Banana Republic of Spring Lake Park

Doors Close....Doors Open

2006-11-13T16:39:00.000-08:00

It has been a long, and ultimately disappointing 2 years. The headwind was too stiff to overcome. We just about have the campaign shut down and put away. As for the future, it’s way too early to tell. I have no idea what her plans are.

I knew it in my heart of hearts back in September. I wanted to be wrong. But too many dogs didn’t bark. Michael Moore, MoveOn, others. The bogeymen weren’t there to point to. The monsters stayed in the closet and under the bed, out of sight of a skittish electorate. With no one to point to the Repubs finally had to answer for the (too few) bones they have thrown the base over the years.

For those who wonder, no, I did not vote for the Governor. He gave me no reason to. He is the beneficiary of a robust economy that was not his doing. Like Congress, four years with little to show for it, unless you count cigarette taxes, commuter rail, Twins stadium, more money for education (without accountability) and a $1 billion surplus that he doesn't even consider giving back. He threw every fiscal conservative under the bus and then backed over them. And by fiscal conservative I also mean many Democrats.

I could say a lot about our local, statewide, and national leaders but it won’t change the results. Oddly I am not bitter about any of it. I am more of a hired gun than anything. I have run successful initiative and referendum campaigns, defeated school levy referenda (they hate me). I have also lost 2 house races and now a senate race. Just another day at the office in a way. Though I wouldn’t do any of it if I didn’t believe we were doing the right thing.

What I find amusing is the call for changes in leadership at all levels. The same folks who beat their chests in the next sentence of that post about politics behind a bottom up effort. Well, if it is bottom up then why bother with the leadership? People should just do something. Get a group together and begin to lead the fight at the local level. A lot can be done at the local level. Beginning with the demand for transparency of spending. Great work was done with the Iraqi papers, spearheaded by Hugh Hewitt. A similar effort could be done with the $33 (or is it $35?) billion state budget vis a vis the Porkbusters project. Sadly most local bloggers are content to sit in the chairs and provide rehashed analysis that others have already done. How much carping can you read about Nancy Pelosi? Moths meet porchlight – anyone care to walk behind the house?

I have watched too many people bitch about things but not do anything. First is easy. Second takes a little effort and sacrifice. Actually a whole lot. Writing letters and literature pieces, learning and doing graphics, managing lists, building and managing a web site, organizing events. I have done it all. Most don’t know how to do any of it. So they just want to be in charge - indian meet all of the chiefs. They go to bed at 10pm. I’m up til 1 AM. They play golf on the weekends or go fishing. I am doing the 9th iteration of a lit piece that may or may not even be printed. Such is the life of those who do. I have earned my right to bitch. But I won’t.

Right now I am of the mind that I have sacrificed enough of my family and my career. I will leave this work for whomever wishes to pick up the ball and run with it. Time to go back to school and get a degree. As soon as I figure out what I want to be when I grow up. :-)

Thanks to those who did sacrfice and help. To you I will toast you.

2006-07-26T17:39:00.000-07:00

distant stars glitter
bright yet fuzzy
match warms hearth
fills hunger, soul
oaks gather sunrise

Blah, Blah, Blah

2006-06-04T08:58:00.000-07:00

The Spring Lake Park Life editorial page seems to be more incoherent every week.

During this Memorial Week, communities with individual services honor their veterans and those who gave their lives so that Americans might live in this sweet land of liberty.
Speakers dwelled on an America conceived in liberty and its rights as declared in the U. S. Constitution guaranteeing life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
They pronounced that the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights establishes Freedom of Religion, Freedom of the Press, Freedom of Speech, Freedom to peaceably assemble and Freedom to redress grievances.
The fourth amendment protects individual privacy.
Today this nation needs to exercise those rights to preserve them.
There is a crisis in leadership and the country is fearful that some day terrorists might attack again. President Franklin Roosevelt rallied a nation when he said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

Wow. Going from a description about honoring the sacrifice our veteran's have made to talking about a "crisis in leadership" in 4 short paragraphs. Perhaps Mr. Heinzman is building his portfolio for consideration as a New York Times editor.

Heinzman writes that "The fourth amendment protects individual privacy." And just what the hell did have to do with anything he wrote before? Nothing. It is written as a prelude to the next paragraph. A setup. A Pavlovian line that gets the dogs of monnbattery salivating. Because the juicy, meaty part is coming. Soon.

"There is a crisis in leadership..."

O
M
G

A crisis!!!111!!!!11!!!

Everybody PAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNIIIIIIIIIIIC

"Maw, there's a crisis in leadership. Get the kids and Grandma in the cellar. Me and your brother are gonna get the rest of the cousins and move the still."

... and the country is fearful that some day terrorists might attack again.

Nope. Not a bit. I was just out for lunch in Hopkins on Friday. I did not see people cowering under parked cars. No buzz bombers. Nope. Saw none of that. Osama Bin Laden sits in a cave at night (or lays under a pile of rubble in a cave.) I drive to work. I have dinner with my family. I work to elect leaders of our community. I play pinochle on-line with people all around the country. I don't worry about Bin Laden. He doesn't pay me enough to worry about his sorry ass.

Heinzman continues with his complete lack of knowledge about how the country works:

This is a divided nation; it is not the 50 states united in attempting to
perfect a more perfect union. Rather this nation is battling one another in a verbal civil war — red states against blue states, conservatives against
liberals, Democrats against Republicans, Christians against non-Christians.

Perfect a more perfect union? That is just awful, I'm sorry.

No, Don. This is a country of 300 million people. Funny thing. For some reason we just don't agree on everything. Would you prefer armed civil war in the streets? That's how the Hamas run their affairs. Several African countries too. At least we don't imprison people for what they say (see: Egypt, China, Indonesia, Russia, et al.)

But he is right in one respect. There is a battle going on. Between the adults who realize that choices need to be made, and the moonbats who prefer to give compromise American values to appease those who would do us harm.

Osama Bin Laden must find it hard to believe that flying four airplanes into the twin towers, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania could cause America to become so frightened and divided.
As a result Americans are willing to give up some of their liberties for the sake of their security, not realizing that paves the way to injustice and insecurity.

Huh? 3,000 innocent civilians die horrific deaths and you prattle on about supposedly an erosion of rights? Would you care to propose a solution? Leadership (the kind that you moaned about there being a crisis in) requires answers. Hugging a jihadist is not an acceptable answer. Solutions are needed. A plan, with strategic objectives, tactical capability to achieve the objectives, information about the enemy, the terrain, operational security constraints, and a host of other dimensions to prepare for tactical operations, logistical support to carry out the tactical manuevers! And commitment to carry it through.

