HometownSource Blogs

A Minnesota Chamber of Commerce survey of 350 state businesses showed more than half of the respondents listed high taxes as the bigget barrier facing Minnesota companies that wanted to create jobs, according to a chamber press release.

This number jumped significantly, noted Chamber President David Olson, from the year before.

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In response to this post, I would say only that I have never argued that Palin is super smart or uniquely qualified to be vice president. In fact, I would say her experience level is roughly on par with Barack Obama’s (although her approval rating is far better).

My issues are with pundits, like Heather Mallick or our resident attack dog, who, instead of offering any substantive criticism to discuss, prefer only to denigrate and belittle Palin personally, usually dishonestly. Where Sarah Palin is concerned, lazy invective has replaced reason.

What’s interesting is, for someone who demands our utmost respect at all times, and is sick of swift-boat politics, the Perkinator appears to have little of the former and a real gift for the latter.

UPDATE: Read more »

Sarah Palin is intellectually incapable of being the Vice President of the United State of America.

That statement cannot be disputed.

Republicans have been forced to defend John McCain’s VP pick since announcing the ticket, but have done so with as much brash criticism as those who attack his choice.

But the problem is that those who come to Palin’s defense, much like ECM’s debateless wonder, cannot offer any evidence that she is smart enough to lead our nation.  Instead, they just cry (and boy do they cry a lot) fowl when you attack her intelligence. This despite the fact that millions of Americans, including some of the unbiased Republicans (yes, there is such a thing), saw the Katie Couric interview and came to the conclusion that she is unfit for office.

This is me begging for someone to explain how Palin’s incoherent answers to simple questions in an ABC interview qualify her to lead our country.

Until then… take a look at these blog posts from CNN.  Here and here.  To reiterate my point, Palin is a mental midget.

It’s just getting sad. It seems like every week I’m hearing about another person either killed, or seriously injured while riding a bicycle.

Exactly one week ago, an 18 year-old was killed when hit by a truck in downtown, another bicyclist died from injuries after being struck in St. Paul on Saturday, and a 65-year-old man died from a hit and run on Sept.11, coincidentally about a block from my house.  Read more »

The CBC has finally come to its senses; apologizing for Heather Mallick’s disgusting and hateful rant against Sarah Palin. Among other things, Mallick referred to Palin as an “Alaska hillbilly,” “white trash,” “racist,” with a toned down “porn actress” look.

Says the CBC:

Mallick’s column is a classic piece of political invective. It is viciously personal, grossly hyperbolic and intensely partisan.

And because it is all those things, this column should not have appeared on the CBCNews.ca site.

In other news, ECM’s own unhinged Palin bomb-thrower, who recently referred to her as a “mental midget” who needs a helmet to discuss politics, has the foreign policy experience of his dog, and is deserving of only pity, continues on unabated.

Sen. John Marty, DFL-Roseville, wants to cut transit fares to a quarter a ride statewide.

Marty expressed disappointment over the increase in transit fares tomorrow — 25 cents — arguing that it could wipe out the increase in ridership seen this year.

Suburban ridership is up close to eight percent, Marty says in a press release.

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First, DFL candidate Ashwin Madia had to apologize for his communication director’s wife, who was caught stealing opponent Erik Paulson’s signs from people’s yards. Now, another DFL volunteer has been caught stealing childrens’ toys from potential voters.

One can only hope this activity does not reflect the campaign’s overall attitude toward private property.

Today, Barney Frank is blaming Republicans for the failure of the astonomically large bail-out of the financial markets. Of course, this is the same guy who, when faced with the impending crisis at Fannie and Freddie back in 2004, said:

I don’t see anything in this report that raises safety and soundness problems.

Nothing to see here. Move along.

Congresswoman Michele Bachmann told WCCO Radio this afternoon that she missed the 2:30 p.m. flight out of Washington and will not be appearing at the debate tonight in Monticello.

The first-term Republican spoke of perhaps rescheduling the debate for tomorrow.

Bachmann was scheduled to appear with Democratic challenger Elwyn Tinklenberg and unendorsed Independence Party candidate Bruce Anderson this evening at the Monticello Community Center.

The U.S. House rejected a $700 billion financial intervention bill today (Sept. 29) on a vote of 205 to 228.

The bill would have allowed the federal government to purchase troubled assets from financial institutions — $250 billion would have made available immediately.

It would have  also provided for limits on executive compensation for companies participating in the program, work to assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure, and contained other features.

