Sgt H from Nine-Sixteenths blog has a report from the Forest Lake VFW.

Anyway, I made it to the rescheduled event in Forest Lake but only caught the last hour of he event and heard David Bellavia speak. He gave a pretty good speech about how war and combat aren't partisan events. He, and I, went to war with Republicans and Democrats. Seventy-seven Senators and 296 congressmen of both political parties voted to authorize force in Iraq. The VFF message is that regardless of political affiliation that we need to stay and win in Iraq. Three quarters of both houses of congress voted to send the military into harms way, and the government needs to honor the sacrifices the military has made while carrying out the national policy.

In 1954/55, John Fitzgerald Kennedy wrote the classic book "Profiles In Courage" which became required reading for school kids when I was growing up.  Needless to say, Steve Massey will never be on any list of courageous leaders.

A national tour featuring decorated veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan won't be stopping at Forest Lake Area High School today as planned, after school leaders abruptly canceled the visit.
Steve Massey, the school principal, said the decision to cancel was prompted by concerns that the event was becoming political rather than educational and therefore was not suitable for a public school.

 
When given the opportunity to come on a local radio program to explain his reasoning, he gave the producer of the program a curt "No" before hanging up on him.  Not exactly courageous.
 
It is so nice to know that the same soldiers that fought so hard for the right for people to protest are not allowed the same free speech that the protesters so freely enjoy - at least in this principal's eyes.

It is not often that you see a blogger fisking something on their own site (unless you read Anti-Strib regularly that is) however there are times when it is necessary and today is one of them.
I put up a post yesterday on the Bureaucratic Nightmare that Sara Jane Olson (aka Kathleen Soliah) found herself in over the weekend. An anonymous commentor left the following in response to my post (profanity redacted and spelling is left uncorrected - as much as it pained me to do so)

And can you imagine having those people in charge of you ROADS and BRIDGES?!?!?
They'd like, be crashing down all over the f*****g place!
And your national defense? They'd be going to war against the PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T CRASH JETS INTO OUR BUILDINGS!!!
Can you imagine such ineptitude?
Holy s***, I'm glad we have people in charge who can fix our really big problems. Whew.

But Anonymous opened up another subject...the propensity of people who would rather score political points instead of reasoning an issue out. Here is a person who obviously cares about the issues who is more concerned with saying "yeah well your side screwed it up too" then he/she is about actually FIXING the problem. The larger problem here is that our government IS messed up. You have legislators who have no respect for the people....who actually believe that the people who voted them in to office are too inept or too dumb to take care of their own family. However, these hyper-partisans would rather trash the other side or attack the messenger than they are in fixing the problem.

Sarah Jan Olson (aka Kathleen Soliah) is going back to prison. (HT Lassie)

 

Just days after being told she could serve her parole in Minnesota, Olson is back in a California prison, where she'll stay for almost another year.
California Corrections Department officials said Saturday that criticism of Olson's release spurred a review of her case. That review showed that her parole date had been miscalculated -- she was not supposed to be released until March 17, 2009.

 

I recently threw a couple of snarky posts up recently about how the media is "in the bag" for Barak Obama.  However after reading this piece by Michael Barone, I realized that there is a little more depth to the issue than just whether the "dead tree" media is in the bag for any one person or another...

 

For Obama's candidacy is a generational phenomenon. His greatest support comes from black voters and from voters under 30, the Millennial generation born after 1980, first named by William Strauss and Neal Howe...The Wright sermons have probably not been a problem for Obama with black voters -- they have heard this kind of thing before. And while it may be off-putting, it will not prompt them to reconsider their votes or diminish their enthusiasm.
Millennials are another matter. In a brilliantly well-timed new book, "Millennial Makeover: MySpace, YouTube and the Future of American Politics," Democratic Party veteran Morley Winograd and media researcher Michael Hais explain how this generation, with the highest percentages of blacks, Latinos and Asians in American history, doesn't care much for racial divisions and relies for news and advice on networks of friends and peers.
A newspaper story on Obama's pastor is not going to affect their view of him -- they don't read newspapers except when a friend emails a link to a newspaper Website. A YouTube video is another thing.
The Wright videos -- angry when Obama is soothing, racially divisive when Obama is inclusive, anti-American when Obama proclaims a new generation's version of patriotism -- are something else.

