June 1-5, 2012
Jun 01 08:23 U.S. economy slowing, job growth anemic Jun 01 13:33 White House on jobs report: Buck stopped at President Bush's doorstep Jun 02 16:50 Sargent Stupidity Jun 03 23:04 It's official: DFL worries about voter fraud at State Convention Jun 03 16:15 Wisconsin's snit fit Jun 05 04:54 Keith Elllison, Spinmeister Extraordinaire Jun 05 12:30 EPA plans to demolish coal industry, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio Jun 05 16:42 Dayton caves to AFSCME's, MAPE's contract demands
Prior Months: Jan Feb Mar Apr May
Prior Years: 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
U.S. economy slowing, job growth anemic
There's no way to sugarcoat reality. The U.S. economy created a paltry 69,000 jobs in May , leading to the U-3 unemployment rate rising from 8.1% to 8.2%:
WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. employers created 69,000 jobs in May, the fewest in a year, and the unemployment rate ticked up. The dismal jobs figures could fan fears that the economy is sputtering.
The Labor Department also says the economy created far fewer jobs in the previous two months than first thought. It revised those figures down to show 49,000 fewer jobs created. The unemployment rate rose to 8.2 percent from 8.1 percent in April, the first increase in 11 months.
Reuters' headline nails it:
Job growth falters in May
This information might be the most worrisome:
While unseasonably warm weather that brought forward hiring into the winter months has been blamed for the step back in March and April, the latest report hinted at more fundamental weakness in the economy.
It could further shake confidence, coming on the back of a raft of soft regional factory surveys and a worsening of the debt crisis in Europe. Data on Friday also showed China's vast factory sector lost momentum in May.
There's little about President Obama's economic policies to like. Some things are beyond President Obama's control, like China and the Eurozone. Still, if an economy is strong, it can weather international economic storms.
This economy isn't strong. Far from it.
Tags: President Obama , Unemployment , Jobs , China , Eurozone , Economy
Posted Friday, June 1, 2012 8:23 AM
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White House on jobs report: Buck stopped at President Bush's doorstep
In a pathetic sign of economic cluelessness, the Obama administration blamed President Bush for this administration's jobs problems :
Problems in the job market were long in the making and will not be solved overnight. The economy lost jobs for 25 straight months beginning in February 2008, and over 8 million jobs were lost as a result of the Great Recession. We are still fighting back from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.
What's pathetic is that this administration just argued that a full term in office isn't enough time for President Obama's policies to make a positive impact.
That's the same as saying that this administration's policies won't succeed.
Nobody's disputing the fact that the home mortgage crisis started a serious decline in the economy. It isn't seriously disputed that both parties played a role in that collapse. It isn't seriously disputed that President Obama's policies put a damper on the economy, too, with high gas prices, the Dodd-Frank regulatory nightmare and Obamacare leading the way.
Furthermore, saying that the economy "won't be fixed overnight" isn't needed. People know that this administration won't fix this economy. Doing the same thing again and again, then expecting different results is the definition of insanity.
To borrow a line from a TV advertisement, it's time to "stop the insanity."
Tags: President Obama , Accountability , Responsibility , Unemployment , Economy , Jobs Report , Blame Game , Democrats , President Bush , Mitt Romney , GOP , Election 2012
Posted Friday, June 1, 2012 1:33 PM
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Sargent Stupidity
It isn't news to say that Greg Sargent is a liberal shill. That's why it isn't surprising that he's written this post praising Bill Clinton and accepting as Gospel truth:
Bill Clinton, in his speech in Wisconsin just now, framed the recall election as a stark choice between unity and division, between cooperation and conflict, and between shared prosperity and right wing winner-take-all economics. Democrats on the ground in the state are very satisfied with Clinton's speech, and think he hit the right note to amplify their closing message.
President Clinton's speech might've pumped up the troops but it sounds like it didn't have much in common with reality.
President Clinton's message resonates with public employee union members, which are about 5% of Wisconsin's workforce and shrinking. Meanwhile, Gov. Walker's policies are causing people's property taxes to shrink everywhere statewide.
As a direct result of Gov. Walker's Budget Repair Bill, cities are cutting their employee costs without cutting employee benefits. They're doing that because WEAC Trust isn't able to rip taxpayers off with their high-priced health insurance policies that weren't subject to competition.