As a service to the Mr. Heinzman and to the community as a whole, I will provide some inside information. Free of charge. Yes, you can get this information elsewhere. But they may charge for it. But being the magnaminous despot that I am, here it is:

In a war we don't tell the other side what we're gonna do. Hell, we don't even tell most of our side. See, if we published it in the papers then the terrorists might, you know, read it. And then they will know what we are going to do. Like in Vietnam when we would anchor a hospital ship off the shore 3 days before a major offensive was going to happen. We did that because the politicans made the military do that. The Viet Cong would see the ship and scatter. Or bring in reinforcements.

Here's another freebie: The nation has been divided since day one. Always has been, always will be. That is our foundation. Managed chaos. It is not orderly, nor is it always polite. But it works.

Fortunately we have learned. Iraq is not Vietnam. Though I am sure Zarqawi wishes it were.

More prattle from Heinzman:

Americans are facing one of the most important elections in its history, one that could change the watershed of domestic politics, policies and actions as a community, state and a nation.

Or not. "One of the most important elections in history" has become a trite expression. Another Pavlovian expression. This one sets up the fact that (are you ready for this?): Some people didn't vote last election! And if they would have then this country would be on the right course, angels would sing, and the world would once again be the harmonious, trouble-free place to live in the universe that it was before the Bush's moved into the neighborhood with their yappy dog and oil refineries. Here is Heinzman's steak for the drooling dogs:

In November, Minnesota voters will have the privilege of voting for a U.S.
Senator, eight Congressional seats, a governor, all members of the Minnesota House and Senate, county commissioners, school boards and local offices.
During the last general election, half of the people in this country
did not vote in a country that is supposed to be of the people, by the people and for the people, a country that, as written in the Declaration of
Independence, has governments instituted by men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.
In Minnesota, 3,658,000 of the registered voters voted in the last general election. While that is commendable, 815,078 registered voters did not vote in the general election in 2004.

Don't you see. Because people didn't vote we got the mess we got.

Or maybe this is the meat for the hounds:

When Americans are united, bound with a common purpose and led by men and woman of strength and character, they can move mountains and defeat terrorism, without giving up any of their freedoms.

Hmmmmmmmm. When Americans are bound with a common purpose? Sounds like slavery to me. A better metaphor might be in order here, particularly when you are thumping you chest about rights. And exactly which rights have we given up?

Do you have a plan to unite Americans in a common goal and purpose? (Plan: see above.)

I'm waiting....I have time. Lots of time.

11th Hour Screwing?

2006-05-20T08:10:00.000-07:00

This little ditty caught my eye this morning.

It’s better than nothing, said Sen. Don Betzold, DFL-Fridley, standing in a ringing Capitol hallway outside a conference committee room.
Included in the Senate’s Twin ballpark latest offer is language that outlines the steps Anoka County and the Minnesota Vikings have proposed to take to build a new Vikings stadium in the City of Blaine.
Under the language — which is nonbinding — all but $5 million from the sale of the Metrodome would go into a football stadium account to be used to pay debt service on bonds for construction of a stadium
for the Vikings.

So let me see if I have this straight. A last minute offer to provide all but $5 million from the proceeds from the taxpayer funded Metrodome to go to a slush fund for a new Vikings stadium. Oops, sorry, it goes to a slush fund to pay for the debt relief for the bonds issued to build the stadium.

But wait! There's more!

Anoka County is authorized to impose a three-quarter of one percent countywide sales tax, without referendum, to finance their portion of stadium costs.
“There’s nothing with any binding affect,” said Betzold, speaking during the Twins/Vikings conference committee Thursday night (May 18), of the language.
Indeed, it’s possible the Vikings, the City of Blaine, or Anoka County could drop out of the stadium proposal by next year, said Betzold.

So the offer includes a tax without a referendum. This, of course will allow Anoka County to accrue the money while the illusion has been given that the stadium deal crashed and burned.

There is nothing on the legislative website about any amendments to this affect yet. It is likely something being floated about verbally. But all of the language is laying around in other bills. Cut and paste and the deal is ready for the Governor to sign.

Typical MO for the legislature. No one's watching so slip it in at the last minute. No wonder politicians rank below used car salesmen and lawyers.

I especially love the Betzold's characterization: “There’s nothing with any binding affect." Uh huh. The state is not binding the county to enact the tax. The county has to do it on their own free will.

This sets up next legislative session for the Vikings. The taxpayers will be told no new taxes will be used to pay for the stadium ~~because we already screwed you over for the tax last year~~ and since the financing is ready and the highway improvment plans have been worked out with the DOT and the Vikings reeeeeeeeeeeeeealllllllllly need a new stadium because we sold the Metrodome and because all the cool cities buy their sport teams new stadiums it's a good plan.

Will this make the floor? Will it pass? Will the Governor sign it? If it makes the floor then my bet is it will be sent to the Governor and he will sign it.

Posting

2006-03-21T18:52:00.000-08:00

Blogging's been a lttle light lately. OK, pretty much slacking. Been busy with work and my "other" project. Until it is completed, I will not post on that project here, other than to say if what I have seen thus far is any indication, it is going to be a wild ride.

I did finally get to read a book on my trip to Arizona last month. Freakonimcs, by Steven Levitt. Very engaging reading. Geeky but interesting.

The part about cooking the standardized test scores in Chicago and how it was discovered was fascinating. Ditto for Sumo wrestlers. Everyone tries to game the system. The incentives are too strong not too.

Spot On

2006-01-01T08:54:00.000-08:00

This post from Always Right, Usually Correct that cites this post pretty sums up my feelings about the Guv. Summary:

And why is it that the GOP should just hand over the endorsement again in 2006? I see no reason to endorse Pawlenty regardless of who challenges him. I vote no confidence if there turns out to be no one running against him in the GOP.

Ggo read the whole thing.

Sorry, I just can't get excited about anything the Governor has done so far. All the more reason why it is crucial the the GOP get its collective stuff in one sock and expand their majority in the House and win the Senate. The GOP performance in St. Cloud was pathetic. I'm sure activists busted their asses trying to get Kay Eck elected. Unfortunately their efforts were wasted because of a faulty strategy (bringing in an outsider) and the associated missteps in executing the strategy. I hope this is not a precursor to things to come. If so the state GOP is in for a world of hurt.

