Over at MnPublius, Jeff wonders “how many (constitutional) amendments they’ll (the GOP) ultimately put on the (Minnesota) ballot” and that by doing so, the GOP is over extending themselves.
Overextending themselves with, for instance, today’s State House Hearing on the GOP’s proposed Constitutional Amendment to use the Constitution to limit freedom and cement RightWingNutBigotry into stone. And that’s just one “for instance.” As bad as the GreedOverPrinciples party is here in Minnesota, we have a Gov. Dayton preventing this state going down the Wisconsin GOPer wHoleBunchOfCraziness.
The image to the right is “Today’s Most Popular Articles” from Madison’s The Daily Page. What started in February, in Wisconsin, is still going strong. Six Wisconsin GOPers face recall action. To be sure, GOPers are targeting Wisconsin Democrats, even going so far as allegedly offering Shots For Signatures. What hasn’t been seen on the GOPer side is people – as in people in the streets. Like at Hudson, on March 15th, and there were hundreds protesting GOPer Governor Scott “Baseball Bat” Walker – and eight – EIGHT – there to support him. People are still out and about and making their voices heard; the following YouTube was made from scenes from the Wisconsin Capitol from April 25th to the 29th. (I got the link from First Draft via email notification Crooks&Liars).
“The future belongs to those who are passionate and work hard.” And what the GOPers have started – in Minnesota, in Wisconsin, in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and elsewhere – is far from over.
(cross posted at MnProgressiveProject; comments welcome there)
…”compromise is the DFL doing it OUR way.”
Rather than taking the time on the last day of the Easter Break to pay their overdue bills, Minnesota’s GOP “Leaders” took off on a fly around to eight cities yesterday – the “Cooked Books Tour.”
The goal was to sell their budget bills. Here’s how Big E, a couple o’ weeks ago, described the GOPer bills:
They have broken precedent and are using numbers created by business lobbyists and other states. The MMB and Dept of Revenue question the validity of their numbers.
Personally, I like the Twitter hashtag – #EnronAccounting – to describe the GOPer’s make (stuff) up numbers, but hey – that’s just me. So, while flying around the great state, did the GOPers leave any room for compromise between them and DFL Governor Mark Dayton? Let’s look!
First stop, Rochester. From the Post Bulletin, here’s the lede:
With less than a month until the legislative session deadline, GOP legislative leaders on Monday reiterated they will not consider tax increases as part of a final budget deal.
“There is a lot of room to compromise and we will compromise and we will cooperate with the governor. We’re just not going to compromise our principles and we’re not raising taxes. Minnesotans can’t afford it,” said Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch, R-Buffalo.
To recap: GOPers ran on not raising taxes, DFL Governor Mark Dayton ran on raising taxes on those paying less than their fair-share: the rich. It’s a matter of principle for both, and the GOP’s solution?
“Compromise is the DFL doing it OUR way.”
Next stop, Mankato. From The Free Press, here’s the lede:
MANKATO — During a stop in Mankato Monday, Republican leaders of the Minnesota House and Senate again vowed to oppose any of the state tax increases Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton is insisting be part of budget compromise.
.
.
The legislative leaders were asked about a Minneapolis Star Tribune report on Sunday that backroom discussions at the Capitol showed some GOP willingness to consider possible revenue increases as part of a compromise budget, including closing tax loopholes that mostly benefit high-income Minnesotans. Dayton’s budget proposal focuses tax hikes on higher income tax brackets, based on the argument that wealthier Minnesotans are paying a lower percentage of their income in state and local taxes than middle-class residents.“Don’t believe them,” Deputy Senate Majority Leader Geoff Michel said. “Don’t believe the Star Tribune.”
Message from GOPers, at Mankato? Well, there’s TWO messages:
1 – “Compromise is the DFL doing it OUR way.”, and
2 – “Don’t believe the Star Tribune.”
Way to work the refs Geoff!
The fly around included Bemidji; from The Pioneer:
(GOPer Senator Amy) Koch said the business climate can’t improve until the state government gets the budget under control. With that accomplished, the economy will grow, she said.
