Does this theme sound familiar… We need to refine our strategy and determine the necessary direction before we commit any more troops in Afghanistan. This exact political interference is what bogged down our forces in Vietnam and created the quagmire that inevitably created the mess that was Vietnam.
When we were attacked on that fateful September day in 2001, the enemy was clearly identified and their primary hiding place and training ground was located. Our resolve to destroy them and protect the American people from ever being attacked in such a way from this enemy was clear and precise.
There can be no argument that if done correctly and with the mighty force of our military, we can crush this enemy without mercy and without reservation. Afghanistan is a tough country, it’s a country that many have tried to conquer in history and failed. The difference being that we are not interested in conquering this primitive nation, our intent is to crush al-Qaeda, crush the Tali-ban who supported this terrorist organization, and insure that these groups never terrorizes the world again.
Asking our military commanders to accomplish this job is the right thing to do, we need to crush the enemy on their home field before we are fighting them on ours. To delay and deny our military commanders of the resources necessary to complete this mission is reprehensible and will only give our enemy the resolve to fight on. The message being sent is to wait us out, hide and wait, terrorize and wait, we will grow tired and leave and they can have their training ground back.
This is unbelievable, the progress gained in that region stands to be lost to an enemy that would destroy us at the first opportunity. The lives lost will have been in vain if we don’t apply the pressure right now and crush this enemy with the full force of our military once and for all.
How quickly the lesson of September 11, 2001 has been forgotten.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
Governor Pawlenty's Letter to DFL Legislative Leadership
Under the date of August 11, 2009 Governor Tim Pawlenty sent the following communication to the DFL Senate Majority Leader and to the Speaker of the House of the Minnesota legislature.
We thank Governor Pawlenty for his forthright message pointing to the failure of the DFL to do their duty during the legislative session just concluded.
The quoted letter follows:
"Dear Senator Pogemiller and Speaker Kelliher:
Thank you for your recent letter regarding plans for a Minnesota Leadership Summit in early September.
My Administration and I are declining the invitation to participate in your summit. As we have witnessed over the past year, DFL legislators have done a thorough job of admiring our state's budget difficulties, but have refused or been unable to take action to address them.
The state already has an annual Minnesota Leadership Summit. It's called the legislative session and it lasts approximately five months. This past year, rather than taking timely and decisive action to deal with our budget deficit, the Legislature's DFL leadership wasted the first few months of the session. Passage of your final budget bills in the last few minutes before midnight on the final day of the session was indicative of how you managed the situation.
Rather than calling together former legislators and governors to rehash already established concerns, the Legislature's time would be better spent coming up with reasonable solutions, negotiating with my Administration, passing bills, and having them signed into law."
Sincerely,
(Governor's signature here)
Tim Pawlenty
Governor
We thank Governor Pawlenty for his forthright message pointing to the failure of the DFL to do their duty during the legislative session just concluded.
The quoted letter follows:
"Dear Senator Pogemiller and Speaker Kelliher:
Thank you for your recent letter regarding plans for a Minnesota Leadership Summit in early September.
My Administration and I are declining the invitation to participate in your summit. As we have witnessed over the past year, DFL legislators have done a thorough job of admiring our state's budget difficulties, but have refused or been unable to take action to address them.
The state already has an annual Minnesota Leadership Summit. It's called the legislative session and it lasts approximately five months. This past year, rather than taking timely and decisive action to deal with our budget deficit, the Legislature's DFL leadership wasted the first few months of the session. Passage of your final budget bills in the last few minutes before midnight on the final day of the session was indicative of how you managed the situation.
Rather than calling together former legislators and governors to rehash already established concerns, the Legislature's time would be better spent coming up with reasonable solutions, negotiating with my Administration, passing bills, and having them signed into law."
Sincerely,
(Governor's signature here)
Tim Pawlenty
Governor
No Town Hall Meetings For Oberstar!
This is copied from the MinnPost.com
"Now that Congressman Tim Walz in southern Minnesota seems to have buckled to the pressure to have a town hall meeting on health care reform, folks in the northern part of the state might be wondering if Congressman Jim Oberstar might have similar plans.
Nope, says the Duluth News Tribune.
The paper reports:
"[Oberstar] typically does not do townhalls per say [sic]," [said spokesman John Schadl.]
Oberstar prefers forums with specific focus groups or interested parties, such as a forum he did last week in Pine City with farmers on dairy issues, Schadl said. "These town hall meetings have become so politicized, and he finds it so valuable to reach out to people when he travels, talk to them directly."
Schadl said that Oberstar has had numerous meetings with constituency groups on health care reform in the past year.
Of course, Oberstar is a 17-term DFLer in a DFL district, while Walz is a second-term DFLer in a traditionally Republican district. "
There is a letter from the editor in the Post Review, I have written this man, called his office, gone to his facebook page....How do you stay a 17 term Senator without talking to your constituents? Oh, I forgot, dfl district..no questions asked for many, many years...time to wake the sleeping elephant people!
"Now that Congressman Tim Walz in southern Minnesota seems to have buckled to the pressure to have a town hall meeting on health care reform, folks in the northern part of the state might be wondering if Congressman Jim Oberstar might have similar plans.
Nope, says the Duluth News Tribune.
The paper reports:
"[Oberstar] typically does not do townhalls per say [sic]," [said spokesman John Schadl.]
Oberstar prefers forums with specific focus groups or interested parties, such as a forum he did last week in Pine City with farmers on dairy issues, Schadl said. "These town hall meetings have become so politicized, and he finds it so valuable to reach out to people when he travels, talk to them directly."
Schadl said that Oberstar has had numerous meetings with constituency groups on health care reform in the past year.
Of course, Oberstar is a 17-term DFLer in a DFL district, while Walz is a second-term DFLer in a traditionally Republican district. "
There is a letter from the editor in the Post Review, I have written this man, called his office, gone to his facebook page....How do you stay a 17 term Senator without talking to your constituents? Oh, I forgot, dfl district..no questions asked for many, many years...time to wake the sleeping elephant people!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
What am I missing here????
I just can’t help myself sometimes, but am I the only one out here thinking the obvious?
Explanation: In his speech to some folks in New Hampshire today (very select bunch of folks I might add) Mr. Obama explained that a government insurance plan will sustain itself through premiums and other non-tax revenue, thus private insurers should be able to compete with a government plan as long as they have good plans.
If a government plan is an option, we all know that it will not sustain itself through premiums and non-tax revenue (whatever that is.) The government loves to create fees added to things like private insurance premiums to help offset costs incurred to run the government plan.
The good president goes on in New Hampshire to explain how private insurance should be able to compete with a government plan. “They do it all the time,” he said. “UPS and FedEx are doing just fine… It’s the Post office that’s always having problems.”
Ok, Ok, so I get it, the federal government has a monopoly on the delivery of letters and mail, they have a mail box in front of every home in this country in which to deliver mail, and they still screw it up and haven’t run that operation in the black in so long that no one can remember. And they expect to deliver health care to people???? Give me a break, someone help me out here… what am I missing???
If the federal government gets its dirty grubby little hands into health care any deeper than it already is, it will cause the entire private health care insurance system to offer products to its customers that will compete with a system that we already subsidize. The lousy care, the ‘end of life counseling’ will all transfer to every plan at the lowest level tier whether public or private. It will in fact end in a single payer federal system for those of us that cannot go pay directly for open heart surgery or those of us not fortunate enough to be covered by the same policy as those elected in Washington.
Someone out there help me out on this, what am I missing?
Explanation: In his speech to some folks in New Hampshire today (very select bunch of folks I might add) Mr. Obama explained that a government insurance plan will sustain itself through premiums and other non-tax revenue, thus private insurers should be able to compete with a government plan as long as they have good plans.
If a government plan is an option, we all know that it will not sustain itself through premiums and non-tax revenue (whatever that is.) The government loves to create fees added to things like private insurance premiums to help offset costs incurred to run the government plan.
The good president goes on in New Hampshire to explain how private insurance should be able to compete with a government plan. “They do it all the time,” he said. “UPS and FedEx are doing just fine… It’s the Post office that’s always having problems.”
Ok, Ok, so I get it, the federal government has a monopoly on the delivery of letters and mail, they have a mail box in front of every home in this country in which to deliver mail, and they still screw it up and haven’t run that operation in the black in so long that no one can remember. And they expect to deliver health care to people???? Give me a break, someone help me out here… what am I missing???
If the federal government gets its dirty grubby little hands into health care any deeper than it already is, it will cause the entire private health care insurance system to offer products to its customers that will compete with a system that we already subsidize. The lousy care, the ‘end of life counseling’ will all transfer to every plan at the lowest level tier whether public or private. It will in fact end in a single payer federal system for those of us that cannot go pay directly for open heart surgery or those of us not fortunate enough to be covered by the same policy as those elected in Washington.
Someone out there help me out on this, what am I missing?
Un-American? I think not!
Nancy Pelosi and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer have teamed up to call anyone who dares question the democrats motives regarding health care “simply un-American”. In a column written for and published in USA today, the pair called into question the patriotism of anyone who dared speak up at one of the town hall meetings being held around the country to discuss the health care.
This type of behavior is not new to the Speaker, from accusing the CIA of lying to her and congress, to repeatedly calling Republicans unpatriotic, Ms. Pelosi continues her efforts to call into question anyone who might have an opposing viewpoint.
Ms. Pelosi has become the poster child for the Democratic hypocrisy. The Speaker, who led the charge to withdraw troops from Iraq before the job had been completed, more than tolerated anti-war protesters in the past. As a matter of fact, I quote, “ It’s always exciting,” she said of anti-war protesters, “This is democracy in action, I’m energized by it, frankly.” Yet when someone with an opposing viewpoint speaks up, it is "un-American."
I believe that the very foundation of our democracy is built on the right to free speech. Voicing your opinions to your elected officials is not only your right as a citizen of this great country, it is your responsibility as a citizen legislator to insure that the elected officials are representing their constituents.
We as voters have to remember that we elect legislative representatives, we send them to Washington, St. Paul, the County Seat, City Hall, and we must follow through with giving them direction. We cannot sit idly by and assume that they will have our best interest in mind when making legislative decisions. We need to meet with these legislators, write them, call them, email them, shout them down when they are not listening, and remind them of whom they represent and what our interests are.
Nancy Pelosi’s rhetoric is reprehensible and too many times in the past has she shown her true colors as a socialist leaning left wing nut case who would have us all in the peasant class serving the aristocracy of the political class.
We as right minded Americans have a great opportunity at this time in history, the liberals could not be making it easier for us and we need to organize and take advantage of this situation and take back our great country.
Let’s take back our country and maybe once and for all we can remember to do it right this time and keep it.
God Bless.
This type of behavior is not new to the Speaker, from accusing the CIA of lying to her and congress, to repeatedly calling Republicans unpatriotic, Ms. Pelosi continues her efforts to call into question anyone who might have an opposing viewpoint.
Ms. Pelosi has become the poster child for the Democratic hypocrisy. The Speaker, who led the charge to withdraw troops from Iraq before the job had been completed, more than tolerated anti-war protesters in the past. As a matter of fact, I quote, “ It’s always exciting,” she said of anti-war protesters, “This is democracy in action, I’m energized by it, frankly.” Yet when someone with an opposing viewpoint speaks up, it is "un-American."
I believe that the very foundation of our democracy is built on the right to free speech. Voicing your opinions to your elected officials is not only your right as a citizen of this great country, it is your responsibility as a citizen legislator to insure that the elected officials are representing their constituents.
We as voters have to remember that we elect legislative representatives, we send them to Washington, St. Paul, the County Seat, City Hall, and we must follow through with giving them direction. We cannot sit idly by and assume that they will have our best interest in mind when making legislative decisions. We need to meet with these legislators, write them, call them, email them, shout them down when they are not listening, and remind them of whom they represent and what our interests are.
Nancy Pelosi’s rhetoric is reprehensible and too many times in the past has she shown her true colors as a socialist leaning left wing nut case who would have us all in the peasant class serving the aristocracy of the political class.
We as right minded Americans have a great opportunity at this time in history, the liberals could not be making it easier for us and we need to organize and take advantage of this situation and take back our great country.
Let’s take back our country and maybe once and for all we can remember to do it right this time and keep it.
God Bless.
Just another example of hypocrisy and the double standards…
If George W. Bush had made a joke at the expense of the Special Olympics, would you have approved?
If George W. Bush had given Gordon Brown, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom , a set of inexpensive and incorrectly formatted DVDs, when Gordon Brown had given him a thoughtful and historically significant gift, would you have approved?
If George W. Bush had given the Queen of England an iPod containing videos of his speeches, would you have thought this embarrassingly narcissistic and tacky?
If George W. Bush had bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia, would you have approved?
If George W. Bush had visited Austria and made reference to anon-existent 'Austrian language,' would you have brushed it off as a minor slip?