This entry by AAA parallels the post at the beginning of this one. All I have to say is if you're terrified of losing the majority then you have already lost. Yes, the Party needs leadership. That begins with the Governor. It's not happening. My impression is the goals of the Governor and the goals of the Party are disconnected. Quite frankly I'm not sure what the goals of the Governor are. It's no surprise that there are problems with uniting the party faithful. There is nothing to rally around. Smoking bans? Meh. Lower taxes? No discussion. Education reform? Hello, is there anybody out there? Cutting government spending? /crickets chirping. DOMA? Yes, but nothing will happen as long as the DFL controls the Senate. Blocking public subsidies of sports stadiums? Nope. Derailing commuter rail? Not on the horizon.

It might be the Governor's plan to publicaly support some of these initiatives while privately telling Speaker Swiggum that the bills had better not hit his desk. But considering the Guv's push for the 75 cent cig fee/tax I don't think so.

So as I indicated earlier, there's nothing to get excited about with the Guv. Other than waiting to see who will step forward to challenge him. My checkbook is ready.

As for politics closer to home, my advice to AAA is to focus on the things that need to be done locally. Mind the store. Prepare now for the battles this fall. You can't do much about the other races but you can sure do something to help the three in your backyard. That is your charter. You can't talk about leadership. You have to do leadership. People will follow.

Only Half the Story

2005-08-06T20:16:00.000-07:00

Today's Strib has an opinion piece by Dick Bernard. In it he attempts to link the rejoicing of the end of WWII with the Iraq war today. He begins with the observation of a mother writing a letter and deck officer on the USS Woodworth writing essentially the same words. The former in a letter to her son and the latter in the ships deck log.

"Hurrah, the old war is over!"

With these exultant words in August 1945, Grandma Rosa Busch, writing at the farm near Berlin, N.D., began her letter to her son, and my uncle, Navy Lt. George W. Busch.

As she wrote her "Hurrah," the deck officer of the USS Woodworth, George Busch's home for the preceding three years, recorded that the ship was "underway with Task Unit 38.3.9 consisting of 4 heavy units and 6 escorts."

And indeed I'm sure tens of millions of people felt the same way. This hell on Earth was completed and we could all go back to out lives now. (Point 1)

Later Bernard recounts how the Woodworth docked in Portland and that his uncle returned to his family life. However one who didn't return was another uncle who persihed on the Arizona during the fateful attack on Pearl Harbor. Bernard notes that his uncle was one of the first of hundreds of thoursands of casualties and upwards of 50 million worldwide. (Point 2)

One Navy man who didn't return was my Uncle Frank Bernard, brother-in-law of Rosa's daughter, Esther. Frank went down with the USS Arizona Dec. 7, 1941, one of the first of hundreds of thousands of U.S. casualties in World War II and one of perhaps 50 million total casualties.

Bernard then goes on to describe his Aunt's letter writing, taking care to specifically point out her letter of August 9th which included an article on the first test of the
A-Bomb.

With Jean's Aug. 9 letter came an unidentified newspaper clipping,
probably from the previous day's Grand Forks Herald. "1st Test Made in Desert" read the headline, and the story told of the July 1945 test of a new extremely powerful bomb "in New Mexico's desert" near Alamogordo.

Bernard now proceeds to note the failing of the letter writers to point out the incredible destructive force the new weapon held on innocent people (point 3):

In none of the many letters from George's family or from George himself is there evidence that anyone really knew the incredible destructive power, or even the human consequences for innocent "Japs," of the bomb they were cheering. Neither could they know how history would assess the War Department's optimistic prediction that the atom bomb would bring freedom from future war.

Bernard then makes a startling observation - first paragraph below. The remaining article is included so the reader can attempt to follow Bernard's logic - emphasis is mine:

In all of their letters was evidence of the polarities of war: To them,
the war was very personal, in the person of their brother, their son, their
nephew, their neighbor; those on the other side were simply "the Japs."
In her Aug. 26 letter, right after she wrote "Hurrah, the old war is over," Grandma Rosa, as saintly a person as I'll likely ever know, told her son then steaming toward Japan, "I went rite to my statue and lit a candle and prayed."
History doesn't record the subject of her prayer.
Neither does history record what happened at the grotto in the farmyard of the ancestral home in Germany -- a grotto built by our German relatives in gratitude that four sons returned safely from the war that had all but destroyed their country. (Point 4)
Those four sons, I'm told, never talked about what they did in the war. They give silent witness to Reichmarshall Hermann Goering's oft-quoted statement, as he talked with psychiatrist Gustave Gilbert in his cell at Nuremberg in 1946:
"Why, of course, the people don't want war," Goering shrugged. "Why would some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best that he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece. It is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along." (Point 5)
When will we ever learn? (Point 6)

I almost got whiplash when I read his closing line. I looked to the bottom of the article to see who Dick Bernard was. Nothing. I have the page cached here. (If the Strib doesn't like it, pffffffft. This isn't about capitalizing on Bernard's efforts, though I disagree with his conclusions for reasons I will outline below). It's about showing the duplicity of the Star Tribune editorial pages.

To summarize:

Point 1 - "Everyone agreed war is Hell and it will be good to go back to our lives."

Point 2 - "Millions of people of died in WWII"

Point 3 - "Innocent people were killed by the new weapon."

Point 4 - "There are two sides in wars."

Point 5 - Goering states: "The foot soldiers aren't responsible, it's the leaders."

Point 6 - Bernard then asks if we will ever learn?

Bernard deftly attempts to compare Bush to Hitler by highlighting certain facts and hopes the reader will substitute his carefully laid out bits of information into the formula of the Iraq War in order to come up with the same answer, which he generously supplies.

Mr. Bernard, let me help you get your facts straight, using the points you supplied. But I'll put them in order and historical context for you.

1. "Everyone agreed war is Hell and it will be good to go back to our lives." There's no disagreeing with this statement. The dissolution of the enemy's purpose, means, and will is the goal of war. Only then can some sense of normalcy can be restored.

2. "Millions of people of died in WWII." Unfathomably tragic. And it would have been a lot worse if the Allies had not grouped together to fight the war that needed to be fought.

3. "Innocent people were killed by the new weapon." This one needs to be reworded slightly to put things in context for Mr. Bernard. "Innocent people were killed by the new, brutal regime of Nazi Germany." Do you recall 6 million Jews exterminated by the Nazis, Mr. Bernard? Or are you more concerned that we called our Pacific enemy "Japs".

4. "There are two sides in wars." Well, that's usually how it works, Mr. Bernard. Wars are fought for a lot of reasons. A just nation will only undertake a war to protect it's citizens or it's allies. Such was the case during WWII and as it is following 9/11.