Meanwhile, cities and school districts and municipalities are able to keep teachers and public safety workers employed because of the decreased benefit costs.
It's worth noting that Wisconsin workers are choosing not to be in unions :
Wisconsin membership in the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees - the state's second-largest public-sector union after the National Education Association, which represents teachers - fell to 28,745 in February from 62,818 in March 2011, according to a person who has viewed AFSCME's figures. A spokesman for AFSCME declined to comment.
Much of that decline came from AFSCME Council 24, which represents Wisconsin state workers, whose membership plunged by two-thirds to 7,100 from 22,300 last year.
Gov. Walker was just on AM 1280 The Patriot with Mitch Berg and Ed Morrissey. Gov. Walker said that he had just been at a victory office. He said that there were teachers making calls for him. Gov. Walker sounded confident about turnout, confident about winning on Tuesday.
People are noticing that Gov. Walker's reforms are working. That's causing lots of people who voted for Tom Barrett in 2010 to vote for Gov. Walker in the recall election.
President Clinton can make all the lovely-sounding speeches he wants. They don't have a connection with reality. They aren't having a positive effect for Wisconsin Democrats.
Thanks to Gov. Walker's and Wisconsin GOP legislators' courage, Wisconsin's taxpayers are getting a well-deserved reprieve from oppressive taxes. Those reduced taxes are likely to translate into increased votes for Gov. Walker.
Tags: Bill Clinton , Recall Election , Tom Barrett , WEAC Trust , Unions , Democrats , Scott Walker , Property Tax Cuts , Balanced Budgets , Teachers , GOP
Posted Saturday, June 2, 2012 4:50 PM
Comment 1 by eric z. at 03-Jun-12 07:25 AM
I sure hope they recall the weasel.
That said, I agree there are too many speeches, both sides, and the speeches are inane, both sides.
How about a slogan:
SHUT UP AND VOTE.
Comment 2 by J. Ewing at 03-Jun-12 08:05 AM
Clinton is right in one way. So long as common sense and everybody-wins economics prevail, count on the unions to be divisive, violent, and noisy. Their political power is threatened, and what is best for everybody be damned.
Comment 3 by Patrick at 03-Jun-12 10:03 AM
Truth is they are recalling the wrong people - they should have recalled the 14 Liberal Dems that ran and hid in Illinois last year. I do have three strategies - leave if Governor Walker loses, leave if my State Senator loses or stay and go south for many months if both win. Either way I won't be paying any more taxes to this once great state.
Comment 4 by walter hanson at 03-Jun-12 11:55 AM
Eric:
According to your logic election day is in November. I guess that means you won't be posting until then since you're going to shut up and just vote.
Oh I guess you won't.
But Eric on a serious note you don't know what a weasel is.
A weasel are those 14 senators who instead of admitting that they didn't have the votes tried to stop a bill by not showing up and vote.
A weasel are democrats in Wisconsin (let alone the rest of the nation) for saying that Scott Walker shouldn't be able to serve out the rest of his term. I don't like Obama because of the stimulus, Obamacare, how he has played politics with national security, and other things, but I haven't once said he shouldn't be allowed to serve out the rest of the term. Thank God the ability to create damage to the country that he can inflict is going down.
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
It's official: DFL worries about voter fraud at State Convention
This weekend's DFL State Convention contained a scene straight from 'you can't make this up land':
Rick Varko, a delegate from SD-64 rose to make a motion to not allow absentee ballots to be counted at precinct caucuses. Here's his motion:
I move to strike Section 10, which allows for the option of absentee ballots in the presidential preference ballot.
After the motion was properly seconded, discussion on Mr. Varko's amendment ensued. Here's what Mr. Varko said about his motion:
I'm against this section for three reasons. One, I don't believe that the Central Committee can come up with any mechanism that will genuinely prevent somebody from printing out a stack of absentee ballots, submitting them and getting them improper votes for a candidate.
I agree that it's possible for a print shop to print out authentic-looking absentee ballots, then circulating them at precinct caucuses, the primaries or in a general election.
