Sure, he left the state with the biggest deficit in Minnesota’s 152 year history – leaving someone else to clean up his mess.
Sure, he’s a slob hunter that gut-shot a deer and took off to a campaign event, leaving someone else to clean up his mess.
Pawlenty left a LOT of messes here in Minnesota. To me, the following is what I’ll remember Tim Pawlenty for:
“Children who are victims of failed personal responsibility are not my problem, nor are they the problem for our government.” — Majority Leader Tim Pawlenty, April 2001 – as quoted in the Aitkin Independent Newspaper (entire column here)
“Children who are victims of failed personal responsibility are not my problem, nor are they the problem for our government.”
And he wants to be president…..
(cross posted at MnProgressiveProject.com; comments welcome there)
In keeping with former Gov. Tbag’s sentiment that “Children who are victims of failed personal responsibility are not my problem, nor are they the problem for our government”, State Rep Steve Drazkowski recently introduced a bill that would require a pee test for folk RightWingers label “on the dole.” Not surprisingly, in Drazkowski’s world, some weasels on the taxpayer gravy train, such as Michael Brodkorb, wouldn’t have to drop trou and whip it out befor collecting the check. About his bill, Draz said this:
“We’re sending welfare money to people that are turning it around and pumping it into their veins.” (Winona Daily News)
Draz’s bill and that quote prompted an Op/Ed in the Winona Daily News, and you really, Really, REALLY need to go read the whole thing: the author really, Really, REALLY rips “Mazeppa’s Mr. Family Values” a new one!
Drazkowski has no shame, but we should
Jerome Christenson Wednesday, February 16, 2011 7:00 amI want Steve Drazkowski to pee in a cup before he draws his state paycheck. What’s sauce for the goose …
If Team Draz figures it’s vital to the state’s fiscal health that an overstressed, out-of-work single mom pass a pee test to qualify for survival support under the Minnesota Family Investment Program, shouldn’t the same standard be placed on all those who lay claim to taxpayer dollars – including self-righteous legislators?
(snip!)
Once again, Mazeppa’s Mr. Family Values paints the poorest and most vulnerable as the social villains responsible for running the state budget into the red. Clearly, in his view, if the 166 adults drawing assistance in Winona County got off the dole, Minnesota’s $6 billion deficit would vanish. By Draz’s figuring, getting them to pee in a cup is the first step to that glorious goal.
Y’know, if the aim of this bill was to identify poor people with drug and alcohol problems so they could get the treatment they need there might be some merit to it.
That’s not the case. Flunk the pee test and they’ll be cut off without a dime. Just what we need – more homeless, penniless, hungry drug addicts out on the street. If one of them were to slip up next to Steve on a dark street corner, and relieve him of his wallet, he might be a victim of more than just a crime. He might then be a victim of his own legislation. (more, here)
Hey, I agree with Mr. Christensen, Draz should have to whip it out before he cashes his next check – and Brodkorb needs to be standing “right” next to him.
After all, what’s good for the goose….
(H/T to Uncle Al)
(cross posted at MnProgressiveProject.com; comments welcome there)
I often say that “Republicans are morally, bankrupt, intellectually dishonest, and institutionally corrupt.”
And I say that for the old-fashioned reason; it’s true.
For today’s example of “morally bankrupt” – just go google “George Rekers RentBoy” and see what you come up with – here’s but one that demonstrates “morally bankrupt”:
FL (GOP!)* Atty General Bill McCollum’s “Expert” Witness Caught with Male Prostitute
Filed by: Nadine Smith
May 4, 2010 7:00 PMGeorge Rekers, the “expert” witness hired by Attorney General Bill McCollum to defend Florida’s anti-gay adoption ban has been caught with a male prostitute at the Miami airport, according to the Miami New Times.
Rekers was one of only two witnesses McCollum called in an effort to reverse a Miami judge who ruled Florida’s adoption ban- the only one in the country- is unconstitutional. (more, here)
* (GOP!) added
For today’s example of “institutionally corrupt”? Jack Abramoff. The Documentary is coming out tomorrow; for but one true and sordid tale of the depravity of the GOP party, go back and re-read “Paradise Lost – Greed, Sex Slavery, Forced Abortions and Right-Wing Moralists”. Tom DeLay, R=Corrupt, described this abomination as “a perfect petri dish of capitalism”.
And have no doubt – in today’s GreedOverPrinciples party, the misery inflicted on a place where the American Flag flies, that’s EXACTLY where their brand of “capitalism” leads to.
Locally, the simple fact that FEC Tony is “in charge” of the State Republican Party gives credence, too. Does everyone remember “The Tostenson Memo”?
For today’s example of “intellectual dishonest” I’m going to look locally at yesterday’s post by Andy Aplikowski, “MN Budget Is Too Big To Succeed – Why Emmer’s Gonna Win”
Now, remember what I recently said, about Andy Aplikowski:
Now, earlier today, I said this, about GOPer Sheila Kihne:
Now, first I’d like to say that I’ve met Sheila; and I find her to be a very bright, intelligent, and passionate individual devoted to her cause: “conservatism.”
Now, I’ve met AAA too; and I say the exact same about Andy that I said about Sheila – except for the “very bright” and “intelligent” part. (“Today’s Example of GOP Idiocy – AAA, At Residual Forces!”
And I stand by that.
Here’s where the “intellectual dishonesty” part comes in – AAA rips the state government for what he (probably correctly) considers excessive leases entered into by the state; EXCEPT AAA doesn’t blame Pawlenty’s Administration for “another skeleton filled closet full of Government waste,…” – no, not AAA! AAA uses GOPer Pawlenty’s waste to advocate for electing another GOPer when Pawlenty’s term expires not soon enough next January.
