Grandpa Larry Won't Know What Hit Him...

World-renowned economics professor, radio talk show host and long-time fellow SCBA and MOB blogger King Banaian has thrown his hat in the ring to challenge Grandpa Wilford Brimley, err..Larry Haws for the SD15B seat for the Minnesota House of Representatives.

Well, right now I've only one thing to say about that:

Let the floor mopping begin.

Larry Hosch Introduces "Throw Momma From The Train" Bill

Minnesota state representative Larry Hosch (D, 14A) has introduced what has been roundly criticized as being a horrible bill. In an email correspondence, MN District 14a Representative Steve Gottwalt states:

This bill whacks long term care providers with fee increases and cuts. It does not do it as part of a responsible, global budget solution, but to make some point about the impacts of such tactics. In committee today, Kari Thurlow, VP of Advocacy for Aging Services of MN, called the bill "One of the most onerous bills we have ever seen as it impacts older adult care services." Even to prove a point, this reflects the kind of failed leadership we continue to see from Hosch and the Democrats. Where is their responsible, global solution to the budget deficit??

But don't just take Steve's word for it. Yes, even Aging Services of Minnesota, a senior advocacy group, joined by AARP of Minnesota, writes

Last week, Aging Services staged a 48-hour campaign against HF3442 (Hosch), a bill that proposed, among other things, cuts in funding to older adult services and huge fee increases on providers and caregivers.

We challenged our members to send at least 2,000 e-mail messages to legislators expressing our overall disapproval of the bill. Not only did members meet the challenge, but you exceeded our goal. We estimate over 4,000 e-mail messages were sent to committee members and local legislators over a 48-hour period.

This campaign was instrumental to our success in removing one the most onerous provisions for housing providers from the bill during last Thursday's hearing in the House Health Care and Human Services Policy and Oversight Committee.

[SNIP]

Aging Services was opposed to this provision because it would erect a barrier to consumer choice. AARP Minnesota and Senior and Workers for Quality also joined in our opposition to this proposal. While the provision should be considered "dead" in the House, it would not be surprising to see this proposal emerge in a Senate bill later this session.

Representative Larry Hosch better watch out, or he just may receive a visit from his other brother Larry, who, with his advancing years, just may not take too kindly to being dissed by his younger brother, and just might make sure you "blowed up real good."

Larry Haws--Aren't you a little old to be throwing tantrums?

In Larry Haws' latest email to his constituents:

..as a supporter of the New Minnesota Miracle this session, I was disappointed that a framework for moving in that direction was not part of the final budget bill. This education funding reform would provide schools with stable, adequate and more equitable funding, with $600 million in net property tax relief. It would also have fully funded the state share of special education costs. Nevertheless, the legislation that we passed this year represented the best-case scenario for Minnesota’s schools and students in these challenging economic times.

[SNIP]

Of course, as I’m sure you know, the session ended with the Governor signing all of the appropriations bills, but vetoing the revenue to pay for them—leaving a significant budget deficit, despite having been presented with a balanced budget by the Legislature. As a result, he has announced an unprecedented plan to engage in massive unallotment. I’m concerned these proposed unallotments will have serious and lasting ramifications for our schools.

Absolute. Hogwash.

Far from being the "Minnesota Miracle" that Mr. Haws touts, the proposed DFL budget actually would have cut K-12 funding by nearly $1 Billion, while, via smart prioritizing, each of Minnesota Governor Pawlenty's budgets presented this session INCREASED funding for K-12 schools.

Unfortunately, despite numerous offers throughout the session, the Governor refused to publicly meet with legislative leaders to reach a compromise
with the Legislature.

More. Hogwash.

The DFL refused to entertain Pawlenty's notions of not saddling hard working Minnesotans with even more taxes during one of the toughest economic times in decades. Pawlenty presented the Minnesota DFL with two balanced budgets, and the DFL dragged their knuckles and refused to work on solutions and instead spent their entire time in the legislative session (not to mention the meetings held during the summer months) engaged in exercises in mental masturbation and political posturing; chained to their certitude that, as per their usual behavior, they could milk the Minnesota taxpaying public into funding millions more dollars in special session costs and per diems.

