The Ghost Of The Machine

The AP released a story today on how Jack Nelson Pallmeyer has been the "surprise" beneficiary of the Franken campaign's self destruction.

On the Senate campaign trail, Al Franken frequently invokes the name of his friend, the late Sen. Paul Wellstone, as a major inspiration.

But as Franken moves to consolidate Democrats behind his challenge to Republican Sen. Norm Coleman, another Democrat is chipping into his support — one whose background and beliefs spark even greater Wellstone nostalgia for some voters.

Like Wellstone, Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer is a college professor with a long history of political activism and fearless liberalism. His green-and-white campaign signs mimic the Wellstone placards that still hang in the front window of many a Democratic household, and that's not an accident.

However, unlike Wellstone!, Pallmeyer does not have the devoted legions behind him. Pallmeyer ran a constant 3rd behind Franken and Mike Cirisi (before Cirisi dropped out of the race) and in a head to head battle against incumbent Norm Coleman, Pallmeyer finishes 18 points back! Now I fully understand that can (and most likely will) change after the conventions, but that is an awfully deep hole to start in and it will be even harder to get out of the hole with some of the policies that Pallmeyer espouses. While these policies play very well with the DFL base, they will not play all that well with many of the strapped taxpayers who just want a little relief to their financial ills.

On Global Warming, Pallmeyer advocates reducing our output of greenhouse gases by 80% by 2030. The problem is the last time we were ever at that level of greenhouse gas production, it was 100 years ago. Does he really think that the average consumer is going to be willing to give up heating their homes, their showers and powering their toys? I suspect that once people hear exactly what that lofty goal entails, the answer will be no!

On Immigration Reform, Pallmeyer advocates legalizing all illegals who are here already (out of respect to family unity) and pulling out of trade agreements like NAFTA and CAFTA. Senators Clinton and Obama are both already backing away from those remarks, one (Sen. Obama) even admitted that he was simply using the issue as an election issue - telling a Canadian official that he "really didn't mean" what he said in Ohio on the issue.

Pallmeyer's idea of education reform is to repeal the Bush Tax Cuts on employers and using that money to pay for increased funding. The only problem with that will be when those employers leave the country, who is going to pay for the workers unemployment compensation? He also opposes No Child Left Behind (well something we agree on!) and would work to repeal that - if it does not get done already by the current congress.

On health care, Pallmeyer supports putting the same bureaucrats that are in charge of the Veterans Administration in charge of your health care. Oh, I know he does not exactly say that on his issues page, but he does say that he wants a system that covers everyone and that is paid for at taxpayer expense. The government already has the VA in place, so if they do take over health care for the rest of us, you know that the bureaucracy in place will not rest until they get their hands on YOUR tax dollars - one way or another!

Jack Nelson Pallmeyer is probably a very nice man....definitely well meaning. However, former Senator Wellstone was that and much more. He was inspirational, he was thoughtful and he (most importantly) he respected ALL of his constituents whether they agreed with him or not. I still remember the interviews that he did with Jason Lewis when Lewis was still on KSTP-AM. Those interviews were some of the best radio I have ever heard in my life. While Lewis and Wellstone disagreed on just about everything, they did so in a way that was well sourced, well thought out and 100% respectful of each other. I simply do not see that respect for the other side in any of the current crop of state and local Democrats (and to be fair in a few Republicans as well). Wellstone was one of a kind and we are a poorer state because of his loss (yes this conservative did just say something nice about a liberal).

Does Pallmeyer stand a ghost of a chance against Franken or Coleman? Well, let's just say that as much as he wishes it were so, Jack Nelson Pallmeyer is no Paul Wellstone. At least not as far as I can see...

Solutions

Congressman John Kline had an Op-Ed in yesterdays Star Tribune that speaks to many of the struggles that Minnesotans are facing in the current economy and what the House Leadership promised to do to address these issues...

Like most Americans, Minnesotans have had enough. They've become increasingly frustrated with the skyrocketing costs of everyday items such as food, household products and gasoline.

Just 16 months ago, Nancy Pelosi accepted the gavel from John Boehner at a historic moment in our nation. She and the new majority in the U.S. House of Representatives were ushered into leadership bolstered by a repeated promise for change that included a "common-sense plan" to lower gas prices.

...and what they have done to fix these problems...

Rather than seize the opportunity, the majority leadership squandered it, and you are paying the consequences for their broken promises by the gallon every time you pull up to the pump. In January 2007, the average cost of gas in Minnesota was $2.14 per gallon -- already too high. Sixteen months later, Congress has seen no "common-sense plan," and the average price of gas in the Twin Cities earlier this week was $3.64 per gallon. Meanwhile, the only solution offered by the majority leadership was House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell's plan for a 50-cent tax hike on every gallon.

...and what should be happening to solve the problems...

There should be debate on the House floor to find ways to reduce our dependence on Middle East oil and develop long-term energy alternatives.

