January 1-7, 2014
Jan 01 06:11 Fundraising stupidity Jan 04 12:38 Atkins' MNsure dodging insulting Jan 04 15:32 Melissa Harris-Perry's apology Jan 05 10:39 SC Times tax policy debate? Jan 05 11:42 The Times does investigative reporting? Jan 07 02:47 Highlighting Harry Reid's anti-Democrat rhetoric Jan 07 14:20 Rolling Stone embraces socialism
Prior Years: 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Fundraising stupidity
Tuesday morning, I got this fundraising appeal from TakeAction Minnesota:
Dear Gary,
Around this time last year, we were emailing you a lot about moving from voting no on two terrible amendments, to saying yes to a state where all Minnesotans could thrive. We all had hopes and dreams of big changes that we could bring to the state. But I don't know if any of us could imagine just how big the year would be.
A step towards closing the racial-jobs-gap that begins tomorrow when employers are banned from asking about criminal histories on applications. The freedom to marry. Better health care for thousands of Minnesotans. The right to form a union. Housing justice. And on and on.
Pause for a moment to let that all sink in. The lives of our friends, our families, our neighbors, and our own lives are better because of the change people like you fought for and won this year.
Take a look at this video celebrating all that people-power made possible in 2013. Then share it with your friends. Give someone you know who made these victories possible a high five. And most of all, start dreaming big about what big change you can make possible in 2014 and beyond.
If there's one thing I learned this year, it's that when we stand together, we are truly unstoppable.
Happy New Year,
Dan and the whole TakeAction Minnesota team
P.S. No seriously, you want to watch this video. I got goosebumps and teared up when I first saw it.
If the TakeAction MN Dan McGrath is serious that he "teared up" when he first saw this video, then he needs psychiatric counselling:
Saying that progressives had opened a chapter on yes to forcing a unionization vote on in-home child care providers, aka small business owners, isn't something to rejoice. It's a sad moment when motivated, ill-informed people decided they had the authority to tell private sector employers that they were actually public sector employees.
One banner in the video said "Homes for all." That's something that sounds nice but it isn't attainable. It's impossible, in fact. The truth is that "homes for all" is a) nothing but a great campaign theme for poverty industry activists and b) a justification for another bureaucracy that we don't need.
I wouldn't brag about the "environmental victories" progressives won, either. Those 'victories' hurt the Iron Range's blue collar workers by preventing the creation of high-paying mining jobs. Bragging about preventing blue collar Iron Range workers from getting hired to work the mines is politically foolish. If members of the local United Mine Workers union find out that their DFL so-called allies find out that the Metrocrat elitists threw them under the economic bus, then bragged about it as an accomplishment, it isn't likely that they'd take that news well.
Likewise, saying that the DFL legislature wrote a bill that created MNsure and created a stronger "people's exchange" isn't something to brag about. I wrote here that the MNsure/Malmlov meltdown was Minnesota's top story for 2013. Saying that MNsure was an accomplishment isn't too bright from a marketing standpoint. As more people find out what a disaster the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, is, the more they'll turn against the people who supported Obamacare, aka the ACA.
This fundraising appeal isn't aimed at the public-at-large. It's aimed at the activists. Still, the video is the video. Once it's released, it's fair game for conservative activists to use TakeAction's words against themselves. That's what this post is about. If TakeAction wants to put this type of video together, I'll do everything possible in letting everyone know what they stand for.
Posted Wednesday, January 1, 2014 6:11 AM
Comment 1 by Patrick-M at 01-Jan-14 08:12 AM
Perhaps Mr. McGrath and all of TakeAction MN should visit Detroit. How quickly they forget the lessons of history. I remember when former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said "The problem with socialism," she once said, "is that eventually you run out of other people's money."
Now time to sit back and wait to watch the health care industry implode due to the socialists and liberals thinking they know how to fix it. Mind you I would prefer the health care system stay intact but I am afraid it might be too late.
Comment 2 by Jethro at 01-Jan-14 11:25 AM
I watched the video. The tears did not start to flow.
