Up to the minute Amber Alert Information

Friday, February 29, 2008

Nothing is Safe in Wisconsin

Source: A letter to the editor in the Inter-County Leader.

Fiscal foolishness
Few know the importance of Wisconsin's Patient Compensation Fund. Wisconsin Law requires that physicians, hospitals and some nurses contribute money into this fund to compensate patients when they are injured in the process of health care. There is no taxpayer money in it. It's an insurance fund that belongs to Wisconsin citizens. Because the state continues to spend more than taxes will allow, the governor this year took $200 million from this fund to balance his budget. And now the fund is in deficit and had to borrow money to meets its legal obligations for solvency.

State government, like citizens have to live within their means. You should know about two actions aiming to correct the problem: First, the Wisconsin Medical Society is suing the state to recover the lost funds. You can follow this on the society's Web site, http://www.wisconsinmedicalsociety.org/.

Second, with bipartisan support, the Wisconsin Legislature has on its agenda a joint resolution to amend the Wisconsin Constitution to prevent future administrations from this kind of budget foolishness. Please contact your representatives in the Assembly and Senate and ask them to be sure that AJR 34 is passed this year. If two Legislatures pass this bill (each year for two years), then it goes to the citizens for approval in a referendum. If approved by the citizens, it becomes part of our state constitution and this kind of fiscal foolishness will be stopped.

Norman Jensen, M.D.
Professor, Emeritus, General Internal Medicine
Fellow, University of Wisconsin Teaching Academy
President-elect, American Academy on Communication in Healthcare Madison and Siren

___________________________________________


Nothing is safe from some governors. Spend, spend, spend and when all of it is gone, rob an insurance fund. Put that into deficit.

Just how long will it take for the medical contributors to repay the loan? Then how long will it take to restore the fund to the $200 million? By the time that is accomplished, the $200 million will be devalued considerably. In the end this is another form of taxation through increased premiums. This is taxation without representation.

Why should it take a constitutional amendment to fix this thievery, when good old-fashioned honesty would?

Kalin and Transportation: Part 3

Rep. Jeremy Kalin (D-17B) issued this news release on February 22, 2008

Reading Kalin’s press release and reading this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, and others, one gets the impression that there is a common Democrat writer producing talking points for legislators and reporters.

If there is any question, Kalin’s following paragraph:

"According to MnDOT's own projections, Minnesota is $2.4 billion behind every year in keeping up our current system. This serious lack of state funding has driven property taxes to record levels. Local governments struggling to maintain essential local roads and bridges have been forced to spend an unprecedented $1.6 billion of property tax revenue on transportation needs every year. That's more than revenue raised from the state's gas tax, and three times the amount brought in by state license tab fees."

is also found here in exact words. It looks like both writers blocked and copied a script written for them. I guess these Dems need to have someone else write a press release so they get the party line straight.

And one more thing. If Minnesota is spending $2.4 billion too little every year, then why did the Dems pass a bill that spends just $6.6 billion over ten years? That’s just $0.66 billion each year, no where near the $2.4 billion supposed to be needed. That’s only 27.5% of what is alleged to be needed.

So if we need $2.4 billion every year, then the Dems should count themselves a failure. Haven’t the Dems continued the failure that they lay at the Republican doorstep?

Instead of spouting the party line without evidence, Kalin owes it to all of us to provide source documents for his assertions. Is that too much to ask in an easy to use electronic world? If Mn/DOT has projected a $2.4 billion shortfall per year, then Kalin should be able to give us a link to that document. And we should have the privilege of reading and understanding it for ourselves.

So Rep. Kalin (we know you stop at our blog) please use your press releases and web site to give us links to these important documents. If you don’t, we will assume you are hiding something and/or just spouting the party line.

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Carbon dioxide: Part 10

How can this be?

Al Gore—the earth-has-a-fever-Al-Gore—has been panicking over the fact that the earth’s average temperature rose 0.6º Centigrade over the last century. And of course, the 22.3% increase of carbon dioxide content in the atmosphere since 1958 has been blamed for that fever.

Of course, the soothsayers have been prophesying a continued rise in the earth’s average temperature due to the ever-increasing CO2 concentration.

Well Al Gore is now the one who has a fever. The earth did not cooperate with the alarmists. The climate change changed direction. The earth’s average temperature dropped 0.6º Centigrade over the last year. All the heat gains over one entire long century were suddenly wiped out in one year, this last year. Read all about it and look at the temperature graph in this article.

