Here's an incredibly worthwhile read from The Weekly Standard.
THE EPA's POWER GRAB
Monday, December 21, 2009
Friday, December 18, 2009
The Green Behind The Green
Here's a primer in "follow-the-money" with regard to the most audacious movement of our times: The Green Movement. It behooves anyone interested in liberty to understand the infrastructure behind the environmental movement. The days of simply criticizing Al Gore (#1 Enviro Pawn) for his reckless dishonesty (albeit Academy Award and Nobel Prize winning dishonesty) in "Inconvenient Truth", are over. There is no gain in playing gotcha semantic games. We have to do better than that.
The conservative movement must do what the left has done successfully, that is, change the game, rewrite the tactics, and take over the entire lexicon with solutions that are based in scientific fact, that is (by definition) readily duplicable and hence verifiable.
The battle for liberty is no longer about defeating the enviro-fascists, it's about infiltrating their systems and reforming their agenda through virulent reasoned activism.
This website is incredibly instructive. The idea that the world of foundations has been hijacked by teh left is no more clearly explained by reviewing this catalog of members in the Environmental Grantmakers Association.
CLICK HERE TO SEE THEIR SITE
That explains the billions that are being invested in a new world order. That's the engine behind the green movement. All who wish to surrender now please step forward.
Hansi Hischmann said it best in her speech on the 20th anniversary of the Berlin Wall coming down. She said "The truth does not rely on consensus. The truth relies on the courage of one man or woman to stand up and speak truth to power."
How ironic that the very words used to describe the civil rights movement, "speaking truth to power", are now the very words we use within the conservative movement to kindle the fire of patriotism and inspire leaders to wake up and engage.
The conservative movement must do what the left has done successfully, that is, change the game, rewrite the tactics, and take over the entire lexicon with solutions that are based in scientific fact, that is (by definition) readily duplicable and hence verifiable.
The battle for liberty is no longer about defeating the enviro-fascists, it's about infiltrating their systems and reforming their agenda through virulent reasoned activism.
This website is incredibly instructive. The idea that the world of foundations has been hijacked by teh left is no more clearly explained by reviewing this catalog of members in the Environmental Grantmakers Association.
CLICK HERE TO SEE THEIR SITE
That explains the billions that are being invested in a new world order. That's the engine behind the green movement. All who wish to surrender now please step forward.
Hansi Hischmann said it best in her speech on the 20th anniversary of the Berlin Wall coming down. She said "The truth does not rely on consensus. The truth relies on the courage of one man or woman to stand up and speak truth to power."
How ironic that the very words used to describe the civil rights movement, "speaking truth to power", are now the very words we use within the conservative movement to kindle the fire of patriotism and inspire leaders to wake up and engage.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Smoking Out New Jobs Outside Minnesota
Seizing the opportunity to smoke a cigar indoors in subzero Minnesota, I decided to kill a couple of hours this afternoon at Golden Leaf in Saint Paul. If you smoke cigars and appreciate excellent customer service this is one of those experiences you must not pass up. I purchased a Rocky Patel Edge and nosed into one of the smoking rooms to check my email.
Lo and behold the chap sitting in the room worked for the company described in THIS STRIB ARTICLE. Elaborating on what he does for a living he said "I recruit companies to expand in, shall we say, more business friendly environments." He had me at "expand".
Probing further, I asked him what the top reasons were for defecting from Minnesota. Of course taxation was the first response. But then I was dumbfounded to hear him elaborate.
"We just moved 250 high end ($100,000+) jobs to Houston. A medical company received $9 million incentive to set up shop in Houston. That's $7 million in cash and another $2 million resulting in a $1 a year lease on the land under their factory. They allow state and local GO bonds to attract jobs." What a novel concept. A state so bent on generating private business growth that they pay companies to come there.
It's today's ray of hope! However, not for Minnesotastan.