Comment 3 by J. Ewing at 01-Jan-14 12:33 PM
Absolutely frickin' delusional, they are. Calling them "improvements" is prima facie evidence. They need to be institutionalized.
Atkins' MNsure dodging insulting
Friday night, Rep. Joe Atkins, one of the DFL co-chairs of the MNsure Oversight Committee in the legislature, did his best to stick with the DFL chanting points. One of his chanting points was repeating the fact that Minnesota's health insurance rates were the cheapest in the nation.
It's true that the health insurance premiums offered through the MNsure exchange are cheaper than the premiums offered through other state-run exchanges or those offered through HealthCare.gov. It's equally true, though, that those premiums are more expensive this year than they were prior to the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare.
Another DFL chanting point that Rep. Atkins hinted at was that everyone agrees that these new policies have "much better coverage" than their old policies had. This is a point that Republicans should fight the DFL on because it's a fight they'll win with ease. The DFL thinks that better coverage means 27-year-olds having ambulatory coverage with their new policies. Another thing that the DFL thinks is better, aka more important, coverage is 55-year-old men and women having pregnancy care.
I'm betting most people think better coverage means lower co-pays or deductibles. I'm betting that they think better coverage means being able to keep the physician they've had for the last 15-20 years. I'm positive that people think better coverage means networks that include going to the same hospitals and clinics that they've been going to for years.
Rep. Tony Albright highlighted the fact that Gov. Dayton and the DFL legislature didn't provide the leadership needed to get through the crises MNsure went through. He especially highlighted the fact that the MNsure Oversight Committee didn't meet last fall even though MNsure had major data security issues.
That's fertile ground because, while April Todd-Malmlov was terminated, the DFL legislators haven't explained why they didn't hold any oversight hearings after the various difficulties were encountered. That's fertile ground because most people think that the DFL legislators on the committee knew about MNsure's problems but said nothing about it to protect Gov. Dayton from taking a major political hit.
One thing that's certain is that Gov. Dayton can't escape blame for this because a) he insisted on creating MNsure, b) he didn't speak out about fixing MNsure's problems until after the Malmlov vacation scandal broke and c) he was the primary chearleader for establishing the exchange.
It isn't difficult for most people to figure out that the person actively fought for the creation of the exchange should get blamed when the exchange has a series of major crises, including questionable prioritizing (running Paul Bunyan ads months before people could buy a policy) or taking a nonchalant attitude towards data security.
Posted Saturday, January 4, 2014 12:38 PM
No comments.
Melissa Harris-Perry's apology
Melissa Harris-Perry has given conservatives lots of reasons to criticize her. Chief among them was the segment about Mitt Romney's African-American grandchild. To her credit, Ms. Harris-Perry's apology is heartfelt:
Here's Ms. Harris-Perry's most impressive statement:
I am reminded that our fiercest critics can sometimes be our best teachers.
Tomorrow morning, Mitt Romney will be on FNS. It's pretty much a given that Chris Wallace will bring up this subject in addition to talking about providing security for the Winter Olympics and other topics. I'll be shocked if Mitt Romney doesn't accept Ms. Harris-Perry's apology with a forgiving attitude because that's who he is.
Finally, it's important to understand why Ms. Harris-Perry's apology is being accepted. She admitted that she'd acted like a jerk. She didn't try rationalizing what she and her guests did. She said that she's stepped across a line that she holds near and dear. She didn't use weasel phrases like "If I've offended anyone." Right at the start, she stated that she'd offended the Romneys and that her words likely caused pain for families "who've formed trans-racial adoptions."
I appreciate the fact that Ms. Harris-Perry apologized "without qualification" and that she said she'd intended to say uplifting things about this adoption. Ms. Harris-Perry deserves our gratitude for not dodging the issue and for being sincere.
Posted Saturday, January 4, 2014 3:32 PM
No comments.
SC Times tax policy debate?