Some say America has an addiction to oil. What is abundantly clear is our addiction to foreign oil, which is not only an economic issue but also a national-security concern. Congress should examine ways to increase domestic production, explore long-term energy solutions and advance a real energy plan that increases American supplies in all forms:

•Congress should consider opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to environmentally safe production and increasing offshore drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf. Clearly, drilling for oil in Alaska or in the Gulf of Mexico is not a short-term solution, but if we continue down this course of inaction, we may still be discussing plans for rising energy costs when gas reaches, say, $8 per gallon. The Chinese are drilling for oil on the Outer Shelf because it is off the coast of Cuba. Yet, lawmakers -- Republicans and Democrats -- in Florida and California are standing in our way, blocking any efforts for the United States to drill on the shelf some 100 to 230 miles off our coasts.

•We should build new oil refineries. While production at our existing refineries continues to rise, we have seen no new refinery construction in 30 years.

•Clean-coal technology is another exciting energy resource that we must continue to explore; we have the domestic coal reserves to power our economy for generations.

•Renewable energies like wind and solar also should be part of the equation, along with nuclear energy, which is the top source of emission-free electricity.

Congressman Kline has long been a voice of reason and fiscal responsibility in the House. His recent Club for Growth ranking of nineteen (3 behind Congresswoman Michele Bachman and 82 ahead of that paragon of fiscal conservatism, Congressman Ron Paul) is just one more reason why his constituents have sent him back to DC as often as they have.

Congressman Kline understands how tight the voters budgets are right now and is working to provide ways to ease the crunch. We need a dozen more like him.

What's A Party To DO?

I have been meaning to post on this since it came out earlier this week, but I could never find the time. Today, as a follow up to this mornings post, I knew I would have to make the time. On Tuesday former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich said what many of us grass roots activists have been saying for a while.

The Republican loss in the special election for Louisiana's Sixth Congressional District last Saturday should be a sharp wake up call for Republicans: Either Congressional Republicans are going to chart a bold course of real change or they are going to suffer decisive losses this November.

The facts are clear and compelling.

Saturday's loss was in a district that President Bush carried by 19 percentage points in 2004 and that the Republicans have held since 1975.

This defeat follows on the loss of Speaker Hastert's seat in Illinois. That seat had been held by a Republican for 76 years with the single exception of the 1974 Watergate election when the Democrats held it for one term. That same seat had been carried by President Bush 55-44% in 2004.

That's the bad. If things don't change, here is the WORST!

The Republican brand has been so badly damaged that if Republicans try to run an anti-Obama, anti- Reverend Wright, or (if Senator Clinton wins), anti-Clinton campaign, they are simply going to fail.

This model has already been tested with disastrous results.

Emphasis mine! You can carry this out the the Anti-Franken, Anti-fill in the Democrats Name Here level! Last year during the election for state party chair, many state central delegates and activists (myself included) BEGGED Chairman Carey for a cogent, coherent Republican message...something we can confidently take to the voters as a reason to vote FOR our candidates (as opposed to the tired reason to vote against their candidate method that the State and National GOP has run with for the last 4 years)!

Even worse is this.

A February Washington Post poll shows that Republicans have lost the advantage to the Democrats on which party can handle an issue better -- on every single topic.

Americans now believe that Democrats can handle the deficit better (52 to 31), taxes better (48 to 40) and even terrorism better (44 to 37).

This is a catastrophic collapse of trust in Republicans built up over three generations on the deficit, two generations on taxes, and two generations on national security.

The Democrats have done a better job of telling the voters where they stand on the issues. What have the Republicans done? Don't vote for X....she/he is a _____. That's it! The voting public have no clue where we stand on issues anymore!

So what does this mean for the Minnesota GOP? It means that our leadership has to get off of the "Fright" train and develop a message that shows Minnesota that the GOP shares their values and their concerns. The House Leadership has shown flashes that they get it.....however, there is only so much that they can do. As long as Ron Carey is the public "face" of the MNGOP, he has got to be on the same page as the HRCC. What the voters think about the top of the ticket (Norm Coleman, John McCain) trickles down ticket to the state house races. If there is a disconnect between the voters and the message that Ron Carey puts in the press day in and day out, we could end up losing a Senate seat, at least two of our three Congressional seats and enough state house seats to give the DFL a veto proof majority in BOTH THE HOUSE AND THE SENATE!!!!

As we head toward the Convention and subsequent state central meeting, we need to decide what we as a party need to do to prevent what has the potential to be a slaughter of epic proportions. All options should be on the table as this election is quite simply going to be the difference between having an overwhelming DFL majority for the next generation or a viable competitive Republican Party. It really is do or die time.

Please Chairman Carey...for the sake of the state party...if you will not listen to me for God's sake listen to former Representative Gingrich! The time has come to change course....please do not let it leave you behind.

Talking About Freedom.

So I had to take the car to the shop today - preventative maintenance only but it was still two hours. While I was there I read something that really made me stop and think.

But the plain truth is, when Anna said she doesn't find this country to be especially free, it was Anna talking. Granted, her complaint is hardly new. People often grouse about the lack of freedom in the land of the free.