5. Goering states: "The foot soldiers aren't responsible, it's the leaders." It is best to include the whole quote from Goering in order to maintain it's historical context (from Gustave Gilbert, a German-speaking intelligence officer and psychologist who was granted free access by the Allies to Nazi prisoners being tried at Nuremburg):

We got around to the subject of war again and I said that, contrary to his
attitude, I did not think that the common people are very thankful for leaders who bring them war and destruction.

"Why, of course, the people don't want war," Goering shrugged. "Why would some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best that he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece. Naturally, the common people don't want war; neither in Russia nor in England nor in America, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy or a fascist dictatorship or a Parliament or a Communist dictatorship."
"There is one difference," I pointed out. "In a democracy the people have some say in the matter through their elected representatives, and in the United States only Congress can declare wars."
"Oh, that is all well and good, but, voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country."

So Goering was, in fact, not sympathetic with the common man but pointing out that it is necessary to bring people to do the bidding of their leaders. Such an attitude would be expected from someone who "was an early member of the Nazi party, founder of the Gestapo, and one of the main perpetrators of Nazi Germany." (Source: Wikipedia)

6. Bernard then asks if we will ever learn? I would suggest, Mr. Bernard, that we have learned. We protected our own and our friends during WWII. America stood up to protect her own after 9/11. In the years in between we learned how to target the enemy more effectively. We now wage war with a precision that is unheard of in history. The US is committed to waging war that minimzes the impact on civilian life and property. This is in stark contrast to terrorists who's campaign specifically target civilians.

Mr. Bernard will not be convinced by this argument. I don't even expect him to read it. But I will put it out there for anyone who wishes to read it. And let them judge him by his words and actions. After all, there are two sides in war. And, in my humble opinion, he is on the other side.

Prologue -

So who is Dick Bernard? Well, he is the President of Minnesota Alliance of Peacemakers. For some reason the Strib fails to point out that little nugget of information. Bernard isn't just some Joe Citizen who is recounting his family's involvement with WWII. He is promoting a viewpoint for his organization. Viewpoints that can be found here, here, here, here (a Muslim news website with a forum); same article here, here (his take on union organizing is a great contrast with his observation above about the polarities of war.) More self-promotion here. Here we find out Bernard was drafted during the Vietnam War but served in Colorado (search for Bernard - there are a couple of posts that mention him.) Bernard wasn't under the radar screen though. The Freepers were all over him here. So Dick Bernard is a retired union representaive who is active in the anti-war movement, and is President of an organization that supports the UN Millenium Development Goals (MDG).

Bernard acknowledges using union tactics in organizing the teacher's union.

At the NEA workshop, the methods of a crusty organizer of low-end laborers in Chicago were conveyed to us. We were taught the methods of Saul Alinsky. He organized the truly powerless, and his tactics were marvelously effective.
One of the lessons I vividly remember was this: "personalize, polarize and publicize". In organizing, we were told, you had to have a person to organize against - an object didn't do. You then had to spotlight your victim as evil (or at minimum, incompetent) and you as good; and then you had to publicize the daylights out of this good versus evil comparison.

As a sidenote, this confirms what we've known for years: The teacher's union isn't a professional organization. It's a bunch of thugs whose goal is to shake down taxpayers for as much money as possible. For the children of course.

HEH

2005-08-01T18:49:00.000-07:00

Keep Banging This Drum

2005-07-30T06:49:00.000-07:00

With Minnesota's first commuter rail line awaiting critical federal
funding, the state auditor's office is reviewing documents that show that some consulting firms have had nearly identical contracts with the two government agencies overseeing the Northstar project.

Now, the players:

Anoka County's Regional Railroad Authority (ACRRA) - The rail authority is the lead agency in efforts to develop major transportation initiatives in the county.

Northstar development authority (NCDA) - The Northstar Corridor Development Authority (NCDA) is a joint powers board of 30 counties, cities, townships, and regional railroad authorities along the corridor that are committed to obtaining federal funding for the Northstar Commuter Rail project.

Himle Horner, Inc. - A communications firm.

John Himle - Former legislator (GOP apparently)

Thomas Horner - Former chief of staff to Rep. Dave Durenberger

The Strib article id's $344,000 paid by the ACCRA to a consulting firm led by former legislator John Himle to promote the commuter rail project. The NCDA paid the same firm $349,194 to do the same thing - promote the commuter rail project.

Former Anoka County Commissioner Paul McCarron, who also chaired the ACCRA, also received a consulting contract from NCDA three days after he left office in January, 2003.

McCarron's latest contract, which runs through the end of the year,
pays him a maximum of $25,000 for giving advice on local and state government issues and acting as a media spokesman.

So in the three days following McCarron's departure from the board the NCDA suddenly thinks it should get a media spokesman? But isn't that what Himle-Horner does? They are a public relations firm. (They're a strategic consulting firm. ed. Oh, excuuuuuuuuuse me.) So now we have two PR firms on the case.

"I don't know how anybody would think that would be a conflict," said
Dan Erhart, an Anoka County commissioner and county regional rail authority chairman. "He's no longer a county commissioner. He's a businessman."

A businessman? Were any other businesses invited to bid on this contract? Was it McCarron's savvy business savvy that helped him land the contract or the fact that his seat was still warm on the county board that helped?

Commissioner Erhart displays contempt for taxpayers whom he thinks can't figure out what a sweet deal McCarron got.

Dennis Berg, another Anoka County commissioner, said that "there is clearly an overlap," but that officials at the two agencies are careful about paying for redundancy. "I don't see it as a sign of suspicion or corruption," he said. The county's rail authority, he said, is "just protecting the public" with its consulting contracts.

More double dipping:

Last Dec. 2, the Northstar development authority granted a $38,625
contract to Capital Partnerships Inc., a Washington, D.C.-area consulting firm that has helped push the project in Congress. The next day, Dec. 3, the same consulting company signed a $46,350 contract with Anoka County's rail authority for the same purpose.

Another PR firm - this time to focus on lobbying efforts in DC.

And this isn't the first time Himle-Horner has been in trouble with state officials.

What is with these headlines?

2005-07-24T13:15:00.000-07:00

White House unwilling to release all Roberts documents

So goes the Strib headline. It could have just as easily have read: "Democrats Seek to Denigrate Client Privilege". Or maybe, "Democrats Document Demand Illegal", or Democrat Promote Violation of Ethics". But the Strib is incessant on making the White House look like the bad guys at every turn. We can only wait and see if the Strib gets on the "release the documents" bandwagon. Particularly with this little gem buried in the article:

The committee has yet to make a request. But some Democrats, including Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, have urged the White House to release such documents "in their entirety.''