The important part of this SC Times editorial is that it reminds people of a tax policy debate at the St. Cloud City Council chambers this Wednesday evening:
Please be part of the Times Editorial Board's 2014 Sales Tax Round-Table Talk set for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at St. Cloud City Hall's council chambers. If you cannot attend, please watch it online at www.sctimes.com.
Here's the information of who's participating as panelists:
- Myron Frans, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Revenue.
- Mark Haveman, executive director of the Minnesota Center for Fiscal Excellence.
- Beth Kadoun, director of tax and fiscal policy for the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce.
- Sean Kershaw, president of the Citizens League.
- Jeff Van Wychen, director of tax policy and analysis for Minnesota 2020.
Then it included this foolish statement:
As noted since September, the intent is to have a policy discussion, not a political debate. (That's a main reason there are no elected officials on the panel.)
Of course this is a political debate. Myron Frans travelled throughout Minnesota when he was appointed to be Gov. Dayton's Department of Revenue with the stated purpose of listening to people's ideas on tax reform. Upon returning from said travels, the Dayton budget proposal of 2011 was all about raising taxes. It didn't do a thing about reforming Minnesota's antiquated tax system.
In 2013, things got worse. Frans didn't travel the state pretending to listen to the uppity peasants about tax reform. Instead, Gov. Dayton just proposed a ton of tax increases. Then they hailed the biggest tax rate increases in Minnesota history as tax reform.
Technically, Commissioner Frans isn't an elected official. That doesn't mean he isn't a politician. He's the commissioner because he agrees with Gov. Dayton's philosophy of raising taxes.
As for Jeff van Wychen, he's from Minnesota 2020. There isn't a nonpartisan bone in his body. Again, van Wychen is a raise-taxes-first-last-and-always type. Simply put, he's a political hack. He isn't a serious tax policy analyst.
Notably missing from the list of panelists is Prof. John Spry. Prof. Spry has served on multiple tax policy study commissions appointed by both Gov. Dayton and Gov. Pawlenty. Simply put, he's the gold standard on tax policy analysis in Minnesota. If you want to have a serious discussion on tax policy, Prof. Spry should participate in that discussion.
Finally, the stated goal of making this a policy discussion is worthwhile. That being said, it's foolish to think that this discussion isn't slanted towards increasing taxes. There's no doubt that the Chamber of Commerce will advocate for repealing the B2B sales taxes. After that, the rest of the panel believes passionately in raising tax.
Please understand that I'm thankful that this discussion is happening. I'm thankful because it'll expose the DFL's tax increase agenda. I'm thankful because the DFL's special interest support organizations will be on the record about their desire to raise Minnesotans' taxes.
UPDATE: I just was contacted by Prof. Spry about something I said. Prof. Spry informed me that he "was appointed to the 21st Century Tax Reform Commission by Governor Pawlenty." Prof. Spry continued, saying "My consulting on the Tax Expenditure Review Report was the result of competitive bidding" and that the "other members of that TERR study team are also expert economists."
I regret publishing inaccurate information. I hope this new information clarifies things.
Posted Sunday, January 5, 2014 11:36 AM
Comment 1 by walter hanson at 06-Jan-14 11:33 AM
Sounds like an expert that should be there.
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
The Times does investigative reporting?
John Bodette's column contains a laughable statement:
It's a new year and time for your executive editor to outline goals and resolutions for 2014.
Keeping watch
Watchdog reporting and investigative journalism will remain my highest priority. My role is to help carve out time for our staffers to pursue investigative stories. We must have a commitment to training to build the skills of more of our staffers.
Those skills include holding public officials and those in power accountable. How your tax money is being spent and how effectively public programs function will be part of our efforts.
It's laughable to read that the Times' executive editor's highest priority remains to "pursue investigative stories." It's laughable because it implies that the Times has committed itself to doing investigative reporting. That's intellectually insulting. When it comes to St. Cloud State, their "investigative reporting" has looked more like pro-Potter stenography.
