January 2011
152 posts
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Mike Parry doesn't know what the MN Constitution...
Eric Pusey at MN Progressive Project has a great catch: Mike Parry (yes, that Mike Parry) is clearly misinformed about our state Constitution. Either that, or he just ignores the parts he doesn’t like.
Parry doesn’t think the Minnesota Constitution requires us to spend any money on transit. He says he has “issues” over whether the constitution dictates that any money...
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Dayton proposes jobs bill
As he promised when he was elected, Governor Dayton has sent the legislature a proposed bonding bill to jumpstart the Minnesota economy. Dayton’s plan provides a stark contrast to the Republican plans offered so far: It would add jobs, instead of cutting them and reducing pay — which would move our economy backwards.
Gov. Mark Dayton is proposing $531 million in bonding to fund...
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Paul Thissen on the MNGOP's priorities
They just can’t help themselves. The Republicans took office earlier this month promising to make jobs and the budget the top priority. Instead, we’ve seen a veritable flood of ideological legislation: an anti-voting bill, eliminating background checks for gun purchases, repealing the smoking ban, designating English as the official language, and more.
House Minority Leader Paul...
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Some advice for Democrats running in 2012
There are 21 months until the 2012 election. Nobody’s paying attention yet, but you’re probably thinking about how to position yourself. Here’s some advice: Position yourself on the center-left — and align yourself with President Obama — from the beginning. We’ve all seen what happens when the Democrats try to move to the right, and it wasn’t pretty.
2012...
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WatchSNL spoofs Michele Bachmann’s SOTU response
Anonymous asked: Senator Newman agrees to see only his supporters and you say that is 56% of the people who voted? What about the people who did not vote? What about children? Does he not have an obligation to represent EVERYONE in his District?
Between Michele Bachmann (who represents the town where I was born) and Senator Newman and a few others I read about when I visited Minnesota this past...
Between Michele Bachmann (who represents the town where I was born) and Senator Newman and a few others I read about when I visited Minnesota this past...
Site news: Next week, we'll have some site news
We’ve got a couple of big changes coming to MNpublius next week. I’m really looking forward to sharing them with you; unfortunately, it will have to wait until after the weekend.
Are you excited yet? I know I am.
Stay tuned!
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Thank you to a few brave Republicans
The MNGOP didn’t approve their damaging, incomplete budget bill unanimously. Four freshmen voted against the bill, as glumly reported by the conservative BillsandVotes.com:
King Banaian, 15B
Deb Kiel, 1B
John Kriesel, 57A
Rich Murray, 27A
Banaian, a representative for St. Cloud and a professor at Saint Cloud University, was concerned about the bill’s impact on SCSU:
Banaian said...
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Senators seek ethics hearing on Scott Newman
Scott Newman, who refused to meet with groups that supported his opponent, may now be the subject of an ethics investigation in the Senate. Several Senators have delivered a letter to the Senate President asking the ethics subcommittee to begin an investigation. Here’s an statement from DFL Senator Sandy Pappas, one of the members requesting the investigation:
“Requesting an ethics hearing...
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House GOP votes to raise property taxes and...
Yesterday, the state House officially passed HF130, an incomplete version of their all-cuts budget. GOP leaders in the legislature are attempting to address the budget in phases, in the hopes that they can conceal the damage they’re doing to the state. But there’s no denying the impact of this bill.
HF130 shifts the responsibility for keeping our state running to the poor and middle...
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When vetoing the anti-voting bill...
Commenter NorthernMNer has got the ceremony all planned out already:
The Veto ceremony for this bill should take place in a nursing home or assisted living community. Surrounded by senior citizens, Dayton should frame this as an effort to make life harder for older Minnesotans.
I can only hope someone from the Governor’s office is reading.
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Wasn't It Jobs, Jobs, Jobs??? →
Dave Mindeman reminds us of the MNGOP’s claims that they would be focused on jobs. He then estimates the jobs that would be created by the legislation they have focused on so far.
