Developers are Crabgrass

Down with career politicians. Up with the 99%. Tax the Rich. And, Corporations are NOT people, humans are. -- Thoughts to take into precinct caucus.

2012-01-29T12:51:00.000-06:00

It is caucus time, Michele Bachmann has ended her nationwide ego trip, and has announced an intent to keep drawing a federal career politician's paycheck.

DFL caucusing starts Feb. 7, check where your local precinct caucus will be, and let us all hope that with Bachmann being the GOP incumbent the DFL does not pick its own Kurtz to oppose her.

We don't need no DFL Heart of Darkness, no way. Let there be light.

A conundrum.

2012-01-29T11:21:00.000-06:00

This Google, for "self-referential paradox."

Why this? Something referring to itself, etc.?

Well --- I figured I would try to download the Megaupload indictment, and I figured a logical place to start was

http://www.megaupload.com/

It seemed a sensible presumption - go to find info on Megaupload, at Megaupload.

Besides, I had heaed sometime last year that you could go there to download almost anything, (copyright not a consideration).

Boy. Was I surprised. Try it.

This Wikipedia page, and here - does that last item look familiar if you tried the above link?

--------------------------------

Holder and crew are a bunch of kill-joys. Spoil-sports. You would presume that instead of such an ugly three-stooge image, they'd have left a self-congratulatory posting of their hoopla-doopla-super-spiffy grand jury indictment for the takedown.

All 72 pages. Kim Dotcom gets no respect. Just that image.

For those interested, Google "Megaupload" or "Kim Dotcom" and read. For most people the Wikipedia page link above should be enough.

For those REALLY interested, the indictment as a pdf can be downloaded here. A New Zeland website. Go figure. Doubtlessly there are other copies posted online. That's the one from the country where Kim Dotcom lived and was arrested. There's sense to the New Zelanders deciding to post the official US paperwork saying why he was arrested. They seem sensible, in New Zeland.

Curiously, DOJ has info on the takedown, here and here, but I did not find any easy linking to the actual text of the indictment. They told me about something I'd rather read for myself. Same text, I think, in each of the DOJ press releases, which they kindly offer me, via two (2) separate URL's. Thoughtful, yes/no? My Government, knowing best. Via need to know thinking.

-----------------------------------

If you google around, you can see how other file sharing sites reacted. Can you say, "Chilling Effect."

With the SOPA and PIPA protest happening, this seems to be DOJ's next-day answer. Hollywood rules. Shouldn't you feel comfortable knowing that?

____________UPDATE_____________
Well, wasn't I dumb. Of course, besides the DOJ, the FBI was a part of the bust. Go to their website, obviously, for additional info. I should have thought of that earlier.

This Google. One hit, (on a generic google, which is hard to achieve - try doing it if you don't think getting a single hit is tricky).

This item. Deja vu? All over again? Everything I need to know?

___________FURTHER UPDATE___________
Another link. Without SOPA. Without PIPA. Where there's a will, there's a way. And without copyright trolling all over little guys.

As a representative example of copyright troll mischief of the worst kind, beating up on a public interest - public commentary blog-website, Pam Spaulding and her Pam's House Blend site suffred a troll attack. She got trampled on - shook down - by Righthaven, see, e.g., Spaulding's posts, here and here. Instead of that, it is good law enforcement when the FBI and DOJ decide to do their job and take down a major, obnoxious, highly-profitable offender. People such as Spaulding, or the poor defendant in Capitol v. Thomas, should be left alone, to sleep restful nights, without being stepped on by a heavy corporate or a troll boot. Obama/Holder largely showed that SOPA and PIPA are unneeded, and that pressure from a government using existing weaponry, (including freezing assets), against a high-profit pirate haven can chill others in the same line of profit seeking, with the little guy bloggers not being made into the shake-down target of grossly unequal litigational power, nastily exercised.

Where DID that lady get inspiration for that really weird looking hair?

2012-01-28T16:17:00.000-06:00

And, if "First Lady," who would she emulate? POLITICO asks the question:

Screenshot from here. Click to enlarge and read.

Hey, I have a better answer, the hair, YOU HAVE TO look at the hair.

Here, and here.

Who else could it be?

Certainly my inference is kinder than here or here.

Take out the enemies.

2012-01-28T12:17:00.000-06:00

Click on the image to enlarge and read:

It is interesting how Newt Gingrich is avidly telling everyone who will listen the Tinklenberg story line; "consultant" not a lobbyist.

The cartoon is from www.mcclatchydc.com

Regarding Gingrich and the worry he might go "rogue" while the others "don't have enough Elvis in them," McClatchy has an online op-ed reassuring Republicans that they need not worry because they always will have an answer at the ready, at their convention. Read that op-ed and if inclined, follow a link to see more of their political cartooning; this link.

Flaherty has another multi-million dollar rental monster thing in the tubes. In Indiana. Neighboring its "Cosmopolitan on the Canal." On this hummer, has any reader any guess whether there is much if any owner money at risk in it? Whether FC pays for the parking ramp, or gets an idiots' public-money-parking-ramp-subsidy there too?

2012-01-25T17:43:00.001-06:00

Specializing in big ugly things, this being the latest rendering of something ugly, for Indiana:

image and reporting, this link

Press Release

2:36 p.m. EST, January 24, 2012
Indianapolis—
Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard was joined by Joe Kelley, President and CEO of Marsh Supermarkets, and Jerry Collins, President of Flaherty and Collins Properties, to announce a major new development project on the near north side called “Block 400” Tuesday. The $85 million project features two mixed-use buildings that will include ground floor retail, 487 apartments, a 40,000-square-foot urban prototype Marsh Supermarket and parking garages featuring more than 1,500 spaces.

“This development will connect the OneAmerica and IUPUI campuses and bring a much-needed, full-service grocery store to people living on the Near North and West sides,” said Mayor Ballard. “This project also will spur additional opportunities in the surrounding area that already is seeing a great deal of growth and expansion activity.”

An upscale 40,000-square-foot Marsh Supermarket will anchor a mixed-use development located on the southeast corner of Michigan Street and Senate Avenue named “The Axis @ Block 400.” The new Marsh, slated to open in the summer of 2013, will feature top-quality meats and seafood; fresh produce; an extensive deli with gourmet cheeses; a bakery with fresh-baked breads, cakes, and pastries; and a wide selection of beer and wine, including labels from local brew masters and vintners. The new Marsh also will offer an extensive salad bar and other prepared meals that may be purchased for carry-out or enjoyed in the store’s mezzanine-level dining area.

There's more, at that link. Including -

In addition to the Marsh, “The Axis @ Block 400” will house 325 residential units and a 435-space parking garage.

The second building, “The Point @ Block 400,” will occupy the triangular parcel bordered by Michigan Street and Senate and Indiana avenues. It will offer 10,000 square feet of street-level retail, 162 residential units and 180 structured parking spaces to serve its residents and retail patrons.

The residences in the Block 400 development will include one and two bedroom apartments, featuring granite countertops, roman soaking tubs, and stainless steel appliances. Residents also will have access to amenities such as a fitness center, heated saltwater pool and sundeck. Anticipated rents are $1,075 to $2,200 per month.

“The Block 400 development will be transformative for the Canal District,” said Jerry Collins, President of Flaherty & Collins Properties. “The new Marsh supermarket is the best possible complement to our luxury apartments and for the Cosmopolitan on the Canal, which gained full occupancy in less than seven months after opening. We are pleased to bring new growth in the retail and residential market at a time when downtown is stronger than ever. This venture would not be possible without the foresight and ingenuity of the City of Indianapolis, Marsh and OneAmerica.”

To replace OneAmerica employee parking being used for this development and provide limited additional public parking in the area, the City will build a 930-space parking garage along the eastern half of the block bordered by New York, Illinois, and Vermont streets and Capitol Avenue. The parking structure will be connected to the OneAmerica tower by an elevated skywalk. The city will invest approximately $11 million in this facility through the downtown TIF.

Bingo. An answer, somebody gets a free parking ramp, but with several porkers feeding at the public trough it is unclear from that report who it is. There is that OneAmerica thing, which sounds as if it's existing business, and not Flaherty-Collins getting the freebie this time. But the freebie's being thrown in to sweeten the trough - to make feeding better. Now, there is this, the story subheadline:

The $85 million project features two mixed-use buildings that will include ground floor retail, 487 apartments, a 40,000-square-foot urban prototype Marsh Supermarket and parking garages featuring more than 1,500 spaces.

Did you catch that "ground floor retail." Snkcker, snicker. Some get it up front. Some don't, and have to beg and dither.

alternative rendering
image and report, this link

This item presents a rendering from a different perspective, and is also based on a press release, probably the same one as above.

Indy Star has its own reporting,

The $85 million mixed-use project was outlined this afternoon by developer Flaherty and Collins Properties, which owns the adjacent Cosmopolitan apartments at Michigan Street and Capitol Avenue.

The City of Indianapolis will kick in $11 million to build a 930-unit parking garage on an adjacent block that will be used by insurance company OneAmerica, which is losing hundreds of parking spots for its employees to the apartment project.

Groundbreaking for the project, called Block 400, will start this spring, with the Marsh store and the first 325 apartment units opening in summer 2013 on the block bordered by Michigan, Senate, Capitol and Vermont streets. The remaining 162 units, on a triangular lot bordered by Indiana Avenue and Senate and Michigan, will open in 2015.

Flaherty and Collins, a locally based national apartment developer with 11,000 units under management, said the success of its 218-unit Comopolitan project led to the company’s desire to expand its apartment holdings Downtown.

“We’re just very bullish on Downtown Indianapolis,” said President Jerry Collins.

Flaherty and Collins will buy the large block, used for surface parking, from OneAmerica. The developer already owns the smaller triangular-shaped plot.

Marsh plans a 40,000-square-foot urban prototype grocery on the site that will include extra space for produce, meats and a bakery. Marsh’s current downtown store is at Vermont and Alabama streets and is one of the most successful stores in the 97-store chain, said President Joe Kelley.

The project will include another 15,000 square feet of space for additional retail uses that include restaurants.

They get restaurants, up front in the proposal. We got obstruction and whining and an attempted cost handoff for a stinking 3000 sq. ft. of retail. Go figure. Deal making expertise, of Flaherty's counterparty will vary, as will overall attractiveness of a project.

IBJ also does its own writing, its report being somewhat cumulative, but with a $2 million difference, parking subsidy wise.

The plan by Flaherty & Collins Properties calls for 487 apartments, the grocery store, a parking garage and additional retail space on properties bounded by Michigan Street, Capitol Avenue, Vermont Street and Indiana Avenue.

Much of the land needed for the development—dubbed "Block 400"—is owned by locally based OneAmerica Financial Partners Inc., which uses it for employee parking. To make way for the development, the city would foot the roughly $13 million cost of building a 930-space parking garage for OneAmerica at the northwest corner of Illinois and New York streets.

The total cost of the development, including the city's contribution from tax-increment financing district revenues, will be about $85 million. The deal will not include a property-tax abatement.

Well, eleven million, thirteen, what's the difference when it's not private sector money, but taxpayers' loot?

That seems to be a theme. I may, of course, be mistaken. Of the projected $85 million total cost, none of the reporting delved into how much actual Flaherty-Collins capital would be ponied up, up front, and invested.

We in Ramsey know that's a question, yet, this current Indianapolis reporting ignores it.

That wraps up all the reporting on the latest Flaherty-Collins adventuring I am aware of.

Interesting - Collins is now identified as the firm's president. Either they alternate or do an annual coin flip, or there's voodoo to it. But Flaherty's been the identified point-man, head man, Ramsey-wise.

_____________UPDATE______________
Another thing unclear in the reporting - whether the counterparty in this latest instance had Ryan Cronk on the inside, as its purported fiduciary, while dealing at arms length with Flaherty and Collins on terms and conditions.

__________FURTHER UPDATE__________
The guess is that, as in Ramsey, a thinly capitalized LLC will be interposed. Absent reporting to the contrary that is a likelihood. Analyzing, FC buys land, a "parking lot" of an existing venture, the existing venture gets a city built ramp, and FC builds on the "parking lot" including its own ramp. Without the city being a player in the three way adventure, FC would have had to accommodate the existing venture's parking needs. So, it benefits indirectly from the subsidy vs. directly having its tenant parking ramp built for it from public money, as in Ramsey. "Six of one and a half dozen of the other" is the old saying that fits.

An exclusive online report based on Romney financial disclosure proves informative. He campaigns in Florida while having profited highly from a Goldman Sachs investment scheme that invested heavily in mortgage backed securities, which led to thousands of home foreclosures in Florida. I do not think Santorum or the other two have that "arrow" in their quivers.

2012-01-25T16:13:00.000-06:00

A ThinkProgress examination of Mitt Romney’s presidential personal financial disclosures from May 2011 reveal that the former Massachusetts governor and his wife own or owned millions of dollars worth of a Goldman Sachs investment fund invested heavily in mortgage-backed obligations. And the current owners of those mortgage debts began foreclosure proceedings against thousands of Floridians.

Along with his investments in Bain Capital funds linked to offshore tax havens, the Romneys have large investments in the Goldman Sachs Strategic Income Fund (institutional class). The firm’s March 2011 annual report for the fund notes that about 8 percent of the fund is invested in banks and 24.5 percent is invested in mortgage-backed obligations. Romney’s form says he has invested between $1,000,001 and $5,000,000 in the fund and his wife Ann has invested an additional $1 million-plus. Since the 2008 economic meltdown and the enactment of the Troubled Asset Relief Fund, this fund has done quite well, growing 7.88 percent between April 2010 and March 2011.

The mortgage-backed securities in the fund include adjustable rate mortgages from Bear Stearns, Countrywide, IndyMac, and Washington Mutual. A 2009 Center for Public Integrity report identified all four of those companies as among the top-25 subprime lenders in the lead-up to the market’s collapse. Countrywide ranked first in that report and Washington Mutual ranked second. [...]

A review of Romney’s August 2007 financial disclosure for his 2008 campaign reveals no mention of the Goldman Sachs Strategic Income Fund, suggesting the investment was made at some point between the two campaigns.

There's more, including mention of a blind-trust, and live links not carried over into the quote. Please check out the original, online here.

Think Progress. Think Romney. Things you might not have known.

2012-01-25T16:00:00.000-06:00

Ah, the good old days. the '60's. But even then, top rates were not high enough. This link:

Pat Garofalo on Jan 18, 2012 at 5:25 pm
Mitt Romney yesterday admitted for the first time that his tax rate is about 15 percent, lower than the rate paid by millions of middle class families. [...]

Although it is not apparent on his financial disclosure form, Mitt Romney has millions of dollars of his personal wealth in investment funds set up in the Cayman Islands, a notorious Caribbean tax haven…As one of the wealthiest candidates to run for president in recent times, Romney has used a variety of techniques to help minimize the taxes on his estimated $250 million fortune. In addition to paying the lower tax rate on his investment income, Romney has as much as $8 million invested in at least 12 funds listed on a Cayman Islands registry. Another investment, which Romney reports as being worth between $5 million and $25 million, shows up on securities records as having been domiciled in the Caymans.

[...] As we’ve noted, Romney has a lucrative retirement deal with Bain that is paying him millions each year.

In contrast to Romney’s steadfast refusal to release his tax returns, George Romney (Mitt’s father) released 12 years worth of tax returns when he ran for president in 1968. Those returns showed that the elder Romney paid a 37 percent effective tax rate.

Warren Buffet understands Romney, his situation and status:

Buffett On Why Romney Should Pay Higher Taxes: He’s Just ‘Shoving Around Money,’ Not ‘Straining His Back’
By Pat Garofalo on Jan 23, 2012 at 12:45 pm

Romney has refused to sign on to the Obama administration’s “Buffett rule,” which aims to ensure that millionaires can’t dodge taxes to the extent that they’re paying less than teachers. Today, billionaire investor Warren Buffett himself was asked about Romney’s tax rate, replying

He makes his money the same way I make my money. He makes money by moving around big bucks, not by straining his back and going to work cleaning the toilets or whatever it may be. He makes it shoving around money. I make it shoving around money. If you look at the 400 highest incomes in the United States, they average $220 million. Something like 90 of them are effectively unemployed. They have no earned income, and that number has gone up over the years. [...]

There's a video, Buffett, from Bloomberg, on the ThinkProgress link. While the recent below zero cold snap in the metro area ended days ago, and there's been scant snow so far:

photo and story, this link
Many of those [Mitt Romney capital gains] investments are associated with Bain Capital, the private equity firm Romney co-founded, which has an extensive history of using such tax havens to boost profits at a multi-billion dollar cost to American taxpayers. Those tax havens aren’t just causing outrage among Americans, however. The Cayman Islands are a British territory, and British MP John Cryer, a former member of the British Treasury Select Committee, told the British blog Left Foot Forward that it is “a disgrace” that corporations and investors like Romney and Bain can use them to avoid paying taxes:

“As a former member of the Treasury select committee, I think it is a disgrace that the Cayman Islands, a tax haven, can enable wealthy corporations and individuals such as Mitt Romney and others in the wealthiest 1% to avoid tax and still be cloaked in secrecy. Meanwhile all across the western world, hard-working people are seeing their living standards and take-home pay stagnate or reduced.
“It reminds me of President Kennedy’s comment in his inaugural speech, ‘pay any price, bear any burden’. Except it’s hard-working, modestly paid majority who are bearing that burden.”

Cryer proposed a motion last week calling on the House of Commons to immediately close the Cayman Islands as a tax haven. The motion states that the House is “alarmed” by reports that Romney and others are using the Caymans to “avoid paying the same tax rate as other US citizens” and “concerned about the continued use of tax havens by the top 1% in the US and UK to avoid paying the correct tax in their own country.” The motion then “calls on the UK government to introduce urgent legislation to help close tax havens and increase transparency so that the very richest pay their fair share of tax in their respective countries.”
The United States loses $100 billion a year in tax revenue to offshore tax havens [...]

I'll bet Romney is the type who will sit at a poker table deliberately with stakes on the table large enough to bluff others out of keeping good hands by setting the price to call and stay at a comfortable and adventitious level, for him, (but I would not dare risk a ten grand loss on any such offhand wager - I could not afford the risk).

While sparring with Rick Perry over healthcare at the [early December] debate in Des Moines, Romney challenged Perry to a wager. The stakes? A cool 10 grand.

That’s not exactly your typical bar bet.

Perry had accused Romney of altering a paperback version of his book to delete a line that had Romney wanting to make his Massachusetts healthcare plan a model for the rest of the nation, suggesting that Romney is a champion of an individual mandate to force people to purchase health insurance.

Romney said that wasn’t true.

“I'll tell you what. 10,000 bucks? Ten-thousand-dollar bet?” Romney said.

“I’m not in the betting business,” Perry replied.

Romney, who likes to talk about his work creating jobs as a venture capitalist in the private sector, is estimated to be worth between $190 million and $250 million.

Should he go on to win the Republican nomination, the clip from Saturday's debate may be replayed again and again in Democratic attack ads.

The way to handle the Taliban? I would bet not.

More on the man's taxes, an online item dated yesterday, and Geez, 550 pages - not using the short form -- for certain:

After weeks of refusals and equivocation, Mitt Romney finally released his tax returns last night to a handful of media outlets, showing that he made $21.7 million in 2010 and $20.9 million last year. He only actually released one year of returns, 2010, and his estimated return for 2011, even though many have called on him to follow the precedent set by his father and release many more years of returns.

Nonetheless, there is much to learn from the astonishing 550 pages of returns Romney released:

1. Romney paid a lower tax rate than many middle-class Americans [...]

2. Romney makes more in a day than the average American makes in a year, and becomes a 1 percenter every week [...]

3. Romney paid almost nothing in payroll taxes: Romney contributed just .1 percent of his income to Social Security and Medicare in 2010 via the payroll tax because the tax is only assessed on earned wages, but all of Romney’s income came from investments. Most working Americans pay 7.65 percent.

4. Romney has accounts in countries notorious for tax dodging [...]

5. Romney and Gingrich’s tax plans would slash Romney’s taxes [...]

6. Romney needs four lawyers, including the former IRS commissioner to defend his tax plan [...]

Another small revelation from Romney’s returns is that while Romney said his speaking fees amounted to “not very much” in terms of income, he actually made $111,000 in speaking fees in 2011 and $529,000 in 2010, as Politico’s Ken Vogel points out.

UPDATE - An earlier version of this post speculated that Romney likely paid nothing in payroll taxes because he did not earn any wages, while his full returns show that he in fact paid the tax on a tiny fraction of his income from speaking fees.

And, I know, already, there will be the bleating Republicans - that Crabgrass is just a ton of envy refrain. Well, let's see - am I really the only one thinking the wealthy should pay more:

Last night in his State of the Union address, President Obama once again urged Congress to pass the Buffett rule, noting that 25 percent of American millionaires pay less in taxes that millions of families in the middle-class. Republicans were quick to dismiss his request as “the politics of envy and division.” However, multi-billionaire Bill Gates called his policy something else entirely: “That’s just justice.”

In an interview with the BBC, Gates noted “taxes are going to have to go up” and thus he’d prefer that they “go up more on the rich than everyone else.” There needs to be “a sense of shared sacrifice,” he said, adding, “right now, I don’t feel like people like myself are paying as much as we should”

Is Romney's "sense of shared sacrifice" that he had to pay the lawyer and accountant fees for the 550 pages. His sacrifice, and the 99% is not offering to share it, so he's okay? I guess. But, when he wants my vote ...

Don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.

2012-01-25T13:37:00.000-06:00

From this link, this website:

Blank Federal Search Warrant Forms

Orin Kerr • January 24, 2012 2:09 pm

Fill in your own, for fun and education! Entertainment for the whole family. Ages 4 and up.
Categories: Uncategorized

24 Comments

Anonimus [sic] says:

[Deleted by OK] (Quote)
January 24, 2012, 2:42 pm
Crunchy Frog says:

Do they come pre-signed? That always helps. (Quote)
January 24, 2012, 2:43 pm
Martinned says:

By American standards, that seems surprisingly simple. I was expecting at least a 5-page form in triplicate, asking the LEO to identify the suspect’s mother’s sister’s maiden name, etc. (Quote)
January 24, 2012, 2:55 pm
PrometheeFeu says:

I find most amusing the fact that both pages are editable. Are you expected to forecast the time at which you executed the warrant and predict what exact items you have filled out on the second page or get the judge to fill out the warrant after you’ve executed it and filled out the second page? (Quote)
January 24, 2012, 3:01 pm
Anderson says:

Critics say: “Unwarrantably amusing!” (Quote)
January 24, 2012, 3:10 pm

[...]

So simple, even an FBI agent could fill one out. Go the the source link to see further comments. Here are front and back of the form, from online, here (click an image to enlarge and read):

A curious thing, I read a post on a blog that could be called, "Ramsey Republicans Exposed." The post there could be titled, "Railing against Northstar rail."

2012-01-25T08:08:00.000-06:00

It is not something I check regularly, but Brodkorb's blog, under present editorial continuation of the aim of somehow exposing or discrediting things done by DFL people, says this, at this link:

click the image to enlarge and read

Anyone wanting to follow the links in the post, or read comment thread thoughts, is encouraged to go to the site.

What I find ironic, the greatest excess, given the numbers and analysis that this Andy Post posts, is that the most current Northstar expansion, despite numbers suggesting a wait-and-see mentality, is being financed - in Ramsey - by the Republican dominated city council and the Republican dominated county board, after state funds were earmarked, through Met Council, by the Republican dominated legislative houses.

If criticizing the step-children is in vogue at MDE, what about the deafening silence about the latest one?

Republicans exposed does not play well at that site, but it's what Andy Post is doing, these days, this economy, these times of some of the same Republicans saying "small-down" government. I find this intriguing.

It's "small down" the government but my pork is different. Very intriguing. And Matt Look is saying Anoka County pays too high a share of Northstar ongoing expense. Intriguing. Some may say "inconsistent" or "self-contradictory" but I only say "intriguing."

SOPA, PIPA, ACTA. “Those who count on quote ‘Hollywood’ for support need to understand that this industry is watching very carefully who’s going to stand up for them when their job is at stake," Dodd told Fox News. "Don’t ask me to write a check for you when you think your job is at risk and then don’t pay any attention to me when my job is at stake.”

2012-01-24T20:31:00.000-06:00

The Whitehouse, at whitehouse.gov, has a public petition forum, here, with these two screenshots, the header, and a pair of petitions that in days got over 25,000 signatures.

To make it easy on readers who ask, "What's this about Dodd and a bribery investigation," see this link.