You see, Larry Haws and his DFL cohorts thought it was going to be business as usual. Little did they know nor count on the fact that they were dealing with a governor who had enough of engaging in their petty adolescent games. Little did the teenagers with credit cards, a/k/a Minnesota DFLers know that their modus operandi of passive aggressive gamesmanship would no longer be tolerated by a governor who was not above being the parent.

And now, like youngsters who had to be spanked by their father, Larry Haws & his Minnesota DFL cohorts, caught literally with their pants down, are running around and whining and doing everything except taking responsibility that it was they, not the governor, who got themselves into this mess.

Just so you know, St. Cloud,

"That election blowed up real good!"

Larry and his other brother Larry voted "NO!" toward making our elections more legitimate.

You need to submit a photo ID to cash a check. You often need to submit a photo ID to even use a credit card.

But Larry and his other brother Larry don't seem to think you need to prove you're you in order to vote.

But then again, if it weren't for vote fraud, how would democrats be assured of winning?

Go ask Al Franken.

Larry Haws: Endorsing Central Minnesota Values?

I think not

(St. Cloud)

“I'm supporting Al Franken because I believe he has the courage to fight the good fight. We share an American dream: affordable and excellent public education, safe communities, and jobs that pay a decent wage. Al has the wisdom to guide our country in the right direction, the passion to stand up for Minnesota families, and a sense of humor that will help him put up with the politics necessary to create a better America.

Larry Haws...moderate?? Keep in mind that Haws' ringing endorsement of the foul-mouthed, ethically-challenged Al Franken is not a Johnny-come-lately affair, with "Grandpa Haws" endorsing Franken back in July of 2007.


Don't let the grandfatherly exterior fool you. Haws is as liberal as one can get, and embodies central Minnesota values more like Nancy Pelosi than anyone else.

DFL Spending Orgy: Real Consequences.

Yesterday's DFL rape of Minnesota's taxpaying public is starting a public groundswell of resentment toward the audacity of the people elected to represent them.

The following writer makes a great point. She, who is required to "brown bag" her lunch every day, is forced to "pay for a better Minnesota" by those who have happily raised their own unaccountable per diems to $95 per day!

Today is not a day that I am proud to call myself a Minnesotan. As the economy in this state already in dire straits, it greatly saddens me that as a taxpayer in this state that I am forced to stretch my already thin budget even further. Over the past 5 years or so, due to the cost of housing increasing exponentially, many people moved out of the city, howeverin order for a decent paying job we must commute into the city for work.

I live near Princeton, but work in Minnetonka. Like those who need to commute in orderto survive, we are the ones who are going to feel even more pain with this bill. For instance, my monthly gas costs are about $340/month, I drive a very small economy car and have pretty much cut out any unnecessary driving. This includes going home to my mother’s for holidays. With this vote, I will need to fork out yet another $100 per month just for gas. I’ll have to update my bankruptcy attorney with this new fact. Yes, bankruptcy attorney. Have you looked at your local newspaper and counted how many foreclosures are listed?? Elk River paper has 10 pages plus of foreclosures. My development alone has had 3 foreclosures and 4 near or impending foreclosures in the last 3 years – the humbling fact is that there are only 18 homes in my development.

As workers, we have already started to “brown bag” lunch everyday, because we simply cannot afford to eat out anymore. Fact: You have voted to increase your lunch expenditures to $95/day! How many times do you eat every day? That is my grocery bill for the entire month for my family!

Also, where did the money go that was generated by the last transportation bill? Many people now wish that they hadn’t voted “yes” to that one now that another has been forced into existence.

MN is one of the most heavily taxed states in the nation (as I’m still paying last year’s tax bill, despite the thousands I’ve already paid out). With this bill, MN will also be proud to boast that it is one of the highest gas tax states as well. The taxpayers would be happy to pay more IF and only IF there wasn’t so much wasteful
spending being done by our “leaders.”

