The Savage Republican

My man Howie is back in the news!

DNC Chairman Howard Dean, the conservative bloggers best friend, was back in the news this week. Chairman Dean announced this week that border control was a "top priority" for the DNC in this election. Unfortunately, he is still calling for a version of anmesty for the illegals that are here.

" Mr. Dean said he wants "immigrants who obey the law and pay taxes to be able to apply for citizenship. We support earned legalization vigorously. And, much to my surprise, so do the American people."

However, this new found interest in immigration reform puts him at odds with thise members of his party in the House and Senate.

" Not true, said Mr. (Steve) King (R-IA), who represents a district along the Missouri River in western Iowa. He said 200 Democrats voted against a bill passed by the House in December that mandates stronger border security. "

Meanwhile, Conservatives in the House and Senate are taking notice of Chairman Dean's newfound interest in the issue.

"Mr. Dean's advocacy of "tough border control" this week -- at an event at which the DNC chief outlined his party's November election strategy -- shows clearly that Mr. Dean has seen polls showing that Americans are fed up with the federal government's failure to secure the nation's borders, said Rep. Tom Tancredo, Colorado Republican. "It's another indication of just how stupid the Republican Party is when they say we better not go after immigration as an issue, we better not go after border security as an issue," said Mr. Tancredo, a longtime advocate of immigration reform."

Meanwhile the Las Vegas Sun points out the one thing that, if the RNC is smart they will take advantage of in a hurry!

"Ask Democratic leaders to identify their party's election-year message and you get everything but consensus.
Ahead in polls, Democrats are divided over whether they already have - or even need - a national theme that tells voters exactly where the party stands.
"One message? Hmmm. I don't know. Let me think about it," Alvaro Cifuentes said after a long pause. Several minutes later, the head of the Democratic National Committee's Hispanic Caucus said, "You can't try to simplify your politics with a slogan. You can't."

As long as the Democrats continue to drift with no cohesive message, the Republicans should have no problems gaining seats in November. Of course that depends on whether the Republicans remember what it means to be a Republican and they legislate that way. If they continue to legislate as Democrats, then the base will stay home on Election Day and they (the Republican leadership in the House and Senate) will be the ones responsible for handing over to the Dems, the keys to the Capital.

We simply believe that everyone who lives in our state abides by our laws.

So says Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue in signing a sweeping immigration reform law. Let's just leave that statement sit there for a minute. While I understand what the Governor is implying here, does this mean that there are no inmates in Georgia prisons?

Now I have pretty much stayed out of the immigration debate because, like many in this country my family immigrated here. Also, like many of those protesting the immigration reform bills, my family immigrated to America from Mexico legally. I personally do not think that it is too much to ask that people here in this country abide by American laws, however I do understand what drove many to immigrate here legally and illegally. I have worked with Mexican immigrants whose immigration status has been questionable and they were largely like you and I - your average Joe just trying to make a living.

However, what is happening now is a danger to our country. The horror stories abound....hospitals closing emergency rooms in California, uninsured drivers causing fatal traffic accidents - there are probably as many horror stories as there are illegal immigrants in the country. Stories are one thing, statistics are another and the statistics here are truly frightening.

"In the past two years, FAIR has issued fiscal cost studies for California, Arizona, Texas and Florida looking at the same cost factors studied by the Urban Institute 10 years earlier, i.e., education3, emergency medical care and incarceration. Our findings of the annual net fiscal costs were:
California $8.8 billion ($1,183 per native household)
Arizona $1.03 billion ($717 per native household)
Texas $3.73 billion ($725 per native household)
Florida $.91 billion ($315 per native household)
These studies were done in 2004 and 2005, and the rapid continuing increase in the illegal immigrant population in each of these states would result in higher estimates of the fiscal cost today. "

Lest you think that this problem is solely confined to the border states, here is what it costs the Minnesota taxpayers now and what we can expect to pay in 2010 and 2020 should things remain unchanged:

"Minnesota $345 million (current) $589 million(2010) $1.023 billion(2020)"

Now many of the protestors say that this is a "civil rights" issue. However, as this Los Angeles Times opinion piece suggests, that might not be the case.

"Activists seem focused on a political agenda that is fiercely anti-capitalist and intent on removing all border constraints."

As the opinion piece concludes, the immigration process absolutely needs to be an "orderly and lawful" process. Anything less than that does a disservice to any and all who sacrificed everything in order to come here legally. Giving open ended "amnesty" to illegal immigrants from all nations cheapens the citizinship that the majority of all Americans cherish more than life itself.

For those who dislike the word "amnesty" - what would you call it when you suspend current law and give prefferential citizenship standards to one group over all others? Would you call that fair? I sure wouldn't.

The culture of corruption

Interesting......we hear all of this talk (out of our friends on the left) about the "Republican" culture of corruption and then we get this.

"The top Democrat on the House ethics committee, Alan Mollohan, will leave the panel — at least temporarily — while he defends his own financial conduct, Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said Friday. "

Apparently Representative Mollohan has something in common with former Representative Duke Cunningham - a penchant for funneling taxpayer dollars to people that contribute to his campaign.

"The Wall Street Journal reported two weeks ago that Mollohan steered millions of dollars to nonprofit groups in his district — with much of the money going to organizations run by people who contribute to the lawmaker's campaigns."

I believe that there is an old saying that is quite apropos here...those who live in glass houses really should not throw stones.

In honor of the day

Today is Earth Day and in honor of Earth Day, I would like to highlight 2 informative articles. First is this one out of the Los Angeles Times.

"MEET AL GORE, scaremonger. In 2004, Gore denounced President Bush for "playing on our fears." Today, he is at the forefront of a "green scare" about global warming intended to terrify Americans into submitting to his environmental policies. "

Ouch - that's harsh! As I said in my post on the 20th, the jury is still out on global warming. The facts are contradictory at best.

