatorial contest. Ditto with the presidential race in Minnesota in 2004 :
Election Day is upon us. You are confirmed to volunteer with ACT (America Coming Together - http://www.actforvictory.org/) on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov 2.
We will be creating name badges that include your Ward and Precinct information for each of the thousands of volunteers that day to make it easier to find a volunteer to vouch for a voter at the polls.
I am emailing you to request your street address, city and zipcode. We've already got your other contact information, but your record in our database does not include this information.
You can save us time on election day by replying today to this email with this information, or give us a call at [phone number with St. Paul area code].
In order to get your badge correct, please reply by Thursday.
Thank you for your help and cooperation. See you on Election Day!
As far as we know, the fraud didn't happen but it was planned down to the final detail. ACORN and ACT have put plans together to commit either voter fraud or voter registration fraud. Isn't the question whether it's silly not to do things to prevent voter fraud?
Here's another way of looking at this issue. Not having a way of verifying voters' identities is essentially the deregulation of elections. If we're taking people's word that they're residents of that ward, that precinct, we're essentially saying that we don't care if they lie.
Would any other government agency accept a person's word that they're complying with the law? Address that reply to the IRS.
Further, this exposes as myth the notion that voter fraud is rare. If you can't verify a person's identity, it's impossible to authoritatively make that statement. Not relatively difficult. IMPOSSIBLE. How can you make categorical, unequivocal statements without having a way to verify voters' identies and locations?
Freeman's arguments are flimsy at best. They're the usual 'voter fraud doesn't exist' arguments that we've heard for years. As I've just shown, it's impossible to verify the accuracy of that statement. That invalidates the entire premise of the argument.
TRANSLATION: The DFL's argument is worthless.
Posted Tuesday, February 22, 2011 12:51 AM
Comment 1 by Peter J. Nickitas at 22-Feb-11 09:18 AM
This is a dissembling argument from someone who would dismiss the statistically signicant data showing racial disparities in every step of the criminal justice system, from citations to capital punishment, and who hopes for evidence that voter fraud elected Senator Franken and Governor Dayton. The writer's M.O. is plain: Keep people who do not look like you, or vote like you, off the rolls by any means necessary, and disregard the overwhelming evidence that the system benefits you at their expense.
Response 1.1 by Gary Gross at 22-Feb-11 10:14 AM
First, I'd normally delete bigotted statements like this because Mr. Nickitas doesn't present anything more than opinion.
Let's deal with Mr. Nickitas' statements one-by-one, starting here:
This is a dissembling argument from someone who would dismiss the statistically signicant data showing racial disparities in every step of the criminal justice system, from citations to capital punishment, and who hopes for evidence that voter fraud elected Senator Franken and Governor Dayton.Mr. Nickitas, should I ignore court verdicts? The laws are on the books for a reason. Felons can't vote until they've completed all parts of their sentence. Voting judges shouldn't be required to relitigate guilty verdicts. That's the courts' responsibility. Next, the elections are in the past. The system failed us because you can't uncast illegally cast ballots once they're part of the piles of accepted ballots. I didn't even talk about the hundreds of absentee ballots that didn't have signatures or that had improper signatures but were still accepted.
The law reads the way the law reads because it's an accountability issue.
Next, let's examine this bloviation:
The writer's M.O. is plain: Keep people who do not look like you, or vote like you, off the rolls by any means necessary, and disregard the overwhelming evidence that the system benefits you at their expense.The writer's M.O., aka me, is simple: I only want people who can legally vote to vote. If you don't like the laws, attempt to change them. Then again, the Franken & Dayton campaigns said that Minnesota's election laws are the nation's gold standard. (FYI- I don't agree since Minnesota allows same day registration & vouching.)
What's interesting is the fact that Mr. Nickitas hasn't said a word to refute my central theme: that there's no way to verify whether everyone voting is who they say they are without Photo ID. Any claims that voter fraud doesn't exist is an opinion, not verified fact.
As for Mr. Nickitas' accusation that I'm a bigot who'll do anything to win elections, I'll simply say that he's utterly clueless & leave it at that.
