I Like Guns - Steve Lee

The Power & Danger of Iconography

Command and Control, or Empower and Liberate?

“Strive to create the most business-friendly economy in the
nation and jobs WILL follow!”

By Representative Mark Buesgens

I just spent four months on something created by DFL House
Speaker Margaret Kelliher called the Minnesota House Jobs
Task Force. During countless hours of hearings and
testimony from a dizzying array of political wonks,
(with a minimal number of business owners sprinkled in),
the goal of a more business-friendly economy rarely
came up. Instead, we heard a lot of talk about the need
for moregovernment intervention.

Democrats (who dominated the committee 28-8) are lining up
another mammoth round of borrowing, which creates only
short-term jobs in sectors dictated by the government.
They want to embark on new spending under the Orwellian
pretense of retraining workers for “new” jobs -dictated by
the government.  Perhaps most amazing, they cling to the
fading hopes of re-orienting the nation’s economy based on
the discredited premise of preventing climate change.

Their type of “command-and-control” governing suffers from
two fatal flaws that make it incompatible with a business-
friendly economy: it is grounded in the notion that
government creates jobs and wealth, and it relies on
raising taxes – on everybody.

The DFL proposals necessitate government picking economic
winners & losers to create a sustainable business climate.
This model is challenged very simply by asking the
following questions: Who has created more jobs, Nancy Pelosi
and Harry Reid, or Bill Gates and Fred Smith?  And another
critical question: When did government identify the next
Steve Jobs or Sam Walton?  Politicians cannot create the same
high-quality jobs as entrepreneurs and business owners.
Government has not picked out the next innovator or success
story, and it never will. In short, government is worthless
at picking winners & losers—but that is what the DFL's
agenda is.

The DFL proposals must raise taxes today to cover new
spending, and raise taxes tomorrow to cover new borrowing.
We can’t even afford the government we already have.  There
is no possible way we can afford the government Democrats
want without reaching even deeper into our already pilfered
pockets.  This threat suffocates any discussion of new
job growth.

Thankfully, there exists another path.  By liberating
individuals and businesses from the burdens of government
and empowering them to create new growth, we can turn a
future of high taxes and deep deficits into one of new
prosperity and common good.  We know that catchy slogans
fail to get the job done (remember Hope and Change?). Here
are three concrete steps for making Minnesota more
job-friendly.

Reduce the regulatory burdens that weigh on expansion.
Environmentalists (the Copenhagen types) have an iron
grip on the state’s environmental and energy policies that
are choking the life out of our economy.  Permits and
reviews drag on for months while other states finish them in
days or weeks, making us a less attractive place to start a
business.  In good economic times these regulations made job
growth difficult. In tough economic times they make job
growth impossible.

End the pandemic of uncertainty.  The risks of new income
taxes, hugely expensive cap-and-trade energy schemes, or
expensive new health care mandates are making expansion an
uncertain endeavor in this time of already tight margins.
Resisting these damaging policies will send the clear message
that we prioritize job creation in Minnesota and will free up
capital currently forced to the sidelines.

Balance the employer-employee relationship.  In order for the
employer-employee relationship to be of mutual benefit, both
sides have to be on a level playing field.  Transitioning to
a right-to-work state and resisting the call of more mandated
benefits will send potential job creators the message that
Minnesota welcomes their entrepreneurial spirit.

Instead of relying on tax increases, these three steps to job
growth rely on the government exercising fiscal restraint and
responsibility. This will accomplish two things.  First, it
will prevent the government sprawl we have seen with its
involvement in banking, the auto industry and now health care.
Second, it will force government to run more efficiently,
reforming the programs that need change and jettisoning those
that are unnecessary.  A more efficient delivery of government
services means less demand for higher taxes and tells
potential job creators that we would love to have them relocate
to our state.