A perfect example is the Times refusal to cover the SCSU transcript scandal. While I've written extensively on the issue, their efforts have consisted of publishing an article written by an MPR reporter. They didn't even bother to send their education reporter to campus to dig into the story. At best, they might've asked Bernie Omann, Adam Hammer or Devinder Malhotra if there was anything to the story. When that Bermuda Triangle of Spinners said there wasn't, that was confirmation enough for the Times.
Had they read the MPR article on the transcript scandal, they would've noticed that the things that SCSU was peddling was BS. They would've noticed that the Omann memo talked about late drops and withdrawals. What the professors were worried about was totally different. They were talking about students who had taken a class, failed it, then had their grades deleted from the official SCSU transcript system. In fact, the students' participation in the class was deleted from the official record.
If the Times' reporters actually questioned Malhotra's and Omann's statements, they might've actually found out that SCSU has a serious problem with transcript corruption. They might've questioned this statement from the Omann Memo:
The most common reasons given for late withdrawals or drops were related to the student's health. Secondly, personal but non-health related reasons such as family death, relocation or finances. The third category for these requests is related to military service.
Had the Times asked Prof. Tamara Leenay if any of these things applied to the student she flunked in Organic Chemistry, they would've learned that none of the things Omann mentioned applied to her student.
The Times' articles on the contracts President Potter has signed have been almost nonexistent. They wrote one article about the police forces agreement signed between Mayor Dave Kleis and President Potter. Their articles on enrollment are little more than SC Times-provided stenography.
The truth about the Times priorities is that they've done little investigative reporting the last 5 years. If they get started now, it would represent a welcome change.
Posted Sunday, January 5, 2014 11:42 AM
Comment 1 by Patrick-M at 05-Jan-14 11:48 AM
Covering the bottom of a bird cage with the paper copy of the St Cloud Times would be an insult to the birds.
Comment 2 by Crimson Trace at 05-Jan-14 01:38 PM
Wasn't this also the 2013 resolution Mr. Bodette wrote last year at this time? Yes, indeed. No doubt the Times has dropped the ball on SCSU (grade transcript scandal, Coborn's apartments losing millions, university enrollments going down the toilet, the empty ISELF building, massive administrative travel, etc.). Come to think of it, I cannot remember the Times doing any investigative reporting by their own reporters.
Comment 3 by walter hanson at 06-Jan-14 11:29 AM
Gary:
You've been talking about the declining enrollment of SCSU. Maybe part of the drop can be explained by not counting the students who have failed from their classes and have withdrawn? That can explain why the other schools which I assume don't do this have had their drops.
Of course I'm not a real investigative reporter so I guess I just gave John something to do.
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
Comment 4 by Crimson Trace at 06-Jan-14 12:29 PM
Walter is talking about retention which any enrollment manager worth their salt will always monitor. Students leave for a variety of reasons from grades, money, family issues, to a change in interests. In the case at SCSU, Silence wrote this: http://www.letfreedomringblog.com/?p=15746
For Fall 2013, the percentage of the enrollment due to PSEO students has grown to an amazing 19.7%. I would be willing to just about bet anything that very few people on campus actually know that the percentage of headcount due to PSEO students is approaching 20% or one in five students!
When 1 out of 5 students included in SCSU's enrollment is a high school student taking a class or two, you've got serious problems.
Highlighting Harry Reid's anti-Democrat rhetoric
About 6 minutes into this video, Harry Reid said some things that Republicans should tattoo into Sen. Reid's forehead:
Here's what Sen. Reid said:
SEN. REID: The rich keep getting richer. The poor keep getting poorer and the middle class is under siege. This country can't allow the gap between the fabulously wealthy and those that are just getting by to let their incomes going up and the middle class going down.
A little history lesson is in order to emphatically drive this important point home. In 2009, the Democrats controlled (dominated might be more descriptive) Washington. They passed a pork-filled stimulus bill that didn't jumpstart the economy. Shortly thereafter, they passed a budget funding the government for the rest of FY2009. Since then, the budget blueprint hasn't changed. After the Democrats' shellacking in 2010, government has been funded through continuing resolutions. That means that, prior to a month ago, the government was funded by the Democrats' FY2009 budget.
