MINNESOTA SIXTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT - Aggregate fundraising, yet another site. Yet more Crabgrassing analysis.

This cycle, Maureen Reed, 2009-10; here.

Tarryl Clark, 2009-10; here.

For comparison, Tinklenberg, 2006, here; showing about equal PAC and individual money. That is 4-year-old data, but is a good measure because that cycle his fundraising ran only to endorsement. For a full campaign to the general election; Tinklenberg, 2008; here. Both Reed and Clark have much further fundraising to do to prove candidate viability by that measure. I could not find on this site via cursory search, any Tinklenberg 2008 data indicating how much individual last minute money surged in via Bachmann's neo-McCarthyism mouth, on Hardball. That would be interesting to see, but the best guess is that the DFL cannot count on any comparable gaffe prior to the 2010 general election; although Bachmann after all, is Bachmann, so you never know.

Reed and Clark each, so far and this early in the cycle, have each raised about as much as Tinkleberg had in 2006, pre-endorsement, with Reed almost already equaling the total. Each is - so far - more heavily reliant on individuals, percentage wise, than Tinklenberg was at about the same point, in 2006.

After endorsement, and absent an irreconcilable tie, the expectation would be the endorsed candidate would attract union PAC money. It appears each shall face spending on a primary contest, absent in Tinklenberg's 2008 case.

For further comparison, Bachmann, 2010; here; showing a freightening percentage of individual donors, i.e., people who approve of the quality of her representing FOX, its talking heads, Wall Street, the health-industrial complex, and few if any in the district beyond haters of ACORN, the embryo fanatics, and those disputing Obama's place of birth. Advantage of incumbency? Special interest folks? Big-time Dobsonians? Ill-equipped stupid people? Patriots?

Form your own theory.

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Note - Those having color printers can print out the image, paste it onto cardboard, and using one of those silver or gold marking pens, label it "Michele" and hang it appropriately, for the holidays - my suggestion being on a tree, not with Mistletoe, not in any way as if it represented a lovable little fuzz ball, unless that's your belief system.

Some think that. Few, I expect.
-----------------

For a final general election number and breakdown, Bachmann, 2008; here.

An interesting comparison, 2008, Bachmann total money was $3,494,045 and Tinklenberg's was $2,968,319; a difference of $525,726. Bachmann PAC money of $975,875 more than doubled Tinklenberg's $416,613; individuals giving more to Tinklenberg than to Bachmann [the Bachmann-channeling-McCarty impact, probably]. Vote data, here, shows Bachmann's 187,817 votes exceded Tinklenberg's 175,786 by 12,031 (so that if 12,032 idiots had stayed home Bachmann would have been defeated, but not without her recount).

Interestingly, Bachmann's 2008 money raising was 118% of, or 18% more than Tinklenberg's. Her vote total was 107% of, or 7% more than Tinklenberg's. Proving that money alone cannot proportinately buy more votes. Yet she took in $525,726 more cash and got 12,031 more votes, or $43.70 more money per additional vote; and you could not buy votes that cheaply.

BOTTOM LINE: Reed and Clark each is head and shoulders better than Bachmann [having little to do with Bachmann being a short person and more to do with her astounding mediocrity and divisiveness]; though some disagree; but with that as a given, it means readers themselves and by telling friends should do all possible to assure each [for now pre-primary] could not blame a Bachmann reelection on Michele having more money in the fight.

For those slow on message uptake; give Reed money, give Clark money, unless or until you decide to favor only one as the viable Bachmann opponent.


Maureen Reed's campaign site tells you how to fund the Reed campaign as much as you dare.

Tarryl Clark's campaign site tells you how to fund the Clark campaign, as also expected.


Please pay to quell the chance that Bachmann wins again by having more money to fight a campaign than her DFL opponent. Quell that opportunity. And yes, saying that is acknowledging yet again that our nation for better or worse, worse I believe, is enslaved to the two-party system.