Four months of the Speaker’s Jobs Task Force has produced
nothing that would encourage potential private sector job
providers. Instead, it has only served to heighten uncertainty
and concerns and exacerbated our job loss condition.  We can
no longer afford to sit on our hands while jobs, people and
economic capital leave for warmer and more affordable
pastures. The time for real leadership and action is now. 

Franken's loud enough, he's rude enough

And, gosh darn it, people hate him



When Sen. Al Franken, Minnesota Democrat, was a comedian, he was never that funny. Take the title of his book "Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot" - that's some high-quality humor there. Clever, daring and yet so second grade. But when Minnesotans elected him to the Senate, Mr. Franken promised that those days were behind him and that he would work hard to win over his colleagues. So far, his presence in the Senate is making it a less civil place. If the old Mr. Franken were to write a book about it, the title might be "Al Franken Is a Dirty Rotten Liar."



The above from an editorial printed recently in the Washington Times about our Minnesota embarrassment, Senator Al Franken. What a shame we will have live with him for six years. Read the rest of the story here...

Some comments left on the Washington Times website,

"What were the idiot voters of MN thinking to send a snollygoster like franken to the Senate."

"Many of us have highly partisan elected officials, at least our have the good sense to keep their mouths shut. Franken may not be that funny, but he has turned Minnesota into a laughingstock."

"As usual, the emptiest barrel always makes the most noise. ...............FRANKEN is a certified MORON. Minnesota should be duly embarrassed and shamed by their electing such a WASTE."

"People that keep electing buffoons like Franken, the Kennedys, Barbara Boxer, and Dick Durbin should be none too surprised if the rest of the nation questions their ability to wisely select their political leaders. A lot of these type of dysfunctional leaders are the very ones behind the policies that have created most of these states' major problems in the first place. Unfortunately, when these morons get elected as senator, now that state's dysfunctionality ends up becoming the whole nation's problem."

"Like his master, Obama, Franken has all the makings of a populist demagogue. One could almost imagine him in another era as a brown-shirted SA bully."

"The Franken ilk rises to office because the voters that "sent them up" are either ignorant, ill informed, naive, or looking for a hand out. Way too many from that state that elects this kind of reptile and more like them in my home state of Louisiana are little more than mouth breathers. Like the man said. elections are where the ignorant and ill informed legitimize the corrupt and unconscionable.............welcome to Obamanation!"

"Minnesotans get to watch someone else make an ass of himself since Jesse Ventura isn't around for laughs anymore. Actually Jesse was funnier than Al, and not half as dangerous. Electing Al was the only way we could figure to get him out of the State. Seemed like a good idea at the time. We don't need distractions while we labor to turn Minneapolis into the next Detroit."

"When you meet someone from Minn make sure you say something really rude to them but preface it with, "As your Senator Al Franken would say, what the f--- do you know? Isn't he a great guy?"

"Regardless of party affiliation, the man is graceless and obnoxious. The people who voted him in should think twice before reelecting him. He, clearly, does not bring honor to the Senate and is just out of his depth. He hurls insults because he has no ideas."

"You all seem to be forgetting that this posterboy for the modern democrat party was not elected. It took an army of lawyers (ACORN staffers?), countless recounts and "adjustments" to get this turd into office."

"Your right; Franken was never that funny! Now with his attempts to immitate a real Senator, he's still not funny! However if he's trying to imitate an idiot, he's doing a great job."

A Carol from Flanders

by Frederick Niven (1878-1944)

This poem recounts the story of the spontaneous 1914 Christmas truce
along the lines of the Western front.

In Flanders on the Christmas morn
The trenched foemen lay,
the German and the Briton born,
And it was Christmas Day.

The red sun rose on fields accurst,
The gray fog fled away;
But neither cared to fire the first,
For it was Christmas Day!

They called from each to each across
The hideous disarray,
For terrible has been their loss:
"Oh, this is Christmas Day!"