 

 

Much was said in recent weeks about the "punishment" that has been meted out to the "Over-ride Six".  Now we see that they are not the only ones being "punished" by the folks back home.

 

There were no embarrassing scandals or ugly fights at the House District 58 convention last weekend, but, still, two longtime incumbents -- Reps. Joe Mullery in 58A and Willie Dominguez in 58B -- walked away without getting the official nod from their own party. Instead, activists in 58B chose Bobbie Joe Champion, and Wellstone Action staffer and Minneapolis School Board Member Peggy Flanagan forced Mullery to a no-endorsement, kicking off a primary race.

 

 

Here is the “universal” part of on HF 3391.  Specifically I would like to focus on Article 5 Section 12.

45.5    Sec. 12. [62U.06] GOALS FOR UNIVERSAL COVERAGE; CONTINGENT
45.6 INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY REQUIREMENT.
45.7    Subdivision 1. Phase-in goals. The state's phase-in goals for progress toward
45.8 universal health coverage for Minnesota residents are:
45.9    (1) 94 percent insured by end of fiscal year 2009;
45.10    (2) 96 percent insured by end of fiscal year 2011;
45.11    (3) 97 percent insured by end of fiscal year 2012; and
45.12    (4) 98 percent insured by end of fiscal year 2013 and thereafter.
45.13    Subd. 2. Measurement of percent insured.The determination of the percent
45.14 of Minnesota residents insured must be based on an annual survey of the Minnesota
45.15 population younger than age 65 to be conducted or contracted for by the commissioner
45.16 of health which must include questions related to the type of insurance, amount of
45.17 cost-sharing, and potential barriers to public program enrollment.
45.18    Subd. 3. Contingent individual responsibility requirement. (a) If the increased
45.19 affordability, cost containment, insurance reform, and voluntary efforts provided for
45.20 under this act fail to achieve universal coverage, an individual responsibility requirement
45.21 must have been proven to be necessary.
45.22    (b) If any one of the phase-in goals specified in subdivision 1 for fiscal year 2011 or
45.23 later is not met, as determined by the commissioner of health, in spite of implementation
45.24 of the increased affordability, cost containment, insurance reform, and voluntary efforts
45.25 provided for under sections 62U.01 to 62U.09, an individual responsibility requirement,
45.26 requiring every Minnesota resident to obtain and maintain health coverage from a public
45.27 or private sector source of the person's choice, must become effective 12 months after the
45.28 end of that fiscal year, provided that the commissioner certifies that health plans that meet
45.29 the affordability standard under section 62U.08 are available to Minnesotans.
45.30    (c) Failure to comply with the individual responsibility requirement is not a crime,
45.31 but must subject the person to a financial penalty to be specified in law.

1.23    Subdivision 1. Selection of primary care clinic.Beginning January 1, 2009, the
1.24 commissioner shall require state health care program enrollees eligible for services
1.25 under the fee-for-service system to select a primary care clinic or medical group, within
1.26 two months of enrollment. Beginning July 1, 2009, the commissioner shall encourage
1.27 enrollees who have a complex or chronic condition to select a primary care clinic or
1.28 medical group with clinicians who have been certified as health care homes under section
1.29 256B.0751, subdivision 3. The commissioner and county social service agencies shall
2.1 provide enrollees with lists of primary care clinics, medical groups, and clinicians certified
2.2 as health care homes, and shall establish a toll-free number to provide enrollees with
2.3 assistance in choosing a clinic, medical group, or health care home.

 

27.8    Subd. 3. Premium rate restrictions. No individual health plan may be offered,
27.9 sold, issued, or renewed to a Minnesota resident unless the premium rate charged is
27.10 determined in accordance with the following requirements:

Realize that the department of health will have a scant 4 months to put this together by mandate and that the effective date of this bill would be January 1 2009!  This drastic, rapid take over of one of the few healthy segments of the Minnesota economy right now will further deepen the recession that we find ourselves in today.