Comment 2 by Peter J. Nickitas at 22-Feb-11 11:37 AM
Sir:
I do not accuse you of being a bigot. You gave yourself the label.
You have no data to support the existence of voter fraud other than statistics on actual prosecutions.
Photo IDs are not the panacea you claim. Witness phony passports. Witness the fabrication of phony passports by the U.S. Government. Witness the phony IDs used to get a drink.
Will you support, or will you equivocate over, zero tolerance for wrongful convictions in the criminal justice system?
Will you support, or will you equivocate over, zero tolerance of racial profiling by government authorities, including police?
Minnesota, by the Minnesota Supreme Court's own admission in 1993, has one of the most egregious examples of a criminal justice system riddled with racial disparity. The racially disparate use of facially neutral felony convictions to disenfranchise African-Americans and non-Caucasians, and achieve by the back door what cannot be achieved by the front door on account of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. When the author of the blog addresses race in this manner, then I will say that freedom is ringing more loudly in this corner of the internet.
Response 2.1 by Gary Gross at 22-Feb-11 01:28 PM
I do not accuse you of being a bigot. You gave yourself the label.When you said that I'd "keep people who do not look like [me] off the rolls by any means necessary," what point were you making? If you weren't suggesting that I'm a racist, what was the purpose of your statement?
Photo IDs are not the panacea you claim. Witness phony passports. Witness the fabrication of phony passports by the U.S. Government. Witness the phony IDs used to get a drink.I agree that there isn't a single silver bullet solution. Still, without an ID, it's impossible to guarantee that the person voting is who they say they are, much less eligible to vote in that precinct.
Will you support, or will you equivocate over, zero tolerance for wrongful convictions in the criminal justice system?Wrongful convictions must be eliminated to the extent that it's humanly possible. PERIOD.
Will you support, or will you equivocate over, zero tolerance of racial profiling by government authorities, including police?No. There are times when race is a component of looking for criminals. If, however, you mean, am I opposed to police officers giving a black man an extra look in a certain part of town simply because he's black, then, yes, I'm against that.
The racially disparate use of facially neutral felony convictions to disenfranchise African-Americans and non-Caucasians, and achieve by the back door what cannot be achieved by the front door on account of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.So we should throw that entire part of the statute out? The law is what the law is. If you have a superior solution, by all means, speak up & let us in on your solution.
Comment 3 by Peter J. Nickitas at 23-Feb-11 01:42 AM
Sir:
Solution 1.
Admit the moral and legal wrong of racial disparity in the criminal justice system exists. See the 1993 Minnesota Supreme Court Report on Racial Justice.
Solution 2.
Require data collection by law enforcement officers on the race and/or ancestry of suspects seized, arrested, charged, detained, cited, or otherwise deprived of liberty. This entails enactment of legislation that ex-Governor Pawlenty and ex-Commissar of Public Safety Stanek opposed.
Solution 3
Report racial disparities in the judicial system publicly on all available public media.
Solution 4
Judges must stop making excuses for racially intolerant cops in probable cause findings. Throw judges out who do not.
Solution 5
Reduce sentencing disparities between crack and powdered cocaine to 1:1, as State v. Russell prescribes.
Solution 6
Decriminalize possession of small masses of controlled substances. The War on Drugs is a pretext for Big Government control.
Solution 7
Abolish the Department of Fatherland Security. See #6.
Solution 8
Repeal Public Law 107-56 (mislabeled Patriot Act)
Solution 9
Make firearms education compulsory in public schools, with an out for conscientious objectors.
Other issues to consider
a. Did the convicted felons who voted have driver's licenses?
b. Did the unlawful voters live in Mr. Banaian's district?
Response 3.1 by Gary Gross at 23-Feb-11 01:58 AM
I see that you're a member of the National Lawyers Guild. Aren't they the same organization that paid Lynne Stewart to represent the Blind Sheikh for being the mastermind of the original World Trade Center bombings? The Lynne Stewart who was the Blind Sheikh's conduit for getting his instructions out to other terrorists?