The language in the header, is Dodd's. And you don't need to be as explicit as the guy handing Spiro Agnew a brown paper bag full of cash -- tens, twenties and fifties, not in serial order, handled bills - to be involved in bribery. However, it is when people such as Dodd and his current paymaster - Franken's Hollywood minions - are, as a practical matter, above the law, that the law gets hypertechnical and splits hairs over, "it depends how you define 'bribe'."

There's more, GoDaddy, and jellyfish vs. spined critters; per the new Righthaven.com

That's another separate post. While you wait for it in eager anticipation, watch the embedded video here, and then and only then, go to the megaupload.com website itself. That deserves its own post too. For now, links, NY Times, here and here, (the term is "chilling effect"), this Google, here and here. Why do you figure the NY Times reported it's part of things, without much coverage of Anonymous antics?

The great galling shame of Mitt Romney's tax returns; and the obscene result that would arise from tax policy Gingrich advocates, a policy that would have uber-wealthy Romney paying nothing in taxes.

2012-01-24T12:07:00.000-06:00

National Journal, here, this excerpt:

CAMPAIGN 2012 --- Mitt Romney's Tax Returns: Here's What Really Matters
His tax return doesn't prove that he's done something wrong, only that the tax code is wrong.

By Derek Thompson, The Atlantic
January 24, 2012 | 11:43 a.m.

Here's what we know about Mitt Romney's money in 2010 and 2011, based on 500 pages of tax returns he released late Monday night: He made $43 million in income over those two years. Almost all that money came from investments such as capital gains on investments and compensation from Bain Capital. None of it came from wages.

Here's what we know about Mitt Romney's taxes: Romney has donated more money to charity -- $7 million, including $4.1 million to the Mormon church -- than he owed to the IRS over the last two years. In 2010, Romney's effective tax rate was 13.9 percent. In 2011, his estimated effective tax rate will be 15.4 percent. Romney's average effective tax rate is considerably lower than most people in the top 10 percent -- or even the top 0.1 percent -- because his income comes almost entirely from capital gains, dividends, and interest, which are taxed at a lower rate than earned income from wages. Romney's effective tax rate is also higher than that of many middle-class families, who -- unlike the former Massachusetts governor -- owe payroll taxes.

[...] "Gov. Romney has paid 100 percent of what he owes," a Romney spokesperson said on a conference call this morning. I believe him. Mitt Romney is a remarkably successful businessman, and his wealth reflects a legally gained fortune which is being taxed according to the law.

[...] It's not that Romney's tax return proves he's done something wrong. It's that his tax returns prove that the tax code is wrong. Households worth $200 million earning $20 million in investment income a year shouldn't be paying a lower tax rate than some middle-class families, especially at a time when we're thinking about cutting spending that disproportionately benefits the lower and lower-middle class.

Romney's tax return could serve as an inflection point in the tax discussion. You might say it already has. Consider Monday night's debate in Florida, when Mitt Romney told Newt Gingrich that the former speaker's tax plan goes too far, since it would lower Romney's own tax rate to zero. This was a remarkable moment. The GOP front-runner, who's won the endorsement of almost every serious conservative mainstay, stood athwart tax cut-mania conservatism and said, "Stop." Or at least, he said: "Too far."

In an election that will be about inequality and taxes, Mitt Romney's tax returns are a glowing artifact of inequality in the tax code. And by proposing to make capital gains entirely tax-free, Gingrich favors a tax plan that would make our law even more unequal. That's why, even without the polls, you can fairly say that Mitt Romney's tax returns matter.

Gingrich is dangerous to the 99%. He is not friendly at all to the middle and lower classes. He is worse that way, than Romney. Tax the Rich fairly. Make them pay fairly for the privileges and joy that life in the nation accords them. They, quite simply, are too heavy for the rest of us to carry. They are too privileged for the rest of us to suffer. They are too greedy, Gingrich feeding that greed by pandering to it. Greed is not good.

IF --- If sneaky-snake ALEC and its money-bagmen had their way with us, Minnesota never would have had its Ciresi-managed tobacco lawsuit, its multi-million dollar recovery for damage to health and compensating for the kiting of healthcare costs - cancer costs caused by Carolina tobacco profiteer-pushers.

2012-01-23T17:00:00.000-06:00

sneaky-snake effort, page 1

sneaky-snake effort, page 2

Ciresi, Humphrey - Humphrey, Cerisi. Hrumpf !
Hate 'em. My money up in smoke.

Any questions?

ALEC and who, are real close, close as thieves? Who else? Where the little tramp is getting his campaign cash?

2012-01-23T16:12:00.000-06:00

ALEC, this Google. This screen capture, from here:

click to enlarge and read

So, who would be caught anywhere near such a scuzzy operation? Who else?

And, from the ALEC website itself, the brochure is free, (see below image), the memberships are not - after all it is hob-nobbing with refinery-stink-smells-like-money-to-them elite, as they see themselves, their self-indulgent Koch habits. And, oh, look. There's that phony little tramp again, he's "everywhere ALEC" ---

click to enlarge and read

Can you connect dots?

Where did the little tramp get "Drill Here, Drill Now"?

Muslim Brotherhood wins an election in Egypt. Newt Gingrich wins one in South Carolina. Juan Cole does a compare and contrast of press attitude.

2012-01-22T19:27:00.001-06:00

This link. Where was religious zealotry the factor?

SOPA and PIPA - MPR on the Minnesota delegation's positions. On this, I agree with the House members, not the Seantors.

2012-01-22T11:43:00.001-06:00

This link. It speaks for itself. Go there. Franken has his Hollywood roots, and leans accordingly. Klobuchar has no similar excuse. Unless Dad's newspaper background color's her copyright judgment. We wait. We see. This will be back, dressed differently, but it has not gone away. December or early next year, expect it with a parallel stadium push locally, the time - after elections - then being ripe for Wilfare. Until then, much hiding in the weeds and waiting to strike.

The reigning champion, NEWT, The Amphibian of South Carolina.

2012-01-22T07:41:00.000-06:00

this link, for the list

Of that author's three points, I think he saved the best for last:

3. Mitt Romney is vulnerable. I don’t just mean because he finished second in South Carolina either. He was mortally wounded by a question that should have left the battle scar equivalent to a paper cut. How he failed to prepare himself for a question about his tax returns absolutely baffles me. I’m certain the Romney camp will look back on that moment and wonder if it cost him the race or – at the very least – added several weeks to his primary campaign.

I'd like to see the stratospheric Romney papers, being nosy that way, but how could real, regular people relate to that kind of numbers? It would only pile it on to see detail of the man's obscene level of wealth while we, the rest of us, face the economy folks like Romney have created for us to endure.

Beyond that, I think the author of that opening item saw the real reason Gingrich won so strongly, but discounted it. If Romney cannot get Brock Lesnar's endorsement, it will be all over but the death rattles.

____________UPDATE____________
PiPress carries a McClatchy and an AP feed, on the Gingrich win. Here and here.

Finally, some honesty about what Crabgrass mongers had in mind all along.

2012-01-21T09:58:00.002-06:00

Strib reports on political bickering and backstabbing, or perhaps not that bad but just Matt Look being himself, pushy, after Ramsey's getting a Northstar station. Read Paul Levy's item, here, titled, "Anoka County no longer on board for Northstar formula."

The report is detailed. Briefly, Look contends Anoka County pays more than a fair share among counties paying annual amounts for the costly thing.

What is interesting, two stories told about what the entire 1/3 of a billion thing was intended to do to the north metro:

The relationship between Look and some Sherburne County officials has been strained for months. Look, a former Ramsey City Council member, campaigned heavily for a station in Ramsey that opponents said was unnecessary.

Sherburne County Commissioner Felix Schmiesing was among those who questioned the value of a $13.2 million station in Ramsey, saying the station would likely rely on passengers who previously boarded the train in Anoka or Elk River. Schmiesing said the focus should have been on getting the train to St. Cloud.

Ramsey was awarded a station in November. Look says the cost of the station will be $10 million, and not the $13.2 million originally approved.

"If the formula changes, we probably eliminate some stations in Sherburne County," Schmiesing said. "The model for this formula was tested. It was fair the way we did it.

"This feels like retaliation. We were honest, taking a position against the Ramsey station and sticking with it, and now we're being punished for it."

Schmiesing noted that the point of the commuter train was to get motorists off the road, specifically Hwy. 10, which runs parallel to the tracks in Sherburne and Anoka counties. With Northstar relieving congestion in the cities of Anoka and Coon Rapids, Anoka County benefits, Schmiesing said.

Hennepin County Commissioner Mark Stenglein said Anoka County should use Northstar to the county's benefit.

"Anoka County needs to do more economic development so they can turn their county into a destination where people want to go," Stenglein said. "That's the whole idea of this train. Instead of crying about it, build around it."

Did you get that? "That's the whole idea of this train. Instead of crying about it, build around it."

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

All that junk at Clown Center. The extra traffic lights on Armstrong now, and on Ramsey Blvd., unjustified in any way by existing traffic, with taxing being what it is, to pay for such unneeded things - all because "the whole idea of this train" is to kowtow to Crabgrass interests, those who would burden existing taxpayers with the costs of expansion so that Developers and land speculators [who profited from selling Town Center land, with others along Hwy 5 had visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads during the Ramsey 2030 Comp Plan proceedings, wanting to grow Crabgrass on their lands north of Trott Brook] could be more enabled to make unconscionable amounts of profit from building housing which, the bubble breaking, proved unsupportable as a free market concept; i.e., without a 1/3 billion transit subsidy so Crabgrass could "build around it."

Unsupportable, as Nedegaard proved when he went broke trying to do his deals. Unsupportable as the present gang-of-three, mayor, Wise and McGlone along with Landform are pushing.

Now, with Crabgrass briefly in retrenchment mode under present economic reality, the savants cannot get any present private sector takers, other than subsidy takers such as "free-parking" Flaherty, and Jim Deal who has been able to build and sell stuff. Town Center itself was a highly tax-subsidized Met Council and local pipe dream from the start. A pipe dream called "smart growth."

We been had. Some saw that from the start, which is why the bogus "Would you like nice shoppes and restaurants" ballot question, dressed up dishonestly that way, still had a 40% vote against subsidized prospering of Crabgrass.

Levy concludes his report with some numbers - to supplement earlier numbers given in the report; with it worth noting that all of the thing being paid by taxpayers at one level of government or another, with money in the pot blended so that any local yokel can say, "Look what we are getting when we only tax you $xxx of the full much larger $yyy of cost. What a deal." It is all government spending. The only private sector player in the Northstar saga is BNSF, and they are paying nothing, instead being given free public money since they, not the taxing entities, own the right of way which for substantial money, they sell in part, for Northstar to run its trains. Levy ends with:

During the first 11 months of last year, the Big Lake station had 97,699 Northstar passengers, followed by Elk River with 92,483, Anoka with 62,297, Coon Rapids with 62,176 and Fridley with 26,565.

According to Northstar figures, Anoka County is responsible for nearly $27.5 million of the $51 million contributed by local counties. The county "buy-in contributions" are: Anoka $27,489,000; Stearns $9,588,000; Hennepin $7,191,000, and Sherburne $6,732,000.

For a Phase II, which would take Northstar to St. Cloud, the local contribution is estimated at $25.5 million -- or half of Phase I. Stearns County would be the largest contributor to Phase II, paying $14,382,000.

Earlier numbers he reported, in context,

Look, who chairs the Anoka County Regional Rail Authority, has been a county commissioner for slightly more than a year. He wasn't part of the group that devised a funding formula for a commuter line that was originally supposed to go as far west as Rice, with a key station in St. Cloud.

But when a $157 million federal grant in 2007 made it possible for the $317 million line to finally begin running trains in November of 2009, everything stopped in Big Lake. Politics and a struggling economy delayed the line for several years and relegated dreams of a station in St. Cloud to Phase II status.

That seed federal grant did not come from the Easter Bunny, it came from federal taxation (and borrowing).

Arguably Northstar is not a bad thing in itself, as a part of a metro-wide transit system to lower atmospheric carbon loading and lessen climate change worry as north metro Crabgrass spreads, but it never was the next best peice to put in place after Hiawatha. The Central Corridor always was that, and the population density is NOT now in north metro, it is south of us, and buses could have been replaced for efficiency, by more light rail before any Northstar. Now, Ramsey has the better Northstar-enabled opportunity to "build itself out" to be just like Coon Rapids and Blaine. Wow.

_______________UPDATE_______________
So everyone understands, even the 40w light bulbs, I encourage job opportunity growth policies, since the commute load is due to peoples' work and housing not being in the same place. More good jobs in Ramsey would be good. But housing growth, without jobs, is someone else's idea of ideal, and I believe that growth should be tolerated in as small a package as feasible, highly regulated to not be as bad as developers given free rein would have it, and never encouraged as with the present council pushing to lower permit fees and topsoil regulations to encourage Crabgrass instead on nice lawns. Developers should never have been given the latitude to pick and choose how to overpopulate Ramsey by the city's government, in the 2030 Comp Plann process sending a plan to Met Council authorizing more growth than the Met Council's quota demanded. That was irresponsibility at its greatest, and a low point for Ramsey. I fault the planning staff greatly, and that sorry excuse for a consultant from Bonestroo even more. He was awful. And my understanding is he had his three legged stool out quite a bit, milking the cash cow.

Consultants, by and large, are Crabgrass. Should I retitle the blog? I will, on a trial basis. See the banner.

Mitt Romney - learning of a man by looking at his friends. Friends who probably plan what's best for you, as what's best for them, since you're not on that list. Learning of a man by who his money bosses.

2012-01-20T15:53:00.001-06:00

Mitt Romney (R)
Top Contributors

This table lists the top donors to this candidate in the 2012 election cycle. The organizations themselves did not donate , rather the money came from the organizations' PACs, their individual members or employees or owners, and those individuals' immediate families. Organization totals include subsidiaries and affiliates.

Because of contribution limits, organizations that bundle together many individual contributions are often among the top donors to presidential candidates. These contributions can come from the organization's members or employees (and their families). The organization may support one candidate, or hedge its bets by supporting multiple candidates. Groups with national networks of donors - like EMILY's List and Club for Growth - make for particularly big bundlers.

Goldman Sachs --- $367,200
Credit Suisse Group --- $203,750
Morgan Stanley --- $199,800
HIG Capital --- $186,500
Barclays --- $157,750
Kirkland & Ellis --- $132,100
Bank of America --- $126,500
PriceWaterhouseCoopers --- $118,250
EMC Corp --- $117,300
JPMorgan Chase & Co -- $112,250
The Villages -- $97,500
Vivint Inc --- $80,750
Marriott International --- $79,837
Sullivan & Cromwell --- $79,250
Bain Capital --- $74,500
UBS AG --- $73,750
Wells Fargo --- $61,500
Blackstone Group --- $59,800
Citigroup Inc --- $57,050
Bain & Co --- $52,500

This link. Be afraid.

But, can any reader feel much better, about this? This? The one comforting thing in that last list is that everything is scaled down by a power of ten.

Without being bogged down in too many details, do you get the general drift of this? How many pages would your holdings take, and did you pay over 15% in taxes?

While arguably a less reliable barometer, particularly for a waffle of a man, you can learn from things he's said, when among his friends.

____________UPDATE____________
America the Bountiful. As South Carolina prepares to vote, you can kick back and listen to Rush, because he tells you like it is. And, if you call in, and get through screening, you can ask about:

Source: endoftheAmericanDream.com

-------------------------

Rush is shocked. SHOCKED!

Rush is paid. PAID!

-------------------------

Forget divisive and stupid marriage amendments.
Support one that really matters.

Allina buys a property in Anoka Industrial Park.

2012-01-20T15:17:00.000-06:00

This link. Below, a screen capture from Google Maps.

click the image to enlarge and read

UPDATE: From Copperwood Real Estate, the broker, this link on the newly acquired Allina property, and here, re another Anoka Industrial Park site.

Struggling for a headline, between "tiny minded poseur" and "recycled bastard-retread poseur."

2012-01-19T16:03:00.000-06:00

The Economist, here, or just read the screenshot if you don't care to watch the embedded video or read the second half of the item:

Poseur is the keyword. Worse posing, in his own way, than sanctimonious Santorum, with his double standard "Christian" way.

Each is now, who he was "back then." Each.

Romney at least is truth in advertising, what you see is what you'd get. A Nelson Rockefeller clone.

______________UPDATE______________
Worth a passing note, but not more, it is reassuring to know that our nation is still as it was during Nixon's rise, with even an attack dog like Rush knowing which hand not to bite.

_____________FURTHER UPDATE____________
Three million last year in taxable income - Newt Gingrich must be burning down the house, on book royalties.

Colbert, on Morning Joe, answered questions about his candidacy - his position on open marriages.

Andy at Residual Forces analyzes Gingrich in ways I cannot largely criticize.

RAMSEY - Are SAC and WAC on TRAC?

2012-01-19T15:12:00.001-06:00

Sakry, ABC Newspapers, this link. Another consultancy study, this one less expensive than it might have been. Less than other expenses. Be grateful for small favors?

With the intention of not pushing anyone's agenda, a few things to look at, agree or disagree.

2012-01-19T11:11:00.000-06:00

Start with "Envision Minnesota." Homepage, accomplishments, what we envision, McKnight re:focus, Hot dish newsletter, Governor's Playbook. If you agree, fine, if you take your hot dish with a grain of salt and are not a Le Creuset crowd type, more a box from the freezer into the microwave lifestyle person, that's fine with me too. Next, to quickly understand Met Council the way I understand Met Council, this link for sure, and to a lesser degree, this and this (were it your website, would you update -- this is the most current committee/board make up listing I could find for their LCAC -- I admittedly am not a perfect searcher nor unduly creative in following links but I did Google and try a second appropriate search engine). Go along to get along, and if you Lake Elmo on Met Council, you experience the fist in the glove - learning something that big and so so graciously well fed and coddled can move fast and mean as a jaguar.

____________UPDATE____________
I have always believed Met Council, in setting quotas for towns in things as remote into the future as 2030 planning, used to slaughter a chicken, read the entrails, and add 15%. Some imported New Orleans Voodoo queen, and a prized, hidden staff crystal ball were all thought to be part of the "scientific" forecasting.

If you want to see how foggy modeling - crystal-balling is, when done with honest intent never mind adding 20% because 15% might be insufficient to allow developer exploitation discretion in a community without over setting quotas so that less preservation of a status quo is possible by forced comp planning excess -- if you want that, try this Google, (and each scholarly paper has its citation trail so that you can expand beyond work by the single author via the treeing that citation tracking entails). I got that Google by having come across this single paper. There's a lot of modeling stuff out there, online and free access, but when you read some and see the presumptions and simplifications and quality of a back-fit to past history as model validation testing, you have to say it's mostly educated guesswork.

Yet we are constrained by Met Council extortion to commit parts of the community to various growth demands, based on such a pailful of garbage guessing.

Plus they add 15-20% because the developers love that. It gives them a bigger pool for rapaciousness.

I'm sure they do exactly that, at Met Council.

Notice that they have twenty million words on their website, but never publish their forecast models. Like a jewelry store where they never say how highly alloyed the gold is, or like some jeweler who'll talk to you for hours selling or hoping for a sale, without getting into what's a real diamond and what's a rhinestone.

Go figure.

We are the 1%

2012-01-19T07:43:00.000-06:00

Strib reporting on Met Council state of the region, and other Met Council stuff, this -- from deep in the article, regarding transit usage, 2011:

Overall transit ridership rose by 2.7 million in 2011 to 80.9 million. Urban bus routes provided 72 percent of all rides, suburban and express service 14 percent, the Hiawatha light-rail line 13 percent and the Northstar commuter line 1 percent.

For detail, Met Council's homepage, here, has the 2011 reporting and the leadership-policy statement as the presently featured key links. To aid the politician-spinmeisters, to make their search for how "they will say it" easier, I post this MC page.

“Together, we can connect the dots between mobility, economic development, jobs, workforce, housing and quality of life,” said Haigh. “This is about connecting development with jobs, jobs with people, and people with their homes, communities and local businesses.”

Haigh said the Council has a full plate in 2012, with a work plan that also includes:

-- Beginning development of a housing policy plan that will help to expand affordable housing opportunities.
-- Awarding additional grants to promote development and redevelopment along transit corridors to help attract more private capital and additional development, as well as complement other Council initiatives to promote economic opportunity.
-- Launching a collaborative effort to develop the 2040 Regional Development Framework, a long-range plan for delivering innovative, efficient services and infrastructure in a cost-effective and collaborative manner.
-- Further embracing growing diversity by expanding federal inclusionary policies to all Council purchasing, hiring and contracting practices.

During Haigh’s first year as Council Chair, the Metropolitan Council:

-- Secured a Full Funding Grant Agreement for Central Corridor Light Rail, committing the federal government to paying half the cost of the $957 million project.
-- Secured federal government approval to enter Preliminary Engineering on Southwest Corridor Light Rail. The project is just one of 12 projects nationwide to achieve PE status.
-- Launched the “Corridors of Opportunity” collaboration to target investment along transit corridors as a way to shape growth and guide land uses to ensure the region’s ability to be competitive.
-- Achieved Metro Transit ridership of nearly 81 million rides in 2011, marking the second time in 30 years that ridership has exceeded 80 million.
-- Avoided an across-the-board transit fare increase, despite a state general fund reduction of 40 percent for the biennium.
-- Produced the Stadium Proposal Risk Analysis, evaluating the potential risks of the proposal to build a stadium in Arden Hills.
-- Achieved an historic record of wastewater treatment plant compliance with state and federal clean water regulations.

Haigh called on partners in government and the private and nonprofit sectors to help continue the work of the region and to help grow transit, expand housing opportunities and promote healthy neighborhoods and well-paying jobs, and to help promote the region as “one region, one economy.”

See

Haigh’s remarks, as prepared for delivery.
The Council’s 2011 Annual Report.
The Council’s 2011 Record of Accomplishment (pdf)

[...]

The Metropolitan Council is the regional planning organization in the seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan area. The Council runs the regional bus and light rail system and Northstar commuter rail, collects and treats wastewater, coordinates regional water resources, plans regional parks and administers funds that provide housing opportunities for low- and moderate-income families. The Council board is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the Governor.

[links in original, italics added --- gotta keep the planners' cash flow flowing ... they are heart and soul of what Met Council is/does - worth every penny, some believe]

Outside of "one region, one economy," Wright and Sherburne Counties seem content being different regions, different economies.

The aquifer we in Ramsey rely on for water extends beyond Met Council jurisdiction, and is utilized with new wells outside of the Metro Area. DNR can regulate water best, because it has jurisdiction over the entire aquifer - groundwater systems of the State.

Met Council should not be trying to overreach or hide things, that way, and with Northstar reaching beyond its jurisdiction, there are politics it can most surely influence heavily, but which it cannot fully control.

Last but not least, this page, where you can take pleasure in watching an embedded video of Mayor Rybak, and note that Met Council has an anchor focus:

“With a spirit of partnership, we can achieve and surpass the aspirations we share for this region,” Haigh said.

Panelists discuss benefits of regional partnerships

A panel that included Matt Kramer, President of the St. Paul Chamber of Commerce, Jan Callison, Hennepin County Comissioner, and Bruce Nustad, President of the TwinWest Chamber of Commerce discussed transit investments, housing needs, and how regional and local planning decisions affect businesses decisions about where to locate or expand.

Oh, did I say, spinmeister?

Image from the embedded video, here. I watched that entire video, (sound off - why bother), and it was a bit distressing. All those talking head career politicians, and not our own Matt Look, with one of Jim Deal's buildings as a backdrop, or our mayor with an oil rig backdrop, saying this-that about the hustings - and jobs.

You would think, submitting to an annual new tax of $300,000 should buy coverage [a transit district tax - local control subsumed]. The new tax burden is being assumed by our town's taxpayers in exchange for the benefit of being able to bond debt to pay a big chunk of the cost of building a Northstar stop at Town Center. With that submission, of our town's leadership to a new tax for us, you might expect that City of Ramsey would have gotten some kind of non-chump featuring in the tout-video. Not so. Not even a Darren Lazan/Landform clip or slides on public-private-partnership (P3).

No featuring. Just the new tax. Pay to play. Second fiddle.

___________________________
POLL RESULTS: The most recent four-question sidebar poll has closed. Briefly, there was a two-to-one split favoring a return to a five member all-at-large council; a decisive near-unanimous favoring of cutting Landform/COR instead of more cuts elsewhere; a near-even split on Ulrich -vs- Nelson as the administrator to keep if one has to go, (with Ulrich favored); and a unanimous belief that as a symbolic thing the honorarium payments to the council members should be cut proportionately, i.e., that there should be a symbolic sharing of hardship. Because the stipends are low in relation to the workload, any such reduction would be symbolic, but it was favored that such a "statement" be made by those imposing hardships.