“This is about so much more than making the books balance,” she said.
“…so much more than making the books balance.”??!?
Yeah, “right.” For the GOP, it’s about cookin’ the books, too.
From the St. Cloud Times:
Less than a month remains before May 23, the scheduled end to the 2011 legislative session that’s prescribed in Minnesota’s Constitution. Yet Republican legislators and Gov. Mark Dayton appear to be miles apart on how to dispatch the state’s deficit.
Republicans would balance the $5 billion deficit primarily with spending cuts, and by delaying repayment of a funding shift to school districts.
Dayton’s budget proposal also would delay repayment of the school-district shift, and would cut projected spending by an additional $300 million in the next two years.
But the Dayton plan also would generate about $3.3 billion in new state revenues, by hiking income taxes on the state’s highest earners and imposing new fees and surcharges on health care providers and individuals.
In an interview after Monday’s event, (St Cloud GOP State Senator John) Pederson expressed optimism that legislators and Dayton can find common ground.
“There probably is some room for compromise, if we can stay away from the tax increases,” Pederson said.
Once again, the GOP position is clear: “compromise is the DFL doing it OUR way.”
From the Alexandria Echo Press:
Published April 22, 2011, 12:00 AM
GOP leaders to stop in Alexandria Monday
Minnesota Senate and House GOP leaders will be doing a statewide fly-around on Monday, April 25. They will be arriving at the Alexandria Airport around 4:40 p.m.
Oops! The GOPer’s Cooked Books Tour couldn’t even get coverage; it seems one paper had the good sense to ignore the BS the GOP is spewing.
Here’s what the Duluth News Tribune had to say:
Published April 25, 2011, 08:57 AM
Minnesota GOP legislative leaders to tour Duluth, state
Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch and House Speaker Kurt Zellers start this morning in St. Paul before making stops in Rochester, Mankato, St. Cloud, Moorhead, Bemidji, Alexandria and Duluth.”
Oops, AGAIN!!!
From Fargo-Moorhead Forum:
MOORHEAD – Minnesota Re publican legislative leaders made a stop here Monday to promote their party’s plan for battling the state’s budget deficit.
“We say: ‘What’s in our checkbook is what we have to spend,’ ’’ said Sen. Majority Leader Amy Koch of Buffalo.
Three points – as noted here, GOPers were quite comfortable ordering recount copying services when they didn’t have the “money in the checkbook” to pay for it, and “what’s in the checkbook is what there is to spend” is obviously a concept unfamiliar to squawk-talker and reliable GOPer bootlicker Mitch Berg; and once again, GOPer Senator Amy Koch paints her party into a corner with no negotiating room, unless:
“compromise is the DFL doing it OUR way.”
Get ready for the GOPers to shut this state down, folks – in GOPer world, there is no compromise.
(cross posted at MnProgressiveProject.com; comments welcome there)
From yesterday’s Milwaulkee Journal-Sentinel:
Capitol damage cost claim based on 1 page of notebook paper
Handwritten page was all state had behind $7 million figureBy Jason Stein of the Journal Sentinel March 30, 2011
Madison — State officials’ controversial courtroom testimony that protesters did more than $7 million in damage to the Capitol was based on a single handwritten page.
An open records request by the Journal Sentinel on the damage estimate turned up only one page of notebook paper listing costs written before the courtroom testimony. Other e-mails from state officials listing areas to check for potential damage also were released, but there were no others with any dollar figures written before the court testimony.
.
.
Department of Administration spokeswoman Carla Vigue said Wednesday that the single page written by state architect Dan Stephans and dated March 3 – the same day as the court statement – was the basis for the testimony. Stephans did not respond to a phone message left Wednesday.“The only real document we had to give was the handwritten one,” Vigue said.
The day after the testimony, Walker administration officials sharply backpedaled from the damages figures amid widespread questions about their validity.
Incredible.
“An open records request by the Journal Sentinel on the damage estimate turned up only one page of notebook paper…”
Ladies and Gentlemen, I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again and Again and AGAIN:
Reasonable People Cannot Reasonably Believe What GOPers Say.