Their rifles all they set aside,
One impulse to obey;
'Twas just the men on either side,
Just men — and Christmas Day.

They dug the graves for all their dead
And over them did pray:
And Englishmen and Germans said:
"How strange a Christmas Day!"

Between the trenches then they met,
Shook hands, and e'en did play
At games on which their hearts were set
On happy Christmas Day.

Not all the emperors and kings,
Financiers and they
Who rule us could prevent these things —
For it was Christmas Day.

Oh ye who read this truthful rime
From Flanders, kneel and say:
God speed the time when every day
Shall be as Christmas Day.

Stolen from a blog comment....

I saw this in a comment on a news story today. It's too good to pass up.....

"Let me get this straight. We just passed a health care plan written by a committee whose head says he doesn't understand it, passed by a Congress that hasn't read it but exempts themselves from it, to be signed by a president that also hasn't read it, and who smokes, with funding to be administered by a treasury chief who didn't pay his taxes, overseen by a surgeon general who is obese, and financed by a country that's nearly broke. What possibly could go wrong? - Dave"

Merry Christmas

"Here then, for one night only, each home throughout the
English-speaking world should be a brightly lighted island of happiness
and peace. Let the children have their night of fun and laughter. Let
the gifts of Father Christmas delight their play. Let us grown-ups
share to the full in their unstinted pleasures before we turn again to
the stern tasks and formidable year that lie before us. Resolved that
by our sacrifice and daring these same children shall not be robbed of
their inheritance or denied their right to live in a free and decent
world.

And so, in God's mercy, a happy Christmas to you all."

Winston Churchill - 1941

Franken, Klobuchar Vote For Massive Tax Increases, Deep Medicare Cuts & Taxpayer Funded Abortions

St. Paul- Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman Tony Sutton issued the following statement today regarding Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar’s votes in favor of the Senate health care bill.

“After weeks of shady backroom payoffs, unseemly sweetheart deals and Enron style accounting, Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar sold out Minnesota today by voting for a reckless nearly trillion dollar spending bill that increases premiums, raises taxes by $500 billion, cuts Medicare by over $470 billion and mandates that taxpayers fund abortion on demand. Candidate Obama promised America an open legislative process played out on C-SPAN. Instead, we saw a sleazy, secretive power play where Harry Reid bought off senators to get to 60 votes. In 2010, Democrats will pay a steep political price for their decision to ram this unpopular bill down the throats of the American people.”

Get the Race Card Advantage: A Free Pass on Everything!

From Sonja Schmidt at PajamasTV.com, an advertisement for the Deck-o-Race Cards!




OK. I'm on a Sonja Schmidt kick at the moment. Here are a couple more videos from my favorite woman of the moment,

DOJ Decision Can’t Obscure Rybak’s Woeful Record Cutting Cops, Wasting Money

St. Paul- Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman Tony Sutton issued the following statement today regarding the decision by the United States Department of Justice to grant approval to the city of Minneapolis’ application for a grant to hire 13 police officers fired by R.T. Rybak.

“R.T. Rybak is the king of wasteful spending. As mayor, he’s wasted millions in taxpayer dollars on artistic water fountains, the promotion of tap water and vegetative roofs. Today’s decision by the Department of Justice allowing the city of Minneapolis to rehire 13 police officers who never should have been fired in the first place can’t obscure the fact Rybak has recklessly cut cops and squandered millions on frivolous and ridiculous spending sprees.”