From the arguments for this bill:

1) It will create 33,000 jobs. Question: What about all the people that will loose their jobs or will not get a reasonable raise this year (one that would not even keep up with the cost of living in the first place) due to increased overhead of already suffering businesses? Won’t the money end up in the construction company’s
pockets instead of the worker due to the increased overhead costs??

2) A million people will be coming to MN in the next year.

Question: Are these going to be taxpayers or tax suckers? Taxpaying as in working, paying state income tax, not being on any government assistance (welfare, food stamps, daycare assistance, health care)?

With the rising costs of running a company; small businesses have already cut many benefits to their workers including health care. These workers are either uninsured or insured by PMAP or GAMC. As an individual who works in the health insurance industry and has worked in the metro area hospitals, I see the incredible amount of waste that the general person who is on state health insurance causes. An example:
Going to the ER for pink eye! Who takes the cut? The hospitals - who then pass on the loss to the paying people. Some ways to cut expenses of the welfare system in this state is to: 1) Every able-bodied person will not automatically receive welfare benefits – Get a Job! The system has made it more beneficial to stay on welfare than to get a job.

2) Only people who actually live in this state full-time are eligible to receive benefits, there are many people that drive to MN to pick up their check, committing crimes while they are here. Check the paper.

3) Many workers need to take a drug test in order to have a job, why not require drug testing for a welfare paycheck? That would eliminate a lot of money that goes out the door.

4) As workers, we need to drive to work and complete our job in order to collect a paycheck. Why don’t welfare recipients have to expend some time and energy in receiving their monthly stipend? Go stand in line - you’re not doing anything anyway (this would cut down unnecessary MD visits). Let’s make these people put some effort in receiving their handout.

Unfortunately, I have personal experience (through a friend) with several drug dealers in the Minneapolis area, they drive nicer cars, have more toys and do nothing all day for their effort, BUT they get a free ride from our state who is not willing to stand up against these thugs and even prosecute them effectively for their crimes which costs mthe taxpayers about $10,000 each time they are arrested.

In light of the tragedy in Cottonwood, how many illegals are getting my tax money directly or indirectly? Get them out of the state, prosecute them and send the bill to the country in which they came from. This needs to stop. I’ve even considered leaving my own country over this.


I believe that part of the “yes” vote was in order to preserve your own status as well as your friends that are in the ancillary government offices. I am tempted to run for office myself so that at least one more person would stand up for the citizens of MN. I do want to thank each person who did such thing, including both of my representatives who did not bend to meet their own needs.

The sum of it is, if you going to force MN taxpayers, who are already in extreme financial distress, pay more daily just to be able to live in this beautiful state then first cut the wasteful spending that is being done. We fly coach (if we can even afford that) because we can’t afford otherwise, so as leaders, you should also fly coach and pay for your own trips if you have made your own choice to go somewhere. If we have to “tighten up our boot straps” then you should be required to
as well. That is what the general public’s plea to you is. Our health care benefits, retirement funds, and income are going down while everything we pay for is going up (premiums, cost of living in every way).

If you force us to pay even more in taxes, then do as you say! We want to see actual results of our hard-earned money that is being taken without being asked. It seems that every other “temporary” tax has never gone away, the question is: Is this ever going to go away or do I have to leave my home state in order to be able to afford to
live?

This is not only my views, but of many Minnesotans. Just open your ears and listen to the public's outcry.

Are you hearing this, Tarryl Clark? Are you listening, Larry Haws, Larry Hosch and Bud Heidgerken; while you sit in your smugness, proud of the fact that you've "duped" the Minnesota taxpaying public into having to re-prioritize their own expenses, so that you yourselves are freer to move our state closer to your version of "the werker's paradise?"

Personally, my esteemed elected representatives, I was going to buy two new cars this spring. But with the extra grand and a half or so you've now tacked on for the privilege of buying a new car, I've decided to go with a couple of used vehicles. Guess what. You've just taken $40,000 out of the marketplace; and there's a local dealership in St. Cloud who's going to be stuck with two new cars he would otherwise have been able to sell to me; multiply that by how many countless others who have made that same decision based on your dunderheaded decision to raise our taxes.

Some "job creating" bill ya got there.

Any other bright ideas, nimrods?