I surely don't like that but it is what reality provides us.
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Also of note but not greatly relevant for the immediate future, Tinklenberg, this cycle, 2009, here; with a small and highly concentrated donor pool, indicating a likely reason that Tinklenberg folded early, (along with his declared belief in DFL solidarity being important to unseat Bachmann).

HEALTHCARE - A friend forwarded this email suggesting a barometer for how bad healthcare "reform" is for the people.

That barometer is, obviously, how good the so-called reform is for the rapacious malefactors of great wealth [aka the health-industrial complex, aka the insurer cabal, Big Pharma, HMO and other "administered" providers]. The better the deal for those wanting to disadvantage people to gain greater wealth inequity, the worse it is for people wanting, instead, fairness. [note that others might object to my wording as carrying unstated but implicit value judgments, which makes for fewer words to read and is hence a good thing]]

That said, Kucinich provides the logical measuring system, if the market ups the anticipated future value of health-industrial complex stocks on the trading markets, something shown by current trading price increases, then the dark forces are gaining at the expense of the decent folks. Kucinich's email, in that context, states

Values of Health Care Stocks Increase Fearlessly as Public Option Is Dead

Wall Street Celebrates Senate's "Significantly Watered Down" Health Care Bill

Dear Friends,

Wall Street is celebrating "Health Care Reform." According to an industry insider report yesterday by MarketWatch (Gibson and Britt) health care stocks rallied as the bill moved through the Senate, particularly since there is no public option in the bill to compete or compare with insurance company rate-making.

"Health care investors find themselves having confronted their greatest fear, and, while there will be legislation, it will be significantly watered down ..." said Mike O'Rourke, chief market strategist at BTIG LLC. As a result, shares of Aetna gained 4.7%, while Cigna rose 3.9%. United Health and Wellpoint "rallied to 52-week highs."

Once the bill becomes law, insurance companies will gain at least 26 million new customers and as much as $50 billion in new annual revenue from private-pay and from government subsidies as people will be required by law to purchase private insurance. While certain expenses are capped in the bill, it appears that premium costs are not.

The Senate's move prompted Gregory Nersessian of Credit Suisse to raise his price targets [predicting greater strength of stock performance] on seven insurers: Aetna, Cigna, Amerigroup Corp., Humana Inc., Molina Healthcare Inc., UnitedHealth Group Inc. and Wellcare Health Plans Inc.

" ... the [bill] is a positive first step" Nersessian said in a note to clients. "The heavy lifting will come when Congress is forced to slow the rate of medical cost growth through more aggressive payment restrictions and utilization controls down the road," he said - meaning that this particular industry insider is predicting limitations on benefits.

Marketwatch also wrote that none of the new standards on how much the industry must spend on medical expenses will "impose great hardship on any insurers."

Tomorrow: My analysis of the health care legislation as it currently stands.

I do not see how anyone with any intellectual honesty can deny the compelling truth of that communication. This one sentence rang my BS meter - pinned it to the far end of the scale and rang an alarm bell:

United Health and Wellpoint "rallied to 52-week highs."

That fits a barometer of mine - what's a boost for Hemsley [aka UnitedHealth's poster child CEO] is bad for all real people, those earning their keep by honest labor rather than by heading a plundering operation, which is my view of what the health insurance providers are up to. Kucinich might agree.

Relate betting on the market, and watching changes in the betting, to a Vegas tracking of point spread allowances in betting on the NFL. My guess is if the bookies in Vegas saw betting swings such as the Kucinich email highlights, they'd pull the game from the boards. They do that when their evidence suggests a fix is on.

And Obama, if you've noticed, is no longer singing along with Dylan, "The Times They are a'Changing." But what in the world did you expect? Change? Get real.

We have to conclude that Mark Dayton's assessment, DC is a cesspool, has merit.

I suggest that Baucus and Lieberman right now are in contention for being the biggest cess in the pool. So to speak. But each is certainly not without many, many challengers for the accolade. Any reader nominees - biggest cess in the pool? Leave a comment if so.

Here is a test of perseverance. How disciplined do you think you are?