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The impact of the MNGOP's all-cuts budget (pt 1)
Later today, the Republican House will pass a budget bill that doesn’t solve the budget deficit. It doesn’t even come close, in fact. It’s just a small down-payment on their all-cuts budget. But even though it’s woefully incomplete, it would have major impacts. It would:
Cut nearly $20 million for child protection and investigating case of abuse and neglect.
Cut aid to...
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Erin Murphy on the MNGOP's priorities
Rep. Erin Murphy (DFL-St Paul) is not happy with the Republican Party’s priorities. Responding to a bill to cut funding for child protection services, Murphy scolded Republicans for more cuts that cause property taxes to go up. “That is, of course,” she said, “unless you’re suggesting to the… people of Minnesota that child protection is no longer a priority...
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MN Congressional Delegation Hot Dish Competition...
Apparently, there was a competition among the Minnesota Congressional Delegation today on who can make the best Minnesota Hot Dish. WCCO reporter Esme Murphy tweeted that Sen. Franken is “bitter” over his Hot Dish loss to Sen. Klobuchar. Rep. Michele Bachmann tweeted that she enjoyed the bipartisan competition and stated, “we don’t always agree on legislation, but we all...
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MNGOP to pass incomplete budget bill
Today, the Republican House will vote on a bill that would fail to solve our $6.2 billion deficit. They hope to send it to Governor Dayton anyway, as if they’d actually accomplished something.
They haven’t, though. Their bill only cuts $1 billion out of our $6.2 billion deficit. Their cuts are already controversial, and things are just going to get even more difficult as they propose...
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The future of Minnesota: Harder to vote, easier to...
Sure, Republicans want to make it more difficult for Minnesotans to vote. But they don’t want to make everything more difficult. For example, criminals have to go through a lot of trouble these days to get guns. Fortunately, Steve Drazkowski has a plan to change that by eliminating background checks for gun purchases. (You can see the text of the very short repealer bill here [PDF])
...
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Anthony Weiner on Paul Ryan: 'I needed a drink'
[Via Talking Points Memo]
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Timdependence Day
If you thought Tim Pawlenty’s “Courage to Stand” trailer was as ridiculous as I did, you’ll love this mashup with the Independence Day trailer by the Alliance for a Better Minnesota.
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Spend millions of dollars to stop Minnesotans from...
House Republicans have introduced a second anti-voting bill, HF210. In advocating for this bill, they are arguing that we have millions of dollars to pay for a system that does not address a single real problem, even as they slash billions from education and the social safety net.
This bill will have the exact same problems as the original anti-voting bill: It will prevent the old, poor, and...
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Why don't they all just get jobs as CEOs?
Republicans don’t seem quite able to understand why everybody isn’t rich. Why don’t people just work harder? Why don’t they just get a better job? Why don’t they just start a small business? The actual mechanics of how the economy works aren’t quite clear to them. That helps to explain why they see no need for programs like job training:
Not only are...
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Pawlenty: States should consider bankruptcy |... →
Here in Minnesota, we’ve gotten used to Tim Pawlenty’s style of fiscal “management:” accounting shifts, raiding long-term funds to cover budget shortfalls, new taxes that are called “fees,” and illegal budget maneuvers. And despite it all, a massive $6.2 billion deficit left for Mark Dayton to deal with.
That’s why it doesn’t surprise me at all to...
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Paul Ryan on why a social safety net is a terrible...
Paul Ryan’s disastrous budget plan is largely a transfer of money from the poor and middle class to the rich, made possible by privatizing Social Security and Medicare. Our social safety net has vastly reduced poverty, increased opportunity, and improved hundreds of millions of Americans’ quality of life. Ryan, though, thinks that money would be better served to eliminate taxes of...
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Bachmann blames Obama for the recession
Pop quiz: When did the recession start? Was it before Barack Obama took office, or after? I seem to remember it started in 2008. In fact, I recall John McCain disastrously suspending his campaign in a failed attempt to appear presidential. I also remember the stimulus staving off a full-blown depression.
Michele Bachmann remembers differently. Here’s an excerpt from her response to...
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State of the Union: Obama to join the Republican...