I see that you're a civil rights attorney. In other words, you see violations that don't exist. I'm shocked. Go away unless you have specific proof of your insinuations.
Comment 4 by Peter J. Nickitas at 23-Feb-11 01:50 AM
Sir:
Your column on Photo ID overlooks the most influential voter: Big Money.
Solutions:
1. Abolish corporate personhood by constitutional amendment.
2. Establish publicly funded mass media on the funding model of the BBC and Canadian Broadcasting Co. -- a tax on each radio, television, and computer to feed into a trust fund that pays for wide variety of programming and air time for political parties and candidates across the spectrum, to make unnecessary fawning, prostitution, and prostration before corporate Mammon.
3. Eliminate gerrymandering in municipalities, counties, and school boards by mixed-member proportional representation.
4. Establish a unicameral legislature elected by mixed-memer proportional representation that assures geographic representation across the state and political representation consistent with the total state electorate, subject to low thresholds, such as 3 - 5 percent, as seen in Scandinavia and Germany
5. Public financing of judicial elections, at least at the Court of Appeals and Supreme Court levels. Wisconsin and North Carolina have working models. Wisconsin has a working, winning model in addition to the Packers.
Comment 5 by Peter J. Nickitas at 23-Feb-11 09:16 AM
I am a member of the NLG.
NLG lawyers prosecuted Nazis for war crimes in Germany. My godfather was one of those lawyers. As a GI, he also helped to liberate Dachau.
NLG lawyers put people ahead of profits. Do you have a problem with that?
Response 5.1 by Gary Gross at 23-Feb-11 10:49 AM
NLG attorneys also assist terrorists. See Lynne Stewart. Yes, I have a big problem with that.
The NLG isn't what it once was. Unfortunately, from what I've about them the past 3-5 years, they're a cesspool of progressive causes. Yes, I've got a major problem with that, too.
Comment 6 by Peter J. Nickitas at 23-Feb-11 10:43 PM
Sir:
The NLG has helped to send Fascists to the Promised Land, or Valhalla for those of Teutonic persuasion. As I indicated earlier, I am most proud of the fact that my godfather helped to liberate Dachau, assisted in the prosecution of Nazi war criminals, and assisted in the rebuilding of German trade unions in Stuttgart and the surrounding area.
The NLG has its own martyrs, including legal workers Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner, and James Chaney, who were murdered by Klansmen in Philadelphia County, Mississippi during Freedom Summer of 1964. Their deaths helped to make the case for the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Their murderers were brought to justice four decades later.
As far as your tirades about NLG defending "terrorists," why don't you criticize lawyers who defend war criminals like Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Feith, Addington, and Yoo?
With respect to the original issue of voter fraud, why have you no comment on the U.S. Attorneys who lost their jobs in 2005 - 2006 for refusing to prosecute people for voter fraud, when there was no evidence of the same?
As another historic fact, Joe McCarthy of McCarthy Era fame began his final alcoholic descent into the next life when he attacked the General Counsel of the Army during Senate hearings in 1954 for having an associate who was a member of the NLG in law school.
"Have you no shame, have you no decency, sir?" General Counsel Welch demanded of McCarty, as McCarthy unraveled.
Even in death, McCarthy could not avoid the NLG. McCarthy's chief of staff, Roy Cohn, referred McCarthy to his Columbia Law School classmate to prepare his last will and testament. The lawyer who performed this duty was William Kunstler.
As far your blog goes, I note that Pennsylvania's lawmakers gave the Liberty Bell several new starts in life after the original bell, and its recast new editions, cracked. As the Liberty Bell received a second chance, and a third chance, and more in life to sing its tune, so shall you have the opportunity to sing your tune, sir, in spite of criticism or error on your part.
And you can bet a lawyer from the NLG will defend your right to communicate right down the line.
Response 6.1 by Gary Gross at 24-Feb-11 06:56 AM
As far as your tirades about NLG defending 'terrorists,' why don't you criticize lawyers who defend war criminals like Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Feith, Addington, and Yoo?Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz & Feith aren't war criminals. Only in the warped minds of beyond-the-pale progressives are they war criminals.
