May 1-4, 2015
May 01 12:14 Gutfeld: "Solidarity with whom?" May 01 17:42 Dogra's pony show officially ends May 02 02:24 Vikings strengthen defense May 02 19:18 Hard hitting Scott Walker report May 02 20:38 Rick Spielman's fourth round successes May 03 04:27 Exposing another DFL propagandist May 03 13:06 Move MN: let's fix transportation May 04 11:56 Gov. Walker's economic record
Prior Years: 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Gutfeld: "Solidarity with whom?"
Greg Gutfeld's monologue at the start of a segment of the Five raised some interesting questions that you'll never hear on CNN or MSNBC. Check it out:
Here's the heart of Gutfeld's diatribe:
Those empty stands were an empty stand for those who champion appeasement energizes those who pretend to champion the underclass when, in fact, they seek destruction. This isn't about race but radicals. Forget facts. They want friction. Radical idiocy abounds. You can't call a thug a thug but you can call the police an occupying force. This leads to imitators in New York blocking tunnels and traffic. Who does this hurt really? The man? Please. You're only hurting people trying to get home from work. But activists don't care. They're in this for themselves. Sure, a CVS burns but if you get your pills at a Brooklyn store, who really cares? They claim the protest was in solidarity but with whom? The people whose buildings burned but lost a senior center? A stadium's vendors who lost business? The solidarity was with other campus cretins who treat black suffering as a night time hobby, shouting at cops is their aerobic tantrum, recorded for their ego-stroking playback in their comfy, well-lit dorm, fanning the destruction just to say they were there. These are the casual collaborators of minority pain. They don't suffer the outcome. Their buildings don't burn but they get a neat story to tell their friends back home.
For the most part, the Baltimore riots weren't started by outraged citizens of Baltimore. They were orchestrated by anarchists sitting in other cities. It isn't coincidence that the night after the Maryland National Guard helped maintain the peace in Baltimore that protests erupted in New York City, Los Angeles and Minneapolis.
The anarchists simply shifted to cities where they'd likely meet less resistance from law enforcement.
This isn't about ending racism. The city of Baltimore has a large minority population. Their police force is mostly made of minorities. This is about opportunism. When Freddie Gray died, the anarchists knew that tensions in Baltimore would increase. Throw in a clueless mayor that thinks letting rioters riot with impunity is the best way to disperse the crowd. In the mind of the anarchists, that's the perfect opportunity to encourage anarchy.
The destruction of property and the rioting were the predictable outcomes.
Posted Friday, May 1, 2015 12:14 PM
Comment 1 by Nick at 01-May-15 02:07 PM
Anyone remember Kwame Kilpatrick former Detroit mayor? He didn't ever care about Detroit and was one of the driving forces for letting Detroit go into bankruptcy. Baltimore's mayor is very similar to him as she doesn't care about Baltimore and only wants to stroke her ego.
Dogra's pony show officially ends
Months ago, the Vikings football people (primarily GM Rick Spielman and Coach Mike Zimmer) made it clear that Adrian Peterson would finish his career with the Vikings by essentially saying that he'd either play out his contract with them or they'd put him on the involuntary retirement list.
According to this post , Ben Dogra, Peterson's agent, essentially cried uncle:
Adrian Peterson's agent is no longer saying he wants out of Minnesota. He's now saying he wants more money to stay in Minnesota.
Ben Dogra, who has previously said it's not in Peterson's best interest to stay with the Vikings, now says that he understands the Vikings will not get rid of Peterson.
'One of the things that I appreciate with the Vikings is their resolve to say 'we're not trading him,'' Dogra told USA Today. 'That tells me they value him not only as a football player, but what he's done for the organization. I actually, as an agent, not only appreciate it - I accept it. But actions speak louder than words. If that's going to happen, and you want to keep him, then show him a commitment to make him retire as a Viking. And I haven't had that solution.'