How can this be? How can the temperature of the earth’s surface atmosphere lose in one year what it took a century to gain? How can this happen when the population of the earth has increased dramatically? How can this happen when we are using much more energy now than in the early 1900s? How can this happen when the CO2 concentration has been increasing? And how can this be happening when all those beef cattle have been filling the air with methane?

Al "the Fever" Gore, I want to know. Enquiring minds want to know.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Kalin and Transportation: Part 2

Rep. Jeremy Kalin (D-17B) issued this news release on February 22, 2008

In it he states, "Just one week into the 2008 Legislative Session, state lawmakers in the Minnesota House of Representatives passed a comprehensive transportation package (HF2800) with bipartisan support. . . . HF2800 brought together a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers who are serious about addressing the monumental needs facing our transportation system."

___________________________________________


If a person were to read Kalin’s statement without knowing the facts, one would conclude the bill had wide-spread support from both sides of the aisle. But the facts are otherwise.

How bipartisan was it? Not much! In the House, 6 Republicans voted for the bill out of a total membership of 134 or just 4.5%. In the Senate, 2 Republicans voted for it out of a total membership of 67 or just 3%. So this is bipartisan approval in Kalin’s mind?!!! The support for the bill on the Republican partisan side was actually minuscule.

It would be much more accurate to say the vote was generally along party lines.

Kalin’s use of the term meets the definition of the word. The Dems needed support from some Republicans to override the veto. So yes Kalin should credit the other partisan caucus, because without them, he would not have this bill. But let’s be honest. This bill was very partisan. Calling it bipartisan is stretching the truth.

Kalin and Transportation: Part 1

Rep. Jeremy Kalin (D-17B) issued this news release on February 22, 2008

In it he declares, "HF2800 [the recently passed transportation bill] will allow MnDOT to repair or replace all of the 13 bridges in worse structural condition than the I35W Bridge."

___________________________________________


So for Kalin, the I-35W bridge becomes the new standard and all 13 bridges in worse structural condition will be fixed. Where does Kalin get his information? Why not give us links to this public information? Is that too much to ask? Why do we have to depend on his word? Is what he wrote even true?

This Mn/DOT document gives bridge ratings as of March 3, 2007. In that document, do a search for bridge #9340 which is the now collapsed bridge. It had a rating of 50 and far more than 13 are rated in poorer condition. The Stillwater lift bridge is rated at 2.8 and is still used. I doubt that is included in Kalin’s "all of the 13." Many others are rated just above the St. Anthony bridge score. Why aren’t they included in the list scheduled for repair? If they have a rating of 52, aren’t they just as much in danger of collapsing as #9340, rated at 50?

And are any of his 13 actually scheduled for rework and funded? Here is the Governor’s and Commissioner’s statement.

___________________________________________


Statement from Lt. Gov./Commissioner Molnau
on the Legislature’s override of Gov. Pawlenty’s veto of the Transportation Funding Bill


ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Legislature has expressed its will on transportation funding. Mn/DOT and its professional staff will work hard to implement the Legislature’s investment directives and to invest wisely to improve Minnesota’s transportation system.

Mn/DOT cannot immediately identify the specific road and bridge projects that will be funded and advanced under the new transportation bill (emphasis added). In building an investment plan, Mn/DOT will:

1. accommodate the investment directives contained in the bill, primarily for investment in bridges;

2. consider the recent findings of the Office of Legislative Auditor on the need to invest more resources in maintenance and preservation of the highway system; and

3. consider input on priorities from Mn/DOT district offices, Area Transportation Partnership committees, and other citizens from around the state.

___________________________________________


So how does Kalin’s pronouncement square with the Governor’s? Kalin has some ’splainin’ to do. It’s time for Kalin to quit writing in generalities and spell out the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth for his constituents.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

A STATEMENT FROM THE GOVERNOR

Saint Paul – The following is a statement from Governor Tim Pawlenty regarding the override of the Governor’s veto of an approximately $7 billion tax increase, including a gas tax increase, license tab tax increase, sales tax increase, car rental tax increase and a new excise tax on vehicle purchases.

“The DFL-controlled legislature’s override of this veto shows they're clearly out-of-touch with Minnesotans who are facing rising gas prices, heating costs and other expenses in tough economic times. Raising taxes is always the DFL’s go-to solution and that’s bad for Minnesota’s families and our economy.

