...Can Reasonably Assume GOPers Are Telling The Truth
Mitch Berg is taking a turn carrying water for Boardroom Tycoons over at his blog; "right" now the water he's carrying has to do with LGA (local government aid).
And there's no point in trying to refute Berg with "facts." After all, Reagan told the faithful that "Facts are stupid things" - and Berg is nothing if not faithful. IOW - Reagan said it; Berg lives it.
Instead, let's take a look at what then-candidate Tim Pawlenty said while running for the corner office at the Capital, and what's happened (can you say "Flip-Flop"?) since TBag moved into it:
It's really rather pathetic, how low today's Greed Over Principles party has sunk.
Reasonable people no longer can reasonably assume GOPers are telling the truth.
Meahwhile, Erik Hare will be joining yours truly, the ol' TwoPutter, tomorrow (Saturday, May 15th) as I Guest Host "Radio Cafe with Cathy Hauser" from 2:00 to 3:00 pm on AM950 - KTNF. We'll be talking about Professor Frankfurt's book ("On Bullsh*t"), Erik's post over at Barataria, this post (and the subsequent comments!), the media's role in propagating/covering BS, and how BS seems to be the modus operandi of today's Republican Party.
For more on the media's role on propagating BS, check out this post, over at The Cucking Stool.
Of course, you can always just look over to the "far right" column, click on the link, and buy a copy now...
As always, call 952-946-6205 to join the conversation!
So tune in your radio to AM-950 KTNF, or listen live on your computer, here!
Also, I'd like to note that Professor Frankfurt's Book, "On Bullsh*t", is available locally through Common Good Books in St. Paul; if you can't make it in to the shop, you can order on line and they'll ship.
First, questions not asked: Whose budget got hit, when Gov. Pawlenty diverted money from the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA) to partially pay the salary of Lee Buckley, Special Advisor in the Governor's Council on Faith and Community Service Initiatives (FCSI)? Lee Buckley is no longer drawing a check from FCSI; she's now at the Dep't of Corrections - and there is still a diversion of funds from MDVA (see below the fold), so: where is THAT money, and how is it being spent?
Second, playing the pawns. It was obvious to me that some Veterans at the hearing were more interested in carrying Gov. Pawlenty's political water, than ensuring open and transparent governmental operations. For instance, Jerry Kyser, Former Chair and current Vice Chair of United Veterans Legislative Council of Minnesota, in a conversation at the hearing and in a followup phone conversation, made it quite clear that as an organization, UVLC wanted to kill the proposed legislation, and personally - and I quote - Jerry "detests" everything about President Obama's "socialistic" agenda. And clearly, many veterans were mobilized for the hearing, with defending Gov. Pawlenty's actions as a goal. From Tim Pugmire at Minnesota Public Radio:
Veterans fight back over funding criticism by Tim Pugmire, Minnesota Public Radio
March 18, 2010
St. Paul, Minn. - Military veterans are strongly defending Gov. Pawlenty's use of the Support Our Troops license plate fund to pay the salary of one of his office staffers.
During a state Senate hearing Thursday, several veterans said the interagency transfer was appropriate, and they instead criticized legislators for raising questions about the arrangement. (more, at Minnesota Public Radio)
But, not all. One comment I heard several times was that with the fact that Gov. Pawlenty is using hundreds of Inter-Agency Agreements totalling hundreds of thousands of dollars to shift funds the way he sees fit, why was a $30k shift in Veterans funding being singled out?
After the hearing, I called the Minnesota Disabled American Veterans (MnDAV) and talked to the Adjutant, Jeff Alger (disclosure - I'm a Member of the MnDAV). Adjutant Alger wanted to be clear that the MnDAV was most concerned that the media publicity might negatively affect sales of the "Support Our Troops" license plates, which could negatively affect revenue to support veterans. Adjutant Alger stated the MnDAV had no issue with how the funds transferred were used and took no position on Inter-Agency in general. I asked if Adjutant Alger knew if any Agency/Organization's budget took a hit; Adjutant Alger said he didn't know. I asked if the MnDAV would have a concern if the transfer had caused the MnDAV to receive less; Adjutant Alger said that would be a great concern (see the first question, above).
Now, on to shell games, as played by Gov. Pawlenty, with the details of the Hearing:
The State Senate Finance Committee's Hearing On Inter-Agency Agreements (i.e., Gov TBag getting caught with his hands in the cookie jar is about to start.