If George W. Bush had filled his cabinet and circle of advisers with people who cannot seem to remember to pay their own income taxes, would you have approved?
If George W. Bush had been so Spanish illiterate as to refer to "Cinco de Cuatro" in front of the Mexican ambassador when it was the fourth of May (Cuatro de Mayo), and continued to flub it when he tried again, would you have winced in embarrassment?
If George W. Bush had mis-spelled the word advice would you have hammered him for it for years like when Dan Quayle was when he spelled potatoe as "proof" of what a dunce he is?
If George W. Bush had burned 9,000 gallons of tax-payer funded jet fuel to go plant a single tree on "Earth Day", would you have concluded he's a hypocrite regarding environmental issues?
If George W. Bush' s administration had okayed tax-payer funded Air Force One flying low over millions of people followed by a jet fighter in downtown Manhattan causing widespread panic, would you have wonderedwhether they actually "get" what happened on 9-11?
If George W. Bush had been the first President to need a teleprompter installed to be able to get through a press conference, would you have laughed and said this is more proof of how he inept he is on his own and is actually being controlled by smarter men behind the scenes?
If George W. Bush had failed to send relief aid to flood victims throughout the Midwest with more people killed or made homeless than in New Orleans, would you want it made into a major ongoing political issue with claims of racism and incompetence?
If George W. Bush had ordered the firing of the CEO of a majorcorporation, even though he had no constitutional authority to do so, would you have approved?
If George W. Bush had proposed to double the national debt in one year, which had taken more than two centuries to accumulate, would you have approved?
If George W.. Bush had then proposed to double the debt yet again within the following 10 years, thereby putting your children and grandchildren in such massive debt that it threatens the national treasury, would you have approved?
If George W. Bush had reduced your retirement plan's holdings of GM stock by 90% and given the unions a majority stake in GM, with no constitutional authority to do so, would you have approved?
If George W. Bush had spent hundreds of thousands of tax-payer dollars to take Laura Bush on a 'date night' to a play in NYC, would you have approved?
So, tell me again, what is it about Obama that makes him so brilliant and impressive? Can't think of anything?
Don't worry. He's done all this in a mere 5 months -- So, you'll have three years and seven months to come up with an answer.
Naive, incompetent, and uninformed American voters did this to themselves
If George W. Bush had given Gordon Brown, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom , a set of inexpensive and incorrectly formatted DVDs, when Gordon Brown had given him a thoughtful and historically significant gift, would you have approved?
If George W. Bush had given the Queen of England an iPod containing videos of his speeches, would you have thought this embarrassingly narcissistic and tacky?
If George W. Bush had bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia, would you have approved?
If George W. Bush had visited Austria and made reference to anon-existent 'Austrian language,' would you have brushed it off as a minor slip?
If George W. Bush had filled his cabinet and circle of advisers with people who cannot seem to remember to pay their own income taxes, would you have approved?
If George W. Bush had been so Spanish illiterate as to refer to "Cinco de Cuatro" in front of the Mexican ambassador when it was the fourth of May (Cuatro de Mayo), and continued to flub it when he tried again, would you have winced in embarrassment?
If George W. Bush had mis-spelled the word advice would you have hammered him for it for years like when Dan Quayle was when he spelled potatoe as "proof" of what a dunce he is?
If George W. Bush had burned 9,000 gallons of tax-payer funded jet fuel to go plant a single tree on "Earth Day", would you have concluded he's a hypocrite regarding environmental issues?
If George W. Bush' s administration had okayed tax-payer funded Air Force One flying low over millions of people followed by a jet fighter in downtown Manhattan causing widespread panic, would you have wonderedwhether they actually "get" what happened on 9-11?
If George W. Bush had been the first President to need a teleprompter installed to be able to get through a press conference, would you have laughed and said this is more proof of how he inept he is on his own and is actually being controlled by smarter men behind the scenes?
If George W. Bush had failed to send relief aid to flood victims throughout the Midwest with more people killed or made homeless than in New Orleans, would you want it made into a major ongoing political issue with claims of racism and incompetence?
If George W. Bush had ordered the firing of the CEO of a majorcorporation, even though he had no constitutional authority to do so, would you have approved?
If George W. Bush had proposed to double the national debt in one year, which had taken more than two centuries to accumulate, would you have approved?
If George W.. Bush had then proposed to double the debt yet again within the following 10 years, thereby putting your children and grandchildren in such massive debt that it threatens the national treasury, would you have approved?
If George W. Bush had reduced your retirement plan's holdings of GM stock by 90% and given the unions a majority stake in GM, with no constitutional authority to do so, would you have approved?
If George W. Bush had spent hundreds of thousands of tax-payer dollars to take Laura Bush on a 'date night' to a play in NYC, would you have approved?
So, tell me again, what is it about Obama that makes him so brilliant and impressive? Can't think of anything?
Don't worry. He's done all this in a mere 5 months -- So, you'll have three years and seven months to come up with an answer.
Naive, incompetent, and uninformed American voters did this to themselves
Sunday, August 09, 2009
A WHOLE LEGISLATIVE SESSION IS NOT LONG ENOUGH FOR TAIL-DRAGGING DFLers!
In his "Senate Review" - Isanti-Chisago County STAR - Page A4 -August 6, 2009 - State Senator Rick Olseen is quoted as "very concerned about the possible dire consequences from the Governor's decision" through the use of the line item veto and the "unallotment process where he unilaterally made cuts to the state budget."
Senator Olseen, of course the Governor made unilateral budget cuts through the "unallotment process"; that is the process and gubernatorial power and alternative available to the Governor when the legislature fails to prepare and provide a state-constitutionally required balanced budget.
You had a whole legislative session (five months!) to prepare a balanced budget and you did not get the job done. So the Governor had to do what you people failed to do. And now you come crying that you "fear the consequences of unallotment will result in increased costs and problems down the road."
We appreciate that you are "very concerned" and "deeply troubled" - but the problem is you are five months tardy in your tears!
Saturday, August 01, 2009
Soylent Green keeps coming up in conversation
So...this does seem to keep coming up in conversations about the healthcare debate. Maybe it has something to do with the age of the conversants, but we all remember the movie. It is free online, full version. And there is a great website where the t shirts can be purchased for $10.99. For the uninitiated, Soylent Green is comprised of the elderly population, coerced for the betterment of the human race, to give themselves up as food basically..and be turned into biscuits. "Tuesday is Soylent Green Day"...What a gift this ready made focal point could be! A Free Movie Night at a local theatre, invite our representatives, and start the conversation about where this bill is headed. I was told today that TNT has been showing the movie recently...the timing is impeccable! What do you think? This could be pulled together quickly, and would be so easy to go viral....
So, are there plans to EDUCATE our non representatives while they are on paid leave?
5 week paid vacation..but supposedly these representatives are going to be getting 'in touch' with their constituents and listening..where, when, and how? Is anyone organizing a march on someones office, a group meeting in a town hall? Or are these guys all giving lip service as usual, and not meeting with anyone? I will be checking their websites for schedules next...lets let them hear something about their total lack of ethics in representing the idiots that elected them.
FOLKS, THIS IS YOUR LEGISLATIVE REPRESENTATION AT WORK!!
Front page ECM Post Review, July 29, 2009 story headline: "POWER PLANT MEETING PACKS LENT TOWN HALL"
Further important details as unfolded in the story:
"Close to 300 people attended to learn about a proposed electric generation power plant . . . . ."
"A number of guests had been invited to the meeting including legislators . . . . . ."
"Senator Rick Olseen was in attendance."
"Olseen admitted the Legislature (that's him) might have made a mistake and that it would probably be up to (the school district, county and Lent township) to negotiate inflation into the host agreement."
And then there was Rep. Jeremy Kalin - the staunch environmentalist!
Representative Kalin was either not present or, if present among the 300, evidently did not say anything worth quoting by the ECM Post Review editor who wrote the story.
So here is a vivid example of the quality of your representation in the legislature:
The Senator "might have made a mistake" and the Representative was silent, not worth quoting or absent!
(Source of "quotes": ECM Post Review, July 29, 2009 - pages 1 and 2)
Further important details as unfolded in the story:
"Close to 300 people attended to learn about a proposed electric generation power plant . . . . ."
"A number of guests had been invited to the meeting including legislators . . . . . ."
"Senator Rick Olseen was in attendance."
"Olseen admitted the Legislature (that's him) might have made a mistake and that it would probably be up to (the school district, county and Lent township) to negotiate inflation into the host agreement."
And then there was Rep. Jeremy Kalin - the staunch environmentalist!
Representative Kalin was either not present or, if present among the 300, evidently did not say anything worth quoting by the ECM Post Review editor who wrote the story.
So here is a vivid example of the quality of your representation in the legislature:
The Senator "might have made a mistake" and the Representative was silent, not worth quoting or absent!
(Source of "quotes": ECM Post Review, July 29, 2009 - pages 1 and 2)
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
The Republican Leadership has to get it right this time
Rumblings of fear can be heard even over at the Huffington Post today on the potential for the GOP to make huge headway in taking back the reins of the country. Citing the growing discontent of the electorate at the Democrats 'experiment' with our economy, our social programs and our jobs, the writers nonetheless curb their hand wringing with the solace that the Republican Party is unable to find a way to get it's message out. They are right (pun intended). Stridency does work to some extent, with the Glenn Becks and various radio personalities revving up sentiment and getting their messages out. Unfortunately, these are the people that many believe are in charge of the party.
We need the calmer, level headed point men to be the face of the party, men and women who exude a sure and confident belief that they can get the country back on track after the attemtped derailment by the socialists now in charge. Of course they cannot call them socialists, just like the o cannot say he support euthanasia.
We all know that the o did not win by his stellar performance. He was placed in office by masterful manipulators, funded by most likely another state (opinion). Unthinkable cash placed him in the highest offices, as he was teleprompted by some of the best handlers in the world. Social platforms that turned out the young vote, rhetoric delivered that was energizing and carefully refined to feed the public what it wanted to hear, with no vetting by the media.
Now that America has had the great O, it is time to settle down. The afterglow is waning, and it is time to go back to being the grown up. Our leaders must show calm confidence to an electorate that has been shaken. The need a strong point of reference to focus the scattered energy. Sarah captured the need for plain talk. Not perfect, but a perfect example of the need for people to connect and believe that their leaders are not as disconnected as the president and his cronies are proving themselves to be. As they continue to shoot themselves in the foot, we need to quietly keep the gun loaded. The supply line needs to be established quickly with solid men and women who can use logic and humor to prove they can lead, not punish the nation, into future prosperity.
We need the calmer, level headed point men to be the face of the party, men and women who exude a sure and confident belief that they can get the country back on track after the attemtped derailment by the socialists now in charge. Of course they cannot call them socialists, just like the o cannot say he support euthanasia.
We all know that the o did not win by his stellar performance. He was placed in office by masterful manipulators, funded by most likely another state (opinion). Unthinkable cash placed him in the highest offices, as he was teleprompted by some of the best handlers in the world. Social platforms that turned out the young vote, rhetoric delivered that was energizing and carefully refined to feed the public what it wanted to hear, with no vetting by the media.
Now that America has had the great O, it is time to settle down. The afterglow is waning, and it is time to go back to being the grown up. Our leaders must show calm confidence to an electorate that has been shaken. The need a strong point of reference to focus the scattered energy. Sarah captured the need for plain talk. Not perfect, but a perfect example of the need for people to connect and believe that their leaders are not as disconnected as the president and his cronies are proving themselves to be. As they continue to shoot themselves in the foot, we need to quietly keep the gun loaded. The supply line needs to be established quickly with solid men and women who can use logic and humor to prove they can lead, not punish the nation, into future prosperity.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Barney Frank… Enough said huh? Well, not really, the ramblings of this man today at his press conference only compounds my confusion as to how he remains to be a person of influence in our federal government.
Barney Frank became the Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee in 2007 when the Democrats took control of the House. Now that may seem innocent enough, after all Mr. Frank is a Harvard Law School Graduate and in Washington we know that means everything, but in 2003, while the ranking Democrat on the Financial Services Committee, Frank opposed a Bush administration proposal for transferring oversight of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from Congress and the Department of Housing and Urban Affairs Development to a new agency that would be created within the Treasury Department. The proposal reflected the administration's belief that Congress "neither has the tools, nor the stature" for adequate oversight. Frank stated, "These two entities...are not facing any kind of financial crisis.... The more people exaggerate these problems, the more pressure there is on these companies, the less we will see in terms of affordable housing."
A few more tidbits on Mr. Frank’s resume in congress…
In 2006, Frank was one of three Representatives to oppose the Respect for America's Fallen Hero's Act, which restricted protests at soldiers' funerals.
Frank has a 100% rating from NARL. He voted against the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act, against the Unborn Victims of Violence Act and against the criminalization of the transportation of minors across state lines by non-family members to circumvent local abortion laws.