SOPA, PIPA blackout.

2012-01-18T09:58:00.001-06:00

For one day, today, the Crabgrass banner is modified, along with the "blackout" effort. It's all symbolic, and Obama has quesitoned such legislation, as presently written. This Google, SOPA. This, PIPA. Wikipedia on SOPA. Do you remember Christopher Dodd?

Google's main page one day, today, protest appearnace:

_________UPDATE__________
Should anyone notice, the altered Crabgrass banner continues. I think the statement is worth going beyond a day of protest and notice. I may go back to the regular banner next week, but for now, No on SOPA, on PIPA.

Friday, Jan. 20 - Crabgrass banner restored to normal. SOPA/PIPA news indicates the web-wide effort was effective; here, here, here and here. This Google News. With the four remaining GOP pres-candidates clucking correctly, House and Senate lobby-owned Republicans might be hesitant to presently lick the feeding hand. Ditto among Democrats, where Obama's been lukewarm and Reid backed away from a floor vote. The effort is more likely shelved temporarily than dead. Stay alert. Now if only we could get the so-called Patriot Act nullified. Ron Paul favors that.

____________FURTHER UPDATE__________
Andy at Residual Forces properly twice dumps on Klobuchar's co-sponsorship of SOPA. Here and here. Does she know what she's doing? Not this time. Other than following what staff/lobbyists tell her. In my mind, her stances on SOPA/PIPA and the internet, on sulfide mining, and on the bridge to nowhere, (from Stillwater - to Scott Walker land), show a disturbing lack of anything but ill-informed, indifferent middle of the road same old, same old.

Is there a progressive to oppose her in a primary. Jack Nelson -- Yo, duty calls.

Thinking about Ramsey, triggered by a thread of comments of a reader.

2012-01-17T10:43:00.002-06:00

This is aimed to supplement Ryan's thread comments, here, on an earlier Crabgrass post about Sakry reporting of the Mayor's proposed upheavel of top city administration; Ryan's last comment being:

Not sure I understand the real benefits from any posturing about taxes in this case? This isn't congress in Washington that we're talking about. And I doubt that we'll end up outraged at the lavish lifestyles our city council is going to lead as a result of their re-elections and/or good or poor decision making. This is all about deciding whether the COR is a good public investment or not and we all know where Ramsay, Wise, and McGlone stand and if the election works like it should these 3 will have a good idea of what the public feels about their decision making to date. Personally I don't think it matters who is in office. At the end of the day, the city has already gone past the tipping point on what direction they are heading with the COR. The public investment (infrastructure costs in the beginning from RTC, purchasing RTC land after implosion, paying Landform, Municipal Center, Northstar,etc.) as well as the creation of the new TIF district sealed that fate. If the citizens really care about this city they will start demanding a detailed accounting of COR spending and COR income. And they should start demanding an answer to the question of how the budgeting in the COR is impacting our current budget for core (not COR) city services because I haven't seen enough from this standpoint. And even more to the point the Landform agreement should get much more scrutiny at this point than it has. I've seen enough of the dog and pony shows explaining to us how difficult it has been to unwind the former development agreements (you should have known that prior to buying the land). And I've heard enough about deals Landform has closed when it's obvious the majority of these deals were inside jobs perpetuated by Deal and Look (semi-hearsay, can't say I know this first hand, just through talking with folks) or deals that do nothing to reimburse the public (I'm talking finances here, not talking about the intangibles of getting the VA). It's honestly put up or shut up time. Sell some land, close some deals, reimburse the public for the gambles you've made or get ready to face the music. But then again what music will that be worst case? Oh yeah thats right, taxing the public for gambles they didn't vote on in the first place. I honestly hope the COR ends up succesful in the end but I am beyond distraught over the means this city has used try to correct a mistake from the past. And I'm even more distraught over how desperate the council and hra might get with their decision making as they attack the budget issues in our cities future.

Ryan and others should submit letters to ABC Newspapers, Strib, or PiPress.

I italicized one sentence, because it is the only place where Ryan and I may disagree. "... past the tipping point ..." is what Ryan wrote, while I firmly believe we never should have new decisions driven by sunk costs. We should always be open to options such as dropping an approach, or sit-tight-wait-and-see as alternatives to feeling or claiming compelled to plunge ahead, headstrong, full bore, and precipitously.

SUNK COST PITFALLS: Great sunk cost can bias decisions substantively, and by a false sense of urgency, to collapse timeframe and "do something."

Tammy Sakry reported Jim Deal as saying a full Town Center build out might take twenty years. That level of patience is lacking on council.

Changes in direction can result from a focus on sunk costs. For example, present council majority thinking, (and consequent Landform activity), aims at development where the concept of "walkability" is abandoned as a key factor.

Current maps for Town Center have a peppering of retail boxes each with its own parking lot - auto-centric vs. concentrating on foot traffic. This is not different from other metro small-mall proposals. There is no uniqueness. Whether that is better or worse as an approach emphasizing "walkability" deserves debate, not indirect insinuation via map differences without discussion.

SUNK COST EXAMPLES: Lehman and MF Global were driven by sunk cost. Decision making was high-risk, and leveraged. The market took them down for imprudence and impudence.

Also, should we have stayed longer in Iraq or Vietnam, because of how much we'd invested, the sunk costs we'd suffered?

Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) pioneered the mini-computer and became a billion-dollar company with Ken Olson its founder and CEO at all times. Olson was quoted to me as saying, "I will not obsolete the VAX," that being a sunk-cost cash cow in the mini computer market at the time with Olson believing, "The PC is a piece of junk." DEC no longer exists because sunk cost on the mini computer business model blinded him to the reality of the market. He did not let the trend be his friend.

THE HOLD AND SIT TIGHT OPTION: "The trend is your friend" is a phrase relied on where people are not so sure of themselves to believe they can buck trends of the market they are in, in our case town booming.

Many metro towns were caught with dreams run aground. Officials in many places may be frustrated, impatient and uncertain.

But saying "I doorknocked my entire ward and what I heard is that people were tired of Ramsey being a laughingstock on Channel 5," is no justification for what's been done subsequent to the 2008 election, arguably to resuscitate a CORpse. Sitting tight, after having decided to buy the distressed land and waiting until the market cycled back to boom times, and then selling the block of land to an experienced private sector operator, to take development risks, was never even considered by the pell mell plunge into Landform's consulting arms.

Pure and simple. Using that "Channel 5 - doorknocking stuff" to argue to justify multi-million dollar gambling and impatience, is bogus. While there was cause for Channel 5 broadcasting, allowing it to drive new decisions is no assurance that there will be less and not more future ridicule and laughing.

GRANDSTANDING - ELECTIONEERING: Suggesting on short notice with no analysis to chop a head, (Kurt not being anyone's yes-man), comes across as something done with an eye to "fiscal conservative" posing for the election, or as a vendetta.

The cost-benefit balance on the rail stop will not be apparent by election time. Nor will there be anything but ground breaking on the Flaherty gamble. We will vote without evidence of what even short term outcomes might be.

James Norman in pushing an overly expensive city hall as an anchor/catalyst, did not have history as his teacher, early in the decade when he acted.

Not that he'd have paid attention.

But current decisions, having a history, are not made good in any absolute sense by comparing them to past bad decisions or using past decisions as an excuse.

It is false to suggest the town is forced by its past to burn money in today's market with no proof of any return worth the spending -- and with no evidence that build-out can be shortened by a massive money burn, now, for consultants. Nor will money burn assure us a better long-term outcome than patience would yield.

BOTTOM LINE - AND VOTING: Ryan's comments are sound. How we react and vote in the election will depend on who runs, what they say, and what we might anticipate from challengers vs. incumbents.

The higher turnout going with presidential election years can bring in voters not fully informed, down-ticket. Also, down ticket outcomes can be wrongly influenced by irrelevancies, e.g., a great number of highway signs yielding name recognition.

THE DILEMMA - CHALLENGERS BEING HEARD: There is a built-in bias -- those on council have QCTV to make their pitch during televised sessions near election day, and via "Council Updates."

The problem is particularly acute when League of Women Voters Candidate Forums can be side-stepped by one of two candidates. (LWV rules do not allow a single attending candidate to proceed alone.)

We should view harshly any incumbent (with a QCTV forum), who side-steps LWV-sponsored opportunities to appear and debate. For me that would cause me now to not vote for a candidate doing that (although in the past I ignored it, in the Look vs. Cook election for an at large Ramsey council seat - and- in that situation it was the challenger who ducked the LWV opportunity - Cook, the incumbent, attended and expressed frustration over being held silent during the LWV broadcast. Hind sight is always 20/20.)

____________UPDATE__________
I am supposing Wise, McGlone and the mayor, along with Lazan of Landform and Nelson, at best would say the strategy is to not go with the trend, but to be a trend-setter. To capture the leading edge of the wave for when the market rebounds, to not be caught trailing other pioneers. Aside from pioneers being the ones with arrows in their backs, that Gestalt is entirely incompatible with chintzy posturing as fiscal conservatives against undue risk, cost, and waste. Wise, McGlone and the mayor want to do big time gambles, together with a low-budget mentality for basic established traditional governmental duties, roads, parks, cops, firemen, and public works and city hall workforce.

Wanting egg in your beer and the foam at the bottom, is irrational folly.

They want traditional private sector things, land speculation, to be their toy, but traditional public sector government functions to be privatized to consultants. It's Alice in Wonderland, a mad hatter's Tea Party. Ass-backwards is another term for it.

_________FURTHER UPDATE_________
Along the lines of front-running the opposition, or attempting to and the wisdom of that, Strib's busy North Metro scribe, Paul Levy, today reports online:

Next stop on Northstar line: Development
Updated: January 16, 2012 - 9:48 PM

When Indianapolis developer David Flaherty proposed his housing project in Ramsey, he looked beyond the city's mostly vacant 400-acre development area and focused on the railroad tracks in the distance.

"We want to build high-density housing where you'll be able to walk from your apartment unit to the rail station," Flaherty said. "This whole project was dependent on Ramsey getting a Northstar commuter rail station."

From potato fields in Big Lake to empty lots in Ramsey once linked with defaulted loans and bank fraud, cities along the Northstar commuter line see their rail stations as key selling points to lure new development.

Although the two-year-old, 41-mile Northstar line has struggled to meet ridership projections, city and business officials see signs a commuter line can flourish someday, even during high unemployment.

[...] "Northstar put Big Lake on the map," said Katie Larsen, senior city planner.

With 10,000 residents, Big Lake is the least populated of cities with Northstar stations. But with 300 available acres and a role as a hub for bus riders who come 30 miles from St. Cloud to hop the Northstar to Minneapolis, Big Lake leaders envision a developer's dream.

"People driving through Big Lake a few years ago saw potato fields," said former City Council Member Chuck Heitz. "Developers saw a potential gold mine."

[...] "The difference between commuter and light rail is there isn't going to be anything happening around the station during the day," Larsen said.

"The train isn't going to be the driving force for retail development," she said. "It's an amenity."

Larsen said she believes that passengers will one day get off at the Big Lake station, buy a newspaper, head to a coffee shop or other stores and mill around. But city officials were convinced they would need "at least 100 new rooftops" before retail develops, probably in 10 years, Larsen said.

A 33-unit townhouse development is underway. Big Lake will soon have a 20-unit assisted-living complex, and a 72-unit apartment complex recently received City Council approval, Larsen said. "Are these developments directly related to Northstar?" she asked. "I believe so."

[...] Big Lake saw the biggest ridership among the six stations: 97,699 rides from January to November 2011. Elk River was next with nearly 92,500.

Big Lake officials feel the down economy even helped them, because they were able to go slowly in forming a development strategy.

"If not for that, we wouldn't have had a plan in place by the time the train rolled out of our station in 2009," Larsen said.

By contrast, Ramsey's more aggressive approach -- seeking funding for projects years before being guaranteed a rail station -- did not pay off. [...] It was a tremendous blow to the $1.3 billion Ramsey Town Center project. Other troubles included mismanagement, a defaulted loan and a federal investigation that resulted in a fraud conviction and prison term for one Forest Lake banker.

The development area, renamed "COR of Ramsey," is starting to rebound with last year's additions of a Veterans Affairs clinic, the Falls Cafe and an Allina Health Clinic.

[...]

As always the excerpt captures a part of the larger report, again here, for full detail.

The report neglects, Flaherty is being greatly subsidized. It neglects, the Flaherty gamble is a gamble.

It neglects that land speculation has never been a legitimate municipal function. While I am not a hunter, my understand is you sit, you wait, and if a deer comes to you they you shoot and tag your success. You do not hire a drum beater to go among a wolfpack, (a developers trade convention), to shout, "Here, deer, deer, deer."

It is counterproductive to do that and it exposes your being an amateur at what you are attempting.

Curiously, Levy who usually is quite thorough, has neglected to report what of all that Big Lake stuff has reached ground breaking or contract signing, and what is up in the air hopes and dreams.

Finally, Levy reports what others said but in reporting does not editorialize toward the question of whether Flaherty is wise building allegedly upscale housing directly adjacent to the busiest freight line in Minnesota, with regular train traffic night and day, train after train. If all the pipe dreams happen as hoped, vs as Ramsey Town Center exposed realities and risk, then things are easy and life is problem-free. Ask yourself, has your life been easy or problem-free? So, what do you expect?

_____________________________
One afterthought - Lazan and the mayor are not giving statements these days? Or is that not to Levy in ways that reached into his reporting?

Ulrich, not Nelson, is being quoted about things on which Nelson spends 70% of her time, specializing.

Verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry interesting. Political fallout of a failed council coup?

We await seeing how budget cutting will be proposed by staff, and ultimately voted on by council.

Japanese reporting on Russia entering the WTO, and opinions about Doha.

2012-01-16T10:40:00.003-06:00

After 18 years as an applicant, it appears Russia will join, making the WTO encompass 95% of world trade. As a condition of entry, Russia must approve WTO rules and requirements, including WTO's ways and means of trade dispute resolution. Globalization grows, for better or worse. This link.

More about RAMSEY, its costs, and cost trimming.

2012-01-15T11:09:00.000-06:00

In a private email, one individual who lives in Ramsey wrote me:

Are you telling me that Heidi Nelson spends 70% of her time with Landform?

My initial and direct reply was:

I am not telling you anything. I published what SHE told me, in an email.

On reflection I wrote a follow-up email:

If the Ramsey Town Center, however lipsticked up, were put on ice, a sit tight vs. pushing on a rope strategy, then Nelson could be converted to a part-time employee, at 30% of present time, 30% of present pay, and things would be fine. Save money on Nelson, staunch the cash drain to Darren; that's win-win. Or am I missing something? I have to admit to simplicity in thinking sometimes, with nuances escaping me.

That got me to thinking, the normal 40-hr workweek, with two week's vacation, is 2000 hrs. annually.

The claim is that even with the five-figure Landform money paid out each and every month as regular as clockwork for that firm to do its creative thinking such as has been done, why would 1400 staff hours, a pay-out of $70,000 as seventy percent of a hundred thousand dollar salary, be needed for saying "yes."

Contract negotiation with Landform has led to multiple council rewriting because the contracts gave too much, and the council had to modify and revise. If there was not too much "yes" and "anything any way you want" on the city's part in the negotiation exchange, a lack of undue pliant concession-giving is not apparent in the city's generosity, initially or as revised.

Consider --- What is the bang for the buck that attaches to the 1400 staff hours that Nelson spent on "The COR" and Landform matters? The question is not a hypothetical, but one the council must face in its looking at costs as an outcome of the mayor's "fire Kurt" putsch. Recall that the mayor precipitously proposed, fire Kurt and give Nelson the top job, and that brings front and center the question of how efficient has she been with time expenditure, were she have been put into Kurt's place. No analysis of such things went into any presentation by the mayor, on the record, when the mayor made his "fire Kurt" proposal.

------------------------

I have always believed that under today's real estate realities, a "sit tight vs. pushing on a rope" strategy was the only thing making sense regarding the failed half of the RTC - the raw land. I thought so when the land was in foreclosure and after the City bought it for what the City paid.

Now with a will to cut budget, my belief may be one the council adopts.

When Reed left, Nelson took over human services responsibility, or that title at least, and I am surprised not more time was consumed in bringing about the past year's lowering of personnel costs by staff contractions (i.e., by firing people) and (when administrators left) by job duty transfers vs replacement hiring.

My guess is that Nelson's actual role was secondary in such serious matters, with Kurt involved in the hard decision making, as to imposition of hardship on some and the increase of workload for others.

That level of decision making is what Kurt does, and does best. He is nobody's yes-man.

His leadership is needed, certainly more than 1400 hours of last year at $50/hr for interfacing with Landform, which firm was paid $15,000 per month to function largely autonomously, and to be the source of innovative thought and action, with staff only supportive.

For a perspective - That's a lot of cash to Landform along with a big bite of staff time, with Jim Deal's efforts added into the equation where clearly he served his own real property interests but also was a private-sector no-fee bonus to City of Ramsey, with the Morgue, the Cafe, Allina Clinic and the VA locating onto property he owned.

While that did not compensate the city for any spending it took on in buying raw land and buying Landform extended services since mid-2009 (if I remember correctly), it at least gave the council something to brag about as new at Town Center.

It improved the overall package. It was not window dressing, but substantial.

Bottom line - Deal was more effective than Landform. And he cost the city less, in not taking any fee or salary, but directing growth to his private-sector property instead of on the property of his public-sector competitor, City of Ramsey.

Also, it was the Governor's bonding bill that resulted in the rail stop, love it or not, and Deal is not without attention and respect from senior DFL officials.

I think of the basketball career of Karl Malone, called "the Mailman," because he delivered.

Well along the way on the route to third-rate nationhood.

2012-01-15T07:33:00.000-06:00

A postponement for lack of snow, not for lack of idiots with snowmobiles.

Sakry, ABC Newspapers, online here.

They could sponsor something at one of the libraries that does not waste gasoline.

PART 2 Same general online link, ABC Newspapers reports that Andover will be spending thirty grand on the McComb Group doing a study of what new business growth might best benefit the community. Recall that McComb Group is the consulting firm that did a comparable study early on in the process of making the Ramsey Town Center the success it is. East Bethel will have a consultant review its comp plan. The usefulness of consultants, and comp plans being undeniable. There is reporting on the Anoka County Rail Authority, and the Northstar Corridor Development Authority. Lucky for us in Ramsey that the mayor proposed firing the city administrator at a hundred and a quarter per year, as a move against government waste and costly activity - or some such - while apparently embracing the rail government overlap and duplication, with this photo showing the mayor's Northstar in Ramsey gala happening.

A special train run and special stop, in Ramsey, for show.

ABC Newspapers reports Matt Look will be on both the Anoka County Rail Authority AND the Northstar Corridor Development Authority, it needing the continuity in both operations that is provided by using the same individual for the same thing, twice, on taxpayer money.

Can anyone tell me, are the budgets of the County Rail Authority and the Corridor Development Authority budgets that will be holding the line, or will there be cutting to lower levels than the immediate preceeding year's exactions?

In these times, unneeded waste is being pared, and that would have to include authorized overlapping authorities. Yet, I have not seen authorities' budget cutting fervor touted in any press coverage, so I am wondering.

Always remember, these dual authorities do have non-overlapping authority - the power to separately exact taxes, and they do that so they can spend on stuff. On exercising authority.

____________UPDATE____________
Can anyone tell me the budget of the Minneapolis-Duluth/Superior Passenger Rail Alliance joint powers board for the proposed Northern Lights Express (NLX) project from Minneapolis to Duluth/Superior through Anoka County? As a guess, they have unlimited authority to tax so that they can exercise authority, but that they are restrained in what they exact so that they may have enough but not too much money for whatever it is they are to be spending on. Because Matt Look is reported to be on that authority too, and because he ran on not wanting that rail development, I have to suppose the operation will be taxing us in order to not build any such linking rail between Duluth and the Twin Cities and the thing I wonder about is if nothing at all were spent on that authority, including the Look stipend, (if any), how would that affect the non-building of the rail line one way or the other.

Presuming this Duluth-TC thing pays some amount of money to the politicians appointed to serve on it, would not the Look goal, wanting the result of NOT having that train be the result if it were to have no budget - nothing for paying to political appointees and nothing for any other stuff? I am confused by having an authority continuing to operate concerning a train routing that the politician-appointee(s) oppose and want to see rendered stillborn. It seems a zero budget would serve the ends that Mr. Look anticipates as best for this proposal, but I have seen no press coverage beyond the mention of his appointment. Could anyone inform me of what stipend attaches to a politician once appointed to each of the three rail "jobs"? I know there is a substantial paycheck with being on the county board, more than being in either house of the legislature, hence I wonder, in that context whether we are seeing quadruple dipping? In boom times quadruple dipping would be questionable, but these are not boom times.

___________FURTHER UPDATE___________
This is encouraging. Matt Look emailed:

No stipend or credit card expenses. NCDA not have taxing authority. Membership includes leaders along the corridor and has a membership share/annual fee that has to be approved by the regional rail authority consisting of county commissioners, which had a 60 some percent cut

NLX set up same way....couldn't get support on a cut this year, but transferred 1/3 of annual budget from unused reserves.

Getting such information public is helpful. Fiscal attention and restraint apparently exist. That is as it should be.

"Smalling" down the government is not just the launch of politicking games in Ramsey for November. There's a bigger stage, a cooler player, a smoother approach, bigger stakes, clearer likelihoods.

2012-01-13T19:17:00.000-06:00

Strib, the big time, this link.

I am uncertain, but something triggered in my mind a film - with a different ending. Now what made me think of that:

Things Wilfare.

2012-01-13T18:15:00.000-06:00

If there's an invite
To the Vikings some night
His luxury box is a biggie,
I just adore
His asking for more,
Yes my heart belongs to Zygi.

-- play the video - don't be fooled 'bout who's "Daddy" --

No apology to Cole Porter. He'd laugh. If knowing Zygi, he'd guffaw.

Photo from Strib, this link.

______________UPDATE_____________
MinnPost on stadium matters, as of Friday the 13th, here.

An excellent considereation: "When teams leave what do you do with a stadium?"

This link, with often the answer being, demolish it, after all the millions of sunk cost, since that's the better option than being driven by sunk cost to make further bad decisions running up further ineffective sunk costs. (Hello, Ramsey Town Center, aka "The COR," re pell-mell chasing after sunk costs).

A stadium spending opponent, Bryan Olson, who is a Falcon Heights resident, authored an LTE, here at p.8, about the Ramsey County Board, and the legislative process. Olson is one of the people championing the effort at the website:

http://www.nostadiumtax.info/

Olson wrote:

The Vikings stadium and the State Legislature's Actions

Dec. 20th’s Ramsey County Board meeting was chock full of vitriol aimed at the State Legislature. Chair Victoria Reinhardt said, “It’s high time they make a decision....if they had taken on that responsibility as they should, we wouldn’t be in this spot. My irritation is with the State (Legislature) in not doing their jobs.” Commissioner Ortega
then offered he and Commissioner Bennett (a former legislator) were also “irritated” by the strung-out process to get approval to raise taxes in Ramsey County for a stadium.

It isn’t the legislature’s job to address every idea that comes through the door. Over 3,000 bills are handled each session; few of them get a hearing and still fewer are passed into law (typically less than 150). State law dictates that the legislature cannot meet year-round, so its time is limited.

The legislature’s system is quite different than that of a local government body. The county board, with only seven members, can vote an initiative up or down immediately and put the matter to rest.

[...]

It is easy to tell others what their job is, and usually it also is presumptous. It is not the job of the legislature to allocate money, State tax money and/or bonding authority, to sub-governmental units, as and when such local entities extend one or both hands out contending for one reason or another to be entitled.

I do not doubt that Olson's characterization of the county board meeting is correct, and it is presumptive to an outrageous degree for those local self-interested people to have said what they did in the context of their wanting everyone else's money for their pet projects and for Wilfare.

They are out of line, and there is no other way to put it. Also, their rhetoric is counterproductive to gaining the end they ostensibly want, and seems instead to be aimed at inflaming local passion. It is playing to the local electorate in a most shameful and irresponsible way. Read the remainder of the Olson letter, again this link at p.8; and check the anti-Wilfare website, again, here. Also, the Monitor itself is to me a new local news resource I had previously not known about; with a homepage here. Have a look and decide whether you want to bookmark it.

