Owner: mnpACT! Progressive Blog URL:www.mnpact.org Join Date: Sun, 27 Apr 2008 15:31:44 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: mnpACT! does political commentary, both national and state; with an emphasis on Minnesota. We promote progressive ideas. Site statistics:Click here
Energy: We Need Broader Solutions 2008-04-27 12:57:02 by Dave MindemanIt really is time to reevaluate ethanol based fuel. The Washington Post article on the New Economics of Hunger is a sobering read. As the article points out, ethanol and the resulting divergence of corn production is not the only reason for a world wide food problem, but it is a major factor.Trying to balance food and ethanol production from the same commodities didn't seem like a problem when we had the huge surpluses of the past. But obviously we underestimated how quickly that all can be depleted.And as Time Magazine pointed out about a month ago, the high commodity prices are having the additional detrimental effect of converting rainforest land to agriculture. I am afraid that we are now going to have bigger problems trying to make any adjustment on ethanol sources Read more:Energy
I'm Shocked! 2008-04-26 20:09:30 by Tom HammondWhy have the offensive remarks of Barak Obama’s minister sent Republicans and members of the media into such a frenzy? If we had a dollar for every stupid thing a religious leader did, we could pay off the national debt……quickly.The reverend Billy Graham made anti-Semitic remarks to Richard Nixon; Catholic priests molested young children; Reverend Jimmie Swaggert was caught with a prostitute in a hotel room; Reverend James Baker had sex with his secretary; Reverend Jones killed his congregation with poisoned Cool Aid; Reverend Ted Haggard had sex with a male prostitute, and on, and on, and on.This controversy wouldn’t have something to do with politics, would it? Why, parish the thought.
Pawlenty: Even More Veto Power 2008-04-26 12:56:27 by Dave MindemanNow that the Governor is beginning to expand the use of his veto pen to resolutions, there are persistent rumors that more expansion of that power is imminent.Deep throat informants have told me that deep within the bowels of the Governor's mansion, a secret working group has been formed that is working on more ways to expand the power of the veto.One of the persistent rumors is that the Governor has commissioned VETO tape to be made. This tape has the red letters VETO emblazoned on the outside and would be used in special legislative debate circumstances. 3M has been commissioned to find something strong enough that could be used over Rep. Rukavina's mouth (so far they have failed miserably).One 3M associate was quoted, "There isn't anything THAT strong."Anothe
Pawlenty Expands the Use of the Veto 2008-04-26 11:44:26 by Dave MindemanGovernor Pawlenty's veto pen is back in full force. I guess he didn't want it to get rusty. But, really, vetoing a resolution? On the nonbinding Cuba resolution, Pawlenty said it isn't up to state legislatures to address trade policy of that magnitude. He said it would put Minnesota on record as contradicting long-held federal policy. While acknowledging the desire of Minnesota farmers to broaden exports to Cuba, Pawlenty called the resolution "inappropriate.""It is unfortunate that the Legislature passed a bill that completely contradicts a long history of U.S. policy against a totalitarian nation," he wrote in his veto letter. He added that expanded trade with Cuba will occur when the government there embraces more democratic principles. OK -- now th
Saving Energy = Saving Money 2008-04-25 17:25:35 by Dave MindemanI realize that the stances I take are quite progressively partisan in nature. Partisans on the other side are not afraid to push back, but the conservative stance against environmental issues still mystifies me. In the business section of the Star Tribune, this article makes all kinds of bi-partisan sense with a merger of business and energy savings. The basic premise of the article points out:Businesses and environmentalists have been meeting at the intersection of conserving energy, cutting waste and making a buck.Even if you don't believe global warming is real or that greenhouse gas emissions need to be reduced or that energy conservation is not necessary or critical...we should all be able to agree on one thing that concludes the article:Smart environmental stewards Read more:Energy
, Saving
, Money
To Pawlenty, A Veto Is Never Having to Say You're Sorry 2008-04-24 20:16:43 by Dave MindemanThe Governor's sudden concern about the objections from the University of Minnesota in regards to the Central Corridor project are touching. At least, it would be if it was grounded in any sense of reality.This ongoing soap opera has the makings of a bad dime store novel. And the central character is always Tim Pawlenty. It began in January with a supportive Governor putting $70 million into his bonding proposal for Central Corridor. Pawlenty said the cost of the project would be too high -- more than $1.25 billion if all of the components being proposed were included. He said the total cost of the project must be $840 million to meet federal standards. --MPR (1/23/2008)The University had problems...Ramsey county had problems. The Governor didn't care...they had to wo Read more:Having