Congressional leaders on the House floor urged their fellow lawmakers to support the bill.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, R-Calf., blamed the Bush Administration for following an “anything goes” economic policy that led to the crisis.

“It has created chaos,” she said of the perceived hands-off policy approach, not job creation or invigorating the economy.

But Pelosi argued the bill was sending a message to Wall Street that the party was over.

House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, opined that the American public was frightened by the financial service industry crisis.

Boehner argued that no one wanted to vote for the $700 billion intervention bill — he called it a “mud sandwich.”

“So we have an imperfect product,” he said, adding the bill was bipartisan.

“But we have an imperfect product that may work,” he said.

The Republican ranking member of the House Financial Services Committee arose on the House floor to call for support of the bill.

One local lawmaker who serves on the committee is Republican Congresswoman Michele Bachmann.

Bachmann on the House floor said she believed Democrats and Republicans are committed to finding a way out of this financial challenge.

“And we think we have one,” she said.

“But the answer, we believe, needn’t cost taxpayers $700 billion,”  said Bachmann.

“The problem is there’s a lack of credit for credit-worthy people,” she explained.

Bachmann argued that federal accounting rules have contributed to the problems in the financial industry.

She called for reforms.

“Let’s try these tactical solutions before we pull the trigger on a $700 billion bailout that doesn’t even address the underlying problems,” she said.

“It’s time for rest. Time for a break. Let’s embrace a practical solution before we try a $700 billion bailout,” said Bachmann.

According to Bachmann’s office the congresswoman voted against the legislation.

Bachmann has been scheduled to appear at a forum tonight in Monticello.

The House did not close the rolls on the financial intervention bill vote until about 1 p.m. our time.

A debate between 6th Congressional District candidates scheduled for tonight (Sept. 29) in Monticello apparently will have all the candidates participating.

According to Congresswoman Michele Bachmann’s Capitol office this morning, the congresswoman is still scheduled to appear tonight at the Monticello Community Center along with former Ventura Administration Transportation Commissioner Elwyn Tinklenberg, her Democratic opponent, and unendorsed Independence Party candidate Bruce Anderson, for a forum.
Congress is expected to take up the Bush Administration’s financial services industry bail out this week.

But as noted, Bachmann’s office this morning has her attending the Monticello debate this evening.

I believe both John McCain and Barack Obama should be allowed a redo with their nominations for vice president.

Here is the full Palin interview with Katie Couric.

Palin should be required to wear a helmet when she thinks and talks about politics, because she could hurt herself.

I pity Palin.

But don’t get me wrong, Biden is often times an idiot himself.  Difference is that Biden is a moron with words every once and a while, where as Palin is just not smart, plain and simple.  I don’t think either of these individuals should ever be allowed to be a heart beat away from the presidency, but I think that Palin is so dumb that I don’t know how she even got admitted to the 50 different prestigious colleges and universities she attended before earning a degree.

Take a look at CNN’s analysis of the Palin interview, and note that one of the panelists is as hardcore a republican as it gets, but even he appears disgusted by Palin’s answers.

By the way Palin, my dog would make a great vice president because of her foreign relations experience. She is a German Shepherd… she knows Germans.

The Minnesota Department of Revenue today (Sept. 25) indicated that it had recently revoked the sales tax permit of Christenson Development Inc., doing business as Mille Lacs Resort and Marina for failing to pay sales tax to the state.

According to the department, the marina and golf course located on Captive Lake Road in Garrison failed to pay sales taxes for a number of months in both 2007 and 2008 and also failed to fail a state sales tax returns for July 2008.

The department notes that the state’s sales tax is a “trust tax.” That is, customers pay the tax with the idea the business will remit them to the state.

The tax money cannot be used by the business for operational expenses or for any other purpose, the department notes.

It’s a felony for a company to make retail sales in Minnesota after revocation of their Minnesota sales tax permit, the department notes.

Independence Party U.S. Senate candidate Dean Barkley urged Congress today (Sept. 25) to take a deep breath before rushing a vote on a bail-out package for the financial services industry.

“The last time we rushed into an election-year ’solution’ we got the Iraq War and I don’t think the American people want to see us go down that path again,” Barkley said in a press release.

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Are supporters of a proposed constitutional amendment deliberately downplaying the arts and cultural funding the state sales tax increase, if approved by voters, would contain?

No way, indicated Ken Martin of Vote Yes Minnesota, an advocacy group pushing for passage of the so-called legacy amendment.

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