___________FURTHER UPDATE___________
Olson read the post and had two main comments. First, the petition drive is for Ramsey County residents only because it petitions the county for a change. Only county residents can properly take part in petitioning their own county, just as Anoka County residents can petition Anoka County but outsiders cannot.

Second, this is the link for interested Ramsey County residents to find out petition signing locations/times.

http://www.adywickstrom.com/nstc/signingevents.asp

It should be checked daily. Checking the homepage daily is a good idea:

http://www.nostadiumtax.info/

If you've signed the petition already, do not sign again. Multiple signatures simply are a problem for county election personnel when they are ~~validating~~ counting and verifying the validity of petition signatures; so make it easy by not signing more than once.

A related note, Olson said some have emailed asking for a petition copy to be sent their home. The petition is arranged with the text atop and with multiple signing lines per page, for signature, name, and address (to prove county residence). It is not something that can be individually mailed and returned. Also, for an all-volunteer effort such as this, mailing costs can skyrocket if not controlled and minimized. There is no grant money for this, nor any ability to tax to cover spending.

Volunteers who would sit at a location for a block of time to collect signatures are welcome. Volunteers who, in their own neighborhoods or in other locales, would walk a petition copy set door-to-door also are welcome. To volunteer, check this web page:

http://www.nostadiumtax.info/message.html

To contribute any amount you can spare, to help the petition drive, see the left sidebar of the main page, again, this link:

http://www.nostadiumtax.info/

If you need to request info or want to sign the petition, this is a pair of email contacts:

There is an accompanying press-release page and a links page:

http://www.nostadiumtax.info/press_release.html

http://www.nostadiumtax.info/links.html

Olson indicated that an audio of the meeting he wrote about is available, and there is a county posting of the video his LTE was about. His email is one of the above addresses. Olson sent me the audio clip, but Blogger does not allow posting of audio alone, or pdf files - only images or video. Please contact Olson if you would like info, such as the audio or video.

FURTHER UPDATE: Olson indicated the meeting where Ramsey County Board members were critical of the legislature for not giving them what they wanted, (where they arguably had no genuine basis beyond blind hope for asking for such statewide subsidies); is at this link.

FINALLY -- Please do not try to get info via the Crabgrass email address [see the right sidebar] because I am not a part of the petition drive and would be an inadequate info source. Contact somebody who knows detail.

One Trick Pony.

2012-01-13T15:24:00.000-06:00

He comes up with what to him is a novel "21st Century" idea.

A charming tilt of the head.

A seance.

Hold down your applause.

He waves his hands. He is a talent. Others sling "King of Bain" mud for him. Mudslinging for the 21st century.

---------------------------

LATEST: On the mudslinging -- He is shocked, shocked.

According to that AP feed which Strib carried, the pro-Gingrich mudslinging PAC is called "Winning Our Future," and the pro-Romney mudslinging PAC is "Restore Our Future." and I want, "Shut Up for My Future."

"Shut Up for Everyone's Future." Be assured, THAT will not happen.

Perhaps, "Our Winning Führer" is the name with a Future.

Separating Ralph Brauer's constructive ideas from a post criticizing detail.

2012-01-13T08:34:00.000-06:00

The Brauer statement is analytical and positive in its assessments. It looks at things that were done over a long timeframe. To the extent things in Town Center will be built, it will take time and flexibility. And a stable community.

Suggesting precipitous things with short notice works against that. Ralph's statement stands on its own, but reading it in the context of thinking to create a stable, flexible, but deliberate and not precipitous decision making style of government will be a long term plus - in any event, growth or no growth.

And if the goal is to foster beneficial planned growth in place of haphazard growth, then stability takes on an even greater appeal. Putting Ralph's statement with critical commentary was unfair to Ralph and others thinking as he does. I was wrong to have done that.

Here is the statement:

January 10, 2012
To Mayor Ramsey and Members of the City Council,

As a long time member of the Planning Commission and the facilitator for the Ramsey3 process that created the city vision statement that emphasizes “citizen driven, collaborative processes,” I feel compelled to comment on the organizational changes proposed by the mayor. This letter is being sent through my councilmember Sarah Strommen. I have asked her to read it aloud into the record because I am unable to attend the city council meeting because of a prior commitment. Obviously to have sent it directly through the city manager or staff would have created an awkward situation.

Over the past few years in the midst of the most serious national economic crisis since the Great Depression we have seen our city weather this storm with remarkable seamanship. Perhaps no better symbol of that can be found than the phoenix-like recovery of what used to be known as the Town Center. As one of the few city commission members still left from the days when the Town Center was still an open piece of land with a dream and who helped to craft the master plan and its zoning codes, it has been the highlight of my career on the Planning Commission to see the rebirth of the Town Center as the COR. Now instead of weeds and empty dreams we have the VA Center, the Allina clinic, Coborns, Acapulco and numerous other establishments along with a city hall, an amphitheater and park that would be the envy of any comparable city. Most of all we will soon have what everyone worked so hard for all these years -- a rail station.

This has been the result of a team effort that has involved citizens, businesses, consultants, staff and council. Jim Deal stuck with the city and the COR even when others were jumping ship. Without his work there would be no VA Center. Consultants have also helped to attract new businesses to the city. Much of the credit for this rightly belongs with council. Mayor Ramsey has worked tirelessly for the city and through his open houses opened up the process of city government in fulfillment of the city's vision statement. Council member Elvig, who has been with this process longer than anyone, has provided continuity and wisdom. Council member McGlone has served as a critical voice whose candor and willingness to stand by his principles has been a breath of fresh air. Council members Wise, Tossey and Backous have each brought important and much-needed independent perspectives to the city. Although this council has had its differences it has operated relatively free of the personal rancor that once characterized Ramsey. More important, when the sailing has gotten rough, council has pulled together.

But city staff is also to be commended for their work in the face of budget and personnel cuts. Without their efforts none of the resurrection of the COR would have occurred. They put in the long hours gathering documents, putting together grants and presentations and mustering the evidence needed to make all this happen. From the perspective of one planning commission member, this is as good as staff as we have ever had.

Perhaps some of you have forgotten how things were under the former city manager. Ramsey was torn by conflict, suspicion and questionable decisions. Some of you sitting on Council today ran on a pledge to change a climate where citizens had little trust in their government.

Council has begun to re-establish that trust, but we also cannot overlook the role Kurt Ulrich has played in restoring it. His inclusive, collaborative and above all, professional leadership has been a key element in rebuilding trust in the city and its staff.

As one who worked directly with Kurt throughout the Comp Plan and Ramsey3 process, I grew to respect his counsel. But more than that I grew to admire his values, especially his sense of fairness. The problem with fairness is that some people who do not hear what they want to hear would rather have someone who would always say “yes” to their personal agendas.

There is also an economic dimension to this proposal that should not be overlooked. Regardless of what happens to Kurt Ulrich, the move makes little financial or organizational sense. Council is to be commended for its attempts to keep taxes low while not jeopardizing city services, but if the move to eliminate a senior-level staff position is being made for budgetary reasons it is a questionable decision.

As most of you know my background is in strategic planning and policy analysis. You also know I am someone who insists the numbers add up. I could supply you with details of why eliminating a senior staff position is ill-advised, but instead I would quote my colleague Jay Forrester -- the man who invented system dynamics and the airplane flight simulator -- who said you don't pull someone out of the cockpit in the middle of a flight.

This leads to the elephant in the room which is the city's increasing reliance on outside consultants. Our fees for consultants are becoming a major budgetary concern; our over-reliance on them a potentially serious policy problem. Should Council choose to eliminate a senior staff position, the work will have to be done by someone, most likely an outside consultant.

This is not a sound fiscal or policy decision. To provide one example, we hired a planning consultant at a rate of $93 an hour -- a salary I am sure current staff would love to be paid. While consultants can be valuable, at the senior staff level it is especially important that someone be there in the office every day to deal with sudden problems that come up and to build the personal relationships that are most important to a city. From a systems point of view this is not a task that can be handled by one person in a town of this size and complexity during a critical crisis. As Jay Forrester might say, you need both a pilot and copilot to fly an airliner or you put the passengers in jeopardy. Most of all, as we found out during the comp plan process, consultants are not accountable to the citizens.

Council has commendably advocated an open government that has stressed citizen input, accountability and cost-effectiveness. To terminate the city manager's contract in this fashion and eliminate a position follows none of those principles. There is an old truth we would be wise to consider -- don't change the coaching staff when you are on a winning streak. My hope is Council will reconsider its position, retain Mr. Ulrich and the senior staff position and keep intact a winning team.

Sincerely,
Ralph Brauer

CITY OF RAMSEY - REWRITEN: Misc things. Some first written as the devil's advocate. It was properly suggested to me that putting the Brauer meeting statement that Strommen read into the record with these other comments was inappropriate and I have given it a more appropriate separate posting. Other things are revised and extended.

2012-01-12T21:11:00.000-06:00

Upon reflection, I have rewriten the post. In an email I asked Assistant City Administrator Nelson:

One last question in terms of expenses that may have gone up - at one point I believe somebody was suggesting that council members draw healthcare coverage from the City, something not done in the past. Did that ever go anywhere or was it only a stillborn thing? Is there still any active effort among elected/appointed officials to go that way?

Nelson replied:

Currently, there is not active discussion regarding the provision of health insurance benefits for Councilmembers. There has been some discussion in the past, however, it is not an item currently under consideration. This would need to be approved by the City Council and would have to wait to go into effect after an election.

Acting precipitously, which can be a bad idea, I had written:

Truly, it need not wait that long and should be hammered down tight, and now. These council muck-a-mucks might be planning to give themselves healthcare coverage as an expense, a new one, that taxpayers will be asked to absorb, with it done after the election in some remote and hidden way. And to do so after this great huffing and puffing show of extreme budget-and-spending concern, a concern they say they have.

Citizens need a definitive statement, on the record at the next meeting held, from each council member, a Sherman statement to the effect, "I will not push to impose a healthcare coverage expense upon the city's taxpayers by their providing me medical coverage I do not now receive, and if any such coverage is offered to me I will refuse."

Nothing short of such a Sherman statement will suffice as legitimate. That is how it is. They cannot be inflicting hardships in great measure while being poised to suck at the public fisc. That would be unconscionable. An unconscionable double standard. End of that story.

That argument can be made. If you impose hardships, you have to face up to taking your share. However, the truth is that council service is primarily a civic voluntary thing, with the workload and time demand well out of line with the small stipend given council members. That is so aggregated over the amounts provided via HRA activity, and direct council work. While believing in single provider health care as inevitable despite the health-industrial powers arrayed to forestall it, we lack it now with only the VA, the clinic we have in Ramsey, proving that single provider does work and that the VA is more effective and efficient than UnitedHealth and its selling coverage - denying coverage way of maximizing profit. To the extent any voluntary service on council is done by someone without health care coverage, stability of the situation suggests it might be wisest to provide coverage because while severe ongoing treatment such as chemo might require a resignation and special election, less severe but covered situations can allow continuity without that. I believe that council members having other avenues of gaining healthcare within their families or from their regular full-time work should use that resource and not rely on taxpayer funding. However, those not in that situation, if covered as part of an employee group even though not full time employees of the city, should be able to join the pool. The main reasoning for that is if people under less than prosperous circumstances have a disincentive to engage in public service it removes a segment of opinion from the process where the process might benefit from having a less-prosperous person having one voice on council, so that others do not presume they and their circumstances are totally representative of the entirety of the community as to wealth and lifestyle and priorities.

I had criticized the mayor, who I believe acted precipitously and without full explanation of a logic for deciding one of two top administrators was surplus and that the other could handle the range of responsibilities two now share. I continue to believe the decision was not fully deliberated and was made in an unnecessarily provocative manner, but an expressed motive toward maximum efficiency at lowest cost, when actually feasible without downside consequences outweighing a change, is not a wrong motive. Wrong judgments can be made from good motives. I had written:

Now, something else seeming a double standard - you decide - right after the remainder of the council says okay to cutting the mayor slack for working in North Dakota and not suggesting he resign as mayor, the basis was, "He is doing it to support his family, it is something he has to do." Fine. They cut him slack and immediately after that extension of grace, the mayor comes back to sabotage another man's earning a living to support his family. Where is the consistency in that? Where is the compassionate conservatism, after seeking and accepting the grace of colleagues? Absent, is the only answer I see. Blatently so. Arrogant and insensitive.

On reflection the words I would use are precipitous and hasty and insensitive. One's own hardships ought to leaven one's ways of approaching extending hardships upon somebody else, and absent that, precipitous is the description. Ccounterproductive is another applicable word.

--------------------

This one I want an answer to - is the Strib comment right or wrong? Levy's report, here, had this comment stream, where the one sentence that intrigued me no end, was:

lobo11 -- Jan. 12, -- 9:53 AM
[...] Did anyone else see the owner of Landform texting Matt Look seconds after the 4-3 vote against was cast.

True or false? I will email each of the gentlemen, Lazan and Look, and surely they would not stonewall. If they do stonewall, I will post that.

UPDATE: Lazan promptly replied his texting during the meeting was to someone else. I believe him. He pointed out Look could have watched things on TV and known results as quickly as people in the council chambers knew. The broadcast is in real time. The Strib comment appears to be presuming something not true.

That is as previously written. I add that Lazan's direct and candid reply was helpful to my thinking.

--------------------

Next and last, as noted already, Ralph Brauer's statement is separately posted.

On to a wrap-up.

In closing the rewrite - I have never thought the idea of dense housing to be appealing. Never.

A compromise that sometimes must be accepted, yes, appealing, no. Transit arguments can be made, walkable resources are nice, (if realistically achievable which more likely than not is a factor wholly or largely beyond planning and planner effort). Development of amenities must be a bottom up thing that happens, rather than being planner-orchestrated. Some bad aspects of haphazard growth can be countered or forestalled by planning, but patience is a key virtue and you cannot do much trying to push on a rope.

My own experiences in dense housing, rental, have been that to have any sense of privacy you distance yourself from others close, you always bump into strangers in hallways and each, you and them, seem to want to keep privacy norms in place. In short, it is alienating, or was to me, and the noise of others - it is less, the greater their distance.

I think the existing Ramsey population majority live single family detached, and treasure that. I think shared wall is a compromise made out of necessity and not choice. For most people, I believe that is so. It certainly was so for my time in rentals. Sharing a house rental was nicer than my bedroom wall being the neighbor's living room wall.

Planners either deny, ignore, or downplay what I believe to be that simple sociological truth - that density housing is alienating. It is not desirable. Transportation efficiency can be touted until time itself ceases, but the truth is few want to live in shared wall housing if given the detached single family alternative as affordable under their family budget constraints.

Planners not openly and honestly acknowledging that dense housing is alienating, in my view, are intentionally deceitful. That is the basis for my belief that Flaherty's dense ultra-swank rental concept will fail and deteriorate to be a community detriment rather than an asset.

As built this may not be so. Full occupancy may be attained from the start, although I am skeptical of that unless occupancy success is proven once Flaherty's built and been issued an occupancy permit. However that shakes out, I believe that long term, when the housing market cycles differently than its current favoring of new rental building, the Flaherty thing will become problematic and people will have regrets. It will be like a bad marriage that seems okay at first but gets worse and worse as incompatibilities are discovered and suffered.

Ramsey is not Manhattan bordering Central Park, where upscale apartments exist and have reason to do so. Ramsey is not downtown or next to a vibrant university community. Ramsey is a bedroom 'burb, with problems attracting decent jobs neighboring where residents live. That is the reality of 'burbs, in general, and Ramsey in particular.

Trying to fight against the worse of bad 'burb development makes sense. But having grand delusions is quite unwise and likely to lead to mistake and heartbreak when unrealistic dreams terminate in reality. People wanting more house and lot for the money will take the isolation from culture and lack of interesting places and things as a trade-off.

But if living in shared wall is the proposal, people will seek a place for that where something is happening besides boredom and chain restaurants. And by something happening I mean something several cuts above Maple Grove or MOA.

Leave it at that. Communities grow into being good or bad, and never wholly one or the other, but they do so largely independent of planner will, planner hubris, or planner huckstering. Those are all basically conceits without substance. Window dressing.

CITY OF RAMSEY POLITICS: Paul Levy mixes a report about staff purge effort from the council table, and about the latest on the Elvig prosecution.

2012-01-12T07:12:00.002-06:00

Levy's Strib item, this link.

Everyone in Ramsey is, (or certainly should by now be), aware of staff purge posturing from the center of the council table and from the mayor's near right wing there. View it as early electioneering because of the hostility and skepticism the Landform situation should engender against both the mayor and his near right wing accomplices. They attempt now to deflect attention from that gross waste, and to posture themselves as "fiscal conservatives" by chopping heads on staff after wasting a ton of cash on Landform's unproductive meanderings.

They want to shift attention from Landform waste and from the fact that Jim Deal is the only one who's gotten any results in Town Center expansion, and redefine themselves as tough on needless spending - by the most questionable of means - headhunting on an already decimated staff.

It is grandstanding of the very worse kind, and there will be more of it as the election approaches.

The Elvig matter has been reported, this Google.

Of those sitting to the mayor's right Elvig is furthest distanced, and not up for reelection this year.

Three are up, mayor, Wise, and (wishing I had a Ward 2 vote) McGlone.

Levy's report is detailed, wide-ranging, and interesting; saying in part:

Ramsey, a Mississippi River community boasting rustic simplicity and grand urban aspirations, can't seem to sidestep controversy.

A month ago Mayor Bob Ramsey revealed that he is working and living in oil-rich North Dakota and making 500-mile commutes to attend City Council meetings. He dropped another bombshell before Tuesday night's meeting: To cut the city budget and help pay off an anticipated $1.5 million municipal-center debt, he proposed firing administrator Kurt Ulrich, the city's top-paid official, eliminating the deputy administrator's position, and replacing Ulrich with the current deputy administrator, Heidi Nelson, who makes less in salary.

The proposal was defeated by a 4-3 council vote, meaning Ulrich and Nelson will keep their respective jobs and the council will search for other remedies for its 2013 budget. But the mayor's proposal provoked an emotional council meeting, attended by stunned Ramsey citizens.

"At the end of the day, we got to the point where we could sit down and have a rational discussion," Ulrich said Wednesday.

"I'm a professional manager," said Ulrich, who has held the city administrator's job since 2007. "We work in a political environment. We need to continue to move Ramsey forward."

Stunned is a good way to phrase things. As is "rustic simplicity and grand urban aspirations." Perhaps there is too much present rustic simplicity at the council table. Too much Landform to go with it.

Regarding Elvig's personal matters, vs. activity as a council member, Levy writes:

Elvig was charged in September with two counts of theft in connection with his former custom-furniture and cabinet business. The business was shut down by state order after its sales-tax permit was revoked 11 months ago. He is accused of embezzling $19,596.83 from his employees' 401(k) and group health and dental plans, from April 23, 2009, to Jan. 14, 2010.

'He earns too much'

Elvig, 52, who has asserted his innocence, continues to be listed by the Minnesota Department of Revenue as owing a state-high $649,000 in unpaid sales taxes. But in its motion to be discharged from Elvig's case, the public defender's office says "Elvig does not qualify for appointment of legal counsel -- he simply earns too much and owns too much."

According to court documents, Elvig earns $36,000 as a private consultant plus $6,600 as a council member. The public defender's office says in its notice of motion that Elvig lives in a $200,000 home, sails a boat and drives to the courthouse in a 2004 Ford. "Even more telling," the public defender's office said, Elvig earns enough to afford DirecTV.

[bolding in original] The personal situation Elvig faces is relevant to politics in Ramsey mainly in that the charges (relating to a failed business in hard times - a specialty high-end contracting business having met a housing and commercial real estate slump of unparalleled proportion) are allegations of felony conduct, which, if leading to a felony plea or conviction would disqualify Elvig from holding office.

Hence, it is possible his Ward 1 seat could, depending on circumstances, be up for reelection this cycle so that a majority of seats, four, might be contested.

It was most appropriate to see past council members showing up in shock and alarm at the mayor's headhunting proposal.

They were shocked and said so in speaking out. David Jeffrey has already been reported as having completed chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer, being pronounced cancer free. He spoke out for reason, as did Mary Jo Olson, our former Ward 2 representative before stepping down (with McGlone now holding that seat).

Former council member Susan Anderson, also spoke in opposition to further staff purging. Anderson served on council at large (during the time when the council size was more efficiently held to five positions, all having to face the entire city electorate, there being no specialized ward seats).

It is pretentious to have ever installed a ward system into Ramsey. Our size is not at a municipal population level justifying such things. There are no largely diverse and separate neighborhoods. The "MUSA line" has long ago been changed into MUSA zones, or MUSA areas, and there is no discernible line reflecting Ward boundaries in any logical or sensible way.

Again, Levy hit the nail on the head in writing of Ramsey as, "a Mississippi River community boasting rustic simplicity and grand urban aspirations." The entire ward system was installed when possibly the most pretentious and aspiring person in Ramsey sat on council before running for mayor and decisively losing in a three-person primary election.

It is time for pretensions to be dropped. For reason to prevail. For every citizen in the city to have a vote on every person wanting a city council seat.

Moreover, scrapping the seven-member ward dominated arrangement and scaling back to five would clearly cut expense. If that is a true purpose, actual cutting vs. posturing and redefinition electioneering effort, then do it and do it now.

______________________________
Again, readers are urged to vote in the current four-question sidebar poll.

It is not open long. There is a reason for that. The response time the council imposed for Ulrich's having to propose budget cut priorities has been set short. Our polling results might become final and suggest opinions citizens favor which Ulrich might, in turn, consider in budget reduction proposals. That is the hope.

Sakry has authored an excellent summary of last night's council activity, regarding the mayor's premature and unilateral proposal.

2012-01-11T12:58:00.002-06:00

This link. No excerpt. Read it all at ABC Newspapers site. While it remains online.

______________UPDATE______________
One hard truth the city has not considered, and should look at, is that Jim Deal is responsible for the VA center. He built it. He, alone, is responsible for Allina, it being on land he sold them. Nobody should discount his input to thinking while the Governor and staff were writing this last session's bonding bill, wherein Ramsey got four million in State money to advance the Northstar stop proposals from a mere idea, to construction later this year. Never forget --- Deal was most instrumental in the second of two (2) restaurants opening at Town Center. It is in his building. He did it all. All the heavy lifting. Because he is no amateur. He knows how to attain results. All the Landform and staff effort achieved was the grossly subsidized Flaherty rental adventure out of Indiana, which still is hanging fire. Perhaps it is time for those wise on the council to sound out Jim Deal on whether he'd buy the remaining distrssed mess land and develop it, if so what he'd pay - his terms and conditions - including how big a loss the city would take to cut its losses and get out of private sector things, leaving development to those experienced.

____________FURTHER UPDATE_____________
In responding to an email, Nelson has broken down by task area her activities:

10%-TIF
70%-HRA
10%-EDA
10%-General Fund-Admin

I have not inquired into how Ulrich's time would be allocated among task areas, and for a CEO that question might be irrelevant since the CEO is the chief professional-staff policy person, for the city as in the private sector where a board of directors sets general things but otherwise basically keeps hands off detail operations.

Certainly the City is nobody's sole proprietorship, or partnership, despite how James Norman during his tenure may have viewed things and how the Gang of Three now operates. Small business analogs are inapplicable to larger sized ventures.

Ramsey has an EDA, an HRA, and general tax levies to go with taxation by the other two. Present council has imposed a liability for a transit district tax on the order of $290,000 annually, subject to change without city control of such a change. Running bus service before this tax change has been suggested as an offset, but that was a discretionary money sink, this one now becomes mandatory what with the Northstar stop being put into Ramsey. It's now a married-to budget item, without possibility of divorce.

Because of bonding hand waving, the EDA owns title to the City Hall [Norman Castle] and the City pays rent to the EDA in an amount sufficient to service the interest and debt retirement on the EDA's bonding to build the structure as it is.

Beyond that the EDA does TIF stuff, and has personnel that overlap but do not duplicate [and additionally compensate the council members, unlike HRA which is just another taxing entity with same folks sitting under different "hats and name tags" and paid further stipends, with mayor being paid more than other council members and as I understand it the HRA chair being paid a slightly higher amount than other council/HRA members].

Anytime cutting expense [and taxes] for "Ramsey" is at issue, it is disingenuous to not aggregate, but to talk as if the left hand does not know what the right is doing, [and with taxpayers paying for each of however many hands are outstretched].