In March 2008, Frank proposed the Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2008 (HR 5843), which would decriminalize small amounts of the drug.
Barney Frank’s guidance and influence has been a main contributor to the current financial mess our mortgage industry is in and this congress continues to allow him a pulpit to spew his inane ideas to those who will listen.
Barney Frank is one of the top respected democrats in Congress… should it really be tough to turn this thing around??
Barney Frank became the Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee in 2007 when the Democrats took control of the House. Now that may seem innocent enough, after all Mr. Frank is a Harvard Law School Graduate and in Washington we know that means everything, but in 2003, while the ranking Democrat on the Financial Services Committee, Frank opposed a Bush administration proposal for transferring oversight of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from Congress and the Department of Housing and Urban Affairs Development to a new agency that would be created within the Treasury Department. The proposal reflected the administration's belief that Congress "neither has the tools, nor the stature" for adequate oversight. Frank stated, "These two entities...are not facing any kind of financial crisis.... The more people exaggerate these problems, the more pressure there is on these companies, the less we will see in terms of affordable housing."
A few more tidbits on Mr. Frank’s resume in congress…
In 2006, Frank was one of three Representatives to oppose the Respect for America's Fallen Hero's Act, which restricted protests at soldiers' funerals.
Frank has a 100% rating from NARL. He voted against the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act, against the Unborn Victims of Violence Act and against the criminalization of the transportation of minors across state lines by non-family members to circumvent local abortion laws.
In March 2008, Frank proposed the Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2008 (HR 5843), which would decriminalize small amounts of the drug.
Barney Frank’s guidance and influence has been a main contributor to the current financial mess our mortgage industry is in and this congress continues to allow him a pulpit to spew his inane ideas to those who will listen.
Barney Frank is one of the top respected democrats in Congress… should it really be tough to turn this thing around??
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Healthcare Reform, the beginning of the end?
As news trickles out begrudingly to the unwashed masses, the new world leaders are becoming more visible for their total disconnect from what makes us human. Ezekial Emmanuel, Rahm (the chief of staffs) brother is tapped as the presidents potential Medical Czar, the clarification of the character of this administration becomes more clear. Quotations from previous articles, published by respected journals such a the Lancet provide an insight into the thought processes that terrify me, and should anyone who has respect for the sanctity of the individual, not matter their physical condition. It is part of what makes us American, and what this administration continues to miss.
Emanuel, however, believes that "communitarianism" should guide decisions on who gets care. He says medical care should be reserved for the non-disabled, not given to those "who are irreversibly prevented from being or becoming participating citizens . . . An obvious example is not guaranteeing health services to patients with dementia" (Hastings Center Report, Nov.-Dec. '96).
"Unlike allocation by sex or race, allocation by age is not invidious discrimination; every person lives through different life stages rather than being a single age. Even if 25-year-olds receive priority over 65-year-olds, everyone who is 65 years now was previously 25 years" (Lancet, Jan. 31). The bills being rushed through Congress will be paid for largely by a $500 billion-plus cut in Medicare over 10 years.
Dr. David Blumenthal, another key Obama adviser, agrees. He recommends slowing medical innovation to control health spending. Blumenthal has long advocated government health-spending controls, though he concedes they're "associated with longer waits" and "reduced availability of new and expensive treatments and devices" (New England Journal of Medicine, March 8, 2001). But he calls it "debatable" whether the timely care Americans get is worth the cost. (Ask a cancer patient, and you'll get a different answer. Delay lowers your chances of survival.) Obama appointed Blumenthal as national coordinator of health-information technology, a job that involves making sure doctors obey electronically deivered guidelines about what care the government deems appropriate and cost effective
In a Nov. 16, 2008, Health Care Watch column, Emanuel explained how business should be done: "Every favor to a constituency should be linked to support for the health-care reform agenda. If the automakers want a bailout, then they and their suppliers have to agree to support and lobby for the administration's health-reform effort."
Many of the quotations on this page were taken from an article in the New York Post, authored by Betsy McCaughey who is the founder of the Committee to Reduce Infec tion Deaths and a former New York lieutenant governor
I spent the day with friends to celebrate the 97th birthday of my greatest supporter. She is in a wheelchair, wears a hearing aid, and is otherwise terribly healthy. Ten years ago, after a horrendous car accident which took the life of her driver, she was in the ICU for a week. They told me she would not live, I carry POA, and said she would. Her incredible strength, humor and tenacity anchor me and those of us who were with her today. Who in hell is Ezekial, Obama, anyone, to tell me, that her life force is not worthy of their consideration?
Do we begin the slippery slope to dehumanizing us all if we accept this?
Friday, July 24, 2009
God Bless Those Who Serve and Those Who Gave All...
This weekend the bodies of three honored military soldiers will be laid to rest. These soldiers were serving the country they loved and honored and were true patriots.
Freedom is something that many take for granted. We go about our daily lives and don’t have to worry about bombs and mortars dropping in our neighborhoods, or secret police sweeping into our homes in the night to carry us off to some political prison for voicing our opinions. Freedom is a wonderful thing and it should be defended to the end.
Take a moment now, tomorrow, sometime, and think about the brave men and women who have served in the past, who are serving now, and those who will answer the call to service in the future.
I have known many veterans from many different times in our history, I am a veteran, I have a daughter serving today as you read this, and I have known many who have not served and would not ever serve. Each of us has reasons why we do things in this life, to each their own.
I hold a special place in my thoughts and prayers for anyone and everyone who has ever worn the uniform, braved the loneliness of that first flight out to a far away, unknown place, alone and a little scared for what lies ahead. I have also met very few people who have served who did not become better people for having served. It is an experience that few can relate to if they did not serve themselves. It takes a special courage to serve and put ones life on the line for the love of freedom and to protect those who we love.
I would also remind everyone that there are nefarious outlaws in this world who would do us all harm, bomb our schools and malls, poison our waters and destroy the freedom that we love. September 11, 2001 has become too faded a memory for many and we need to remember that the fight for freedom is not one we want to have to fight on our shores. There can be no compromise to the relentless fight that needs to be taken to the ones that would do us harm and those serving this cause are truly patriots and heroes.
Save a moment in your thoughts and prayers for the young soldiers who gave all in the name of defending our freedom and liberty and may God Bless them and their families.
Bar None
Freedom is something that many take for granted. We go about our daily lives and don’t have to worry about bombs and mortars dropping in our neighborhoods, or secret police sweeping into our homes in the night to carry us off to some political prison for voicing our opinions. Freedom is a wonderful thing and it should be defended to the end.
Take a moment now, tomorrow, sometime, and think about the brave men and women who have served in the past, who are serving now, and those who will answer the call to service in the future.
I have known many veterans from many different times in our history, I am a veteran, I have a daughter serving today as you read this, and I have known many who have not served and would not ever serve. Each of us has reasons why we do things in this life, to each their own.
I hold a special place in my thoughts and prayers for anyone and everyone who has ever worn the uniform, braved the loneliness of that first flight out to a far away, unknown place, alone and a little scared for what lies ahead. I have also met very few people who have served who did not become better people for having served. It is an experience that few can relate to if they did not serve themselves. It takes a special courage to serve and put ones life on the line for the love of freedom and to protect those who we love.
I would also remind everyone that there are nefarious outlaws in this world who would do us all harm, bomb our schools and malls, poison our waters and destroy the freedom that we love. September 11, 2001 has become too faded a memory for many and we need to remember that the fight for freedom is not one we want to have to fight on our shores. There can be no compromise to the relentless fight that needs to be taken to the ones that would do us harm and those serving this cause are truly patriots and heroes.
Save a moment in your thoughts and prayers for the young soldiers who gave all in the name of defending our freedom and liberty and may God Bless them and their families.
Bar None
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Will we seize the moment?
This is the time in history to rediscover the body of the ideology we as conservatives call the platform of the Republican Party. How high on moral ground do we dare climb while defending fellow conservatives who have crossed this line of morality which we defend? It’s time to re-evaluate our goals and define the path with which we plan to move into the future.
It’s easy to maintain the obvious and usual in our platform, pro-life, pro-family, fiscal responsibility, and smaller government, all which we can recite from memory. But what defines us as progressive reformists that will resonate with not only the majority, but the minority as well?
The time is now to define a platform with a not only a strong moral lining, but also provides direction defined by the needs of our nation now and moving into the future.
There is no doubt that the majority of Americans are starving for great leadership. It hasn’t been more obvious in recent memory than now that a well defined, well organized party will energize the voters in this country if the message is clear and positive. The American public will be looking for a clear message that the best of times are ahead of us and that the road to economic prosperity is through lower taxes, less spending, and fiscal responsibility within the government.
This economic recession is the opportunity for the Republican Party to stand up and be heard. The democrats are in charge of this mess, they own it and recovery will be slow at best. We will have plunged deeper into debt than at any time in our history as a nation and Americans will be looking for new leadership in the future who can provide hope and offer responsible plans to restore this country to its position of prosperity and envy of those around world.
As a party we have sacrificed all too often, we have condoned the inappropriate behaviors and brushed aside the utter malefaction of some we elect to high office and proceed to offer ourselves as the party of morality and family values. We have come to define ourselves and our party in terms of the things that we oppose, instead of clearly defining ourselves in terms of the things we believe to be right, honest, and best for our country.
I have heard the outcry to do whatever it takes to get our party elected and back in the majority. The fact remains that if this is the party with which we rally and regain control with, we truly won’t be any better off as a nation than we are right now. Those who believe that our platform should allow the compromise of our core values are compromising the future of our party and that of our country. Any platform not built on a strong foundation will fail in the long run. They may achieve moderate success but it will inevitably be temporary and fail to provide a base with which a democracy can survive and flourish.
In the last presidential election this country chose the only candidate who provided a glimmer of hope that things in Washington would change in the future. This candidate is in the process of proving that his is the party of politics as usual in Washington and ultimately more of the same.
As Republicans we have the opportunity of a lifetime at hand. We can seize this opportunity to rebuild our party from within, lay the foundation of our party on a platform that defines us for the things that we believe to be in the best interest of our country and our future. We need to recruit candidates, organize ourselves, and begin a grass roots movement to rebuild our party from within. If we don’t, I don’t see how we can expect the American public to hear our message, let alone believe in it.
The ultimate question remains…. Will we seize the moment?
It’s easy to maintain the obvious and usual in our platform, pro-life, pro-family, fiscal responsibility, and smaller government, all which we can recite from memory. But what defines us as progressive reformists that will resonate with not only the majority, but the minority as well?
The time is now to define a platform with a not only a strong moral lining, but also provides direction defined by the needs of our nation now and moving into the future.
There is no doubt that the majority of Americans are starving for great leadership. It hasn’t been more obvious in recent memory than now that a well defined, well organized party will energize the voters in this country if the message is clear and positive. The American public will be looking for a clear message that the best of times are ahead of us and that the road to economic prosperity is through lower taxes, less spending, and fiscal responsibility within the government.
This economic recession is the opportunity for the Republican Party to stand up and be heard. The democrats are in charge of this mess, they own it and recovery will be slow at best. We will have plunged deeper into debt than at any time in our history as a nation and Americans will be looking for new leadership in the future who can provide hope and offer responsible plans to restore this country to its position of prosperity and envy of those around world.
As a party we have sacrificed all too often, we have condoned the inappropriate behaviors and brushed aside the utter malefaction of some we elect to high office and proceed to offer ourselves as the party of morality and family values. We have come to define ourselves and our party in terms of the things that we oppose, instead of clearly defining ourselves in terms of the things we believe to be right, honest, and best for our country.
I have heard the outcry to do whatever it takes to get our party elected and back in the majority. The fact remains that if this is the party with which we rally and regain control with, we truly won’t be any better off as a nation than we are right now. Those who believe that our platform should allow the compromise of our core values are compromising the future of our party and that of our country. Any platform not built on a strong foundation will fail in the long run. They may achieve moderate success but it will inevitably be temporary and fail to provide a base with which a democracy can survive and flourish.
In the last presidential election this country chose the only candidate who provided a glimmer of hope that things in Washington would change in the future. This candidate is in the process of proving that his is the party of politics as usual in Washington and ultimately more of the same.
As Republicans we have the opportunity of a lifetime at hand. We can seize this opportunity to rebuild our party from within, lay the foundation of our party on a platform that defines us for the things that we believe to be in the best interest of our country and our future. We need to recruit candidates, organize ourselves, and begin a grass roots movement to rebuild our party from within. If we don’t, I don’t see how we can expect the American public to hear our message, let alone believe in it.
The ultimate question remains…. Will we seize the moment?
Monday, July 20, 2009
Dusting off old candidates...?
The pendulum of politics has swung left, as far left as we have seen in generations. The spending and government dependency being crafted by the current presidential administration is unlike anything this country has seen since the boondoggle called the new deal.