The room is filled with lots of veterans, and many of them are none-too-happy with Gov Tbag channelling the Ghost Of Richard Nixon ("When the President does it, that means it's not illegal").
Last night, on AM950 Radio's "Minnesota Matters - Friday Edition" show, we had State Senator Jim Carlson, DFL, SD-38 on, to discuss how Minnesota, under the "fiscally (non)conservative" Gov. Tim Pawlenty got the state into it's latest budgetary mess.
Well, we also talked about The Sons Of Nixon's Plumbers, a story that's not going away, and we played "False or False Witness!" too - Bachmann MotorMouth Overdrive's quote is below the fold, at the very end. But, the bulk of the show was how Gov. TBag deliberately put the State into an unbalanced budget, so TBag could exercise Unitary Executive Power (Nixon would be so proud!).
When the podcast/download becomes available, I'll update and link to it.
In the meantime, Senator Carlson's sheet explaining what we talked about is below the fold.
In a nutshell, here's what happened:
The February 2009 Forecast predicted revenues of $31.1 Billion (rounded). Knowing that number, Gov. TBag proceeded signed Spending Bills of $33.8 Billion (rounded) anyway.
This created a deficit from Governor-approved spending (remember, when TBag signed those spending bills, they were now law) and the Feb 2009 Forecast of $2.7 Billion (rounded). A bill to balance that deficit, HF-2323, was passed and presented to Gov. TBag to sign. Except, TBag didn't sign that revenue bill to balance the budget; he vetoed it.
Upon creating an unbalanced budget, TBag immediately claimed unilateral power to fix the problem he created, and then hit the campaign trail. As to TBag's actions creating an anticipated budget problem, then using powers to deal with unanticipated budget problems? The Court was not amused.
Ladies and Gentlemen, yours truly - the ol' TwoPutter - is guest hosting the Tuesday Edition of "Minnesota Matters" on AM-950 KTNF, The Voice of Minnesota! The show runs from 6:00 to 7pm. So, tune in your radio today to AM-950, or listen live on your computer, here. Joining in-studio will be ace field reporter/political analyst Dusty Trice!
State Representative and Candidate for Governor Paul Thissen will be in studio for a long conversation about where - as a state - we're at, and Paul's plans to fix the train wreck Tim "I'm the unalloterer!" Pawlenty caused.
Visit PaulThissen.com for more information about this great candidate for Governor!
And we'll also talk a little about GOPer Allen Quist, who has notoriously made national news for saying this:
"Our country is being destroyed. Every generation has had to fight the fight for freedom... Terrorism? Yes. That's not the big battle. The big battle is in D.C. with the radicals. They aren't liberals. They are radicals. Obama, Pelosi, Walz: They're not liberals, they're radicals. They are destroying our country." - Allen Quist, 07 Dec 2009
Ed Schultz promised to devote some more national time concerning Allen "ChickenHawk" Quist's disgusting smear tonight, on MSNBC's "The Ed Show" - it'll be interesting to hear if what we talk about, Ed talks about, too.
So, again, tune in the radio today to AM-950, or listen live on your computer, here - and keep the listener call-in number (952-946-5205) handy!
Here's what Tim Pawlenty, aka Guv TBag, said, after getting spanked by Judge Gearin after TBag's unilateral (and so far, unconstitutional) use of Executive Power:
"I was in the Legislature for 10 years, and I've been governor for going on eight years, which is 18 years in which my positions on these matters have not changed." --Tim Pawlenty, 31 Dec 2009 (PoliticsInMinnesota.com)
OK, so Gov. TBag wants to pretend he doesn't own a set or twelve pairs o' flip-flops. Fine. Let's take him at his word, and look at a quote from way back when TBag was Majority Leader, before he took the corner office at the State Capital:
"Children who are victims of failed personal responsibility are not my problem, nor are they the problem for our government." -- Majority Leader Tim Pawlenty, April 2001 - as quoted in the Aitkin Independent Newspaper (entire column below the fold)
In TBag's world, nothing is his problem - from at-risk kids, to falling down bridges, to skyrocketing property taxes, to his misuse of executive power.
Remember just the other day, how TBag blamed the judge? Well, he blamed the DFL, too. OK, TBag blamed everyone but himself. So did another guy; a guy that espoused the unitary power of the executive branch - Nixon.