In terms of professional staff, Lund and Olson each represent technical specialities which neither Nelson nor Ulrich, as generalists, could take over. Each post is imperative to keep. Also, Olson has consistently been one of the more open and informative officials the city has had, from times of James Norman's tenure, to the present. The same can be said for Lund. City Clerk Thieling has specific duties, and no city I know of in the entire state has gotten along without a city clerk overseeing elections, records, and related duties. I cannot see any of those positions being eliminated, and if the mayor and colleagues want to get into pay cuts they should remember that just as in the private sector, there is a premium required to attract and keep top-tier talent and if not paid, the talent level drops. The old phrase cautioning against being penny wise and pound foolish comes to mind, as instructive of better thinking.

That leaves Aaron Backman, TIF and Economic Development specialist, who could expand duties should one of the two administrators be fired.

Or if Landform is finally declared to have cost much and failed, less Assistant Administrator duties with HRA would ensue from a "sit tight, hold down expense, and wait" strategy, or from one seeking to unload the Town Center property even if at a loss to the city, selling to a private sector risk taker, instead of folks from the council table talking one-on-one with Darren trying to be developers with taxpayers holding risk for that. Such a reform would free up a major portion of Assistant Administrator time, should the council decide to release Backman after having decided bare months ago to recruit for the post and to hire Backman as the most promising available person.

It seems that the City has no actual and sound option than to cut Landform/HRA costs, and to unload that bothersome land to the private sector, even if at a loss. It may not be something that can be accomplished tomorrow, or within the next five years, but sitting tight and cutting the bleeding is not to be ignored as a rational choice.

Also, since present Landform effort deviates greatly from the walkable-community thinking originally involved, looking instead to multiple store sites each with substantial auto-friendly parking lots, the notion that this shopping center and office park promotion stuff differs greatly from any other has been gutted and scrapped. So, being no different, and with the others sitting tight and waiting to follow the market, what's cause to do otherwise? What's Landform done to uniquely justify the cash drain it has been? What with signs and rebranding and attending Las Vegas conventions being costs, entirely, and not returns of any kind on cash spent?

BIG QUESITON: How can the bunch that caused all the Landform waste to ever happen by buying the failed thing at too great a cost from the banks now credibly posture as "fiscal conservatives" in ramping up to this fall's elections? I don't believe that being autocratic about staff cost when it's already been pared to the bone is a legitimate thing, but it's what the three of them are doing. The track record is against them. Matt Look had sense to see that in chasing the bigger paycheck, and bailing when he did on the effort he was so instrumental in fostering.

Are they going to use the Vietnam [and now Iraq approach]? Call it a success and get the hell out?

It will be interesting to see what Ulrich proposes and what the Gang of Three responds, and whether their politicking for reelection can gain a fourth vote to reach yet another ill-advised 4-3 cramdown.

These are the same people who never said peep when the cost of the Norman Castle was being incurred sitting on council now crying over debt service cost that went with it being built, something apparent to all at that time, and now they oppose having a referendum on the cost of Landform. Dev Crabgrass has consistently wanted a referendum each time.

And each time a referendum would likely have forestalled great waste.

_____________FURTHER UPDATE_______________
One thing Sakry did not report, and I only learned today: Without changing the voting makeup of the HRA, Colin McGlone was named new chair of the HRA, replacing David Elvig, who was named by the HRA to take over when David Jeffrey resigned. I am unaware whether this indicates any policy redirection of the HRA, or whether the change is strictly administrative. I presume the latter.

City of Ramsey: New sidebar polling. Four simple questions.

2012-01-11T11:46:00.003-06:00

The questions speak for themselves. Because cuts of some kind likely will be made because that is being advocated by the mayor and McGlone, it is imperative that as many people reading this who care about the Future of the City of Ramsey participate. Citizens should have a voice, and politicians should listen. With an election soon, those politicians NOT listening need to be voted out. That is how reform happens, and how getting things back on an even keel can be achieved.

Poll closes in six days. Be sure to vote.

Regarding the mayor's proposal to further shrink city staff (down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub).

2012-01-11T09:23:00.001-06:00

This link.

While absent from City of Ramsey, and in the Dakotas, the mayor can be reached at his email:

"Mayor Bob Ramsey" mayorramsey@ci.ramsey.mn.us

I am sure he would not ignore his clear and present duty to respond to citizens' emailing, and concerned citizens are urged to contact him directly, with an email trail, to learn his beliefs and intent, rather than to have me possibly misstate them. (As to the headline, and my possibly misstated, posslbly wrong view of the beliefs and intent of our own mini Grover Norquist obsessionist, this Google.)

_______________UPDATE_____________
Money would be saved by ditching the Ward system and going back to a five-member council, each elected at large. Besides saving two stipends (council AND hra - each with its overlapping membership/stipends), the cost of redrawing ward boundaries could be forestalled. That would be as much as or more than the difference between the City Administrator's pay, and that of the Assistant City Administrator; which some have decided to call a significant money difference (without regard for differences in education, experience, and capability). Here it would be a clear saving without having to consider such objective and subjective criteria. Simply go back to what worked better.

Perhaps an even larger bonus, on each agenda item five voices to be heard instead of seven, shortening meeting duration by 2/7-th, or 28.5%.

Transcriptionist time, city attorney cost, Darren attendance cost (for as long as Daren attends), all could be proportionately lessened.

________________FURTHER UPDATE______________
Sakry's reporting of ABC Newspapers, again this link, states in part:

“It is purely an economic decision,” said Ramsey.

The city administrator makes $26,930 more a year than the deputy city administrator, he said.

By reducing the top heavy administration, the city can save the $101,651 by eliminating the deputy city administrator’s salary, Ramsey said.

Since he has been mayor, “we have cut 11 positions, but not from leadership,” he said.

It will help keep taxes in line and pay for the $1.5 million debt on the municipal center, Ramsey said.

After reading the city charter, Ramsey said he realized he was being derelict in his duties.

The charter says “the mayor shall study the operations of the city government and recommend desirable changes and improvements to the council,” he said.

If either of the two lead administrators should go, it would best be the deputy, just as with sheriffs in the John Wayne or Randolph Scott films, the deputy is the more expendable, the lesser experienced, the one less relied upon. As noted in the reporting, eliminating the Deputy City Administrator would eliminate 1/5-th of the mayor's target half-million dollars to be hacked out of expenditures. And if Landform expense goes too, the need for liaison with Landform disappears and that would likely be the full five hundred thousand target met that way. There could be a win-win result, without sacrificing the very topmost talent level on staff, and without reliable key department heads imperiled.

Not looking stupid: There's a reason the old saying about cutting off the nose to spite the face has lasted. To cut a skilled and respected leader as Kurt Ulrich is, would add to the already prevalent metro-wide perception of Ramsey as a dysfunctional city. To hold onto the egregiously expensive and unproductive Landform situation, while cutting staff precipitously, would be an even worse proof of dysfunctionality, and indicative of wholly unsound judgment prevailing at the council table.

Would any potential developer put cash, in today's times, at risk in Ramsey with that kind of poor leadership? Would you? Of course not. This stuff defeats the goal of trying to look appealing as a town in which time and money might be invested.

______________FURTHER UPDATE____________
About not looking stupid. The dumbest thing I heard last night at either the work session or at the televised meeting was at the work session, the mayor saying, with regard to comparative data between Ramsey and other cities in the metro area, "I don't care about other cities."

The man does not want to be bothered by objective data, to confront actual comparative truth, in favor of ham-handed autocracy and admiring his own pontificating. He's mayor. Only one of seven on council. Not Pontiff. There was no puff of smoke with his selection. Nobody appointed him base commander, because this is not a military garrison but a city.

There seems an almost spoiled brat foot-stomping dimension to, "I don't care about other cities."

Are you good with images?

2012-01-11T07:35:00.000-06:00

Can you distinguish politicians from others close to politics? Try this test. Which image is brother and brother, which is mayor and shadow mayor?

The Sentinel is a super-hero. Too bad we've got an imitator, who when the going gets tough, lets Mayor Dakota do the posturing.

2012-01-10T21:05:00.000-06:00

MARVEL HAS IT.

You can buy it.

This is THE SENTINEL's packaging, It says, "Lift here to see 16 inch Sentinel, with Wolverine."

We have a reputation of being a dysfunctional city. In part, I think, because we've only got this sorry sight of a low-budget sentinel.

Go for it, Mayor Dakota.

And the Sentinel never dared to show up.

What kind of Sentinel let's an absentee be his surrogate?

More on this later --- Our sorry Sentinel, with Mischief (in the agenda).

No Marvel.

Hackbarth hacking away in his hasty and unsound way of doing things.

2012-01-09T08:31:00.000-06:00

Strib, this editorial. This earlier Strib reporting. Lead item of the Glean, MinnPost here. Dave Orrick writing, for PiPress here. All the links contain reporting on the half-cocked Mr. Hackbarth's mischief per Susan Thornton, the LCCMR head. Hackbarth is a problem, not part of any solution to anything. Idiots must predominate in his district since he is consistently reelected. His past conceal-carry situation did not reflect well on himself, the legislature, or his district. Voters should take advantage of the first opportunity to remove him in the 2012 elections. Bottom Line: He needs to be replaced with somebody cooler and more reflective and sagacious, a person less prone to intemperate passions and actions. Laurie Olmon was the DFL candidate last election, and would never have embarrassed the district the way Hackbarth repeatedly has. His ratings record is shameful. He takes gambling special interest campaign money. Olmon has stood as strongly as Hackbarth on hunting and gun ownership issues, and would have been a clear upgrade on almost everything else. She is not a person to continually put herself into unfavorable public situations, as Hackbarth is.

Following a watchdog's wallet, as a political tool or at least a sign of preferences.

2012-01-08T08:53:00.000-06:00

This screenshot, from this page, via this webpage, from this website, naming "recipient of Watchdog largess" names:

this link, from a useful website

That big red circle does suggest the breed of dog you're dealing with. And, yes that screenshot does not name names. If curious, again, a naming-names listing is on the same webpage from which the screen capture was taken, online here. Another interesting listing, separate from Hamilton and his firm, but informative, here. And I'd bet you cannot guess why this donor pony's up with these demographics.

Finally, what do you make of the National Institute for State Politics feeling it helpful to an understanding to maintain a "Follow the Money" website, where you can even set up tracker info for update knowledge, via a myFollowTheMoney site capability? Hat tip to the Deets, where I learned that this web tool existed.

_____________UPDATE_____________
Harold Hamilton and I differ on many ideological positions, but we overlap on disliking waste, overreaching and inefficiency. I do respect Harlold Hamilton's integrity. It is interesting who he does not contribute to.

YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME. Chop Kurt? Give his job to Nelson? Who besides Bob Ramsey and the man in his shaving mirror had a say in this hummer hitting an agenda?

2012-01-07T09:44:00.000-06:00

Kurt Ulrich is competent. Nelson in my view is too close to Landform day-to-day to be fully objective, were she to be given Kurt's job. If either of the two has to be let go by the city for any reason, in my view it would best be Nelson. Yet, next Tuesday's Council Work Session, at this link, has this text:

Title:
Discuss Mayor's Recommendations of Desirable Changes and Improvements Pursuant to City Charter 2.6.2
Background:
The City's Charter, Chapter 2, Section 2.6.2 states the following: "Consistent with the responsibility to accept considerable leadership over the general conduct of city affairs, the mayor shall study the operations of the city government and recommend desirable changes and improvements to the council." Pursuant to the Charter, Mayor Ramsey will be bringing the following recommendations forward:

Eliminate the Deputy City Administrator Position.
Terminate the contract with the current City Administrator or accept his resignation.
Appoint the current Deputy City Administrator as City Administrator with a six month probationary period.

[highlighting emphasis added] It certainly seems to me the mayor has been sucking too many on-the-job North Dakota wild-cat oil rig fumes.

Try this question out: What role, if any, did Landform people play in formulating this proposition? If not Landform, who did the mayor consult before reaching a decision to make the proposal? Then there is this:

Do you miss me yet?

_________________________
Lest anyone accuse me of having no evidence to suggest Nelson appears to be less than fully objective regarding Landform, her handling of "explanations" of the Cronk dual agency situation is my evidence. Within the two page response Nelson authored after the anonymous "CORruption" letter gained press attention she was failing to really see (or if seen, failing to fully and without obfuscation acknowledge) what was obvious to anyone with an internet connection, that Cronk was in a straddle as a dual agent, with primary ties and a long-term loyalty to Flaherty and Collins, and holding himself out that way.

A bunch of decent Ramsey County citizens want to decently amend the county charter - with a constraint-on-spending referendum - so that the people have a voice and veto.

2012-01-07T07:49:00.001-06:00

It's the stadium that is precipitating it. Just as Flaherty should precipitate a similar thing in City of Ramsey. Nip that stuff in the bud; Flaherty's gotten his, but the next guy, and the next, at some point will need to stand public referendum scrutiny - in Ramsey the city. Strib reporting on Ramsey, the County, here.

So, did this group find an attitude, one way or the other, among the Public?

"Their eyes just lit up when they saw the charter amendment petition," she said. "They want to be able to vote on this."

Strib goes on to explain how interference by the County Attorney on attempting to gain a referendum by ordinance led to having to go the "charter amendment" route, proving there's more than a single way to skin a rat:

The coalition decided to pursue the charter amendment after the county attorney's office Thursday rejected language in a proposed ordinance they had hoped to put before the voters in a special election this year. Wickstrom said those changes gutted the ordinance.

The group turned instead to amending the county's charter, unique among Minnesota's 87 counties and something akin to a constitution. The County Board can't overrule the charter, but views differ on whether state laws can supersede it.

The coalition's leadership team includes two members of Ramsey's charter commission, Rod Halvorson and Bryan Olson, and former Arden Hills City Council Member Gregg Larson.

Wickstrom said the coalition has lined up 70 to 80 volunteers so far to collect signatures through door-to-door canvassing, camping out on street corners or inviting people into their homes.

It appears the charter amendment route is the way to go when public officials will not, themselves, rein in their excesses. It is helpful that Minnesota law allows charter amendment, and unhelpful that it has also in the past allowed egregious loopholes to be exploited by headstrong councils, officials.

_______________UPDATE_______________
There is a website. And a Facebook page. And further reporting. First, the website (a partial screen capture, please click to enlarge and read - go to the original for the full page and for active links):

http://www.nostadiumtax.info/

While I despise Facebook as something fit only for Republicans' use, nonetheless since these are well motivated referendum-loving people, I give the link:

http://www.facebook.com/TheNoStadiumTaxCoalition

For online reporting beyond Strib, there is PiPress, here:

The No Stadium Tax Coalition previously sought to petition for a county ordinance to achieve the same goal. But after it submitted the petition's language to the county a month ago and received a reply from the office of Ramsey County Attorney John Choi on Thursday, the group said Choi's office proposed changes that "gutted" it.

The original petition asked voters to decide whether "Ramsey County shall be prohibited from making expenditures, incurring debt, or entering into any agreement directly or indirectly related to a stadium on the TCAAP site in Arden Hills."

A memorandum from Assistant County Attorney Harry McPeak to the group Thursday stated that the language of an initiative could not legally prohibit the county from "expenditures" or "entering into any agreement," thus cutting the proposed prohibition down to "incurring debt."

Coalition member Dave Brudevold noted that the county has already raised the possibility of another entity - such as the St. Paul Port Authority or Metropolitan Council - handling bonding for the project and thus holding the debt while the county still makes payments.

The new language "would have made the petition totally meaningless," said coalition chair Ady Wickstrom, also a Shoreview City Council member.

That gives a flavor of games that governments will play to silence or circumvent a will of the people.

PiPress and Strib each give substantially more detail than the excerpts provide, so have a look at each.

PiPress appears to have the most extensive coverage. It helps to quickly put some of the website info into a context.

_______________FURTHER UPDATE______________
The DEETS, this link, source of this image:

Roughly, if state money is used, all of Minnesota pays; plus the focused area of Ramsey County in the Twin Cities area, they'd pay twice; and then the dollar sign in New Jersey indicates who benefits.

The two push-pin spots are where the two stadium Wilfare subsidy proponents, bill chief authors, are from - the very edges of "Viking land." These are bill sponsors who, clearly, are representing "the best interest of their districts" in what they do - despite, again, that dollar sign in New Jersey.

Read the Deets, for detail.

Why Michele Bachmann was bypassed in Iowa by Rick Santorum, and what it will mean for the Sixth District.

2012-01-06T13:19:00.000-06:00

If only the DFL plan to put McCollum and Bachmann in the same district gains judicial approval. Things would be grand if the judicial panel went that way. Presuming they will not, Santorum passed Bachmann because he took over her base, in Iowa. He was the big government, "stand heavy on the throats of others for my (your) theocracy" candidate there, and prospered, while Bachmann took her Tea Party Caucus stuff seriously and the Tea Party, a jived up thing from the start, did not resonate since the tea party Republicans in Congress got nothing to show the folks as red meat from Boehner and company, who are and were an establishment Romney-style bunch.

From the start of her Minnesota success, Bachmann played big-time to bigotry, to the God, gays and guns theme, and marched to wins. She let that go and heard a big "woooosh" as Santorum bypassed her, so we can anticipate her pursuing a rededicated hate-centered reentry after a week or so into Minnesota stuff, (or she may wait until redistricting is decided, but the better guess is an ego that size cannot be patient).

She will be the candidate of hate and bigotry again. Because it worked. Gay-hating, gay-baiting, stronger than before. Look for it.

Now, what's my evidence that Santorum passed her up by using her own springboard methodology and demagoguery - wanting big government not small, big sabre-rattling anti-Iran military spending, big theocratic "reform" to nationwide federally-guided Dominionism, all that? Have a look -

God/gays:

this link

Guns:

this link

Yup. For the crowd Michele will be after, it surely is/will be again KISS; for they are simple, and stupid.

Bachmann overlooked that "base" she held. A thought experiement: Bachmann let Santorum take Iowa gun nuts. Ergo - Look for Michele Bachmann to renew her conceal-carry permit in Minnesota, and to make a big thing of doing so. You can bet on it. You can take it to the bank.

Look for Bachmann's CD6 run to be based on stealing all of Santorum's text and layout, with "Michele" subsituted for "Rick" and with a bit of differing design detail to disguise direct theft - and look for her to have Pastor Mac, Andy Parrish and the Quistian spouses front and center.

Back to what worked, like Neil Young's 1970 album after the CSN&Y stint had petered out, an album aptly titled, "After the Gold Rush," with the artist's reawakened country-style, particularly noteworthy per the song, "In the Field of Opportunity it's Plowing Time Again." Replowing country sound, big time, because it might be the thing to sell.

That song could even be a new-but-now-back-to-old Michele Bachmann campaign stop theme song.

After the POTUS Rush.

All that.

Small government Tea Party, back burnered; big government theocracy, front burner - and pour on that heat. Sure, it is intellectual prostitution. Big time intellectual prostitution. But what else do you expect?

On the campaign trail. Do you think for a moment there was not firm control of the audience microphone? That there were not planted people with preformed questioning? --- What would you ask Mitt?

2012-01-06T10:39:00.000-06:00

this link

RAMSEY - Expecting consistency from Colin McGlone?

2012-01-06T09:40:00.000-06:00

Without any public comment quoted from Colin McGlone, Ward 2 councilmember, Sakry of ABC Newspapers reported:

During its last meeting of the year, the Ramsey City Council approved new contracts for three employee groups.

The [Ramsey] council voted 6-1 Dec. 13 on the three one-year contracts for its America Federation for State, County and Municipal Employee (AFSCME) union, its police sergeants and police patrol officers.

Councilmember Colin McGlone voted against the contracts.

For the 27 AFSCME employees, the 2012 contract will give them a 2 percent cost of living adjustment.

This is the first increase any of the employee groups has had since 2009, said Colleen Lasher, administrative services.

There was only that one mention of McGlone in the item Sakry posted online. I find it curious that McGlone supported in the past giving the entire council, each and every member, extra money for being - putting themselves in as the only members - on the HRA, money beyond the stipend for serving on Council. I believe he accepts that additional cash for himself and family, each and every paycheck. And has accepted it, regularly, since it was allocated.

I guess all the versions of the old saying, atttributed over time to several preeminent pundits, to the effect that consistency is the hobgoblin of petty minds must stand as proof that our Ward 2 McGlone is beyond such pettimindedness and such a hobgoblin.

www.ricksantorum.com -- What he says now on his opening website screen. And then, what do you suppose he says after that, full screen?

2012-01-06T08:06:00.000-06:00

This link. This top-of-page screenshot, where I suppose all but the old guy in the back are Rick's children:

Viewing his entry-screen in total, is there a hint of one key advantage Mitt Romney has over Santorum?

Romney only needs to ask for your vote.

And, by the way, have the Santorums raised over twenty foster children? Amazingly, without such a credential Santorum passed others.

Iowa, the reality adventure moves on, winnowing is the script - the entire script.

2012-01-05T07:34:00.000-06:00

this link
Follow the link, explore the website.

Next installment. Can Romney rid himself of Santorum?

Following that: Ronny and Romney.

Minnesota redistricting.

2012-01-04T12:22:00.000-06:00

From Strib:

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Minnesota's political parties will argue for their plans to redraw the state's political boundaries before a panel of the Minnesota Supreme Court.

The Special Redistricting Panel meets Wednesday in St. Paul. Its members will hear arguments from attorneys for Democrats and Republicans, who have offered conflicting proposals for the once-per-decade process of adjusting congressional and legislative districts to reflect population changes.

The Minnesota GOP plan would keep all eight of Minnesota's members of Congress in their current districts. But the DFL's plan would make significant changes. Most controversially, it would put Minnesota's only two female representatives — Michele Bachmann and Betty McCollum — in the same district.

A McCollum aide criticized that proposal as "bizarre."

Obviously, the Courts always must decide because of the politically charged dimensions of redistricting.

Equally obvious, we shall be hearing of the judges on this panel, and what they say.

Equally obvious, Strib glosses over the trench-warfare to show the more appealing air war.

In the trenches is where we find the legislative House and Senate districts, determining whether Dayton still has to face the other party in both houses, or whether he gets a respite, and good sense again prevails.

________________UPDATE_________________
Strib follow-up, Here. A legislative website background page, here. A general google, here. Court papers - trust me, more than you'd care to look at unless a seriously warped wonk - here. The politicians will debate it and a bunch of judges will cut the baby, in a Solomon's choice. We live under a two-party system, and it and tensions between the two will set the limits of what mischief actually and finally happens. The devil is in the details, and money is spent for the lawyers to care one way or the other, each party fielding its dueling team. Make sense of it, or just wait and see what applies ultimately where you live, and in the interim consider the mechanic who repairs your car good or badly as more important, by far, than the redistricting posing match. Back to site links, "Ballotpedia" wiki - Minnesota Redistricting, here. Earlier Politics in Minnesota site posting, here. Here, the headline tells it like it is. Every time I read about it I think of going to an entirely new restaurant, ordering hash, and consciously not wanting to ask what's in it. Enjoy. Also, you can go to that court papers site, find out the judges on the special panel, and find biographical info for each, on the judiciary site. That will give you information. Go for it. Let me know anything useful you find.

_____________FURTHER UPDATE_____________
Trying another Google, map-wise, this result, and it can be toggled for images. Not clear where to go for an interactive map display of the GOP or DFL proposals. One would expect in an orderly world that each party would have its map on its website, and the first Google hits would be to there. Perhaps each party sees advantage in not being so orderly, for non-insider citizens to find out what each is up to. Of course that's what a skeptic would say, and being an optimist and a trusting soul, I would never go beyond a passing thought that way, for either camp. Trust each, with each saying, "Trust me."

For lack of finding any better data, MPP has a series of posts, a sample, plus this Google.

Perhaps readers could try using the Dogpile search engine. For finding relevant things, this topic.

Can you spot the ghost in mainstream media reporting of the Romney-Santorum finish in Iowa caucusing? An image of a hint.

2012-01-04T11:55:00.002-06:00

Bachmann is due to make a statement. Please, God, tell her to pass over the Sixth District. We've had enough of the do-nothing narcissistic Super-throbbing Hemorrhoid.

2012-01-04T10:17:00.001-06:00

Andy at Residual Forces, here. I write this as a reported press conference statement was scheduled, but not as to what she had to say, with a 10:00 am time assigned by her camp to meet the press; and it being twenty-after. CBS speculating, here. This from Politico:

CBC says she's out, at the presidential level.

Well, 10:30, still nothing definitive on the internet that I can see. I shall do an UPDATE.

________________UPDATE________________
Well, 10:40 am, a timestamp reminiscent of Michele Bachmann's days as tax collector, and BBC reports:

US Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann has suspended her White House campaign.