Franklin D. Roosevelt presented his plan for economic recovery to the masses as a means to rebuild the American infrastructure and put people to work in a time when there was very little work. Today we call this ‘stimulus funding.’ We prop up corporations like GM and declare that ‘we’ cannot ‘afford’ to allow them to fail. ‘We’ are now getting exactly what we asked for right? The new deal failed miserably and the economic policies of the administration today will fail as well.
As Republicans we have an opportunity. We have an opportunity to recast ourselves as the party of the people. We are the people who cherish freedom, liberty, and respect the constitution as scribed by our founding fathers. It will never cease to amaze me that the founding fathers of our country, and there are many who do not get the credit that they are due, we so brilliant in construction of a free country. This was done in a time that travel was difficult, getting together as a political group involved great sacrifice to family and farm, and yet these sacrifices were made in the name of something great. Most helped shape our constitution and form a government, then went quietly back to their farms and families without fanfare.
As history tells us, our political landscape changes over time and the pendulum is as far left as it can go right now. We need to gear up and be ready for the swing back in the right direction. We can dig up our candidates of old and dust them off to march in parades and kiss babies, or we can take this opportunity to recruit our party back to greatness. I find it impossible to believe that we are so thin of right thinking people in this district that we cannot offer the voters a ‘great’ candidate. If we are in fact so thin of our base in this district, we indeed have a large hill to climb.
I don’t believe that we are thin of right thinking folks in this district. In fact, I believe that we are in the majority and in recent past the all too silent majority. Our message has not resonated with the majority and for this we have failed and given way to the left.
Gore Vidal once said,” Democracy is a place where numerous elections are held at great cost without issues and with interchangeable candidates.” Our platform has not been defined in a way that the voters in this district can attach hope that things will change if our candidate is elected. The silent campaign slogan has been, “ If elected, I will go to St. Paul and vote the party line, fall in line with the senior members of my party, bash the opposing party at every corner, and allow nothing to be accomplished as long as I hold the office!.” This campaign strategy knows no party line. Of course I am being facetious, no candidate in their right mind would actually utter those words out loud, but that is the message that the voters are hearing.
We have an opportunity to speak our message loud and clear. There has never been a better time to define ourselves as the party who represents the people, the individual, the small business owner, and the farmer, while assuring the downtrodden that there will be a helping hand available when needed. The people of this district are listening and we need to speak to them.
We will miss the opportunity of a generation if we don’t make these next elections great and elect candidates worthy of those who founded our great country and this great state. Dusting off old candidates who have made politics a career is a bad plan, more of the same old same sends a bad message to the voters and will only ensure that the strangle hold currently known as a DFL majority remains in St. Paul.
My 2 cents worth...
Franklin D. Roosevelt presented his plan for economic recovery to the masses as a means to rebuild the American infrastructure and put people to work in a time when there was very little work. Today we call this ‘stimulus funding.’ We prop up corporations like GM and declare that ‘we’ cannot ‘afford’ to allow them to fail. ‘We’ are now getting exactly what we asked for right? The new deal failed miserably and the economic policies of the administration today will fail as well.
As Republicans we have an opportunity. We have an opportunity to recast ourselves as the party of the people. We are the people who cherish freedom, liberty, and respect the constitution as scribed by our founding fathers. It will never cease to amaze me that the founding fathers of our country, and there are many who do not get the credit that they are due, we so brilliant in construction of a free country. This was done in a time that travel was difficult, getting together as a political group involved great sacrifice to family and farm, and yet these sacrifices were made in the name of something great. Most helped shape our constitution and form a government, then went quietly back to their farms and families without fanfare.
As history tells us, our political landscape changes over time and the pendulum is as far left as it can go right now. We need to gear up and be ready for the swing back in the right direction. We can dig up our candidates of old and dust them off to march in parades and kiss babies, or we can take this opportunity to recruit our party back to greatness. I find it impossible to believe that we are so thin of right thinking people in this district that we cannot offer the voters a ‘great’ candidate. If we are in fact so thin of our base in this district, we indeed have a large hill to climb.
I don’t believe that we are thin of right thinking folks in this district. In fact, I believe that we are in the majority and in recent past the all too silent majority. Our message has not resonated with the majority and for this we have failed and given way to the left.
Gore Vidal once said,” Democracy is a place where numerous elections are held at great cost without issues and with interchangeable candidates.” Our platform has not been defined in a way that the voters in this district can attach hope that things will change if our candidate is elected. The silent campaign slogan has been, “ If elected, I will go to St. Paul and vote the party line, fall in line with the senior members of my party, bash the opposing party at every corner, and allow nothing to be accomplished as long as I hold the office!.” This campaign strategy knows no party line. Of course I am being facetious, no candidate in their right mind would actually utter those words out loud, but that is the message that the voters are hearing.
We have an opportunity to speak our message loud and clear. There has never been a better time to define ourselves as the party who represents the people, the individual, the small business owner, and the farmer, while assuring the downtrodden that there will be a helping hand available when needed. The people of this district are listening and we need to speak to them.
We will miss the opportunity of a generation if we don’t make these next elections great and elect candidates worthy of those who founded our great country and this great state. Dusting off old candidates who have made politics a career is a bad plan, more of the same old same sends a bad message to the voters and will only ensure that the strangle hold currently known as a DFL majority remains in St. Paul.
My 2 cents worth...
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Chisago County Parade
Everyone loves a parade, right? As one fellow volunteer noted, thank goodness for global warming, it was the coolest parade in years! Passing out stickers for Sean Nienow, many of the people on the chairs and sidewalks throughout the route asked the question "which party?" We were comparing responses at the end, and found that 'conservative' was very well accepted, and even Republican, in the heart of the DFL! We can only hope that the mass insanity which helped to elect the current regime is subsiding.
In Minnesota, when you drive on the ice, our learned elders taught us to drive slowly..that speed creates a wave that can come back and crack the ice, sinking you and your vehicle. Let us hope that the Democratic party feels the repercussions of the speed in which they are driving our country into an icy hole, and the wave comes back to sink their plans of a socialistic society for all but their ruling caste.
In Minnesota, when you drive on the ice, our learned elders taught us to drive slowly..that speed creates a wave that can come back and crack the ice, sinking you and your vehicle. Let us hope that the Democratic party feels the repercussions of the speed in which they are driving our country into an icy hole, and the wave comes back to sink their plans of a socialistic society for all but their ruling caste.
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Who Represents this District?
I have searched the legislative record high and low for accomplishments achieved by out local elected representatives in this district. Mr. Kalin and Mr. Olseen have left virtually no distinct impression in St. Paul as to having helped in any way. As a constituent of this district, I expect my representatives to not only represent this district, but contribute in plans that will keep our state on the path to a brighter future.
Both of our elected representatives went to St. Paul this past session and received their marching orders from the DFL leadership. I could not find one distinction that either of these two gentlemen represented our district in any manner other than listed as our elected officials in the state register. In fact, I’m not sure that I can even say that it appeared as though they actually represented the constituents of this district at all.
The DFL majority had a plan this session and it was very obvious. The plan wasn’t to attempt to repair the financial situation at the capital, it was to throw together a budget that included tax increases and massive increases in spending. They sent that bill to the governor expecting that he would veto it and they would have their cannons filled with fodder for the next election cycle. Fortunately our governor decided to use the power given to him and fix the budget presented. Right, wrong, or indifferent, he did what needed to be done and in doing so proved himself to be a great leader.
Our legislators in this district played along with this DFL game of cat and mouse and marched right in step with the DFL majority that has created the over taxing and overspending situation that this state has found itself in. Businesses are fleeing this state as quickly as they can, jobs are gone, fuel taxes are being piled on, real estate taxes are out of control, and our legislators have made no contributions to attempt to bring this budget into reality.
How can the voters in this district sit by and allow this to continue? It’s my contention that the voters in this district are ready to support candidates with fresh ideas, ideas that will provide a bright economic future for our district and for our state. In the next election cycle, let us provide candidates that will aggressively push for reform in St. Paul, not be afraid to be heard at the capital, regardless of party line or pressure from those so entrenched in the leadership in the halls of our capital. It is my true belief that a single voice in politics can be heard if it is the voice of reason and it is truly the voice that represents the people.
We have a golden opportunity in this next election cycle, we can find candidates who are truly electable as representatives of the people, by the people, for the people, or we can promote candidates who list their primary occupation as ‘legislators.’
Both of our elected representatives went to St. Paul this past session and received their marching orders from the DFL leadership. I could not find one distinction that either of these two gentlemen represented our district in any manner other than listed as our elected officials in the state register. In fact, I’m not sure that I can even say that it appeared as though they actually represented the constituents of this district at all.
The DFL majority had a plan this session and it was very obvious. The plan wasn’t to attempt to repair the financial situation at the capital, it was to throw together a budget that included tax increases and massive increases in spending. They sent that bill to the governor expecting that he would veto it and they would have their cannons filled with fodder for the next election cycle. Fortunately our governor decided to use the power given to him and fix the budget presented. Right, wrong, or indifferent, he did what needed to be done and in doing so proved himself to be a great leader.
Our legislators in this district played along with this DFL game of cat and mouse and marched right in step with the DFL majority that has created the over taxing and overspending situation that this state has found itself in. Businesses are fleeing this state as quickly as they can, jobs are gone, fuel taxes are being piled on, real estate taxes are out of control, and our legislators have made no contributions to attempt to bring this budget into reality.
How can the voters in this district sit by and allow this to continue? It’s my contention that the voters in this district are ready to support candidates with fresh ideas, ideas that will provide a bright economic future for our district and for our state. In the next election cycle, let us provide candidates that will aggressively push for reform in St. Paul, not be afraid to be heard at the capital, regardless of party line or pressure from those so entrenched in the leadership in the halls of our capital. It is my true belief that a single voice in politics can be heard if it is the voice of reason and it is truly the voice that represents the people.
We have a golden opportunity in this next election cycle, we can find candidates who are truly electable as representatives of the people, by the people, for the people, or we can promote candidates who list their primary occupation as ‘legislators.’
Sunday, July 05, 2009
DFL "Blame Game"
The DFL legislators are engaged state-wide, media-wide in their typical "blame game" tactic following their absolutely abysmal failure in the recent past legislative session.
They failed miserably as statesmen and lawmakers - and that clearly includes our own Jeremy Kalin and our own Rick Olseen as Representative and Senator respectively - in their principal duty as legislators which is to produce a balanced budget for the State.
For months - really through the entire Session - the DFL squabbled and argued and lied and deceived and came up with unconscionable proposals that the Governor simply had to veto to protect the taxpaying public.
And then, the DFLers and their local mistaken minions attempt to mask their own failure and gross incompetence by focusing "blame" on the Governor for carrying out gubernatorial responsibilities that are clearly and legally his to "unallot" portions of the proposed budget.
The Governor was/is obliged to do what the LEGISLATURE FAILED TO DO - namely have a budget in balance. And this he has done legally, constitutionally, necessarily through the "unallotment process."
There can be no blame legitimately ascribed or assigned to the Governor for doing what the process absolutely obligated him to do. The legislature did not balance the budget so the Governor had to do it - let that fact sink in folks!
The Governor was not "mean" or "unfair" or "illegal" in his actions. Bylaw and by state constitution the budget had to be balanced. There are two entities that can accomplish that: 1) the LEGISLATURE or 2) the GOVERNOR by the unallotment process.
The legislature failed whereupon the Governor acted! That is how it works!
They failed miserably as statesmen and lawmakers - and that clearly includes our own Jeremy Kalin and our own Rick Olseen as Representative and Senator respectively - in their principal duty as legislators which is to produce a balanced budget for the State.
For months - really through the entire Session - the DFL squabbled and argued and lied and deceived and came up with unconscionable proposals that the Governor simply had to veto to protect the taxpaying public.
And then, the DFLers and their local mistaken minions attempt to mask their own failure and gross incompetence by focusing "blame" on the Governor for carrying out gubernatorial responsibilities that are clearly and legally his to "unallot" portions of the proposed budget.
The Governor was/is obliged to do what the LEGISLATURE FAILED TO DO - namely have a budget in balance. And this he has done legally, constitutionally, necessarily through the "unallotment process."
There can be no blame legitimately ascribed or assigned to the Governor for doing what the process absolutely obligated him to do. The legislature did not balance the budget so the Governor had to do it - let that fact sink in folks!
The Governor was not "mean" or "unfair" or "illegal" in his actions. Bylaw and by state constitution the budget had to be balanced. There are two entities that can accomplish that: 1) the LEGISLATURE or 2) the GOVERNOR by the unallotment process.
The legislature failed whereupon the Governor acted! That is how it works!
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Health Care Reform...
Arizona is on the right track on this. Republican Arizona Rep. Nancy Barto, chair of the House Health and Human Service Committee, has authored a bill, HCR2014, “The Healthcare Freedom Act, which will be placed on the Nov. 10 ballot in Arizona as a referendum.