But you see, Anna is from Estonia, a former republic of the old Soviet Union. As in the Evil Empire, world's leading exporter of communism.

So when Anna says she feels less free in the United States where she now lives than in the once-totalitarian regime where she was born, well ... it gets your attention. And when she says Americans sometimes remind her of the gray, fatalistic men and women who shuffled along under communism, unwilling to think too deeply, say too much or laugh too loudly for fear of offending the State, it is striking, to say the least...Americans, she said, love to trumpet their freedom. But it's hard to square that with political correctness that straitjackets communication for fear of giving unintended offense, hair-trigger litigiousness that requires major corporations to treat customers ("Caution: Coffee is hot") like idiots for fear of being sued, zero-tolerance policies and mandatory sentencing guidelines that remove human judgment from human encounters for fear of rendering unequal justice.

I really can't add much more other than go read the whole thing. We need to wake up and shake of the shackles of political correctness etc. We need to be able to stand up, speak our minds and if someone insults us we need to be ADULT ENOUGH to deal with it. Otherwise the Republic is doomed.

Chris Lind Update - Closure?

I know that there are several people who are looking for an update to the Chris Lind story that I brought to your attention last year. Well I think we will have closure. Last week a judge ruled that Chris' employment records were considered private. Today, this letter appeared in our local paper.

In June 2007, I was fired by Independent School District 719 after five years of service. At the time, I was employed as a campus supervisor. My duties included security, truancy and emergency-procedure drills. Over time, I developed a rapport with the students, many of whom solicited my advice on various school-related and personal matters.

In time, my role expanded because of the positive relationships I built with students and the administration. I was asked to participate in events outside of my specific job description, including monitoring student sections at games, dances and other events. I monitored and advised various clubs, including the Prior Lake Bible Club and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. The administration encouraged and rewarded my participation in these endeavors. In June of 2006, I was nominated for high school paraprofessional of the year.

In August 2006, I was advised that a “parent” had complained about a discussion I had with a Prior Lake High School “student.” It was alleged that the “student’s” parents were uncomfortable because our discussion involved decisions regarding sexual abstinence and orientation. In fact, I simply reinforced his values and decisions he made on his own. But more importantly, the “student” was not a student. The young man was a 19-year-old former student who had graduated from PLHS. As a result of this alleged incident I received a written reprimand containing many directives.

In December 2006, a student approached me to ask advice about his bisexual girlfriend. I addressed his questions for about two minutes. There were no other conversations. A janitor was present. He reported the conversation to administration. I received a written reprimand, stating that I could not discuss “… your position on premarital relationships and abstinence.” The administration attempted to control my behavior outside school. The written reprimand of Jan. 3, 2007 included the following statement: “These conversations include conversations on and off School District property as well as conversations both during and outside of your work hours.” I was then suspended for three days.

In addition, I was reprimanded for a humorous statement made to a lesbian student and an off-campus discussion with a group of students. The student was not offended. In fact, she defended me to the administration and at my attorney’s request provided a statement supporting me.

I was terminated on June 18, 2007. This, despite the fact that no student or parent has ever complained of my conduct involving any Prior Lake High School student, either on or off campus (other than the parent of the adult former student).

In November 2007 the citizens of Prior Lake and Savage elected me to the School Board. My campaign focused on fiscal responsibility.

Although my attorney, David Thompson, has advised me to move forward with a lawsuit, I have decided not to do so. I choose to forgive those who have wronged me and move on. My family and the community have been through enough.

Chris Lind
Savage

Personally I think Chris is making the right choice. He made his case, to the district and to the voters and the voters elected him. I know that some people feel that they may not have made the right choice (based on a post election smear campaign launched by the former superintendents supporters) however it IS time to move on. Chris held the power in his hands and by choosing not to follow his attorneys recommendation, he has done what needed to be done in order for the community to heal.

Good work Chris.

Glass Houses

There is an old saying admonishing people who live in glass houses not to throw stones. MNGOP Chairman Ron Carey should have remembered that prior to beating the Al Franken tax story into the ground. You see, in his zeal to encourage Al Franken to "come clean" on his tax problems, the MNGOP (under Ron Carey's leadership) still has not come clean on their finances, as several papers reminded readers yesterday. The FEC, you see, had issues with how certain expendatures were reported and Chairman Carey promised an immediate and speedy audit. The results of that audit, that Chairman Carey promised was forthcoming, is still - one year later - yet to be released.

Many party activists, myself included, have had problems with Chairman Carey, especially when it comes to things like party messege and credibility in the face of leadership "issues". Some expressed their frustrations in public forums, I did not. Oh I voiced my concerns. When he was running for re-election last June, Chairman Carey called me and when we finished over an hour later I had gotten the last of my concerns out. I know that I was not the only one to voice concerns to the Chairman....concerns that he said he would address and for the large part has not.

Now I fully comprehend that Chairman Carey is not running for Senate and AL Franken is, however the average voter is not going to make that distinction. The average voter is going to see these stories and they are going to say that the MNGOP is just as guilty as Franken...thus negating any messege inroads we activists might have made!