Go to this web page.

See how many letters you can get through before throwing up you hands in frustration shouting, "Who the f*** cares!!"

A hint on scoring:

One letter or a part - You are both intelligent and wise.

Two to three letters - You are a dedicated disciplined person, and when accepting a task you persevere showing stamina and ability to concentrate. You are not easily deterred.

Five to nine letters - You have Asperger's syndrome. Beyond a mild case.

Ten letters to fifteen - Autism. You cannot shift gears. Seek help.

Twenty letters to the limit - Bachmann staff openings arise frequently. You are qualified.

Michele Bachmann on Healthcare. Can anyone tell me if the Bachmann clinic staff is still going uninsured?

Michele Bachmann seems opposed to generally available federally sponsored health care coverage in several ways.

When Bachmann ran against Patty Wetterling in 2006 Eric Black, then with STRIB, reported that Bachmann had in answer to questioning stated that the clinic she and Marcus Bachmann, (her spouse), owned and operated declined to provide workers with any health care coverage.

To the left is a clinic screenshot. It presents the opening four clinic "counselors and therapists," (via staff person blurbs), with clinic blurbs for all arranged in alphabetical order. It appears that faith, indeed apparent faith healing, is a big item with Marcus Bachmann and his staff. As always, click on the image to enlarge it and read. (And note that I suggest it as being a fair sampling of the entire staff set; or you can go to this link, for the full item set on the webpage - with it unclear what total number of employees there are when reception, records, billing, and other support staff are included.)

A feeling for what the clinic is can be gleaned from the clinic's mission statement, identifying it as giving "quality Christian counseling in a sensitive, loving environment," with Marcus Bachmann's personal mission statement:

Personal Mission Statement: I believe my call is to minister to the needs of people in a practical, effective, and sensitive way. Christ is the Almighty Counselor. My wife and I are the parents of 5 children and have been foster parents to more than 20 children.

[bolding in original] If that is not calling on faith to heal, I am hard pressed to know what else it could be. Also, how Marcus Bachmann's family fecundity relates to competence to treat is unclear. Whether treatments are even offered for Jews and Muslims also is uncertain, the implication being it is absent when they embrace their own faiths strongly and do not approach the clinic seeking Christianty.

So, that is all I will present of the healthcare that the clinic offers patients.

The answer to the question of whether any coverage is presently given employees is unknown to me. i have no cause to believe the status of the clinic coverage has changed. The Congresswoman and family have coverage available via the government.

They apparently enjoy federally paid and provided coverage, in that I have seen no public disavowal of coverage by the family based on political or other ideological grounds.

Yet Congresswoman Michele Bachmann has on every opportunity voted against any manner of federal government paid coverage for those not qualifying for Medicare, veterans benefits, or Medicaid. She has been steadfast in that pattern.

So, on conservative principles she shuns covering those not already covered by federal government sponsorship; but while not renouncing conservative principles I have seen no indication that she has not eagerly enjoyed having federally paid and provided care for herself and those related to her by blood or marriage.

_________________
If any reader determines I have misstated one single thing in this post on Congresswoman Michele Bachmann and/or her family business, please immediately send an email or post a comment pointing out error, if any.

John Marty. A holiday time email, appending a Strib OpEd. Plus, John Marty, from January, on Health Care.

This will be done via screenshots from the email, first the opening message in the first thumbnail [click it to enlarge and read it]. The op-ed text is in the second.

















The email gives a hotlink for the Dec. 5, Strib item Marty authored, (there is not an active link in the image), so click here, to access the published original.


JOHN MARTY DISCUSSES HEALTHCARE:
It is a valuable message, and I endorse it. It is online via an earlier Marty op-ed, again in Strib, "Efficiency Inherent in State Health Plan," from January, 2009. It remains for now still online as free archive material.

As long as the STRIB archive item is maintained free online read it there.

Given how healthcare is to me the single most important issue from now onward to more than a decade into the future, a candidate willing to write about it is welcome; and I believe that each of us should read it.

