Less than ten days after escalating the war in Afghanistan, President Barack Obama accepted the Nobel Peace Prize. Whether you count that as irony or tragedy, his speech is part of the public record and debate – and TPM is one place to get the full text and video. Obama offers an eloquent defense of just war theory, though IMHO even just war theory doesn’t support the current war(s). Continue reading
Category Archives: Uncategorized
November unemployment down slightly
November’s unemployment rate, announced this morning by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, stands at 10.0 percent, down slightly from October’s 10.2 percent, surprising economists who had predicted either holding steady or a slight increase. The total number of officially unemployed, plus discouraged workers, people working part time because they cannot find full time jobs, and those “marginally attached” to the work force – 17.2 percent in November, down from 17.5 percent in October. Continue reading
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Waconia watchdog was right on target
You may remember when the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) issued (and then rescinded) a “gag order” against Carver County Commissioner Tom Workman. The order came after he showed — on camera — that their inspector’s report about a sewage system was wrong, wrong, wrong. The sewage system in question belongs to the Waconia ballroom, which had just been purchased by Carver County. Continue reading
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Minnesota forecast: $1.2 BILLION in red ink
Tino Mager - Fotolia.com
State economist Tom Stinson released the November 2009 budget forecast yesterday, and the numbers are grim: a looming $1.2 billion shortfall in the 2010-2011 biennium and a staggering $5.4 billion deficit in 2012-2013. This is by far the biggest news in Minnesota today – yes, much bigger than the headlined Petters conviction, the rally at the capitol for a new Vikings stadium, or the MOA apology to Sarah Palin. The shortfall is due to declining employment and income for Minnesotans, which results in lower tax collections. The governor’s initial response was to talk about delaying local government aid (LGA) due to be paid to local governments in December, and to slash LGA for next year. Of course, he won’t consider raising tax rates, even on the wealthiest Minnesotans, even though LGA cuts will mean less police and fire protection, less road and highway maintenance, and less money for medical care and schools.
Stinson said that the recession is over, but that recovery will be extremely slow.
Minnesota’s October unemployment rate was well below the national average, but that does not mean the state’s economy has avoided the worst of this recession. … Employment in Minnesota is now expected to fall by more than 150,000 jobs between the first quarter of 2008 and the first quarter of 2010, 30,000 more than projected last February. If this forecast holds true, more than a decade of job creation will be lost. The combination of substantial current and expected job losses and what is expected to be a slow recovery, leaves Minnesota employment below its pre-recession level through 2013.
Here are links to the report itself, and to insightful commentary:
• Summary of the report (pdf, 9 pages)
• Full text of the report (pdf, 77 pages)
• Press conference handouts (pdf, 9 pages, mostly tables and graphs)
• MPR report:
After seeing the forecast, Gov. Pawlenty repeated his long-standing opposition to tax increases of any kind. He said the budget should be balanced by spending cuts alone. Pawlenty also said he may be forced to unilaterally cut state aid payments to cities and counties known as LGA.
“For the most part, we are going to wait and invite the Legislature to join us in trying to find a collaborative solution to this challenge, but we may not be able to do that entirely as it relates to some payment schedules,” Pawlenty said. “One of them could be the LGA payment schedule at the end of December.”
• Minnesota Budget Bites calls for “long-term solutions to long-term problems,” and insists that tax increases are one part of the solution:
We need to raise revenues to help us resolve the current deficit – and future deficits. We can’t solve the whole problem by raising revenues, but it is unsustainable to continue to address budget deficits almost entirely by relying on one-time resources, spending cuts and budget gimmicks. Not only are those decisions hurting Minnesotans who need help the most during the current economic downturn, but they are also reducing the investments Minnesota needs to position our state to take advantage of an economic upswing. We wouldn’t be alone in raising taxes. Nationwide, 35 other states are currently facing budget deficits. And during the last year, at least 30 states have enacted tax increases to help close budget holes. It’s our turn.
• The Minnesota Association of Professional Employees (MAPE) noted in a press release that “Last May, MAPE outlined millions of dollars in waste that included out-of-state travel, uncollected revenue and the Pawlenty Administration’s bloated management. The result of MAPE shining the light on certain administration practices was $10 million trimmed from out-of-state travel and the Department of Revenue stepping up collection efforts on money owed to our state. These are positive steps, but more action is needed to cut waste to preserve vital services for Minnesotans.” The May MAPE press release identified $350 million in proposed savings.
• Politics in Minnesota offers Steve Parry’s analysis of the amount of money being spent, month by month, and the implications for unallotment and budget cuts.
