November 17-21, 2017
Nov 17 10:34 Supreme Court, Gov. Dayton, disgrace themselves Nov 17 20:17 The DFL hates tax cuts, etc. Nov 18 08:51 Sen. Brown's economic illiteracy Nov 18 13:44 Rothman resigns as Commerce Commissioner Nov 18 22:42 LTE Alert Nov 19 02:10 Why MnSCU can't be trusted Nov 20 19:03 CAIR's nonstop propaganda Nov 21 10:32 Draining the swamp, St. Cloud edition Nov 21 20:00 Schoen, Cornish to resign
Prior Months: Jan Feb ~ May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct
Prior Years: 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Supreme Court, Gov. Dayton, disgrace themselves
After the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled in Gov. Dayton's favor, he tried spinning the situation as best he could , saying "It is time for us all to agree that this dispute has been concluded and resume working together for the best interests of Minnesota." The legislature quickly said, essentially, 'Thanks but no thanks.' They said that because Gov. Dayton negotiated a budget settlement in bad faith. Gov. Dayton pushed this lawsuit in his attempt to intimidate the legislature into caving on tax relief. Thankfully, the legislature didn't relent. Here's something worth considering, Gov. Dayton. The legislature worked in the best interest of their constituents. They did their best to enact much-needed tax relief while reforming teacher licensure.
The first thing that the legislature will do when the next session convenes on Feb. 20, 2018 is pass a budget restoring their budget. It will sail through the House and pass the Senate. That's when things get interesting. Will Gov. Dayton veto that funding, setting up a high-stakes showdown on an override vote? That's a lose-lose situation for Gov. Dayton. If he vetoes the funding, it's likely that he'll get overridden.
That's because I don't think it's likely that outstate DFL legislators will vote to end their political careers to sustain Gov. Dayton's veto. If the DFL legislators vote to sustain Gov. Dayton's veto, they can kiss their political careers goodbye. Republicans should portray each DFL legislator as representing Gov. Dayton first, their special interest allies second and their constituents somewhere down their list of priorities.
If Gov. Dayton signs the appropriation, he will have won a victory in court but lost the PR war. Pyrrhic victories don't make for great legacies. Either way, Gov. Dayton's victory will be short-lived.
Top legislative leaders are refusing to make key payments on a new Senate office building, an action that could hurt the state's credit rating, and they won't allow the executive branch to use nonpartisan staff to draft proposals. "I am not willing to bail the governor out," Republican House Speaker Kurt Daudt said Thursday. "He needs to own that."
This video perfectly explains what Gov. Dayton has done with his line-item veto:
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Republicans need to not let Gov. Dayton off the hook. Gov. Dayton is a lame duck governor who must be thinking about what his legacy will be. At this point, a significant portion of his legacy will be shutting down government once and calling special sessions to finish the budget. Will he want to preside over a downgrading of Minnesota's credit rating, too? That will be on him if he vetoes February's appropriation funding the legislature.
Each time Republicans have stood up to him over the budget, Gov. Dayton has lost stature while losing the fight. There's no reason to think he won't lose this fight, too.
Finally, the Supreme Court disgraced themselves yesterday. They didn't rule on whether Gov. Dayton's line-item veto achieved an unconstitutional result, which is the central question. They didn't rule on that question while pretending to exercise judicial restraint. They exercised judicial cowardice, not judicial restraint. They did that because they didn't want to hand Gov. Dayton a political defeat.
That's pathetic. Whatever it is, it isn't justice.
Posted Friday, November 17, 2017 10:34 AM
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The DFL hates tax cuts, etc.
It isn't a stretch to say that the DFL hates cutting taxes. Further, it isn't a stretch to think that the DFL doesn't understand economics. When Democrats, whether they're in the US Senate or the Minnesota legislature, complain about tax cuts for "the rich", I'm reminded of Ronald Reagan's cliche that you can't create jobs if you hurt employers. There's indisputable proof that companies are leaving the US for low-tax countries. Not all companies leave but there's no doubt that many companies do.
Yesterday, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that Gov. Dayton's veto of the legislature's operating budget was constitutional. At the heart of that fight is Gov. Dayton's hatred of tax relief. If Gov. Dayton understood the power of pro-growth tax policies, he wouldn't have objected to the Republicans' tax relief bill.
Further, after watching every DFL legislator vote against the tax relief package last spring, it isn't a dishonest statement to say that the DFL hate pro-growth tax policies. At what point will the DFL admit that pro-growth tax policies work? Will they ever admit that?