“While the federal government is issuing tax rebate checks, Democrats in Minnesota have decided to burden our families with hundreds of dollars a year in new taxes to pay for a massive $7 billion tax increase.”

Source of statement.

Thanks Rep. Marty Seifert

Today Representatives Jim Abeler, Kathy Tingelstad, Ron Erhardt, Rod Hamilton, Bud Heidgerken and Neil Peterson were stripped of their committee leadership positions as a result of their refusal to sustain Governor Pawlenty’s veto.

Minority Leader Marty Seifert today announced, "I have spoken with all six members and received their resignations from their lead positions on House committees and in the Caucus."

Seifert announced the following members as the new Republican leads:

  • Rep. Dean Urdahl - Agriculture, Rural Economies & Vets Affairs
  • Rep. Larry Howes - Capital Investment
  • Rep. Matt Dean - Health Care and Human Services
  • Rep. Sondra Erickson - K-12 Finance
  • Rep. Morrie Lanning - Property Tax Relief & Local Sales Taxes
  • Rep. Pat Garofalo was named Assistant Minority Whip.

___________________________________________


Thank you Minority Leader Marty Seifert for exercising leadership of Minnesota Republicans. We are grateful for leaders who remove leaders who like to horse around with donkeys rather than move with the Elephant Herd. Now the grassroots must hold each of these six liberals responsible for sacking our pocketbooks and refuse to endorse them. If they don’t need us, we don’t need them. It’s time to clean house in the Republican Party and elect true conservatives. Minnesota and America will be better for it.

If this doesn't motivate the party base, nothing will. I suspect a large percentage of the independent middle will not be voting for the Dems this fall because they hijacked their hard-earned money.

Why doesn't the American press pick up on this?

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/us_elections/article3433485.ece

Taking down the economy, 1 step at a time

So the mortgage meltdown and housing troubles continue to give the democrats a platform to scream "I can give you....". Harry Reid, D-Nev, has placed into the Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008, language allowing bankruptcy judges to actually change the terms of mortgages. You think credit tightened up already, think again. Why would lenders issue mortgages, currently protected from arbitrary interference, when any judge can change the terms? Why not give people another reason to file bankruptcy, it only eradicates their credit for 7 years. A foreclosure can be as gentle as 2 years on credit reports before recovery. Who makes the money on a bankruptcy? If the dems really cared, they might want to look at the process a little closer, but that would mean literacy, another topic all together. The earliest reaction from the American Bankers Association is that interest rates will go up at least 1.5%, or $300 per month on a $300,000 loan. Of course the two front running democratic presidential candidates signed on immediately. It is touted as a temporary solution to an immediate problem, which will change our economy forever. Who could vote against its' renewal? We are looking at a massive insult to not only the economy, but the basic free market powers that have made this country. Senate vote S2136 should be coming up today, it will be interesting if our Congressmen and women can read it for what it really is.

Sunday, February 24, 2008

What Goes Around, Comes Around

Rep. Kathy Tinglestad (R-49B, Andover area) is in her sixth term. As is true of all Representatives, she is up for reelection this fall. Saturday, February 23, was the endorsing convention for 49B. "So what?" you may ask, "Why should we in Chisago County be interested in that?" For starters, her vote in the House affects us; it determines state law.

(To emphasize this point I just received a response to an e-mail I sent, thanking Rep. Sondra Erickson for voting against the transportation bill. This is her response: "Thank you. We all represent all the people of the state. Sondra Erickson, State Representative District 16A." Thank you for thinking of the taxpayers in the whole state!)

Specifically, as noted in the previous post, Tinglestad voted for the transportation bill and against the taxpayers of Minnesota. She still can also vote to sustain the Governor’s veto of that bill.

On Saturday, her constituents refused to endorse her. Also read this at Minnesota Democrats Exposed. Be sure to read the few dozen comments to get a flavor of the response to Tinglestad’s vote which lead to their refusal to endorse.

Rep. Neil Peterson (R-41B, Bloomington), Rep. Rod Hamilton (R-22B, Mountain Lake), and Rep. Ron Erhardt (R-41A, Edina area), all of whom voted for the transportation bill, face their endorsing conventions over the next two weekends. The grassroots delegates may very well treat them the same way as they did Tinglestad.

Rep. Erhardt is in his ninth term. Read this post and the comments about Ron Erhardt’s disgusting behavior. Far too many elected officials begin to think of themselves as the ruling aristocracy. Once that happens, remove them from office, because they are not likely to change.