In short, Sen. Reid's diatribe was unwittingly an anti-Democrat rant. He disparaged the Democrats' budget blueprint.
Here's another history lesson for the less-than-informed. As a youth, Harry Reid was an amateur boxer. It's possible that Harry took a few too many shots to the head during his boxing career.
As usual, Charles added the requisite clarity to the situation:
CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER: Look, I think when you heard Harry Reid talking, it sounded as if the Democrats had been out of office and were railing against the current administration. Income inequality has risen dramatically under this administration. The Fed, with the blessing of the administration, is pumping $1,000,000,000,000 a year into the economy, which goes right into the stock market...
I've said for quite some time that there's really 2 economies right now. There's the Wall Street economy, which is assisted by K Street lobbyists and the Democrats' crony capitalist policies. That economy is going strong. After all, it's impossible to do poorly when a) you're borrowing money without paying interest and b) you're getting the benefit of a well-funded army of K Street lobbyists.
The other economy is struggling. It's best called the Small Business Economy or the Main Street Economy. It's struggling because it's getting buried beneath an avalanche of regulations and tax increases. As the name suggests, this economy isn't doing well because they a) don't have an army of lobbyists or b) aren't part of the Obama administration's crony capitalist economy.
The DC suburbs and New York City are doing well. The stock market frequently hits new record highs. Meanwhile, people dealing with the Main Street economy are telling pollsters that they think we're still in a recession.
During the coming campaign, Republicans should highlight this fact daily. They should remind people that the Democrats' policies have been the policies that've directed this economy. Republicans should tell President Obama and Sen. Reid that, if they want to talk about income inequality, their first conversation should be with the man they see in the mirror each morning.
Posted Tuesday, January 7, 2014 2:47 AM
No comments.
Rolling Stone embraces socialism
Back in the day, Rolling Stone was a fun magazine to read. With the march of time, though, it's turned itself into a leftist propaganda rag. Check out the goals that it embraces in an op-ed:
Guaranteed Work for Everybody
Social Security for All
Take Back The Land
Make Everything Owned by Everybody
A Public Bank in Every State
Here's one of the silly things this Occupy Wall Street activist said:
Put another way: A universal basic income, combined with a job guarantee and other social programs, could make participation in the labor force truly voluntary, thereby enabling people to get a life.
That's what a total unicornist sounds like. This is another thing that the unicornist/socialist said in the article:
Imagine a world where people could contribute the skills that inspire them, teaching, tutoring, urban farming, cleaning up the environment, painting murals, rather than telemarketing or whatever other stupid tasks bosses need done to supplement their millions.
Let's eliminate the euphemisms from the paragraph. Here's what it would say:
Imagine a world where people could do the things they want rather than doing things that add value to society and the economy. Imagine if I didn't have to care what was important to productive people who've made money by creating products that people actually wanted. Imagine getting paid to do whatever I want and to not do anything I don't want to do.
Megyn Kelly and Ben Shapiro took the time to ridicule this clown:
One thing, though, shouldn't be ignored:
If that idea, or any of the others described in this piece, sounds good to you, there's a bitter political struggle to be waged. Let's get to work.
Yes, this guy is a crackpot. Yes, his ideas would fail if implemented. Yes, he has the intellectual heft of hand lotion. All that aside, the part to take seriously is that this is just an extremist's rant on the emerging Democratic campaign theme. NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio talked about addressing the non-issue of income inequality at his inauguration. Sen. Chuck Schumer, (D-NY), told George Stephanopoulos that Democrats would run on the issue of income inequality. (That's because they're running away from Obamacare, aka the Affordable Care Act the rest of this year.) President Obama said that addressing income inequality will be featured in his State of the Union Address.
When Democrats talk about income inequality, they'll be thinking of activists like this unicornist as being the foot soldiers for the cause. That's a pretty frightening thought.
Posted Tuesday, January 7, 2014 2:20 PM
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