It isn't just DFL legislators that hate pro-growth tax policies. By now, most LFR readers have seen this fight between 'Uncle Orrin' Hatch, (R-UT), and Sherrod Brown, (D-OH), during Thursday night's mark-up of the Senate Tax Cuts and Job Act:
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Way to go, Uncle Orrin! That's what I'd call a beat-down! Beyond seeing Republicans fighting Democrats over the benefits of this pro-growth tax policy, that exchange is instructive because Sen. Brown said something totally stupid. Specifically, Sen. Brown said "And I get sick and tired of the rich always getting richer." Let me state this clearly. I can't imagine a politician saying something more foolish than that. Why wouldn't you want the rich to keep getting richer? If they aren't getting richer, that means that they aren't making a profit. People that aren't making a profit can't continue employing people.
I don't know who Republicans will run against Sen. Brown but whoever they run should run that clip morning, noon and night against Sen. Brown. I'd finish the ad by asking 'Was Sherrod Brown just gratuitously grandstanding? Or is he that economically ignorant?'
Seriously, how can a U.S. senator be that stupid? That's painful to watch.
Posted Friday, November 17, 2017 8:17 PM
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Sen. Brown's economic illiteracy
Sen. Sherrod Brown's economic illiteracy is frightening at the same time it isn't surprising. Sen. Brown's spirited exchange with Sen. Orrin Hatch revealed how little Sen. Brown understands about capitalism. What was particularly illuminating was when Sen. Brown said "I just think it would be nice, just tonight, to just acknowledge, well, this tax cut isn't really for the middle class. It's for the rich, and that whole thing about higher wages, well, it's a good selling point, but we know companies don't just give away higher wages. They just don't give away higher wages just 'cause they have more money."
Sen. Brown is either economically illiterate or he's dishonest. Either way, it frightens me that he's on the Finance Committee. It's disturbing that he doesn't understand what creates great economies. Brown has voted for some of the most counterproductive economic policies in recent history. Those policies have led to slow economic growth and stagnant wages. During the Obama administration, companies left the United States because of high tax rates and unreasonable regulatory burdens.
This isn't opinion. Since Trump took office, consumer confidence has surged, unemployment has dropped, companies have started investing again and the workforce participation rate has improved. That's because Trump has eased the regulatory burdens and promised competitive corporate tax rates.
At no time during the Obama administration did the economy grow at 3% per year for a full year. Right now, we're on target to exceed 3% economic growth in Trump's first year in office. If I'm forced to trust Trump's policies or Obama's policies, it isn't much of a fight. This was fun to watch but it wasn't much of a fight:
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Posted Saturday, November 18, 2017 8:51 AM
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Rothman resigns as Commerce Commissioner
Mike Rothman has announced his immediate resignation as commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Commerce. In a separate statement, Rothman announced that he will run for the job of Minnesota Attorney General.
MPR's Tim Pugmire is reporting "Mike Rothman is stepping down as commissioner of the Minnesota Department Commerce and plans to run for state attorney general. Rothman announced his intentions Friday in a resignation letter to Gov. Mark Dayton."
In his statement, Rothman said "Thank you for the incredible opportunity to serve the people of Minnesota. You placed great trust in me - and every day, I dedicated myself to fulfilling that trust by doing my very best to improve the lives of Minnesotans. I am very proud of what we have been able to accomplish together."
Frankly, Rothman was a failure because he was anti-commerce and because he did his utmost to kill the Line 3 Pipeline replacement project. Simply put, he's an environmental activist. Imagine the destruction he could cause as Minnesota's Attorney General. That's a frightening thought.
In his statement, Gov. Dayton said "For nearly seven years, Mike Rothman has devoted himself to protecting consumers, improving the lives of Minnesotans, and ensuring fair regulatory environments for Minnesota's businesses." Rep. Kelly Fenton wasn't that kind, saying "Commissioner Rothman's tenure was stained by his failure to protect Minnesota consumers and tax dollars. His poor judgment is well documented."
This KSTP article contains information that Pugmire's article doesn't have:
The news comes as the Office of the Legislative Auditor confirmed it had been asked to investigate actions taken by various DOC officials in connection to an investigation into an auto glass company a federal judge ruled was 'unjustified.' "As you may know, the case has involved considerable litigation that continues in process," legislative auditor James Nobles wrote in an email to KSTP. "The case is very complex, and we are reviewing all of the documents related to the legal proceedings at both the state and federal levels.