"But Gore & Co. aren't troubled by such details because the smears are all for a good cause. That's why Gore saw nothing wrong in bullying dissident climate change scientists when he was a senator or waging a mean-spirited campaign to discredit the work of his old mentor, Harvard oceanographer Roger Revelle, because Revelle thought alarmism was unwarranted." (emphasis mine)

And this is the man who was a heartbeat away from the Presidency - bullying any and all who dare to disagree with him. I never thought I would say this but I am so thankful that President Clinton was not impeached. A Gore presidency - no matter how brief - would have been disasterous to the world economy.

"Reducing global carbon dioxide emissions to 60% of 1990 levels before 2050, while China, India and (hopefully) Africa modernize, is inconceivable, ill-conceived and also immoral because it would consign generations to poverty. "

Here is something that is true and measureable.

"The air we breathe and the water we drink is substantially cleaner than it was at the time of the first Earth Day in 1970," said Peyton Knight, director of environmental and regulatory affairs for the National Center, adding, "Of course, good news on the environment, of which there is much, rarely makes the cut for the broadcast evening news."

Earth Day 1970 had it's good points and the genesis of Earth Day has done so measurable good. However we should not forget that we have scientific fact that this planet has undergone climatic change in the past. At one time the North American continent was covered with glacial ice and at another time (as a friend recently reminded me) it was covered with tropical rainforests. While we humans can effect the planet for good and for ill, the planet is not as fragile as the extreme environmentalists like Al Gore would have us believe.

I'm from the government and I'm here to...make your life a living hell!

We all knew it would happen sooner or later-and that history repeats itself.
We now hear all the screaming and yelling about "windfall profits", the need for "Congressional investigations on price gouging" with oil at $75/bbl. And the lefties and neocons (who are seemingly the lefties brother separated at birth) are shrieking that they ALL know exactly how to solve this:
GWB is going to speak at "Ethanol Incorporated" (despite all the evidence that ethanol is more expensive than oil, causes food prices to raise, damages engines, etc.) and today he calls for a "hybrid car initiative" despite evidence and more evidence that hybrids are also failures.
And of course, to show that Denny Hastert is an unapologetic Stalinist collectivist acolyte of Cynthia McKinney and Harry Reid, he attempts to verbally bayonet a retired Exxon executive saying that people are starving. And why you may ask, according to Kamerad Hastert, are they having such difficulties? Because, as Kamerad Hastert says- Exxon,a private corporation, decided to pay this retired executive a certain amount-that Kamerad Hastert feels is "unconscionable!" Yah, Kamerad Hastert, and judging by your comments (that seemingly are in direct violation of your oath of office...uphold the Constitution, minor things like that) the evidence of your having a conscience is remote at best. Sounds like you're taking the side of the proletariat against the bourgeois there Kamerad Denny. "The speaker is very concerned about compensation packages given to executives like Raymond at a time when families are facing choices between putting food on the table and filling their car with gasoline,"..."We met with Exxon Mobil and several companies last fall, and it seems that the message hasn't gotten through." That is a REAL scary statement from the elected official of what once was a constitutional republic called The United States. Reminds me of the statement from California Attorney General saying that he would like to escort Ken Lay of Enron to prison to be raped . And he then goes on to say ""Having a profit is good. We believe in that as Republicans," Bonjean said. "But when you're making this kind of money and American families are being affected, there should be appropriate things done to bring prices down. We're going to be asking them again: What are they doing with their enormous profits?"Yah-like YOU guys know what to do with money. Exxon pays top dollar to people they believe can manage a company to find more oil so it can sell more oil to people who want to buy to make more money for it's shareholders, Mr. Bojean- Duh! It's called (pay close attention now, Mr. Bojean) CAPITALISM-IN-A-FREE-MARKET. Not the type of "you'd better spend your money the way WE want you to" Central Planning that has been SO successful everywhere it's been tried. Oh, and this little tidbit and this (compliments of Captain Ed-and be sure to read all the comments, especially the one from New Orleans) from Katrina Cleanup. So, now that we've proven that you twits in Congress are idiots with guns (with your implied threats) and that you have no clue as to how the real world works. Mr. Bojean-SHUT UP!
And of course, there is absolutely NO mention by any of these Marxists Lite of reducing the federal tax load on the buyers of gasoline. Nope. And in the article we have a Treasury official John Snow saying "High energy prices -- including prices at the pump -- act like a tax on the American economy,"and never even hints at the fact that there are REAL taxes that don't act like taxes-they ARE taxes. And that the Feds and states get over 250% more in taxes ( or even up to 600% more, which is also pure revenue/"profit" for the government) than the oil companies get in revenue. And the oil companies do something to earn that profit. The government just sits there and sucks it up.
The above Washington Post article just screams that the modern Repubs have absolutely lost all their bearings and no longer have any discernible differences from the lefties. Of whom they sound just like.

Your tax dollars at work

From the Washington Times:
"Fire departments are using Homeland Security grants to buy gym equipment, sponsor puppet and clown shows, and turn first responders into fitness trainers. The spending choices are allowable under the guidelines of the Assistance to Firefighters grant administered by the Homeland Security Department, which has awarded nearly 250 grants since February totaling more than $25 million out of the current spending pot of $545 million." (Washington Times, Friday).
If this were only an isolated case.
And we warned you that taking a number of agencies and making them one big agency would NOT be more efficient or effective.
And more oversight won't fix a broken program.
As I modify a quote I remember"The only way to make sure that government never wastes money is to never give it any."

Has feminism actually HARMED women?

I've written a couple of times now, about the silence of the so-called "womens rights groups" when it came to the rights of women under Islamic regimes and when it comes to the rights of women trapped in sexual slavery. Now we have the story of Imette St. Guillen, a NYC graduate student who was violently raped and murdered after a night of drinking. What this 24 year old graduate student was doing drinking alone at 3am stuns me.

The Wall Street Journal ran this piece that suggests that we women need to be a little more responsible for our own actions (there's a radical thought!). Rather than depend on platitudes of "a woman should be always able to say no to sex, no matter what" we should depend on our own wisdom - on common sense to keep up safe from harm.

"Perhaps the law of averages says that, with 14 million men in U.S. colleges today, a few of them will be rapists. What to do? For starters: Be wary of drunken house parties."

It seems like such basic advice. Be wary of drunken house parties. Don't go out at 3am drunk and alone. Don't be a victim....and yet every day, young women put themselves in just this kind of situation.