After two full years, you’d think I’d stop driving myself crazy wishing for a liberal in the White House. But you’d be wrong.
A freeze on spending. Reducing corporate taxes. An education system that looks more like the private market. On proposal after proposal, Obama seemed to be attempting to position himself on the center-right. And we all know how that’s worked out for...
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Paul Ryan's policies would decimate the middle...
It’s fitting that Paul Ryan will deliver the Republicans’ response to the State of the Union. It can’t be denied that he’s the Republicans’ “idea man.” His “ideas,” though, should really terrify any American who’s not in the top 1 percent. Ryan would slash taxes for the rich, while raising them for the rest of us [PDF]. To make matters...
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Scott Newman goes into hiding [UPDATED]
There’s a growing furor over Scott Newman’s (R-Hutchinson) refusal to meet with groups that supported his opponent. In response, Newman has refused to explain himself. His legislative assistant actually told the Associated Press he wouldn’t be interviewed on the topic:
[Legislative assistant Kim] Kelley says Tuesday she can’t comment on her e-mail and says Newman...
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Dayton streamlines permitting process; why is...
Mark Dayton ran on a platform of streamlining regulations in Minnesota, while ensuring that the regulatory process still offers the protections it was designed for. As part of that effort, Dayton issued an executive order yesterday setting a 150-day limit on the completion of environmental permits.
Dayton’s executive order was very similar to legislation proposed by House Republicans....
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Want to speak with Senator Newman? He wants to...
“Whether you voted for me or my opponent, I’m here to serve all of you.” That’s one of the oldest tropes in politics, repeated in thousands of post-election speeches. But at least one Minnesota senator, Scott Newman (R-Hutchinson) doesn’t believe that at all. In fact, he openly refuses to meet with anyone who supported his opponent.
Bluestem Prairie reports that the...
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Allen West: Keith Ellison Represents ‘The... →
Keith Ellison is a Muslim. Therefore, says Tea Party Republican Allen West, he is “the antithesis of the principles upon which this country was established.”
What, you thought religious freedom was one of our country’s core principles? You’re wrong. And you hate America.
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Economic forecasts are slowly improving
Thanks to policies enacted by Barack Obama and the Democrats, the economy is improving. Economists think we’ve now reached the point where good news will beget more good news, in a virtuous cycle. Rising job numbers and other economic indicators are improving confidence, which is leading to more hiring and consumer spending, which in turn leads to more improvements in economic indicators.
...
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Schumer says Senate Dems will defend health reform
This is a hopeful sign - Chuck Schumer says if Republicans want to bring health reform up for a vote in the Senate, Democrats will force a number of votes on provisions the American people support.
“Mitch McConnell has the right to offer an amendment,” Schumer said of the Senate Minority Leader, who has vowed to force a vote on the repeal. “If he does, if the Republicans offer...
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What is Clarence Thomas hiding?
We expect a few simple things from our judges, particularly on the Supreme Court. They should be fair, impartial, and ethical. Clarence Thomas, unfortunately, is none of those things.
Thomas has always had a malleable judicial philosophy. He believes in curtailing government’s power —until government power aligns with his own political interests, in which case he changes his mind completely. As...
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Obama derangement syndrome continues: Exercise =...
Michelle Obama has been active in encouraging Americans to eat healthy foods and get more exercise. In other words, she’s like a terrible cross between Stalin and Hitler.
It continues to blow my mind that the right is upset with Obama’s advocacy. Hers is just about the most benign cause it’s possible to promote. The only explanation for their outrage is a severe case of Obama...
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MPR: Bachmann approaches Iowa with trail of... →
As Michele Bachmann flirts with a presidential run, MPR’s Tom Scheck offers an excellent summary of her inability to tell the truth.
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minn-Donkey: MNGOP decides they won't run against... →
TonyAngelo has figured out the GOP’s strategy against the immensely-popular Amy Klobuchar: Pretend she’s Al Franken.
Good luck with that.
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Dear Democrats: Please learn a lesson from 2010
Democrats lost in November because they refused to stand up for themselves and their agenda. Will Democrats in the Senate continue to make that mistake? Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is hoping to force a vote on repealing health reform, and First Read reports that he’s hoping to put Democrats on the record on health reform again:
The chances of McConnell getting a straight up-or-down...