One of the continuing themes, in my build up toward Universal Health Care has been the documentation of the rationing of services that starts once the government starts paying for your "free" health care.  The posts in question can be found here.  Commenters and politicians and reporters assure us that nothing like that will ever happen here, but are they correct?  If Article 5 Section 10 is any indication.....

 

42.14    Sec. 10. [62U.05] HEALTH TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT.

42.15    Subdivision 1.Technology Advisory Committee. (a) The Health Care

42.16 Transformation Commission shall convene an advisory committee to make

42.17 recommendations to the commission regarding the inclusion of new and existing health

42.18 technologies to the standard benefit set and design.

42.19    (b) The advisory committee shall be made up of 11 members appointed by the

42.20 commission, in consultation with the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement, the

42.21 Health Services Advisory Council, and the University of Minnesota. The members shall

42.22 consist of:
 42.23    (1) six practicing physicians licensed under chapter 147; and

42.24    (2) five other practicing health care professionals who use health technology in

42.25 their scope of practice.

42.26    (c) No member of the advisory committee shall have a substantial financial interest

42.27 in a health technology company or be employed by or under contract with a health

42.28 technology manufacturer during their term or for 18 months before their appointment.

42.29    (d) The members shall be immune from civil liability for any official acts performed

42.30 in good faith as members of the committee.

42.31    (e) The advisory committee shall be governed under section 15.059, except that

42.32 the committee shall not expire. Upon the expiration of the Health Care Transformation

42.33 Commission, the Health Technology Assessment Committee shall continue to exist under

42.34 the oversight of the Minnesota Health Insurance Exchange.

43.1    Subd. 2. Technology selection process. The commission, in consultation with the

43.2 advisory committee, shall select existing and new health technologies to be reviewed by

43.3 the committee. In making a selection, priority must be given to any technology for which:

43.4    (1) there are concerns about its safety, efficacy, or cost effectiveness;

43.5    (2) actual or expected expenditures are high due to demand for the technology,

43.6 its cost, or both; and

43.7    (3) there is adequate evidence available to conduct a complete review.

43.8    Subd. 3. Technology review. (a) Upon the selection of a health technology for

43.9 review, the committee shall contract for a systematic evidence-based assessment of

43.10 the technology's safety, efficacy, and cost effectiveness. The contract must be with an

43.11 evidence-based practice center designated as such by the federal agency for health care

43.12 research and quality, or another appropriate entity as designated by the commission.

43.13    (b) The committee shall provide notification to the public when a health technology

43.14 has been selected for review. The notification must indicate when that review is to be

43.15 initiated and how an interested party may submit evidence or provide public comment for

43.16 consideration during the review.

43.17    Subd. 4.Committee determination. (a) Upon reviewing the completed assessment

43.18 and any other evidence submitted regarding the safety, efficacy, and cost effectiveness of

43.19 the technology, the committee shall recommend to the commission:

43.20    (1) the conditions, if any, under which the health technology should be included

43.21as a covered benefit; and

43.22    (2) if covered, the criteria to be used to decide whether the technology is medically

43.23 necessary, or proper and necessary treatment.

43.24    (b) The commissioners of human services, employee relations, and corrections may

43.25 use the committee's recommendation in making coverage and reimbursement decisions,

43.26 unless the recommendation conflicts with an applicable federal statute or regulation

 

America is killing innocents daily - approximately 126,000 (correction - that is a worldwide number - the actual number of US abortions is "only" 3700 a day - thanks to reader David H for the correction) innocent babies are murdered every day in utero in America's abortion clinics!  Is that the sign of a blessed country?  Many, myself included, would argue that it is not.

38% of African American families are indeed enslaved....trapped in a welfare system that encourages them to rely on a benevolent master to provide them with food, housing and other "necessities".  The benevolent master in this case is a nanny government that demands that those who take "masters" largess surrender themselves to living in a manner that the "master" dictates.  No you are not allowed to take a job to better yourself...if you do that, you lose your government check!  For some people, that means that they don't have access to affordable daycare in order to go to work.  In others, that means that they lose their "affordable" housing.  How affordable is housing, if it can be taken away from you at the whim of a government bureaucrat somewhere (no the current credit crunch does not fit in here).