Gee, Sen. Kerry, you were urged to release your miltary records "in their entirety" last summer. The reason was and still is because there were so many things the American people didn't know about you. They're still waiting.

Of course the Dems would simply say that they are just asking for the documents. If they were actually provided then those who provided them would be guilty of violating the attorney-client privielge.

Too bad the Dems can't find it within themselves to push that kind of rhetoric towards, I don't know, the enemies of the U.S.? Maybe a statement like, "The American people will not be satisfied until there is a complete cessation of terrorist activity in Iraq, Israel, and every country in the world. Any legitimate organization is welcome to plead their case to the United Nations." The only thing they seem to know anymore is ankle-biting partisanship. Who needs 'em.

And Another Thing...

2005-07-23T13:43:00.000-07:00

Well, heck. I thought I published this back in March. Better late than never, and it still applies...

And to top it off the State Republican Party has the audacity to declare on their website " Minnesota Citizens are the Winners Thanks to the Hard Work of Governor Pawlenty and Republican Legislators" Really? Here are the accomplishments, according to the State GOP:

With the completion of Governor Pawlenty's second state government budget, we have now solved over $5 billion in deficits without raising any job-killing tax increases.

And under the Governor's leadership the state budget increase far outpaced worker salary increases. But, wait, they will say, unemployment is way down so more people are workingand therefore paying taxes. Well, yeah, today they are. Where are the decreases in the Human Services budget from the reduced welfare costs? And when the economy goes south in a year or two then what? Those tax-paying citizens will be out of jobs and the program increases will still need to be paid for.

In fact, it is the tax cuts pushed by Minnesota House Republicans in 1999 and George W. Bush in 2001 that have allowed our economy to recover and deliver more tax revenue to the state each year.

Hooray for 1999!!! That was like six freaking years ago. We are now officially reliving the glory days of Minnesota conservatism. Those were the days, weren't they? Jason Lewis, Governor Turnbuckle. More proof that nothing has changed in six years. How pathetic.

· Major education reforms - performance pay for teachers (QComp) and
additional college credits in high school classrooms (Get Ready, Get Credit)

Does anyone know what the hell this is? Since Education Minnesota wasn't actively opposing it it must be bad. Or were they bought off with massive increases in public education largesse ($800 million for each of the next two years). Do you think the teacher's union will rally around the Republicans in 2006?

· Tough new penalties for sex offenders, including life in prison without parole and a new indeterminate life sentence that will keep offenders locked up as long as they remain dangerous.

Hmmm - I didn't see a death penalty bill passed. Now we gotta pay to keep these cretins locked up. Three squares and cable TV. Probably internet access too.

Aggressive restrictions on the sale of methamphetamine precursors like
pseudoephedrine.

An admission that the state doesn't have the balls to significantly beef up their investigative and enforcement function. Nope, we'll just manage the supply.

Enhanced penalties for those who manufacture or sell meth.

Who the hell couldn't have voted for that. /Runs off to review voting records. (One Republican senator voted against the bill and 10 House Democrats voted against the companion bill.)

· New benefits and incentives for military members including 100% tuition reimbursement for National Guard members, reenlistment bonuses and "Support our Troops" license plates

Well, duh.

· Passage of the Governor's proposal for a constitutional amendment to
dedicate 100% of the Motor Vehicle Sales Tax to transportation.

Whatever. We're still going to get commuter rail jammed down our throats. I can hear the whining now: "Where's our source of dedicated funding? Public transportation is important too."

Hopefully now that the Party has new leadership some new focus can be brought to bear on the things that make Minnesota great: Families and economic freedom, not more government spending.

It's All True

2005-07-23T11:49:00.000-07:00

I can confirm everything Residual Forces said about this BBQ event. I was there because I organized the event and invited the unnamed Republican official.

I, like many conservative bloggers, feel that conservatives got royally screwed this last session. This was an insult to the injury of the mammoth bonding bill that was passed earlier in the session. How quickly that barrel of pork was forgotten. And we'll probably get another billion dollar bonding bill next year so we can get back on track and make up for lost ground.

Our House has a good take on the Governor's subsequent comments on the session.

The "health impact fee," which will raise cigarette prices by 75 cents a pack and add charges to other tobacco products starting Aug. 1, was necessary to "get us out of the death spiral of the [partial government] shutdown," Pawlenty said.

Sorry, Governor. You proposed that fee long before the "death Spiral" of the shutdown was started. It didn't pass before that because Republicans balked and the DFL wanted more than that. This was your compromise position.

While critics could complain about his concessions, the governor said, "The reality is that in a statistically tied Legislature , you can't sit there and hold your breath waiting for the other side to adopt your position."

But Pawlenty denied reversing himself. He was a "skeptic" on light rail, he said, but came to see value in it. He still opposes state funding for a Twins stadium, but said Tuesday that if Hennepin County wishes to impose a tax on its citizens to fund one, state government should not "micromanage."

Way to throw your supporters in Hennepin County under the bus, Governor. And if you don't want to micro-mange then why the hell are there dozens of micro-grants to local governments tucked away in bonding bills?

Why not? Worked for the DFL.

To avoid a similar predicament next time, Pawlenty said he would favor a temporary "continuing resolution" that automatically funded the government while budget disputes were being resolved.

Don't be a wimp, Governor. Why not a constitutional amendment that calls for continuing funding at the previous years' level if a new budget is passed.

And this is precious:

Pawlenty said he still didn't think the state needed that extra spending on schools, health care and other items. But he added, "Since I took the beating for the fee, I should take some of the credit for the spending."

I'm sure your opponents will give you plenty of credit, Governor.

And if you don't believe me then here's proof:

The $12.8 billion K-12 education funding bill breezed to passage, with only eight House members and two in the Senate voting against an $800 million spending increase for schools. There was virtually no debate, though some called the bill only a stopgap for schools' continuing funding problems.
"I call this a 'good-enough-for-now bill,' " said Rep. Mindy Greiling, DFL-Roseville. She said it would take $1 billion more to solve those problems.

It's never enough, Governor. We keep telling you that but you won't listen. Give them half a loaf and they'll whine they didn't get the whole loaf. Give them the whole loaf and they'll say they need two.

It's. Never. Enough.

Senator Johnosn's negotiating tactics were reprehensible. But, in the end he will be rewarded by his party faithful for delivering the goods. Governor Pawlenty, Speaker Sviggum and Senator Day were faithful in their approach to the negotiations and were left holding the bag.