Rep. Wardlow: Reaching Conclusions of His Own Making 2008-04-23 21:02:33 by Dave MindemanRep. Lynn Wardlow (District 38B) represents a large portion of Eagan, Minnesota.. a city directly affected by the NWA-Delta merger. Here is an excerpt of his recent e-mail to his constituents.The airlines intent to merge is an issue that our Senators andMembers of Congress in Washington, D.C., intend to scrutinize closely during the federal approval process. My focus, and the focus of the state legislature, is on why this newly-merged airline would want to move its headquarters out of Eagan and out of Minnesota all together in favor of Delta's home of Georgia. Comparing the two states business climates makes one thing veryclear: Minnesota's high and excessive taxing structure puts our state at a supreme competitive disadvantage. Our corporate income tax rate is 9.8 per Read more:Reaching
Minnesota Transit: Build It and They Will Use It 2008-04-23 19:01:43 by Dave MindemanAttention...Attention. All mass transit haters, please take note. The train is leaving the station with EVERYONE aboard.From Star Tribune:Riders boarded Metro Transit
buses and trains 19.2 million times in the first three months of the year, the highest January-March total for the Twin Cities system since 1984, transit officials reported today.Light rail fueled the increased ridership rate, with a one-year jump in the first quarter of 16.4 percent (2.1 million rides). It's the first time light rail ridership has topped 2 million in its four years of service.And it must still be pointed out -- we only have 11 miles of track in service!Maybe Exxon can fund a study that says those people really aren't there.Minnesota
Republicans, you might want to take note.... your constitu Read more:Build
Investing in MOA is Needed for State Economy 2008-04-23 10:34:30 by Dave MindemanI am really going against the progressive grain here, but I think the legislature should support tax help for the Mall of America parking ramp. I know it seems to be a contradiction to my usual rants against stadium subsidies -- but to me, its a different animal and merits special consideration.The Mall of America has been talking about this expansion for some time now. They came to the legislature last year for the same reason and got caught up in the Governor/Legislative veto wars. The expansion did not happen.Now, the argument can certainly be made that the Mall can afford to build its own ramp. It can get the credit needed and the project would move ahead, but they cannot seem to pull the trigger. They seem to be looking for an incentive to actually begin....and ob Read more:Investing
, State
C'Mon Pawlenty, Health Care is Not a Budgetary Slush Fund 2008-04-23 04:16:52 by Dave MindemanThe Governor's office and the Legislature are starting their budget negotiations and the general idea to the art of compromise is to be honest about those negotiations.Governor Pawlenty starts the process off with a broken promise. As the NewsCut MPR blog noted on March 7th (quoting information on the Minnesota Medical Association web site), Governor Pawlenty gave the physicians of Minnesota this assurance:...on January 6, when Pawlenty held a campaign fundraiser and was asked about the (Health
Care Access) fund, the Minnesota Medical Association took notice of the answer, posting it on the organization's Web site. “We were pleased to hear him commit to not using the surplus to balance the budget,” said Dave Renner, MMA director of state and federal legislation, who at Read more:Health Care
Pohlad: Small Market But Big Money 2008-04-27 21:36:10 by Dave MindemanCarl Pohlad is one of the richest men in the world -- that's right, the world. As the Star Tribune does an article about the new ball park, we get to see the real "art of the deal".Luxury suites, naming rights, and a skyrocketing team value -- all part of what Pohlad gets for his $167 million investment in a $400 million ballpark.Pohlad and the Twins are quite successful in this image they want the media to portray -- the underdog "small" market team trying to keep up with the big guys. But Pohlad is the richest owner in the entire major leagues -- Steinbrenner pales in comparison. This is the guy the state has come to "help" keep the Twins in Minnesota. He stands to gain $1.5 billion over the course of this lease -- not bad for a small mar Read more:Small
, Market
, Money
Minnesota Gas Prices: My 2 Cents Worth 2008-04-29 01:00:57 By Dave MindemanHere is my 2 cents worth on gas prices... and I hope Marty Seifert is paying close attention. This is not 10 cents worth or 20 cents worth or even 31 cents worth....just 2 cents.If you look at this chart of the average Minnesota