Later, Chuck Repke spoke against the absentee ballots, explaining:
I agree with the person who made the amendment. You're setting yourself up for absolute insanity at the caucus level. The potential exists for someone from the Citizens United type to pack our caucuses with bought and paid for ballots. Absolutely guarantee the destruction of the precinct caucus process. There is no way to protect against that, folks, because we allow anyone to attend the caucus. We would therefore also have to let any absentee ballot to attend our precinct caucuses, regardless of which Koch Brother paid for it.
It's interesting that he wasn't worried that ACORN would commit voter fraud. Mr. Repke was only worried about "Citizen United types" and the ever-looming Koch Brothers.
When the voice vote was taken, Mr. Varko's motion passed by a substantial margin. That's proof that the DFL is worried about voter fraud and that the system can be rigged.
They believe, rightly, that voter fraud is exceptionally possible without a Photo ID requirement. That's the only way to guarantee that the person getting the ballot is who they say they are.
Mr. Repke is right in suggesting that, without a photo ID, pandemonium is quite possible.
It's likely that the DFL will do its best to spin this but the motion was made, the discussion was held and the vote passed to protect against voter fraud.
The video speaks for itself.
Tags: DFL State Convention , Precinct Caucuses , Constitutional Amendment , Voter Fraud , Koch Brothers , Citizens United , Absentee Ballots , Photo ID , DFL
Originally posted Sunday, June 3, 2012, revised 04-Jun 5:04 AM
Comment 1 by Skip at 04-Jun-12 10:48 AM
It's not about fraud, it's about the brothers Koch. Long live the revolution'!
Comment 2 by Jethro at 04-Jun-12 12:07 PM
Isn't that something...now the DFL is worried about voter fraud. Priceless, just priceless.
Comment 3 by Patrick at 04-Jun-12 12:33 PM
Actually the liberals require photo ID for many of their gatherings but not for the one that really matters to this country. I for one will never trust the results of a close election again until we have real voter photo ID rules in place.
Comment 4 by walter hanson at 04-Jun-12 02:01 PM
I hope the group that will run commercials for voter ID will use that and in 2014 against Mark Ritchie.
By the way where is Eric claiming that voter ID is horrible?
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
Wisconsin's snit fit
For weeks, I've been refering to the upcoming election contest as a recall election. This post marks the end of that title. From this point forward, I'll call Tuesday's election as Wisconsin's snit fit. George Will's column provides the perfect context:
Like children throwing a tantrum against the rules of a game going badly, in 2011, petulant Wisconsin Democratic legislators fled to Illinois to disrupt the Legislature. Walker's reforms included restricting the issues subject to collective bargaining. This emancipated school districts from buying teachers' health insurance from a provider entity associated with the teachers union. Barrett used Walker's reform to save Milwaukee $19 million.
I wrote here that this fight is really a fight between people voting for the unions' collective bargaining rights vs. property tax cuts. That isn't a difficult concept to grasp. That's why there's been little said during this campaign about the unions' collective bargaining rights.
Much has been said, however, about how school districts and municipalities have benefited from Gov. Walker's Budget Repair Bill. Yesterday on the Wall Street Journal's Editorial Report, Collin Levey said that municipalities and school districts had saved over $1,000,000,000 as a direct result of Gov. Walker's reforms.
Couple that with union members opting out of paying union dues. By opting out of those dues, some members are saving $1,100 a year. Couple that with lower property taxes and some people have a big reason to smile.
So, Barrett is essentially running another general election campaign, not unlike that of 2010, except that the $3.6 billion deficit Walker inherited has disappeared and property taxes have declined. By re-posing the 2010 choice, Wisconsin progressives' one-word platform becomes: 'Mulligan!'
Though it's doubtful that Gov. Walker will defeat Barrett by 10-12 points, it'd be surprising if Gov. Walker didn't win by 4-6 points. Calling 'mulligan' just isn't a slogan people will rally around.
Finally, there's this stupidity:
The emblem displayed at some anti-Walker centers is an outline of Wisconsin rendered as a clenched fist, with a red star on the heel of the hand. Walker's disproportionately middle-aged adversaries know the red star symbolized murderous totalitarianism, yet they flaunt it as a progressive ornament. Why?