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Blowing the whistle on charter school buildings
An exposé by the Star Tribune and a legislative hearing put charter school building practices in the limelight this week. Background: MN law establishing charter schools said they could not own real estate, i.e. school buildings. The rationale, according to the Strib, was “to keep the focus on education and prevent taxpayer exposure to mortgage defaults if a school failed.” Continue reading
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NEWS DAY | Afghanistan quagmire
Secret jail. An army of private contractors. Secret ops by the company formerly known as Blackwater. U.S. funds diverted to the Taliban. Lack of popular support for the war. Corrupt and unpopular government. Sounds like a recipe for success — and reasons to pour in billions of dollars and risk the lives of tens of thousands of additional U.S. troops, right? Continue reading
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NEWS DAY | Stinson vs. Pawlenty on MN economic forecast?
Who cares about facts? State Economist Tom Stinson does, reports the Star Tribune, and that has not endeared him to Governor Tim Pawlenty. Wednesday is D-Day for the semi-annual economic forecast, and it won’t be good news for Pawlenty – or for Minnesota. The forecast projects state expenses and revenues two years out, and it’s likely to show continuing big budget deficits. Continue reading
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NEWS DAY | Time off / Valeria Silva in St. Paul / Recruiting Somali youth? / Schools forced to borrow
Morguefile photo
My time clock shows more than 12 hours at my “real” TCDP job and a couple more hours on the News Day blog yesterday – so today’s News Day is short, and then I’m taking a couple of days off from blogging. See you after Thanksgiving!
Recruiting Somali youth as terrorists or patriots? Federal officials charged eight people with recruiting Somali youth to return to their homeland and fight in the civil war from late 2007 to August 2008, reports the Pioneer Press. All eight of those charged on November 23 are out of the country, with one in custody in Netherlands. Ralph Boelter, the head of the FBI’s Minneapolis office, “said there were no indications those charged planned to commit any violence on U.S. soil.” Continue reading
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Too good not to share – Billionaires for Wealth Care
The Billionaires for Wealth Care took their song and dance to AHIP — — one of the big, industry-funded lobbying groups opposing a public option for health care. Here’s their YouTube video of the event, along with the lyrics to their song:
AHIP is the powerful insurance lobby that spends 5 million dollars a week trying to kill health care reform. Billionaires for Wealthcare is a grassroots network looking to stop them – with song.
• AHIP and other insurance and HMO interests spend nearly $5 million per week undermining real health care reform, including a public option.
• AHIP has resorted to out-right lying and scare tactics to block health care reform. They sent letters that lie to seniors about what health care reform means for Medicare, and they issued a report on the costs of health care reform legislation that is so misleading even the reports embarrassed authors distanced themselves from the way AHIP used their work.
• Every year, 45,000 people die because they cant get access to the health care they need. Yet AHIP continues to stand in the way of health care reform that would provide coverage to millions of Americans because the industry is more concerned with protecting profits than saving lives.
Lyrics to “Public Option Annie”
(to the tune of “Tomorrow” from Annie)
SINGER #1
No, thank you!
FOR KILLING THE PUBLIC OPTION
AND BLOCKING ANY HOPES OF ITS ADOPTION
THANK YOU, SIR!
SINGER #2
Sure,
BUT WHAT ABOUT COMPETITION?
IT’S AN OLD AMERICAN TRADITION
OR SO I’VE HEARD?
SINGER #1
Meh.
SINGER #3
WHEN OLYMPIA SNOWE
SAID NO,
IT CROAKED
Right?
SINGER #2
NO, THE OPTION’S NOT DEAD
SINGER #3
OR RED!
SINGER #1
EXPLAIN!
Who let these hippies in here?
SINGERS #2 AND #3, and CHORUS MEMBERS
IF WE GET A PUBLIC OPTION
WE CAN SNIFF OUT WASTE
JUST LIKE A DACHSUND
COSTS COME DOWN!
SINGER #1
Hey, those “costs” are my profits!
SINGERS #2 AND #3, and CHORUS MEMBERS
THE OPTION
THE OPTION
THE PUBLIC WANTS OPTIONS
WITHOUT IT,
IT’S A GIVEAWAY
SINGER #1
Exactly. To us. Am I in the right room?
THE OPTION
THE OPTION
THE PUBLIC WANTS AN OPTION
SINGERS #2 AND #3, and CHORUS MEMBERS
OR REFORM IS A CORP’RATE GIVE-A-WAY!
SINGER #1
Well, I’ve heard enough – my helicopter is parked in a handicap space.
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NEWS DAY | Long-term MN unemployment / Hazardous hamburger / Phishing, blogging, security, transparency / T-Paw’s (un)popularity
“]![Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, FSA-OWI Collection, [reproduction number, e.g., LC-USF35-1326]](https://maryturck.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/dorothea-lange-unemployment-line.jpg "Dorothea Lange unemployment line")
Long-term unemployment bites And it is about to bite harder for thousands of Minnesotans. The Star Tribune reports that time and unemployment compensation benefits are running out for about a thousand Minnesotans every week, and the jobs are not out there: Continue reading
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Mary Turck