The ball is in Carey's court. If he were smart, he would release the audit PUBLICALLY and immediately and he would drop the tax issue and move on to talking about why voters need to vote for Norm Coleman (as opposed to against Al Franken). Senator Coleman has a record that Republicans can be proud of...a record that has frustrated Conservatives for sure, but for the large part has been a good representation of ALL MINNESOTANS. Rather than leaving that important story just to bloggers (like Gary Gross and myself) he needs to be talking about that and leaving the attack pieces to the blogosphere - where it can be done without damaging the candidate or the party. Right now, Chairman Carey, your actions are damaging the entire Republican ticket! For the Senator's sake, until you get the MNGOP's house in order, please stop trying to help us.

Today in the Legislature

I just happened to turn on the Legislative session today and I see that they are debating the Conference Report on SF 100 which is the Embryonic Stem Cell research bill. I think I will have to follow this one for a while.

Rep. Dean has an amendment on the floor and he is in a rather heated debate with Rep. Phyllis Kahn on the amendment. One of the things that his amendment apparently wants to do is to put a restriction on embryonic stem cell research and would rather focus on pluripotent stem cells. I found it interesting that a Ph.D. had a hard time wrapping herself around the concept of pluripotent stem cell. I also find it interesting to see all of the contortions that she is going through, on the house floor to defend the experimentation on human life. Rep. Severson said that Minnesota Statute already has a prohibition on using embryonic stem cells. He said that the statute includes "movement" as an indication of "life" and that cell division is considered MOVEMENT!

Rep. Buesgens just got up and took Rep. Kahn to task on the claim that scientists need a legislative definition of what is "naturally dead" (which seems to be the gist of the Dean Amendment). He said that if these scientists can't "figure it out" then we need smarter scientists. He just brought up the fact that there are 70 disease cures that have come from adult stem cell research and NONE from embryonic. I posted on this during the last election.

One of the things that Rep. Kahn keeps using as a defense is that no embryo that was "destined" for life. The problem with that "logic" is that with in vitro fertilization ALL of those embryos were created to be "destined" for life. It is just that implantation has not taken place yet. She also keeps talking about how embryonic stem cell researchers are assuring her that this research is "necessary" . OF COURSE THEY WILL SAY THAT PHYLLIS!!!! Their livelihoods depend on it! She also keeps talking about how nothing good will come out of the debate in the House and that the Reps need to vote up or down on the bill as it is....

OK - I got busy and missed the vote on the Dean Amendment and just got back in time to see the Severson Amendment get voted down. However, I did catch Rep. Kahn again (in speaking against the amendment) say that the Amendment doesn't "make sense".

OK - amendment time is done....Rep. Seifert has asked for a call of the House. 68 votes are needed for the bill to pass.

VOTING TIME.....71 Aye - 62 Nays the bill is passed.....I'll have to review the House Journal to see if there are any votes of interest.

HF 3149 - 3rd Reading

In a 10 hour 23 minute session, debate on the final amended bill began at the 9 hour 35 minute mark. The first speaker (Rep. Simpson) got up and reminded members of all of the provisions that the DFL's new "friends", the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, were against - raising taxes on specific businesses, raising utility rates, reducing R&D tax credits among other things. Rep. Garafalo spoke about how this was the wrong time and the wrong economy to raise property taxes as this bill does. With record foreclosures, he said, increasing property taxes is just plain wrong he said. Rep. Seifert asked for another call of the house, which could mean that they want a vote soon and (as Anonymous corrected me the other night) he wants to make sure that all members vote on this bill - get them on the record. After 5 minutes, Rep. Sertich asked that the clerk close the rolls and that the Sgt At Arms be instructed to bring the missing members in. As that was happening Rep. Lanning got up and spoke against the bill. He brought up that there was a NEW formula for distribution of Local Government Aid that would actually REDUCE aid to most cities! Even Minneapolis, Duluth, St. Cloud, the regional centers AND small cities will all get less under a new formula that is being developed by Democrats! This is a huge thing as the DFL candidatess hammered Republican legislators over the last two election cycles because of reductions in LGA. He also mentioned that this bill is taking away the real estate tax deduction from state income taxes! (Ed: Yet Rep. Lenczewski insists this bill is "revenue neutral"? Maybe to the government but certainly NOT to the taxpayers!) Rep Lanning also brought up that the Dept of Revenue does not know how they are going to implement this bill. Rep. Marquardt got up and insisted that this is a property tax relief bill. The voters need to keep this in mind. He insists that a bill that will only give tax relief to a small portion of Minnesotans but will leave the rest of us high and dry.

Rep. Seifert got up and spoke about how 18 months ago, voters voted for legislators that said that they were going to fix major issues and they have done nothing. He then called this bill the "Death Star" of tax policy - saying that there is no tax relief for the majority of Minnesotans...that this bill does more harm than good. He repeated Commissioner Einess' comments that the majority of Minnesotans will end up on the losing end of this bill! He said that this is not a "governor friendly" bill...that it hurts EVERYBODY not just "the rich".