Nixon would be proud that a guy like TBag is trying to take the seat where Nixon once plotted.
If TBag makes it to the Oval Office, someday you can expect an update of a certain Nixon-Frost interview:
Oh - and in TBag's "compassionate conservativism" worldview, the government has no duty to protect the vulnerable nor the least amongst us.
Then-Majority Leader TBag essentially said: "Hey, kid - Daddy drank himself to death; Mommy ran away? Not my problem, and NOT the taxpayers. There's the charity orphanage, and remember: how can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat?"
Republicans run on the platform "Gov't doesn't work!" - and after 8 years of the TBag TrainWreck, Republicans have proven that once in power, government certainly won't work.
Wow, while most of us saw Governor Pawlenty's use of unallotment as a total violation of legislative power, it is still very nicely reassuring when courts say the same thing:
It was the specific manner in which the Governor exercised his unallotment authority that trod upon the constitutional power of the Legislature, and the Legislature alone to make laws that, in the Court's opinion, was unconstitutional.
(snip)
The governor used unallotment rather that calling a special session of the legislature or vetoing the appropriations bill to balance the budget. He did this after singing numerous spending bills which taken together, he knew would not balance the budget unless revenues were raised. He used the unallotment statue to address a situation that was neither unknown nor unanticipated when the appropriations bills became law. The Governors actions in this instance differed from his use of unallotment in the Rukivina case. In that situation the governor used unallotment to protect the state from a financial crisis that was both unknown and unanticipated whiten the appropriation bills were signed.
(from an emailed copy of the court brief)
Good thing that the legislature is about to go into session, otherwise Governor Pawlenty would have to call a special session. Now Governor Pawlenty may have to learn the meaning of the word "negotiate".
"Scrooge Pawlenty" is a Minnesota version of the Christmas Carol featuring Governor Pawlenty, presented on the sidewalk in front of the Governor's Mansion, last Tuesday. The Welfare Rights Committee and their supporters wrote and performed the play. The play is based on the fact that under Governor Pawlenty's administration that richest pay less in overall taxes on a dollar earned than everyone else. "In March 2010, Pawlenty will single-handedly kick over 35,000 Minnesotans in poverty off basic health care," says the Welfare Rights Committee. Here are some of the best lines from the play:
"Pawlenty: I was just trying to pay off, I mean pay back the people who supported my campaign."
"Like the miserly Scrooge, Pawlenty has tried to wring out every last bite of blood from the poor and working people of Minnesota."
"Pawlenty: What do I care? I will be long gone by the time the state gets out of this mess."
Here is a short clip of the "Scooge Pawlenty" protest to give you the flavor:
Ladies and Gentlemen, yours truly - the ol' TwoPutter - is hosting both - BOTH! - the Friday Editions of "Quick On The UpTake" AND "Minnesota Matters" on AM-950 KTNF, The Voice of Minnesota! These shows run from 5:00 to 7pm. So, tune in your radio today to AM-950, or listen live on your computer, here. Joining in-studio will be ace field reporter/political analyst Dusty Trice!
As usual, I'll be hosting the second hour, "Minnesota Matters, Friday Edition." We're going to talk about breaking news and be talking with Mike Tikkanen, author of "Invisible Children (The American cycle of abuse and its cost)." Mike Tikkanen is the founder of Kid's At Risk Action Group (KARA), a non-profit devoted to protecting and advocating for the rights of abused children. Christmas Day is in one week, and - sadly - there are too many kids that won't have much of a Christmas - this is one conversation you don't want to miss.
Since Bachmann MotorMouth Overdrive has been especially busy this week, we'll definitely play "False Or False Witness!" where one lucky caller will have to correctly identify if a quote I read was actually uttered by Michele Bachmann (answer "False Witness!") or if yours truly, the ol' TwoPutter, simply made it up (answer "false"). The fabulous prize awarded, courtesy of show sponsor Common Good Books, is one copy of Bill Prendergast's exceptional comic book: False Witness! The Michele Bachmann Story (Volume 1). Bill's comic books make great stocking stuffers; they're practically guaranteed to delight progressive gift getters and P.O. the RightWingNut bootlickers on your gift giving list!!!
So, again, tune in the radio today to AM-950, or listen live on your computer, here.
And personally, I'd like to wish everyone a Happy HannaRamaKwanzMas! Or not, if that's what you'd prefer....