Finally, because I am unclear on STRIB archive policy, when paid-subscribed access is demanded, when not, I have taken a screenshot of the "print-this" version to assure all can read it, (again click to enlarge and read).

Matt Entenza - On healthcare. After awaiting a guest editorial that never arrived, an Entenza post from his mn2020.org website.

This link, for the mn2020.org website's sitemap. Here is the screenshot [click to enlarge and read it] from the item online, this link.



I present this while having personal reservations about the Entenza candidacy, and while favoring others, because a past comment that never emerged from moderation characterized me as ignorant of Minnesota Care and the Lois Quam role in its history, calling me biased, and suggesting I was paid by someone to criticize Entenza. The offer of an opportunity to write a guest post was declined, the condition being it could not be anonymous as was the unpublished comment. It is unfortunate people do that, so, instead of an Entenza supporter's views; I republished those under the Entenza byline, his own item.

[note, whether the Entenza email address given with the byline per his mn2020.org item remains active during the campaign is not known to me, and I suggest trying it, or looking to communicate via the candidate's campaign page - the original is undated and I have no idea when this was authored or originally posted].

_______UPDATE______
Please read the comment left by Bridgit Cuisick, and an anonymous comment I otherwise would have not published but for clarification of the kind of thing I use moderation to generally screen out. I have sent Cusick an email. I thought I was unambiguous, above, but now I will be. I received a comment to this post, that went on at length touting Entenza and Quam, and sent without the author having courage enough to provide his/her name. I forwarded that item to Cusick. It is not her or the Entenza staff that has been unresponsive(unless that anonymous person is on staff, something I cannot know and which Cuisick can pin down and send another comment, should she choose that). It is the person who enjoys fuming and namecalling but has declined the offer of a guest editorial. Again, see the updates to this post. That gives the context.

MOREOVER, if Ms. Cusick wants to modify or revise and extend the remarks from mn2020.org that I posted in the screenshot, on behalf of the candidate or as her own independent opinion, I will publish it, here at Crabgrass, under her byline.

I think this response is fair and clarifies - the person I had trouble with was not Cusick or anyone else willingly providing his/her name.

Presumably if an opt-out is included in the conference committee bill and ultimately is signed by Obama as the health care revision from this congress; and Entenza unequivocally would support opting out for instead a complete Minnesota government run and financed program at the state level in opting out; what the Kucinich Amendment sought; I would be overjoyed to hear that. And if something different, under the Cusick byline is emailed me, I will publish it on Crabgrass.

And if this disambiguation update is satisfactory to Ms. Kusick's worries, which I respect, and that ends things, that is a proper outcome also.

Does anyone have any questions or complaint with this update? Let me know if you do.

_______FURTHER UPDATE_______
If Ms. Cuisick has a website, it was not returned via the first page of ten hits, this Google, and I have tried to get the unbiased search by turning off the default personalization that Google now uses. If she has a site, not Facebook, not Twitter, and sends a link I would want to read it. She consults, and has a Blogger ID, saying she consults.

RAMSEY - More crabgrass hits the fan; Summerset Meadows, LLC, has its project foreclosed by a Wisconsin bank, per a purported $22 million mortgage.

I learned of the situation via a Google Alert, to this Finance-&-Commerce December 21, 2009 item:

Bank takes back Summerset Meadows land
by Burl Gilyard Staff Writer

Citizens State Bank has taken back a 187-acre tract of land in the Anoka County town of Ramsey after development plans stalled.

Plans for the Summerset Meadows project called for a mix of residential and commercial development. At one point, expansive plans called for approximately 600 units of housing and 38.5 acres of commercial development. Today, it remains raw, undeveloped land.

Tom Van Pelt, senior vice president with the Hudson, Wis.-based Citizens State Bank, said that the bank got the property back this fall. He said that the bank expects to put the large, undeveloped site up for sale in January.

“We’re in the process of finalizing a listing arrangement,” Van Pelt said. “We’re still trying to figure out what the appropriate listing price is in this market.”

