October 10-12, 2016
Oct 10 05:46 Dorholt's special interest bosses, Harner's insulting spin Oct 10 06:41 Vote-changing facts about Apollo Oct 10 10:07 Last night's biggest loser Oct 10 11:30 The DFL's MNsure solutions: MIA Oct 11 08:16 Hillary Clinton and banana republics Oct 11 09:09 Questioning school board candidates Oct 12 08:43 The DNC's den of iniquity Oct 12 09:34 Conceal-Carry saves more lives Oct 12 19:23 Dayton admits MNsure failed
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Dorholt's special interest bosses, Harner's insulting spin
Cindy Harner is the chairwoman of the SD-14 DFL. Suffice it to say that she isn't a stranger to spin. In this LTE , Ms. Harner opens her LTE by saying "Not sure your vote matters? In House District 14B there are roughly 18,000 registered voters. With over $1 million spent in the 2014 election in this district, mostly from outside interests, you can be sure your vote matters. Zach Dorholt is against this. He recently said 'It's irritating. I don't want any of it. I don't care if it supports me or is against me: people in our district they're angry, they're sick and tired of it.'"
Of course, Dorholt isn't telling the truth about this. He's bought and paid for by the DFL's special interests. When he was in the legislature in 2013-14, Rep. Dorholt voted for the forced unionization of in-home child care providers even though they wanted nothing to do with the AFSCME union. These in-home child care providers proved they didn't want the union by soundly rejecting unionization by a vote of 1,014-392 this past March. That's a 72%-28% rejection.
A quick glance at Dorholt's campaign finance report highlights the fact that Mr. Dorholt is bought and paid for by the unions:
Simply put, Mr. Dorholt's statement that he doesn't want special interest money is dishonest. He should be ashamed of himself for being this dishonest. Ms. Harner should be ashamed for writing this, too:
We have a slate of local candidates ready to make a change for the better. They have fresh ideas and a passion for improving things important to Central Minnesota - things like infrastructure, education funding and health care.
I won't trust these DFL politicians with health care. They're the idiots that ruined Minnesota's already-functioning health care system. Why trust them to fix a system that needs a transformation? Wolgamott and Dorholt aren't transformational people. They're agents for the DFL's status quo. They'll do whatever Rep. Thissen and Sen. Bakk tell them to do.
Further, these DFL candidates won't fight for roads and bridges funding. They'll fight for light rail transit, which is a total waste of money.
Posted Monday, October 10, 2016 5:46 AM
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Vote-changing facts about Apollo
The constant drumbeat from the St. Cloud Times and the ISD 742 School Board is that a) Tech is ancient and falling apart and b) we have to build a new Tech HS at the cost of $104,500,000. What they don't want voters to know is that Apollo a) currently houses the district offices and b) can hold 2,400 students if they were the only occupants of the building.
The Times and the School Board definitely don't want voters to know that the combined enrollment for Tech HS and Apollo HS for SY2015-16 was 2,715 students. They definitely don't want voters to know that enrollment is declining and is forecast to continue shrinking.
What that means
Those statistics mean that Apollo's campus will likely soon be able to hold all of the district's high school students within 5 years. That means that the School Board and the St. Cloud Times are pushing voters to spend $143,500,000 on facilities that won't be needed within 5 years. What's puzzling is that renovating Apollo would cost a fraction of that $143,500,000 and suffice in housing the District's high school students for the next half-century.
Decision time
ISD 742 residents have a decision to make. Do they want to spend $39,000,000 on renovating a facility that will meet the district's needs for the next half-century or whether they'll approve the building of a new Tech HS at a cost of $104,500,000 plus an additional $39,000,000 for renovating Apollo. ISD 742 residents will have to decide if they're willing to spend $104,500,000 on a building that isn't needed. ISD 742 residents will have to decide whether they want the accompanying property tax increases for the next quarter-century.
