Report From The Trenches

Hey all, I just wanted to report I am up to my ears in never ending work and have no time or energy to spend online. Spring & farm life make for a busy me. I really should be getting too old for this, but I find I neglected to plan an exit strategy, so there you go. Somewhere along the line I discovered horses are a lot of work!  Tax time ends today, so Mark will emerge from his den and join the living once more and perhaps give me a hand here and there. Hope does spring and all that.

See you when I emerge from my mountain of manure.

Wish I'd Said That

The greatest evil perpetrated is the evil committed by nobodies, that is by human beings who refuse to be persons.

~ Hannah Arendt

Curiouser and curiouser.

~ Alice

I'll Fly Away

Someday. Not this day.

Miscellany

Don't be fooled, this is from last year.

It rained last night, thunder & lightning....oh my. Wash away the winter dirt and gloom, bring on the green.

Some of you will remember that I started a political blog a year or so ago, which I abandoned rather promptly. I became blocked every time I sat down to write. It was the strangest thing, I went blank. But then, when I consider myself, it probably is not such a mystery. I dislike tasks, I don't function well under orders and I easily distract and lose interest. I basically had set myself up to quit, because I gave myself an order to write specifically on one subject. Don't tell me what to do!, was my response to myself. This little insight also gives a hint as to why I work with horses and not humans.

I learned last evening on FaceBook that I have a cousin who is a birther. Ah, the family tree. She is also very religious. And concerned. I, on the other hand, am a heathen and fairly pissed off. I am no fan of President Obama and I will not cast another vote for him, as I am also fairly scorned, but come on, really.


I don't know why, but I was thinking this morning about the years which have passed and yet I am basically what I was born as. The serious faced little girl, standing off to the side of the crowd, never quite mixing in, but never quite walking away either. The only thing changed is I'm not a little girl anymore. Many valiant attempts at changing myself have resulted in my remaining myself, so I guess the lesson learned is I wasted some time. I don't do that anymore.

I don't understand Kindle. I love books. Real books. I own them. I display them. I lay in bed at night, turning pages. I have no desire to read in my bed with a piece of electronics. But then, I am in the dark ages on all of the electronics. I think I am better off for it, but that is an opinion of a slightly crabby, reclusive grey haired one. So take it for what it is worth.

I think I shall go out and play in the mud with my beasties now. Good times, oh yah.

Deja Vu All Over Again

Did we elect George Bush in someone else's body?

Quote in today's paper by Barack Obama: "Programs people rely on will be cut back", Obama said, adding Americans had to begin to live within their means. "Needed infrastructure will be delayed." "Cuts will be painful."

To whom? To the least of us, that's who. Let me give a little economic lecture here. Money does not disappear. It moves. It can move up, it can move laterally or it can move down. It has moved up to 1/2 of one percent of the population, sucking the life out of the country. And this budget bill and the one to come for 2012 is designed to move what is remaining in our meager pockets in the same direction. Critical thinking is seriously missing in our general population. I guess massive numbers of us will need to pee on the electric fence before we learn. They get away with this because we let them.

If tax cuts to the 'job creators' created jobs, we should be swimming in work, as we have had tax cuts for these mythical job creators for ten years. Ah, but it isn't enough to get them to create those jobs. They need more and Paul Ryan has just the ticket; more cuts, down to a top tax rate of 25% for individuals.  And of course, we can't change the tax laws to force GE, Exxon Mobil, et al, to pay federal income tax. We can't discontinue the federal payouts that these defrauders receive. We will not change the law that rewards companies for sending their jobs to other countries. Countries that these greed mongers exploit to the fullest extent possible, before moving on to the next. But we will cut Federal employees, infrastructure spending, medicaid payments, attempt to dismantle Medicare and Social Security, defund WIC & programs for the disabled and elderly, eliminate Federally backed loans for first time home buyers, cut veterans benefits, or if I simply cut to the chase; throw us under the bus.

And here is something important: no one creates a job because of a tax cut. Jobs happen when demand for something increases. Not because someone's personal wealth is increased. Tax cuts for rich people are a way of redistributing the wealth, to rich people. Tax hikes on rich people redistribute the wealth to society. We are getting our pockets picked. The only entity that creates jobs when there is not demand is the government, because it is not in the business of profit. It should be in the business of protecting the people, but at this time it is not a government of the people, by the people, for the people. We have an oligarchy, yes we do. All of these Federal spending cuts are going to tailspin an already fragile economy. But the titans of industry and finance are not concerned about that. They need to have their pathology fed.

We had better get busy and start peeing on that electric fence.

Remnants

Of a winter

disappearing.

 Decay

and ruin

  Life emerging

and

 life

sustained.

Indeed

There are three types of men. The ones that learn by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest who have to pee on an electric fence to learn by themselves.

~Will Rogers

Not Will Rogers, But......

America is trading in the New Deal for a Raw Deal.

That's all I have to say for now.