If voters approve it, “The Healthcare Freedom Act” would, among other things, forbid any law that compels anyone “to participate in any health care system.” It would also allow patients to pay directly for health care services, and for doctors to receive such payments. (Such “topping off” is forbidden in some single-payer systems.) The amendment would also state that health insurance purchases could not be prohibited.
The amendment, then, nails a stake through the heart of two essential elements of a universal, single-payer system: Everybody in the system, and nobody outside the system. It also effectively forbids a Hawaii-style play-or-pay mandate on employers or a Massachusetts-style requirement that individuals obtain coverage. In a press release, Barto claimed that the act would “prevent citizens from being compelled to join a government-run health care system” and “guarantee the right to purchase private health insurance.”
During this last session, Sen. David Hann, R-Eden Prairie sponsored S.F.1281 and S.F. 325, while Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Delano, was the lead sponsor of H.F. 171, which would, among other things, forbid any law that “restricts a person’s freedom of choice of private health care systems or private health plans.” None of these plans made it out of committee but there is an interest in Minnesota to protect states rights and keep federalism from becoming total socialism.
I commend these two legislators for their courage to stand up and speak for what is right. This is the right track for our state now and in the future. This federal government purple gorilla is growing larger and becoming more invasive in the rights of individual states and our individual freedoms. If we allow the federal government to completely take over governing our every act, why in the world would we even have separate states?
The trampling of our rights to govern ourselves at the state level and our individual rights and freedoms as citizens of this free nation can only be likened to the forming of the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics.
Those in power would have you believe that everyone deserves to have a home, a car, health care, but the simple fact is that in a free world, you deserve what you are willing to work for and that is it. Nothing is free and those willing sit around and do nothing, should get nothing.
“From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs.” If you are comfortable with these words of Karl Marx, then God help our democracy because he also said “ Democracy is the road to socialism.”
If voters approve it, “The Healthcare Freedom Act” would, among other things, forbid any law that compels anyone “to participate in any health care system.” It would also allow patients to pay directly for health care services, and for doctors to receive such payments. (Such “topping off” is forbidden in some single-payer systems.) The amendment would also state that health insurance purchases could not be prohibited.
The amendment, then, nails a stake through the heart of two essential elements of a universal, single-payer system: Everybody in the system, and nobody outside the system. It also effectively forbids a Hawaii-style play-or-pay mandate on employers or a Massachusetts-style requirement that individuals obtain coverage. In a press release, Barto claimed that the act would “prevent citizens from being compelled to join a government-run health care system” and “guarantee the right to purchase private health insurance.”
During this last session, Sen. David Hann, R-Eden Prairie sponsored S.F.1281 and S.F. 325, while Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Delano, was the lead sponsor of H.F. 171, which would, among other things, forbid any law that “restricts a person’s freedom of choice of private health care systems or private health plans.” None of these plans made it out of committee but there is an interest in Minnesota to protect states rights and keep federalism from becoming total socialism.
I commend these two legislators for their courage to stand up and speak for what is right. This is the right track for our state now and in the future. This federal government purple gorilla is growing larger and becoming more invasive in the rights of individual states and our individual freedoms. If we allow the federal government to completely take over governing our every act, why in the world would we even have separate states?
The trampling of our rights to govern ourselves at the state level and our individual rights and freedoms as citizens of this free nation can only be likened to the forming of the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics.
Those in power would have you believe that everyone deserves to have a home, a car, health care, but the simple fact is that in a free world, you deserve what you are willing to work for and that is it. Nothing is free and those willing sit around and do nothing, should get nothing.
“From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs.” If you are comfortable with these words of Karl Marx, then God help our democracy because he also said “ Democracy is the road to socialism.”
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
House Cleaning...
It is time for the Republican Party to stand up to itself from within. If we are going to convince the American voters that we stand for liberty and family values, we need to clean up our act.
If the best we can endorse are candidates such as Mark Sanford, Larry Craig, John Ensign, Mark Foley… well, you get the idea, the list goes on and on, how do we dare ask the voters to embrace us as the party of family values?
I realize that there is ample representation among conservatives that don’t deserve to be lumped in with these dregs and it is my belief that there are plenty more in our base to fill leadership positions across the board who can refrain from soliciting prostitutes, having extramarital affairs, and sex in airport bathrooms. We need to renounce these worthless hypocrites for what they are. They do not stand for the values that we as conservatives strive to protect. There is no place to defend anyone who crosses the line of morality and those crossing that line should be cast out immediately.
We as conservatives need to aggressively start at the top of our own party, nationally and locally, and clean house once and for all. We need to establish a code of conduct that has no room for compromise. Then and only then can we ask for the trust of the taxpaying voter to lead them out of this economic turmoil.
If the best we can endorse are candidates such as Mark Sanford, Larry Craig, John Ensign, Mark Foley… well, you get the idea, the list goes on and on, how do we dare ask the voters to embrace us as the party of family values?
I realize that there is ample representation among conservatives that don’t deserve to be lumped in with these dregs and it is my belief that there are plenty more in our base to fill leadership positions across the board who can refrain from soliciting prostitutes, having extramarital affairs, and sex in airport bathrooms. We need to renounce these worthless hypocrites for what they are. They do not stand for the values that we as conservatives strive to protect. There is no place to defend anyone who crosses the line of morality and those crossing that line should be cast out immediately.
We as conservatives need to aggressively start at the top of our own party, nationally and locally, and clean house once and for all. We need to establish a code of conduct that has no room for compromise. Then and only then can we ask for the trust of the taxpaying voter to lead them out of this economic turmoil.
Tyranny Vs. Liberty
The next election cycle in this state is going to prove to be more important than in recent history. The record deficit due to the local and national economic situation has left our state government in poor condition from an economic perspective as we all are aware. My compliments and thanks to Gov. Pawlenty for defending the taxpayers and using the powers of his elected office to make some tough decisions and work through the budget as best as could be expected.
The current legislature has failed us all as constituents, they failed to forward a reasonable balanced budget as required and would have increased taxes across the board for us all if left to their desires.
It is time that we as the conservatives in this state unite. Governor Pawlenty is not going to be there to avert disaster next time and the economic situation in this country and in this state suggest strongly that there will in fact be a next time to state budget crisis.
We as conservatives need to speak out loud and clear, we stand for liberty, personal freedom, fiscal responsibility, respect for law, and traditional family values. Every one of these values is under attack from the left in this country and in this state. The core principles on which this country was founded are under attack and there is an obvious attempt to kill democracy as it was intended by our founders. The current administration at the federal level, and the DFL majority in St. Paul is convinced that bigger, more controlling government is what the people desire.
We are approaching a tyrannical level in government and we need to remind the people that we as conservatives stand for liberty, the kind of liberty that stands up to tyranny and protects individual freedom. The freedom and liberty that we enjoy in this country is unlike any other in the world.
As conservatives we have a responsibility to move away from this ‘center’ we have found ourselves embracing. We need to refrain from compromising the core principles that our party was founded on and embrace the ideology of conservatism. I am convinced that the majority in our country, our state, and our district will rally with us to take back our freedoms from the tyranny that has grasped control in our governments.
We cannot afford complacency, our time to act is now or we risk losing every bit of freedom that has been granted to us by our founders and by the men and women who have given their lives to protect.
After all, We are Party of the American Dream.
The current legislature has failed us all as constituents, they failed to forward a reasonable balanced budget as required and would have increased taxes across the board for us all if left to their desires.
It is time that we as the conservatives in this state unite. Governor Pawlenty is not going to be there to avert disaster next time and the economic situation in this country and in this state suggest strongly that there will in fact be a next time to state budget crisis.
We as conservatives need to speak out loud and clear, we stand for liberty, personal freedom, fiscal responsibility, respect for law, and traditional family values. Every one of these values is under attack from the left in this country and in this state. The core principles on which this country was founded are under attack and there is an obvious attempt to kill democracy as it was intended by our founders. The current administration at the federal level, and the DFL majority in St. Paul is convinced that bigger, more controlling government is what the people desire.
We are approaching a tyrannical level in government and we need to remind the people that we as conservatives stand for liberty, the kind of liberty that stands up to tyranny and protects individual freedom. The freedom and liberty that we enjoy in this country is unlike any other in the world.
As conservatives we have a responsibility to move away from this ‘center’ we have found ourselves embracing. We need to refrain from compromising the core principles that our party was founded on and embrace the ideology of conservatism. I am convinced that the majority in our country, our state, and our district will rally with us to take back our freedoms from the tyranny that has grasped control in our governments.
We cannot afford complacency, our time to act is now or we risk losing every bit of freedom that has been granted to us by our founders and by the men and women who have given their lives to protect.
After all, We are Party of the American Dream.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
A Crisis in the Party…
Rahm Emanuel is famous for his quote, “Never allow a crisis to go to waste’. A first reaction to a statement such as this was likely to be based on political bias. Mine was. Most of us were disgusted and aghast that someone would consider the suggestion of taking advantage of a bad situation to advance a political agenda.
Well, after more thought, it is likely that Mr. Obama picked the right person to be his advisor, confidant, and chief of staff. Karl Rove is considered to be a mastermind when it comes to political strategy and I can envision him making a similar statement but he would have had enough political savvy to have said it in private.
We in fact are in a crisis in the Republican Party. Our party is in crisis nationally, at the state level, and in our local government. We have lost our edge and the confidence in the people, to represent the people, for the good of the people. We are failing to find a base of fresh new candidates to represent the moral and fiscal values that this country was founded on. We dig around in the candidate bucket and grab someone willing to make a run at a seat with indifference to passion or opinion. For this we are now paying a heavy price.
Our party represents fiscal responsibility, moral values which include protecting the sanctity of marriage and the family, and making tough political decisions in tough times. Politics has become a dirty game, every politician will espouse whatever view the electorate wants to hear during a campaign. Once elected, they conform to the pre-existing political hierarchy established by those in power in trade for committee assignments and a potential seat at the power brokering table in the future and it’s business as usual.
Is representation by individuals like Jeremy Kalin and Rick Olseen truly representation of the people, by the people in this district?
I’ll be honest and admit that I had resigned myself to the fact that this district was full of left wing nut cases for having elected the representation that we have at the state level. But having experienced more and more people out in this district over the past months, talking with every day people who are concerned about their property taxes, the deficit we face in our state, jobs disappearing, property values declining, and the constant attack on family values, I am convinced more now than ever that we are in the majority and it is the responsibility of our party to step up.
We need to find candidates who are passionate about the core issues, defend the Minnesota family values, bring fiscal responsibility to state government and accountability to the tax paying citizens of our district and the state. If we want to fix this mess, we need to be prepared to step up and build a viable campaign to elect good candidates. We need to put forth decent candidates who can spell out the solutions to the electorate in this district in language they can understand.
Families in this district are losing their jobs, their homes, and there is an attack on their financial and family stability by those elected and sent to St. Paul tasked with representing us in this district.
Our current representatives are very willing to raise our taxes, promote alternative lifestyles as the norm, and conform to the political leanings of the liberal left entrenched in St. Paul.
Let us take a little advice from Rahm Emanuel, let us take advantage of the current crisis in our party and in the political climate in this state. The voters in this district are going to be looking for new leadership in the upcoming elections, let us offer them viable, enthusiastic candidates who are ready to represent this district and this state with the true values and beliefs I believe are in the majority in this district.
Let us move forward and let us move now.
Well, after more thought, it is likely that Mr. Obama picked the right person to be his advisor, confidant, and chief of staff. Karl Rove is considered to be a mastermind when it comes to political strategy and I can envision him making a similar statement but he would have had enough political savvy to have said it in private.
We in fact are in a crisis in the Republican Party. Our party is in crisis nationally, at the state level, and in our local government. We have lost our edge and the confidence in the people, to represent the people, for the good of the people. We are failing to find a base of fresh new candidates to represent the moral and fiscal values that this country was founded on. We dig around in the candidate bucket and grab someone willing to make a run at a seat with indifference to passion or opinion. For this we are now paying a heavy price.
Our party represents fiscal responsibility, moral values which include protecting the sanctity of marriage and the family, and making tough political decisions in tough times. Politics has become a dirty game, every politician will espouse whatever view the electorate wants to hear during a campaign. Once elected, they conform to the pre-existing political hierarchy established by those in power in trade for committee assignments and a potential seat at the power brokering table in the future and it’s business as usual.
Is representation by individuals like Jeremy Kalin and Rick Olseen truly representation of the people, by the people in this district?
I’ll be honest and admit that I had resigned myself to the fact that this district was full of left wing nut cases for having elected the representation that we have at the state level. But having experienced more and more people out in this district over the past months, talking with every day people who are concerned about their property taxes, the deficit we face in our state, jobs disappearing, property values declining, and the constant attack on family values, I am convinced more now than ever that we are in the majority and it is the responsibility of our party to step up.