"The odd thing is that feminism may be partly to blame. Time magazine reporter Barrett Seaman explains that many of the college women he interviewed for his book "Binge" (2005) "saw drinking as a gender equity issue; they have as much right as the next guy to belly up to the bar." Leaving biology aside--most women's bodies can't take as much alcohol as men's--the fact of the matter is that men simply are not, to use the phrase of another generation, "taken advantage of" in the way women are.
Radical feminists used to warn that men are evil and dangerous. Andrea Dworkin made a career of it. But that message did not seem reconcilable with another core feminist notion--that women should be liberated from social constraints, especially those that require them to behave differently from men. So the first message was dropped and the second took over.
The radical-feminist message was of course wrongheaded--most men are harmless, even those who play lacrosse--but it could be useful as a worst-case scenario for young women today. There is an alternative, but to paraphrase Miss Manners: People who need to be told to use their common sense probably didn't have much to begin with."

Truer words were never spoken. This may be where feminism has hurt women the most. We have traded our common sense away for "gender equity". I don't want to be "equal" to men, I want to be respected by men - there is a very big difference.

The Global Warming Hoax

Many have stated (a la Al Gore) that global warming today is the greatest problem to ever affect the planet. Some have even taken it to the point that the use a popular childrens movie (Ice Age II: the Meltdown) as a lesson in the dangers of global warming, forgetting that if it were not for global warming, much of this part of continent would still be under glacial ice!

Finally, someone in the media is seeing that maybe this "global warming crisis" is not all it is cracked up to be. The London Telegraph (yeah like we would ever see this in an American news source) ran not one but two articles on the fallacy of global warming. The first brings to light the fact that between 1998 and 2005 the average temperature actually went down slightly!

"For many years now, human-caused climate change has been viewed as a large and urgent problem. In truth, however, the biggest part of the problem is neither environmental nor scientific, but a self-created political fiasco. Consider the simple fact, drawn from the official temperature records of the Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia, that for the years 1998-2005 global average temperature did not increase (there was actually a slight decrease, though not at a rate that differs significantly from zero)." Emphasis mine.

The second even more radically states that the Kyoto protocol is "pointless".

"They emphasised that the study of global climate change is, in Mr Harper's own words, an "emerging science" and added: "If, back in the mid 1990s, we knew what we know today about climate, Kyoto would almost certainly not exist, because we would have concluded it was not necessary." Despite claims to the contrary, there is no consensus among climate scientists on the relative importance of the various causes of global climate change, they wrote. " Emphasis again mine.

The bottom line, dear readers, is this. The earth has been around a lot longer that mankind has kept records. Because of this, we just don't know if this is a long term progression or simply a regular climatic cycle. As such, we should not panic and assume that anything we do or don't do will have any effect on the climate. Science loves to throw out the "gee aren't we smart" studies. Unfortunately for the scientists, many of these studies are disproven a few years later. Rushing into pacts like the Kyoto Protocol, which are nothing more than a thinly disguised attack on the "1st world" countries, will do nothing more than cripple the entire world economy. A better plan is needed, one that is fair for all countries in the world.

Too much is never enough!

Earlier this year I commented on how (according to a Star Tribune report) Minnesotans pay the 4th highest tax burden in the country. We know where Governor Pawlenty stands on the issue, but what about the DFLers that want to take his place?

Attorney General Mike Hatch:
"After the speech, Hatch dodged reporters' questions on issue that might have overshadowed his desired message. He declined to say whether he would raise taxes to pay for his campaign promises, whether he supports a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage or whether he would call a special legislative session to act on proposed baseball and football stadiums." (Bill Salisbury, "Mike Hatch Makes His Run Official," St. Paul Pioneer Press, October 25, 2005)

2006: Becky Lourey Advocates Increasing Gas Tax. "Both [Kelly] Doran and [Becky] Lourey voiced support for a gas tax increase like the one Pawlenty vetoed last year. It would have added 10 cents to the 20-cent-a-gallon tax in effect since 1988." (Conrad deFiebre, "Race For Governor; DFLers Spare Each Other, Saving Barbs For Pawlenty," Star Tribune, March 8, 2006)
2006: Becky Lourey Claims Minnesotans Tell Her To Raise Their Taxes. "While they offered no specifics on how to pay for education and other state programs, Lourey says many people support a tax increase. 'As I've been campaigning, wealthy Minnesotans have said to me, "please, please, raise our taxes. We believe in public education. We know that it is the melting pot for our state,"' Lourey said." (Laura McCallum, "Hatch Keeping Low Profile As Competitors Score Points At Business Forum," Minnesota Public Radio, February 8, 2006)

2006: Steve Kelley, Becky Lourey, and Former Candidate Kelly Doran Voice Support For Gas Tax Increase. "Real estate developer Kelly Doran and state Sens. Steve Kelley and Becky Lourey all said they would push to expand coverage and reduce the costs of health care, a mounting problem for many businesses. All said they would accelerate state spending or 'investment' on highways and mass transit, and all indicated they would likely approve a gasoline tax increase to relieve what one them called a 'congestion tax' on businesses." (Dane Smith, "3 DFL Candidates Mostly Agree At Business Forum," Star Tribune, February 9, 2006)

Now we all know where Mark Kennedy stands on the issue, what about his DFL opponents?

Amy Klobuchar And Ford Bell Would Raise Taxes. “Kennedy says he will not support any tax increases. Klobuchar and Bell say they would roll back tax cuts for those making over $200,000 a year to pay for other programs." (Tom Scheck, "Minnesota U.S. Senate candidates square off in Mounds View debate," Minnesota Public Radio, March 3, 2006)
Amy Klobuchar And Ford Bell Want To Roll Back Tax Cuts. "But, while Kennedy said the path back to fiscal health is through lower spending and continued lower taxes, the Democrats favored revisiting the 2001 and 2003 Bush tax cuts Bell would repeal them entirely, while Klobuchar would bring back the higher taxation of those earning $200,000 a year or more." (Patrick Condon, "Senate Candidates Use Debate To Define Themselves," Associated Press, March 4, 2006)

Ford Bell Acknowledged He Would Have To Raise Taxes To Pay For Health Care Plan. "Bell said he would support a universal health care program that would save Americans money because the government, in Medicare, provides health care more efficiently than private insurance. 'It's time for a national health insurance program,' he said. He said later, after the debate, that the program would require more taxes, but in the end, businesses and taxpayers would save money because of government efficiencies." (Rachel Stassen-Berger, "In first debate, divisions clear," Pioneer Press, March 4, 2006)

So there you have it people. According to Mike Hatch, Becky Lourey, Steve Kelly, Amy Klobuchar and Ford Bell, Minnesotans are not paying enough taxes. Are you ready for $5.00 a gallon gas? Is that really where we want the state of Minnesota to go?????