Are progressives insisting on getting the vast majority of independents, conservatives and TEA Party activists upset with them? That fist of solidarity with a Marxist star isn't the way to persuade people to vote for the progressive candidate.
In addition to acting like spoiled brats, Wisconsin's Democrats insist on aligning themselves with Marxism. That means they're aligning themselves against capitalism.
Good luck with that.
Tags: Recall Election , Tom Barrett , Collective Bargaining Rights , Unions , Dues , Membership , Fleebaggers , Democrats , Scott Walker , Property Taxes , Tax Cuts , GOP
Posted Sunday, June 3, 2012 4:15 PM
Comment 1 by Chad Q at 03-Jun-12 06:42 PM
Just think if the GOP here in MN weren't spinless and had passed right to work, we could be enjoying some of the same rewards as Wisconsin. Sadly, the GOP here in MN are really nothing more than spinless big talkers who say one thing (smaller government, cut spending) and then turn around and do the exact opposite and even throw in a stadium to pour salt into the wounds.
Comment 2 by walter hanson at 04-Jun-12 02:06 PM
Chad:
While it might be wimpy not to put it on the ballot (and I would've liked to see it on the ballot) keep in mind a couple of things.
One, if it lost in a presidential year (when was the last time Minnesota went Republican) that will kill it forever.
Two, they might have had more courage if Wisconsin had held their recall election and Walker won to put it on the ballot.
Three, unlike Wisconsin just putting it on the ballot won't make it law (see one)! Not to mention even if everything went right and passed the DFL will use it help elect Dayton or the democrat running in 2012.
And Four, a large majority of the DFL are in large safe districts. On the other hand the Republicans even in a good year are in districts that split about 50-50.
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
Comment 3 by eric z at 05-Jun-12 06:30 AM
Chad Q. The Minnesota GOP is anything but spinless. The pack has more spin than a Ferrari redlining the tachometer. More spin than the turbines at Grand Coulee Dam. More spin than a 747 fan jet.
Comment 4 by Jethro at 05-Jun-12 08:10 PM
...more spin than the DFL worried about voter fraud at their own state convention?
Keith Elllison, Spinmeister Extraordinaire
The first thing that comes across in this video is that Keith Ellison is an extraordinary spinmeister who's skilled in the art of building straw men:
Here's a partial transcript of Rep. Ellison's opening:
We have a big challenge in front of us now. When I think of the challenge, it is a challenge, it's simply a challenge between those of us who embrace community and those that say that you're on your own, those that believe that our government has a responsibility to make the rules fair, promote equality and protect us and those that believe that it's all about giving as much money as you can to the wealthy and taking as much as you can from the poor.
Rep. Ellison doesn't believe a word he said. He doesn't think that Republicans steal from the poor and give to the wealthy.
Rep. Ellison knows that his schtick is pure class warfare, which is what people who don't have appealing ideas resort to.
First, from a philosophical standpoint, "the poor" don't have enough money to rip off to make "the rich" wealthy. Small businesses don't sit around thinking 'how can I rip off the masses so I can be filthy rich'?
Only an idiot would think that. Keith Ellison isn't an idiot. He's probably corrupt but he isn't stupid.
Rep. Ellison's speech is classic progressivism. Progressives think that the poor need government to level the playing field because the rich are skilled at ripping off the poor.
Why don't progressives like Rep. Ellison ponder the possibility that the poor make too many wrong financial decisions? Why don't progressives like Rep. Ellison ponder the possibility that the poor make too many impulsive decisions that waste money?
The conservatives that I know think that people that make good decisions, that don't make impulsive decisions, will prosper if government a) provides basic services and b) gets out of the way.
Rep. Ellison didn't stop there. He had this to say about Photo ID:
If you look at America, our great country, we have seen an expanding right to vote, increasing the right for people to participate and to choose their government. And so, today, this voter ID bill is an ugly stain on our trajectory, on our right to vote, expanding the franchise for everyone.
Rep. Ellison apparently is excusing the DFL from staining their trajectory while expanding the franchise to vote. At the DFL's state convention, the DFL voted to not allow absentee balloting at their 2016 presidential straw poll because they worried aloud that there'd be voter fraud . That isn't speculation. That's captured on film forever.