The Governor's leadership led us to this outcome. It has nothing to do with votes. It has to do with using his bully pulpit to affect the outcome. He was very effective at getting what he wanted. Sadly, that oputcome is not consistent with the expectations of many who helped get him where he is.

The Strib's Fuzzy Math

2005-05-22T21:03:00.000-07:00

The linked article talks about a St. Paul bike shop donating bikes for people to use to commute the work and, by extension, extols the virtues of riding a bike to work. In the article, reporter Matt McKinney cites a claim by the Green Guide at the Univeristy of Minnesota.

Their study showed that a 10-mile commute by bicycle costs $150 per year, while the same commute can cost up to $3,500 for someone who drives alone. The study estimated a 40-minute commute for the bicyclist and a 27-minute ride for a car driver.

Well, $3,500 a year caught my attention. I commute about 50 miles a day and i don't spend near that much.

So a little math was in order:

10 mile commute
Twice per day = 20 miles
5 days per week = 100 miles
50 weeks per year = 5000 miles
Gas milage - assume 20 miles per gallon (your mileage may vary) = 250 gallons
Price of gas - Assume greedy oil companies = $2.00
Total cost of the commute = $500

Whoa there. That's a far cry from $3,500. Hmmmm I says to myself, I must be missing something. Let's try again:

10 mile commute
Twice per day = 20 miles
5 days per week = 100 miles
50 weeks per year = 5000 miles
Gas milage - assume Gas sucking Hummer (2.8573 miles per gallon) = 1,750 gallons
Price of gas - Assume greedy oil companies = $2.00
Total cost of the commute = $3,500

Aha, got it. Now I went to the Green Guide's web site to check my answer. I really felt I nailed this one. To my horror, I wasn't even close (follow link to see the guide's author's numbers):

Direct Cost of Transportation = $0.35 per mile
Cost of Parking = $0.15 per mile
Cost of Pollution = $0.20 per mile
Total Cost of Commute = $0.70 per mile

5000 miles * $0.70 = $3,500. Brilliant!!! Of course, only $2,500 of that is paid for by the commuter. The Green Guide doesn't indicate who pays for the other $1,000.

The one thing that caught my eye was his analysis of light rail:

Direct Cost of TRansportation = $1.02
Cost of Pollution = $0.16
Total Cost per Mile = $1.18
Total Annual Cost = $5,900
Directly Paid by the Commuter = $750

So the commuter pays $750, we don't know who pays the pollution cost, but it's $800 per year. That leaves $4,350 subsidy to the commuter.

There is a lot faulty with the author's calculations. But to boil it down, it's metro-centric: For one, people who don't commute downtown usually don't pay for parking. Second, the author includes amortized vehicle purchase cost, maintenance and repair, fuel and a portion of insurance cost but excludes the cost of roads. But there is no supporting information with respect to vehicle cost, gas mileage, etc...

But the feds figured that out by providing $0.345 per mile vehicle usage allowance ( I think that is the correct amount. I'm not a certified tax preparer so it may be off a bit.)

5000 commuting miles * $0.345 per mile = $1,725. That covers everything. Gas, maintenance, a new pine tree smellbie for the rearview mirror. So that is half of our author's costs. All in all a dubious claim to promote their idea of a utopian society.

More interesting stuff on the Green Guide in the days to come.

First Conceal Carry - Now This

2005-05-19T20:52:00.000-07:00

Now that conceal carry has passed, the Legislature needs to adopt this:

...it becomes clear that the new law simply codifies common-sense principles of self-defense, including the principle that violent criminals, not innocent victims, should be the ones at risk during a violent crime.

This is, of course, the intended effect of Florida's proposed self-defense law.

Basically, if someone breaks into your home, you don't have to cower in a corner anymore. Now you can open a barrel of whoop azz on 'em. And if their azz gets whooped over to the morgue no big hurt on you. You be a hero now, not a criminal. Straight up.

FYI, The Volokh Conspiracy provides excellent legal analysis of state and federal issues. Smart cookies, all of them. (Hat tip Instapundt.)

More Proof The Metro DFL Doesn't Get It

2005-05-19T20:23:00.000-07:00

Conceal carry has finally passed. This time without too much fanfare. I think the DFL knew it was inevitable. Outstate DFL'ers had no choice but to pass it, lest they find themselves out of a job next year.

After all of the hoohah over the last year, the bill passed with no changes except for the one minor technical correction that was originally sought when the bill was passed and sent to the Revisor's office. 'And' was changed to 'or'. You can see the bill here.

But the Metro DFL'ers still provide wonderful blogger fodder.

“Are we so scared of our neighbors that we have to pack everywhere we go,” said Rep. Keith Ellison, DFL-Minneapolis.

No, rep. Ellison. But people are scared of the thugs that roam the neighborhoods. Maybe the Phillips neighborhood would be a nicer place if conceal carry were in place 20 years ago.

Rep. Connie Bernardy, DFL-Fridley, said the gun permit needed more
work.
“This bill can definitely be improved so our churches, our synagogues
and our mosaics don’t have to post signs,” she said.
“I know at my church, they don’t want to post signs,” she said.
“But people on the other side wouldn’t let the common sense things for our communities get by,” said Bernardy.

"People on the other side of the aisle"? What happened to teh spirit of bipartisanship, Rep. Bernardy? And if you would actually, you know, read the bill, you'd see that posting signs is an option now. But don't let facts get in the way of a good argument.

OMG, A Frenzied Throng Of Ululating Iowa Women!

2005-05-18T17:38:00.000-07:00

Protest Shows Incoherency at the 'U'

2005-05-17T06:00:00.000-07:00

As a former University of Minnesota employee, I watch with passing interest attempts to rejuvenate the University of Minnesota, 'attempts' being the operative word. The article yesterday reported on a 'silent protest' at the U over the proposed closing of the General College. Fair enough to have a public debate on this topic. There are probably good, cogent arguments on both sides. Having said that, would someone explain what the hell this means:

"We need students who can serve as trust bridges between the university and the many communities with which they identify," said Naomi Scheman, a philosophy and women's studies professor.

"We need students who can challenge us to think
differently, and to listen to and learn from those who have been marginalized, silenced or misinterpreted by the academic world," she said.

I'm just a dumb white guy who lives in the burbs so I need someone to explain to me:

1. What is a 'trust bridge'?
2. How does a student serve as a 'trust bridge'?
3. Why is it important for students to challenge the faculty to think differently?
4. Is there a manual or guide that outlines the duties and responsibilities of a 'trust bridge'?