Let’s look at what AAA cites:
In Duluth, the state will pay $2.3 million over the next few years to rent offices in Canal Park for the Pollution Control Agency and the Department of Labor.
OK, who is in charge of the Department of Labor and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency? Pawlenty appointees Steve Sviggum and Paul Eger.
And BOTH of them are responsible for the actions of their agencies; BOTH of them report to TBag.
But AAA is using that “..skeleton filled closet full of Government waste,…” to advocate for more of the same Tom Emmer’s election??!?
If anything, based on the years and Years and YEARS of Republican cronyism – see the above links regarding Abramoff if you have any doubts this is true – AAA would be demanding an investigation into the relationship between those agency leases and those that entered into them – and so would Tom Emmer.
If AAA were intellectually honest (which he obviously isn’t) he’d be laying blame where blame belongs – his own party, of which Tom Emmer is part of and had oversight duty as a member of the legislature. Indeed, Emmer, as Deputy Minority Leader, had more than a duty – but sadly, today’s GOPers look the other way when it comes to their own party’s problems.
Tom Emmer isn’t part of the solution; Tom Emmer is part of the problem.
That’s today’s example of “intellectual dishonesty.”
If you’d like another, Jeff Rosenberg at MnPublius.com has a post on how GOPers are deliberately lying rewriting history about the timeline concerning TBag’s getting spanked by the State Supreme Court.
I’ve said it before, I said it today, and I’ll continue to say it again:
“Republicans are morally, bankrupt, intellectually dishonest, and institutionally corrupt.”
(cross posted from MnProgressiveProject; comments welcome there)
Dusty Trice caught the hypocrisy of Gov. T-Bag’s appearance on Faux News yesterday; about how Gov. T-Bag cancelled an appearance at Harvard University when there was a potential for a Swine Flu outbreak but had Pawlenty of time to chat away about teabagger bull(stuff) on Faux News while Minneapolis was cleaning up after yesterday’s tornados. It’s all about the priorities, doncha know?
So I’m watching Gov. T-Bag, and I spit coffee on the keyboard when Gov. T-Bag said this:
The federal government has run every entitlement program they have essentially into the ground Medicare is broke. Medicaid is broke Social Security is broke they’ve running every program they have them — that nature into the ground why would we give them another one to run and manage into the ground.”
O
M
G.
Just exactly who – WHO – has “run the government” over the last, say, 40 years?
Nixon – 1969 to 1974; Ford 1974 to 1977 (GOP 8, Dems 0)
Carter, 1977 to 1981 (GOP 8, Dems 4)
Reagan 1981 to 1989 (GOP 16, Dems 4)
Bush The Elder, 1989 to 1993 (GOP 20, Dems 4)
Clinton 1993 to 2001 (GOP 20, Dems 12)
Bush The Lesser, 2001 to 2009 (GOP 28, Dems 12)
Over the last 40 years, the GOP has run the federal government, and it’s entitlement programs, for 28 of the last 40 years.
So, when Gov. T-Bag says the “government has run everything into the ground” – that’s HIS party he’s talking about.
And in a way, T-Bag is “right” – we should NOT give the GOP another chance to run government; they break EVERYTHING.
(crossposted from MnProgressiveProject)
On a beautiful Sunday afternoon, just 4 days ago, a lot of DFLers took the time to help Paul Thissen celebrate the opening of his campaign office. And I mean ” a lot.” I was surprised by the turnout. Some of them are already confirmed and dedicated Thissen supporters, such as the couple that made the trip down from Duluth. Others were curious about Paul, and what they told me is that they are finding out that Paul Thissen is a serious guy running a serious campaign. One of my questions was how a metro area DFLer would do in Greater Minnesota; I was told a YouTube addressing that very issue would be posted on Team Thissen’s website. Since it now is, let’s take a look!
With yesterday’s “developments”, the race is wide open. Running hard is Paul Thissen. Team Thissen is a team to watch.
(crossposted from MnProggressiveProject)
What do rightwingnuts call a non-profit that’s backed by a whole bunch o’ corporate sponsors, from Allstate Insurance, American Airlines, and AT&T to UPS, Verizon and Wall-Mart?
Yep – “The Admiral” over at Lake Minnetonka Liberty said that, just yesterday, in a post that tried to trash not only Sonia Sotomayer, but an established and respected civil rights organization, too.
To be fair, and so as to not take “The Admiral” out of context, he followed that up with:
I know the loony left will be jumping all over this one. I’m not comparing them with the Klan of old, but with todays Klan. The 1950′s and ’60′s are over with, that’s not what we are talking about here. Let’s not make me point out the chaos they caused a few years ago with the stated purpose of disruption of commerce, looting, etc… which by the way, they accomplished.
Yeah, “right.”
Now, keep in mind Sonia Sotomayor was first appointed to the federal bench by Bush The Elder – and confirmed by the Senate; she was subsequently promoted to the Appellate Court by Bill Clinton, and AGAIN confirmed by Senate vote. And her membership in La Raza was well-known, back then.
Yesterday, “The Admiral” asked: Does anybody think she’s not biased? Anybody think she’s not a racist? Anybody think she doesn’t have an agenda?
Yes, but unlike “The Admiral”, they live on Terra Firma.
Oh – and they also aren’t the bedrock of today’s GreedOverPrinciples party. Sadly, “The Admiral” appears to be “mainstream” – “mainstream” that is, in today’s republiCon party.
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(h/t to Spotty, over at The Cucking Stool; h/t to Daily Kos for the following YouTube)
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(crossposted from MnProgressiveProject.com)