The Tea Party favourite made the announcement in Des Moines, Iowa, where she finished a disappointing sixth in the state's caucuses on Tuesday.

The Minnesota congresswoman's withdrawal from the field leaves six others in the presidential race.

They are vying to become the Republican nominee to challenge President Barack Obama for the White House in November.

On Wednesday morning, Mrs Bachmann, 55, cancelled a campaign trip to South Carolina.

"I have decided to stand aside," she said at a defiant news conference later.

That of course is not the worry. It begs the big question. The worry is she will again poison Minnesota's Sixth District.

However, presuming she still wants a shot at a VP nod, she cannot really go full-swing into monkeying up my part of Minnesota, as campaigning candidate, if she intends to bail on her Republican colleagues, at the eleventh hour should Romney have a brain-cramp and do the Palin. Doubtful he would, and Santorum is the big-time threat there, now.

But then again, this IS Michele Bachmann. Would she care about jumping back into Minnesota's CD6, and then bailing on her party at the last minute? Ego controls the beast, so, sure she would drop Minnesota like a rock, at the drop of a VP hat. Let the district be the district, ego is the tip of the spear.

____________FURTHER UPDATE____________
Good analysis, on short turnaround time, CS Monitor, here. Again, however, no word of what the district can anticipate from Bachmann. Sure, for her it is an afterthought, unimportant, but really, what's the story?

Her dilemma, as I see it, she craves the VP. She's little chance and has to know it. Her only shot, at all, would be to move as quick as Pawlenty did, to endorse Romney. But with all the Tea Party garbage she's issued, she'd appear from that to be as much a VP seeking opportunist as Pawlenty, and, while that's exactly what she is, she likely will hunker in the bunker with Marcus and weigh the odds to figure out how to do the next dance step as gracefully as possible, circumstances as they are. Excuse me, to pray and fast with Marcus awaiting divine guidance. Not to scheme, but to pray.

Sure. My guess, the district suffers. She already has her big blue bus. And likes it and posing out its window.

_______________FINAL UPDATE________________
The dropout story is now all over the Internet; this google.

For those who would want to see the video, it is online at least two places, here and here. For stories that peak and ebb, or get rewritten, links sometimes go dead. But in the next day or so, the video should remain online. I did not watch it. You can if you care to. If any reader comes across any hint about her intent re the Sixth District, please leave a comment. As to how long the video remains online, and easily Googled, try a "Herman Cain" google and see what's returned. Bachmann's timeline should not differ much, although she's the district to use to still attract press attention.

I am adding one quote, from opening CBS News online:

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa -- In the wake of a disappointing finish in Tuesday's Iowa caucuses, Rep. Michele Bachmann announced Wednesday that she is suspending her campaign for president.

"Last night, the people of Iowa spoke with a very clear voice, and so I have decided to stand aside," she said at a hastily-arranged news conference here.

"I have no regrets," she added. "None whatsoever. We never compromised our principles." She said she "looks forward to the next chapter in God's plan."

Bachmann did not endorse another candidate.

Bachmann, a third-term Minnesota congressman and the founder of the Tea Party caucus in the House, won the support of just five percent of Iowa Republican caucus-goers Tuesday. She finished in sixth place in the caucuses, which was essentially last place among the major contenders, since Jon Huntsman did not contest the state.

She also came in last in the hard-fought, three-way race among the candidates targeting Iowa social conservatives, finishing behind second-place finisher Rick Santorum and fifth-place Rick Perry. Perry, the Texas governor, said Tuesday he is returning to Texas to reassess his campaign, though he said Wednesday he plans to stay in the race.

Bachmann said Republicans should "rally around" the Republican nominee in order to defeat President Obama next November. Thanking her husband, her campaign staffers and her supporters, she vowed to "continue to be a strong voice" for her beliefs.

It's been a sad fall for Bachmann in Iowa, where she was born. [...]

[emphasis added]. Clearly, it has ALWAYS been her plan, nothing more, nothing less, and she's consistently blamed it on God. It will continue to be her plan, and she will continue blaming God because it makes her feel better to feel as if cosmically important. Isn't it funny how being at the butt end of the Iowa parade was the Iowa voters, not God's hand at play? Think that one over.

Things Iowan. From a Minnesota perspective.

2012-01-04T08:15:00.001-06:00

General coverage of the Republican Iowa caucus results is all over the Internet, so pick your poison.

I offer only two helpful things, a thought and a link.

The thought; thinking always going first, and saving a thousand words (image from MinnPost):

Santorum.
@$*%&*$ Rick Santorum.
If only I had shown Courage to Stay.
I coulda been a contenda. A champ.
But I, my corner, dey trew in da towel.

The link, source of this day-after-the-caucus-night-before screen capture (click it to enlarge and read):

To follow links, especially the Tim Tebow one,
go to the Dumpbachmann site, again, here.
Michele Bachmann comparing herself to Tim Tebow
has several flaws. He is skilled at something. And young.
He made it onto the field big time, never just a cheerleader.
Beyond that, he has an excuse, his madness can be
attributed to helmet-to-helmet football collisions.

________________UPDATE________________
Regarding the Tebow thing, helmet-to-helmet and all, perhaps Michele got "that way" from falling off the top of a cheering cheerful pyramid, this link, and landing head first. And, regarding her being "that way," the book, "The Madness of Michele Bachmann" IS drawing reviews and reporting attention on the Internet. From the publisher's page, it was set for release December 2011, hence it now should be available to all - for purchase - and for free you can review a chapter excerpt as well as the contents page.

News of a new Salem Witch Trial? Censorship actually the issue. Stifling of minority views of "spirituality." Or, why I would not want the likes of Michele Bachmann on my library board or otherwise at risk of dictating blocklist items for public library Internet access...

2012-01-04T07:17:00.000-06:00

As a starting preliminary matter concerning Wicca, whether it is witchcraft or paganism is a legitimate debate.

Even knowing that, I could not resist the headlining, since Wicca is collaterally a subject in litigation against the city of Salem, Missouri, and its library administration.

The plaintiff's complaint is online as a pdf, here. The case is basically about curbing censorship, by a public library financed primarily from local property taxes, brought by a resident-taxpayer, using the library and having internet access constrained and censored in ways claimed to infringe upon minority views of spirituality.

It is being litigated by the ACLU, it being, Hunter v. City of Salem, et al., with the opening page of the complaint speaking clearly, per this screen capture (second page image, p.4 of 15, bearing the first mention of Wicca/Wiccan):

For reporting, Ars Technica (where I first read of the litigation), here. It is semi-widely reported. The ACLU of Eastern Missouri's report, here.

A CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER: Can you imagine Michele Bachmann, or a clone or acolyte, having her biased and frenetic fingers on a keyboard typing away as her mind directs, using library blocklist software? Imposing her views of appropriate and inappropriate viewpoints of "spirituality." Or selecting proper content on Israel or Iran?

Or about herself?

Dump Bachmann need not apply.

Can you imagine that? I can.

Worse perhaps, Sarah Palin? All she'd let through is her Dominionism, Alaskan hunting, and snow-mobiling sites. And child care. But not all child care. Not childbirth prevention topics. Some, but not all content on abortion. Her likes, dislikes, and understandings preemptive; it is a most horrible thought.

Or, would you want the very Reverend Mr. James Dobson dictating to a host of censorial followers, employed at libraries, all intent upon imposing Dobson's own personal standards of what is or is not to be proper public internet access?

The kind of stuff Ms. Hunter experienced at her local public tax-funded library, because of the potentialities, has to be nipped in the bud. Decisively. We should be most thankful the ACLU is there to help a lone individual, facing government arbitrariness regarding free access to ideas and information regarding alternative conduct or beliefs. The ACLU opposed Red-baiting during McCarthy times, and this current case is little different, and saddening in that it even needs to be filed and litigated in the 21st century, in our nation.

______________FURTHER UPDATE______________
The firm making the censoring software at issue in the case is a Canadian firm, the software is called "Netsweeper" and it is used in ways with the firm making money in ways that make me puke. This screen capture, from here:

click image to
enlarge and read

So, they make malware and are evil, and whoever could love that?

Come on, try a guess. Then check out this screen capture.

this link

Who else? The repressive regimes that use this infernal product to keep their citizens from thinking, they probably don't "love" the firm, but they like the outcome.

Further info, here, here.

Isn't it proper, the chief executive officer of the firm making this infernal censorship tool is named ROACH?

I kid you not.

See, e.g., here, one of the firm's about-us pages, stating in relevant part:

Management

Perry J. Roach
Chief Executive Officer

As one of the original founders of Netsweeper and a primary shareholder, Perry Roach has led the business through a decade of growth and maturity. Bringing over 25 years of experience in operations, sales and management to Netsweeper, Perry's entrepreneurial leadership and spirit has positioned Netsweeper as a technological leader of Internet Content Filtering solutions. Under Perry's leadership, Netsweeper has developed a team of internationally qualified professionals that continue to drive the business forward with a customer first attitude.

Today, Perry is the driving force behind his management team as he focuses on building a tactical road map for the business while developing strategic partnerships in the pursuit of new business opportunities. [...]

[image added, not in original] Now, finally, doesn't this homepage capability assertion make you goosepimply, all over, over how fast and smart the roach's product is? I've never seen a roach that fast! Fastest damned roach in Canada, I'd bet.

Mistake? Newt's people's negligence? Unlike ACORN, which was careful, but pilloried.

2012-01-03T12:04:00.000-06:00

original link - click to enlarge and read
update post - here

Is it a surprise to you?

2012-01-03T11:46:00.000-06:00

Republicans insist on photo ID - NO!
Well -- Sometimes?
(click image to enlarge and read)

A time to cast away stones.

2012-01-03T07:32:00.000-06:00

photo: this link

There are federal prisons, there is an Attorney General, there are regulators to fire if not indict. Corzine had a Goldman alum as one. Goldman Sachs time, cast away time, big time. Or vacate for Romney. It's a choice. Not that Romney's any threat to Goldman, a hand fitting in a glove being protective, not threatening.

_____________UPDATE______________
With Corzine positioned where he was, being who his history made him, and with the firm's collapse handled as it was, a key indicator of casting away stones vs. whitewashing, entails looking as much at who gained what vs who lost, it being true, "Derivatives, unlike stocks where the equation has always been murky, are for the most part zero-sum products: one's gain is someone else's loss, ...". The public may be thought dummies, but Obama and Holder, however they act (or not), would not be functioning out of ignorance. Loss, and a crying towel and band-aid relief for farmers doing crop risk hedging, without more, on duly scrutinizing the gain side, is suspect. Perhaps the Republicans, seemingly silent now, are consciously holding back - it being then a matter of timing and not disinterest. Perhaps they've the same or similar friendships in their way that so far has been apparent. Friendships of those who gained probably will not get much election year attention, but that would be the fault of the press, not because what happened is "too arcane."

Sarah Palin, a no-brainer.

2012-01-02T12:52:00.000-06:00

This link.

Taking Mitch Berg more seriously than he deserves.

2012-01-02T12:04:00.000-06:00

Basically, Berg is not someone whose opinions I read. Looking once or twice, yawn. However, Brian Lambert's Glean, here, IS worth reading and mentions Berg saying stupid stuff about Amy Koch's as yet unfrocked paramour, but without linking to the specific Berg post. I had to wade through all that cr stuff at Berg's dark shooting, .and he referred back to his stuff that Lambert mentioned, but without any link back. Well, Berg's new stuff, not worth looking at at all, here; with the older stuff Lambert mentioned, here. Read Lambert, and as much Berg as you can take. Without any Berg, you get the gist from Lambert's writing.

Basically Berg says Brodkorb can sue many for following a logical implication that can be reached from considering circumstantial evidence, a logical step since as Berg and Lambert note there is no direect evidence, no Brodkorb saying it was/was not him as "male staffer" inappropriately relating to Koch, with her equally silent. Specifically Berg dislikes the most reasonable circumstantial inference, that Brodkorb's firing and the near contemporaneous disclosure by Geoff Michel and henchmen of Koch's "inappropriate affair," and her stepping down as GOP Senate boss, are somehow connected, i.e., Berg dislikes drawing the circumstantial conclusion Koch and Brodkorb at some point might have been inapproriately connected. All Brodkorb needs to do is publicly deny it. Clearly. One can circumstantially infer why he declines.

Berg-wise, Let's say this.

.........................
1. Brodkorb's employment with the Minnesota Senate was at will, he could be terminated or could quit at any time, for any reason or for no reason. (That's been reported as fact, affirmatively stated to the press by a senate staff muck-a-muck, and is something Berg does not contradict or deny).

2. Koch's affair, whatever its nature, was at will; she could have ended it at any time for any reason, or for no reason. It is the nature of such things unless the "inappropriate relationship" was a coerced loan or something akin, where one cannot lawfully terminate a pay back relationship and duty, "at will." Ditto, at will, for the "male staffer" in the "inappropriate relationship."

3. Brodkorb's severance from his big Senate paycheck was related to his "at will" status.
........................

I hope Mitch Berg might like that better. Not too many "at will" references to confuse him.

BOTTOM LINE: The Minnesota Senate is better off with Brodkorb gone because he was a partisan hack on staff in a position that was supposed to be for communication of Senate matters, not his own opinions and prejudices. (That's a matter of judgment and opinion where Mitch Berg can disagree, if anybody cares.)

Moving on, of interest within Berg's dark shooting, he likes ~~Ron~~ Rand Paul; he lists "Dumbest Arguments For Public Subsidy For A Vikings Stadium," and, as Republicans are prone to absurd simplifications, he limits it to seven.

There are more. Some dumber, but that's opinion too. One Berg disagrees with, seven being agreeable to him. Whether creationism is at play in a choice of seven, that would be a circumferential, circumstantial inference for the preference for seven which might equally be based on his liking the one Kurosawa film.

This is the last you will likely ever read on Crabgrass about Mitch Berg, and I expect he cares little about Crabgrass either way, likely not reading it (or if reading it, not being educated to any modification of his own opinions by the experience).

RAMSEY -- COLIN McGLONE: His priorities are not my priorities.

2012-01-01T08:34:00.000-06:00

Why is the city buying a fire truck and plow trucks
“when I can’t afford it,” McGlone said. The public is
paying the bills on all of it. Government needs to take
a better look on its spending, he said.

Sakry reporting, ABC Newspapers, this link. Also, this link.

That last link, a wholly new six-figure tax imposed.

For a handful of Northstar riders. The rest of us just live here, and need streets plowed, fire protection.

Are McGlone's priorities Ward 2 priorities?

Never stooping to unneeded hyperbole, Strib reports of "Political Earthquake," our Capitol "rocked" by it, "an effort to find footing," and the seeking of "institutional integrity."

2012-01-01T07:29:00.000-06:00

This link, this screen capture (caption not in original).

Ever since the earthquake, the Capitol's been tilting to the right;
you may have noticed. And, forget "institutional integrity."
I'm just trying to get my topcoat on while the earthquake's tilting has
me struggling more, to find footing.

A new year. An election year.

2012-01-01T06:56:00.000-06:00

Now that the new year is here, we shall be lucky enough to have advertising telling us all we need to know, where we need not spend time ferreting candidate information out on the internet. It will be given us between changes of possession in the NFL playoffs, during basketball time outs. Between innings during summer baseball broadcasting. We will be educated. Each advertisement will focus only upon a single individual, an office seeker, and his/her range of virtues and experience. It will be each advertisement presenting useful and informative data, presenting a candidate's most appealing aspects. It will be enjoyable. I along with readers look forward to it and how it will accelerate in volume and in information content as the general election approaches.

The least well-explained story of 2011.

2011-12-31T12:20:00.000-06:00

It is what we in the trade sometimes call, "The Mother Hubbard" effect.
The best way I can explain things, if you think of this water bottle as
the MF Global customers' account money, Now you see it ...

So what exactly does the "MF" in MF Global stand for? In the committee hearings that never was asked.

The most provocative coverage, seeming to me to hang together as valid, and interesting in any event, is here, reprinted, here.

_____________UPDATE_______________
A quizzically interesting website is Zero Hedge, with its own popular MF Global story, here, by Tyler Durden (presumably a pseudonym). Durden had an interesting and popular 2010 story to tell, here.

___________FURTHER UPDATE____________
If you'd rather a rant, here, for one. Two guys on the same riff. A repeated mantra even using the f-word. And, not that one, the other. In the sense of, "new world order." But is it "new," and if you plug that f-word into the MF of MF Global, what do you give to the M? Malignant? Mobilized? What? Is there a word beginning with "M" that means holding regular folks up by the ankles and shaking and shaking until all the loose change falls from their pockets?

Another rant, same website.

A modest list of New Year's Eve predictions.

2011-12-31T08:10:00.000-06:00

The Ramsey Town Center will recapture its true name from the dustbin. Once done, it will become the commercial hub of the entire North Metro. Big Box stores in Elk River, Maple Grove, and Riverdale will be forced to close. Darren Lazan will become a multi-millionaire from commissions.

Zygi will fully fund and build a new Vikings stadium.

The Republicans, with a Santorum-Bachmann ticket will capture the White House in a landslide. At the earliest opportunity President Santorum will appoint a corporation to the Supreme Court.

Mining interests in the iron range will declare themselves an environmental threat and will fund in advance a trillion dollar remediation fund and a comparable fund for mine workers developing lung and other diseases.

The national debt will be paid off.

Vice President Bachmann will be raptured, President Santorum will not, and great debate will result over raptruing selection criteria.

Zygi will contract to sell the Taliban naming rights to Zygi's new stadium. The league will step in to prevent that, and in exchange will offer the Taliban an expansion franchise in Las Vegas.

Timberwolves win NBA championship, beating the Utah Jazz in the finals.

The rich will be taxed.

The DEA, CIA, and FBI will be disbanded, with all functions transferred to Hollywood interests led by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis. NSA will be merged into Microsoft. Lobbying will cease after being declared illegal.

The Israelis, collectively and as a nation, will be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Ramsey's long-distance mayor will make the Guinness Book of Records as maximum commuting mayor, prompting numerous Californians to attempt to run for office in Delaware.

The Chinese will lose interest in manufacturing in favor of a return to peasant agriculture.

Intent on a lower profile, major Wall Street firms will relocate to Iowa.

The Vatican Bank will relocate to Iowa.

The entire population of India will relocate to Iowa.

Texans will forget the Alamo.

I will make it to the next New Year's Eve still able to wake every morning, look out the window and see, and be able to comprehend what it is I am seeing.

Global warming denial will be characterized as a UN hoax.

With global warming denial falling out of favor, deniers will move to insisting the Internet is a hoax and does not exist.

Automobiles will run on sunlight.

Al Gore will challenge the Santorum election claiming voter fraud in Montana, and will win the case, 7-0 at the Supreme Court with Justice Scalia abstaining and declaring he wants no part of the decision because it might interfere with his being raptured, and with Justice Thomas following suit.

Duck Duck Go will replace Google as the most popular search engine worldwide. Aflac will sue claiming copyright infringement.

---------------------------

Some may disagree, but the one in there after Texans and the Alamo is the most important.

Apartments Planned -- location, location, location.

2011-12-30T16:10:00.000-06:00

Not next door to the busiest freight train tracks in Minnesota.

Strib reports,

click to enlarge and read - this link for full story

Wes Enos, another Bachmann Iowa campaign staffer separated from the Bachmann campaign.

2011-12-30T14:51:00.002-06:00

City Pages here. Marcus Bachmann is believed to remain loyal, and not at odds with the candidate. Apparently, Andy Parrish is still around too, after leaving Congressional staff to become campaign staff, and still useful.

________________UPDATE_______________
This from Iowa online coverage, (red highlighting added):

Des Moines Register. Click to read, or, this link.

More online coverage, Bachmann in Iowa, latest events, here, here, here, and Libertarian Lew Rockwell, here.

The Republican Party of Minnesota might be well advised to consider running racino gambling in their party headquarters lobby.

2011-12-30T12:48:00.000-06:00

Strib reports, today, online here:

Minnesota Republican Party officials are pulling the curtain back on what they call "ugly stuff" in their finances.

The party says it's $1.3 million in debt, and that doesn't include $719,000 in legal expenses that may eventually go against their ledger.

Top officials ran through their balance sheet at a news conference Friday in St. Paul. Jeff Johnson, who chaired a review committee, says the review is a first step toward mending finances. Johnson says the next steps will come after Republicans elect a new chairman on Saturday in St. Cloud.

A slogan, "At MnGOP you pay to play." And they could sell naming rights, for putting at the bottom, blank part of the sign. If naming rights find no buyer put the slogan there.

_______________UPDATE________________
Strib has a more complete report online now, here.

I checked the comment thread there. It is long and growing. I will post my comment here.

They need reorganization help, and should try Bain Capital. Or Scott Wilson to trim payroll.

_____________FURTHER UPDATE_____________
Probably the most detailed coverage online, MPR, here and here. The only place I looked at comment threading was Strib, and it was about what could be expected. Not particularly insightful after the reporting. If any readers find helpful commentary, please add a comment.

RAMSEY ---- Sears Holding is closing four (4) K-Mart stores in Minnesota, not the one just off Highway 10 in Anoka.

2011-12-30T08:22:00.000-06:00

That K-Mart retail outlet in Anoka does a surprisingly small business, yet it is staying open for retail shopping. It is conveniently off Highway 10, between two traffic lights, and reasonably visible from the Highway, to the extent it might attract highway drivers to stop and shop. There is even service road ingress-egress between the traffic lights. It is driver friendly that way.

It is there, with the big empty parking lot, and the commercial vacant building at the west side of the parking lot that has been vacant for years. A nice building. But - Vacant. This screenshot from the Strib report on closings.

Full story, this link.

"The closings will add to a glut of empty retail real estate."

That is Strib's sub-headline. That is the truth.

Just off Highway 10. Easy access because there are no rail tracks, no chance of train delay.

Moribund.

Darren, please take notice.

More than Darren, Ramsey City Council please take notice. Vacant Retail. Not that hard to comprehend. Statewide. Metro-wide.

And, I really cannot blame Darren for sucking twenty-grand a month of tax money out of Ramsey.

If free money were put on a table for you, you'd take it, yes?

So, who is giving our money away - the Big Bang super-hard question going into the New Year.

The commuting mayor and three others, are prime suspects.

There is this, teaching for the hard learners, per Strib reporting:

[...] The closing of yet another big-box retail store will likely prove challenging for Twin Cities real estate professionals trying to fill the empty space. In 2011, a tough economy spurred the closing of several stores throughout the Twin Cities, including Borders, Ultimate Electronics, as well as a Lowe's store in Rogers. A Gander Mountain store is slated to be closed in Maple Grove.

"These stores are typically not easy pieces of real estate to re-tenant," said Dick Grones, principal of Cambridge Commercial Realty in Edina and a longtime retail broker.

[...] In the case of the New Hope Kmart, at 4300 Xylon Av. N., the city was already working with the Florida-based owner of the property to redevelop it and nearby lots into a mini-downtown with shops and restaurants, according to City Manager Kirk McDonald. The Kmart closing could spur those efforts, he said, "although I hate to see people lose their jobs at Kmart."

City officials from White Bear Lake could not be reached Thursday regarding the impending Kmart closing.

Sometimes large retail "boxes" that have been abandoned can be subdivided into "junior boxes," Martin said. These concepts generally span about 15,000 square feet, according to a recent report by the commercial real estate firm Cassidy Turley. The smaller spaces may be occupied by retailers such as Best Buy and Office Max looking to downsize, or others seeking to expand their footprint, such as T.J. Maxx HomeGoods and Trader Joe's.

[...]

[emphasis added] It seems everybody is chasing new retail, even in existing buildings with parking paved - many sites already on the ground, vacant, just waiting. Gander Mountain. Maple Grove.

And the Ramsey town fools with Clown Center, they just push on.

And on. And on. Same old, same old ... Darren's monthly pap.

Tax money comes, tax money goes, sometimes wisely. However ...

Here is a Google Maps screenshot of the Anoka K-Mart site, and its fast-food environs.

click the image to enlarge it and read marked streets and places

Do you think for a minute that Ed Rollins, before quitting a lost cause, (one the head loser has yet to quit on), picked the particular Iowa Bachamnistani operative who now, overnight switches and endorses Ron Paul?

2011-12-29T17:47:00.001-06:00

Many outlets report the campaign switch of Iowa State Rep. Kent Sorenson from supporting Michele Bachmann to supporting Ron Paul. This Google. CS Monitor, for example. Politico, here.

This is a Tea Party person apparently, whatever your usage of the term "tea" might entail.

This Google.

TokeOfTheTown, for example.