Originally posted Monday, October 10, 2016, revised 11-Oct 8:28 AM
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Last night's biggest loser
With all of the conjecture and opinions that surround each presidential debate, it's easy to find opinions on who lost the most as a result of last night's presidential debate. While it might be popular to say that Hillary was last night's biggest loser, I'd argue that Jonathan V. Last is last night's biggest loser. This article is a pants-on-fire diatribe that's demolished Last's credibility, at least temporarily.
One of Last's first credibility-straining rants came when he said that Trump "became the first presidential candidate in the history of our Republic to promise that if elected he would attempt to have his opponent face criminal prosecution. Actually, he went a bit further than that, telling Clinton that if he is president, 'You'd be in jail.' Which, by the by, should terrify you and be disqualifying all on its own."
Last's implication is clear. He's implying that Trump wants to deny Mrs. Clinton her due process rights by becoming judge, jury and executioner. What Last left out is the fact that Trump also said that he'd instruct his attorney general to hire a special prosecutor, theoretically to start a grand jury investigation into Mrs. Clinton's mishandling of classified and top secret emails on her private server.
It isn't surprising to know that most legal experts think that the fix was in to protect Mrs. Clinton because she's the Democrats' presidential nominee. When FBI Director Jim Comey announced that there wouldn't be a criminal referral to the Justice Department, he mentioned that after citing all of the damning evidence he'd accumulated during the FBI's half-hearted investigation. It isn't a leap to think that Mrs. Clinton would be wearing prison orange if her name was Hillary Smith.
Therefore, I'm not the least bit terrified by Mr. Trump's statement. Here's another statement that's questionable:
Which means that there wasn't really a "winner" at the debate. Clinton was terrible. Trump was marginally worse. But the big loser was the Republican party. Because the worst-case scenario for November 9 is not that Hillary Clinton wins - again, that cake is baked. It's that if the party does not cut Trump loose, then Democrats also take over the Senate. And carry the House.
I heard that BS last spring. The 'Trump is too toxic and he'll bring the GOP down with him' storyline disappeared. Contrary to Last's opinions, the American people are perfectly capable of differentiating between Mr. Trump and their senator and their congressman.
Saying that Trump is capable of taking down the GOP majority in the House is fanaticism that's totally unprovable. Last's statements aren't just lacking in credibility. They're lacking in anything remotely resembling substantiation.
If Last doesn't plan on voting for Trump, that's his right. It isn't his right, though, to make wild-sounding insinuations about a candidate's motivations, at least without demolishing his own credibility.
Posted Monday, October 10, 2016 10:07 AM
Comment 1 by eric z at 10-Oct-16 10:55 AM
Trump seems no worse a candidate than Romney; and Pence is about the equivalent of Ryan at the second spot. Each far, far worse than the top ticket candidate they matched. Did Romney hurt downticket? If so, I've not seen it reported. The likes of Jason Lewis, or Mills III will win/lose on their own character and merit; smart money betting on a loss that way, but one independent of Trump.
The DFL's MNsure solutions: MIA
The best thing that can be said about the DFL's solution to the MNsure disaster is that they're MIA. First, let's state clearly that MNsure is a financial disaster for Minnesotans. Heather Carlson's article highlights that fact by stating "Insurance company rates announced last week show that residents in southeastern Minnesota who are looking to buy individual policies will once again be faced with the highest premiums in the state.
There will also be less choice. Blue Cross/Blue Shield announced in June it would no longer sell policies in the state's individual market. That means there are two insurance plans left for individual consumers to choose from in southeast Minnesota - Medica and Blue Plus."
That's the bad news. The terrible news is that " Medica's rates will climb by an average of nearly 50 percent in 2017 and Blue Plus' rates will increase by 55 percent . Medica will also cap the number of enrollees it will accept statewide at 50,000."
Yesterday, I wrote this post to highlight Cindy Harner's quote about the DFL's candidates in SD-14:
We have a slate of local candidates ready to make a change for the better. They have fresh ideas and a passion for improving things important to Central Minnesota - things like infrastructure, education funding and health care.