Rep. Lenczewski spoke last in defense of her bill and basically said that tax increases=property tax relief. Now it is true that some people will have their property taxes go down, but what good is THAT when all of their other taxes GO UP? That is the basic thing that the DFL just doesn't get!

THE HOUSE IS UNDER CALL...EVERYONE SHALL VOTE and vote they did. The bill passed pretty much along party lines - 80 to 52. Some notable votes on this bill:

DFLer's Julie Bunn, Tony Cornish, Denise Dittrich, Thomas Huntley and Bev Scalze all voted against the tax bill. No Republicans voted for it.

For my friends to the south and east of me in the 2nd Congressional district you should know that Will Morgan (Savage, Burnsville), Shelley Madore (Apple Valley) Sandra Maisin (Eagan) and David Bly (Rice County) ALL VOTED to raise your taxes!

Blog-keeping Follow Up

As I mentioned in the comments of my first blogkeeping post, I decided to sleep on the notion of making all users register. I do have a couple of valued commenters who, for reasons of their own, choose to comment anonymously. I respect their decision. Therefore, I have decided instead to make all comments moderated. This way, I maintain control over the comments and make sure that no anonymous slanders get posted and yet my valued anonymous commenters are happy.

Please read my Comments Policy before commenting. It will remain permanently linked on my front page under the links section for reference.

And now back to our normal political commentary.

Comment Policy

It is my intention that this blog be a place where free speech can take place. However, free speech also includes responsibility. While discussion of the issues is necessary, a line must be drawn between free speech and potential slander. Therefore, effective immediately, all comments will be moderated. Any comment that can be construed by anyone, biased or no, as slanderous or libelous will not be published. If a comment contains profanity, it will not be published. If a comment contains a threat or other undesirable (as defined be ME as this is my blog....in the words of my father...my house - my rules) will not be published.

If you believe that there something going on that I might be interested in researching or publishing on, feel free to email it to me at ladylogician at the domain hope4america dot net. Any story leads left in the comments will not be published.

Blog-keeping

For those of you expecting a wrap up on last nights debate of HF 3149 I apologize that it has not been posted yet. I spent most of the day dealing with an anonymous commenter. I will not say much about my anonymous "friend" other than to say that he is known to me. He made some rather weak insinuations about Rep. Mark Buesgens and I ended up spending most of the day chasing those leads down, rather than dealing with 3149. For those that care, the allegation was that Rep. Buesgens owed property taxes (on an investment property) in Ramsey County. I called Rep. Buesgens who told me that it was a bank screw up and that he had made payment arrangements with Ramsey County to take care of the situation. My anonymous troll apparently thinks that a one time bank error on a property tax payment ranks up there with at least 4 years worth of non payment of income taxes. The nice thing is that this was easily resolvable by a couple of phone calls...something my anonymous "friend" could have easily done as well however he chose instead for the "anonymous" smear.

Which leads me to a larger dilemma. I want this space to be about advancing dialog - no about throwing out undocumented smears. Because of my anonymous "friend" I am now forced to decide whether or not I should allow anonymous comments going forward. I do understand the desire to sometimes comment anonymously, but we just saw the exact reason why people do not allow anonymous comments unfold before us today.

While I have not yet decided on what I will do, I will let you know that the decision will be made today. If you are used to commenting anonymously and you have not abused the practice, please realize that one bad apple has spoiled it for everyone.

HF 3149 - On The Floor Now

I got an email from an acquaintance on Capital Hill that said that the Omnibus Tax Bill is being debated on the floor now. They never did fix the increase of taxes in Committee as was originally thought. To review...according the the Commissioner of the Department of Revenue this bill will raise taxes for 69% of all Minnesotans.

I will be live blogging.....

3:29 - the House is debating an amendment (I'll have to look it up) and while "answering" a question from Rep. Garafalo continued to state that this bill...sans changes...is still "revenue neutral. My source said that he will try to get information to me as he gets it as well.

3:32 - Rep. Lenczewski gave a valiant defense of the beleaguered taxpayer - how they are struggling to make ends meet. This from someone who voted for sales tax and gas tax increases.

3:34 - Did she just call the Department of Revenue Commissioner a liar? She just said that she totally DISCOUNTED the Commissioners testimony because she didn't believe his numbers!

One thing I didn't get a chance to blog on due to personal time eating up my blogging time was the fact that this bill authorized sales tax increases in the following cities (without benefit of referendum as our state constitution requires): Mankato, Cook County, City of Clearwater, North Mankato and Winona and is authorizing a Mortgage and Deed Tax for St. Louis, Dakota and Anoka Counties. Rep. Simpson has an amendment on the floor that would remove those provisions. It also keeps JOBZ which Rep. Lenczewski's bill is killing. Most of the speakers have been rural legislators who are begging to keep their jobs. The amendment failed mostly on party lines.