Highway Robbery

With a day job with little opportunity for interaction with the outside world, you can unfortunately miss some important events that happen in a given day. To say that I missed an important event today would be a gross understatement.

After reading Andy's post about the woodshedding that was going on with respective Repbulican candidates and their delegate conventions, I held out a ray of hope that the economic homicide that the Minnesota democrat delegation was about to commit would be put on hold, in favor of cooler heads, and common sense.

I was wrong. The Minnesota DFL (D-Tax-N-Spend), along with 8 RINOs, voted to override what little protection that was left for Minnesota's already-beleaguered taxpayers. There were even two Republican senators who voted to override the veto, even though all that was needed was a party-line vote.

Congratulations, democrats and ex-Republicans. You just gave Minnesota's taxpayers the biggest state tax increase in the history of our lives; in the history of Minnesota, all in one feld swoop, without batting an eyelash.

Full of pork and empty promises, this "anything but transportation bill" will saddle Minnesotans with over $7 BILLION DOLLARS in NEW TAXES. At a time when the price of gas is near an ALL TIME HIGH; at a time when Minnesota is teetering on the brink of RECESSION, if not already in it.

Senator Tarryl Clark and Representative Larry Haws, and Representative Larry Hosch will all have some 'splainin' to do to St. Cloud area voters as to why they didn't feel the need to prioritize any spending before reaching their grubby little fingers into their constituents' wallets.

The 6 EX-REPUBLICAN house members, and 2 EX-REPUBLICAN senate members should be duly placed on notice that their seats are NOT SAFE, and they will be from now on known as personna non grata to their Republican constituents, as well as to the State Republican party as turncoats who couldn't be counted on to support their party leader as he tried to protect Minnesota taxpayers from this confiscatory, bloated, spending orgy.

This tax and spending orgy party created by the Minnesota DFL should be proof positive that they are genetically, and aphrodisiastically-addicted to spending other people's money like drunken prostitutes with an unlimited ATM card.

DOES ANYBODY REMEMBER THIS??

No tax increases in DFL budget plan

by Tom Scheck, Minnesota Public Radio

March 8, 2007

Listen to feature audio

Despite their criticism that Gov. Pawlenty hasn't proposed spending enough on programs like education and health care, DFL leaders of the Minnesota Senate have come up with a budget plan of their own that doesn't raise general taxes. The proposal disappoints several committee chairs who were hoping for more money to follow through on some of the campaign promises they made last year.

Senate DFLers have been leading the charge in recent years to increase taxes. This year, DFL Sen. Tarryl Clark of St. Cloud says their spending plan will be more in line with Gov. Pawlenty's $34.4 billion two year budget proposal. (MPR Photo/Tom Scheck)

Gee... me thinks thou speakest with a forked tongue, Tarryl.

Larry Haws has some serious competion..

Larry Haws, who can best be described as a sort of Jekyll & Hyde version of Wilford Brimley, (no kidding!)


now has some real competition for his Minnesota District 15 B legislative seat:

A St. Cloud Republican began his bid for a state legislative seat Tuesday, almost 17 months before next year's election.

Joshua Behling, 26, said he filed paperwork with the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Disclosure Board that would allow him to raise money and run for a House District 15B seat occupied by Rep. Larry Haws, DFL-St. Cloud.

"I considered running in the last election, but I didn't feel it was the right time," said Behling, who became co-chairman of the Senate District 15 Republican Party earlier this year. "I'm frustrated with the way things happened at the Capitol this year. I'm frustrated by the amount of tax increase proposals that came out."

Behling, a Buffalo native, owns a small business that provides marketing and sales assistance to other small businesses. If he runs, it would be his first attempt at public elected office.

Having personally met Mr. Behling, I can tell you that along with being a young man, he has a "fire in the belly" that has led him to stand out in his administration of MN Senate District 15 BPOU.

Mr. Haws, who likes to present himself as a kindly, grandfatherly moderate, has received a dismal rating from the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, and actually has chosen to endorse the way-out-left-whacko Al Franken for Minnesota's open U.S. Senate seat in 2008.

