Category: GOP Politics

by Dave Mindeman

Hold onto your wallet. The Minnesota House GOP is making another No-Tax Pledge. And if the past is any indication, that usually means that ONLY the rich will escape without monetary damages.

The House majority fought Gov. Mark Dayton tooth and nail to prevent his idea on taxing the wealthiest 2% of Minnesotans to close the budget gap. And what was the result?

1. Property taxes again went up.
2. We borrowed on tobacco bonding to the tune of $1 billion.
3. We IOU'd the schools..again...for a total of over $2 billion.
4. Hunting and Fishing licenses increased.
5. Bills have been sent to the Senate for legal fees on the Koch-Brodkorb scandal.
6. And as an example of their fiscal prowess, we can point to the budget disaster of the GOP's own party finances.

So, when the Republicans in the House make a pledge that says they will not raise taxes if elected -- it lacks intellectual honesty.

I have grown very weary of Republican lip service to no tax budgeting. Nobody seems to notice that we have heard this "theme" for over a decade and what do we have to show for it? Debts, partisan rancor, budget gimmicks, middle class property tax hikes, and, gosh, a Vikings stadium.

Enough.

I would hope that Minnesota is ready to have an honest discussion of what no tax pledges really mean. Taxes simply have to be an option...and, if they are, then the ones who can afford it should help with the paying.

I'm sure we will hear the fairy tale about "job creators" as part of this false premise. Well, real job creation comes from creating a demand for products. And that only comes from the rest of Minnesota. Unleash that force and our problems are solved.

For now, the House GOP can spare us the repeat of this old song and dance.

We are wise to the end results and would be fools to get taken in again.

by Dave Mindeman

Minnpost's Eric Black couldn't seem to find any straight answers from Kurt Bills as he watched Almanac last Friday. I noticed the same thing.....Black just spells it out better.

Kurt Bills is a serious Ron Paulite. He introduced a bill in the legislature this year that would make gold and silver legal tender. Seriously, he did that.

Now that he has secured the Senate nomination, he seems to be trying to hide a little of the Ron Paul ideology. For instance, as Eric Black, pointed out, there is this Q & A from Kathy Wurzer (Almanac):

Bills went on KTCA?s ?Almanac? Friday where Kathy Wurzer led off by asking him ? since he is known to be an admirer or Congressman Ron Paul and to have won the Repub endorsement largely on the basis of support from the Paulites who took over the convention -- to specify the areas, if any, on which he differs from Ron Paul. The verbatim answer:

Rep. Kurt Bills: Yuh, I think you have to look at, again, you agree on fiscal and monetary policy. But you also have to look at foreign policy and be very thoughtful about it. But then also have to bring your own positions to the table as well. Having a strong national defense is very important to me. But then I think it also is to the congressman. And how do you look at foreign aid? And can we just cap foreign aid at some level like Senator Jim DeMint and Sen. Mike Lee and Senator Rand Paul put out? So it?s how can you work with people, stay at the table and keep discussing things.

Guess we may have the definition of evading an answer right here. Bills has, over the last few days, tried to moderate his position by stating that we shouldn't eliminate foreign aid, just freeze it at these levels. Pretty lame change but he isn't going to get anywhere with that anyway.

Somebody asked me how in the world this guy could actually be teaching high school students about economics with all these nutty ideas. Which is a good question -- thank heavens for set curriculum. But I have little doubt that he allowed some pretty off the wall discussions in his Econ 101 class.

Speaking of Econ....here was another Almanac question:

Wurzer: So it sounds like you?ve changed your mind from that April forum to now (on Fed policy). Sounds like that?s been a bit of a change for you?

Bills: No, I also think that you can have free market banking. We had a Suffolk system from 1824 till 1858 in this country that worked. It wasn?t actually a system, it was a free market bank that handled the same characteristics that the fed has now, and instead of being the lender of last resort, the Suffolk system used market discipline to handle our monetary policy so I think we see a huge diversity within our United States history of money and banking that we could meld into if that?s part of the process over the next six years.

1824? Sounds like Bills hasn't figured out that we have a global monetary system now. Might want to consider that before heading back a couple of centuries.

You know it would certainly be fine to have an Economics teacher get sent to Washington....but the economics of Kurt Bills is found in no honest textbook.....only in the fantasy mind of Ron Paul.

Category: Scott Walker

by Dave Mindeman

There is a new Marquette University poll which gives Scott Walker a 52-45 lead over Tom Barrett. The same poll shows Obama leading Romney by a 51-43 margin. Same poll?

There are a number of other questions.... 64% of respondents are over 45 years of age. (really?) 16% of Democrats support Walker (really?). 49% of respondents make over $50,000 per year (really?).

It's not that the Marquette polling data is really suspect....it's just odd.

A Democratic commissioned poll has the race at 49-49. But that is to be taken with a grain of salt as well.

This still looks like a turnout race. And the turnout will probably be very high.

Oh, and incidently....the Koch Brothers just happen to be promoting a 10 city - 10 bus Wisconsin state tour that has absolutley nothing to do with the recall election. Just promoting "general" conservative values. (really?, again?)

Since it would be illegal to do otherwise of course.

Walker could squeak this one out, but it will take all of his $30 million to do it......well, except for the $100,000 he shifted to his legal defense fund.

Buy the election first....stay out of jail later.

Politics at its finest.