September 21-24, 2015
Sep 21 02:04 The referendum spin starts here Sep 22 09:20 Trump supporter is all bluster Sep 23 02:05 Bonding referendum generalities Sep 23 03:01 Trump's whining increases Sep 23 04:21 Yogi Berra, RIP Sep 24 08:00 Scarborough questions Trump about NRO Sep 24 12:27 Trump, the Q-Poll's biggest loser
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The referendum spin starts here
Bill O'Reilly closes his show by saying "The spin stops here because we're definitely looking out for you." If I were to transfer Mr. O'Reilly's closing statement to the St. Cloud Times, I'd have to slightly modify it to say "the spin starts here because we want the $167,000,000 referendum to pass without explaining the details about what the new Tech High School looks like." I'll admit that isn't as succinct as Mr. O'Reilly's closing. That doesn't mean it isn't accurate.
This LTE is long on generalities and platitudes but short on specifics, which is what voters deserve. It isn't helpful to hear the citizen say that "As part of the community task force that researched and evaluated equitable options for our high schools, I realized the need to act now to improve our schools." That isn't detailed information about the size of the new high school nor does it tell taxpayers if other options were seriously considered.
This paragraph is spin:
This conversation was inspiring. The impact that improvement to our facilities will have on the entire community is why we need to vote yes. Vote yes for the future of St. Cloud education and to continue the high level of excellence in our public schools.
The worst kept secret in St. Cloud is that parents are pulling their children out of Tech HS and transferring them to Sauk Rapids-Rice HS or Rocori HS or to Sartell HS. That tells me that there are problems at Tech that can't be solved with a new building. That tells me that a new building will raise people's property taxes without fixing the underlying problem.
The ISD742 School Board has hid the specifics from the public. That alone is justification enough to vote no on the bonding referendum. That the school board hasn't tried explaining what their goal is or why their proposal is the best solution indicates to me that taxpayers should vote no on the bonding referendum.
This bonding referendum is the biggest bonding referendum in the history of St. Cloud. Voters have the right to know what's being planned and why it's the solution to the problem.
Posted Monday, September 21, 2015 2:04 AM
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Trump supporter is all bluster
It's fitting that Esther Goldberg's post proclaims Goldberg's devotion to Donald Trump. It's fitting because Ms. Goldberg's post is like Trump -- mostly ad hominem attacks. It's telling that the post is titled "Why I don't like Carly Fiorina." That's fair enough. Everyone's entitled to their own opinion.
It didn't take Ms. Goldberg long to start with the ad hominem attacks. She started by criticizing Mrs. Fiorina, saying that Mrs. Fiorina turned her off "when she referred to Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei as the 'Supreme Leader' during the second debate", arguing that there's "something incongruous about anyone, especially the leader of the free world, addressing a brutal dictator who wants to take us all back to the 7th century as 'Supreme Leader'."
After saying that Fiorina wouldn't meet with Putin, Ms. Goldberg said that "Trump believes that if you are respected as a leader you have an advantage. And unlike Obama, he'd be respected." My first question is simple. Why Trump would be respected? His understanding of the U.S.-Russian relationship is virtually nonexistent. Trump said in a debate that he'd bone up on foreign policy if he became president.
Mrs. Fiorina, like Sen. Rubio, understands the subtleties and details of the U.S.-Russian relationship. She understands, as does Sen. Rubio, that Putin isn't impressed with having a chat. Putin won't be impressed until there's a show of force. Mr. Trump would likely be more forceful than Obama, though that isn't a high bar to step over.
Mrs. Fiorina said that she'd rebuild the Sixth Fleet, put additional soldiers in Germany, conduct aggressive military exercises with the Baltic States and re-arm Poland with a missile defense system. That's the blueprint President Reagan used in toppling the former Soviet Union.
Foreign policy realists criticized President Reagan for not meeting with the Soviet Union during his first term in office. President Reagan's strategy was to challenge the Soviet Union wherever they could to impress on them the fact that they could ( and would ) checkmate Gorbachev's expansionist policies wherever they were tried.
By acting first and talking later, Fiorina is sending the same signal to Putin that President Reagan sent to the Soviets. If given the choice between following President Reagan's blueprint or trusting in Trump's negotiating skills, I'll pick President Reagan's blueprint every time.
Posted Tuesday, September 22, 2015 9:20 AM
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Bonding referendum generalities
Eric Williams' LTE advocating for passage of the school board bonding referendum isn't worth the paper it's printed on. For instance, Williams' first argument to vote for the referendum is "A robust school system adds value our community. Young entrepreneurs who want to start innovative businesses need quality workers. What attracts these entrepreneurs and quality workers is a quality school system."
I won't dispute that a well-trained work force is an economic benefit to any community. I have multiple dispute. with the referendum. First, the school board is trying to shove a massive property tax increase down our throats without telling us a) any details about the size of the new Tech HS or b) what enrollment model they're using to determine the size of the building.