What media bias?

Did any of you see this reported in any of our alphabet soup media?

"Asadullah strives to make his point, switching to English lest there be any mistaking him. "I am lucky I went there, and now I miss it. Cuba was great," said the 14-year-old, knotting his brow in the effort to make sure he is understood. "

The boy is talking about the detention center at Guantanamo Bay!

"On January 29, Asadullah and two other juvenile prisoners were returned home to Afghanistan. The three boys are not sure of their ages. But, according to the estimate of the Red Cross, Asadullah is the youngest, aged 12 at the time of his arrest. The second youngest, Naqibullah, was arrested with him, aged perhaps 13, while the third boy, Mohammed Ismail, was a child at the time of his separate arrest, but probably isn't now.
Tracked down to his remote village in south-eastern Afghanistan, Naqibullah has memories of Guantanamo that are almost identical to Asadullah's. Prison life was good, he said shyly, nervous to be receiving a foreigner to his family's mud-fortress home.
The food in the camp was delicious, the teaching was excellent, and his warders were kind. "Americans are good people, they were always friendly, I don't have anything against them," he said. "If my father didn't need me, I would want to live in America."
Asadullah is even more sure of this. "Americans are great people, better than anyone else," he said, when found at his elder brother's tiny fruit and nut shop in a muddy backstreet of Kabul. "Americans are polite and friendly when you speak to them. They are not rude like Afghans. If I could be anywhere, I would be in America. I would like to be a doctor, an engineer _ or an American soldier."

Now I do have concerns about why these children (no older than my son) were arrested and sent to Gitmo, but I also know from our sad experience in Viet Nam that evil men have no qualms about using children in order to kill the enemy. The radical Islamists that our troops are fighting have shown that they are capable of this time and time again.

So the next time someone tells you that the conditions at Gitmo are so horrible, please remind them of the three boys who were there and who want to come to America in order to better their village as a result of their stay at Camp Xray.

You're STILL not paying enough!

A few years ago my Mom was looking at a bill from her doctor and asked me what the item marked "MNCare" at 2.5% of her bill amount was about. I said that was a surcharge that she was being forced to pay for health and medical insurance for the uninsured in Minnesota. My Mom, who is a widow, said with some consternation "You mean I have to pay for my own insurance and pay for other people too?" "Yup. You are Mom." She shook her head.
Well, the compassionate people that force you to pay for others have another way for you to show your compassion...by force of course. You have to pay for "affordable housing" when you sell your house! With a tax (surcharge, fee, forced extraction all)!
First of all, let's be real clear: ALL housing is affordable. But not all housing is affordable by all. I'm not quite to the point where I'm ready to buy this beauty. When you hear "affordable housing" think about terms like:"pro-choice" not "kill the baby"; think "investment" not "more government spending"; think "contribution" not "forced tax compliance"; "affordable housing" is "subsidized housing". Period! Anytime anyone pays less than market price for a house, that house is subsidized.
So, the article uses terms like "worrisome report" about the "gap" between rich and poor.
And the collectivists that wrote the article seem to think that there is "gap" that is not "fair" and that government force is to be used to increase "fairness" by eliminating "unfairness". And just how "fair" and "unfair" is defined and resolved, well, "they" know best. Don't "they"? And has it ever occurred to "them" that "they" and all "their" intrusions into the market place make "affordable housing" "necessary" in "their" eyes and "their" world? Nah. That would mean a dose of reality, logic, and real world economics.
As a good friend of mine said "You can not be well informed and intellectually honest and be a left winger."
So, cinch up the belts kids. The do gooders are loose and looking for victims to help...at your expense.

The Party of Hatred

Dennis Prager had an insight filled column last week entitled "Who hates the other more: liberals or conservatives?" It's not that difficult a question. Just read some of the email that Michelle Malkin has gotten this week, or read the comment section at the Daily Kos and you will get a good idea just who is filled with hatred toward the other. Even the WaPo picked up on the meme:

""I'm insane with rage and grief." says one liberal blogger in the article.

"Laura Bush Talks; No One Gives a [expletive]," writes another.

"I feel like I'm being molested everytime I hear his voice," writes a quoted poster on the Daily Kos while watching one of the President's news conferences.

Now I can certainly understand having a difference of opinion with a politician. I would not ever expect anyone to agree with everything that I ever had to say and I would certainly never denigrate someone who did disagree with me. That is the difference between most conservatives and the Daily Kos left. If you disagree with me, I would politely listen to your reasoning, offer up a defense of my views and leave it at that. If you disagree with one of the angry left, you are denounced as imbicilic, moronic or retarded! The level of discourse on these left leaning blogs is filled with explitives and slams at Republicans as a whole. Which is totally different than conservative leaning blogs. We may disagree with a policy statement, but we (by and large) do not launch the same level of personal attacks that comes out of the left at large. Which is a pity...what we need is to raise the level of discourse but as long as the DU and Kos Kidz are running the party, discourse with the Democrats is a thing of the past.

Come on - this is supposed to be a civilized country. How about we start acting like it?