Lo and behold the chap sitting in the room worked for the company described in THIS STRIB ARTICLE. Elaborating on what he does for a living he said "I recruit companies to expand in, shall we say, more business friendly environments." He had me at "expand".
Probing further, I asked him what the top reasons were for defecting from Minnesota. Of course taxation was the first response. But then I was dumbfounded to hear him elaborate.
"We just moved 250 high end ($100,000+) jobs to Houston. A medical company received $9 million incentive to set up shop in Houston. That's $7 million in cash and another $2 million resulting in a $1 a year lease on the land under their factory. They allow state and local GO bonds to attract jobs." What a novel concept. A state so bent on generating private business growth that they pay companies to come there.
It's today's ray of hope! However, not for Minnesotastan.
The Quest To Turn Blue Minnesota Even Bluer
In July 2008 The Weekly Standard published an excellent article about how democrats took over Colorado. The article bears repeating as Minnesota is clearly identified by the left as a target state for the same type of infrastructure and strategy development. It's actually much more critical than that folks. The left is well beyond targeting Minnesota. They are well into their agenda for 2010 in Minnesota and the propagation of myriad action groups is easy to find, if we just look. The problem is, few of us are bothering to look.
READ THE WEEKLY STANDARD ARTICLE HERE
There are specific roles for political parties to play. And I would submit that those roles are so critical and consuming that the party can't afford to insist on being the only game in town. Nor do I suppose the new guard at MNGOP would be that territorial. There are signs everywhere of center-right willingness to play well in the sandbox with one another.
Much of what transpired in Colorado happened outside the democrat party. They virtually privatized the process, mastered the core competencies and drove it like a business. The results speak for themselves.
There are third party non-partisan center-right groups poised to launch in Minnesota. They are precisely modeled on what the liberals did so well in Colorado. These freedom-loving fiscally conservative groups are clearly focused on center-right issues. Will we allow them in the Minnesota pool?
Some republican leaders have balked at the idea of new entities popping up in Minnesota's center-right movement. That's reminiscent of the shipwrecked man who prayed for God's help while waving off the Coast Guard and the Navy rescue attempts. There were concerns about competition for fundraising, too many hands reaching out for too small of a pool of donors. That's partially accurate.
The "pool" of center-right donors in Minnesota is far too small. Envision a kiddie pool with a handful of men crammed in (eeeww) and a few gallons of water (aka cash)ladled into the narrow margin. We need to help these erstwhile saints up and out of the kiddie pool (but only for a moment) and break out the backhoe. Dig a deeper more permanent pool and make room for more donors to wade in. Build a few cabanas. Throw a party or two. Create an on-ramp for the masses to join our movement. The left has deftly cultivated a whole network of donor pools. They have made a space for their supporters to meet and cooperate. They have executed a veritable donor paradise (cue the Corona commercial). All this while we have only occasionally paused to slather a little sunscreen on the few overburdened fellows in our tiny little pool. We need a bigger pool.
Instead of whining about how deft the left is at scaling these massive machines, how about a hearty welcome to the idea of beating them at their own game. How about reaching for a day in Minnesota where the center-right movement can confidently say,
"Everyone into the pool!"
READ THE WEEKLY STANDARD ARTICLE HERE
There are specific roles for political parties to play. And I would submit that those roles are so critical and consuming that the party can't afford to insist on being the only game in town. Nor do I suppose the new guard at MNGOP would be that territorial. There are signs everywhere of center-right willingness to play well in the sandbox with one another.
Much of what transpired in Colorado happened outside the democrat party. They virtually privatized the process, mastered the core competencies and drove it like a business. The results speak for themselves.
There are third party non-partisan center-right groups poised to launch in Minnesota. They are precisely modeled on what the liberals did so well in Colorado. These freedom-loving fiscally conservative groups are clearly focused on center-right issues. Will we allow them in the Minnesota pool?
Some republican leaders have balked at the idea of new entities popping up in Minnesota's center-right movement. That's reminiscent of the shipwrecked man who prayed for God's help while waving off the Coast Guard and the Navy rescue attempts. There were concerns about competition for fundraising, too many hands reaching out for too small of a pool of donors. That's partially accurate.