Even the least dishonest of GOPers admitted that; remember what GOPer National Chair Michael Steele once said?
“You have absolutely no reason – none – to trust our words or our actions at this point.”
True then, true today, and it’ll be true tomorrow too.
Reasonable People Cannot Reasonably Believe What GOPers Say.
(cross posted at MnProgressiveProject.com; comments welcome there)
This one, just released:
Want to help?
BoldProgressives.org, and/or…
RecallTheRepublican8.com, and/or…
Closer to home, here in Minnesota: DFL.org.
One o’ those 8 is a particulary disgusting GOPer, even for a GOPer: Randy Hopper, whose mistress recently got a cushy state job.
“Politics isn’t about big money or power games; it’s about the improvement of people’s lives.” — Paul Wellstone
Improvement doesn’t happen without action; if you’re mighty mad, get out there and get active!
(cross posted at MnProgressiveProject.com; comments welcome there)
I read the column in the Strib’s Dead-Tree Edition; it was in the Crime “business+money” section. And it was a good one. Shoulda been in the Op/Ed section, but hey – at least it was in print. So I went to StarTribune.com to get the link; couldn’t find it – even after a site search.
Fortunately, the Strib did have a link at the end o’ the dead-tree edition; I found Al Lewis’ column here.
Preparing To Sacrifice
By Al LewisShared sacrifice follows every disaster. It’s only a matter of deciding who shares it.
“We’re asking shared sacrifice from a lot of people,” Michigan’s Republican Gov. Rick Snyder said last week. “These are difficult times.”
.
.
Americans prize individualism. We worship the free-market ideal of every man for himself, at least until history’s most successful union — the chummy CEOs’ and board directors’ guild — needs a bailout. Otherwise, collectivism is for wonky, union-loving liberals. And cops.Notice Wisconsin’s governor did not have the courage to strip police, fire and emergency workers of their collective bargaining rights. People still have the right to collectively bargain in the Dairy State unless they are those robber-baron teachers. (more, at wsj.com)
Let’s look again, at what Michigan’s GOPer Governor said:
“We’re asking shared sacrifice from a lot of people.”
Here’s what Michigan’s GOPer Governor didn’t say:
“And our Boardroom Base is included among those we’re asking to join in our shared sacrifice.”
That, Ladies and Gentlemen, is all you need to know about today’s GOP – today’s GOP is protecting the Boardoom at the expense of the middle class. Al Lewis’ column should have been in the Strib’s Op/Ed section; should be available on the Strib’s website. It’s not. At least it was in the dead-tree edition.
(cross posted at MnProgressiveProject; comments welcome there)
From the #YouCantMakeThisStuffUp Dept…. while Gaddafi declared a tax cut…
2:41pm Libyan state TV announces wide-ranging tax cuts. It says:
The general public committee has decided to reduce customs on basic commodities to zero per cent and to reduce customs on all other commodities to only five per cent. It also decided to remove all consumption and production taxes.
… Madison.com reports that “Walker’s budget slashes tax credits that aid poor:
Low-income taxpayers in Wisconsin would lose hundreds of dollars in tax credits a year under Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed budget — at the same time the governor wants tax cuts for businesses and investors to boost jobs.
Thanks to the eagle-eyed and dedicated reader that sent that tip in!!!
In other news of note concerning Scott “Baseball Bat” Walker, who dreams of treating the least amongst him worse than Gadaffi:
Walker’s Latest Mea Nota Culpa, via the Wisconsin State Journal.
The Daily Page: “A former GOP aide to Senate Republicans: You can beat Walker”
Via the Green Bay Press-Gazette: “(GOP) Sen. Cowles: Republicans have to be “flexible” on collective bargaining negotiations”
Via DailyKos: “Wisconsin recall update: 15% of signature goal reached”
And finally, Faux Noise’s @MikeTobinFox still hasn’t posted a new tweet, ever since the news came out he’s a KochWhore SpokesTool “typical Fox Reporter”.