Friday, February 22, 2008

Thanks Governor Pawlenty

My fellow conservatives, it is time to take action in light of the passage of the Minnesota transportation bill (aka transit bill). It will take a few minutes of your time, but a groundswell may result in a good response.

1. Please click here to read Governor Pawlenty’s letter explaining his veto of the bill.

2. Then please click here to send a quick e-mail to the Governor, thanking him for standing up for all of us.

3. Then click here to see who in the House voted for and against the bill.

4. Below is the list of e-mail addresses of the 42 Republicans who voted against the bill. Two DFLers voted against the bill.


After changing the greeting, send DFLer John Lesch a thank you at: rep.john.lesch@house.mn. Correction: DFLer Mary Ellen Otremba also voted against the bill. Send thanks to: rep.maryellen.otremba@house.mn.

5. Please draft a short message such as the following and click on each of the 44 e-mail addresses to tell them thanks for voting for you. Below is a sample message you can block and copy quickly into each of the 43 plus 1 e-mail addresses found in item #4. Just add your name and county.

Dear Republican Representative,

Even though you are not my Representative because I live in House District 17B, I want to thank you for voting against the transportation bill and for taxpayers.

Please sustain Governor Pawlenty’s veto of this excessive and misguided bill.

Sincerely with appreciation,
My name
My county

6. Rep. Jim Abeler (rep.jim.abeler@house.mn)
Rep. Kathy Tingelstad (rep.kathy.tingelstad@house.mn)
Rod Hamilton (rep.ron.hamilton@house.mn)
Bud Heidgerken (rep.bud.heidgerken@house.mn) and
Neil Peterson (rep.neil.peterson@house.mn) are the 6 Republicans who voted for the bill. Please click on their e-mail addresses to contact them with a message like the following.

Dear Republican Representative,

Even though you are not my Representative because I live in House District 17B, your vote in the House affects me in Chisago County. I am disappointed you voted for the transportation bill.

Please vote to sustain Governor Pawlenty’s veto of this bill.

Sincerely,
My name
My county

7. Taking the above action will require you to spend some time, but investing some time may bring a good reward. If you truly believe in bottom-up government and not top-down, use this simple way of contacting these state legislators. Nothing can be easier than sending an e-mail which you do to friends almost every day. Let us flood the inboxes of these legislators.

DO IT NOW! The vote to attempt to override the veto may happen on Monday.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Thanks for the invitation to blog!

One of my kids favorite stories when they were young involved this wonderful, ferret-like creature who protected the home of the hero..Riki Tikki Tavi (excuse any misspelling please!). The little mongoose had a nose for snakes, hated them with a passion, and tried with all his cunning to keep the house patrolled and free of the serpents. Somehow it seems like a fitting screen name for this blog!
These are scary times for people with brains, hopefully scary enough to keep them from sticking their heads in the sand. I brought two young and excited people with me to the caucuses this year, they are mad and ready to stand up against the bs they believe is being shoved down their throats by politicians supposedly reaching out to their age group. Thank goodness that these young people, with a hard work ethic, realize that the democrats are talking about stealing their money and their future and giving it away to create a socialist state. My own daughter, now a delegate before the age of 20, has talked about her need to keep her mouth shut at school, while her professor rants on about equal rights, immigrant rights, unjust wars fought by volunteer slaves...just to make sure she passes the class. Apparently America is to blame for all these peoples sorrows. She watches as the scholarships go the all those we have taken advantage of....a culture of shame, paid for by our taxes. How many parents talk to their kids about what they are hearing in these institutes of higher education? They are the future of the Republican Party. When these kids work hard to earn the money for school, and watch the guy on a free ride next to him complain about how unjust America is to his race, his family, his country...these are the future of the Republican party. Both young adults who attended with me are ready to scream " just say no" to the giving away of their educations to immigrants, their money to welfare, their country to the socialism that their ancestors have fought to build and maintain. We, as a party need to tap this energy...we need to counter the education of shame they are being force fed. Just talking to the second young lady who attended with me, she had so much anger rising up, with no idea she could make a difference. She cannot afford the college education we fund with our taxes, she is making a low wage living, hoping to qualify down the road for a scholarship that boasts, "people of color, single parents" will be given first priority.
We need to help our children reclaim their heritage. W e need to show them that reclaiming the rights that their ancestors fought for is not a shameful and bigotted action. That their rights are the ones being stripped systematically, not the other way around.