The next paragraph raises more questions:

Armed with more than 3,300 signatures opposing the college's closing, Khong Xiong, president of the General College Student Board, told the regents that without the unit, several first-generation college students like him could not attend the university.

1. Is there a law that prohibits first-generation students from attending another college within the University?
2. Who signed the petition? Students? Faculty (who may be at risk of losing their jobs?) GC staff (who may be at risk of losing their jobs)? Spouses of GC faculty/staff (who may be at risk of losing income due to them losing their jobs)?

Then the final paragraph raises even more questions:

"Whatever you decide, make sure that your decision does not make the
university turn her back on the land grant mission nor the citizens of this
state," she said. "Especially the ones that need your protection the most."

1. When was the University's gender determined? Did the Governor sign a proclamation?
2. Is this new-found gender identity something that male students are comfortable with? If the University is indeed a female then shouldn't she have the right to determine her own identity? Even if that includes releasing herself from the bondage of the land grant mission that the white patriarchs shackled her with 150+ years ago?
3. When did the University get into the 'protection' business? Do they run a numbers racket too? Or is the 'U' now an arm of the Defense Department? Or is she an Auxiliary Unit of the Minneapolis Police Department? Or perhaps a member of the League of Super Heros (Heroines?). ( The thought of President Bruiniks in maroon and gold tights makes me want to seek therapy.)

Warning: Pithy Bernardy Quote Ahead

2005-04-28T15:58:00.000-07:00

From today's ECM Capitol Roundup:

House finance bill called a "bee hive"
Rep. Connie Bernardy, DFL-Fridley, said in committee the House K-12 finance bill was like a bee hive; it contains some honey. “But in the long run students are going to get stung,” she said

Now just what the hell does this mean? "Some honey"? "Stung"? Details, please, Rep. Bernardy. D-E-T-A-I-L-S. Which parts are good? Which are bad? Or are you just floating trial slogans to see if Education Minnesota will use them in their press releases?

Tax Hungry Politicos Take Note

2005-04-28T15:49:00.000-07:00

Todd Zywicki of the Volokh Conspiracy notes an Atlanta Journal-Constitution Article on Bankruptcy Reform:

A young woman in office attire was trying to hold on to her house and her car.

"Were you behind on your property taxes when you purchased the vehicle?" asked the trustee.
"Yes," she answered meekly.

Go read the whole thing. Minnesota politicians should take heed of this effect as seniors continue feel the sting of rising property taxes.

Strib Throws Gas on the Fire

2005-04-04T16:16:00.000-07:00

The Strib reporting on the Crosby- Ironton teacher's strike is laughable. No doubt, with negotiations at an impasse, and the district struggling to get children back in the classroom, the Strib reports that 35% of the teachers and - OH NO - over half of the union negotiators are either getting laid off or an involuntary furlough.

The move would lay off four teachers and place 26 striking teachers on
unrequested leave of absence. Among those targeted for leaves are four of the teachers union's seven negotiators.

The proposed leaves were based strictly on the teachers' seniority and certification, Lawrie said. That four of the seven negotiators were listed "was pure coincidence," Lawrie said. A fifth negotiator, teachers union president Stan Nagorski, plans to retire.

"Vindictive," said Nagorski. "That's how it appears."

So Stan Nagorski tries to claim that union negotiators are being unfairly targeted. Perhaps he senses that the public support is with the school district and the only way to win support is by playing the victim card. Somehow I can't imagine Stan sitting idly by while the school district violated the bargaining agreement and handpicked who they were going to furlough.

It sounds like the school district followed a seniority plan. Furthermore, is Stan and his union buddies going to ask the good people of Crosby-Ironton school district to fund the $1 million loss the school has incurred so him and his union buddies can go on strike.

Sorry, Stan. You guys have a good thing and your blowing it. Decent wages, tenure, summers off, a nice retirement package. And no worries about getting your jobs outsourced to Malaysia, Mexico, or India. Sorry, I have no sympathy. And the worst of it, Stan, is the negotiators still have to do their union jobs. Do they get any compensation for that work? Hmmmmmmm.

Especially rich are some of the comments from some of the teachers.

Mike Beseres, a district shop teacher for 23 years, is among the negotiators slated for an unrequested leave. He said the district had four shop teachers when Lawrie became superintendent three years ago. He could become the third to lose his job, he said.
"This is not Edina; it's a very vocational area and the kids are losing guidance," he said. "I almost feel like these kids are being treated as second-class citizens by a superintendent and board that doesn't appreciate their needs."

"It's been absurd -- just like these cuts," said Nicki Jacobs, district special education instructor for 15 years who is on the unrequested leave list. Jacobs, a union negotiator, called the board's agenda "retaliatory," but said "it will make us stronger, more united, more resolved.
"What the school board has done is a travesty. Not to us. To the kids. They're the ones who will really are suffer."

Mike and Nikki, you and the teachers need to stop hiding behind the children. The school board didn't go on strike. You did. Is the strike about the students or you and your teaching buddies trying to get a pay raise? If the kids are so damn important to you then get off your asses, swallow your pride and get back to work.

After all, it's for the children.

Nickle and Dime

2005-03-23T13:59:00.000-08:00

Today's Strib trumpets the passage of a $12 beeelyyonnnn transportation funding package. Plenty for everyone to love: Roads, transit, higher taxes.

Among the bullet points this on caught my eye:

• Higher vehicle registration, title, transaction and driver's license
fees, plus new authority for cities to impose street fees.

Hmmm - I wonder what new authority the legislature is cooking up for our buds on the city councils.

More to come. There are some answers here. Shame on any Republican attaching their name to such an endeavour.

ECM Papers Push Straw, Union Agenda

2005-03-23T05:03:00.000-08:00

The BSLP Life writes about a union study of health savings accounts that purports to show why HSA's are bad.

According to a study by the Project for Strategic Health Purchasing conducted for the union — eight hypothetical Minnesota working families were analyzed — the only family that fared better with a HSA over traditional forms of health insurance was the one that had few health problems.

Point one: Google " Project for Strategic Health Purchasing " and there are no results. This smells like a straw man study. Second, the study's assertion that the only "hypothetical" family that fared better was the one that had few health problems. Well, that's kind of the point. Healthy families don't need extensive health care coverage and are not willing to pay for it. They have accepted responsibility for their day to day health care and only seek the safety net in case of catastrophic need. Kind of the whole point of health insurance to begin with.