Zach Dorholt's priorities page doesn't offer a solution:
As someone who works in the healthcare field I regularly see issues that if reformed, could make healthcare more efficient and affordable. Too many policies are made in St. Paul without the guidance of those who actually work with patients on a day to day basis. When elected, I will work to make sure that healthcare remains accessible and affordable to all of our citizens and that we get our fair share of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act from Washington.
That's a dodge if ever I heard one. What's worse is that it doesn't address rising health insurance premiums. It doesn't address shrinking insurance options. Dan Wolgamott's thoughts on health care are similarly evasive:
Healthcare
- Fight for Fair Prescription Drug Coverage
- Increase Efficiency to Ensure Low Cost and Positive Outcomes
- Leverage Health Care Technology to Assist Patient Care
- Support a Minnesota-Based Approach to Health Care Reform
This isn't how you communicate solutions, which is what's required. It's how to be evasive. I don't want evasive politicians. I don't take my car to a mechanic for him to work on it. I take the vehicle there to get fixed. I don't vote for politicians that don't offer specific solutions to the biggest problems. I don't care if politicians work on a problem if they don't fix the problem the first time.
The DFL hasn't offered anything resembling a solution to MNsure. That's why I won't consider them serious candidates.
Posted Monday, October 10, 2016 11:30 AM
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Hillary Clinton and banana republics
The hysteria over Donald Trump's quip to Hillary that she'd "be in jail" is frightening because it's coming from across the political spectrum. From Vox to Charles Krauthammer, the cries that Trump wants to implement a banana republic system of justice is simply deafening. Bre Payton's article highlights the flawed logic of that hysteria, saying "They seem to be forgetting that throwing the book at one's political opponents is what Democrats do all the time. Here's 16 times Democrats tried to prosecute their opponents for political gain, not justice."
She then cites David Daleiden as her first example, saying "After publishing undercover footage of Planned Parenthood harvesting organs from the bodies of aborted babies and discussing agreements to sell those baby organs, Daleiden became public enemy number one for Democrats. A Texas district attorney tried to charge Daleiden and his investigative partner for organ trafficking, a misdemeanor, and tampering with a government record, a felony."
Then she noted this:
California Attorney General Kamala Harris, who had Daleiden's home raided after the videos emerged, had financial ties with Planned Parenthood .
Charles Krauthammer's rant was frightening, too:
As we're seeing, we aren't living in polite society. The institutions of government got exposed as corrupted with the FBI's faux investigation of Mrs. Clinton. Trump simply said what's on the minds of most conservatives: that Mrs. Clinton would be in jail if the FBI had conducted a thorough investigation.
That isn't proof that Trump wants to create a banana republic. It's an expression of frustration by the people that they don't trust government to do the right thing.
Posted Tuesday, October 11, 2016 8:16 AM
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Questioning school board candidates
I haven't hidden the fact that I'm voting against the St. Cloud Tech bonding referendum because the School Board started with a vision of a new school rather than doing its homework on whether a new school building is needed. I think I was clear in stating that the only school board candidate asking the right questions was John Palmer. Now it's time to talk about what questions voters should ask the school board candidates.
First , it's important to ask each candidate why they're supporting the building of a new Tech HS. Tell the candidates that if they say something generic like 'we have to invest in education' or 'Tech is 100 years old' will disqualify them from getting your vote. These aren't reasons. They're empty platitudes. We already have enough School Board members who speak in empty platitudes.
It's worth noting that anyone who speaks in these empty platitudes isn't willing to do the work of providing legitimate oversight on the District's finances. Speaking in empty platitudes is proof that they're part of the education community, the equivalent of the GOP establishment. That type of groupthink isn't what's needed.
Next , it's important to ask each candidate what the high school enrollment is for ISD 742 and what it's projected to be for 2020. If the candidate can't answer, that should be eliminate them from getting your vote. If that candidate doesn't know that the District's enrollment is shrinking, they aren't fiscally conservative enough to properly manage a school budget.