We need to find candidates who are passionate about the core issues, defend the Minnesota family values, bring fiscal responsibility to state government and accountability to the tax paying citizens of our district and the state. If we want to fix this mess, we need to be prepared to step up and build a viable campaign to elect good candidates. We need to put forth decent candidates who can spell out the solutions to the electorate in this district in language they can understand.
Families in this district are losing their jobs, their homes, and there is an attack on their financial and family stability by those elected and sent to St. Paul tasked with representing us in this district.
Our current representatives are very willing to raise our taxes, promote alternative lifestyles as the norm, and conform to the political leanings of the liberal left entrenched in St. Paul.
Let us take a little advice from Rahm Emanuel, let us take advantage of the current crisis in our party and in the political climate in this state. The voters in this district are going to be looking for new leadership in the upcoming elections, let us offer them viable, enthusiastic candidates who are ready to represent this district and this state with the true values and beliefs I believe are in the majority in this district.
Let us move forward and let us move now.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
FACTS ARE ALWAYS STUBBORN THINGS!!!!
The record is written!
The facts are in!
The truth cannot be disputed!
And now the tale must be told:
The "TAXPAYERS LEAGUE of Minnesota" has just published their Legislative Scorecard for 2009 showing the performance of Representative Jeremy Kalin and Senator Rick Olseen.
Representative Jeremy Kalin 17b earned a score of zero for the 2009 Session of the legislature and a score of zero for his legislative career!
That makes Representative Kalin's overall voting record even worse than the liberal extremist Representative Phyllis Kahn of Minneapolis.
And Senator Olseen, Dist. 17, was not much better than Kalin
Olseen earned a paltry score of "7" for the 2009 Session right along down there with Representative Kalin.
Folks, it is not how nice they smile at you or how many little red wagons they pull or tractors they drive in the parades - it is how they vote in your stead that tells the tale.
Clearly Kalin and Olseen must be replaced post haste.
The facts are in!
The truth cannot be disputed!
And now the tale must be told:
The "TAXPAYERS LEAGUE of Minnesota" has just published their Legislative Scorecard for 2009 showing the performance of Representative Jeremy Kalin and Senator Rick Olseen.
Representative Jeremy Kalin 17b earned a score of zero for the 2009 Session of the legislature and a score of zero for his legislative career!
That makes Representative Kalin's overall voting record even worse than the liberal extremist Representative Phyllis Kahn of Minneapolis.
And Senator Olseen, Dist. 17, was not much better than Kalin
Olseen earned a paltry score of "7" for the 2009 Session right along down there with Representative Kalin.
Folks, it is not how nice they smile at you or how many little red wagons they pull or tractors they drive in the parades - it is how they vote in your stead that tells the tale.
Clearly Kalin and Olseen must be replaced post haste.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Pity Party for 'publicans!
PITY! I had such a good idea for how "new Republicans" should act and succeed and then, right away, "Anonymous" blew my good idea right out of the water by suggesting we should go back to the principles of "a second rate, B-grade movie actor." Retrograde!
Have we already forgotten how successfully Representative Kalin "put people before politics" and how he solved the plight of the poor in this area by pulling his little red coaster wagon in parades and collected food in it for them and how, as a result, he won re-election big-time.
And remember, too, how JK (that's JK as in Kalin - not "JFK" as in Kennedy) - and Senator Olseen were both going to come to the rescue of our schools until that right-wing Governor Pawlenty had the "audacity of hope" to not raise taxes and Pawlenty carried out his promise.
But it is very comforting to read repeatedly that Kalin and Olseen and all the other right-thinking (correction: I know it is "left"-thinking) Democrats are "disappointed" with the Governor. I mean their "disappointment" solves a lot of problems and makes us feel good. We know they "feel our pain."
Of course we still have one hope that we can all hold on to and that is that the Courts will get busy and rule in favor of Al Franken for our U. S. Senator. Then we can all sing: "Happy Days are Here Again!" and be entertained at the same time!!
I hope "Anonymous" will take another look at my earlier proposal and have a change of heart and recognize that "bi-partisanship" is what get things done "for the people" even if it does mean such a simple little thing as raising our taxes even more - even in the midst of a deep depression!
Wouldn't you like to "just get along?" People are even more important than principles!
Have we already forgotten how successfully Representative Kalin "put people before politics" and how he solved the plight of the poor in this area by pulling his little red coaster wagon in parades and collected food in it for them and how, as a result, he won re-election big-time.
And remember, too, how JK (that's JK as in Kalin - not "JFK" as in Kennedy) - and Senator Olseen were both going to come to the rescue of our schools until that right-wing Governor Pawlenty had the "audacity of hope" to not raise taxes and Pawlenty carried out his promise.
But it is very comforting to read repeatedly that Kalin and Olseen and all the other right-thinking (correction: I know it is "left"-thinking) Democrats are "disappointed" with the Governor. I mean their "disappointment" solves a lot of problems and makes us feel good. We know they "feel our pain."
Of course we still have one hope that we can all hold on to and that is that the Courts will get busy and rule in favor of Al Franken for our U. S. Senator. Then we can all sing: "Happy Days are Here Again!" and be entertained at the same time!!
I hope "Anonymous" will take another look at my earlier proposal and have a change of heart and recognize that "bi-partisanship" is what get things done "for the people" even if it does mean such a simple little thing as raising our taxes even more - even in the midst of a deep depression!
Wouldn't you like to "just get along?" People are even more important than principles!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
The New Republican Party!
I know now how to solve the current Republican party problems!! The solution just came to me in a flash of insight. Let's just become once again "big tent", "moderate", "bi-partisan", "revenue enhancing" supporters, "bureaucracy expanding" Republicans who are not afraid to work across the aisle. That way everybody will like us and we can "succeed" together with the opposition party. Let's just be nice. Can't we just all work together? Wow, what an insight I just spelled out for us! Ready to be part of the new Republicans?
Friday, May 22, 2009
Let's Build A Fire...
The legislature is a mess. Our Governor is working the best he can to balance the budget through line item veto power and has vowed to do so regardless of the political fallout. It is my belief that he likely won’t be seeking a third term as governor and that fact makes his ability to slash spending by line item easier if he does not have to consider the political ramifications.
Where do we go from this point onward? Campaign season will be upon us again soon and we will put forth candidates hoping to gain a bit of ground in the legislature. Do we have a viable platform locally? Do we have a good candidate to offer the people of this district for the State Senate seat? Do we have someone willing to work to better our district and the state by demanding that spending be controlled, taxes lowered, and the rights of the individual taxpayers are protected through fiscal responsibility?
The homestead credit has nearly vanished, property taxes are soaring, a state income tax was dodged this session only thanks to the Governor, and businesses are moving out of our great state instead of being given incentive to relocate here and provide jobs. We as a district and as a state need to be in a better place with the future we are providing for our next generation.
I am fearful that our party has become complacent. We spend so much time pointing out the wrongdoing of our political opposites and fail to offer a better idea or plan. It’s simple to point out the misguided ways of our local legislators, we do it quite well on this blog and let’s face it, Representative Kalin and Senator Olseen make it pretty easy.
But I would challenge the great minds that participate in this blog to challenge themselves, use this forum to open dialog about the current mess we are in and encourage participation to spark discussion as to our future direction and how we are going to address this calamity we have we call State Government. Major changes are necessary at the state level, spending cannot continue to outpace the rate of growth, it doesn’t take a genius to figure that out.
The spending on social programs has to be gotten under control and it’s not going to be easy, spending on these programs has become a runaway train. It’s a difficult thing to even suggest that someone should not have a child (or another child), but the simple fact is that children cost money. If you’re dependent on our state social welfare system to provide food for your children, you may not be in the best position to have another child. We are in a quagmire of generations that don’t know anything different, the welfare system provided for their parents and it now provides for them and will likely continue on until something is done. I realize that this is not a popular subject and most people either run away from the subject as fast as they can or they take the position that we should shut down the welfare system and everyone should get jobs and provide for themselves.
We need to talk this out, figure out viable ways to help those in need and flush the system of anyone and everyone taking advantage of the system We as a society have enabled many of the folks on assistance and we now need to figure out a way to guide them to a means of providing for themselves and their families.
I think that it is a worthwhile investment to provide assistance to those in need, daycare assistance, healthcare, training where necessary, even some sort of income assistance as needed to help out where needed. But if we are truly going to get out district, our state and our country back on track for the long term and for the better, we need to address some of the basic core issues that have created the socio-economic conundrum such as our social assistance programs.
While my rant may seem targeted towards a specific issue, it was not intended to single out a particular problem. There are a multitude of issues that need our attention and this issue is only one. I’m sure that at this point I may have already lost your interest and I will bring my rant to this end.
Let us build a fire under our party in this district, let us feed that fire with guidance and ideas that are productive and realistic. We need to flush out viable candidates who will carry this fire to the capitol and work for us as our citizen legislators.
The same old same we cannot afford, I have been complacent since the election, life is busy, times are tough and it’s easy to stand in the background and hope for the best. Some of you have been diligent and watchful of the current legislators and for that I commend your attention.
This legislative session has proven that we need to take an active part in our government and participate more. We need new ideas, fresh perspective and we need to move this state in the direction we can be proud of. Let’s get this forum burning with fresh ideas and perspectives and start a fire we can carry to the capitol.
Where do we go from this point onward? Campaign season will be upon us again soon and we will put forth candidates hoping to gain a bit of ground in the legislature. Do we have a viable platform locally? Do we have a good candidate to offer the people of this district for the State Senate seat? Do we have someone willing to work to better our district and the state by demanding that spending be controlled, taxes lowered, and the rights of the individual taxpayers are protected through fiscal responsibility?
The homestead credit has nearly vanished, property taxes are soaring, a state income tax was dodged this session only thanks to the Governor, and businesses are moving out of our great state instead of being given incentive to relocate here and provide jobs. We as a district and as a state need to be in a better place with the future we are providing for our next generation.
I am fearful that our party has become complacent. We spend so much time pointing out the wrongdoing of our political opposites and fail to offer a better idea or plan. It’s simple to point out the misguided ways of our local legislators, we do it quite well on this blog and let’s face it, Representative Kalin and Senator Olseen make it pretty easy.
But I would challenge the great minds that participate in this blog to challenge themselves, use this forum to open dialog about the current mess we are in and encourage participation to spark discussion as to our future direction and how we are going to address this calamity we have we call State Government. Major changes are necessary at the state level, spending cannot continue to outpace the rate of growth, it doesn’t take a genius to figure that out.
The spending on social programs has to be gotten under control and it’s not going to be easy, spending on these programs has become a runaway train. It’s a difficult thing to even suggest that someone should not have a child (or another child), but the simple fact is that children cost money. If you’re dependent on our state social welfare system to provide food for your children, you may not be in the best position to have another child. We are in a quagmire of generations that don’t know anything different, the welfare system provided for their parents and it now provides for them and will likely continue on until something is done. I realize that this is not a popular subject and most people either run away from the subject as fast as they can or they take the position that we should shut down the welfare system and everyone should get jobs and provide for themselves.
We need to talk this out, figure out viable ways to help those in need and flush the system of anyone and everyone taking advantage of the system We as a society have enabled many of the folks on assistance and we now need to figure out a way to guide them to a means of providing for themselves and their families.
I think that it is a worthwhile investment to provide assistance to those in need, daycare assistance, healthcare, training where necessary, even some sort of income assistance as needed to help out where needed. But if we are truly going to get out district, our state and our country back on track for the long term and for the better, we need to address some of the basic core issues that have created the socio-economic conundrum such as our social assistance programs.
While my rant may seem targeted towards a specific issue, it was not intended to single out a particular problem. There are a multitude of issues that need our attention and this issue is only one. I’m sure that at this point I may have already lost your interest and I will bring my rant to this end.
Let us build a fire under our party in this district, let us feed that fire with guidance and ideas that are productive and realistic. We need to flush out viable candidates who will carry this fire to the capitol and work for us as our citizen legislators.
The same old same we cannot afford, I have been complacent since the election, life is busy, times are tough and it’s easy to stand in the background and hope for the best. Some of you have been diligent and watchful of the current legislators and for that I commend your attention.
This legislative session has proven that we need to take an active part in our government and participate more. We need new ideas, fresh perspective and we need to move this state in the direction we can be proud of. Let’s get this forum burning with fresh ideas and perspectives and start a fire we can carry to the capitol.
Memorial Day
Memorial Day really should be a holiday by another name because the word holiday doesn't do it justice.
This is the time to give thanks to our men and women, past and present who have devoted their lives to our security, and the many, all too many, who made the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf.It is a time of mourning for the men and women we have lost, but it should be a celebration too, of what their sacrifice has created for us.
We at home can and should debate the merits of putting our soldiers in harm's way in any given situation and we strongly believe that our forces should never be committed without the commitment and resources to ensure their blood will not be shed in vain.