retail gas price, you can see a pretty steady upward climb from April 1st to the present. Now, unless I am completely mistaken, the April 1st gas tax increase was 2 cents. That's 2 pennies....2 hundreths of one dollar... a couple of Lincoln copperheads.Yet, the House GOP caucus will knowingly put out an ad blaming gas prices on the Transportation Bill tax increase -- 2 cents.At the risk of furthur complicating GOP math, I think there are other numbers that are much more relevant.How about $18 billion?Lawmakers are expected to focus their question Read more:Prices
, Worth
Minnesota Twins: Ranking 26th In Our Hearts 2008-04-30 21:15:15 by Dave MindemanHere is a cute little ranking survey for major league baseball teams. It titles it as MLB Ballpark Ranking
s but the categories include Fan IQ, Hospitality, and Promotions. So really it is more of a total franchise ranking. Now the rankings are determined this way:They are based solely on results taken from an online survey of baseball fans in March, when we asked readers to rate their hometown ballpark in 10 categories. As a group, these fans know of what they speak: Nearly 15 percent of the responses came from season-ticket holders, and more than half of all the responses came from fans who attend at least five games per season.So, essentially, fans are rating their own team. Minnesota
fans rated the Twins
at 26 out of the 30 teams. Looking at some of the individual c Read more:Hearts
Ron Carey Holds a News Conference -- Feel Free to Yawn 2008-04-30 20:15:23 by Dave MindemanOne of my favorite blogs to read is The Political Animal by Rachel Stassen-Berger at the Pioneer Press. She had a post up Wednesday on the volume of Ron Carey
news conferences as they continue to milk Al Franken's business problems.....The press corps was curiously quiet at Carey's press conference. We just asked a few questions and those after a long pause during which Carey joked: "You've got nothing left? We've covered it all."Could it be that Carey has just worn us down? By my count, today's Capitol appearance to talk about Franken's business dealings was at least Carey's fifth in the last few weeks.Not to minimize the fact that Franken's business mistakes are serious and do need to be explained... but realistically isn't this overkill? Could anyone pass mus
Lakeville Transit Choice: It's An Easy One 2008-04-29 23:54:32 by Dave MindemanOn Monday, the Lakeville city council has a vote to make on whether to join the Metro Transit
Taxing District. To me that choice is whether to move Lakeville into a future of transportation choices or to stand still and let the rest of the south metro detour around them.Seems like a simple choice to make. For years, Lakeville community leaders have resisted joining the Transit Taxing District because the benefits weren't spelled out for them. They were "afraid" that other communities might benefit more from the pool of money they would contribute to -- while at the same time many of Lakeville's residents were pirating help from sister cities.Now, the Met Council has put it all in black and white. Spelled out a detailed plan of what would be available if Lakev Read more:Choice
Pawlenty and McCain: Clumsy Dance Partners 2008-05-01 19:43:28 by Dave MindemanMaybe Govnernor Pawlenty's mysterious scheduling has involved some secret trips to the Fred Astaire or Arthur Murray dance studios... because he has been doing a heckuva job with the Tennessee Two Step. Of course, when you have a close affiliation with John McCain
, dancing around the issues becomes second nature. This time, its the I-35 Bridge in the Pioneer Press:Pawlenty Dance
s Around McCain Bridge Collapse RemarksI'm not sure McCain can be criticized for "politicizing" the Bridge Collapse with these remarks, because they don't make any sense:McCain said Wednesday the Minneapolis bridge collapsed "because so much money was spent on wasteful unnecessary pork-barrel projects." If memory serves, the I-35 Bridge wasn't on anyone's list for early repairs, Read more:Partners
Franken Has Issues But DFL "Leadership" Should Not Interfere 2008-05-01 02:02:58 by Dave MindemanI am amazed at all the coverage of Al Franken
and his tax problems. It is like a Michael Brodkorb wet dream....he doesn't even have to write "BREAKING NEWS" in BIG CAP HEADLINES every 15 minutes to get the attention.But beyond the obvious implications, there are a couple of outside observations I'd like to make. First of all, there is a logistic concern about the Franken campaign itself. Although the response over the last 48 hours has been top notch, as MPR outlined well, it is troubling that all of this information was not vetted before the campaign began. The stakes in a US Senate campaign for any state are very high and the level of scrutiny afforded any candidate borders on insane. One of the basic rules in today's political climate is that an upstart ca Read more:Issues
, Leadership
Some Minnesota Political HodgePodge 2008-05-02 23:32:52 by Dave MindemanPolitical HodgePodgeMinnesota