While this was going on I got an interesting email from my source. His email said that the majority did not tell the minority about the changes (the Lenczewski Amendment) until AFTER they got out of their caucus meetings...even though the majority leadership knew GOING INTO CAUCUS that the Amendment was coming. Many members of the minority were upset about this...

One thing I am noticing about this debate is that it really is a debate that pits the outstate legislators against the Hennepin/Ramsey County leadership. It is a troubling dynamic...

Laugh line of the night. Rep. Simpson has another amendment on the floor to save JOBZ. Rep. Lenczewski, in urging a no vote said "we all pay more taxes when others don't pay their fair share". This coming from the party whose presumed Senatorial candidate has had 2 months worth of tax woes????? The Amendment was defeated 63-69.

Rep. Garafolo has an Amendment on the floor removing a provision that will remove rural towns out of the transportation taxing authority (a provision that was added by Rep. Shelly Madore). Rather than raising this tax on cities that are in the transit service areas (remember this is an transit tax that is is ADDITION to the Transportation Bill) this will raise taxes on the farmers and rural residents that don't ride metro transit at all!

OK - they are still debating HF 3149 and I got interrupted by a couple of calls. One amendment that was put forward (by Rep. Howes) was an amendment for a STATE gas tax holiday. Needless to say this one went down in flames.

Rep Erhardt has an amendment on the floor that would give property tax relief in 2008. He will pay for this by reversing the June tax accelerator payments. He mentioned that the Lenczewski bill had RENTERS tax relief for 2008 but nothing for property owners. Rep. Lenczewski in her opposition for the amendment said that this will take money away from Minneapolis and St. Paul and give it to everyone else. I think I mentioned this before but I am stunned at how much tonights debate has been an outstate vs. Twin Cities debate and the Cities are making out like bandits! The Erhardt Amendment failed.

Rep. Erickson has an amendment up to excempt Social Security income from income taxes. Rep. Lenczewski got up in opposition and said that this will "cost the STATE $250 million". SHE THINKS IT IS HER MONEY BEFORE YOU EARN IT PEOPLE!!!!!

I don't know if it is on my end or the Capitals end, but I am having streaming issues so I am going to shut it down for the final couple of amendments so that I can have an uninterrupted stream for the final vote on the bill.

Well I got my streaming issues fixed and we are STILL working on amendments. There are 32 proposed amendments on the docket right now. There are three that have yet to be voted on and the House is under call (lacking a quorum). I may not last until the floor debate folks. If I don't make it, I will do a postmortem on the final floor debate in the morning.

Heartbreak

Long time readers know that I am a horse crazed teen-ager at heart. I have been blessed to have two wonderful equines in my life, Shadow Dancer and The Whiz Kid, and now that they are gone I get my "horsey" fix watching horse racing and any Olympic equine competitions that the networks show us.

Those of us who are into it know that today was Kentucky Derby Day. It was another crowded field and pre-race favorite Big Brown did what he has done in his prior starts, but the news was the sad breakdown of second place finisher Eight Belles shortly after finishing the race.

Eight Belles was attempting to become the fourth filly to win the Derby. However, as the horses galloped out around the first turn, the filly fell to the ground and jockey Gabriel Saez jumped off.

An equine ambulance came onto the track, but the filly could not be saved, said Dr. Larry Bramlage, the Derby’s on-call veterinarian.

“When we passed the wire I stood up. She started galloping funny. I tried to pull her up. That’s when she went down,” a distraught Saez said.

ESPN just interviewed Dr. Bramlage, who called Eight Belles injury a "freak" occurrence and he is correct. It is not uncommon for a horse to go lame in both front legs, but to break both at the same time is just unheard of. As someone who rode performance horses for 10+ years and who (at one time) wanted to be a professional horse trainer, I simply can not come up with a plausible reason why this happened. It was just a freak accident.

However...after a couple of classes in equine anatomy and physiology, I came to understand that racing a 2 and 3 year old Thoroughbred - whose joints are not fully developed - is a recipe for breakdowns. The equine leg is an amazing design. All of that pressure and pounding and torque is put on a seemingly china frail leg. The joints of the equine knee and foot are made up of bones (some no bigger than a tangerine wedge) that on their own would not be able to absorb that kind of punishment. When fully developed (usually sometime during their 3rd year) and working together properly, though, those tiny little bones are concrete!

Maybe the time has come for racing fans to stand up and demand a little common sense out of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association. Maybe it is time to make the Triple Crown races 4 year old races and change racings structure so that training and racing can not begin until the horse is 3 years old. At the price that these horses are selling for (5 and 6 figures are not unusual) it is a matter of protecting your investment as well as being a matter of the horses well being.

Accounting Accountability

Thanks to the commenters at Hot Air for this....

As you know, Al Franken has thrown his accountant (Allen Chanzis) under the bus for his tax problems, saying that Chanzis had advised him to not pay these other states taxes. Well come to find out, Chanzis is no ordinary CPA. Chanzis is a partner in the firm Wlodinguer, Erk & Chanzis- a firm that SPECIALIZES in Entertainment industry accounting! From Chanzis bio...