Ellison can bluster all he'd like but the reality is that, if he wants to be intellectually honest, he'd have to condemn the delegates he's addressing for limiting the franchise.
Those delegates worried about voter fraud. Here's what Chuck Repke said at the DFL State Convention:
I agree with the person who made the amendment. You're setting yourself up for absolute insanity at the caucus level. The potential exists for someone from the Citizens United type to pack our caucuses with bought and paid for ballots. Absolutely guarantee the destruction of the precinct caucus process. There is no way to protect against that, folks, because we allow anyone to attend the caucus. We would therefore also have to let any absentee ballot to attend our precinct caucuses, regardless of which Koch Brother paid for it.
Chuck Repke admitted that the current absentee ballot system is vulnerable to voter fraud. While he didn't admit that requiring photo ID would fix absentee ballot voter fraud, that's the only change that will prevent absentee ballot voter fraud.
Rep. Ellison is a disgrace. First, he says outright that Republicans want to steal from the poor, who have nothing, to give to the rich, the people that have everything. Next, he suggests, unwittingly, that the DFL admitted the current election system is corruptible because it doesn't use Photo ID.
The reality is that Rep. Ellison would make a first rate carnival huckster.
Tags: DFL State Convention , Keith Ellison , Rochester , Class Warfare , Photo ID , Voter Fraud , Robin Hood , Straw Poll , DFL , Elections
Posted Tuesday, June 5, 2012 9:00 AM
Comment 1 by eric z at 05-Jun-12 06:21 AM
It is so reassuring that one can read the minds of others such as Kieth Ellison and let us know when false messaging is at play. Because what the man said makes so much sense that we are grateful to know he is false in advocating such a righteous and well rasoned path.
I await your writing that Mitt Romney is a spoiled rich brat that never grew up right, and wants to organize a mob of like minded folks if elected, to give those he is uncomfortable with a haircut. As he did in prep school, as he did in Bain.
A fog free crystal ball, Gary, must be a great thing to have.
Comment 2 by Gary Gross at 05-Jun-12 07:57 AM
Eric, don't be foolish. It's rather unbecoming.
How do you steal from someone with nothing? That's the definition of poor, isn't it? How do you give a morsel to someone who has practically everything?
Please tell me you aren't that stupid.
As for the Photo ID thing, did you know that delegates at the DFL State Convention admitted that voter fraud is quite possible? That's what Chuck Repke said when he said this:
The potential exists for someone from a Citizens United type to pack our caucuses with bought and paid for ballots.That doesn't take a crystal ball. It just requires a video camera to record Chuck Repke saying that.
That & the honesty to admit that you heard what Chuck said.
EPA plans to demolish coal industry, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio
The title to this post is definitely provocative. People will question it. This video verifies the validity of the title:
Here's the transcript from the video:
"But know right now, we are struggling. We are struggling because we are trying to do our jobs. Lisa Jackson has put forth a very powerful message to the country. Just two days ago, the decision on greenhouse gas performance standard and saying basically gas plants are the performance standard which means if you want to build a coal plant you got a big problem.
That was a huge decision. You can't imagine how tough that was. Because you got to remember that if you go to West Virginia, Pennsylvania and all those places, you have coal communities who depend on coal. And to say that we just think those communities should just go away, we can't do that. But she had to do what the law and policy suggested. And it's painful. It's painful every step of the way."
This is the 'indictment phrase':
"If you go to West Virginia, Pennsylvania and all those places, you have coal communities who depend on coal. And to say that we just think those communities should just go away, we can't do that."
It's like saying 'We can't admit we're killing their cities, their economies and their livelihoods, especially in an election year. We have to be secretive about our ultimate goal.'
This is politically damaging stuff to this administration, especially because it fits with what President Obama said during the 2008 campaign :
What I've said is that we would put a cap and trade system in place that is as aggressive, if not more aggressive, than anybody else's out there.
I was the first to call for a 100% auction on the cap and trade system, which means that every unit of carbon or greenhouse gases emitted would be charged to the polluter. That will create a market in which whatever technologies are out there that are being presented, whatever power plants that are being built, that they would have to meet the rigors of that market and the ratcheted down caps that are being placed, imposed every year.