Carbon dioxide: Part 9

Biofuels Deemed a Greenhouse Threat
Elisabeth Rosenthal

Almost all biofuels used today cause more greenhouse gas emissions than conventional fuels if the full emissions costs of producing these "green" fuels are taken into account, two studies being published Thursday have concluded.

The benefits of biofuels have come under increasing attack in recent months, as scientists took a closer look at the global environmental cost of their production. These latest studies, published in the prestigious journal Science, are likely to add to the controversy.

These studies for the first time take a detailed, comprehensive look at the emissions effects of the huge amount of natural land that is being converted to cropland globally to support biofuels development.

Read the rest of the article.

___________________________________________


If the increasing concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is a major cause of global warming, then biofuels are exacerbating the problem rather than being a solution as intended. In the rush to fix a perceived problem, do-gooders run to the government to get legislation mandating biodiesel use, for example. The cure-all ends up being worse than the supposed problem.

The law of unintended consequences is always at work, yet do-gooders think they are exempt from its inexorable effects. Last year, Rep. Jeremy Kalin (D-17B) and the Minnesota legislature passed an energy bill that will ultimately fall under this debilitating law. Gov. Pawlenty is leading the green charge which this article shows is not so green.

Irrespective of the carbon dioxide issue, something was seriously wrong in the thinking of those who thought it wise to destroy a food source and turn it into fuel. That thought should have given the "experts" pause to consider the fork in the road that they were taking. My own eighth-grade-educated-farming-aunts could have told them that. But people who are driven to solve problems that may not even exist do not think about the consequences of their actions. All of us end up paying dearly for their insistence on "helping" us by mucking it up.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Chisago County Republican Convention March 3, 2008

All delegates and alternates elected at precinct caucuses on February 5, 2008 will be meeting on Monday, March 3, 2008, at the North Branch High School Auditorium.

Registration begins at 6:30 p.m. and the convention will convene at 7:00 p.m.

The North Branch High School is located at 38175 Grand Ave, North Branch, MN.

The purpose of this convention is:

  • to elect delegates and alternates to the 8th Congressional District convention and to the Republican State convention
  • to consider resolutions
  • to transact such other business as may properly come before the Convention.

Please come early to register because we have many more delegates and alternates this year. Don't wait until the last minute because the registration lines could be long! Come early to chat with fellow Republicans.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Angry White Men

In election 2008, don’t forget Angry White Man

Gary Hubbell


There is a great amount of interest in this year’s presidential elections, as everybody seems to recognize that our next president has to be a lot better than George Bush. The Democrats are riding high with two groundbreaking candidates — a woman and an African-American — while the conservative Republicans are in a quandary about their party’s nod to a quasi-liberal maverick, John McCain.

Each candidate is carefully pandering to a smorgasbord of special-interest groups, ranging from gay, lesbian and transgender people to children of illegal immigrants to working mothers to evangelical Christians.

There is one group no one has recognized, and it is the group that will decide the election: the Angry White Man. The Angry White Man comes from all economic backgrounds, from dirt-poor to filthy rich. He represents all geographic areas in America, from urban sophisticate to rural redneck, deep South to mountain West, left Coast to Eastern Seaboard.

His common traits are that he isn’t looking for anything from anyone — just the promise to be able to make his own way on a level playing field. In many cases, he is an independent businessman and employs several people. He pays more than his share of taxes and works hard.

The victimhood syndrome buzzwords — “disenfranchised,” “marginalized” and “voiceless” — don’t resonate with him. “Press ‘one’ for English” is a curse-word to him. He’s used to picking up the tab, whether it’s the company Christmas party, three sets of braces, three college educations or a beautiful wedding.

He believes the Constitution is to be interpreted literally, not as a “living document” open to the whims and vagaries of a panel of judges who have never worked an honest day in their lives.

The Angry White Man owns firearms, and he’s willing to pick up a gun to defend his home and his country. He is willing to lay down his life to defend the freedom and safety of others, and the thought of killing someone who needs killing really doesn’t bother him.

The Angry White Man is not a metrosexual, a homosexual or a victim. Nobody like him drowned in Hurricane Katrina — he got his people together and got the hell out, then went back in to rescue those too helpless and stupid to help themselves, often as a police officer, a National Guard soldier or a volunteer firefighter.

His last name and religion don’t matter. His background might be Italian, English, Polish, German, Slavic, Irish, or Russian, and he might have Cherokee, Mexican, or Puerto Rican mixed in, but he considers himself a white American.