"In sum, we are at a preliminary stage, and our review will undoubtedly take us into next year. So, yes, we are investigating what happened in the Commerce/Safelight case." In that case, federal judge Susan Nelson ruled the DOC carried out an "unjustified" investigation into Safelite Auto Glass for its billing practices with insurance companies.
Nelson also said the DOC "initiated a baseless investigation against Safelite based on financially-motivated complaints from competitors." Further, Nelson said there was testimony from a DOC employees stating "an assistant commissioner made a 'deal' to provide information on Safelite in order to 'get Safelite out of Minnesota.'"
The last thing Minnesota needs is a crooked AG. That being said, Rothman wouldn't be the first crooked Minnesota AG. Mike Hatch blazed that trail long ago.
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Gov. Dayton's statement is predictable. It's also BS. Here's why:
In December 2011, Minnesota Commerce Commissioner Mike Rothman and Community Action of Minneapolis CEO Bill Davis stood side-by-side at a press conference to plead for more federal money to help low-income people pay their heating bills. As the pair made their case in front of the cameras, however, staffers inside the Commerce Department were struggling to figure out how Davis' nonprofit had already misspent more than $1 million in energy funds.
Commerce analysts had grown increasingly alarmed that money meant to aid the poor was going to people who were not eligible to receive it. Those staffers, who requested anonymity because they aren't authorized to speak, say the red flags raised in 2011 were the first alerting Rothman that Davis, his DFL political ally, was mismanaging money from the energy assistance fund run by Commerce. The warnings, they say, were repeated over the years but went nowhere. Rothman would not sever ties with Community Action. Several in the department say they were told the contracts would continue because "the political ramifications are greater than staff would understand," a characterization Rothman does not dispute.
Gov. Dayton, how can you say that Commissioner Rothman protected consumers or improved Minnesotans' lives while ignoring Community Action of Minneapolis' outright corruption? These DFL thieves stole money meant to pay poor people's heating bills.
Instead of paying poor people's heating bills, Community Action paid for a trip to New York City for State Sen. Jeffrey Hayden and his wife. They've since repaid the money .
Posted Saturday, November 18, 2017 1:44 PM
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LTE Alert
The St. Cloud Times just published my LTE about St. Cloud State . I still firmly believe that the leader that the University needs to turn things around lives in St. Cloud right now.
Also, I'm 100% confident that what's needed most is leadership. St. Cloud State doesn't need another do-nothing executive picked by a team of cronies. As I said in my LTE, MnSCU hasn't earned the benefit of any doubt. What's needed is a person with a plan and an understanding of where the political traps are set. Rest assured, too, that there are more than a few traps set on campus.
I've written extensively about St. Cloud State the past 2+ weeks and the last 5+ years. Check out the LTE to read my recommendations. There's a lot in there that would help the University get turned around.
Posted Saturday, November 18, 2017 10:42 PM
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Why MnSCU can't be trusted
Recently, I've written a few times that MnSCU (now renamed Minnesota State) hasn't earned taxpayers' trust. I don't see a reason why I should change that opinion. Steve Rosenstone, the man who led MnSCU from 2011-2017, was an abject failure. This article chronicles some of Rosenstone's failings.
For instance, during "his first five years, he's clashed with faculty unions and faced scrutiny over a lack of transparency." Also, Rosenstone's "signature project, Charting the Future", was hampered by "a secretive $2 million consulting contract with McKinsey & Co. undermined the effort when both faculty unions in 2014 stopped participating for four months." As a result, faculty "groups at all seven state universities that year voted 'no confidence' in Rosenstone."
The most damning incident in Chancellor Rosenstone's history was how he signed his contract extension:
Rosenstone's current employment contract also was approved in relative secrecy. Only the board chairman signed it in 2013, and some trustees didn't know about it until the Pioneer Press reported on the contract eight months later.
Trust me when I say that didn't go over well with the faculty. Why trust people that specialize in secrecy? Isn't it impossible to trust secretive people?
The fact that each of the faculty associations voted a vote of 'No Confidence' in Chancellor Rosenstone is disturbing. Equally disturbing is the fact that several student senates voted a vote of no confidence, too. In those votes, it was cited that Rosenstone treated the students dismissively. It's one thing to disagree with someone's point of view. It's another to treat them like their opinions didn't matter.