The article infers Service Employees International Union, Local 113 paid for the study. So that's ok but when pharmaceutical companies pay for studies that tout the benefit of one of their drugs then that is a vested interest.

The DFL also frets that HSA's will cost $1 million per year. When the DFL frets about something costing the state money then you know it has to be a good thing.

Of course, SEIU has to take the proverbial shot at Wall Street:

“These risky accounts are hazardous for working families and the only
people who will benefit are bankers and Wall Street brokers — not Minnesotans,” said Julie Schnell, SEIU Local 113 president.

Further down, Sen. Berglin, DFL-Minneapolis, demonstrates how far behind the curve the DFL is on this issue.

Beyond this, Sen. Linda Berglin, DFL-Minneapolis, Senate Health and Human Services Committee chairwoman, argued that rather than defining success as limiting the public’s immersion in health care, it’s a recipe for diseases to make an inroad before being diagnosed.
“It’s going to discourage people from going in to see is something is wrong with them,” she said.

Apparently Sen. Berglin didn't get the memo a few years ago indicating the best type of health care is preventive and that is exactly what families with HSA's are doing.

Frankly I'm not sure what the fuss is about. Flex spending accounts for health care have been around in Minesota for years. Even the University of Minnesota had them when I was there five years ago.

No wonder the unions keep losing membership. They keep opposing the very reforms that will benefit their members: Tax-free money to help pay for neceesities like prescription drugs, eyeglasses, and co-pays. This type of expense is bus fare for wall street bankers. For working Minnesota families it keeps covers the margins and improves their quality of life.

Liars and Their Enablers... II

2005-01-21T15:39:00.000-08:00

Previously I posted on the school board demanding accountability from state legislators. The Blaine-SLP Life article shows the flawed ability of Senator Betzold to remember history. That or an innate ability to rewrite history on the fly to tell people what they want to hear.

In a proactive move, Board Chairman Jim Amundson came out swinging.
“I believe the funding crisis in our district and in the state is real and it is
serious,” he said. “My sense, is, however, that schools are suffering a bit
from ‘crying wolf’ for many years. We have been seeking more funding year in and year out for as long as I have been paying attention. I’m not sure about the past, but I am sure about the present – we are not ‘crying wolf.’”

I see, Jim. The other times were bs but it's really, really for real this time.

Amundson said he didn’t know how the district could be any more
accountable than it has been during the last three years when it slashed
thousands of dollars from the budget, cut programs and delayed building repairs as it struggled to emerge from statutory operating debt.

Stop right there, Jim. See, first, you didn't 'slash' anything. You used financial measures to ensure the district spent within its means. Second, that process is not what it means to be 'accountable'. That's called fiscal prudence. The accountability thing comes in November when the voters decide whether or not they like the job you are doing.

Enter Senator Betzold, who must have a copy of Doris Kearns Goodwin's "How to Rewrite History and Look Damn Good Doing It".

Betzold recalled the state budget surplus years from 1993 to 2001.
“Education did not benefit from the surpluses,” he said. “There was a ‘give it back” mentality.”

Now, let's give the smoke a minute to clear so we can look at what actually happened. Through the miracle of dusty cardboard box archives, here is the ISD 16 spening from 1988 to 1998.

1995 to 1998 saw incredible increases in education. 13% in one year. The mentality at the time was to keep a lid on the spending or we would be paying for those increases in the out years. Well, I hate to be one to say I told you...

OK, I told you so.

Boardmember Gary Brisbin said he wants workers who could be taking care of him in the future if he is admitted to a hospital to know the difference between one-fourth and one-eighth.

Gosh, Mr. Brisbin, you're on the school board. Make it happen. Get some coconuts. Tell the superintendent to improve education or that accountability thing will kick in.

Of course, stories like this don't help the cause. So Brisbin wants kids to know math and the State Human Rights Office wants to eliminate discrimination. Now there is a wonderful government job. A project with no endpoint. Job security for life.

Liars and Their Enablers...

2005-01-21T15:17:00.000-08:00

Now this is a headline:

District 16 board members demand accountability from state legislators

Excuse me while I ROTFLMAO...

OK.

Wait, I can't catch my breath. This is too funny.

HAWWWWHAWWWWHARDEEHARHAR

OK, in all seriousness now, this is really too much. And there is probably too much for one entry so I'll split this in two. The idea that the school board seeks accountability is laughable. This is the school board that went in debt to the tune of $2.5 million dollars. There has yet to be a public explanation as to the circumstances of the debt. Rumor was it had to do with the on-line learning program the district started up. But I never saw any public explanation.

But it was embarassing enough for the district finance officer to leave the district (he went to the Forest Lake school district). They also got a new auditing firm. The old one apparently missed the flawed business processes that led to the debt even though it stated in its annual report that the district was doing a great job. It has since taken the district over two years to get out of statutory operating debt.

This is the same school district that fell prey to a Ponzi scheme run by a company in Utah. Basically the district bought fitness equipment and the proceeds of the charitable foundation run by the company would pay for the equipment. The district also sends fitness data (from students) to the company for evaluation.

Well, the company went bakrupt, the owner embezzled a lot of the money and the district is on the hook for about $600,000.

Yep. Hook, line and sinker.

But the school board wants the legislators to be accountable.

Mayor moves to squelch competition.

2005-01-15T17:33:00.000-08:00

From the Blaine-Spring Lake Life:

Describing an after-Christmas “SimonDelivers” ad he spotted in the
StarTribune, Spring Lake Park Mayor Harley Wells urged councilmembers to make sure Simon can’t deliver certain items to homes in Spring Lake Park.
“We have a municipal liquor store. And the city controls the disbursement of alcohol in the city. Why should we have to compete with SimonDelivers? ” Wells said during Monday’s city council meeting.

Well, there you have it. The Banana Republic may actually have to compete in the free market. Heaven forbid the local liquor store would actually, you know, be competitive. That violates all standards of the Preservation of Public Institutions.

Here's another interesting tidbit:

City Attorney Jeff Carson reported the results of research Wells directed him to do regarding SimonDelivers’ new feature.

Now we fondly recall the kerfuffle a couple of months ago when former councilman Bob Nelson had the city attorney looking into charges of violations of state sunshine laws. Seems the council was might perturbed to see a council member spenidng taxpayer dollars on city attorney fees. (Can't find the article on-line.) But apparently the mayor can order the city attorney to look into things. We have a weak mayor form of government which, I thought, meant the mayor has no more authority than a council member, other than the normal honorary privileges that come with being mayor.

Maybe it's in a different set of rules not generally available to the public.