He’s a man’s man, the kind of guy who likes to play poker, watch football, hunt white-tailed deer, call turkeys, play golf, spend a few bucks at a strip club once in a blue moon, change his own oil and build things. He coaches baseball, soccer and football teams and doesn’t ask for a penny. He’s the kind of guy who can put an addition on his house with a couple of friends, drill an oil well, weld a new bumper for his truck, design a factory and publish books. He can fill a train with 100,000 tons of coal and get it to the power plant on time so that you keep the lights on and never know what it took to flip that light switch.

Women either love him or hate him, but they know he’s a man, not a dishrag. If they’re looking for someone to walk all over, they’ve got the wrong guy. He stands up straight, opens doors for women and says “Yes, sir” and “No, ma’am.”

He might be a Republican and he might be a Democrat; he might be a Libertarian or a Green. He knows that his wife is more emotional than rational, and he guides the family in a rational manner.

He’s not a racist, but he is annoyed and disappointed when people of certain backgrounds exhibit behavior that typifies the worst stereotypes of their race. He’s willing to give everybody a fair chance if they work hard, play by the rules and learn English.

Most important, the Angry White Man is pissed off. When his job site becomes flooded with illegal workers who don’t pay taxes and his wages drop like a stone, he gets righteously angry. When his job gets shipped overseas, and he has to speak to some incomprehensible idiot in India for tech support, he simmers. When Al Sharpton comes on TV, leading some rally for reparations for slavery or some such nonsense, he bites his tongue and he remembers. When a child gets charged with carrying a concealed weapon for mistakenly bringing a penknife to school, he takes note of who the local idiots are in education and law enforcement.

He also votes, and the Angry White Man loathes Hillary Clinton. Her voice reminds him of a shovel scraping a rock. He recoils at the mere sight of her on television. Her very image disgusts him, and he cannot fathom why anyone would want her as their leader. It’s not that she is a woman. It’s that she is who she is. It’s the liberal victim groups she panders to, the “poor me” attitude that she represents, her inability to give a straight answer to an honest question, his tax dollars that she wants to give to people who refuse to do anything for themselves.

There are many millions of Angry White Men. Four million Angry White Men are members of the National Rifle Association, and all of them will vote against Hillary Clinton, just as the great majority of them voted for George Bush.

He hopes that she will be the Democratic nominee for president in 2008, and he will make sure that she gets beaten like a drum.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Carbon dioxide: Part 8

Carbon dioxide gets a bad rap. It is demonized and all too frequently identified as a pollutant and poison by global warming/climate change advocates.

But this chemical compound is essential to life. Flora and fauna depend on CO2 for their very life. Vegetation thrives through the process of photosynthesis. Chorophyll in plants utilize CO2, water and sunlight to make sugars which feed the plants. Carbon dioxide is dissolved in the waters of the world to support marine plant photosynthesis. Through photosynthesis, light energy is converted into chemical energy in the form of sugar which plants can consume.

In the process of photosynthesis, plants create sugars for their own use and give off oxygen for animate life. Animals, fish and people thrive on that oxygen which burns sugars for energy and in the process give off CO2 for vegetative life. Burning of sugar by animate life is called metabolism.

Given this cycle, carbon dioxide cannot be a pollutant or a poison under normal atmospheric conditions. Plants must have it available to sustain life. And CO2 is beneficial to humans. For example, carbon dioxide keeps the pH (slight akalinity) of the blood in proper balance.

Can CO2 kill a person? Yes, but breathing CO2 will not kill by itself. Lack of oxygen kills. Carbon dioxide in solid form is dry ice, which is used in the movies to create a foggy scene. The actors can breathe the evaporating dry ice without ill affects. The evaporating CO2 is odorless and colorless. The foggy appearance is created by water vapor that is condensed from the air by the evaporating dry ice. To evaporate, the dry ice must absorb heat from the air which is cooled. As the air cools, the water vapor in the air condenses into tiny water droplets. So we see water vapor (fog) and not the CO2.

If a person were in an enclosed room with enough evaporating dry ice, one could die. Since carbon dioxide is heavier than air, it could displace oxygen to the point that there is not enough oxygen to sustain life. This web site shows the effects on a person as the concentration of oxygen drops from the normal 20.9% to zero and the carbon dioxide concentration increases from the current normal 0.038% upward.