Allen Chanzis
Responsible for Business Management and has a unique expertise in all aspects of Tour Accounting and reporting. He also has extensive experience in our tax practice as well as royalty audit, computer and administration areas. Mr. Chanzis has the main responsibility for the Administration of our firms affairs.

Emphasis mine.

Now does this sound like someone who would make such a "rookie mistake" as to advise a client not to pay income taxes made while on tour? Remember...that is Franken's story...that his accountant gave him incorrect advice.

"We paid taxes on every cent of income we ever had," Franken told AP. "What happened is our accountant made a mistake, and all of these are repercussions of that same mistake. His mistake was not understanding the law, the obligation to pay these state taxes." Following his accountant's advice, he said, he and his wife, Franni, paid their entire income tax bill to the city and state where they were living at the time.

Emphasis again mine. I would speculate that this expertise is the reason why Chanzis told the Star Tribune that he was instructed to say "no comment" if asked about Franken's tax woes.

"I've been told to say, 'No comment,'" Chanzis said, without saying who had instructed him to do so. Refusing to discuss any mistakes, he added: "I've been told you have the information you need."

Emphasis once again mine. I've been told to say"no comment". Those words were very deliberately chosen....that is not an off the cuff answer. This man knows the whole truth but has been instructed not to say what it is!

As many have said...Franken needs to come clean and he needs to come clean FAST. The DFL nominating convention is a little over one month away (June 7). Thirty days is an eternity during an election. The sooner this issue is completely addressed, the sooner the candidate can start to distance himself from it. Today is the day Al - it's a slow news day and you know that the local press will bury it for you. Get it all out now!

UPDATE AND BUMP: The American Thinker has a great post up on this.

As a CPA I find the Franken tax situation an amusing lesson. I suspect the accountant probably advised Franken of the obligations and Franken told him not to prepare returns for the non resident states. I had that happen more than once with people who owned pass through entities that operated in several states...Income from the performance of services is considered earned where the services are performed. Technically speaking, whenever I spent a day at a client in a neighboring state, I had an obligation to file an income tax return in that state for that day's salary unless an agreement existed between that state and my state of domicile that I need only pay tax where I live.... A huge exception exists for athletes and entertainers. For one thing few people except the desk clerks at the motel notice when a team of IT consultants from California spends several weeks in Asheville, NC. People in three states knew when George Clooney and Renee Zellweger were in nearby Anderson, SC filming Leatherheads. One day is all it takes in some cases.

Whenever the Seahawks play the Patriots in New England, everyone on the team has Massachusetts income tax withheld because of the 24 hours they spent in that state. Same thing when a Disney affiliate films a movie with scenes shot in multiple locations. If the director insists on spending five days in Central Park while the rest of the movie gets filmed in California, both New York state and New York City expect taxes to be withheld on everyone involved in establishing the story takes place in Manhattan. Ditto if a TV show goes on the road and films at a special location for a week. The local government offices that help arrange locations and permits also check that tax laws are being fully complied with. Thus networks, studios and sports teams are used to sometimes issuing Forms W-2 to a half a dozen different states or more on behalf of a single employee.

Given these industry practices, it's hard for me to believe that TV veteran Franken did not know his state income tax filing obligations.

I have to agree with Smith's conclusions. It would take a "willing suspension of disbelief" for us to take Team Franken's excuses at face value any longer.

Smoking Ban Theater

A loophole in the Minnesota state Smoking Ban for theatrical productions has been the subject of many stories and much wringing of hands. You see, several very imaginative (and desperate) bar owners are using that loophole to get around the ban...including one here in Scott County which is taking the issue to court.

A giant playbill greets patrons at the door to one of the two neighboring bars dotting Main Street in the former town of Elko.

Inside, the bouncer — excuse me, usher — checks a visitor’s ID and makes sure she is aware of tonight’s performance.

For just $2, this visitor can also get a badge and become an actor if she cares to smoke as part of the performance at the Bullseye Saloon in Elko New Market.

The production this evening (or rather, early morning)? A theatrical performance and satire called "An Unconstitutional Ban," in which bar patrons typically act as themselves.

The owners of the Bullseye Saloon do have their work cut out for them as this MinnPost story points out.

While the Minnesota "actors" who smoke in bars have drawn attention from across the country, they aren't the only ones to dream up ways to skirt smoking bans. Some have declared themselves exempt private clubs, other have said they don't understand the "no" in "no smoking." They've lost in the courts. Benjamin's odds of winning are probably about the same.

Personally, I think that the smoking bans are an undue, odious taking of property rights. I have a dear friend (Sue Jeffers) who is a former bar owner who has been a long time vocal critic and activist against the smoking ban. Sue knows the struggles that these bar owners are facing - with patrons staying home because they are not allowed to smoke indoors.

Sales dropped drastically when the ban took effect in October and were down an average 20 percent for five months, he said. They came back when theater performances began in March.