Budget: When it comes to the budget, Pawlenty likes caps. Cap on property taxes.... cap on state portion of the Central Corridor. It's a good way to pass the buck. A property tax cap would tie the hands of local government officials and make them do the hard math (instead of the Governor). Cap on Central Corridor would force local units to come up with more of the additional costs, which would be the result of the furthur delays caused by Pawlenty's original veto. It would also absolve the state from any responsible and accountable position. Steve Sarvi: Steve Sarvi will probably be endorsed as the DFL opponent to John Kline. Still no evidence that he can compete with Kline on the money front. Without that evidence he won't get any DCC
McCain: Straight Talk Needs Clarification 2008-05-03 12:37:04 by Dave MindemanIs this straight talk? John McCain
says something one day and has to clarify it the next. Sounds more like qualified talk.Quote: "My friends, I will have an energy policy that we will be talking about, which will eliminate our dependence on oil from the Middle East that will prevent us from having ever to send our young men and women into conflict again in the Middle East,"Clarified: "No, no, I was talking about that we had fought the Gulf War for several reasons. If the word `again' was misconstrued, I want us to remove our dependency on foreign oil for national security reasons, and that's all I mean."Quote: The Minneapolis bridge collapsed "because so much money was spent on wasteful unnecessary pork-barrel projects." Clarified: "No, Read more:Straight
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, Clarification
Central Corridor Has Public Support 2008-05-05 15:36:31 by Dave MindemanAs long as we are on the subject of polling, that same KSTP Survey/USA poll had a question about the Central
Corridor Light Rail issue, too:Governor Pawlenty vetoed funding for the Central Corridor light rail line between Minneapolis and St. Paul. Should the Central Corridor funding be re-considered as part of a budget deal at the end of the legislative session? The results of that question were:Yes:.......48%No:.........42%Unsure:...11%But beyond the overall results, there were some very interesting things to note in the category breakdowns.There is a definite age differential:Under 50 years of age:Yes:.....42%No:.......47%Over 50 years of age:Yes:.....57%No:.......34%As the population ages, the need for transit alternatives becomes more important. The elderly understand Read more:Public
, Support
To KSTP: How About a Question on Norm Coleman? 2008-05-05 13:55:53 by Dave MindemanKSTP often commissions Survey/USA to do polls on Minnesota issues. They like political horse races and gas tax polls especially. The one just released had some interesting questions.Here is the first question:Al Franken the DFL candidate for U.S. Senate said he will pay about $70,000 in back income taxes to 17 states for incorrectly filing his tax returns over a five-year period. He also paid a fine to the state of New York for not paying for workers compensation insurance for workers he employed there. Knowing this, would you be more likely to vote for Al Franken for U.S. Senate? Less likely? Or would it not make a difference? Not surprisingly, 59% said they are less likely to vote for him. But was it a fair question?My first impression is that I am amazed that they wou Read more:Question
, Coleman
Minnesota Budget Talks: Not Pretty But Still Progress 2008-05-05 03:53:36 by Dave MindemanMinnesota
budget talks are getting closer but with more complicated issues. Rachel Stassen-Berger at The Political Animal has been camped out at the Capitol most of the weekend. She reports on the progress...some things good, some things not so good.Pawlenty and the Republicans seem to be withdrawing all bonding offers from the table. That might put the Central Corridor Line on the scrap heap. But they also may be leaving the Health Care Access fund out of the negotiation and that may keep some reforms possible. Although the general cuts needed may cut deeper into health care anyway.Tax changes on foreign corporations and tapping the budget reserves will probably contribute about half of the need to fix the deficit. I still hope the Central Corridor comes back....mayb Read more:Pretty
Negotiating With Pawlenty Could Be a New Game Show 2008-05-06 16:31:08 by Dave MindemanDid he threaten a veto or didn't he? The latest communication flap between the Governor's office and Senator Murphy is becoming a disturbing pattern.Senator Steve Murphy says:Murphy, DFL-Red Wing and chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, however said a representative of the governor told him Monday night that the (transportation) bill could only contain two of three high-profile safety proposals. The three are: enactment of a primary seat belt law that allows police to stop motorists for no other reason than failure to wear a seat belt, provisional license restrictions for teen-age drivers, or child passenger restraint requirements for children under 8 years of age. The Governor's office says:"Sen. Murphy's comments are untrue,'' McClung (the Governor's spoke Read more:New Game