I don't doubt that the NLG once was a great organization. It's just that I'm confident that they're no longer a proud, sane organization because they've been hijacked by insane progressives.
Unions, Progressives Failing U of M Students
When I read this post on MPP, it was difficult for me to not laugh. Here's the part of MPP's post that was the source of my laughter:
In recent years, the spiraling cost of tuition has caused concern that the University is no longer fulfilling its mission as a land-grant institution to make higher education available to all residents. Working people need an advocate on the Board of Regents now more than ever. More importantly, they're entitled to one.
I just perused the U of M Charter , especially pertaining to Regents. There's nothing in their charter that demands a union representative sit on the board. MPP's whining in the perfect illustration of their thinking.
What qualifications does a union member bring to the equation that other people can't bring to the Regents?
The DFL's sense of entitlement is telling in that they're indicating that substantive qualifications don't matter, that identity politics is substantially more important.
That's nonsense.
This morning, I got a notice that the MNCRs will be holding a rally at the Capitol tomorrow. Here's the text of their statement:
COLLEGE REPUBLICANS RALLY TO RESTORE AFFORDABILITY AND FISCAL SANITY
College Republicans from across the state will join Minnesota Student Association representatives from the Twin Cities, Morris, and Duluth at a rally at the Minnesota State Capitol to support affordable tuition, and more importantly, fiscal sanity at the University of Minnesota.
"We are concerned about the lack of fiscal responsibility being shown by the University Administration, and the legislature must send a message to President-designate Kaler that the University must not balance their budget on the backs of students, blaming only the Minnesota Legislature,' said Tyler Verry, chair of the Minnesota College Republicans.
Citing ever-increasing administrative costs, specifically a study showing 30% increases from 2003-2007 alone at University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Duluth, and Morris, the College Republicans reject the notion that former Governor Tim Pawlenty and the now Republican controlled legislature is at all to blame for the soaring cost of tuition. Administrative increases drastically outpaced the increases in instructional spending during the same time period. The College Republicans believe the University chose to ignore the economic realities of the past several years and increase spending without regard to the fiscal climate in the state.
'Keith Ellison and other DFL legislators and activists will undoubtedly try to blame Minnesota Republicans for the tuition increases,' Verry said, 'but the fact remains that administrators across the Minnesota system have exercised zero semblance of fiscal responsibility and continue to pad their paychecks and create more bureaucracy that fails to help educate students. They pay for these spending increases by raising tuition. Cutting spending and slashing unnecessary administrative jobs will allow the University to save money, streamline their operations and keep tuition at its current level."
The press is invited to cover the protest.
The Board of regents sets policy for the U, including tuition policy and expansion policy. In that respect, they've failed students and families because they've let tuition costs spiral out of control.
Rather than trusting in an entitlement-based Board of Regents, I'd recommend that qualified people who care about families and students first be impaneled. This bunch certainly doesn't qualify as caring about families and students first.
Why hasn't the current Board of Regents, especially with the union member supposedly looking out for the little guy, kept tuitions under control? Is MPP's assertion more about perception than reality? It appears that way, doesn't it?
One thing that's certain is that new blood is needed on the Board. Laura Brod is a fiscal hawk and a reform-minded person. If she's on the board, she'll do everything physically possible to insure fiscal responsibility by an out-of-control institution. The policy debates will be exceptionally lively, too.
Laura's fiscal sanity message and her insistance that costs be kept under control will endear her to Minnesota's families and U of M's students.
That's who the Board really works for, isn't it?
UPDATE: Andrew Wagner of the MNCRs just emailed to correct me on what I posted. Here's the text of Andrew's email:
Thanks for that information, Andrew.
The event itself is being put on by the Minnesota Student Association as the "Rally to Restore Affordability", not by the MNCRs.
I strongly recommend that anyone living in the Twin Cities to attend the event.
UPDATE II: This needs to be exposed, too:
Candidates for the Board of Regents are recommended to the legislature by a joint meeting of the House and Senate higher education committees. The selection of the Board of Regents has been largely bipartisan....until this year.