Send tips/suggestions for the next “Strongman Report” to: TwoPuttTommy@mnprogressiveproject.com …
(05 March 2011 Strongman Report, here)
(01 March 2011 Strongman Report, here)
(cross posted at MnProgressiveProject.com; comments welcome there)
Recommended Reading (and, in one case, viewing!):
WaPo:” Jon Stewart hosts Ravitch, rips critics of teachers in newest, funniest show”
The Daily Page: “Isthmus, Wisconsin Associated Press sue Gov. Scott Walker over access to emails”
Albert Lea Tribune: “Minnesota Watches Wisconsin”
MPP: “Canada prohibits Faux Noise broadcasting; Wisconsin Protests demonstrate why”
Strib: “Arne Carlson criticizes Wisconsin governor’s tactics”
Send tips/suggestions for the next “Strongman Report” to: TwoPuttTommy@mnprogressiveproject.com …
(01 March 2011 Strongman Report, here)
(cross posted at MnProgressiveProject.com; comments welcome there)
…Today’s Example of “Republicans run on the platform ‘Government doesn’t work!’ – and once elected, they prove it.”
It’s mighty fine company Wisconsin Governor Scott “Baseball Bat” Walker is bein’ associated with these days….
(cross posted at MnProgressiveProject.com; comments welcome there)
I got the Media Advisory from the DFL: DFL Chair to Discuss Irregularities in GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Tom Emmer’s Finances. I figured it had to do with Emmer’s campaign finances, so I figured I’d attend. After all, GOPers are notorious for their finances; for instance, take a look at The Tostenson Memo pointing out highly irregular and exceedingly questionable “reporting” – and after all, the now-GOP State Chair was then- GOP State Treasurer: FEC Tony.
So I figured this was just gonna be another case of a GOPer campaign demonstrating, once again, that old adage: “Numbers Don’t Lie (but Republicans use numbers)”.
Especially with Emmer’s… well, how shall I say this? OK, I’ll say this: with Emmer’s documented aversion to telling the truth on the campaign trail.
So, I was a little surprised when I got there and the topic o’ the presser wasn’t Emmer’s “campaign” finances, but his “personal” finances – specifically, according to the media handout, “Tom Emmer’s Mortgage History” (image below the fold).
And I got a background in real estate; as does a family member. And when I saw that handout, I immediately thought:
If you don’t know what “Liar Loans” are, google it (or, just click on the previous link).
Now, I’m not sayin’ Emmer did “Liar Loans” personally; what I’m saying is that those 7 mortgages in 8 years (on just one property) listed by the “Prepared by the Minnesota DFL Party. Printed in house. Labor donated.” handout sure raises the ol’ red flag up the flagpole!
And DFL Chair Melendez didn’t “say” Emmer was doin’ the ol’ Liar Loan Shuffle; Melendez was simply saying Emmer needs to come clean about his mortgage financing record.
IMNSHO, I agree. An appraiser pal did some quick research into some easy-to-understand background on Liar Loans for me – and for you, the Gentle Reader! Let’s look!!!
From Slate.com, good description of liar loans in the marketplace:
Inside the Liar’s Loan
How the mortgage industry nurtured deceit.
By Mark Gimein
Posted Thursday, April 24, 2008
.
.
.
The term is mortgage-industry slang for what’s more formally called a “stated income” mortgage—a mortgage that a lender gives without checking tax returns, employment history, or pretty much anything else. Many of the loans that are in trouble now, or will be in trouble soon, fall into this category. But the term gives only the barest hint of the pervasive failure involved.The original idea of the stated income mortgage was that it would benefit salespeople who work on commission, people who own their own businesses, and others for whom predicting next year’s income isn’t just a matter of looking at last year’s.
At the height of the mortgage boom, however, especially in pricey markets, the liar’s loan became a routine way of doing business; for some lenders—both smaller ones like IndyMac and WMC as well as big ones like Countrywide and Washington Mutual—it was the main way. In 2006 in some parts of the country, these loans made up as much as half of new mortgages, for both subprime borrowers and for homebuyers with high credit scores.