Finally , if only one candidate answers the questions thoughtfully, then you should only vote for that candidate. Candidates need to earn your vote. Sending that signal to the education community will let them know that you expect substantive, responsive representation.
Originally posted Tuesday, October 11, 2016, revised 12-Oct 7:22 PM
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The DNC's den of iniquity
This summer, the Democratic Party faced a moment of truth right before their convention when they fired Debbie Wasserman-Schultz as their chair of the DNC. The woman picked to be the DNC's interim chair, Donna Brazile, is apparently just as unprincipled as Ms. Wasserman-Schultz .
This article highlights the fact that the upper echelon of the DNC was on a mission to elect Hillary regardless of what they had to do. What's telling is the paragraph that says "The Democratic National Committee is 'clearing a path' for Hillary Clinton to be its presidential nominee because its upper power echelons are populated with women , according to a female committee member who was in Las Vegas for Tuesday's primary debate. Speaking on the condition that she isn't identified, she told Daily Mail Online that the party is in the tank for Clinton, and the women who run the organization decided it 'early on.'"
Thanks to the Daily Caller's article on the latest Wikileaks dump, we now know that Donna Brazile, the interim chair of the DNC, is corrupt, too:
Donna Brazile, the current head of the Democratic National Committee, appears to have tipped the Clinton campaign off to a question about the death penalty that was going to be asked during a CNN town hall in March, newly released emails show. "From time to time I get the questions in advance," Brazile wrote in an email to Clinton campaign communications director Jennifer Palmieri on March 12.
Clinton Syndrome is already setting in. The chief symptom of Clinton Syndrome is the feeling for the need to take a long, hot shower after listening to the Clintons or their Clintonistas speak. Donna Brazile is definitely a Clintonista because she's been part of a cabal to do whatever it takes to get Mrs. Clinton elected. Further, I feel the need for a long, hot shower after reading what Ms. Brazile has done to get Mrs. Clinton elected.
First, Ms. Brazile, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and Debbie Wasserman-Schultz rigged the Democratic primaries and Democratic presidential debates so Bernie Sanders couldn't win. They scheduled the debates on Saturday nights so Bernie Sanders couldn't gain name recognition. Next, they limited the number of debates, which protected Hillary from gaffes. (A political gaffe is, by definition, when you "accidentally tell the truth.")
Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are right. The system is rigged. What they didn't get right, though, is that it's the Democrats that rigged their presidential primaries so they didn't have a chance. That's thank directly to the actions Ms. Brazile and the DNC took.
Originally posted Wednesday, October 12, 2016, revised 02-Nov 8:59 AM
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Conceal-Carry saves more lives
I'd love to shove this article up the gun grabbers' tailpipe. It's proof that conceal-carry permits save lives. This isn't shocking to anyone with a willingness to examine reality but it's a stunning setback to the ideological purists that Democratic Party.
According to the article, a "22-year-old man with a permit to carry stopped a possible assault in a Wal-Mart parking lot on Wednesday, according to the St. Cloud Police Department. Officers were told a 22-year-old man and 22-year-old woman were walking to their car in the parking lot when they were approached by a man who would later be identified as Philip Keys, 30, of St. Cloud. Keys was dragging a baseball bat and asked them if they had ever been hit on the head by one. At that point the two victims began to walk away, but the report indicates Keys approached them and held the bat as though he was going to attack. The male victim holds a permit to carry and was carrying at the time, police said. The male victim pointed the handgun at the suspect and told him to drop the bat. Keys dropped the bat and laid down on the ground before getting up and walking away."
This paragraph is likely to have Democrats seeing red:
No shots were fired and neither of the victims were injured, police said.
In other words, the robbery was stopped and the would-be victims walked away without a scratch. (I love happy endings, especially when 'victims' use a gun properly to prevent a crime.)