I would encourage everyone to attend a Memorial Day parade or one of the many services in the area and fire up the barbecue this weekend. Take in a baseball game. Heck, play in a baseball game. Kick off your own summer season in whatever fashion you choose. It's all your choice.
But please, take a moment to attend a Memorial Day activity this weekend. Pause for a moment. Find a veteran and thank them. For all of our problems, and they are significant, we are still citizens of the greatest country on Earth, where it is literally possible to start with nothing and create a legacy.
This year, this Memorial Day, take some time to savor life and appreciate your freedom and what the sacrifice of others has wrought.
God Bless this great Country and God Bless You.
This is the time to give thanks to our men and women, past and present who have devoted their lives to our security, and the many, all too many, who made the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf.It is a time of mourning for the men and women we have lost, but it should be a celebration too, of what their sacrifice has created for us.
We at home can and should debate the merits of putting our soldiers in harm's way in any given situation and we strongly believe that our forces should never be committed without the commitment and resources to ensure their blood will not be shed in vain.
I would encourage everyone to attend a Memorial Day parade or one of the many services in the area and fire up the barbecue this weekend. Take in a baseball game. Heck, play in a baseball game. Kick off your own summer season in whatever fashion you choose. It's all your choice.
But please, take a moment to attend a Memorial Day activity this weekend. Pause for a moment. Find a veteran and thank them. For all of our problems, and they are significant, we are still citizens of the greatest country on Earth, where it is literally possible to start with nothing and create a legacy.
This year, this Memorial Day, take some time to savor life and appreciate your freedom and what the sacrifice of others has wrought.
God Bless this great Country and God Bless You.
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Memorandum to Senator Olseen and Representative Kalin
Gentlemen:
We read in various media that your DFL caucus considers that "everything is on the table" when it considers ways to balance the state budget.
This, of course, means that you intend to raise taxes. You use euphemisms such as "revenue enhancements" and similar words that mask the reality that you plan to - in plain words - "raise taxes!"
But before you go down that bumpy road of raising taxes we invite you to: 1) take a look in the various local media and study the list of "tax delinquent properties" and 2) observe the ever-growing list of foreclosures in your legislative district.
People do not ordinarily get on the "tax delinquent list" unless they have a problem of paying taxes that are already in place and they do not ordinarily get added to the list of "foreclosures" unless they already have a money problem.
And thirdly, if 1) and 2) above do not move you to vote against tax increases please do us a favor and cause to be publicly printed the names of your constituents who have contacted you wanting you to increase their taxes.
If constituents wish to pay more taxes we trust that they will also be willing to publicly so state. We will be surprised if there are any or many!
You are in public office to represent us but not to rule us. We ask now that you hear us.
We read in various media that your DFL caucus considers that "everything is on the table" when it considers ways to balance the state budget.
This, of course, means that you intend to raise taxes. You use euphemisms such as "revenue enhancements" and similar words that mask the reality that you plan to - in plain words - "raise taxes!"
But before you go down that bumpy road of raising taxes we invite you to: 1) take a look in the various local media and study the list of "tax delinquent properties" and 2) observe the ever-growing list of foreclosures in your legislative district.
People do not ordinarily get on the "tax delinquent list" unless they have a problem of paying taxes that are already in place and they do not ordinarily get added to the list of "foreclosures" unless they already have a money problem.
And thirdly, if 1) and 2) above do not move you to vote against tax increases please do us a favor and cause to be publicly printed the names of your constituents who have contacted you wanting you to increase their taxes.
If constituents wish to pay more taxes we trust that they will also be willing to publicly so state. We will be surprised if there are any or many!
You are in public office to represent us but not to rule us. We ask now that you hear us.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Solving the State Budget Problem Kalin/Olseen Style
In the February 25, 2009 issue of the ECM Post Review (page 5) Representative Jeremy Kalin, by default, outlined brilliantly why the Minnesota State budget dilemma will NEVER be resolved by liberal DFLers.
Mr. Kalin, citing "nonpartisan House Research of the Minnesota Legislature" brought forth these stunning and pertinent facts: (Quote) " . . . . if the Minnesota legislature:
- Cut all children's health care ($139 million) and
- Shut down 20 percent of nursing homes in the state ($191 million) and
- Released all the prisoners ($950 million) and
- Let all the sex offenders go ($127 million) and
- Close(d) all the state parks ($52 million) and
- Eliminate(d) Meals on Wheels for seniors ($7.1 million) and
- Shut down 10 state college campuses ($146 million) and
- Shut down the Departments of Health, Public Safety, Transportation and the rest of state government ($3.45 billion) that would add up to $5 billion"
Mr. Kalin then continued by saying: "But all those devastating cuts still wouldn't be enough to balance the budget because the deficit is growing every day."
Mr. Kalin, you might also consider, in your brilliant analysis, the savings that could be effected if government did away with all the police departments, fire departments and the schools too. After all we don't need any of them until emergencies arise or fires get started or children need to get an education!
And, while you are at it, you might also include in your further research an investigation into how much could be saved for the taxpayers if bloated full-time salaries and massive perdiems for part-time legislators would be eliminated. The citizen legislature concept is that legislators ought to have gainful outside employment and not be full-time bureaucrats as many of you are and have become.
In summary, since all the budget eliminations outlined by you in your Capitol Commentary still do not balance the budget as required by the state constitution might we not suggest that you and Senator Olseen start to get the picture that state government is way too big and you ought to be reducing it instead of increasing it. If you cannot understand that concept and act on it, clearly you are not representing the people and are only serving yourself.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Memorandum to Senator Olseen and Representative Kalin
Honorable Legislators:
Please do not further waste our time commiserating in print or in person about the fact that balancing the Minnesota budget is a problem! That fact is in plain and obvious sight.
And please do not further waste our time by telling us that you disagree with the Governor's proposals to balance the Minnesota budget. Trying to make political points with that fact does not balance the budget. Your Democrat party disagreement with the Governor's proposals are legendary and traditional and they are obvious from media releases by you and other DFL legislators around the state.
Here is what we, as your constituents, expect from you based on the fact that the task of balancing the Minnesota budget is a constitutional requirement. As legislators it is you who own the budget balancing responsibility. Senator Olseen and Representative Kalin, you rang thousands of doorbells and wore out many pairs of shoes (by your own statements) running for the offices to which you were elected. Over and over you committed in word and printed page and public meetings that you had better answers and good solutions to state government challenges. You assured that you were head and shoulders beyond and above your predecessors and all that needed to be done was for us to elect you. With smiling faces, happy handshakes and enthusiastic voices you assured us you were up to the challenges. You alleged that your predecessors had fallen down on the job of representing us in the legislature and you committed to the public that in exchange for our votes you would provide the answers to our problems and needs. So far the responses we have from you are largely happy talk while avoiding the relevant issues. Now we need responsible actions based on the commitments you made.
Our firm advisory to you on the Minnesota budget issue is that raising our taxes at the state level is absolutely not a viable option for you to use in balancing the budget nor is it fiscally reasonable to further burden your constituents who are already taxed to the hilt at local, county, state and national levels and with known steep and further increases coming at us from the Obama Administration at the federal level.
Please do not further waste our time commiserating in print or in person about the fact that balancing the Minnesota budget is a problem! That fact is in plain and obvious sight.
And please do not further waste our time by telling us that you disagree with the Governor's proposals to balance the Minnesota budget. Trying to make political points with that fact does not balance the budget. Your Democrat party disagreement with the Governor's proposals are legendary and traditional and they are obvious from media releases by you and other DFL legislators around the state.
Here is what we, as your constituents, expect from you based on the fact that the task of balancing the Minnesota budget is a constitutional requirement. As legislators it is you who own the budget balancing responsibility. Senator Olseen and Representative Kalin, you rang thousands of doorbells and wore out many pairs of shoes (by your own statements) running for the offices to which you were elected. Over and over you committed in word and printed page and public meetings that you had better answers and good solutions to state government challenges. You assured that you were head and shoulders beyond and above your predecessors and all that needed to be done was for us to elect you. With smiling faces, happy handshakes and enthusiastic voices you assured us you were up to the challenges. You alleged that your predecessors had fallen down on the job of representing us in the legislature and you committed to the public that in exchange for our votes you would provide the answers to our problems and needs. So far the responses we have from you are largely happy talk while avoiding the relevant issues. Now we need responsible actions based on the commitments you made.
Our firm advisory to you on the Minnesota budget issue is that raising our taxes at the state level is absolutely not a viable option for you to use in balancing the budget nor is it fiscally reasonable to further burden your constituents who are already taxed to the hilt at local, county, state and national levels and with known steep and further increases coming at us from the Obama Administration at the federal level.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
KALIN THE POLITICAL PHILOSOPHER
Oh, how fortunate we are to have Jeremy Kalin serving us as our State Representative!
Get yourself a copy of the Isanti-Chisago County STAR, Thursday, March 12, 2009 and read for yourself how eloquently, thoroughly and scholarly he summarizes the dire straits we are in and note how carefully he analyzes the actions that will lead the way out to a better day. That ability must be a spin-off of his school teaching days! Why, he's Reaganesque you'll exclaim!
With the skill of a deep-thinking socio-political philospher the Venerable Kalin informs us in the opening comment of his extensive House Notes (and notice, even those words are a clever, eye catching title for his tome) that he has "always believed that the best social program in this country (his thinking in not narrowly limited to Chisago County - he thinks big!) is a job."
Further, as he continues to wax eloquently, he strokes his philospher's beard and tells us that "(a)s Minnesotans we pride ourselves on our work ethic and providing for our families by the sweat of our brow! Wow, Mr. Kalin that's almost biblical is it not! (both exclamation points added for emphasis).
But something has gone wrong! Here Representative Kalin lays out the problem. "Every week, more than 1,300 Minnesotans are losing their jobs." (Multiply that by 52 weeks and that's a lot of job losses - if it keeps up at that rate it could become a real problem!)
And here Rep. Kalin further points up the scope of the problem. He tells us that as a consequence of the "global economic recession" it is "harder and harder to hang on to the jobs we already have."
You have to hand it to Rep. Kalin, he's a thorough analyst in defining the problem. You probably were not aware until he told you that this has become a world-wide recession. You see, he "thinks globally" while insignificant little you think only locally!
A few statistics will be helpful to you to follow where he is going with all this. He informs us that "Central Minnesota is ground zero (that has kind of an ominous ring to it does it not!) in the tide of joblessness and home foreclosures - "ground zero" right in Representative Kalin's District no less! But fortunately, to move this along, "(h)elp is on the way (drum roll!) in the form of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The signature achievement (his words with italics added for emphasis) of the 110th Congress and President Obama, the federal recovery funds will help save 45,000 jobs in Minnesota this year - if . . . . " IF and what a big if that is!
And on top of everything else our esteemed Representative had opportunity to demonstrate his humanitarian instincts for "(d)uring the late-February blizzard, I stopped on my way home (was that his Minneapolis house or his Chisago county rent house?) to push a car spinning its wheels in a snowdrift, and I saw dozens of others do the same."
This must have been the other members of the DFL caucus for they are well-known for "spinning their wheels and getting nowhere" while pretending they are accomplishing things!
Get yourself a copy of the Isanti-Chisago County STAR, Thursday, March 12, 2009 and read for yourself how eloquently, thoroughly and scholarly he summarizes the dire straits we are in and note how carefully he analyzes the actions that will lead the way out to a better day. That ability must be a spin-off of his school teaching days! Why, he's Reaganesque you'll exclaim!
With the skill of a deep-thinking socio-political philospher the Venerable Kalin informs us in the opening comment of his extensive House Notes (and notice, even those words are a clever, eye catching title for his tome) that he has "always believed that the best social program in this country (his thinking in not narrowly limited to Chisago County - he thinks big!) is a job."
Further, as he continues to wax eloquently, he strokes his philospher's beard and tells us that "(a)s Minnesotans we pride ourselves on our work ethic and providing for our families by the sweat of our brow! Wow, Mr. Kalin that's almost biblical is it not! (both exclamation points added for emphasis).
But something has gone wrong! Here Representative Kalin lays out the problem. "Every week, more than 1,300 Minnesotans are losing their jobs." (Multiply that by 52 weeks and that's a lot of job losses - if it keeps up at that rate it could become a real problem!)
And here Rep. Kalin further points up the scope of the problem. He tells us that as a consequence of the "global economic recession" it is "harder and harder to hang on to the jobs we already have."
You have to hand it to Rep. Kalin, he's a thorough analyst in defining the problem. You probably were not aware until he told you that this has become a world-wide recession. You see, he "thinks globally" while insignificant little you think only locally!
A few statistics will be helpful to you to follow where he is going with all this. He informs us that "Central Minnesota is ground zero (that has kind of an ominous ring to it does it not!) in the tide of joblessness and home foreclosures - "ground zero" right in Representative Kalin's District no less! But fortunately, to move this along, "(h)elp is on the way (drum roll!) in the form of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The signature achievement (his words with italics added for emphasis) of the 110th Congress and President Obama, the federal recovery funds will help save 45,000 jobs in Minnesota this year - if . . . . " IF and what a big if that is!