Simply put, that's what it sounds like to hear an agent admit he's lost this fight. Now it's time for the Vikings to welcome Adrian back, get him on the same page as QB Teddy Bridgewater and receiver Mike Wallace.
Adrian won't recognize the defense. They've improved significantly since his last game against the Rams. Last night, they improved the defense more by drafting the best cornerback in the draft in Trae Waynes of Michigan State. With 2 more days of the draft left, I won't be surprised if Spielman finds an offensive lineman or 2 plus a linebacker to improve the Vikings on both sides of the ball.
Check out Scott Wright's list of best available players for tonight's part of the draft. There are 4 players on Scott's list that would be plug-and-play guys with the Vikings, including 2 offensive linemen, on Scott's best available list.
Posted Friday, May 1, 2015 5:42 PM
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Vikings strengthen defense
Last night, the Vikings drafted Trae Waynes , the best cornerback in the NFL Draft. Tonight, the Vikings strengthened their linebackers, drafting Eric Kendricks , a linebacker from UCLA, with the 45th pick overall. Before making their pick in the third round, GM Rick Spielman traded down twice. First, he traded the 76th pick to the Chiefs for the 80th overall pick and the 193rd overall pick (6th round), then trading the 80th overall pick to Detroit for the 88th overall and 143rd overall picks.
With the 88th overall pick (third round), the Vikings picked Danielle Hunter , a raw DE from LSU:
Strengths Freakish combination of size, athleticism and explosiveness. Has long arms with jarring power behind his hands. When technique is right, he can stack and overpower tackles at point of attack. Fluid and agile in space. Uses length to bat down passes and disrupt the passing lane. Flashes winning spin move in pass rush, but needs to learn to set it up better. Uses arm-over inside move to set up tackles for loss. High-end tackle production for his position. Secondary motor to pursue and speed to chase leads to more tackle opportunities. Lead all SEC defensive linemen in "stuffs" (tackles for no gain or loss of yards) with 17. Active and energetic at all times. Continues to work to improve position vs. run and pass. Off-field character considered "squeaky clean" by NFL scouts. Has speed and agility to become special-teams star early in his career.
Weaknesses Relies heavily on his athleticism and motor over skill and instincts. Pass-rush production doesn't match the traits. Played 80 percent of the defensive snaps in 2014, managing just 1.5 sacks. Doesn't have the upfield burst and bend to turn the corner. Considered a "thinker" as a pass rusher rather than a naturally instinctive reactor. Must show he can effectively counter as a pass rusher. Has winning power in hands, but inconsistent with how he uses them against run and pass. Scouts want to see more competitive nastiness from him.
This highlight video shows Hunter's athleticism. He'll need some coaching up but he's got something coaches can't teach. He's 6'5", weighs 252 lbs. and he runs the 40-yard dash in 4.57 seconds.
Thanks to Spielman's third round trades, the Vikings will have the 110th overall pick (11th pick in the fourth round), the 137th & 143rd overall (fifth round), 193rd overall pick in the 6th round and the
228th & 232rd overall picks in the 7th round.
Those extra third day picks can be quite valuable. Last year, the Vikings got rotation players Shamar Stephen and Jabari Price in the 7th round, plus special teams player Antone Exum in the 6th round.
Here's what the people at Walter Football said about the Vikings' first and second day picks :
11. Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State: A- Grade
It was either Trae Waynes or DeVante Parker, and either would've made a ton of sense. But whereas Parker was the No. 3 receiver, Waynes was the top cornerback on the board. With that in mind, doesn't it seem like a huge steal that the Vikings were able to obtain the No. 1 corner in the draft with the 11th pick? This is a strong choice, as Waynes fills a need as a starter across from Xavier Rhodes. The Vikings had to find another corner to help them against all of the talented receivers on Green Bay, Chicago and Detroit.