In 2007, Gov. Pawlenty recommended 4 people for regent positions. The DFL legislature rejected 3 of Gov. Pawlenty's 4 recommendations. That was the last year in which the governor recommended regents. Shame on MPP for their slight of hand deception. Their statement should say "The Board of Regents has been largely bipartisan...except when it hasn't been."
That the DFL would try floating that lie is disgusting enough. That their media parrots would accept it as Gospel fact says everything about their media enablers' character.
Posted Monday, February 21, 2011 2:36 PM
Comment 1 by The Lady Logician at 21-Feb-11 05:31 PM
The DFL is ALL ABOUT Women and minorities....that is until we get in the way of their union masters and then it's "Back to the back of the bus for you..."
LL
Obama's Incredible Shrinking Base
Chris Stirewalt's article highlights something that I've noticed for several months. Here's what I'm talking about:
The Democratic Party's increasing dependence on public employee unions is a serious disadvantage in the political battles of today and the years to come.
Labor has always been the backbone of the Democratic coalition, but the collapse of America's industrial unions and the aggressive organization of well-paid government workers has caused a seismic shift in the party's composition. The party of steelworkers and coal miners has become the party of clerks and teachers.
This is just a snapshot of the Democrats' incredible shrinking base. What's more, the Democrats', including President Obama's, ability to attract people beyond their base is shrinking rapidly.
As their base shrinks, the importance of holding their base together increases exponentially. If even a tiny portion of the Democrat's base stays home, their election opportunities shrink quickly.
Part of why the Democrats' base is shrinking so fast is because they keep pushing failed economic strategies:
In August 2010, as voters were recoiling from deficit spending and Republicans were bashing Obama and his party as fiscally irresponsible, Democrats pushed through Congress a $26 billion state bailout package aimed at preventing government worker layoffs. Add that to the $160 billion that flowed to states from the 2009 Obama stimulus, and you see that Democrats have taken better care of state workers than probably any other group in the first two years of the Obama era.
Democrats argue that these subsidies are stimulative because they help prevent layoffs and trickle out into the larger economy as government workers spend their salaries. Maybe so, but that stimulus still involves taking money from one group of Americans (or from future generations of Americans) and giving to a select few.
Voters, especially independents, don't think these bailouts have helped the economy. Saying that they're skeptical of the Obama admininistration's strategy is understatement.
It's to the point that Obama's re-election chances will likely be determined in the next 8 months. If the economy isn't creating hundreds of thousands of jobs a month soon, the key issue of this election will be settled.
When he ran for U.S. Senate, Barack Obama said at the Democratic National Convention that we shouldn't see ourselves as red states or blue states but that we should see ourselves as the United States.
Based on his catering to the unions' wishes, it's safe to say that he's the unions' president and not much else.
He should be ashamed of himself.
Posted Monday, February 21, 2011 6:11 PM
No comments.
AFL-CIO Are Spoiled Brats
If there's anything more pathetic than liberals after not getting their way, it's watching unions after they didn't get their way. Late this afternoon, that's what happened. A joint session of the House and Senate picked Rep. Laura Brod rather than AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Steven Hunter.
Predictably, the AFL-CIO issued a statement whining about how working families wouldn't be represented on the U of M Board of Regents. Here's the text of their statement:
Leaders of the Minnesota AFL-CIO sharply criticized the Minnesota Legislature's decision to keep a labor representative off the University of Minnesota Board of Regents. This decision breaks with decades of tradition of giving labor a voice on the University's governing board.
'The campuses of the University of Minnesota play a key role in educating our state's workforce and driving business innovation,' said Minnesota AFL-CIO President Shar Knutson. 'It's just plain wrong that working Minnesotans will no longer have a say in how the University is run.'
Current Minnesota AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Steve Hunter has served as an at-large Regent since his bipartisan appointment in 2005.
Previous union leaders on the board have included Minnesota AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer George Lawson, 1933-1959; Minnesota AFL-CIO Executive Vice-President Robert Hess, 1959 - 1967; Minnesota AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Neil Sherburne, 1969-1981; Minnesota AFL-CIO President David Roe, 1981-1993; and Minnesota AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Bill Peterson, who served from 1993 until his death in 2000.