There's an interim chancellor running Minnesota State. Before he was the interim chancellor of the whole system, he was the interim president of Metropolitan State University. Prior to that, he was the failed provost at St. Cloud State. While he was provost, he tried hiding a transcript scandal from the faculty. It's impossible to trust people who try hiding things like that from the faculty.
Frankly, it's time to throw the interim chancellor under the proverbial bus. The trustees should scrap the search committee for the next president at St. Cloud State, too. The people of St. Cloud would do a much better job than that search committee will do. St. Cloud State must do better than getting another cookie-cutter president that's as incompetent as the last president. This video explains why St. Cloud residents shouldn't trust MnSCU's pick as St. Cloud State's next president:
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Diversity is a positive thing but it shouldn't be the primary focus. Excellence should be. Further, MnSCU spent $2,000,000 on a consultant who told them to rebrand the system and to change their system name to Minnesota State. No offense to Craig T. Nelson but that won't inspire anyone to attend one of MnSCU's universities.
Posted Sunday, November 19, 2017 2:10 AM
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CAIR's nonstop propaganda
This past weekend, there was an event where it was discussed whether there was a possibility of a repeat of the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II. The question this time was whether this might happen to Somali refugees. After reading this article , it isn't difficult to picture these panelists as propagandists.
I'm confident they're propagandists because the article starts by saying "As they say, those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. A panel of experts in St. Cloud is trying to prevent that. At an event at the St. Cloud Public Library on Saturday, the group will discuss the infamous presidential Executive Order 9066. The order allowed the incarceration of Japanese-Americans during World War II. Panelists will also discuss how U.S. history relates to today's anti-immigration policies and a rise in Islamophobia ."
The minute I read the italicized sentence, I knew CAIR was involved with this event. That was verified when the Times reporter wrote that "The event was organized by the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR-MN, and the Twin Cities chapter Japanese-American Citizens' League. CAIR is the largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization in the U.S. The group hopes to enhance understanding of Islam and protect civil liberties ."
That sentence is always included in any article that mentions CAIR. Actually, CAIR is more accurately described as an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Lands Foundation trial. A federal jury ruled that the Holy Land Foundation "was convicted on 10 counts of conspiracy to provide, and the provision of, material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization; 11 counts of conspiracy to provide, and the provision of, funds, goods and services to a Specially Designated Terrorist; and 10 counts of conspiracy to commit, and the commission of, money laundering." But I digress.
Here's the rationalization for the event:
Organizers say the panel is especially timely given a recent attempt by a St. Cloud City Council member to pass a moratorium on refugee resettlement in St. Cloud. The measure failed with a vote of six to one, with council member Jeff Johnson as the only yes vote. The council then reaffirmed a resolution they passed a few weeks before saying St. Cloud is a welcoming community.
Talk about spin/propaganda. There's nothing in Councilman Johnson's resolution that would've violated anyone's civil liberties. The thought that CAIR-MN would attempt to connect the Japanese internment of World War II with Councilman Johnson's resolution says everything about CAIR's motivations.
CAIR's dishonesty is showing. The definition of internment is "the state of being interned; confinement." The definition of moratorium is "a suspension of activity." This is classic CAIR fearmongering. There isn't a chance of Somali refugees getting put into confinement.
This is part of a campaign of propaganda. This LTE is filled with dishonesty. Check out this paragraph:
For the second time in two weeks, the St. Cloud City Council Nov. 6 overwhelmingly rejected council member Jeff Johnson's controversial moratorium on refugee resettlement. Twice now only Johnson has voted for his moratorium. Plus, after intense deliberation, the council Oct. 23 approved a resolution declaring the city a "just and welcoming community."
I watched the Oct. 23 City Council meeting. They didn't have a lengthy discussion on Councilman Jeff Goerger's resolution. Jeff Johnson was the only person who spoke in opposition to Councilman Goerger's resolution. During his presentation, Councilman Johnson quoted from the Refugee Act of 1980. There wasn't any mention of religion during Councilman Johnson's presentation. It focused on the relationship between the federal government, the local government and the placing agency.
To hear the propagandists from CAIR explain what happened that night, you'd think that hordes of angry white people had told reporters that they wanted to drive Somali refugees from St. Cloud. That didn't happen. Simply put, the CAIR propagandists are totally dishonest. Their propaganda shouldn't be tolerated.