Ladies and Gentlemen, yours truly - the ol' TwoPutter - is hosting both - BOTH! - the Friday Editions of "Quick On The UpTake" AND "Minnesota Matters" on AM-950 KTNF, The Voice of Minnesota! These shows run from 5:00 to 7pm. So, tune in your radio today to AM-950, or listen live on your computer, here. Joining in-studio will be ace field reporter/political analyst Dusty Trice!
I'm Guest Hosting the first hour - "Quick On The UpTake" - because Host Mike McIntee is in Copenhagen for the United Nations Climate Change Conference. We'll be talking with Dane Smith, President of GrowthAndJustice.org. Two days ago, Dane testified before the Senate Tax Committee about Gov. TBag's latest tax scam "Spending Accountability Amendment." Joining us in-studio for a conversation will be CD-03 DFL Candidate Jim Meffert!
As usual, I'll be hosting the second hour, "Minnesota Matters, Friday Edition." We're going to talk about breaking news and talking with Mark Dayton! Mark has twice won state-wide elections; first as State Auditor and as United States Senator! And we'll give an update on the continuing saga of Gov. TBag's unfulfilld promise to get some large screen televisions to State Veterans Homes and Michele "Let's Slit Our Wrists!" Bachmann's nomination to PolitiFact.com's "Political Lie Of The Year"! Yes, you heard "right" - of all the lies told in the last year, all across the country, Little Miss Hiding In The Bushes made the final cut, so don't delay - VOTE TODAY!!!
We just might play "False Or False Witness!" where one lucky caller will have to correctly identify if a quote I read was actually uttered by Michele Bachmann (answer "False Witness!") or if yours truly, the ol' TwoPutter, simply made it up (answer "false"). The fabulous prize awarded, courtesy of show sponsor Common Good Books, is one copy of Bill Prendergast's exceptional comic book: False Witness! The Michele Bachmann Story (Volume 1). Bill's comic books make great stocking stuffers; they're practically guaranteed to delight progressive gift getters and P.O. the RightWingNut bootlickers on your gift giving list!!!
So, again, tune in the radio today to AM-950, or listen live on your computer, here.
And personally, I'd like to wish everyone a Happy HannaRamaKwanzMas! Or not, if that's what you'd prefer....
(Everyone on this site is allowed to have a different opinion and different endorsement. I am promoting this because it is a well written article, not as an official endorsement right now. - promoted by Grace Kelly)
The Minnesota governors race is heating up. This is the DFL's best chance to at long last elect a governor. The last time that happened was 1986, over 20 years ago. And we can elect a progressive governor who will do us proud and bring a strong campaign to voters in 2010. I believe this candidate is Minneapolis's Mayor R.T. Rybak. That's why I'm helping organize the Draft Rybak grassroots movement. Let me explain why for a bit and invite you to our kickoff.
He can win: The latest poll of the race showed Rybak as the strongest candidate, leading Norm Coleman and with the best favorability rating of all DFL candidates. A earlier poll showed him as the second strongest candidate behind Mark Dayton. Obviously polls do not mean much this far out. But Rybak has shown he is a tough campaigner, good debater and can effectively communicate a clear and effective message to the public. He can bring that statewide, he's already campaigned around the state for Barack Obama and other DFL candidates.
He Should Win:
Rybak has a clear record standing up and doing the right thing on the issues that matter the most. A clear record that stands in stark contrast to the failed Pawlenty Era.
Fiscal Responsibility: Minneapolis has successfully balanced it's budget without cruel cuts to basic human services despite Pawlenty's destruction of LGA. As Mayor Rybak says
I put Minneapolis' fiscal prudence up against the State's any day
The budget problem is not going away in 2011. We need someone who can make the tough and responsible choices as governor, not someone who uses gimmicks and lies to hide his failed fiscal leadership because he's sworn loyalty to the extremist anti-tax teabaggers.
A rumor has been spreading around Twitter today that earlier today R.T. Rybak announced he was running for governor. To put that to rest here's a statement from the Mayor's communications director Jeremy Hanson.
Although Mayor Rybak is considering running for governor, he is at the moment focused on being mayor and running for re-election. No decision or announcement is happening anytime soon about a campaign for governor.
Hope that clears everything up.
As full disclosure. I am a supporter of and organizer with the Draft Rybak for Governor effort. I am hoping and will be working to encourage Mayor Rybak to decide in favor of a campaign when the time comes.