In mid-November, Citizens State Bank secured a judgment of $11.45 million against Summerset Meadows LLC and developer Gary T. Mulcahy.

Ramsey is 27 miles northwest of downtown Minneapolis. The city’s long-range planning goals outline a mix of uses in the area.

Van Pelt acknowledges that the loan, issued in 2006, was substantial for the community bank.

“It’s a large loan. We have a syndicate of participating banks, but yes, this would be a large transaction for us,” Van Pelt said.

“Given the condition of the market, we’re not certain how long it will take to market the real estate,” Van Pelt said.

The Summerset Meadows land sits near the site of another project that never panned out as planned: Ramsey Town Center.

Van Pelt noted that the only connection between the two is geographic proximity.

That's an excerpt, so access the original for the complete story.

This one went under my radar, but look at this July 24, 2009, forclosure notice and remember that date [source, ABC Newspapers, this link]:

NOTICE OF MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE SALE Date: July 24, 2009 YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT: 1. A default has occurred in the conditions of that certain combination mortgage, security agreement and fixture financing statement executed by Summerset Meadows, LLC, a Minnesota limited liability company, as Mortgagor, in favor of Citizens State Bank, a Wisconsin banking corporation, as Mortgagee, dated July 7, 2006, and recorded on July 11, 2006, as Document No. 1985887.009, as extended by that certain extension of mortgage dated July 15, 2008, and recorded on October 27, 2008, as Document No. 2003644.011, all in the Office of the County Recorder in and for Anoka County, Minnesota (collectively, "Mortgage"). The land described in the Mortgage is not registered land. 2. The original principal amount secured by the Mortgage was: $22,000,000.00. 3. No action or proceeding at law is now pending to recover the debt secured by the Mortgage, or any part thereof. 4. The holder of the Mortgage has complied with all conditions precedent to acceleration of the debt secured by the Mortgage and foreclosure of the Mortgage and all notice and other requirements of applicable statutes. 5. As of the date of this notice, the amount due on the Mortgage is: $15,199,874.71. 6. Pursuant to the power of sale in the Mortgage, the Mortgage shall be foreclosed, and the land located at XXX, Ramsey, Minnesota, Property Tax ID Nos. 29-32-25-21-0001, 29-32-25-12-0001, 20-32-25-43-0001, 29-32-25-11-0003, 20-32-25-31-0001, and 20-32-25-34-0003, and legally described as follows: Parcel 1: Lot 1, Block 1, HY-10 Ramsey 2nd Addition, Anoka County, Minnesota. Abstract Property. Parcel 2: Tract 1: The Northeast Quarter of the Southwest Quarter, Section 20, Township 32, Range 25, Anoka County, Minnesota. Tract 2: Outlot A, Pine Shadows, according to the map or plat thereof on file and of record in the office of the County Recorder in and for Anoka County, Minnesota.; Tract 3: The Southwest Quarter of the Southeast Quarter, Section 20, Township 32, Range 25, Anoka County, Minnesota, except that part platted as Menkveld's Pine Hill's North; Tract 4: That part of the Northeast Quarter of the Northwest Quarter and the Northwest Quarter of the Northeast Quarter that lies North of the Burlington Northern Railway right-of-way, Section 29, Township 32, Range 25, Anoka County, Minnesota. ("Property"), shall be sold by the Sheriff of Anoka County, Minnesota, at public auction on September 11, 2009, at 10:00 a.m., at the Anoka County Sheriff's Office: Anoka County Courthouse, 325 East Main Street, Anoka, MN 55303. 7. The time allowed by law for redemption by Mortgagor or Mortgagor's personal representatives or assigns is twelve (12) months after the date of sale. 8. THE TIME ALLOWED BY LAW FOR REDEMPTION BY THE MORTGAGOR, THE MORTGAGOR'S PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVES OR ASSIGNS, MAY BE REDUCED TO FIVE WEEKS IF A JUDICIAL ORDER IS ENTERED UNDER MINN. STAT. ß 582.032, DETERMINING, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THAT THE MORTGAGED PREMISES ARE IMPROVED WITH A RESIDENTIAL DWELLING OF LESS THAN FIVE UNITS, ARE NOT PROPERTY USED IN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION, AND ARE ABANDONED. 9. The Mortgagor released from financial obligation on the Mortgage is: None. Citizens State Bank (a Wisconsin banking corporation) By its attorneys: Joshua D. Christensen, (#332616) Alona V. Rindal, (#388866) Nicholas C. Jellum, (#328856) Anastasi & Associates, P.A. Attorneys for Mortgagee 14985 60th Street North Stillwater, MN 55082 (651) 439-2951 14435-F abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz Published in Anoka County Union July 24, 31, August 7, 14, 21 & 28 2009