The world stops while I agree with Nick Coleman

It appears that the legislature and the governor have NO clue as to the huge reaction and backlash that will happen if the Twins Stadium "deal" get passed. I want to be clear that I'm not against a Twins stadium. Never have been. I am totally and absolutely against any of my Mom's money or any other resident of Hennepin County's money being forcibly taken from her or them to pay for even a screw in the thing.
The reason for the legislature's involvement is a pesky little thing called the law. As I understand it there is a law on the books that no county can levy a tax without the citizens voting on it. And the billionaires are asking the legislature to suspend that law to allow the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners to pass the tax.
Now, we've been hearing about stadiums for over a decade. Jason Lewis had a professor from Indiana University on his show that was clear that no publicly funded stadium ever made money. However, there were three that were not publicly funded (they were funded by seat licenses) were all profitable. So, there is no reason at all for public money for this thing.
And Nick Coleman gets it right...kind of. Once again he is right on target about the stadium. He states "Don't bore me with propaganda about the tax amounting to only three cents on each $20. A billion dollars is not trivial.It is an enormous commitment that speaks volumes about our priorities, will cost each man, woman and child hundreds of dollars, transfer substantial wealth from the poorest to the wealthiest, and produce -- study after study has documented this truth -- no discernible public economic benefit." And he's right. All it does is transfer money, by force. Not by choice. The proponents will tell us of all the jobs the stadium will produce (the same specious argument for the Target Center). All it does it takes entertainment dollars from one place and they go to another. Those dollars don't disappear. They only way jobs go away is if someone says "Instead of spending this $50 seeing the Timberwolves/Twins, I'm going to burn it." That money will be spent instead in, Blaine, Savage, Woodbury. But, Nick sees no duplicity when he says that all that money could and should go to "others". He says" We are on a bender of historic proportions, partying while our house rots, the kids go hungry and our savings are squandered. Billions for stadiums after years of slashing spending on everything that matters." No... what matters to you, Nick. And all your failed lefty initiatives that just never ever go away. The state budget has doubled in 10 years. Doubled! Nothing has been cut. In other words, taking your money by force and giving it to companies and billionaires who didn't earn it or deserve it is evil. Taking your money by force and giving it to people who didn't earn it is compassionate.
Oh. So making corporations dependent on your money is bad. Making individuals dependent on your money is good.
I again feel the earth moving.

Immigration follies

A lot has been said about the immigration "reform" package that failed in the Senate on April 9. Leaders on both sides of the aisle laid the blame at the others feet. However it was interesting to see what the "unbiased" media had to say about the issue.

The NY Times had this to say:

"No one but the senators has any interest in who did what to whom. The Democrats' motives were undoubtedly less than pristine. But Democrats also had a lot to worry about. The House had already passed a hard-line bill that would make the current immigration situation worse on every possible front. It's not surprising that some Democrats wanted some sort of guarantee that the bill the Senate was to send out — which was already very much a compromise — would not be watered down further. "

Wow - the Times comes down hard on the Dems.

"And Republican Majority Leader Bill Frist showed leadership by reaching out to the other side.
Too bad you can't say the same for Democratic Leader Harry Reid, who was the villain in this drama."

Said Ruben Navarrette of the San Diego Union Tribune. More from Mr. Navarrette:

"Some Latino leaders don't think it'll be that easy. Cecilia Munoz, vice president of the National Council of La Raza, told me: ``I don't believe that it's wise for Democrats to come to our community and ask for votes by saying: 'Hey, we kept an immigration bill from going forward.' ... People understand when they're being used.''
Even so, it looks like Reid and the Democrats orchestrated the perfect deception. Trouble is, they left fingerprints."

"Frank Sharry, the executive director of the liberal National Immigration Forum, said in a statement: ``We cannot escape the conclusion that the Democratic Senate leadership was more interested in keeping the immigration issue alive in the run-up to midterms than in enacting immigration reform legislation.''

Finally the Washington Times had this to say:

"But Mr. Frist, of Tennessee, would not commit to bringing another immigration bill to the floor before the election. "I intend to," is all he would say, but he added that it would depend on the schedule, already packed with other legislation. "

More than likely, immigration reform is dead for this election season. The Republicans need to press on the facts that even the NY Times admits - the Democratics are (again) responsible for the lack of action on meaningful reform in DC and it is time to get a real Republican majority in order for the people's business to finally get done!

Religious Freedom???? Where?

When did Christians in America lose their freedom of religion? OK - I may be engaging in a little bit of hyperbole, but Christianity (and anything even remotely tied to it) is under attack. In the last 30 days the St Paul City Hall banned the Easter Bunny because it might be considered Christian, a Florida State scientist released speculation that Jesus didn't walk on water but rather he walked on "ice", the Gospel of Judas was released (after 20 years of study) and coming soon to a theater near you is "The DaVinci Code".

Christians are told that they are free to practice their faith, but they shouldn't talk about it because you might "offend" someone. Christian students are having to sue to keep from being kicked out of schools because their professions of faith are violating "hate speech" codes. Student lead prayer is not even allowed anymore.

The critics of Christians standing up for their faith are afraid that it could be used against them.

"What if a person felt their religious view was that African Americans shouldn't mingle with Caucasians, or that women shouldn't work?" asked Jon Davidson, legal director of the gay rights group Lambda Legal."

Here is a hot tip for you Mr. Davidson...read the Quran!!! Sharia law says that women and gays have no rights and yet we are told (ad naseum) that we are not to discriminate against Muslims. If Islam has the right to be politically incorrect, why can't Christians?

Dear President Fox, you hypocrite,

This from Ann Coulter regarding "visiting" a foreign country:
This is the only country on Earth that thinks it's not sporting to consider our own interests in choosing immigrants. Try showing up in any other country on the planet, illiterate and penniless, and announcing: "I've seen pictures of your country and it looks great. I think I'd like to live here! Oh, and by the way, would you mind changing all your government and business phone messages, street signs and ballots into my native language? Thanks!" They would laugh you out of the country.
And the illegals come here and protest and DEMAND that we give them things.
And Vicente Fox is on record supporting these criminals demands that we Americans owe them something.
Read how the "undocumented" are treated in Mexico under el Presidente'.
Fix your own house first Mr. Fox! Fix your own house, you charlatan.

The gauntlet is thrown down....