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Did the Pawlenty administration purposely mislead...
When Governor Dayton announced his intention to leverage $1 billion of Federal funds by opting in early to a new expanded Medicaid option, he got some bad news. Pawlenty’s Health and Human Services commissioner Cal Ludeman informed him that it would take a whopping 9 months to complete the process. Yesterday, Dayton and Lucinda Jesson, his new Health and Human Services commissioner,...
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A victory for transparency
In a development that will enhance the transparency of our government, The UpTake has finally been granted a spot in the Capitol press room. I received the news via press release from The UpTake:
This week The UpTake becomes the first “on-line only” media organization to have an office in the Minnesota Capitol press room. The citizen-fueled, non-profit, non-partisan, news...
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Who should sacrifice - students or the rich?
Unlike the Federal government, the state of Minnesota must have a balanced budget. When we have a massive deficit like we do this year, that means it’s inevitable that we will have to make painful decisions. The question is, how can we make tough decisions while still keeping the state competitive in the future?
So far, there have been two proposals:
Governor Dayton has proposed asking the...
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MNGOP proposes cuts to child protection
When Republican leaders said their motto would be “kids first,” what they apparently meant was that kids would be the first place they’d look for spending cuts. This time, it’s House Health and Human Services chair Jim Abeler (R-Anoka) who has proposed $32 million in cuts, mostly to child protection services. Here’s a quick summary of the cuts:
Mary Regan, executive...
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Teachers: the scourge of our society
Those damn teachers. It’s about time someone stood up against the outrageous salaries they make year after year. After all, it’s their fault we’re in the mess we’re in today.
Teachers nearly brought down our entire financial system, but they’ve showed no remorse. Even after they were given hundreds of billions of dollars in government money by taxpayers, they have...
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What House Republicans are voting for today
Today, House Republicans will vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act. In so doing, they will vote to:
Allow health insurance companies to refuse coverage based on pre-existing conditions.
Kick millions of young adults off their parents’ insurance.
Stop 32 million Americans from getting health insurance.
Increase the deficit by $230 billion.
Reduce Medicare’s solvency by 12...
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Strategies for negotiating the budget begin to...
Yesterday, Republicans in the legislature did something curious: They held a press conference and excitedly announced that they had a bill to reduce the deficit by a paltry 15 percent. The bill consisted mostly of extending Tim Pawlenty’s temporary unallotments. So why make a big deal about it?
The answer is that they’re shaping a strategy for negotiating with Governor Dayton. By...
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What House Republicans are voting for today
Today, House Republicans will vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act. In so doing, they will vote to:
Allow health insurance companies to refuse coverage based on pre-existing conditions.
Kick millions of young adults off their parents’ insurance.
Stop 32 million Americans from getting health insurance.
Increase the deficit by $230 billion.
Reduce Medicare’s solvency by 12...
1 tag
Teachers: the scourge of our society
Those damn teachers. It’s about time someone stood up against the outrageous salaries they make year after year. After all, it’s their fault we’re in the mess we’re in today.
Teachers nearly brought down our entire financial system, but they’ve showed no remorse. Even after they were given hundreds of billions of dollars in government money by taxpayers, they have...
3 tags
Strategies for negotiating the budget begin to...
Yesterday, Republicans in the legislature did something curious: They held a press conference and excitedly announced that they had a bill to reduce the deficit by a paltry 15 percent. The bill consisted mostly of extending Tim Pawlenty’s temporary unallotments. So why make a big deal about it?
The answer is that they’re shaping a strategy for negotiating with Governor Dayton. By...
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Only 25 percent of Americans favor health repeal
The Republicans have a plan to force children off of their parents’ insurance, stop tens of millions of Americans from getting health insurance, increase the deficit, and allow health costs to continue soaring. The call it “health reform repeal.” Well, it’s not surprising that only 25 percent of Americans support that according to a new AP-GfK Poll [PDF].
Republicans have...