The best reporting on Sorenson's travails, Des Moines Register, here.

The guy: is not a college grad, lives in Iowa where there is not much beyond agriculture happening, and had a young series of mistakes mainly treading water, financially.

Much of the Tea Party's people story is his story, problems leading to disaffection for "government," in some generic sense, while the Occupy movement is more focused on the real dimensions of why people like Sorenson are put and kept behind the eight ball.

The moneyed power brokers want and like having a pliant population, and while Sorenson has somewhat escaped that boxed in engineered claustrophobia, it was not without being stomped on quite a bit by the heavy boot of privileged authoritarianism.

I think he's found a better camp than Crazy Michele's. It appears he thinks so.

We can only guess what Ed Rollins might have to say. Or some New Hampshire people. With Rollins exit, there were two versions circulating, e.g., here and here. Marcus appears set to remain on board, however, for the long haul. Ron Carey says so,

Bachmann's closest aides say that until now, the three-term congresswoman's kitchen cabinet has consisted mostly of her tight-knit family.

"The only person she talks to as an insider is her husband, Marcus, who's a wonderful man, and her son Lucas," said former Minnesota Republican Party Chair Ron Carey, who served as Bachmann's chief of staff last year. "That's really her brain trust."

Marcus and Lucas Bachmann both cop to the plea.

"Yes, I'm her strategist," Marcus Bachmann said as he dashed into Calef's with an autographed Michele Bachmann baseball card for deli man Joel Sherburne, who was suddenly a fan.

Lucas Bachmann, 28, also acknowledged a role, calling himself a William F. Buckley libertarian conservative.

With longtime aide Andy Parrish the only paid handler at Calef's, it was left to Marcus Bachmann, a Christian therapist, to help manage the drive-by visit and stay on schedule. As the congresswoman chatted amiably with Mitch Michaud, a local Tea Party activist who came to see her in person, Marcus Bachmann gently put his arms around his wife and tried to lead her out the door.

Ron Carey should know from his extensive and long-term service as a Bachmann chief-of-staff.

More about GOP insider fear of Ron Paul. Not passing per their litmus test(s).

2011-12-28T11:44:00.001-06:00

This link. And this.

Hat tip Janet O'Connell, and her email newsletter-alert.

These tie into an earlier Crabgrass post, this week, here.

Mainstream media dissing him as "a crank" means he can't be all that bad. Nobody says he's as dumb as Perry, as crazy as Bachmann, or as oily as Gingrich. Not a stiff fish, like Romney. Not a unique blend of all of these bad traits, Santorum.

Vikings - Gambling: David Senjem after 11 hours was named next GOP State Senate head. At least Senjem rhymes with "referendum" but don't bet on any further connection.

2011-12-28T07:41:00.000-06:00

This Google. This image??

this link

So, what exactly was his full role in axing Koch, and how purple is the axing?

Is Zygi smiling over this? Is Zygi frowning?

An interesting post, not anything I'd support, here.

If you read there what Zygi's surrogate has to say, Hahn appears to have been Zygi's Minnesota Senate boogeyman, and he did not get the leadership post.

My Guess is more the one than the other, based on the Senjem vote:

So much for the Zygi meter.

-------------------

NOTE: To make that second Zygi-frown image much, much, much bigger - hold a referendum, Senjem. For what it's worth, Janecek likes the Senjem choice. Probably it is the spelling of the name with two E's where it might easily be misspelled/mistyped.

Fight Wilfare.

_____________UPDATE____________
As previously noted, Janecek has a multi-part series posted on the GOP and money, and in particular gambling money, all worth reading, this being part 3 - dead in the middle:

To understand the money in gambling and who is spending what where, you need to have a basic understanding of the gambling interests. There are three.

One. The Minnesota Indian Gaming Association. Includes 9 of the 11 tribes in MN and the most profitable Indian casinos. Obviously, MIGA is rock solid against any expansion of gambling.

Two. Two tribes don’t belong to MIGA. One of these, the White Earth Tribal Nation, runs the not-so-profitable Jackpot Junction Casino in Mahnomen. White Earth wants to build a casino in downtown Minneapolis and help pay for a new Vikings stadium.

Three. The two private sector lobbying entities are Running Aces Harness Park and Canterbury Park. The two have unsuccessfully lobbied for slot machines for years. Canterbury’s big push is a big new Racino, a racetrack / casino combo. Canterbury is also offering to help pay for a new Vikings stadium with proceeds from the Racino.

Again, that link is here, and from there you can read the series. Zygi is convenient for the players wanting to expand gambling, and there are opposing forces, and the GOP will have to be walking the point, three ways, three points, in appeasing those who have gambling money to invest in politicians, where the GOP sits, currently, in debt. The Dayton-Mondale play seems to be, on behalf of Dayton, Mondale holding no office but what's been given, to let the GOP decide which brier patch it wants to throw itself into, await their action, and see how best to ride that tiger.

Rybak is pushing for downtown stadium consideration, which seems hand-in-glove with private downtown gaming growth - establishment and growth since none is there now - and he's a complication in things.

Do we want or need expanded gambling?

If so, the lottery seems to benefit the State, indirectly taxpayers, so why not embrace it's model for any expansion of gambling - which is separate from the question of whether there's too much already.

Don't you hate those obtrusive have-fun-and-adventure at the casino advertisements wedged in between the truck, auto, burger and beer ads, during televised sports? They offend. They are aimed at a lowest common denominator. As is too much of televised sports, have you gotten that message, Zygi. Upgrade the product on all levels, not simply on won-lost numbers.

What is "political correctness" when it reaches gambling money in politics?

Wait and see. You may be astounded. There's a new GOP team, the earlier band that purged Koch-Brodkorb having itself been ousted in the Tuesday voting subsequent to the ouster of Koch-Brodkorb. A tent full of elephants at cross purposes - will it be more a big mess to clean up vs. a stampede?

Iowa, Hopium, Dopium, well written, and sounding true.

2011-12-27T16:01:00.000-06:00

Published a few days ago in Chicago Tribune, here, and Strib carrying the feed, here.

Both links are given because Strib has a habit of keeping some things online, while other things perish into the land of dead links, and Error 404, We're sorry messages.

There are attack pieces on Ron Paul, e.g., here.

I find him unique as the single force behind wanting to hold the Fed accountable, where others have coalesced to the thought but where without him Bernanke would be even more smug and priggish and disdainful of you and I who are not big on Wall Street (yes, more of the same is possible).

I find him unique in wanting to put the sabre away instead of rattling it as the lone world superpower or whatever the hype was leading W into the wasteland of oil war and such.

I find him unique as the only one in the current GOP bunch I can take seriously as anything but a tired tool of the status quo and those overly comfortable with it. Or worse, Rick Santorum and Michele Bachmann, clear and present dangers.

Strib reports some sensible Minnesota towns are taking affirmative steps to curb proliferation of rentals.

2011-12-27T12:00:00.001-06:00

Curb rentals? Why that is UnAmerican. And UnRepublican.
Subsidized rental is a sacred property right.
Next they will trample the flag. Shorten the Pledge.
Trust me, it is as wrong as charging me for ramp space.
I say so, the FLAHERTY of the UNITED STATES.

Strib link.

Forward looking job creators, in a Republican manner, in ways many Republicans might have envied. An innovative shepherding of wealth story worthy of bipartisan notice.

2011-12-27T06:58:00.000-06:00

Visit the homepage. Explore the website.

Robert Walker. Bixby Energy. An entrepreneurial saga. Not a Horatio Alger story, but one of dedicated and focused effort toward a goal - raising the capital needed to bring an idea to its profitable end, where many can own a part so that the effort is sufficiently funded to achieve its ends - a process which any of the GOP presidential hopefuls will tell you, is the thing that made America what it is, and the GOP what it is, standing for such ways and means. Indeed, a former Minnesota Republican House Rep. a part of the story. What more, what more? Midway through this 2007 leading-edge Twin Cities Business story, the explanation unwinds:

Walker’s vision of alternative energy sources becoming the mainstream is not only “absolutely realistic, but beyond that, it’s going to happen. The only question is, who will get the job done?” says former U.S. Congressman Gil Gutknecht, the Minnesota Republican who chaired the House agricultural subcommittee concerned with alternative energy. Now a consultant to the energy industry and to Bixby, Gutknecht points out that Walker isn’t the only one building a biomass-based energy business, so there are competitive issues of “who gets there firstest with the mostest. From what I see around the world, Bixby is in position to be a leader.”

He gives the company an edge because of more than just its technology for converting biomass into useable fuel: “What Bob Walker understands, and most others working on renewable energy don’t want to know, is that the energy business is incredibly price competitive. People will drive a mile to save a penny on a gallon of gas. The winners will be the low-cost providers.” During his tenure in Washington, Gutknecht says, Walker was one of the few alternative-energy enthusiasts he met “with a business model not predicated on long-term government subsidies.”

To date, Walker has raised $27 million from private investors. One, Don Schreifels, who has a Brooklyn Center insurance agency, says he doesn’t question the viability of Walker’s vision, but that realizing it “will take years and a lot of money—money on the Wall Street level.” The major risk for Bixby, he adds, is that “other players could come along, do a better job of getting the money, and do what we want to do better and quicker. We have an edge getting to the marketplace, but in today’s world, you never know.”

Walker says going public is imminent for Bixby, but probably not through an IPO. An alternate route is more likely, possibly a merger with an already public entity.

He says other big developments are imminent, too: more partnerships and expansions of his company’s technology portfolio. Bixby Energy Systems is being approached by people with other energy technologies—cutting-edge wind and coal-gasification systems—who tell him, “‘We think you’ve got a model for the future in the energy business, and we’ve got compelling technologies that we think you ought to take a look at and see if it doesn’t fit within your framework.’”

Because of increased public attention to global warming and to renewable energy in general, Walker says, “we’re actually evolving more rapidly into an energy business” than he had originally anticipated. Bixby is already “dramatically changing our market structure,” not just beyond stoves or pellets, but beyond biomass, though it remains central to the company’s plans.

“We find that a lot of the energy solutions that are in alternative energy are really an application of several energy disciplines,” he explains—a point illustrated by his further intentions for biomass and for Bixby’s stoves.

Your Home as Power Plant

Bixby has been a financial backer of research on “pyrolysis” done by Dr. Roger Ruan of the University of Minnesota’s Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering and his collaborators in the U.S. and Norway. Like Bixby’s pellet-making technology, pyrolysis works with all sorts of biomass, applying heat to vaporize it and then condensing most of the gases into liquid fuel—“biocrude” that can be refined for use as heating oil, turbine fuel, and other energy products. Many researchers and companies globally are developing pyrolysis technologies; Bixby is working to secure a role as commercialization agent for Ruan’s particular process, which takes just two hours. With further refinements, including pressurization, Ruan says he expects to cut the time to around 30 minutes.

To understand things from the beginning of the report, this headlining:

Bob Walker's Plan to Transform the Global Energy Industry
At Bixby Energy Systems, he's starting with corn-burning stoves but expects ultimately to change the way homes, businesses, and power plants run. If his biomass fuels reduce global warming, it won't be because it's a good cause, Walker says, but because it's good business.

March 2007 | by Jack Gordon

Too good to be true, a doubter might say. If it's that promising, the big corporations would be doing it - perhaps Exxon-Mobil has a patent pool, having bought the technology in order to keep it off market so that their oil business may prosper and the strategic positioning of the Middle East and its resources can be maintained.

But that's skepticism, not reality. Not sensible Republican conservatism, not the Chamber of Commerce, NRA, nor Tim Pawlenty, the Governor from Sam's Club.

For an update, this Google. A link.

The Minnesota Republican Senators are meeting today to elect leadership, there having been resignations of which readers may be unaware. May Bixby Energy be with them as they regroup to sell you, the voter, their version of reality in which the wealthy do not pay onerous taxes and the workers gain under a health care provisioning system engineered to create dependence, obedience and compliance with a status quo; you get healthcare via your corporate employer, or at great personal expense, or none at all. You may not like it that way, but others, holding power, trusted with the decision making, think things fine as they are. They, unseen and working the strings of the system are meeting behind closed doors to do wonderful things - like the Bixby folks they are, directly or by representation, the job creators. Don't ask them if it is so, they will tell you, at length and without asking. Steadfast in their belief system, they know what is right for them, what is right for you.

Food for thought. Brazil, Cargill and more. Cargill remains Cargill and do not forget that.

2011-12-26T10:36:00.000-06:00

That is the chart, where you can return once you have read the excerpt or the original item, here.

The Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) said its latest World Economic League Table showed Asian countries moving up and European countries falling back.

The CEBR also predicted that the UK economy would overtake France by 2016.

It also said the eurozone economy would shrink 0.6% in 2012 "if the euro problem is solved", or 2% if it is not.

CEBR chief executive Douglas McWilliams told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that Brazil overtaking the UK was part of a growing trend.

"I think it's part of the big economic change, where not only are we seeing a shift from the west to the east, but we're also seeing that countries that produce vital commodities - food and energy and things like that - are doing very well and they're gradually climbing up the economic league table," he said.

It is a short article, with that opening excerpt being slightly less than half of the item.

Now, you may notice that the item does not mention Cargill.

However, it does mention "food and commodities," which some regard as a synonym for Cargill.

Specific to Cargill and Brazil, no links, other than via a Google.

Cargill invests where the opportunity for maximal return on investment exists. For now, it can be argued that those in the US vocal about saving the rain forests, may be looking at agricultural land, supply and demand, and having more in mind than simply, oh my, the rain forests, fauna and flora, species extinction risks, what should be done. Don't ask me, ask Cargill.

And do you believe, in any Minnesota federal-level redistricting be it GOP, DFL or judicial, that Cargill will have no opinions, and will not be heard? Collin Peterson in all likelihood will keep a safe Congressional district, and Agricultural Committee seniority, whatever else redistricting brings.

EXPANSION OF GAMBLING - If the state decides to permit it the state should own it. Not tribes, not horse race capitalism. Not Zygi. The money from it should go into the general fund. Not pre-earmarked, certainly not as free government money given Zygi.

2011-12-26T08:41:00.000-06:00

That's about it. Agree or disagree.

I find it strange that there are DFL and GOP proponents of expanding gambling, and on the other side, the side of keeping it a Tribal monopoly; with no real sense to any position and the appearance of money buying advocacy in the legislature - which is troublesome even as it becomes a commonplace perception.

Please open this link.

The strangest of things - these gambling advocates will say go that route to give Zygi a free ride at property development in Arden Hills; but will not look at spending the money from gambling, if expanded and configured to yield maximum return to the government, for something far more vital than fattening Zygi's wallet, that being saving lives and otherwise making healthcare as available to all as it is successfully available to military veterans.

It is news, like the Pope telling us he's a Catholic.

2011-12-25T14:54:00.003-06:00

David Flaherty, developer, is reported to think City of Ramsey made a right move gambling multi-million dollar bonding on his Rental-by-the-Rails.

News. This link.

It's anybody's guess who will be the next GOP Senate boss. Who are you betting on? What are the odds?

2011-12-25T08:16:00.000-06:00

Betting on that outcome? If so, it must mean you are a gambling addict at heart. Or not? Just like to bet a little, now and then, a lottery ticket or two, now and then? Other times, a nice trip and besides, the Indians need the money?

Paul Demko, at Politics in Minnesota has a well-written lengthy analysis, this opening screenshot:

click to enlarge and read the excerpt
ENTIRE STORY, this link.

The PIM Headline is, "Senate majority leader to play crucial role on gaming proposals."

The screenshot gives only the brief opening of an item that is well written, and thorough. It mentions Jungbauer, but strangely doing a word search of the post, for "geoff" and "michel" yielded nothing. Geoff Michel is a nothing in this inner party thing? Hopefully so.

________________UPDATE______________
BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE: I wonder in terms of the inner party, how Harry Niska positions himself on the gambling question, Niska being a former Jungbauer campaign treasurer, Ramsey council candidate, and present head of the "SD48 Republicans" local inner party mavens.

Presuming he still has public office ambitions, it would be a nice thing to know NOW, where Niska stands. Jungbauer in the PIM item is noted as pro-gambling expansion.

So, leaving the local aside and getting back to statewide things Republican, the Tuesday after-Amy match; after reading that Dec. 23 PIM item, I strongly recommend reading a parallel Dec. 23 Deets post, which overlaps PIM somewhat, but goes elsewhere while painting with a broader brush, and linking to Sarah Janecek inner party facebooking. And that anon comment about Sheehan, possibly/possibly not the first stone thrower --- gossip and insight - all educational --- THIS LINK.

Kohler of The Deets does interesting things, and while I don't mess away time with Twitter/Facebook, Ed likes Twitter, and did this for which we must give praise. For the effort to sweep away uncertainties.

Download from PiPress -- Minnesota Chicken Suits Exposed

2011-12-24T12:29:00.000-06:00

click image to enlarge and read - this source

_________________UPDATE_______________
With all the free press coverage, and being free of the party job, the blog, the Senate job, and now also free of being a boosting factor in the Parry candidacy against Walz, it should be Brodkorb against Klobuchar. They have to run somebody. Let him try to collect another Amy. A very much tougher nut to crack. A challenge. Campaigning in the chicken suit might give him a better chance and in such a contest he'd need all the breaks he could get.

Talk about getting free press attention. City Pages goes through his tweets as the FBI might sift someone's garbage, reporting:

Last Wednesday, Brodkorb was confronted by Secretary of the Senate Cal Ludeman, and told he no longer worked for the GOP. The story of his ouster officially broke Friday.

Hours later, Brodkorb decided to watch a movie -- the 1981 Brian De Palma flick "Blow Out." The movie is a political thriller about a governor running for president who is found dead after his car plunges into the water with a prostitute in the driver's seat.

It was an interesting choice, given the circumstances, but Brodkorb gave it a rave review at 1:44 a.m. Saturday:

Watching a great thriller...Blow Out... John Travolta...1981, a must watch;

Okay then, film time, before Tuesday's Republican Senate caucus, each attendee should watch Herzog's "Jeder für sich und Gott gegen alle."

A download from The Uptake. A tribal casino at Zygiplace, an alternative to Wilfare? What will caucusing Republicans have in view, Tuesday, while caucusing?

2011-12-24T10:49:00.000-06:00

Click the image to enlarge and read. This link to see video.

Do that and there is still room for my suggestion, let Zygi run the book at the stadium, taking bets during the game on whether next Viking possession scores, punts, or turns the ball over; bets on leading team at half-time, etc. That would be of course to make up any shortfall between the relatively meager amount the Wilf family puts up from - gasp - its own wealth relative to league money, public money, anybody's money but Zygi's ...

However, Arden Hills and tribal casino-bookmaking is non-unique. It could be done at the Dome, it could be state-owned with all profit offsetting taxation needs; there are a host of ways to gamble on Zygi, and whether after getting a new stadium the gentleman moves his for profit plaything anyway because another town is packed with bigger chumps, or chumps with bigger open wallets.

Wilfare sucks.

Like Nancy Reagan lectured,

Sen. Geoff Michel alleges he chose to fudge the Koch-Brodkorb knowledge timeline to protect Sheehan and ANOTHER tattletale? Let's have names, dates, disclosure. And next Tuesday, the Senate Republicans vote on who shall lead them (where) next legislative session. Will a miasma linger?

2011-12-24T09:44:00.000-06:00

Will the strugle for GOP Senate leadership be a CAGE match?

Start with knowing some of the players, and such. A second hat tip to Ed Kohler's Deets, (as noted, the CAGE source), with earlier info from this summer, a post from June 6, 2011 (coincidentally the day after Sarah Brodkorb's police call per the Sunday date on the CP published police report of a domestic-verbal police response).

Ed wrote (with links and platform quote in the original, bold emphasis added):

In case you’re wondering who the Minnesota Racino lobby has been spending money on in order to increase its chances of exploiting gambling addicts, here are the names with campaign contributions [update, original Deets link failed for me, this link was found, although details between it and the following Kohler numbers were not cross-checked]:

HOUSE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN CMTE OF MINNESOTA – REPUBLICAN – $5900
DEKRUIF, AL – SENATE – REPUBLICAN – $500
HOFFMAN, GRETCHEN – SENATE – REPUBLICAN – $500
MICHEL, GEOFF – SENATE – REPUBLICAN – $500
NIENOW, SEAN – SENATE – REPUBLICAN – $500
PARRY, MIKE – SENATE – REPUBLICAN – $500
ROBLING, CLAIRE – SENATE – REPUBLICAN – $500
SENJEM, DAVID H – SENATE – REPUBLICAN – $500
WOLF, PAM – SENATE – REPUBLICAN – $500
BEARD, MIKE – HOUSE – REPUBLICAN – $500
BUESGENS, MARK – HOUSE – REPUBLICAN – $500
ERICKSON, SONDRA – HOUSE – REPUBLICAN – $500
NEWMAN, SCOTT – SENATE – REPUBLICAN – $300
STUMPF, LEROY – SENATE – DEMOCRATIC-FARMER-LABOR – $300
DAHMS, GARY – SENATE – REPUBLICAN – $250
DALEY, TED – SENATE – REPUBLICAN – $250
GIMSE, JOE – SENATE – REPUBLICAN – $250
INGEBRIGTSEN, BILL – SENATE – REPUBLICAN – $250
JUNGBAUER, MIKE – SENATE – REPUBLICAN – $250
MILLER, JEREMY – SENATE – REPUBLICAN – $250
ORTMAN, JULIANNE – SENATE – REPUBLICAN – $250
PETERSEN, BRANDEN – HOUSE – REPUBLICAN – $250
WARDLOW, DOUG – HOUSE – REPUBLICAN – $250
DFL HOUSE CAUCUS OF MINNESOTA – – DEMOCRATIC-FARMER-LABOR – $250
KOCH, AMY T – SENATE – REPUBLICAN – $200
PEDERSON, JOHN – SENATE – REPUBLICAN – $200
BILLS, KURT – HOUSE – REPUBLICAN – $200
HOLBERG, MARY LIZ – HOUSE – REPUBLICAN – $200
KATH, KORY – HOUSE – DEMOCRATIC-FARMER-LABOR – $200
KIEFFER, ANDREA – HOUSE – REPUBLICAN – $200
LANNING, MORRIE – HOUSE – REPUBLICAN – $200
MARQUART, PAUL – HOUSE – DEMOCRATIC-FARMER-LABOR – $200
NORNES, BUD – HOUSE – REPUBLICAN – $200
PEPPIN, JOYCE – HOUSE – REPUBLICAN – $200
SMITH, STEVE – HOUSE – REPUBLICAN – $200
WOODARD, KELBY – HOUSE – REPUBLICAN – $200

Notice any trends in that data? Quite a few Republicans, eh? That seems strange considering that the MN GOP’s platform reads (PDF):

Limit the Influence of Gambling in our State
We seek to eliminate all state-sponsored gambling and oppose any expansion of gambling in Minnesota. In regards to casinos already in place, current gambling laws should be changed so that Minnesota is allowed to tax profits and revenue of tribal casino gambling in the state.We seek to eliminate all state-sponsored gambling and oppose any expansion of gambling in Minnesota. In regards to casinos already in place, current gambling laws should be changed so that Minnesota is allowed to tax profits and revenue of tribal casino gambling in the state.

I think that makes it clear that the MN GOP can be bought. They’re abandoning their own party’s platform for a few hundred campaign dollars each.

So what if the MN GOP flips on their position on gambling? Maybe exploiting gambling addicts and destroying families is justified in tough financial times?

What is the justification for supporting the racino at this time? Building a new stadium for corporate welfare queen, Zygi Wilf and his private business, the Minnesota Vikings.

Grow horns? Turn purple? Or, do otherwise? Perhaps just let Zygi run a betting book at the stadium, if he pays for it all. Raise his return on investment that way? Build a stadium-casino complex in Arden Hills? Downtown? Possibilities are endless.

Back to GOP and specifics. Strib online today reports:

Senate GOP wants questions answered

Article by: MIKE KASZUBA and BAIRD HELGESON, Star Tribune
Updated: December 24, 2011 - 5:58 AM

As they prepare to select a new leader, Minnesota Senate Republicans are angry, frustrated, and want answers from their leadership about how Amy Koch was ousted from the top position.

"It wasn't handled very well," said Sen. Carla Nelson, R-Rochester, who predicted that Tuesday's meeting to select Koch's successor will be long and "emotional." The news that Koch had been accused of having an affair with a Senate staff member "should have been confronted earlier -- I don't understand that," Nelson said.