NWA & Delta: It's Just Business - You're Screwed 2008-05-06 00:34:40 by Dave MindemanDelta
's Ed Bastian leaves little doubt that NWA didn't just merge with Delta, it was swallowed up.I think it is time to stop thinking that NWA has any authority to even talk about its own fate anymore...that became clear when the NWA execs testified previously with their own version of the 5th amendment....Ask Delta!Bastian talked in more decisive tones. When asked if there was a way the legislature could entice Delta to keep its headquarters in Minnesota:"No, there is not."When discussing the loan guarantees to the state:"If we are required to pay it off, we will pay it off." Seems to be an awfully confident attitude for a company that just reported a $6.39 billion loss.It's time for Minnesota to quit "begging" and accept it. NWA ran itself Read more:Business
, Screwed
Minnesota's GOP Congressional Hope is For Status Quo 2008-05-07 19:22:18 by Dave MindemanWhen assessing your prospects for a November election, you probably don't want the words "shellshocked" or "real disaster" to be bantied about, but that is exactly the phrasing being used by the leadership of the Republican Congressional
caucus.Minority Leader Boehner and NRCC Committee Chairman Tom Cole had nothing but dire assessments to give their colleagues.As one member put it:“There is an attitude that, ‘I better watch out for myself, because nobody else is going to do it,’” the member said. “There are all these different factions out there, everyone is sniping at each other, and we have no real plan. We have a lot of people fighting to be the captain of the lifeboat instead of everybody pulling together.”The recent special election lo Read more:Minnesota
, Status
Breakfast with Timmy 2008-05-08 20:03:20 by Dave MindemanScene: Downtown St. Paul RestaurantTime: Early MorningWalking into the restaurant are Governor Tim Pawlenty, Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller, Speaker of the House Margaret Anderson-Kelliher, and Press Secretary Brian McClung.McClung: Governor, I am going to the rest room. Don't say anything important until I get back.Pawlenty: Relax Brian, it's just breakfast.The rest of them are seated.Pawlenty: Glad we could all arrange to get together this morning. I think we all need is a good breakfast -- a fresh start on all these budget matters. Let's sit down, relax. Breakfast
is on me.Kelliher: Thank you, Governor. It is nice to get away.Pogemiller: Sure, Governor. This is all well and good, but we do have a lot of work to do.Pawlenty: Nonsense...nonsense. Let's
Disrespect or Just Being 13? 2008-05-09 19:52:51 by Dave MindemanWe spend a lot of time debating the importance of symbols. And we often get into some pretty hefty controversies over what respect for our country's symbols entails. It is doubtful that these 3 kids in the small Minnesota town of Dilworth were looking for that kind of controversy, but they ended up in the center of it anyway.The article is kind of summed up in the first paragraph:Three small-town eighth-graders in Minnesota were suspended by their principal for not standing Thursday morning for the Pledge of Allegiance, violating a district policy that the principal now says may soon be reworded to protect free speech rights.Symbols like the flag or a recited set of words like the Pledge of Allegiance do have meaning. However, proper respect for these symbols won't atta
Budget Ultimatums...Same Old, Same Old. 2008-05-11 23:44:47 by Dave MindemanAfter all the negotiations that have been going on at the Capitol, are we just headed for another round of vetos?It looks that way.The Governor and DFL leaders exchanged letters to end the weekend and they sound more like ultimatums rather than late stage talking points.I have difficulty understanding what the Governor's priorities are. He will seem conciliatory at times, then whe
Congressman Kline: Playing the Blame Game on Gas Prices 2008-05-11 03:44:15 by Dave MindemanCongressman
John Kline seems to be feeling the urgency of his constituents on gas prices. Hard to imagine how he could really know how we all feel about it when he is hold up in his Washington bunker using a telephone to meet with the district.In addition, he is more than willing to blame the skyrocketing price of gas on the inaction of Democrats. Which seems to be his reason fo Read more:Blame
, Prices
, Gas Prices
The Spectre of Unallottment???? 2008-05-14 00:04:14 by Dave MindemanThe Political Animal and Polinaut have been staying with budget negotiations througout the day and night.Here is the interesting quote from Rachel Stassen-Berger:Veterans around the Capitol said that although today was a tough day in negotiations an overall deal is still possible -- if all sides actually want a deal.Do all sides want a deal?I have my doubts....and I think the harbi
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