The "pool" of center-right donors in Minnesota is far too small. Envision a kiddie pool with a handful of men crammed in (eeeww) and a few gallons of water (aka cash)ladled into the narrow margin. We need to help these erstwhile saints up and out of the kiddie pool (but only for a moment) and break out the backhoe. Dig a deeper more permanent pool and make room for more donors to wade in. Build a few cabanas. Throw a party or two. Create an on-ramp for the masses to join our movement. The left has deftly cultivated a whole network of donor pools. They have made a space for their supporters to meet and cooperate. They have executed a veritable donor paradise (cue the Corona commercial). All this while we have only occasionally paused to slather a little sunscreen on the few overburdened fellows in our tiny little pool. We need a bigger pool.
Instead of whining about how deft the left is at scaling these massive machines, how about a hearty welcome to the idea of beating them at their own game. How about reaching for a day in Minnesota where the center-right movement can confidently say,
"Everyone into the pool!"
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
That Pesky Constitution Keeps Getting In The Way
a brilliant letter submitted by a friend to both Senators Klobuchar and Franken:
Dear Senator ________,
First off, thank you for taking the time to read my letter. I know that you are handling more calls, e-mails, and letters than you normally would. That said, I would respectively request your personal reply to my letter instead of the typical form letter I receive that does not really address the issues I write to you about.
I recognize your desire to pass two large bills that, on the surface, may appear to look out for the interests of Americans. The looming health care and “cap & trade” legislation have the potential to fundamentally change this country. They give unprecedented power to the Executive Branch, allowing it to circumvent that of the Legislative Branch. I am watching this president do an end run around the Constitution through the building of immense administrative bureaucratic departments that do not swear an oath to our Constitution. This is a problem.
Article VI of the U.S. Constitution states, “The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution”. What can we do about this power grab by the Executive Branch? We’re told that we’re facing an emergency. It must be done. We are facing an emergency, and let me lay out my case.
The fifth amendment of the Constitution states, “No person shall be… deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law”. If I decide that I don’t want to carry health insurance, I will incur a penalty for doing so. Sure, you are calling it a “tax”, but it is a penalty, nonetheless. It is only imposed on those who refuse to comply. Because of non-compliance, I would be deprived of property (i.e. my money) without due process of law. This is in direct contradiction to the Constitution.
The ninth amendment of the Constitution says, “The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.” The tenth amendment of the Constitution says, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” These bills will seize power from the states and the people that Congress is not authorized to, via the Constitution.
“Cap and Trade” will affect everyone. President Obama said that energy costs would “necessarily skyrocket” under this plan. It would regulate efficiency of appliances, regulate design of aircraft for fuel mileage (not safety), regulate how fast cars can go, and how fast trains can go. It is, in essence, stripping us of our money, so that we can “share the wealth” with poorer countries. It is a money-making scheme. All of this is happening in the face of e-mails that encourage scientists to skew data, delete e-mails, suppress opposition, etc. It seems intellectually dishonest to take this on faith, with tens of thousands of scientists that disagree with the root of the problem.
The health care bill will allow for government and employers to see our medical records. That is a huge breach of privacy. Forced insurance is a dictatorial edict, at best. There are more taxes hidden in this bill than I can even begin to list. Forget the abortion debate. We can’t get caught up in the semantics of these bills, and ignore the bigger constitutional hurdles they face. You have a duty to uphold the Constitution.
I am convinced that both of these bills are unconstitutional at their core. I have provided you with proof. I am asking you to provide me with evidence to the contrary. Can you show me where in the Constitution you have the right to impose these programs on us? I am convinced it is not there. If you plan on voting for these programs, I am respectfully asking you to make a Constitutional case for these bills. If you cannot (or will not) you will leave us with the only assumption one can reach: your word is not your bond. You promised to uphold the Constitution. I am convinced that the only path for someone that takes that oath seriously is to vote “NO” on both of these pieces of legislation. Again, if you can provide me with actual Constitutional evidence for these programs, maybe we can agree to disagree, but I’ve already proven to you that they violate our Constitution, thereby nullifying their validity.