Today, the GOP-controlled legislature voted to replace Hunter with former Republican Legislator Laura Brod. They also appointed former Republican House Speaker and Pawlenty administration official Steve Sviggum to the board.
'Republican leaders have decided to take the partisan low road and reward their political allies,' added Knutson. 'The University of Minnesota Board of Regents governs a statewide campus system and should be representative of all who make our state work.'
My initial reaction to this is that the AFL-CIO are a bunch of spoiled brats. The AFL-CIO's statement is devoid of logic, essentially saying that they should have a spot on the U of M Board of Regents grandfathered in for them.
It's also insulting that they'd say only unions can represent 'working families'. (BTW, the term working families has been used instead of union households since the Clinton administration.) I wrote earlier that the U of M Board had let Minnesota's families and students down. What type of representation did unions provide during that period?
If they won't be part of setting intelligent policies, they don't deserve a spot on the board. They shouldn't be guaranteed anything if they aren't part of the solution.
I've known Rep. Brod for 5 years. If anything can be said about her, it's that she's a tireless worker, a reformer and a true problem solver. Simply put, she's overqualified for the responsibilities she's about to be handed.
Posted Tuesday, February 22, 2011 12:36 AM
No comments.
Economy Heading for Double Dip Recession?
After seeing this article , my first reaction is whether this news will trigger a second dip recession:
Libya is the world's 18th largest oil producer, pumping out around 1.8 million barrels a day, or a little under 2 percent of global daily output. The OPEC country also sits atop the biggest oil reserves in the whole of Africa.
With so much uncertainty surrounding a large chunk of the world's daily oil production, oil prices surged. Benchmark crude for March delivery was up $7.88 a barrel, or 9.1 percent, to $94.08 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
If oil prices don't stabilize, and quickly, this alone will be enough to stall out the economy. If that happens, President Obama can kiss his second term goodbye because he will have presided over a double-dip recession.
What's worse for him is that his list of accomplishments will be limited, to put it politely.
Rising crude prices are a particular worry for investors as they reinforce fears of inflation and raw materials costs. They also stoke worries of a big drop in global demand levels, as experienced in previous oil price shocks in 1973-4, 1979 and 2008.
They're a particular worry for presidents seeking second terms, too. This isn't just hurting President Obama in the theoretical sense. President Obama ordered the Gulf moratorium, which drastically shrinks domestic oil production. He's also put huge swaths of the mountain west and kept ANWR offline.
That alone could help Newt in nailing down the GOP nomination. His mantra for a year is already a bumper sticker. Repeating that daily against President Obama would highlight President Obama's unseriousness on energy issues.
Posted Tuesday, February 22, 2011 8:27 AM
Comment 1 by walter hanson at 22-Feb-11 04:51 PM
Gary:
He'll have the accomplishments of driving oil prices to over $100 per barrell since he shut down drilling for oil in the gulf.
That will secure the vote of Sierra club.
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
Walker: 'Democrats' Flight Has Consequences'
If Wisconsin Senate Democrats don't return soon, they will have forced Gov. Walker to terminate 12,000 workers . Their abandoning the state when they were needed the most isn't something Wisconsinites are likely to forget in November, 2012.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker warned Tuesday that state employees could start receiving layoff notices as early as next week if a bill eliminating most collective bargaining rights isn't passed soon.
Walker said in a statement to The Associated Press that the layoffs wouldn't take effect immediately. He didn't say which workers would be targeted but he has repeatedly warned that up to 1,500 workers could lose their jobs by July if his proposal isn't passed.
"Hopefully we don't get to that point," Walker said.
If Wisconsin Senate Democrats won't offer solutions, they're essentially tying Gov. Walker's hands. Thanks to their devotion to their union puppetmasters, Wisconsin Democrats left the state.
Wisconites understand that Democrats wouldn't be this devoted for any other group. They're starting to understand that the Democrats are only interested in you if you're part of their special interest entourage. Everyone else isn't a priority.