According to this article , "the couple was walking to their car just before midnight last Wednesday when a man dragging a baseball bat approached them. He asked the couple if they've 'ever been hit in the head with a bat?'. The couple thought the man was joking and continued walking. The husband heard the suspect take a deep breath when he turned around to find the suspect raising the bat as if to hit them. The man pulled out his gun and ordered the man to drop the bat. Thirty-year-old Phillip Keys dropped the bat and told the man to shoot him before fleeing the scene."
This election, it's important to remember that a vote against a DFL gun-grabber is a vote for public safety.
Posted Wednesday, October 12, 2016 9:34 AM
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Dayton admits MNsure failed
In a stunning admission, Gov. Dayton admitted that the ACA isn't affordable for many Minnesotans. It's stunning that Gov. Dayton would say "Ultimately : the reality is the Affordable Care Act is no longer affordable for an increasing number of people. We're going to need both state and federal governments to step in and do what they need to do to remedy these problems."
It isn't quite like FDR admitting that the New Deal was a failure or LBJ admitting that the Great Society is a failure but it isn't that far from it in terms of its political impact. With DFL candidates campaigning across the state, this is like a neutron bomb detonating on their campaigns. Understanding the importance of Gov. Dayton's statement, Senate Republicans pounced on Gov. Dayton's statement, releasing this statement , saying "Senate Republicans today vowed to pass bold legislation to lower health insurance costs and make more options available to Minnesotans when they reconvene as the majority caucus in January. The announcement came three days after individual insurance rates increased by an average of 50-67%, and Minnesota became the first state to institute widespread caps on the number of new enrollees allowed to purchase plans. The situation has been described as a healthcare crisis for Minnesotans."
Here are the things that Minnesota Republicans proposed:
To achieve lower premiums and deductibles:
- Restore a statewide high-risk pool (like the former Minnesota Comprehensive Health Association - MCHA) to make the individual market healthier, more sustainable, and less expensive.
Allow a tax deduction for health insurance premiums for individuals and families who don't qualify for group insurance.
To achieve more choices in the marketplace:
- Allow entities other than employers to offer group health insurance for their members. This would include organizations like agriculture cooperatives, fraternal organizations, clubs, etc.
- Allow all independent doctors, clinics, and hospitals to be considered in-network providers (as long as they meet the network qualifications).
To achieve a more efficient system:
- Allow individuals, families, and small employers to skip the hassles of MNsure by purchasing coverage directly through insurance agents, while still receiving the same tax credits available to MNsure enrollees.
- Allow Minnesotans to enroll in public health insurance programs like Medical Assistance through their counties instead of through MNsure by expanding County Based Purchasing.
Senate Minority Leader David Hann said this in the statement:
In the three and a half years since MNsure was created, insurance costs have shot through the roof, millions of taxpayer dollars were wasted on fraudulent applications, hundreds of thousands of families lost their doctors, and enrollment obstacles have delayed cancer treatments, even costing one woman her life. Despite all of this, Democrats in the legislature haven't lifted a finger to fix it, or even stop MNsure executives from receiving thousands in unfair bonuses. Minnesotans need to decide: Do you want more of the same top-down regulations that caused this mess? Or do you want to lower costs and increase choices by tailoring the health insurance market to individual needs? Republicans will bring our health insurance market back from the brink of collapse by instituting patient-centered, common sense reforms.
The DFL created this crisis. Dayton administration Commerce Commissioner Mike Rothman characterized the situation this way:
These are middle-class Minnesotans. They are getting squeezed - crushed - by these health insurance costs.
That's right. They're getting crushed by the things that the DFL voted for. Republicans offered lots of amendments to the bill but each was defeated by the DFL on straight party line votes. During the 2015 and 2016 sessions, Republicans offered alternatives but the DFL Senate consistently stopped the Republicans' legislation.
I'll word it differently than Sen. Hann. If Minnesotans want high premium increases, they should maintain the status quo in the legislature. If Minnesotans want real reform and lower health insurance premiums, their only option is to vote for Republicans.
Originally posted Wednesday, October 12, 2016, revised 13-Oct 11:36 AM
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