I got an email while in DC pointing out how Rep. Keith Ellison (CAIR/D MN5) happens to be shelling out $60,000 in campaign disbursements to the DFL for “payroll expenses”. 

I just finally had the time to look into it and dig through Ellison’s FEC report for Q1-2008. (pdf)  I didn’t total all the ones to the DFL, but there are a bunch, and they are in the $1,000’s of dollars for “payroll expenses”. 

FEC report research is a bit above my paygrade, but it does seem incredibly odd to me that he’d be paying the DFL for payroll expenses. 

Thoughts?

The National Taxpayer’s Union is out with their latest non-partisan ratings for members of Congress. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R MN6) is at the head of the Minnesota class. 

Michele Bachmann (R MN6) - 86, A

The rest of Minnesota’s US House Delegation is as follows. 

John Kline (R MN2) - 82, B+

Jim Ramstad (R MN3) - 47, C-

Colin Peterson (D MN7) - 7, F

Keith Ellison (D MN5) - 6, F)

Jim Oberstar (D MN8) - 5, F

Betty McCollum (D MN4) - 3, F

Tim Walz (D MN1) - 3, F

And the Senate isn’t much better:

Norm Coleman (R) - 38, C-

Amy Klobuchar (D) - 5, F

Rep. Keith Ellison (CAIR MN5) brought some of his DC buddies to tour some forec losures here in Minneapolis yesterday and one just can’t help but say, photo-op much? They announced some feel good, we pay for it, legislation while here.

Ellison and Emanuel, the Democrats’ fourth-ranking House leader, said a congressional proposal that would provide $300 billion in new loan guarantees to help refinance at-risk mortgages could make a difference in neighborhoods like north Minneapolis, where more than 500 homes have gone vacant. It would also provide $10 billion in loans and grants for local governments and nonprofits to rehabilitate vacant foreclosed homes.

Deficit spending to solve debt problems? Isn’t that just shifting the problem?

Houses were way overvalued due to the shortsightedness of Municipalities allowing massive development projects and refusing to build workforce housing. I’d been saying for years that we were in a housing bubble and as bubbles do, it popped.

Sure some of the foreclosures out there were people caught up in the greed that flowed up and down the ladder of the housing market, but most of the people were taking a known risk. House flippers and speculators were trying to cash in on the game while the getting was good. They were getting rich, basically, filling out paperwork. they tried to play the market by owning numerous homes and trying to buy low and sell high. They never had any plans of actually living in these homes. get rich by the sword, get poor by the sword.

Others were people just had bigger wants than they had means. They bought way to big and expensive of homes and, also, knowingly rolled the dice and took out interest only or balloon mortgages. I’ve seen the paper work for a mortgage, they make it darn clear how much you will be paying. These people may not have known it, but they weren’t guaranteed a quick and profitable sale.

And yes, there were a small number of people who were taken by crooks. Some of those may have fit into the categories above. Others were caught up in dealing with human pond scum. Unfortunately that happens and hopefully they will be out of business soon.

In the end the only people who will truly benefit from this $300 billion handout are the banks that were also willing participants in the risk. And let’s not fortget that Congress also had a role. they demanded that loans trickled all the way down the economic ladder and well, that meant making loans to risky customers. In the end, the only thing that can prevent this sort of thing again is to let the markets correct themselves.

Bailing out people the way Ellison wants is just going to bury the real problem.

Oh and of course RT Rybak stuck his foot in his mouth as usual.

Rybak and members of the Minneapolis City Council told the congressmen that federal dollars are needed to help cities deal with the large number of foreclosed homes. The city has spent more than $1 million just boarding up vacant homes. It also costs the city when criminals use vacant homes for their activities or set fire to an abandoned property.

Maybe if the feel good mayor would lock these criminals  and prioritize Police and law enforcement funding these criminals wouldn’t be running free and raising hell.

Congress can’t erase this problem. There were a lot of causes for the mortgage crisis, and there is only one real solution. Let it run its course. The absolute last thing we need to do is put every American taxpayer on the hook by dumping federal funds in with the hopes it will stop the problem.

Stop intervening! Markets work, but you have to let them.