45. Eric Kendricks, ILB, UCLA: A+ Grade
This is my favorite pick of the second round so far. Eric Kendricks is a first-round prospect. I had him going to Nos. 24 and 30 in various updates of my mock draft. He should've been the first inside linebacker off the board, so he's an absolute steal in the middle of the second frame. He fills a huge need for Minnesota in the middle of its defense.
88. Danielle Hunter, DE/OLB, LSU: B+ Grade
Danielle Hunter's draft stock was all over the place. Some had him as a second-round prospect. One team we spoke to scoffed at this, listing him as a fifth-round prospect. This range should be right for him. Hunter isn't much of a football player right now, but he has the athleticism to develop into a strong starter. The good thing is that Hunter doesn't have to play much right away. He'll have time to eventually emerge as a key player down the road.
If someone had told Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer that they'd pick their starting corner and starting middle linebacker with their first two picks, I suspect they'd be happy. If you'd told them that they got the best cover corner and best cover linebacker with those picks, I'm certain that they'd be more than a little happy.
Posted Saturday, May 2, 2015 2:24 AM
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Hard hitting Scott Walker report
Jazz Shaw's post about the 'scandal' that's finally going to take Scott Walker down is wonderfully sarcastic. Jazz quotes from a NY Daily News 'investigative' report:
Owe, no!Here's part of Jazz's commentary:
2016 hopeful Scott Walker has tens of thousands of dollars in credit card debt, owing money to a list of banks and stores including Sears and Barclays, a new report alleges.
The Wisconsin conservative Republican governor owes between $10,000 and $100,000 to credit card companies, The Daily Beast reported Wednesday, which cited Walker's latest state financial disclosure forms, filed in January.
There you have it. Walker carries a balance on his Sears card. We don't know how much it is: it could be $10K or $50k. But this is a verified, real reporter documented, printed on fishwrap fact, people! Why he might not have paid off the card entirely is pointed out by the Daily Beast, as Jacobson found. He has two kids in college, his parents live with him and he has a mortgage on his house. His net worth is the lowest of any candidate, coming in at a whopping $72.5K.Knowing Jazz a little bit, I know he'd appreciate highlighting, sarcastically, the fact that Hillary is the champion of working people because she's a Democrat. It doesn't matter that Hillary's spent time in a $1.7 million mansion in Chappaqua, NY when she wasn't spending time in a $2.85 million mansion in Georgetown, DC.
Wait a minute: I thought evil, rich Republicans were the problem because of income inequality and the inability to relate to real Americans with modest incomes and debt. Wouldn't this actually make him a good candidate? Apparently not. It just means he's not a fiscal conservative. And by that measure, there's probably only about 40,000 fiscal conservatives in the entire country.
The D behind her name is what matters. A woman who hasn't driven a car since the George H.W. Bush administration and who lives in mansions and whose family net worth is well north of $100,000,000 is down for the struggle.
Meanwhile, a Republican who drives a motorcycle, has a mortgage and shops at Kohl's is a mean-spirited, possibly evil person. Seriously, this type of article shouldn't be considered reporting. It's the progressive left's attempt to smear a good man for not following the Democrats' playbook to a T.
Old-fashioned liberals aren't welcome within the Democratic Party because the Totalitarian Left has run them out of the party.
Posted Saturday, May 2, 2015 7:18 PM
Comment 1 by Chad Q at 03-May-15 08:46 AM
I guess it's time for Walker to start a foundation so he too can become rich like the Clintons.
Comment 2 by walter hanson at 03-May-15 09:54 AM
Gary:
I wonder if Jazz knows that Hillary (at least before she announced for President) was able to go anywhere to give a speech for hundreds of thousands of dollars. It would've only taken a few of those speeches for Walker to clean up his debt.
I wonder if Jazz knows that mortgage on one of those houses was paid with a rent agreement for the Secret Service to have space on the property. You think the Clintons could've given the space for free.
I bet it also shows that Walker and his family make their decisions based on what they could afford to spend with current debt limits. I try to manage my spending based on trying to get my debt down which what I assume Walker is doing.