Although Mr. Haws would state otherwise, the differences couldn't be more stark, and MN SD 15 B residents will have a real choice in November of 2008.

Almost akin to a stopped clock... The NYT got it right...

...with regard to the current Minnesota legislative session. According to this article (all emphases mine): (username netfree4ever, password: bugmenot)

Professor Jacobs said the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, frustrated by years of cuts to social programs that have long defined Minnesota’s progressive reputation, went too far too fast after taking control of the House of Representatives last fall, scaring moderate Republicans back into party unity, and bruising moderate Democrats crucial to the majority’s success.

“The Democrats won a majority but they didn’t win a liberal Democratic majority,” he said. “They misread the election.”

And the Democrats’ legislative plans for more taxes and spending in turn appear to have bolstered the fortunes of Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a Republican who has brought his party charging back to the political right — perhaps to fuel ambitions for national office, many people at the Capitol say — with sweeping vetoes that have dismissed much of the Legislature’s work as liberal over-reaching.

And as proof positive that Minnesotans didn't bargain for a tax & spend, anything-goes legislature:

(Governor) Pawlenty, who won a second term in November by only 21,000 votes out of 2.2 million cast, has seen his popularity soar recently, with a 55 percent approval rating earlier this month as he stood up to the Legislature, according to a poll by Minnesota Public Radio.

Unlike Larry Pogemiller, Tarryl Clark and Larry Haws would have you believe, Minnesotans are not now nor were they ever ready for a reaming up the taxpayer bunghole in the form of the largest proposed tax increase ever in Minnesota history. And with the DFL campaigning like fiscal conservatives, who could blame them? Like a hungry hog in hummingbird clothing, Minnesota democrats have unmasked themselves for the true socialists that they are, and Minnesota taxpayers don't want any part of it.

Democratic leaders concede that the timing of some of their ideas — including a plan, also vetoed by Mr. Pawlenty and opposed by Mr. Berns and Mr. Benson, to raise income taxes on families making over $400,000 to pay for property tax relief — might have struck some people as ill-timed at a moment when the economy is sluggish and the state has surplus money to spend. (can you say 2 billion??--ed)

Gee...ya think so?? And which mental gnat giant actually thought that this proposed taxpayer-financed giveaway would fly?

The majority’s plan to allow illegal immigrants to pay the same tuition rates as state residents, called the Minnesota Dream Act, similarly foundered when people like Mr. Berns and Mr. Benson opposed it, and the governor threatened a veto.

But the democrats still don't get it:

But they say that after years of spending cuts by Republicans, Minnesotans voted for change, and a restoration of the things that create the state’s reputation for a high quality of life. That means more spending for education, transportation and health care, the party leaders said.

Perhaps Minnesotans voted for a change in leadership, but they did not vote for a financial raping to the tune of $5 billion extra dollars! If the democrats actually ran on what they were going to do, instead of lying through their teeth, I can guaran-damn-tee you not one of them would be voted for as much as dog catcher (And for those of you who think that the government is the source for a "high quality of life," and all that is good in the world, think again).

Even gasoline, which is at or near the highest price point in history, is not safe from democrat avarice; as they initially demanded a progressive 10-cent extra per-gallon tax to be increased in perpetuity; to a now pared-down tax increase of five cents.

They think government has it tough. What about the family who has to pare down a summer vacation, or may even need to choose between enough fuel to get to work and food to go on the table; in no small part due to the government taking a 40- to 50-cent per gallon cut on a product is has absolutely no hand in producing? Lawmakers from some states are recognizing this hardship:

Lawmakers in Connecticut and Texas, by contrast, are considering actually suspending their state gas tax for this summer’s summer driving season, according to the Tax Foundation, a nonpartisan, nonprofit research group in Washington.

But with bloodsucking vampires like Pogemiller, Tarryl Clark and Larry Haws at the helm, don't look for a similar garlic-laden idea to even enter the minds of the DFL. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't look for it to pass if they were in the middle of the Sahara and the bill was a drink of water.

It just isn't in them to put taxpayers first.

Question: If a liberal rag from NYC can get it right, why can't the DFL from our own state?