Rybak’s Ridiculous & Wasteful Spending: A Primer

Rybak Spent $500,000 On 10 Water Fountains. “During the Aquatennial festival that begins Friday, the city plans to unveil concepts for 10 artist-designed drinking fountains that Rybak championed at $50,000 each. Typical park fountains cost as little as $6,000.” (Steve Brandt, “Price tag on drinking fountains causes a lot of gulps,” Star Tribune, July 12, 2008)

• “Rybak said he wants bubbling, gurgling fountains reminiscent of the kind he drank from as a kid growing up in the city. ‘I want that romance of water in a city of waters to be something that's just core to living in our city,’ he said.” (Steve Brandt, “Price tag on drinking fountains causes a lot of gulps,” Star Tribune, July 12, 2008)

Rybak Spent $180,000 To Promote City Tap Water. “The city of Minneapolis is spending nearly $200,000 to sell something that would seem to sell itself: tap water. … Tap Minneapolis is the city's new web site, and PR campaign to promote the city's tap water. But unlike tap water, it's not cheap. The web site costs $75,000. The total cost paid to the PR firm was $180,000.” (“Mpls Taxpayer Money to Promote Tap Water,” KMSP, Watch Here, June 22, 2009)

• “The water campaign was Mayor R.T. Rybak’s idea. He also brought us those decorative water fountains a year ago.” (“Mpls Taxpayer Money to Promote Tap Water,” KMSP, Watch Here, June 22, 2009)

Rybak Brought In $175 An Hour Facilitator To Help City Council Members Trust One Another. “Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and the new City Council sat down for more than three hours Thursday morning in an attempt to ease the lingering bitterness from the previous day's leadership votes. The meeting focused on trust and on when a person's word can be relied upon. Rybak brought in facilitator Linda Houden - at $175 an hour - to help council members find ways to work together effectively.” (Rochelle Olson, “Sore feelings on the City Council,” Star Tribune, January 4, 2002)

• Rybak Later Returned Campaign Cash From Facilitator. “Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak will return contributions made to his campaign last year by the $175-an-hour facilitator hired by the city to help him and City Council members develop good working relationships. … [Linda] Houden, of the Minneapolis firm DOR & Associates, donated $650 to Rybak's campaign through Oct. 22, according to Rybak's most recent disclosure form. Individuals are limited to $500 in contributions to mayoral campaigns in election years, and Sether said it was likely the campaign previously refunded the extra $150.” (Rochelle Olson, “Rybak says he'll return donation from facilitator,” Star Tribune, January 5, 2002)

Minneapolis Taxpayers Responsible For Shelling Out $5.3 Million For Target Center’s Vegetative Roof. “The Minneapolis City Council marked its last meeting of the year Friday with a flurry of actions that imposed a hiring freeze, regulated news boxes, approved a green roof for the Target Center and created a zone aimed at a cleaner, safer downtown. … A $5.3 million reroofing of the Target Center that includes a vegetative main roof was approved as part of the city's environmental sustainability agenda.” (Steve Brandt, “Minneapolis freezes hiring, fearing aid cuts,” Star Tribune, December 13, 2008)

Rybak Reimbursed Taxpayers $10,000 Over Newsletter He Used For Self Promotion. “Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak decided Tuesday to reimburse taxpayers $10,000 for the glossy newsletter he sent at a cost of $42,556 to all city residents at the start of an election year. … ‘I will hold myself to a higher standard by reimbursing the City $10,000, which is half of the production cost of the newsletter,’ the mayor said in a written statement. The payment comes three months after state Auditor Pat Anderson called on Rybak to reimburse the city because she said parts of the newsletter violated the law against using taxpayer funds for self-promotion.” (Rochelle Olson, “City ethics panel clears Rybak, but he agrees to pay for part of pamphlet,” Star Tribune, April 20, 2005)

• “Rybak's eight-page newsletter included five pictures of Rybak and the headline, ‘Minneapolis news from Mayor R.T. Rybak.’ State law allows politicians to inform the general public of activities. It also says the ‘report or publication must not include pictures of elected officials nor any other pictorial or graphic device that would tend to attribute the publication to an individual or group of individuals instead of the political subdivision. Portions of Rybak's newsletter crossed that line, Anderson said.” (Rochelle Olson, “City ethics panel clears Rybak, but he agrees to pay for part of pamphlet,” Star Tribune, April 20, 2005)