Public employees have said they would agree to concessions Walker wants that would amount to an 8 percent pay cut on average, but they want to retain their collective bargaining rights. One Republican senator also has floated an alternative that would make the elimination of those rights temporary.
Walker has repeatedly rejected both offers, saying local governments and school districts can't be hamstrung by the often lengthy collective bargaining process. He says they need to have more flexibility to deal with up to $1 billion in cuts he will propose in his budget next week and into the future.
That's why Gov. Walker can count on having Main Street Wisconsin on his side. Main Street will see as imperative the need to give school districts more flexibility. The more frequently Gov. Walker makes that argument, the more resounding his victory will be.
Posted Tuesday, February 22, 2011 2:04 PM
Comment 1 by walter hanson at 22-Feb-11 04:49 PM
I got a great idea on how to get those Senators back. The next time they're suppose to get a paycheck don't pay them. After all they aren't performing their job!
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
Comment 2 by IndyJones at 22-Feb-11 04:55 PM
If you really want to connect layoffs to the missing Democrats all you need do is layoff 100 to 500 state union employees for each day the Democrats are missing from their government duties.
Comment 3 by Amin Dada at 22-Feb-11 07:04 PM
Unions are the last thing standing between the serf/lord economy the Republicans would like to bring back and the America we've gotten comfortable with since FDR.
Republicans generally see themselves sittin' on their verandas, sippin' mint juleps and watching their field-hand serfs work their fields down below.
Response 3.1 by Gary Gross at 22-Feb-11 08:57 PM
Reading Dada's comment was painful because it's that stupid. At best, it might've been accurate 50 years ago. It isn't accurate anymore. It hasn't been for decades.
DFL Fuming Because Rep. Brod Most Qualified
Following yesterday's joint session of the legislature to pick 4 U of M regents, the DFL was fuming , essentially because they're spoiled brats, whining about how political the process was. At the heart of the matter was Rep. Laura Brod, who garnered more votes than Steven Hunter, the DFL's choice for the at-large position. Hunter is the Secretary-Treasurer of the MN AFL-CIO.
The choice of Brod, who replaced sitting Regent Steven Hunter, the board's only labor representative, also drew Democrat's ire.
Sen. Sandy Pappas , DFL lead on the Senate Higher Education Committee, said seniority and experience are important components for success governing the university . She called Hunter the "workforce of the board."
Long-time labor supporter Rep. Tom Rukavina pleaded with Republicans on the House floor to "give us one, just one," speaking of Hunter, an AFL-CIO leader.
"Don't turn back a tradition that has been around for over 75 years," he said. "Don't slap working people in the face."
Tradition is overrated, especially when you consider the fact that students experienced major tuition increases during Hunter's time in office. If Hunter and the other regents aren't holding the administration accountable, then it's right to fire them, Hunter included.
This shouldn't be an honorary position. What the AFL-CIO and Hunter and his supporters in the Legislature haven't done yet is explain in any detail is what the importance of having a union member as a regent. Who cares if it's tradition? Based on tuition increases, there's no proof that Hunter stood
for Minnesota's working families during his time in office.
I've seen Rep. Brod in action. If there's anything I can say about her, it's that I can't picture her settling for the status quo. I can picture her doing is fighting for the parents and students who are attending or who'd like to attend the U of M.
Based on what Hunter's history and what's likely to happen with Rep. Brod, I'll be surprised if things don't improve for students and their parents. If that's what happens, then Main Street Minnesota will be happy.
To those fighting for tradition, I'll just say this: It's about the accomplishments, stupid.
Posted Tuesday, February 22, 2011 9:31 PM
Comment 1 by Chad Quigley at 22-Feb-11 10:50 PM
Don't slap working people in the face?!!!! Is that not what public employee unions have been doing to working people for years?
Comment 2 by Sam at 23-Feb-11 10:46 AM
What does a Union Representative have to do with providing the best education.
As the Superintendent of a major urban school district said when asked about how his decision would effect teachers jobs, his answer: My duty is to educate students, not run a jobs program.