I am anxiously waiting for your reply.
Dear Senator ________,
First off, thank you for taking the time to read my letter. I know that you are handling more calls, e-mails, and letters than you normally would. That said, I would respectively request your personal reply to my letter instead of the typical form letter I receive that does not really address the issues I write to you about.
I recognize your desire to pass two large bills that, on the surface, may appear to look out for the interests of Americans. The looming health care and “cap & trade” legislation have the potential to fundamentally change this country. They give unprecedented power to the Executive Branch, allowing it to circumvent that of the Legislative Branch. I am watching this president do an end run around the Constitution through the building of immense administrative bureaucratic departments that do not swear an oath to our Constitution. This is a problem.
Article VI of the U.S. Constitution states, “The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution”. What can we do about this power grab by the Executive Branch? We’re told that we’re facing an emergency. It must be done. We are facing an emergency, and let me lay out my case.
The fifth amendment of the Constitution states, “No person shall be… deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law”. If I decide that I don’t want to carry health insurance, I will incur a penalty for doing so. Sure, you are calling it a “tax”, but it is a penalty, nonetheless. It is only imposed on those who refuse to comply. Because of non-compliance, I would be deprived of property (i.e. my money) without due process of law. This is in direct contradiction to the Constitution.
The ninth amendment of the Constitution says, “The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.” The tenth amendment of the Constitution says, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” These bills will seize power from the states and the people that Congress is not authorized to, via the Constitution.
“Cap and Trade” will affect everyone. President Obama said that energy costs would “necessarily skyrocket” under this plan. It would regulate efficiency of appliances, regulate design of aircraft for fuel mileage (not safety), regulate how fast cars can go, and how fast trains can go. It is, in essence, stripping us of our money, so that we can “share the wealth” with poorer countries. It is a money-making scheme. All of this is happening in the face of e-mails that encourage scientists to skew data, delete e-mails, suppress opposition, etc. It seems intellectually dishonest to take this on faith, with tens of thousands of scientists that disagree with the root of the problem.
The health care bill will allow for government and employers to see our medical records. That is a huge breach of privacy. Forced insurance is a dictatorial edict, at best. There are more taxes hidden in this bill than I can even begin to list. Forget the abortion debate. We can’t get caught up in the semantics of these bills, and ignore the bigger constitutional hurdles they face. You have a duty to uphold the Constitution.
I am convinced that both of these bills are unconstitutional at their core. I have provided you with proof. I am asking you to provide me with evidence to the contrary. Can you show me where in the Constitution you have the right to impose these programs on us? I am convinced it is not there. If you plan on voting for these programs, I am respectfully asking you to make a Constitutional case for these bills. If you cannot (or will not) you will leave us with the only assumption one can reach: your word is not your bond. You promised to uphold the Constitution. I am convinced that the only path for someone that takes that oath seriously is to vote “NO” on both of these pieces of legislation. Again, if you can provide me with actual Constitutional evidence for these programs, maybe we can agree to disagree, but I’ve already proven to you that they violate our Constitution, thereby nullifying their validity.
I am anxiously waiting for your reply.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Senator Dick Day: "I'm All In!"
A storied State Senate career comes to an end as the affable Dick Day resigns to take a leadership role in the gambling industry he has advocated for in the legislature.
The box of rocks agreements given to us by Rudy Perpich may well be revised with the help of former Senator Day. Odds are it will be interesting.
Thanks for your service Senator. Best of luck in your new ventures!
The box of rocks agreements given to us by Rudy Perpich may well be revised with the help of former Senator Day. Odds are it will be interesting.
Thanks for your service Senator. Best of luck in your new ventures!
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