The dramatic disclosure about Koch this month, coupled with the news that Senate Republican leaders knew of the allegation three months ago, threatens to split apart a caucus that only a year ago reached a pinnacle. Republicans not only gained control of the Senate last year for the first time in more than a generation, but Koch became the first woman to serve as Senate majority leader.

As Senate Republicans prepare to sort through what happened, several have said privately they are not happy that their leaders held a news conference last week claiming the allegations were only brought to their attention a few weeks ago when they knew that was not true. [...]

Complicating Tuesday's meeting is the fact that some Senate leaders who are being criticized for their handling of the controversy may be in line to replace Koch. [...]

The excerpt is part of Strib reporting. For more, read Strib, again here. Strib named names, adding:

[...] Some senators have also said they plan to probe the actions of the senators who confronted Koch.

That has put the focus on Sen. Geoff Michel, R-Edina, Koch's deputy.

Senators became furious when Cullen Sheehan, Koch's former chief of staff, said this week that he reported the incident to Michel back in September. Michel now says he immediately notified human resources professionals and other Senate leaders to figure out what to do.

Michel said he had to fudge the timeline to protect Sheehan and another whistleblower. [...]

One Senate Republican source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said [...] "There's [now] a consternation about credibility within the leadership-assistant leadership level," he said.

Another Republican senator, also speaking on the condition of anonymity, said bluntly: "They had three months to prepare for this."

[ending emphasis added, and below] Who knew what, when, and who's lying now and why are obvious questions, to us, to Strib:

Secretary of the Senate Cal Ludeman said early this week he only learned about the issue a few weeks ago.

But Michel said that, after Sheehan approached him in September, he immediately notified Ludeman, Senate leaders and human resources professionals to devise the best way to proceed.

Ludeman again said on Friday that he was not aware of the issue until recently, but added that other members of his staff could have been informed.

Whatever the explanation, Tuesday's meeting could turn into a bitter rehash of the way Senate leaders handled Koch's final months.

[...]

In three months time to plan and coordinate, and with what cannot be anything but a coordinated pre-Christmas move against Amy Koch and Michael Brodkorb, one day to the next but with different face-to-face players and with stories of what's true changing, incomplete and inconsistent, the DFL and independents have to be happy it's the Republicans' child on the doorstep, not theirs.

In closing, given the Sheehan role in things related to the Koch confrontation and ouster events, there is this Strib-captioned photo from an interesting Strib article this summer, here,

Many Koch photos have recently been published, but not so, for Sheehan. Tidings of comfort and joy to each of them, and to the caucusing GOP Senators, next Tuesday.

Revolution and Counterrevolution - Putsch and Counter-Putsch.

2011-12-23T08:55:00.001-06:00

This image embodies in part my view of pending GOP counter-revolutionary events, the Chamber of Commerce folks' counter-Putsch; the image being status quo going into the new year.

"This is no robbery. It's a re-takeover. WE want again to drive, own,
and route the coach. Now throw down your tea bags and keep quiet.
We'll worry about money in the strongbox later."

.
Given the stakes, so far there's not been much bloodletting. A senator, a staffer, neither beloved aside from each other...

Some things speak for themselves. Some things omit a detail here or there. Likely it is because the devil is in their omitted details.

2011-12-23T07:40:00.004-06:00

Andy at Residual Forces, is posting the thoughts of others - about Pat Shortridge, GOP wannabe boss, in Minnesota. Start with this partial-birth excerpt which in my view is damning with faint praise, if actually praise at all:

Ever heard of Marco Rubio? As Rubio’s Senior Strategist, Pat Shortridge managed the campaign through the toughest time for now-Senator Rubio. When Pat took over the campaign, it was considered a lost cause for Marco. He was way down in the polls, even farther down in the money chase, and people were telling him to get out of the race. But Pat developed a plan to take advantage of Rubio’s considerable strengths and turned things around.

Pat chooses to work with conservative candidates of the highest integrity, which is evident in US Senator Marco Rubio, US Senate candidate Dino Rossi, US Representative Mark Kennedy, former US House Majority Leader Dick Armey, and Congressman Paul Ryan.

Dino Rossi ran a dirty campaign. Patty Murray is still in the Senate, Dino is still wealthy but unelected, except perhaps he had one term as dog catcher or some such. That's not to say he's a political corpse, but he is not in the Senate where Patty Murry remains despite all the mud the Rossi folks slung.

Marco Rubio, well there is no big Cuban voting block in Minnesota to court and offer concessions and favors.

Batista's dictatorial thug-diaspora never wanted to reach this far north, probably. At least not in numbers. Weather in Miami is closer to the Cuban clime.

Omitted - Enron involvement when that hoax was unwinding. Alleged errand trips to Bush-Cheney folks at the time, giving early notice despite Bush-Cheney claiming not having early notice (at least Geoff Michel has not stooped to disputing Cullen Sheehan's going public about early notice in the Koch-Brodkorb situation, making Michel a cut above Bush-Cheney, but, faint praise again).

Omitted - Norm Coleman, perhaps the greatest indictment of Shortridge, if judged by the company he keeps. Throw in Mark Kennedy, a Bush-Cheney rubber-stamp running a sorry-awful campaign saying he was not that. Nobody bought the bogus pitch, their eyes were open - or more correctly few bought it, and Kennedy and advisory braintrust suffered a Klobuchar clobbering. And it was not all about personality, even with Kennedy lacking one.

Back to things not omitted - Dick Armey, Paul Ryan. Give me a break. That's supposed to be the positive part of the man's portfolio?

Aside from Marco Rubio, of whom I know few details, and the Ventura-like come-from-behind thing that was engineered in Florida, that track record says to me, "Okay, the Chamber of Commerce part of Minnesota's Republican party wants to take back the driver's seat from the Tom Pritchards of bias and hate - who were wanted always by Chamber folks for vote count, but certainly not to mess their noses into the running of things once votes were counted." A "don't go away mad ..." viewpoint.

The Pritchards pushed the hate amendment onto the next ballot, the Chamber folks finally took notice of their Frankensteinian monster, (i.e., they do polling), the purge of Koch/Brodkorb was orchestrated, the money was withheld by the money folks to where Sutton quit in shame over things in hock and disarray, and now the Coleman types are unseating the Pritchards; and can anybody get a comforting Christmas from either of those camps?

However - bottom line - it IS the Minnesota GOP under discussion, and perhaps the best observation is to observe Shortridge in context, and against alternatives. In the land of the blind ...

The movement of the sane Republicans to backing Horner against compromise of principle and Emmer, says that the Shortridge move, the distancing of Sutton, Koch, and Brodkorb, tangible things, all point to the Chamber of Commerce Republicans wanting back into control. They got majority numbers in both houses of the legislature from the Tom Pritchard mentality running amok; but then discovered that what was lacking in the Tom Pritchard mentality was mentality, as well as compliant, obedient following - doing as told.

Insubordination and peasant rebellion have always been put down with maximum show of force. Elites may war cordially against one another, but when the angered mass rumbles, stomp hard, stomp as needed, then stomp more to be certain.

Put that in your tea pot and steep it.

Geoff Michel's Senate Campaign page. Try a fully honest "Answer."

2011-12-22T17:28:00.000-06:00

this link - stripped of clutter -- click the image to enlarge and read

Okay, so, “Hey dad: you served in the State Senate. What did you do during that great recession and all those deficits and debt?”

Give the honest answer. Dump the puff-piece self-serving answer. Say:

I got information in September. A tattler. On his way to elsewhere. Politically useful information. Not jack to do with the recession and the economy. Personal. Bedfellow stuff. I met in secret with others. We sat and waited and watched and planned, never directly confronting the situation for about a quarter-year. Never saying, yo, there is this problem it needs attention, it's your conduct. She had the position ahead of me. I had no shot at getting it while she was there. Then, like in the westerns I and henchmen like the bad guys - the ones wearing black hats - from behind the rocks shooting at the surprised others out in the open with no place to duck or dodge -- like that I struck. Rattlers rattle first, I did not. We did not. It was not one-on-one, it was four-on-one. It was personal but I did what I felt I wanted to do. It had nothing to do with the recession, and it was not about fixing one damned thing wrong in the economy where the rich don't pay their fair tax share and likely never will because of the politicians. The four of us held a press conference in which I lied about the timing when I talked first to the press, none of the other three said anything different while next to me, hearing me, and then I gave lame excuses afterwards when confronted about actual timing and the near-quarter-year wait. I am a politician. Moreover, not merely a politician, a Republican. It was all within the same party. Ostensible allies. Coworkers.

I am a politician so what did you expect?

-----------

But that's answering a question with a closing question handed back. How about just telling the dear child to read this. Tell her from that to figure things out on her own.

-----------

Do you think they did things that way, tightly silent in a small allied group, careful, recalling how Entenza had hired the investigator from Chicago to scout out Hatch where Hatch got wind of it and turned the tables? A learning curve, but one not entailing the best lesson, don't do it.

____________UPDATE____________
I jumped on this one because it is odious to me to have politicians use their offspring in any way as political props.

More of Geoff Michel doing exactly that, years ago but consistent with his "Answer" spiel; blogged here and MPR with the same news, here.

That is taking politics where it need not go, and it is nothing to be proud of.

Geoff drop it. It wins you little beyond scorn. Be -- become a sentient adult.

________FURTHER UPDATE_________
Spot lifted a leg briefly with a special Geoff Michel blog, here. With Cucking Stool links.

Things GOP. Looking more like a currently timed purge, for unclear purposes and based on information held in abeyance for months, rather than the Four Horsemen's postured, "I am shocked. Shocked!" Is it more, "The Horror! The Horror!"?

2011-12-22T10:10:00.003-06:00

So why was Amy Koch dumped? Perhaps as important if not more so, why was Brodkorb dumped? Which one is Caesar? Why the timing? How does it square with a Norm Coleman affiliate, Shortridge, about to take over the GOP party leadership chair? Is it those who had withheld the money now retaking their plaything, the Minnesota GOP? Taking it away from interlopers? You buy the car you want to drive it? Norm Coleman affiliate and Suitgate appologist Cullen Sheehan having a hand in things? Do you remember, "The Senator has reported every gift he's ever received."?

The Norm Coleman - Nasser Kazeminy - oil patch thing, Shortridge's Enron background, and via that, Bush-Cheney-energy cartel ties with reporting having been that it was Shortridge then acting as Enron's key lobbyist who consulted with Bush White House personnel well before Bush admitted ever hearing of Enron troubles? More than a morality play? More purge than morality? A horse opera ambush?

Try this flavor: Strib draws attention to an interesting timeliness focus:

Article by: By BAIRD HELGESON, JIM RAGSDALE a nd MIKE KASZUBA
Updated: December 21, 2011 - 10:47 PM

An ex-aide to the former Senate majority leader revealed that he had reported the relationship to the Senate's leadership on Sept. 21.

[...] New timeline emerges

On Wednesday, fresh details emerged about Koch's relationship with the staffer.

Koch's former chief of staff, Cullen Sheehan, said that on Sept. 21 he became aware of "an inappropriate relationship" between the staffer and Koch.

He would neither characterize the nature of the relationship nor identify the staffer.

"At that time, I met with the staff person in question," Sheehan said. "He confirmed that there was a relationship. We both met with Senator Koch that same day. She confirmed the relationship."

The next day, Sheehan said, he notified Deputy Majority Leader Geoff Michel, R-Edina.

In November, Sheehan left the Senate office and took a job as a lobbyist. He would not say whether the incident prompted him to leave.

Michel, now interim majority leader, said Wednesday he and other party leaders were intentionally vague about the timeline to protect Sheehan and the other staffer who reported the relationship.

"Being specific would expose specific staff. It could reveal their identities," he said. In another conversation he said, "These whistleblowers were scared."

Michel now says he regrets not just simply refusing to disclose a timeline to reporters.

"What Cullen brought to me was stunning and unbelievable and something I didn't want to believe," said Michel, who was Koch's handpicked deputy. "Coming from Cullen, as complete as it was, I recognized, we had to take some action."

He said that at that time he consulted the Senate's human resources professionals, legal advisers, Secretary of the Senate Cal Ludeman and a group of Senate Republican leaders.

Michel said they slowly began to reach a consensus on what needed to be done.

"In order to stop a manager-employee relationship that was inappropriate, we had to act," he said. "This group put together a plan, which included what you saw last week -- a direct conversation with Senator Koch, the majority leader."

Even though Sheehan confronted Koch in September, Michel said they were concerned she took no action until senators surprised her last Wednesday at the Minneapolis Club.

"Based on Cullen's conversation [with Koch], I'd expected a different reaction from Senator Koch," Michel said. He said he hoped she would step down as majority leader but "over time, it became apparent that was not going to happen, and we would have to continue going down the road we were going down."

What's next?

Some senators have said Koch still needs to resign from the Senate, but her statement gave no hint of her plans.

Koch served as majority leader for 11 months, garnering a reputation as a thoughtful and talented leader during one of the most challenging budget deficits in recent history. A relative newcomer, Koch stunned some Senate watchers when she won the leadership post. But she had proven herself to be a gifted fundraiser and recruiter, helping ensure historic wins to give the GOP control of the Senate for the first time in nearly 40 years.

Despite Koch's assertions she didn't violate Senate rules or use taxpayer money to facilitate the relationship, the next stepis unclear. [...]

No peons, GOP, DFL or independent, were at the table when Sheehan talked with Senate Republican muck-a-mucks, who curiously waited months to muck their stable.

We are left with only an opportunity to speculate.

Mr. Sheehan left the Senate staff to lobby? Here. Here. Here. Here. Here. Screenshot time - click a thumbnail to enlarge and read - or follow the links:

this link

Are these dots to be connected? Or miscellaneous coincidences? Coleman and PAC dollars, calling changes with the recently gone chair having run the party into hock? Indian gambling money?

Follow the money, not the sanctimonious morality-of-it crying towel? How? Leading where?

The GOP is in flux; and I'd bet more on money changers at play than any real worry over who's fluxing who, when, and how all that fluxing around beeps the sanctity of marriage horn.

Is Wilfare a part of the goings-on? A ton of questions. A cupful of facts.

____________________
Headline note - for those needing a road map, here, and here, and do the two merge, into an overlapping Heart of Darkness?

________________FURTHER UPDATE______________
Coincidences never fail to amaze me. Cullen Sheehan's leaving his Senate position to become a lobbyist - something he did after contacting Sen. Michel in September about the Koch-staffer affair - was announced 9 November, 2011, which means the decision probably was reached the day before or earlier.

And that's the 88th Anniversary of the November 9, 1923 defeat of the Munich Beer Hall Putsch (which itself started the evening before, Nov. 8).

The Germans in 1923 appeared to have an immediate sense of urgency in reaction to events triggered earlier, that September, and did not wait and plan until Christmas season. Their Putsch was, however, unsuccessful.

History has funny twists.

MPR, here, has a story parallel to that of Strib; TwoPuttTommy editorializes over the "I lie when I have to, or when I think it best," theme, here.

Pat Shortridge - Former Enron lobbyist, Dick Armey aide, might be the new Tony Sutton - Ron Carey of the Minnesota GOP -- Chairman, whatever the title, lead elephant.

2011-12-21T16:48:00.000-06:00

Andy at Residual Forces favors him and has noted Shortridge's Facebook entry

Plowing through my call list for the MNGOP Chairman’s race. The team and I are working hard and not taking anything for granted. If I haven’t reached you yet, I will. Proud to have earned the support of – this is a partial list with more to come – Joe and Cindy Westrup, Kurt Daudt, David FitzSimmons, Ted Lovdahl, Phil Krinkie, Ben Golnik, Harry and Jen Niska, Bill Walsh, Linda Runbeck, Rhonda Sivarajah, John Gilmore, Andy Aplikowski, Derek Brigham, Bill Guidera, Mark Kennedy, David Strom, Mike Osskopp, Mark Giga, Tom Emmer, Randy Gilbert, Barbara Malzacher, and many more who I’ll name soon!! Stay tuned.

Minn Progressive Project noted the Enron connection. Ditto, Mnpublius, here.

You can Google = pat shortridge enron

From the extended Google return list, and from Residual Forces, you get that he was a Mark Kennedy campaign boss, both successfully for the MN6 congressional seat, and otherwise in the Klobuchar Senate landslide victory.

He had a hand in Marco Rubio's Florida adventures. Etc. Etc. A warm and fuzzy little Enroner. But apparently not an insider-fraudster. Nothing stuck to Shortridge.

A well-traveled political operative, but what else did you expect?

layers of the onion image, this source

The Shortridge situation seems less curiously and compellingly influenced hither and yon, involuted and convoluted, than the ongoing state Senate saga, GOP side. Hit squad, or outraged pro-family men? I would not gamble on that hummer of a question, either way. Indeed, do you gamble that gambling was a factor?

Interesting Minn Post stuff, here and here.

-----------------

UPDATE -- RECOUNT MAN: Shortridge has this in the portfolio - he was a Dino Rossi man in Washington, and Rossi lost a closest-recount-in-Washington-State-history recount in the past to Democrat Christine Gregoire. Then he was a Norm gnome (e.g., here, paragraph 4) when Norm lost a closest-recount-in-Minnesota-history recount to Democrat Al Franken. That and Mark Kennedy's burial by Klobuchar for the Senate seat, he's got a track records of bridesmaids, not brides. Not wholly so, but ...

And - some say the Emmer recount was ill-advised; and costly on borrowed cash; so are they turning now to a recount junky? Can't give it up, can't kick the recount habit? Just wondering.

In passing: Doesn't Dino Rossi sound like a brand of vermouth? Just wondering.

Get a bigger wheelbarrow.
For hauling waste, raising cash.

Anyway,

Once a Norm gnome, always a Norm gnome.

This link.

Perhaps, just perhaps, might he, Shortridge, also have ties of some sort to -

Nasser Kazemini ?

________________FURTHER UPDATE_______________
Here and here are two early 2010 campaign items from Washington State on the "aggressive" (dirty) campaign run against Dem. Sen. Patty Murray (with reciprocity in kind apparently), the Enroner being fingered as such early in things. What actual role besides flak and schmoozer Shortridge played in the Enron pileup is unclear. But it seems certain Shortridge will be an aggresive SOB for the GOP, an unkind thing for the DFL. Where he is on the NFL (aka "Wilfare") and gambling intrigues will be an interesting thing to see developed.

From those two items it appears Shortridge was a Marco Rubio braintrust player, but not lead-man as he was for Dino Rossi. Dino Rossi's pattern has been losing campaigns to Democratic women, with/without Shortridge. (I.e.,I might have been wrong in previously assuming Shortridge was affiliated with Rossi in the failed run for Governor, but he led things in the failed Patty Murray challenge and clearly was a Norm gnome in the failed Minnesota reelection attempt - but cut him slack, his dog in the hunt was Norm, who only made the Senate because of the Wellstone death on the eve of the prior election - Norm being Norm - all Shortridge's effort reduced to putting lipstick on the pig - make that lipstick on the dog in the hunt, I guess, to avoid mixing old sayings.)

As always, we wait, we see.

photo source
(Shortridge mentioned)

I expect Andy at Residual Forces neglecting to mention the Shortridge portfolio's Enron touch or the Coleman failure-to-extend-incumbency role was from inattention, and not a deliberate attempt to drop things from the balance sheet. Andy did not "Enron" the story, by leaving out Enron, as an intentional thing.

Neglect, surely.

Yet that seems an unfortunate widespread neglect in the GOP-slanted coverage of the Shortridge story - a largely unopposed candidacy for lead elephant.

I am certain that Shortridge must be quite proud of his Enron service and will be more than happy to discuss it among all the friends at the get-together where he is expected to be formally nominated and appointed to be the new Ron Carey of Minnesota.

SO - The ascendancy of Enron Man. The tale of the Scarlet Letter.

GOP stories have bite. And what, the Dems in turn have Dayton saying, again and again going into the new year and next legislative session, "Tax the Rich."

While "Tax the Rich" is one hell-of-a good idea, it's not lurid at all.

Lurid does get coverage.

How about -- Occupy the Press?

Borrow and spend Republicans bring in a fiscal top man.

2011-12-21T08:36:00.000-06:00

Borrow and spend seems as much a Republican anchor as Tom Pritchard and his minions are. Reagan did it. Bush financed war mongering by borrow and spend. But Minnesota Republicans appear to want to be different.

Strib reports here, but without any real background on who this Mike Vekich person is, his background and track record. And in saying track record, no, he's not been on any Cantebury Downs board or commission I know of.

Okay, a simple Google, one Strib folks could have done, yields info, here, here, and here.

Have a look. But there is this question: If he undoes the GOP love for borrow and spend, how will they ever still be able to call themselves Republicans? They will be RINO without their calling-card borrow and spend mentality. A duck out of water. A family without its core borrow-spend values. A rudderless boat adrift in a sea of - what - inappropriate relationships? What could ever be more inappropriate than Republicans NOT at the borrow-and-spend trough? Next thing you know they will consider - but only consider - taxing the rich.

Pigs will be flying if the Minnesota and national GOP ever really turns its back on borrow and spend.

But, why worry, the Vekich guy's been a baseball park maven, and that was built all with borrowed money, and he's been Emmer's recount point man, or so the one item said, and some finger-pointing has been at the costs run up (borrow and spend costs) in that "doomed from the start" effort where Emmer no way would make it out of a 7000 vote hole but with the GOP having had a taste of recount mania with the Norm, and appearing to like it. To like it -- Especially if you don't have to pay to play, where you just borrow and spend.

Aside from appointing a new head honcho for their 2012 legislative session they can call yet more emergency press conferences.

2011-12-21T06:57:00.003-06:00

The National Law Review has reported

Appearance-Based Discrimination Not Actionable in Wisconsin

On January 25, 2011, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin decided the case of Debra Brice v. Richard Resch and Krueger International, Inc., 111 FEP Cases 844 (E.D. Wis. 2011). This is a case with exceedingly unusual facts, but a fairly unremarkable holding: if you claim to suffer unlawful employment discrimination, you can file a discrimination complaint; but you cannot also take the same facts and go to court and call your claim something else. Your discrimination claim is your exclusive remedy for discrimination. Moreover, while employees can sue for sex/gender discrimination, they cannot also sue for “appearance” based discrimination, which is not separately unlawful.

In this case, Ms. Brice alleged that Richard Resch, the CEO of Krueger International, Inc. (“KI”), ordered her fired shortly after she was offered a job because he did not like her “body shape,” did not find her attractive, and would not be interested in sexually harassing her or having a romantic relationship with her.

The federal court decision addressed a variety of claims brought by Ms. Brice. First, Ms. Brice claimed that Mr. Resch and KI “tortiously interfered” with her contract with KI. [...] Ms. Brice also alleged “breach of contract.” [...]

My expectation is that a four-man Republican leadership panel of the Minnesota State Senate will choose to hold a short-notice press conference to discuss the family values at stake and the need to make changes in GOP leadership positions for the upcoming session based on Ms. Brice's claims.

Meanwhile, I expect to read online that the Secretary of the Senate has, at a restaurant, confronted an employee about dismissal from an at-will position because of yet another National Law Review report:

Hooters of America LLC has sued a competitor in Georgia Federal Court for allegedly misappropriating its trade secrets and other confidential business information following the departure of several Hooters executives to Twin Peaks Restaurants.

We are quite serious after having
~~dis~~ uncovered this relationship ...

There is more to each story, and if the Republicans oblige as I am guessing, it will be red meat thrown to mainstream media in Minnesota. There are ways to get your name in the press, and one way is calling emergency meetings to pontificate over things in general, and about things apart from the Minnesota Senate's internal functions because that's already been worked to death by the Republican leadership and the press; with the GOP'ers having huffed and puffed, harrumphed and clucked both directly and indirectly over family values and "appropriateness" of relationships to which, allegedly, they were not actual parties with first hand information.

All in a day's work. Throwing raw red meat at the hyena pit. Because he WANTS to, and enjoys himself doing it.

2011-12-20T19:13:00.000-06:00

this link

So, what do activist judges look like and act like, and are corporations people even when incorporeal so that you cannot put one in jail?

this link

Title:
Discuss Mayor's Recommendations of Desirable Changes and Improvements Pursuant to City Charter 2.6.2
Background:
The City's Charter, Chapter 2, Section 2.6.2 states the following: "Consistent with the responsibility to accept considerable leadership over the general conduct of city affairs, the mayor shall study the operations of the city government and recommend desirable changes and improvements to the council." Pursuant to the Charter, Mayor Ramsey will be bringing the following recommendations forward: Eliminate the Deputy City Administrator Position. Terminate the contract with the current City Administrator or accept his resignation. Appoint the current Deputy City Administrator as City Administrator with a six month probationary period.