Got this one tonight in my email.

http://lionheartuk.blogspot.com/

Click the above link to see the threat of Al Qaeda in Britain.

Here’s a CNN clip on that site all must see.

I’m a Catholic who is finding his way back toward his Church, and may even get to meet someone very high up in my religion in the near future.Still, I feel no reason to go be violent and confrontational in front of another denomination’s venue of faith.

Crossposted at TrueNoth

We had a great event tonight in SD51. Our Meet & Greet was a huge success. Great turnout and great participation.

Barb Davis White’s campaign had 2 volunteers there to spread the message that CD5 is not to be overlooked. Keith Ellison (CAIR MN5) is not everyone’s favorite Congressman in the 5th, and since he was just a 51%+/- election winner, he is far from a shoe in. Pay attention to Barb Davis White. She’ll be at our convention on Saturday, and will be one to watch and support this election year.

As for our HD51A candidate forum, it was a great exchange. I was moderating, so I was unable to get notes on all their answers, but I did take the liberty to get each of them sign the Veto Protection Pledge. Both of them also gave great answers on taxes and spending. As in less of both is the way for Minnesota to have a freer more prosperous future.

Both Tim Sanders and Austin Bleess will be good stewards of the people’s money.

Our endorsing convention is this Saturday, and who ever wins, taxpayers will be protected by both these great Republicans.

It appears that a former Republican Congressman is (maybe) involved in Islamic charities who fund terrorist groups. Will this story jump to the front of the teleprompter since it is a Republican?

WASHINGTON (AP) - A former congressman and delegate to the United Nations was indicted Wednesday as part of a terrorist fundraising ring that allegedly sent more than $130,000 to an al-Qaida and Taliban supporter who has threatened U.S. and international troops in Afghanistan.
The former Republican congressman from Michigan, Mark Deli Siljander, was charged with money laundering, conspiracy and obstructing justice for allegedly lying about lobbying senators on behalf of an Islamic charity that authorities said was secretly sending funds to terrorists.

And does the first Muslim elected to Congress have a statement?

This is a textbook case of intolerance on display thanks to Muslim theocracy.

KHARTOUM, Sudan - A British teacher accused of insulting Muslims after her class called a teddy bear Mohammed arrived Thursday at the Khartoum courthouse where she is expected to face formal charges.

British embassy representatives met Gillian Gibbons, 54, on her arrival from detention in Khartoum North and accompanied her into the courthouse. Court officers prevented reporters from entering the courtroom and said the session would be closed.

Sudanese state media said Wednesday that Gibbons was being charged with insulting Islam, inciting hatred and showing contempt for religious beliefs. If convicted, she could face 40 lashes, a fine, or one year in jail.

And Muslims can’t understand why people fear Islam.

Any word from CAIR if they support or oppose this action?

Paging Representative Ellison (CAIR MN5)….. Statment please

Rep. Keith Ellison (CAIR MN5) is trying to let felons, er ex-felons vote again.

Rep. Keith Ellison said Friday he’ll pursue legislation that would require states to let ex-felons vote in federal elections once they’re out of jail or prison, which would nullify laws in states across the country, including Minnesota.

Ellison, a freshman Minnesota Democrat, had introduced legislation to let ex-felons vote when he was in the Minnesota Legislature. Now he’s aiming for a bigger impact.

“Allowing felons to vote signals our value on redemption,” he said in an interview. “We should believe in second chances. We should believe in redemption.”

Actually, I believe we don’t allow felons to vote in order to protect the cherished right that voting is for those of us who didn’t commit a felony. It is not something to be given away, stolen, nor taken for granted. When a citizen goes out of their way to do harm that constitutes a felony, frankly they don’t deserve to vote.

Hey kids, if you want to be able to vote, don’t commit a felony. It is pretty simple.

The question, Ellison said, is whether people who serve their sentences can join their communities’ civic life.

“If what we want people to do is reintegrate, to rehabilitate,” he said, “I can think of very few things that are more public-spirited than voting.”

How about being a good citizen that doesn’t commit felonies? That’s a pretty good start for showing public-spirit.

A report by The Sentencing Project last year found that almost 4 million Americans who have completed their prison terms remain unable to vote, because laws in most states prevent them from doing so.