Without knowing that, it's impossible to say whether a $113,800,000 project is needed. That's before considering why the school board threw in a bonding request for improved technology. That's been paid for with the operating levy. Taxpayers shouldn't have to pay for that with interest tacked on. Here's Williams' second bullet point:
Quality schools raise the value of our homes. I would argue that it is the most important reason young families choose to live where they do. Realtors often leverage the quality of a community's school system when they market a home to a family new to the area.
Again, it's another generalized argument. For the sake of discussion, let's stipulate that it's true. Does Mr. Williams think that taxpayers want to be treated like ATMs? Wouldn't they be more impressed with a great new facility that the district didn't overpay for? I'm betting that taxpayers would appreciate it if the district had modern facilities and that weren't overbuilt. Here's Williams' final bullet point:
I think we all agree that a quality school system is a huge attractor for young families. Selfishly, I would love to see my children and the children of my friends and neighbors who have graduated from Tech and Apollo choose to raise their families in St. Cloud. (We won't have far to go to see our grandchildren!)
This LTE didn't address anything of substance. It's filled with platitudes and emotional appeals. That isn't a justification for passing the biggest bonding referendum in St. Cloud history. It definitely isn't a justification for passing the biggest bonding referendum in St. Cloud history without a series of townhall meetings.
Vote no on November 3.
Posted Wednesday, September 23, 2015 2:05 AM
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Trump's whining increases
Allahpundit's post about Donald Trump is essentially a report on Mr. Trump's latest whining after getting hit with negative publicity. According to the headline of AP's article, Trump's attorney will sue the Club for Growth if they don't immediately stop running a negative ad about Mr. Trump's liberal positions.
According to AP's post, Alan Garten, Trump's general counsel, said 'Mr. Trump does not support higher taxes. This is the very definition of libel." Unfortunately for Mssrs. Garten and Trump, Mr. Trump recently said "that he'd lower taxes on the middle class but 'would let people making hundreds of millions of dollars-a-year pay some tax, because right now they are paying very little tax and I think it's outrageous.'"
In other words, Mr. Trump is threatening to sue Club for Growth for telling the truth about his position on raising taxes. Good luck peddling that with a jury. That's if it makes it that far, which isn't likely.
The threat of litigation is meant to distract attention from what Mr. Trump doesn't want people to think about. With that in mind, let's focus on what Mr. Trump doesn't want us to focus on. I'm betting that they don't want people focusing on Trump's support "a one-time tax of 14.25 percent on the superwealthy 15 years ago." In 2000, the federal government was running a massive surplus. They were on track to eliminate the debt by 2020.
At a time when the economy was humming along, creating jobs, wealth and huge surpluses, why tinker with what's working? Despite that, that's precisely what Trump proposed.
Mr. Trump loves portraying himself as a genius who will get America's economy growing again. Though there's proof that he knows how to make money for himself, there's nothing in his past that says he knows what policies will get America's economy growing again.
UPDATE: Trump's whining is getting tiresome. Trump's Twitter obsession with Megyn Kelly is beyond tiresome:
Do you ever notice that lightweight @megynkelly constantly goes after me but when I hit back it is totally sexist. She is highly overrated!
What I've noticed is that Megyn hasn't complained about Trump's attacks. She's repeatedly said that she's a big girl that shrugs attacks off. The same can't be said of Trump.
He's the poster child of thin-skinned whiners.
Simply put, Trump tweeted this to draw attention away from his pathetic substance-free replies on national security. That won't work, Mr. Trump. Why pick a whiny reality TV host when we can pick a real commander-in-chief? That's right. We shouldn't.
Posted Wednesday, September 23, 2015 9:03 AM
Comment 1 by walter hanson at 23-Sep-15 11:48 AM
I WONDER WHEN TRUMP WILL SUE HIS LAWYERS FOR NOT TELLING HIM WHAT LIBEL MEANS?
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
Comment 2 by Gary Gross at 24-Sep-15 08:04 AM
Never. That'd mean he'd have to admit he'd made a mistake. That's as likely to happen as President Obama admitting that Obamacare is a disaster.
Comment 3 by Chad Q at 25-Sep-15 07:16 AM
I'm going to sue is the adult version of my dad can beat up your dad. Trump is really starting to show what a circus sideshow he really is and has nothing better to come back with when people point out what a fraud he is, than say I'm going to sue. The man is just Obama with his platitudes and slogans and no real answers. Too bad Walker had to drop out of the race before the wheels came off of Trump's campaign.
Response 3.1 by Gary Gross at 25-Sep-15 08:08 AM
Excellent points, Chad. Trump is out of his depth intellectually in a mud puddle. His latest goodie is that he's smarter than Rubio on Syria because Rubio sits in committee hearings on national security while he creates "jobs all day long." WTF does creating jobs all day long have to do with knowing Syrian policy?
Yogi Berra, RIP
Baseball lost one of its greatest ambassadors last night when Yogi Berra passed away . As a result, baseball fans old enough to remember Yogi lost a man with a wayward way with words. Baseball fans knew Yogi for the things he said. One of his famous sayings was that " I never said most of the things I said ."