From 2005, RealtyTimes.com, before the fraudfest became widely known:
New Report: Housing Boom Stimulating Mortgage Application Fraud Boom
by Kenneth R. HarneyThe national housing boom is producing a companion boom — one that you don’t read about as much: Dishonesty and outright fraud by home buyers and mortgage and realty industry professionals on loan applications has exploded in the past two years.
A newly-released national study by a research group says fraud-related cases on mortgage applications reported to the FBI more than doubled between 2003 and 2004.
The Mortgage Asset Research Institute (MARI), which pools fraud information supplied by hundreds of mortgage lenders, says loan fraud is worst in Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, Utah and North Carolina. Individual cities with high fraud rates — based on “serious early delinquencies” on home loans closed during 2004 — include Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Orlando, Charlotte, Memphis and Scranton.
From PBS.org – and this one should just make you plain sick because it is completely dead-on:
April 3, 2009
The financial industry brought the economy to its knees, but how did they get away with it? With the nation wondering how to hold the bankers accountable, Bill Moyers sits down with William K. Black, the former senior regulator who cracked down on banks during the savings and loan crisis of the 1980s. Black offers his analysis of what went wrong and his critique of the bailout.
Now, this type of fraud – “Liar Loans” – isn’t new; Appraisers have been trying – TRYING – to raise Holy (Heck) about it for a long, Long, LONG time. For instance, here’s a petition started by Appraisers back in December, Y2K:
“The ASC’s mission is to ensure that real estate appraisers, who perform appraisals in real estate transactions that could expose the United States government to financial loss, are sufficiently trained and tested to assure competency and independent judgment according to uniform high professional standards and ethics.” From the ASC website.
The concern of this petition has to do with our “independent judgment” in performing real estate appraisals. We, the undersigned, represent a large number of licensed and certified real estate appraisers in the United States, who seek your assistance in solving a problem facing us on a daily basis. Lenders (meaning any and all of the following: banks, savings and loans, mortgage brokers, credit unions and loan officers in general; not to mention real estate agents) have individuals within their ranks, who, as a normal course of business, apply pressure on appraisers to hit or exceed a predetermined value
.
Now, again – I’m NOT sayin’ Tom Emmer was involved in Liar Loans; I am – AM – saying Melendez is correct: it’s time Emmer opened up his finances; the same way the State GOP demanded an accounting from Horner:
“In the face of mounting public pressure, Tom Horner has dug in his heels by repeatedly refusing to release his client list,” read a MN GOP statement. “Horner likes to talk about having ‘honest conversations’ with Minnesotans, but he won’t be honest with them about how he’s lined his pockets over the years with special interest money. It’s past time for Horner to come clean and release his client list.” (MinnesotaIndependent.com)
Take the above and take a look at the following list (prepared by the DFL) and it’s clear:
Tom Emmer, you got some ‘splainin’ to do!
Especially considering FEC Tony’s recent quote in story in MinnPost:
“This gets to a core issue. You can’t hold yourself to a different standard than you hold everyone else.” — MN GOP Chair Tony Sutton
(cross posted from MnProgresiveProject.com; comments welcome there)
On October 16th, I asked several fellow veterans about a comment the Republican Candidate for Governor in Minnesota – Tom Emmer – said to the Marshall Independent newspaper on 9/26/09. That quote by Emmer – “I don’t believe you can be a freedom-loving American and be a Democrat” was not widely reported in the allegedly “liberal” mainstream media.
This video documents a few Veterans responses to Emmer saying, essentially, that Democrats, even military veterans, can’t be real patriots.
I’d like to remind everyone that on 07 April 1775, Samuel Johnson said that “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.”
On 26 September 2009, Republican Candidate for Governor Tom Emmer demonstrated that he indeed is a scoundrel.
I paid for this with my dime. It’s not not approved by any candidate nor is any candidate responsible for it. It’s my deal and my deal only. Let’s look!
(cross posted from MnProgressiveProject.com, please post comments there)