And that’s where Ellison a self-acknowledged progressive (read:socialist) wants to take away state’s rights. It should be left up to a state to decide if felons can or can not vote. But then again, Ellison is not one for allowing states to determine their futures for themselves.

Ellison has already introduced bills that would ban requiring photo IDs to vote in federal elections, and would require states to have same-day voter registration for federal elections

(tear)

Yep that’s our guy, trying to cheapen our vote to the point where it is no longer protected from fraud, corruption, and being stolen.

I am having a back breaking hell streak here at work (storm sewer flushing the last 2 days), but this line from a story about the Veto Override of the pork filled water bill, pretty much makes me wish I could wash the power hungry career polititions out of DC as easily as I can the leaves out of our storm sewers.

Now he confronts a more hostile, Democratic- controlled legislature, and Thursday’s vote showed that even many Republicans will defy him on spending matters dear to their political careers. 

“spending matters dear to their political careers”

Here I am busting my ass to try to bring home some dough, and the politicians in Washington can’t help themselves but to waste billions and billions of taxpayer money on their own little pet projects to help keep them in office.

That folks is exactly why term limits are so desperately needed. Every single Republican who voted to override the President’s veto on this bill should be ashamed of themselves. Oh and you had better nor even try to call yourselves fiscally conservative after this. You don’t have the right to call yourselves that.

Pork pork pork pork pork. Good little piggies, i sure hope you realize people like me won’t forget this. You wasted money, simply to save your and your fellow aristocrats in Congress’s collective arses.

All 3 Minnesota House Republicans voted for the pork bill. Bachmann, Kline, and Ramstad stood side by side with the Democrats to spend like drunken sailors. The House tally was 361 to 54.

In the US Senate, Sen. Norm Coleman (RINO MN) voted in lockstep with liberal Amy Klobuchar (Strib MN) to waste taxpayer dollars on reelection pork. The Senate tally was 79 to 14.

What can we learn from this? That the power in Washington is so corrupting, that no one can truly be trusted.

Shame on you Bachamnn, Kline, Coleman, and Ramstad. I expect liberal Democrats to waste taxpayer dollars like this, but seeing how you 4 voted today, really chaps my hide.

Can I get an earmark to get some lotion? Maybe one for some TUMS as the stress of watching my Government turn into the personal reelection machine for politicians is sickening.

I’m so terribly disgusted in my Government today, but moreso with the Republicans who failed to protect the taxpayers.

Shame on you all.

Rep. Keith Ellison (CAIR MN5)  has introduced a bill that will turn our election system into a joke.

WASHINGTON - In a challenge to the Bush administration, Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., introduced legislation Wednesday that would ban photo identification as a requirement for voting in federal elections.

He is crafting the bill after our laws here in Minnesota which are laughable, at best.

Ellison’s bill reflects the Minnesota practice, which does not require photo ID for the purpose of voter verification. Ellison has a companion bill that mirrors the state’s law allowing eligible voters to register for federal elections on Election Day.

Ellison’s voting initiative comes after an uproar surrounding the statement of a top Justice Department official addressing charges by civil rights activists that photo ID requirements discriminate against minorities, senior citizens or young people.

Nothing good can come of this, except allowing our elections to be stolen. The great untold story in this state is how scores of poll watchers and astute voters have observed “voting irregularities”. Yes, in Minnesota bus loads of people have been reported. Mass vouching is common place. And election judges often do zero due dillegence to verify the residence of same day registrants.

Voting in America is a priviledge in my mind. It is not something that should be taken for granted. Ellison’s bill will provide the opportunity for your vote to be stolen. By banning the photo ID requirement, Ellison will be banning proof that the person should be voting in the first place.

“While photo IDs seem harmless, they are in fact the modern-day poll tax,” Ellison said, referring to the practice, extensively used in the South during the Jim Crow era, of imposing poll taxes to discourage black people from voting.

No Mr. Ellison it is not taxing to require people to prove they do have the right to vote. In fact it is protecting their vote from people who are trying to steal it.

How can you claim to cherrish Democracy, when you ban the most critical componen, verifying the persons have the right to vote.