Hugh Hewitt threw down the gauntlet in his first segment, challenging the Minnesota Organization of Blogs to see who can raise the most money for the Kennedy for Senate Campaign. If you are interested in donating to the Congressman's campaign, please go to KennedyvMachine and click on the red box in the right margin.

They call him "the Blunderer"...

Minnesota earned a questionable honor this week when Time Magazine named our senior Senator (Mark Dayton) one of the 5 worst Senators in DC. In response to the criticism that Senator Dayton has taken this week, Jack Danielson (Dayton's Chief of Staff) told the Star Tribune that the Senator has a record "to be proud of". Really? Let's see...

He is the only Senator to close his DC office and advise his constituents not to travel to DC prior to the 2004 election.

He proposed the development of a Department of Peace and Non-violence.

He insulted the entire state of South Dakota when he said (and subsequentally apologized for) that the Mayo Clinic was "worth more" than the entire state of South Dakota.

He voted against the President's tax cuts.

He voted against the War in Iraq.

Yep - that is definately a "record to be proud of".

Just what we need....

Shortly before leaving the Cities to help with my ill mother, I recieved an email from a new Republican candidate for Mark Dayton's Senate seat. Now most of the Republican activists in Minnesota know about Mark Kennedy and quite a few know about Harold Shudlick, now John Uldrich has thrown his hat into the ring, running for the Republican endorsement. Included in the email was a link to John's campaign website. Wanting to be an educated voter, I went to the website to see where the candidate stands on the various issues facing Minnesotans today.

Here is where the candidate stands on some of the key Republican issues:

Gay Rights: My philosophy is that we are a society that respects and accepts diversity and that inclusiveness is etched in stone – as it regards gays, races and religions.
I believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman but that all civil rights and accords should be given to same sex unions – including adoption. I do not believe in and would not support a marriage amendment as being essential to the fabric of our society.
As Gay Rights issues relate to education, I am in favor of introducing this subject early on an introductory basis and continuing to developing throughout the length of the K-12 spectrum and – mandating that it be part of college and university curriculums. (emphasis mine)

World Hunger: As a Senator from Minnesota, one of the most productive agricultural states in the Union, I would task myself to meet hunger in the following ways:
• Working with the entire farming/ranching/food producing/food marketing constituency to determine (on an on-going basis) what crops and products we can produce to meet world hunger needs . . .

Immigration:Let it be noted: this candidate for U.S. Senate is not in favor of an 800-mile fence separating the United States and Mexico. This does not speak to what America is all about. (emphasis mine)

Education: As a pro-active proponent of life-long learning, it should come as no surprise that I would be an advocate for ‘early childhood education’ (defined as ‘birth-to-age-5 childhood development) - (again emphasis mine)

As my friend Amendment X wrote here, the last thing we need in DC is another RINO who will put the Democratic agenda ahead of the agenda of the party that got the candidate elected. No, no NO...this will not do! If you are going to vote for a Republican, vote for one who will stand by the principles and platform of the Republican Party or vote for a Democrat. Because if you don't vote for a Republican candidate that believes in the Party Platform then you might as well be voting for a Democrat - you are accomplishing the same thing!

Why Islam stinks...

I am paraphrasing the title of the long running series over at Anti-Strib (ladies do not use the adjective that the Anti-Strib guys use to describe Islam). The latest entries are here, here, and here. The last one is a must read for all supporters of "gay rights".

For the supporters of NOW, I would like to offer up these two stories and ask "what about the rights of these women?"

"Tehran, Iran, Jan. 04 – In the latest “acid attack” by radical Islamists on young women accused of ignoring the country’s strict dress regulations, two female university students had acid splashed on their faces in the town of Shahroud, north-eastern Iran."

Two young university students had acid thrown at their faces because they dared to walk the streets of their town while not wearing a veil. So sad...

But that happened in fundamentalist Iran, you say. What about a more "modern" Islamic society you ask. In answer, I present these two stories out of our dear ally in the global war on terror - Saudi Arabia.

"Day 1: A Ranoosh fast-food restaurant in Seihat, Saudi Arabia, hires two women to take phone orders. Day two: Bearded, shoeless Wahhabist religious police arrest the owner and shutter the business for "promoting lewdness" - in other words, for employing women."

Read it and weep!!!! Islam is not conductive to womens rights or free speech. Think I am exhaggerating? Need I remind you of the Islamic world's reactions to a bunch of silly little cartoons? We have a religion that teaches their children to hate another race of people so much that they believe that blowing up innocents or destroying their houses of worship is rewarded by their "god".

We need to drag the Islamic world into the 21st Century - kicking and screaming if need be! Until we do, we will be at war with a religion that prompts hatred and intolerance and subjugation of those that are deemed to be "inferior".

UPDATE: I fixed the link on the second story. Thanks to Amendment X for pointing that out.

Why I'll be accused of getting Democrats elected

So many conservative, small government Republicans are being excoriated for not supporting the head of the party, GWB. For taking him to task on many different issues.
Bruce Bartlett in a review of Fred Barnes new book calls GWB 2/3 a conservative.I clicked on the link that gave a brief synopsis of Barlett's book "How George W. Bush Bankrupted America and Betrayed the Reagan Legacy". In the review section there is a writer who accuses Bartlett of making sure that the lefties win the next election. And yet Bartlett, and I, were eager supporters of GWB in 2000. Barlett was one of the economists that crafted the early GWB tax cuts. However, he and many others have become disillusioned.
And yet when conservatives stand on principles, we're accused of making the election of Democrats possible. No, RINOs are responsible for getting Democrats elected. Get elected as a Republican vote like a Republican. If you don't, you will not get my support, money or vote.
I will not accept the threats "If you don't vote for a Republican, the Democrats will win."
I'll vote Republican. I won't vote RINO or Democrat Lite.

Quote of the day

" Concentrated power is not rendered harmless by the good intentions of those who create it" -Milton Friedman
From the scrolling header at FEE.
Echoing my blog.
And a few selected quotes on good intentions and tyranny:

"Good intentions will always be pleaded for any assumption of power. The Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions. There are men in all ages who mean to govern well, but they mean to govern. They promise to be good masters, but they mean to be masters." -Daniel Webster

"The evils of tyranny are rarely seen but by him who resists it."-John Hay (1872)

"The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule."-H.L. Mencken

"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber barons cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience."