[italics added] Does anyone know where exactly that is? Does anyone know the current status of the land? Or who was the promoter, the landowner, and the front-money person for starting this ball rolling? Is it still "green acres" for tax purposes?

If you know anything, please send an email. Below is what I found online.

The LLC is not registered with the SoS as a Ramsey business location, and the registration appears to be long expired:



[as always, click on the image to enlarge and read]

The mayor has a blog or is invited to leave a comment here or an email, and I note that the City considered a proposal advanced by a "Greg Schlenk" on behalf of the Mahtomedi-based LLC, June 9, 2009, regarding the site; this link; i.e., on a date inconsistent with the Secretary of State's record of the LLC's good status running to 2008; but quite consistent with the foreclosure notice in the paper; and with City of Ramsey minutes not noting boo about there being a delinquency with the lender; yielding foreclosure notice publications a month and a half later. Moreover, this IS in the minutes:

Motion by Councilmember Elvig seconded by Mayor Ramsey to Adopt Resolution 09-06-117 to approve a 30 day extension to Summerset Meadows LLC to submit the final plat application for the Summerset Meadows subdivision.

[...] Motion carried. Voting Yes Mayor Ramsey, Councilmembers Elvig, Dehen, Jeffrey, Look, McGlone, and Wise. Voting No None.

Was the council sort of hoodwinked? It seems possible. Somebody must have been trying to be really cute; or else staff and the developer had reasons to not publicize the extreme precarious status of things back then. However it stands, the staff-prepared agenda for the meeting; this link; divulges nothing about anyone's specific financial dire straits, beyond some general language not at all site specific about it being hard times for crabgrass.

.......................

WHAT IS THE OWNERSHIP HISTORY OF THIS LAND?

WHO WAS IN CHAIN OF TITLE, WHEN? WAS THERE EVER ANY KINSHIP RELATION IN CHAIN OF OWNERSHIP AND CONTROL TO PRESENT OR FORMER COUNCIL MEMBERS, BY BLOOD OR MARRIAGE?

WOULD SOME KIND READER WITH KNOWLEDGE HELP ME FIND ANSWERS.

If the bank was on the string for twenty-two million smackolas, somebody surely got cash out of it.

WHO?

I SURE DO NOT KNOW. IT WAS NOT ME HOISTING OFF THAT TON OF CASH. THAT I PROMISE.

_______________________
NOTE: The court system now allows checking district court docket info, via this link, and this image lists cause numbers for litigation.


For those wanting to pursue the matter further, the image does not toggle to individual cases, but they can be reached via the court link just given. I have not gone to the courthouse to pull files and review them, and do not intend to. So, after declining that step to search for info; was there any notice to staff, the City Attorney, or others such as councilmembers, about the status of litigation at the time of the meeting and discretionary decision making by the council this summer?

Who will let me know, if there was?

________UPDATE________
For a Google = gary t. mulcahy sr.

three interesting interrelated items were returned, here, here and here.

With the case still pending we cannot jump to conclusions, but the money was as green as crabgrass, and somebody made a bundle of it in dealings. I think that is a fair conclusion, even if a lesser underlying lien existed against the ownership interest of the land-holder who sold to the Mulcahy interests.

It's part of Ramsey history, and we all should take an interest.