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
Comment 3 by Gary Gross at 03-May-15 01:12 PM
He knows those things. FYI- It would've taken 2 speeches, max, for Walker to pay off his bills.
Rick Spielman's fourth round successes
Scott Wright reminded me of something that I've meant to write about with this tweet:
The Minnesota Vikings almost always get good to great value with their picks. Love the pickup of Pittsburgh OT T.J. Clemmings in Round 4.
— Scott Wright (@DraftCountdown)
May 2, 2015
This year, the Vikings drafted T.J. Clemmings with their pick in the fourth round. While I'd be surprised if Clemmings starts this year at tackle, I'll be surprised if he doesn't replace Phil Loadholt at right tackle in 2016. According to ESPN's Todd McShay, Clemmings was the worst-looking tackle he'd ever seen in Division I in 2013. When he watched tape of Clemmings this year, McShay said he saw a totally different player.
The Vikings have a lengthy history of cashing in during the 4th round under Spielman. The Vikings have a bunch of players on their roster that they've picked in the fourth round, including starters Everson Griffen and Brian Robison, WR Jarius Wright and part-time starters TE Rhett Ellison and OLB Gerald Hodges.
First round picks get the fans' attention because they're high profile players. Bill Polian is right, though, when he says that the third-sixth round players are the backbone of most championship teams.
Posted Saturday, May 2, 2015 8:38 PM
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Exposing another DFL propagandist
This LTE was written by a DFL union propagandist. Here's the proof:
The plans proposed this year by the House Republicans may be the worst, most damaging proposals I have seen. Instead of continuing the work begun two years ago to rebuild our schools after a decade of divestment, the plans call for a giant $2.2 billion dollar tax giveaway for the rich and corporations. It gets bigger over time and will create a gaping budget deficit, while offering an increase in education that is so low it would result in cuts to our schools.
First, it's dishonest to call the Republican tax cut a "tax giveaway for the rich and corporations." I can't dispute the fact that the Republican tax bill includes tax relief for small businesses. Next, there aren't any tax cuts for big corporations just like there aren't big tax cuts for the Mark Daytons or Alida Messengers of the world.
Here's more progressive BS from the DFL:
This is a doubling down on the dark days of the 2000s, when we paid for tax breaks for the rich by balancing our budget on the backs of our kids.
The only tax cuts over the last 15+ years are the infamous Jesse Checks from Jesse Ventura's administration. It's noteworthy that the DFL controlled the Senate from 1972-2011, meaning that the DFL signed off on those supposedly evil tax cuts. Another thing that's important to debunk is that the Jesse Checks were "tax breaks for the rich", as the DFL propagandist insists. That isn't difficult. This article will expose the truth about those "tax breaks for the rich":
"In late summer, I get to stand here and say, the checks are in the mail."In other words, this DFL propagandist is lying through her teeth. This LTE was written by a professional propagandist. Here's more:
Ventura pushed for returning surplus money in the form of a sales tax rebate , which some Minnesotans have come to call "Jesse checks." This year, the average check is $512 for a married couple or head of household, and $232 for a single filer. State officials say all eligible taxpayers should receive their checks by Labor Day . But Ventura cautions that this may be the last year of rebate checks, since the state has cut taxes and the economy has slowed. "We are not bringing in the money that we used to bring in prior to my administration, and in light of that, and the economy, there may not be a fourth," says Ventura.
Two years ago, we finally made real investments in our schools. This gave many hope for our children's future and the future of Minnesota. We saw free, all-day kindergarten, schools previously relegated to four days able to go back to five-day weeks, and health care and services for families expanded so all can succeed.
Despite the "historic investment in education", property taxes in many school districts skyrocketed. What's worse is that the achievement gap isn't improving. That isn't reason for celebration. That's justification for worry.
Whenever the DFL uses terms like "tax giveaway for the rich and corporations", that's proof that they're spinning. It's proof that they aren't telling the truth.