Posted Monday, November 20, 2017 7:03 PM
Comment 1 by Dave Steckling at 20-Nov-17 10:17 PM
CAIR library event was a bust. Less than 30 in audience. If it was intended to enlighten local refugees, they didn't care since only one Somali attended. What a joke on CAIR.
Comment 2 by John Palmer at 20-Nov-17 10:28 PM
I listened to a recording of the Sat. event. When the CAIR representative was asked to denounce Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, he changed the subject and refused to answer the question. Hamas is a terrorist organization and the Muslim Brother is banned in many Muslim majority countries due to their connection to violence. (Think of the assignation of Anwar Sadat, President of Egypt). If a spokesperson for CAIR won't denounce terrorists and a movement prone to using violence, what does that say about CAIR? If it walks like a duck and sounds like a duck, it's probably a duck.
Draining the swamp, St. Cloud edition
John Palmer, a professor emeritus at St. Cloud State, is getting city officials' attention by participating in discussions that might lead to recalling members of the City Council.
According to the article, a "group of about 15 St. Cloud residents is planning to study the possible recall of elected officials after the 'continued denial on the part of the City Council and (a)dministration of problems created by the actions of Lutheran Social (Service) of Minnesota's resettlement of refugees into the city,' according to St. Cloud resident John Palmer."
Thanks to the City Council's arrogance, the citizens are getting fed up. When Councilman Johnson announced that he'd be bringing a resolution up for debate, he made sure each member of the council had a copy of the resolution well in advance. When Jeff Goerger presented his resolution for debate, it was sprung on Councilman Johnson during that meeting.
Each time Councilman Johnson responded to his constituents' calls for additional information on the costs associated with refugees, Mayor Kleis, the City Council and the County did their best to stonewall him. What these citizens didn't notice (either that or they just tried ignoring them) is that there's a substantial following that are worried about the financial impact refugees are having on their city and their schools. If these city councilmembers don't start listening, they'll get fired the next time that they're up for re-election.
Palmer has attended the last few council meetings and study sessions, and has offered to speak about Robert's Rules of Order, on which the council's rules of order is based. "The common element is to get answers about the cost to society relative to resettlement of refugees," Palmer said, adding that it frustrates the group's members that "none of the elected officials in the area appear to have an interest" in studying the costs.
While Mayor Kleis says that there isn't a cost associated with refugees, other argue the opposite. Don Casey stated "No one even knows for sure how many Somali refugees live in St. Cloud (or this metro area). All we know is Lutheran Social Services has settled a little more than 1500 -- a fraction of the actual count because the majority are secondary refugees who resettled here from other communities in the U.S. (Johnson's resolution didn't deal with secondary settlers.)"
Casey's argument is that it's impossible to know the costs so we shouldn't try getting to know how much it costs. What he's essentially saying is that we shouldn't care how much something costs if the government tries to hide the costs from taxpayers. That's stupid.
Posted Tuesday, November 21, 2017 10:32 AM
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Schoen, Cornish to resign
According to this article , Sen. Dan Schoen and Rep. Tony Cornish will resign soon, with Sen. Schoen resigning Wednesday and Rep. Cornish leaving " on or before Dec. 1."
According to the article "House Speaker Kurt Daudt and Majority Leader Joyce Peppin say they asked Cornish to resign." It then added a statement, saying "We asked Representative Tony Cornish to offer his resignation from the Minnesota House of Representatives. Over the last week, it has become increasingly clear his resignation is the most appropriate course of action for him, his constituents, and our institution. As House leaders, we will continue to take concrete steps to combat misconduct at the legislature and ensure a safe and respectful work environment for legislators, staff, lobbyists, and the public."
Cornish released his own statement, saying "As a proud former peace officer and longtime champion for public safety, I am forced to face the reality that I have made some at the Capitol feel uncomfortable, and disrespected. To those individuals and specifically the unnamed lobbyist , I sincerely apologize for my unwelcome behavior. 'I would also like to apologize to God, my family, my constituents, and friends for the mistakes I have made. After having conferred with family members, friends and advisors, it is with deep regret tonight that I am announcing my intention to resign from the Minnesota House of Representatives. I do so after reaching an agreement in principle with the unnamed lobbyist that has been mentioned. The agreement is basically that I offer the enclosed apology, and resign from my office, on or before December, 1st 2017 and that we both provide each other with a mutual release of any claims against each other now and in the future."
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Posted Tuesday, November 21, 2017 8:00 PM
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