In the two weeks since the Transportation over-ride vote, much has been said for and against "The Six". If the "Dear Colleague" letter that Rep. Abeler has sent to his caucus is any indication, there are a few hurt feelings as well.

Dear Colleagues,
You may be wondering why I am behaving as I have been since my convention voted 58-42 to ratify my votes and actions over my 10 years.
Shockingly to me, Rep Emmer showed up at the convention on Saturday around 9:45, declaring himself as representing the caucus. “Marty went south, and I went north.”
Following a nice commendation of Rep Hackbarth for providing good representation of his district (no mention of me), Tom went onto bash the “Democrat transportation tax bill.” The entire speech lasted 7 or 8 minutes, during which time the crowd got actively engaged, since as a group they were about 3:1 opposed to the bill and many were angry at me anyway. When comments came about“those 6 republicans” Tom gestured in an encouraging way, and crowd whipped intoa frenzy against those 6 (including me) resembling an Obama rally.
There was nodoubt as to the local object of this aggression, me. As he closed, he received tumultuous applause and left.
When David Olson of the Mn Chamber arrived, he was treated harshly by the crowd and booed due to the firey mood of the crowd after Emmer’s speech.
When I approached Marty prior to the convention for a letter stating that I had been a good caucus member except for this singular vote with which he vehemently disagreed, he declined stating that didn’t I remember that the caucus was not going to do any help in my election. Which I accepted.
What shocked me is that the caucus would send Tom Emmer who has obvious and unresolved anger issues toward me and expect his appearance in already tense situation to go well. I think in human resource circles they call this theWorst Possible Decision.
I have been a member of the caucus for 10 years, but cannot recall even any stories about the caucus attacking a sitting member during an endorsing process,especially when the opponent is “no endorsement” and particularly when that member is supported by business and the MCCL.
The caucus punishment story about us 6 had died down with the advent of the budget forecast and the governor’s response. The Emmer rant at my convention has given all of this retribution talk new life, and we are now becoming known as the party of the robot.
I think we had better look inside each of ourselves and see where we are goingto wind up politically and as a coalition.
I am sending this to members and staff both, because we are all in this together. There has been too much silence already, and this matter has escalated way too far. All our loyal crew deserves to know what is going on and what transpired.
Now you know what happened.  If you don’t happen to see
me at caucus, you shouldn’t be surprised. It is hard to leave your backside open
to a “family” who has tried to blatantly defeat you.
State Rep. Jim Abeler
Former Minority Lead
Health and Human Services Finance
Room 203
State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55155

So a couple of days ago, "Michael" posts this comment on the SD35 Republicans blog.

 

Mark Buesgens, you have no sense of how anything works at all. How can you possibly believe that "tax relief" will help the state when thanks to Pawlenty and people like you we have bridges falling down, roads in disrepair, schools not being funded, and our state basically falling apart? Do you understand that taxes are what allow us to live in a civilized society? You and your homeboy Pawlenty love to throw out the old buzzphrase "tax and spend" Democrats; how are "borrow and spend" Republicans any better? They're far worse! Destroying our economy and mortgaging our children's future by never paying for anything and pretending that that makes good financial sense? And yes, fixing our economy should be a top priority: but we don't fix it with historically proven wrong ideas like "trickle-down" economics, borrowing more money, and handing out tax breaks to (primarily) the wealthiest people. We do it with providing a working wage to all folks, keeping our jobs from going overseas, penalizing companies like Wal-Mart that destroy the economy by importing the majority of their stock from China - thereby undercutting American jobs, and working to build a "green" state that is a leader in renewable energy sources. Quit mouthing the same stupid platitudes that the Republicans have been saying for years, pull your head out of the sand, and start earning your salary by HELPING Minnesotans. Nobody is getting killed by taxes - we're getting killed by losing our jobs and not educating our children!

 

Nobody is getting killed by taxes - we're getting killed by losing our jobs and not educating our children!

 

Those companies that can afford to move.  They move to states (like Utah) which have a low tax climate, a youthful, well educated, hard working work force.  If you aren't wed to the state of Minnesota (most likely a government induced forced marriage like Northwest) then you would be smart to think about moving - even if it is just across the border into South Dakota (which many businesses are ALREADY doing Michael).