-C. S. Lewis

Your money at work-

Got this just a few moments ago from The Foundation for Economic Freedom :

Senators Load Railroad with Pork
4/18/2006
"Mississippi's two U.S. senators included $700 million in an emergency war spending bill to relocate a Gulf Coast rail line that has already been rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina at a cost of at least $250 million." (Washington Post, Tuesday)

Just another day in Washington.
Notice that the $700,000,000 is for a railroad that has already been relocated for $250,000,000.
One more reason for rigorous and full enforcement of the 10th Amendment and a complete and new tax system. Not just a reform. Pull this one out by the roots.

Who is telling the lies?

While I was out of commisssion, I have had a lot goodies pile up in the in-box (ladylogician at hope4america dot net) so be patient with me while I write on a couple of things that are a little dated.

Since the Department of Defense released the "Saddam Documents" more and more information has come out about Saddam's WMD program and whether the weapons existed or not. The Wall Street Journal reported (subscription only) last week on Saddam's ties to Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda network

"Most dramatically, an Iraqi intelligence report, apparently written in early 1997, describes Iraqi efforts to establish ties with various elements in the Saudi opposition, including Osama bin Laden. Until 1996, the Saudi renegade was based in Sudan, then ruled by Hassan Turabi's National Islamic Front. One of Iraq's few allies, Sudan served as an intermediary between Baghdad and bin Laden, as well as other Islamic radicals. On Feb. 19, 1995, an Iraqi intelligence agent met with bin Laden in Khartoum. Bin Laden asked for two things: to carry out joint operations against foreign forces in Saudi Arabia and to broadcast the speeches of a radical Saudi cleric. Iraq agreed to the latter, but apparently not the former, at least as far as the author of this report knew. "

The Christian Science Monitor reports that President Bush had good reason to believe that the WMDs did indeed exist and emphatically states that the President did NOT lie to the American people about the reasons for war.

"...is also clear from captured documents now coming to light is that Mr. Bush had every reason to believe they still existed at the time he launched the military campaign in Iraq. Not only did US and allied intelligence agencies assert that the weapons were there, but Hussein himself played a dangerous game of convincing enemies such as Iran, and even his own generals, that he had such weapons, while protesting to United Nations inspectors that he did not."

Lastly, Christopher Hitchens (hardly a conservative in his political thinking) writes in Slate about the connections to Niger that Joe Wilson swore didn't exist:

"In February 1999, Zahawie (Wissam al-Zahawie Saddam's Ambassador to the Holy See) left his Vatican office for a few days and paid an official visit to Niger, a country known for absolutely nothing except its vast deposits of uranium ore. It was from Niger that Iraq had originally acquired uranium in 1981, as confirmed in the Duelfer Report. In order to take the Joseph Wilson view of this Baathist ambassadorial initiative, you have to be able to believe that Saddam Hussein's long-term main man on nuclear issues was in Niger to talk about something other than the obvious. Italian intelligence (which first noticed the Zahawie trip from Rome) found it difficult to take this view and alerted French intelligence (which has better contacts in West Africa and a stronger interest in nuclear questions). In due time, the French tipped off the British, who in their cousinly way conveyed the suggestive information to Washington. As everyone now knows, the disclosure appeared in watered-down and secondhand form in the president's State of the Union address in January 2003"

And speaking of Ambassador Wilson, the New York Sun reports that his wife was NOT a covert agent:

"Contrary to published reports, a State Department memorandum at the center of the investigation into the leak of the name of a CIA operative, Valerie Plame, appears to offer no particular indication that Ms. Plame's role at the agency was classified or covert."

Now given all of this information that has come out recently, one has to wonder just who is lying....the President or his detractors. The evidence seems to indicate that it was not the President who was lying...

If it's Tuesday, it must be Seattle.

I had to take a short respite from blogging to deal with some health issues with my out of state mother. While helping my sister go through my mother's mail (looking for bills and tax paperwork) I found several pieces of mail that stunned me.

My mother is a die hard Democrat. She has her reasons for voting Democratic, as I have my reasons for voting Republican. As such she has donated much money to Democratic candidates and Democratic PAC's such as Emily's List, NARAL and NOW. In my mother's mail I found solicitations for the following candidates campaigns:

Jennifer Granholm for Governor (Michigan)
Ruth Ann Minner for Governor (Delaware)
Christine Gregoire for Governor (Washington State)
Debbie Stabenow for Senate (Michigan)
Tom Daschel for Senate (South Dakota it's dated for sure)

Now my mother does not live in Michigan, Delaware, Washington state OR South Dakota. So why is she getting letters looking for campaign donations from these states? My guess is that (given the gender of 4 of the 5 candidates) Emily's List, Naral or NOW sold their donor's list to these campaigns. That happens all the time. What bothers me is the utter audacity of these candidates to "beg" for money from elderly ladies in other states! Now thankfully my mother didn't respond to any of these solicitations, but what about the other elderly ladies these people are sponging off of? This type of campaigning is no worse than the worst of the televangelists. Bilking seniors for campaign dollars is reprehensible.

This just in "Congressman discovers reality. Much pain ensues!"

Always nice when the kings and queens of the Potomac live life from time to time under the same laws they pass and demand that their subjects comply with.
Congressman Jim Ramstad's comments: "I think it is important that we (Congress) operate in the real world,".
I'm so encouraged.