The chart shows a slight, but unnoticeable increase in the breathing rate at 1% concentration of CO2. To arrive at that concentration in the atmosphere, the amount of CO2 would have to increase more than 26 times.

A significant increase of carbon dioxide concentration has this effect on humans, but some plants grow very well in an environment of concentrated CO2.

Do not confuse CO2 with CO (carbon monoxide), which is a poison.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Minnesota cities struggle with measuring their carbon footprint

Thirty-two Minnesota cities have signed the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. More than two years since the agreement launched, cities are having a hard time figuring out the size of their carbon footprint.

Read the whole article here.

Your tax dollars at work. Make work projects abound in government.

"Over the next five years, cities, including those with little resources, will be able to rely on grant money from the 2007 Energy Bill. Congress blocked out $10 billion to help states and local governments "green" their cities."

"This money could go towards things like hiring someone to figure out their carbon footprint or retrofitting old buildings."

Since government is not accountable, it is the biggest waster. It is impossible for government not to squander huge amounts of money in a never ending venture to solve a never ending supply of imaginary problems while real problems are not addressed.

Paranoia

Mayor Bloomberg Compares Threat of Global Warming to Terrorism

Speaking on global warming to a U.N. climate change conference, he declared, "No scientist knows for sure what's going to happen, but you don't want to wait to find out." Read the whole article here.

Going beyond what scientists don’t know, Bloomberg imagines catastrophe, something so bad it is like terrorism. His solution?
  • enact a national tax on carbon emissions
  • convert New York City's taxi fleet to hybrid fuels
  • devise a plan for congestion tax
  • "green our buildings"
  • plant more trees
  • curb the use of tropical hardwoods
  • His company has announced a prize of $25 million to those who find a solution to global warming.
This is paranoia. The Mayor of one of the largest cities in the world is fearful of the unknown. He has let his mind run uncontrollably wild to conjure up dread of the future and shares his fright with others equally in panic. His paranoia will become our enslavement to more unfunded government mandates to solve an imagined problem.

In the face of true tragedy, we look to our mayors to calm our fears and rally hope and courage. In this case, it is probably impossible to calm the Mayor who is paranoid over the unknown and unknowable.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

A Big Fat Zero

The Taxpayers League of Minnesota has published its annual scorecard for Minnesota Senators and Representatives. Download it here, save it and peruse it.

Representative Jeremy Kalin (D-17B) scored a big fat goose egg on all twelve issues. In other words, he has never seen a tax increase he did not like.

And wonder of wonders, Senator Rick Olseen (D-17) tied with Kalin with a zero rating. He too has never seen a tax increase he did not like.

If it were not for Governor Pawlenty’s veto pen and the legislature’s failure to override, Chisago County taxpayers would be in tax overload. These elected officials do not represent Chisago County taxpayers.

The Sky is Falling, The Sky is Falling

Climate change may kill thousands in UK by 2017

There is a 25 percent chance that a severe heat wave will strike England and kill more than 6,000 people before 2017 if no action is taken to deal with the health effects of climate change, a report said on Tuesday.

Read more....

___________________________________________

Yah and they make be struck by lightning or hit by a car or die of a heart attack. Any excuse will do to force nanny state action to curb the feared climate change/global warming. These governmental religionists do the very thing they mock in fundamentalists who warn about the end of the world. The fundamentalists leave the choice to the individual, urging the individual to get right with God. Nanny staters intend to force individuals to comply. Guess who wants to play God!

Bridge Analysis

MoDOT Completes Preliminary Study of Minneapolis-Type Bridges
156 Deemed Safe So Far, Remaining 76 Will Get Further Study


Preliminary studies of all Missouri bridges with gusset plates similar to the collapsed bridge in Minnesota are complete, with many already confirmed as safe, Missouri Department of Transportation bridge engineers announced.

Engineers are evaluating the state's 232 truss bridges.

Read more....

Missouri took the NTSB’s press release seriously as all jurisdictions were urged to do. Meanwhile, Oberstar tried to make political hay out of Rosenker’s preliminary findings. MoDOT Director Pete Rahn knows, in a real world, he must not ignore NTSB (to his own peril if a bridge collapses), but Oberstar has the luxury of politicizing the real world report.

Even Louisiana is following suit.

William D. Ankner, Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development Secretary designee, said the recent federal report citing the steel plates connecting the beams of a bridge’s frame as the probable cause of the Minneapolis bridge collapse caused Louisiana to check its own bridges more closely.