Yogi's most famous quote , though, was "When you come to a fork in the road, take it." I had the good fortune of hearing Joe Garagiola, the former play-by-play announcer for NBC's Game of the Week, explain why the quote made sense to him. Part of the backstory is that Garagiola and Berra grew up in the same neighborhood in St. Louis, MO. The neighborhood was at the top of the hill overlooking downtown St. Louis. The road, Garagiola explained didn't run north to south or east to west. When you got to the top of the hill, the only road up there ran a circular route.
Yogi was more than just the best quipster in sports history. He was an outstanding player with the hated New York Yankees. Yogi "won three American League MVP awards and 10 World Series titles." The Yankees of those years were loaded and then some. When Joe DiMaggio retired, they replaced him with a kid named Mickey Mantle. It isn't surprising that baseball writers half-kiddingly said that the Yankees were the best team in baseball and that their Triple-A team was the next-best team in the game.
At another point in the early 1960s, the Yankees had Yogi as their starting catcher, Elston Howard their starter-in-waiting and Johnny Blanchard as their third string catcher and part-time outfielder. Howard later went on to win the AL MVP Award.
Posted Wednesday, September 23, 2015 4:21 AM
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Scarborough questions Trump about NRO
It's clear that Carly Fiorina got under Donald Trump's skin . Last night, NRO Editor Rich Lowry said "Look, Trump obviously attacks everyone, but [Carly Fiorina] has become a much bigger target. Part of what is going on here is that last debate, where, let's be honest, Carly cut his balls off with the precision of a surgeon."
This morning, Trump called into Morning Joe, where Joe Scarborough brought up NRO, saying that they're "really sort of the gold standard of conservative magazines." Trump's response was predictable typical trash talk. When Mr. Trump said that "I don't think anybody reads it, Joe. I think it has no power whatsoever, I'll be honest. I think it has no power whatsoever. And he's not a respected guy." Scarborough responded, saying that "I read it."
Reacting like a petulant child, Trump said "You're the only one." If people could make money by responding like a spoiled brat, Donald Trump would be the richest man in the world. Here's the video of Mr. Trump acting like a spoiled brat:
Posted Thursday, September 24, 2015 8:00 AM
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Trump, the Q-Poll's biggest loser
This Q-Poll from Quinnipiac University shows Donald Trump as its biggest loser in the sense that he loses to Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden (who isn't even in the race) and Socialist Bernie Sanders.
According to the Q-Poll, Hillary "gets 45 percent to Trump's 43 percent." Meanwhile, Vice President Biden defeats "Trump 51 - 40 percent." Finally, Bernie Sanders "tops Trump 47 - 42 percent." That isn't good news for Trump. Hillary loses to Carly Fiorina 44% to 43%, 44% to 42% to Jeb Bush and 49% to 42$ to Ben Carson. Meanwhile, "Biden gets 46 percent to 43 percent for Fiorina and beats Bush 46 - 41 percent and Trump 51 - 40 percent. Biden and Carson are tied 45 - 45 percent." Finally, "Sanders gets 43 percent to Fiorina's 44 percent and ties Bush 44 - 44 percent. Sanders trails Carson 49 - 39 percent."
Trump's polling trajectory is plateauing, too:
The latest national Quinnipiac University survey released Thursday provided some fuel to wishful rivals. Trump still leads among registered Republican voters with 25 percent, statistically unchanged from last month's Quinnipiac survey that put him at 28 percent. Yet it's the second major national poll this week showing a slight decrease from last month, Trump experienced an 8-point drop in the CNN/ORC survey released Sunday. (A Fox poll released Wednesday evening also showed Trump with relatively stalled momentum, and a Bloomberg survey of the GOP field showed Trump in a holding pattern at 21 percent).
The question that hasn't been answered is whether Trump's floor of support is his ceiling. That's unknowable at this point. What isn't unknowable, though, is whether others are gaining ground. Fiorina, Rubio and Carson definitely are gaining on Trump. Here's Chris Stirewalt's observation on that:
You already know about one of the main areas of agreement in the polls: Carly Fiorina, Sen. Marco Rubio and Ben Carson all emerged stronger from last week's contest.
Trump loves bragging about leading this primary or that. What's odd is that the media hasn't asked him why his GOP rivals fare significantly better than him in the general election match-ups. Fiorina and Rubio are significantly stronger candidates against Hillary than Trump is.
If the goal is to elect a conservative as president, Trump isn't your guy. He's defeated by the Democrats' 'Big Three' in fairly convincing fashion. It's too early for GOP candidates to tout the electability issue but there will come a point when Fiorina and Rubio will start playing that card. Their argument will essentially be 'Don't waste your vote supporting a guy who can't beat Hillary.' It wouldn't be surprising if that argument isn't a powerful argument in mid-January.
Posted Thursday, September 24, 2015 12:27 PM
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