"I had employees upset that their tips had gone away and they were really having trouble making ends meet. I said, ‘I’m going to do everything in my power to keep all of your jobs,’ " he said.

Ironically (for the smoking ban folks) the owner of Bullseye is, like me, a non-smoker who is opposed to the bill on civil liberties reasons.

Like the other employees at Bullseye, Braun is a smoker. (Owner Robert) Ripley, the owner, is not.

Ripley opposes the ban because he thinks it violates personal freedom. He also says it’s harming establishments in an already down economic time.

Ripley, who took out a home-equity loan about five years ago to buy Bullseye, said he reviewed the law carefully before turning Bullseye into a theater.

Mr. Ripley took a big risk buying a business and employing Minnesotans. He should be rewarded by the state, not punished for it! Unfortunately, the Minnesota State Legislature doesn't see it that way. Maybe that is why so many businesses are leaving Minnesota....like Northwest Airlines.

Good luck Mr. Ripley. I fear you will need it!

The Defenders

ECM Publishing (publishers of numerous small local newspapers) interviewed several DFL Legislators who are coming to the defense of Al Franken, in light of his current financial troubles. All of the legislators interviewed (including Eagan's Sandy Masin and Apple Valley's Shelly Madore) have endorsed Al Franken for the DFL nomination for US Senate.

Revelations concerning DFL U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken’s taxes has not shaken the support of local lawmakers who have endorsed the comedian.

Indeed, several lawmakers point to a perceived quickness on Franken’s part in dealing with the tax flap as evidence of a take-the-bull-by-the-horns mentality desirable in a public official.

It’s always a big deal politically when the unpaid taxes issue crops up for a candidate., said Rep. Shelley Madore, DFL-Apple Valley. “It’s unfortunate that this wasn’t vetted out before (by his campaign),” said Madore.

“But now that it’s been vetted out — he took responsibility quickly, didn’t hide behind the, ‘I didn’t understand,’” she said. “I still believe that he’s a truthful, honest person and that was an oversight,” she said.

Quickness? Taking the "bull by the horns"? This story has been flying around the internet of over a month and in the local media for weeks! The excuses have changed daily (as well documented in the Star Tribune). If the way that the Franken campaign handled this is there idea of "quick", I certainly hate to see what a slow reaction would be.

While he may not have hidden behind the "I didn't understand" excuse he DID hide behind the "it's the accountant's fault" excuse. However, if you talk to an accountant, Ms. Madore, you will find that is not exactly a vaild excuse (HT who else but the expert on this story).

The divvying up of tax payments based on where you've worked is called apportionment, and while accountant Michael Shaffer says it can be complex to calculate, it's not exactly an obscure accounting principle.

"I learned it in my first tax class in college" he says.

In other words, it isn't exactly a "rookie mistake" and it is something that someone should tell Sen. Don Betzold (DFL Fridley)

Sen. Don Betzold, DFL-Fridley, isn’t mulling over his endorsement of Franken. “No. I think he’s a good candidate,” said Betzold.

If Franken’s accountant made mistakes — Franken signed-off on the taxes, true — but then Franken shouldn’t be held completely responsible, he opined.

The "experts" have a differing opinion Senator...Speaking of Fridley, Rep. Tom Tillberry (DFL-Fridley) weighed in with this:

Rep. Tom Tillberry, DFL-Fridley, also opined Franken reacted quickly to the tax issue.

Tillberry views Franken as moving ahead politically undamaged. “I mean, if he is — if people think that — I can’t agree with them,” he said. “What it points out to me is how well someone can take care of problems when they come up,” said Tillberry.

“If a person steps up and says, ‘This is my fault this is happening and I’m going to take care of it,’ isn’t that the type of integrity we want,” he rhetorically asked.

One minor problem to that theory Rep. Tillberry....Franken DIDN'T DO THAT. He didn't take responsibility - he blamed it on his accountant! Because he did not react quickly, honestly and decisively he is damaged goods. People much smarter and less partisan that I and who get paid to do this for a living have said so.

However, I am going to take Senator Betzold's advise and "move on" to talking about the issues. Important issues like TAXES....those pesky little things that Democrats like to raise, but some (like Franken) don't seem to want to pay. Gary Gross put up a post last June that is still instructional today. It is about the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce's rating of our legislators based on the legislators votes on tax issues. Senator Betzold voted 6 times last year to make our state tax system MORE COMPLICATED by raising taxes. Reps. Masin, Madore and Tillberry all voted for 11 of the 12 tax increases that were put before the House in 2007. Then there is the debacle that is the Transportation Bill of 2008 which the ALL voted for (and all voted to over-ride the Governor's veto).

I have no problem with these legislators sticking by their "guy". I find it admirable actually. However, their defense of Franken (along with their voting records) do give us insight into their "Happy to pay for a better Minnesota" mindset. It tells us that they are happier to have YOU pay your fair share if you are a wealthy entertainer or middle class Minnesotan. However, if one of theirs isn't so happy to pay...well it's no big deal...even when they get caught.