Enough

Our State Legislature is composed of these sociopathic personalities. It is hard to remember this was the state of Humphrey, Mondale and Wellstone. This is the stuff destruction is made of. We have a decent Democratic Governor (why, Minnesota did you vote him in and then give him this to work with?), but he can't accomplish anything. All he can do is veto and hope there aren't enough turncoat Dems to join them in an overturn. They have cut funds for Meals on Wheels, healthcare for the poor, nursing home funding, more and more. 

For those who don't know, we had the Presidential hopeful, Tim Pawlenty, as Governor for eight years, The worst eight years of our history. He left us with a 6.2 billion deficit, the great fiscal conservative that he is. And let us not forget, we have the pleasure of hosting Michelle Bachman. My head spins. It really does.

Ernie Leidiger (34A) - Email Newsletter

From the Capitol Legislative Update, April 1, 2011

Balancing the Budget and Putting Priorities First

This week Republican colleagues and I released our plan for a balanced budget that slows the growth of state spending and reforms government for the future.  Our budget solution is fiscally responsible, provides tax relief and realigns state spending to reality.  Unlike the tax and spend Governor, we know it’s time to leave the status quo behind and take real steps towards a stronger future.  Read on for details of the first of our budget bills passed out of the House to balance the budget and improve Minnesota’s economy.

Taxes

Our tax bill passed a series of tax reductions aimed at putting more money in the pockets of middle-class Minnesotans and helping the people of this state drive us forward to economic recovery.  Our proposal reduces the lower income tax rate from 5.35% to 5.25% in TY2012; from 5.25% to 5.15% in TY2013; and 5.15% to 4.75% in TY2014.  The bill also includes business tax relief designed to improve the state’s economic climate, most notably an upfront capital equipment sales tax exemption to provide businesses more capital for expansion and new jobs.

As the latest budget forecast showed, when families and job creators have more money to put into the economy, state revenue improves without raising taxes and our economic outlook strengthens.  As budget negotiations continue, my colleagues and I will continue to stand up for the taxpayers of Minnesota and the economic opportunity that will help us lead the recovery.

Education

Our Higher Education Finance Bill focuses on students by fully funding programs that help them pay for college – the state grant program – and making no reductions to the work study program. It also creates tuition controls to protect students from unreasonable tuition increases and sets performance benchmarks for the U of M and MnSCU.

In the midst of a challenging budget situation, the funding levels for the U of M and MnSCU are rolled back to late 1990s levels. Total reductions are 14.1% or $411.063 million as compared to the Governor who reduced the Higher Education budget by $170.908 million.  By focusing on students, promoting reform and driving accountability our goal is to maximize the effectiveness of human and financial resources.  

 The House GOP’s K-12 education bill proposes many reforms, including ending wasteful integration aid, sunsetting ineffective compensatory programs, providing scholarships for families to send their children to early childhood educational programs and enable parents to choose the best place for their children, enhanced accountability measures and school grading, expanded family choice in education, and mandate relief.

When it comes to funding, our legislation increases the state’s commitment to K-12 education 3.2% compared to the previous biennium.  We’re working to protect public schools, and our legislative committees are working to direct money into the classroom and towards programs that help our schools and students achieve the best results.

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Last fall, the people told us they wanted smaller government, less spending and better service.  Innovation and reform is how we put Minnesota on track for fiscal sustainability and economic strength. Stay tuned as in the next weeks I’ll send out updates on our omnibus legislation as they move through the House.

Throughout the session I will keep constituents updated with these columns and regular email updates, which you can sign up for at www.house.mn/34a.  Constituents are also welcome to stop by my office or call anytime with questions, comments and concerns.  I look forward to hearing from you and making sure your voice is heard in the legislature.

Sincerely,

Ernie

My reply:

Representative Leidiger,

I don't know where to start. Let me say, up front, that I am one of the people and I never voted for any of this. Let me also say, this is sociopathic behavior destined to destroy our social fabric.

You will not listen because you are either a person with a personality disorder or you are in the pocket of the monied powers. It really does not matter, because either reason is beyond redemption.

I am an older person. I remember a much different Minnesota. A vibrant Minnesota. A Minnesota that had excellent education, high paying jobs and a very strong social safety net. I was actually a recipient of that net in my youth.

We had great schools, good roads, wonderful arts and a helping hand to those in need second to none. Our higher education opportunities were the envy of the country. All of this made up for the terrible weather. Business flourished. And, we had one of the highest income tax rates in the nation. Somehow, it did not matter, we had jobs and self-respect.

Thirty years of this mental illness in the US has finally led to this. I really can't imagine how this is better. My property taxes are very high. If this continues, I will not have a home. My health insurance premiums are reaching a point where we eventually won't have any. We have private insurance. If we got sick enough, our deductible is so high that it would bankrupt us. The privileged are spared, while the rest of us slowly witness our own demise.

And no one creates a job. A job happens because there is a demand for something. The demand becomes great enough that the provider of the product needs increased help. Tax cuts will never create one job. Spending cuts will only create further misery, but never a job. 

I hope you are not one of the usual conservatives who proclaim yourself to be a Good Christian. I would hope you are not so cynical as that. I think if the question, "What would Christ do?" were answered by Christ, it would be wholly different from what you and your brethren propose.


SJN