Originally posted Sunday, May 3, 2015, revised 09-May 10:26 PM
Comment 1 by walter hanson at 03-May-15 09:48 AM
Gary:
Years before the so called disinvestment that the LTE writer is referring to Minneapolis was already spending over $10,000 a year and had a made a commit to small class sizes (the goal that people who for education want) and yet for years Minneapolis has had poor results in terms of test scores let alone graduation rates. So why would it work for the rest of the state.
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
Move MN: let's fix transportation
This ad from Move MN is typical DFL gimmickry:
Here's the transcript:
We hear a lot about fiscal responsibility but when it comes to Minnesota's transportation, some legislators in St. Paul are avoiding it. They've proposed a plan to fix Minnesota's roads and bridges and promise it will not cost you one red cent. It seems to good to be true and it is. The Minnesota House is relying on budget gimmicks that won't guarantee that our highways get fixed. Get the facts at MoveMN.org. Let's fix transportation now and let's do it right. Paid for by Move MN.
That's slick advertising. It opens with talk about fixing "Minnesota's transportation." Then it shifts to fixing "Minnesota's roads and bridges." It closes with fixing transportation now and doing it right.
The House Transportation Bill focuses on fixing Minnesota's roads and bridges. Move MN's goal is to raise taxes to pay for transit projects. These aren't the same goals. Republicans have correctly identified Minnesotans' priority as wanting to fix Minnesota's bridges and filling in Minnesota's potholes.
Talk to people in Alexandria or Albert Lea, Little Falls or Litchfield, Brainerd or Bemidji. Transit isn't a priority with them. They want their roads resurfaced. They don't give a rip about the SWLRT.
Move MN is the Ben Dogra of the transportation world. Move MN knows there isn't a groundswell of support for light rail projects just like Dogra knew there wasn't much interest in trading for Adrian Peterson so they tried to create the impression that there was interest.
That's failed. Apathy for light rail killed the chances for a tax increase. It's time Move MN admitted defeat.
Posted Sunday, May 3, 2015 1:06 PM
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Gov. Walker's economic record
Democrats have tried criticizing Scott Walker's economic policies as a way to argue he's unqualified to be president. This WSJ op-ed offers some statistics that prove Scott Walker's more than qualified:
Since February 2011, Wisconsin's employable population has grown by about 100,000 people, but the number of people employed increased by about 135,000. That means employment outpaced population growth significantly.
But how does it compare with national employment growth? One important measure is the percentage of the employable population that is actually employed, what the Bureau of Labor Statistics calls the employment-population ratio. The U.S. employment-population ratio has grown 1.5% since Mr. Walker took charge. Yet Wisconsin's employment-population ratio has jumped 2.5% - significantly more than the national improvement rate. Wisconsin is also gaining ground against other states. In February 2011 Wisconsin ranked 12th in employment-population ratio. It now ranks ninth.
In other words, it's pretty obvious that Gov. Walker's policies have Wisconsin heading in the right direction. Those aren't the only statistics that show his policies are working. Here's more:
Wisconsin's current 68.4% labor-force participation rate is particularly noteworthy because it represents an uptick over the past year from a low of 68.1%. Nationally, the average labor-force participation rate has declined to lows last seen during the Carter administration.
The national workforce participation rate is significantly worse:
Since February 2011, the national labor-force participation rate has dropped to 62.7%, from 64.2%.
The national unemployment rate has dropped because people quit looking for work. If the current LFPR was the same as it was when President Obama took office, unemployment would be 9%. Conversely, Wisconsin's unemployment rate has dropped because Gov. Walker's policies are eating into long-term unemployment.
Another thing that has to be factored into this equation is the fact that Act 10 has shrunk school districts' expenses to the point that they're hiring additional teachers and giving other teachers raises. That means Wisconsin is feeling the recovery. That isn't happening nationally.
Originally posted Monday, May 4, 2015, revised 05-May 1:23 PM
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