"After the Aug. 1 Minneapolis bridge collapse, DOTD bridge inspectors reviewed and analyzed the inspections of all truss bridges in Louisiana," Ankner said. "However, in light of the federal government’s findings I have directed DOTD engineers to begin an immediate review of the plate design of all similar bridges in the state.
___________________________________________

Isn't it amazing how engineers can read the NTSB report and take prudent action while a politician attacks the reporting NTSB chairman to try and score political points? Motives make all the difference in the world. Engineers try to preserve life and save themselves enormous embarrassment and culpability. Democrat politicians embarrass themselves trying to destroy Republicans who clearly are not at fault while not sensing any guilt whatsoever.

Somewhere in Missouri and Louisiana there certainly must be some Democrats among the engineers who knew they needed to take prudent action. Three cheers for Democrat engineers!

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Elephants Endangered by Kids

Some do-gooder council members would do anything to keep a kid from harming an elephant by riding it! Read the story. And some city staffers would to anything to slip language in an ordinance to save them from the kids.

Usually the do-gooders use the kids as the prop to convince us their proposed non-sense is good– "Do it for the kids!" This time the do-gooders said, "Do it for the poor elephants!"

This time some fought back and said, "Do it to the do-gooders!" The kids won one for a change instead of being used as a prop.

Elephant Herd feels much better now!

Best Pictures on the Internet, 2007


Check out this link for some great pictures. When viewing the pictures, be sure to read the captions to the right of each picture. Don't let this picture fool you.

Connector of Dots

The renowned climatologist, Senator John Kerry, recently blamed global warming for causing the southern tornadoes that killed more than 50 people. Any excuse will do to procure a platform to hype global warming. It is unusual for tornadoes to form this early in the season, however, it is not impossible. Such an isolated occurrence should not be used as evidence for conclusions other than that it happened.

This winter has seen more cold over the entire nation, and the southern and northern hemispheres, than in recent years. Yet John Kerry and other prognosticators will not use this as evidence for global cooling. Why? It is because the evidence does not fit the conclusion they want.

Global warming skeptics should not fall into the trap Kerry has. This cooler winter weather should not be used as evidence pointing toward global cooling. One winter cannot be a forecaster of a trend. Here in the Midwest, other winters have been much colder, with much longer cold spells.

When meteorologists get a three-day-forecast correct about 51% of the time, it is utter foolishness to extrapolate from one colder winter to global cooling or an isolated outbreak of tornadoes to global warming. Yet fools are not in short supply on the global warming side. Don’t add them on the global cooling side.

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

A Caucus Success

The Chisago County Republican Caucuses were well-attended, far beyond expectation. Many precincts experienced a triple or quadruple growth in attendance. In retrospect, it was a very wise decision to have more caucus locations than in the past. Check out the Secretary of State’s official totals for Chisago County. The vote totals for each presidential candidate are listed. Use this page to locate any other district in Minnesota.

Check out True North for a host of postings regarding the caucus experiences of others and their expressed opinions. By the time you read this, you may need to scroll down a bit on True North to pick up these comments.

Perhaps well over half of the attendees had never been to a caucus before. A big, hearty welcome to all of you. This is good because it is getting new blood involved in politics. The torch can thus be passed. Newness and freshness brings vim and vigor. It brings new ideas that can get us out of the rut that we fall into so easily. (Definition of a rut: A rut is a grave with both ends kicked out.)

In contrast to other years, I sensed a new urgency, an enthusiasm, a commitment, a dedication to conservatism. Welcome the newcomers! They have been stalwart Republican voters, but now they want to get more involved with the Party. Make sure they can volunteer. Find out their skills and interests. Put them to work.

Those of us who have been activists for any length of time must not feel threatened by this wonderful influx of fellow Republicans. Shame on us if we do. Teach them the ropes. Give them the ropes! Get out of the way in some cases. Become a mentor. These are the people that will be/are the next delegates, the next party leaders, the next candidates.

Conservatism is our cause. Conservatism does not exist so that I can be king or queen of my precinct or BPOU. Each of us exists so we can prosper conservatism while we have breath and pass the torch so the next generation of conservatives can carry that torch.

That is the vision and goal of Ready, Set Go...Kick Off to the ’08 Elections. Come and join us on Saturday to experience the enthusiasm of camaraderie. Learn how you can volunteer to aid the cause of conservatism in Chisago County. The GOP needs you! See you there!