Dick Morris:"A Republican Jimmy Carter"

Dick Morris has written an article where he lays out the real problems GWB is having. And the Republicans will be having. I'm reminded of Aesop's fable from my youth about the bat and war between the beasts and the birds. The bat would say that he wasn't a bird and wasn't a beast. And was rejected by both. I'm reminded of this Republican President: No Child Left Behind, Medicare Prescription Drug Plan,Guest Worker Program, McCain/Feingold ,the GWB acceptance speech in 2004 (where an elected state official friend of mine said "where is all the money for those programs going to come from?". My comment was that GWB's speech was the acceptance speech that John Kerry should have given.) A Republican President...who has programs that Democrats vote for in overwhelming numbers. A Republican President...
Morris shows his Democratic predisposition when he lists what GWB should be doing to shore up the conservatives who are seriously estranged from GWB and the party, seemingly remembering Nixon's quote "You can't win with the conservative vote alone,but you can't win without them." And I'm exhausted listening to Michael Medved and Hugh Hewitt saying "but if you conservatives don't vote, look what will happen:Lefties everywhere!!!"
Here is Morris's list with my recommendations:

Really focus on energy issues: Come out for massive investment in ethanol production, delivery and vehicles, and more: retrofitting all gas stations for ethanol and hydrogen; a new push for nuclear power; heavy investment in clean coal technology, burying the carbon dioxide. Truly lead the nation away from petroleum. We've done the "alternative fuels" thing for well over 30 years. And all have failed. Oil is efficient and effective. That's why we use it. Exploration and refining are the problems. No new refineries in over 30 years. And many small refineries have shut down. ANWR-if we were to make ANWR a football size plot, the area that's would be used for oil exploration would be the size of two postage stamps in the end zone.(The pictures of the frolicking caribou, clear running brooks and streams and endless carpets of Arctic wildflowers whenever the voice-over talks about ANWR? Lies and deceptions. The impact area is less than one-half of one percent. And the actual above ground structure would be the size of Reagan Airport). Explore the California coast. Synfuels from coal (the Germans ran a war machine on synfuels from dirty coal.) We have tar sands and oil shale that would keep us energy independent for decades, if not for a couple of centuries. Ethanol is a waste. Even the plants that produce ethanol don't use it as an energy source because it's too expensive and inefficient. Ethanol use is a bumper sticker moment only.

Admit that global warming is happening, and launch major new programs to curb it: Many are the same measures as can solve our energy dependence. But add in mandatory upgrading of power plants to cut emissions and major investment in solar and bio-mass energy.Global warming-well, perhaps, but not man made. The History Channel had a special on global warming and mentioned the mini-ice age that was a result of global warming in the first millennium. But never pursued what produced that period of "global warming". SUV dealerships in the first millennium didn't offer the rebates that they did in the latter part of the second millennium. A bad idea. And worse policy and politics.

Build a wall, but let guest workers in: Right-wingers want a wall on our southern border; they'd accept a guest-worker program if we could regulate our own borders. Latinos would accept a wall if there were a chance for immigrants to do legal work and a path to citizenship. Give both what they want, and lead the country into a grand compromise. And what do we get? "Guest worker programs" and a McCain/Kennedy bill that GWB wants to get behind. And the voters, especially results oriented voters. The open southern border problem has been a major concern for the country since 9-11. And it's taken nearly five years to finally get serious about it? And this is what we get? And we've accumulated over 2,500,000 additional illegals in that time. But, Morris is kind of right. Do I care that Latinos would accept something about guest workers? No. But,this one gets kind of a thumbs up from conservatives: Wall first, in country illegals second. And why not attempt to throw all the illegals out? As I read that because we can't catch and convict all rapists does that stop us from trying?

Put the drug fight front and center: Demand drug testing in schools with parental consent, and tax incentives for workplace drug testing. Link cocaine to terrorism, and build a national consensus for tough measures to cut demand. And why is there a connection? Because there is a profit. And the success of the War on Drugs? And how do we cut demand? Good luck! Dick, have you ever heard of the much heralded success of the Volstead Act? It appears that Dick Morris's concerns are legit. But, he should have asked for the input from one or more of the disenfranchised conservatives that really hold the key to the 2006/2008 elections.

Fellow Republican Congressmen, free speech finally needs just one last wooden stake.

You may have noticed that I'm a bear on the Constitution (hence my nom de plume).
Many seemingly think that the Constitution is written in hard to understand English. No, it's just difficult for us to understand, like Shakespearean plays in the contemporary English. The attendees at the Globe Theatre knew exactly what the players were saying. The authors of the Constitution wrote it so that the average American citizen of the late 18th century could and would understand it quite nicely. When it came to the Bill of Rights, the authors felt the BOR would be a redundancy. My lands, the Constitution was plain enough, Article 1, section 8 limiting the Congress was quite clear and unambiguous. So, why spell out was obvious? But, the states wanted to be very clear what the new federal government was allowed to do, and not to do. And thus the Bill of Rights was born.
What I find especially interesting are the first five words in the 1st Amendment: Congress shall make no law...
Ok, so far so good. Pretty straight forward. Five words, easy to understand. Well, with McCain-Feingold Congress flipped off the Founders and the Bill of Rights and you and me. They flipped off America. GWB decided to let the Supremes do his heavy lifting and signed this so obviously unconstitutional piece of evil. But he foolishly thought that swinging Sandy O'Connor would vote against. Wrongo George! And now McCain-Feingold is the law. But, there was way that we could practice free speech-the 527's.
But, the gutless bastards that brought you the political version of Son of Sam have now brought you Brother of Son of Sam. The Republicans in the House of Representatives has betrayed the American public. And George Will has called it betrayal.
And he's right.
And he lists the last 18 principled Republicans left in the House:

Roscoe Bartlett (Maryland), Chris Chocola (Indiana), Jeff Flake (Arizona), Vito Fossella (New York), Trent Franks (Arizona), Scott Garrett (New Jersey), Louie Gohmert (Texas), Jeb Hensarling (Texas), Ernest Istook (Oklahoma), Walter Jones (North Carolina), Steve King (Iowa), Connie Mack (Florida), Cathy McMorris (Washington), Randy Neugebauer (Texas), Ron Paul (Texas), Mike Pence (Indiana), John Shadegg (Arizona) and Lynn Westmoreland (Georgia).

If your Congressman's name isn't on the above list,read and consider George Will's recommendation:
"On this remnant of...limited-government conservatism a future House majority can be built. The current majority forfeited its raison d'etre on April 5."

You've now been informed. You now have no excuse.
Let's start the rebuild. And a quick BTW, what was all this suppose to accomplish? Get money (aka political sppech) out of politics, to stop influence buying. And why do people try to buy influence in government? Because there is influence to be bought.