So if somebody wants to build a coal-powered plant, they can; it's just that it will bankrupt them because they're going to be charged a huge sum for all that greenhouse gas that's being emitted.
That will also generate billions of dollars that we can invest in solar, wind, biodiesel and other alternative energy approaches.
The only thing I've said with respect to coal, I haven't been some coal booster. What I have said is that for us to take coal off the table as a (sic) ideological matter as opposed to saying if technology allows us to use coal in a clean way, we should pursue it.
It doesn't require a crystal ball to interpret Lisa Jackson's, Curt Spalding's or President Obama's intentions. It's their intent to kill the coal industry. That means killing coal towns in Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
That's where the political danger comes in. Each of those states are states that President Obama won. Those 4 states contain a total of 65 electoral votes. President Obama won 338 electoral votes in 2008. Subtracting 65 electoral votes from 338 leaves him with 273, just barely enough to win.
That means President Obama must hold every state he won in 2008 or he should start writing his concession speech.
At this point, he'd better start writing his concession speech because he's lost North Carolina and Florida, too. Those states have 15 and 29 electoral votes respectively. That drops President Obama's total to 229 electoral votes.
Anyone saying that President Obama is ahead in Ohio and Pennsylvania are right. For now. The minute Crossroads GPS, the pro-Mitt Romney PAC and the Romney campaign start bombarding those states with ads highlighting President Obama's past statements and current policies, President Obama's lead will disappear instantly.
Killing local economies is a great way to kill a president's political future. It couldn't happen to a more heartless guy.
Tags: President Obama , Lisa Jackson , Curt Spalding , EPA , Coal Industry , Mining , Pennsylvania , Indiana , Virginia , Ohio , Democrats , Election 2012
Posted Tuesday, June 5, 2012 12:30 PM
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Dayton caves to AFSCME's, MAPE's contract demands
Based on AFSCME's and MAPE's negotiating demands and the statement announcing a tentative agreement , it's apparent that Gov. Dayton finally caved to his union allies' demands. Here's what AFSCME and MAPE demanded:
The union seeks a two-year deal that looks something like this:
- No changes in health insurance plan design for levels 1 and 2
- Increase the maximum dental benefit from $1,000 to $1,500
- Maintain steps both years
- 2 percent wage increase effective July 1, 2012
-
$500 contribution to HRA on January 1, 2013
$500 lump sum
Here's the tentative agreement:
Today AFSCME and MAPE reached a tentative deal on a two-year collective bargaining agreement with the State of Minnesota. Highlights include a 2 percent pay raise beginning January 2013, plus step increases both years, with modest cost increases to employees for health insurance effective January 2013.
Apparently, the Dayton administration is hiding the details from the joint committee that has oversight on negotiated contracts:
Dear Commissioner Schowalter, Pursuant to statute 3.855, I am requesting copies of all recently negotiated labor agreements, including the settlements referenced in the media between the MAPE and AFSCME unions and the State of Minnesota. Please include any details and documents regarding wage increases, step increases, and any benefit term changes for the proposed contracts that have been approved by union negotiators. Sincerely, Mike Parry Chairman
If Commissioner Showalter won't provide copies of the negotiated agreements, then it's imperative to put pressure on him by calling his office demanding that he provide the pertinent documents ASAP. Commissioner Showalter doesn't list his office phone number but he has a contact page . Here are the names of the legislators serving on this oversight panel:
Senate Members: Michelle Benson Ted Daley Chris Eaton James Metzen House Members: Steve Drazkowski (Vice Chair) Mike Benson Keith Downey Leon Lillie Ryan Winkler
It wouldn't hurt to send a friendly reminder to Michelle Benson, Mike Benson, Ted Daley, Keith Downey and Steve Drazkowski that a) we demand transparency in union negotiations and b) a no vote rejecting the tentative contract is in order if Commissioner Showalter doesn't promptly produce the relevant documents. Furthermore, let the legislators know that it's appropriate to reject the tentative agreement if it isn't fiscally responsible.
Tags: AFSCME , MAPE , Jim Showalter , Mark Dayton , Unions , Negotiations , DFL , Oversight , Mike Parry , Keith Downey , Michelle Benson , MNGOP
Posted Tuesday, June 5, 2012 4:42 PM
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