And on top of everything else our esteemed Representative had opportunity to demonstrate his humanitarian instincts for "(d)uring the late-February blizzard, I stopped on my way home (was that his Minneapolis house or his Chisago county rent house?) to push a car spinning its wheels in a snowdrift, and I saw dozens of others do the same."
This must have been the other members of the DFL caucus for they are well-known for "spinning their wheels and getting nowhere" while pretending they are accomplishing things!
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Kalin and Olseen - Both are Failing as Legislators
By this time in the legislative Session Representative Kalin and Senator Olseen have introduced many bills and have voted probably hundreds of times in Committees and on the floor on bunches of bills but Kalin and Olseen have reported back to the constituency virtually nothing about their activities or votes on most or any of these bills.
By their silence you would think that nothing important is going on down in the legislature. Do not be fooled by their silence! Nothing that goes on in the legislature is unimportant - legislation restricts your freedom, it reaches into your pocketbook, it tells us what we must do and cannot do. Legislation costs you money, it impacts your future in many ways and for years to come.
Olseen and Kalin are very well-paid in salaries, per diems and are well supplied with public services for their time at the Capitol and they are absolutely derelict in their duties by not giving us constituents routine reports of their votes and actions. Olseen and Kalin have at their command public resources that give them an opportunity to be reporting back routinely to the people with an on-going summary of their legislative activity.
Kalin has rightly been faulted, for example, for voting against picture identification as part of the protection of the voting process. Kalin's vote against that matter would not have been known by us constituents had it not been revealed by a public source other than Kalin. Then Representative Kalin weakly "defends" his opposition to it by citing "the cost" that he said it would entail. Of course that defense ignores the tremendous cost of the legal activity, for example, that is going on right now in the Senatorial court case between Franken and Coleman and the fact that Minnesota has gone at least three months with only Senator Amy Klobuchar having to carry the workload of two Senators.
We don't need to hear that you - Olseen and Kalin - disagree with the Governor's proposals. That's a foregone conclusion and a cheap-shot way of failing to divulge what you intend to do about the State budget and priorities. The schools are hurting, the counties, the cities and towns of your district are claiming financial hardship. The typical taxpayer is certainly saying loud and clear that they do not want you to raise their taxes. Yet you, Olseen and Kalin, sit silent on what you will be doing to rectify the situation. Do not come back to us with the cry that it is going to be hard to resolve the fiscal problems. We already know that. Tells us with frequency and with regularity what you have done and what you are doing for your constituents to solve the problems facing the state.
By their silence you would think that nothing important is going on down in the legislature. Do not be fooled by their silence! Nothing that goes on in the legislature is unimportant - legislation restricts your freedom, it reaches into your pocketbook, it tells us what we must do and cannot do. Legislation costs you money, it impacts your future in many ways and for years to come.
Olseen and Kalin are very well-paid in salaries, per diems and are well supplied with public services for their time at the Capitol and they are absolutely derelict in their duties by not giving us constituents routine reports of their votes and actions. Olseen and Kalin have at their command public resources that give them an opportunity to be reporting back routinely to the people with an on-going summary of their legislative activity.
Kalin has rightly been faulted, for example, for voting against picture identification as part of the protection of the voting process. Kalin's vote against that matter would not have been known by us constituents had it not been revealed by a public source other than Kalin. Then Representative Kalin weakly "defends" his opposition to it by citing "the cost" that he said it would entail. Of course that defense ignores the tremendous cost of the legal activity, for example, that is going on right now in the Senatorial court case between Franken and Coleman and the fact that Minnesota has gone at least three months with only Senator Amy Klobuchar having to carry the workload of two Senators.
We don't need to hear that you - Olseen and Kalin - disagree with the Governor's proposals. That's a foregone conclusion and a cheap-shot way of failing to divulge what you intend to do about the State budget and priorities. The schools are hurting, the counties, the cities and towns of your district are claiming financial hardship. The typical taxpayer is certainly saying loud and clear that they do not want you to raise their taxes. Yet you, Olseen and Kalin, sit silent on what you will be doing to rectify the situation. Do not come back to us with the cry that it is going to be hard to resolve the fiscal problems. We already know that. Tells us with frequency and with regularity what you have done and what you are doing for your constituents to solve the problems facing the state.
Withdrawal From Serving in the Obama Administration - A Developing Pattern?
In view of the numerous appointees, nominees, aspirants and prospects who have "withdrawn" for varieties of reasons from serving in the Obama Administration wouldn't it be an interesting turn of events if the Head Push himself would do the nation a favor and "withdraw" from serving as President! He certainly is laden with as many negative reasons as any of the others as indicators why he should not have the privilege of serving in the highest office - not the least of which is the unresolved question whether he is even Constitutionally eligible to serve as President. The proof positive of his eligibility in the circumstances of his birth has not been made public and a number of negative reasons have been adduced.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Do You Have Your Belly Full of Democrat Lies, Spending, Trickery, Control, Dictatorship?
The title of this blog is the message - the message is: "Have you had enough?"
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
The Wisdom of Id
While Barack Obama has been working on this for a long time, it didn't take long for the peasants to figure it out.Click the picture to enlarge
Republican Convention
Calling all Delegates and Alternates
Plan now
The Chisago County Republican Convention
will be held at the
North Branch High School Auditorium
on
Saturday, March 28, 2009 at 9:00 a.m.
Registration begins at 8:00 a.m.
All Delegates and Alternates will be receiving the official call via the postal service.
Friday, February 13, 2009
PEOPLE BEFORE POLITICS AND OTHER LIES!
In a shameful slap in the face to the voters of Minnesota and this legislative District, Representative Jeremy Kalin joined ten other DFL House members to kill the Photo ID bill (HF57) which would have required the (simple) showing of a government issued photographic identification (a simple picture ID) when appearing at the voting place.
In the midst of the turmoil that we are experiencing in Minnesota to determine who will be our U.S. Senator it is nothing short of stupid - and a kick in the teeth to the voters - for Kalin to pull a dumb trick like this. It makes a bald-faced lie of his campaign slogan that he puts "People Before Politics!"
People of District 17B - this is who you elected to represent you in the legislature! We hope you are proud of yourself and of Jeremy Kalin.
In the midst of the turmoil that we are experiencing in Minnesota to determine who will be our U.S. Senator it is nothing short of stupid - and a kick in the teeth to the voters - for Kalin to pull a dumb trick like this. It makes a bald-faced lie of his campaign slogan that he puts "People Before Politics!"
People of District 17B - this is who you elected to represent you in the legislature! We hope you are proud of yourself and of Jeremy Kalin.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
JUNK JOURNALISM
A classic example of cheap-shot junk journalism was the front page above- and below-the-fold of the Strib under the date of January 30, 2009 titled: HOW DO YOU GET TO D.C.? with the sub-title: "Coleman went to court and Franken went to Florida. But the real question is . . . "
Two panel pictures involved show a salubrious Al Franken who just happened to be standing in front of a portrait of President Jack Kennedy and then there was the lugubrious shot of a wrinkle-browed Norm Coleman slumped pensively in an obvious court room chair.
The pictures are only part of the story. But clearly the pictures are designed and intended to set a tone or an "atmosphere" for all that follows. And what follows is a real journalistic gem.
Everything written about Franken is positive and light and sunshiney and all that is written about Coleman is dark and foreboding of failure. Of Franken the whole atmosphere of words is anticipation of success as the inevitable outcome. Of Coleman the conclusion is foregone that the court case is an exercise in futility.
The Strib, even as it struggles for survival by going into Chapter 11, still doesn't "get the picture" of why their advertising revenue is down and why their readership has tanked. One wonders if they ever read their own scandal sheet portrayed as mainline journalism.
Two panel pictures involved show a salubrious Al Franken who just happened to be standing in front of a portrait of President Jack Kennedy and then there was the lugubrious shot of a wrinkle-browed Norm Coleman slumped pensively in an obvious court room chair.
The pictures are only part of the story. But clearly the pictures are designed and intended to set a tone or an "atmosphere" for all that follows. And what follows is a real journalistic gem.
Everything written about Franken is positive and light and sunshiney and all that is written about Coleman is dark and foreboding of failure. Of Franken the whole atmosphere of words is anticipation of success as the inevitable outcome. Of Coleman the conclusion is foregone that the court case is an exercise in futility.
The Strib, even as it struggles for survival by going into Chapter 11, still doesn't "get the picture" of why their advertising revenue is down and why their readership has tanked. One wonders if they ever read their own scandal sheet portrayed as mainline journalism.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
LEGISLATIVE COUNTDOWN FOR SENATOR OLSEEN AND REPRESENTATIVE KALIN
Ten - Nine - Eight - . . . . . . . . . . . . . the count goes on! We are waiting for Senator Olseen and Representative Kalin to commit to the very reasonable four-way test for their votes and bill introductions in the current Session of the Minnesota legislature as outlined in the previous blog.
If legislation does not meet the reasonable four-way test why in the world would our Senator and Representative support it or vote for it?
Senator Olseen and Representative you have invited commentary from your constituents and you said you would listen to your constituents - this is our commentary to you! Are you listening?
Democrats and Republicans from your constituency clearly and undoubtedly support these reasonable four-way test questions. You have indicated you want Republicans to work in a bi-partisan fashion with you. Clearly, by definition, bipartisanship must be a two-way street. Can you walk the walk and not just talk the talk?
If legislation does not meet the reasonable four-way test why in the world would our Senator and Representative support it or vote for it?
Senator Olseen and Representative you have invited commentary from your constituents and you said you would listen to your constituents - this is our commentary to you! Are you listening?
Democrats and Republicans from your constituency clearly and undoubtedly support these reasonable four-way test questions. You have indicated you want Republicans to work in a bi-partisan fashion with you. Clearly, by definition, bipartisanship must be a two-way street. Can you walk the walk and not just talk the talk?
Sunday, January 18, 2009
LEGISLATIVE TEST
1) Is it Moral/Right?
2) Is it Constitutional?
3) Is it Necessary?
4) Is is Affordable?
We call upon the good Senator Olseen and the good Representative Kalin, who have indicated a desire to work in a bi-partisan manner, to publicly commit to the above four-way test the idea for which comes from a Republican Congressman, Paul Broun, M.D., of Georgia's 10th District.
Presumably Senator Olseen and Representative Kalin should be willing to apply this reasonable four-way test to all legislation that comes before them, or any legislation that they author, in the current Session of the Minnesota legislature.
Senator Olseen and Representative Kalin will you so commit?
2) Is it Constitutional?
3) Is it Necessary?
4) Is is Affordable?
We call upon the good Senator Olseen and the good Representative Kalin, who have indicated a desire to work in a bi-partisan manner, to publicly commit to the above four-way test the idea for which comes from a Republican Congressman, Paul Broun, M.D., of Georgia's 10th District.
Presumably Senator Olseen and Representative Kalin should be willing to apply this reasonable four-way test to all legislation that comes before them, or any legislation that they author, in the current Session of the Minnesota legislature.
Senator Olseen and Representative Kalin will you so commit?
Thursday, January 08, 2009
ATTENTION TAXPAYERS! LISTEN UP!
Quoting from Taxpayers League of Minnesota letter November 11, 2008:
"In just the last year Minnesotans have seen taxes increase by over $1 billion:
First the legislature overrode Governor Pawlenty's veto to increase the gas tax, sales
tax, and license tax, for a whopping $697 million per year in higher taxes.
"In just the last year Minnesotans have seen taxes increase by over $1 billion:
First the legislature overrode Governor Pawlenty's veto to increase the gas tax, sales
tax, and license tax, for a whopping $697 million per year in higher taxes.
Second, the legislature increased business taxes by $141 million.
Third, on November 4th, voters approved a state sales tax increase of $276 million
per year for the arts and outdoors.
THAT'S OVER A BILLION DOLLARS OF NEW TAXES IN ONE YEAR."
(end of quote)There you have it people! Can anyone say Senator Olseen and Representative Kalin?
Friday, January 02, 2009
"No New Taxes" in reverse!
Our local legislators should be happy - "Gas Tax" Kalin and Rick Olseen - since there is already talk at the federal level to raise the federal tax on gasoline and diesel fuel, it appears, anywhere from ten to twenty five cents per gallon. And guess why - because, among other things, the "gas guzzler" vehicles are being replaced and now there is not "enough" gas tax being raised. So once again government works at cross purposes to itself - cut down the consumption but this cuts down the tax revenue so they have to raise the tax burden to make up the difference! Think what a federal tax raise will do to the ordinary wage earner or the over-the-road truckers. Many of them can't make their way as it is and pretty soon it won't pay the commuters to go to work. Oh, the wonders of government problem solving.
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