I’m not one of the Republicans or conservatives trying to spin this last session as some sort of brilliant victory. I see that we’re committed to long term and permanent spending that is going to be a constant burden. The amount of money every year that must be siphoned out of the economy is growing at alarming rates, and if we have anything less then 3+% growth in our economy, we’re going to be back trying to plug another budget hole and avoiding the dirty dark truth that no politician wants to talk about: spending reductions.

This interview is quite alarming. It is a Q & A with the State’s economist Tom Stinson & the Strib’s Lori Sturdevant. (I know, I know, but it is actually a pretty good one)

Here’s a taste of why it is such a big mistake to call this session a success.

How would you describe the state’s economic outlook?
A: Right now, we’re having a short, mild recession. The concern is, will we have a little bit of recovery, then go back down to zero growth? This one, partly because of the [federal] stimulus package, looks like it’s going to be a W — a peak this summer, followed by slow quarters thereafter.

Q: Why the backsliding?

A: It’s all the usual things. It’s credit, it’s housing, it’s oil.

We’re in kind of a fragile position, if oil prices stay high. Global Insights [the state's national economic consultant] now projects oil prices at $112/barrel in this quarter, and falling to $100/barrel by 2009. [Oil was at $127/barrel on Friday.] Every $10/barrel in oil prices knocks 0.2-0.3 percent off real GDP growth in the U.S. If $120/barrel oil is where we end up, that’s going to knock us back to zero in GDP growth later this year.

Every penny per gallon increase in gasoline prices costs consumers about $1 billion. When the stimulus package was passed, gasoline was roughly $3/gallon. Now, it’s roughly $3.65. That means higher gas prices have burned up half of the stimulus package.

Will they be doing a victory lap around the state next year if the economy is still slumping and they have yet another budget deficit?

I always hate to rain on people’s parades, but we need to look long term at the risks the politicians are putting the taxpayers in. We’re on an unsustainable course right now.

BTW: What is the opposite of limited? Oh yeah, expanded.

Expanded government, the opposite of limited government.

I just want to make sure that gets out there so no one tries to tell us limited government conservatives that the turd is shiny and we should be happy.

So one of the big things that people are trying to claim as a victory from the Session ending compromise (on the right) is the Property Tax cap of 3.9%. The problem is that it caps nothing. It left in provisions so that a City could go above and beyond the cap  for emergency purposes like Police.

Public safety: A good thing, I am sure we all agree. 

Public safety is after all one of the cornerstones of what Government has a duty to provide. The problem is that cities, counties, and even states usually wait until the end of the budgeting to get down to that line item. More often than not, they hold maintaining Police strength and fire departments over the heads of voters like a carrot on the end of a stick. 

Saying if we don’t get more…. you don’t get cops, or fire, or ambulances. 

You see they waste money right up to the breaking point of their budget, then they get down to the serious business. 

So even though the sound of a property tax cap as a victory for the fiscally conservatives out of this session sounds nice, it is not going to cap the tax increases at 3.9%. I’m willing to bet a ton of cities will spend to their hearts content up to the 3.9% increase, and of course that will exclude most public safety costs. Then they’ll go out to the cameras with those big bureaucratic puppy dog eyes and blame those darn Republicans for not being able to fund public safety. Of course they raised spending across the board on frivolous entitlements and social engineering, anti-market projects with the rest of the budget.  

Public SAFETY will be for the extra levy over and above the fake property tax cap of 3.9% that so many people seem to think is meaningful and real. It isn’t a property tax cap if they can get around it. And oh boy, the League of Minnesota Cities probably has teams of lawyers there to help the cities get around it. 

cap 1 |kap|noun : 3. an upper limit imposed on spending or other activities 

I hate to break it to everyone, but eventhough I am thankful my general operating levies from my city will be capped at 3.9%, it doesn’t stop them at 3.9%, and may in fact make it easier to take away more. And of course it didn’t mention schools did it? 

Did this cap the money grab school districts have been doing at the ballot box? Will school based property taxes also be capped to 3.9% increases too? 

I haven’t looked yet, but I kinda doubt it….. oh and did you notice how school funding got another $51 per child….. 

Oh and do you remember how the Legislature allowed the counties to raise sales taxes for future choo choos? Or how they raised the gas tax?  Taxes went up this year, and this phony property tax cap is another ploy for us all to think they aren’t robbing us blind. 

Oh and don’t forget the fees. They went up too. 

If only there was a delivery vehicle to explain what fiscal responsibility really looked like…….

They Call It A Budget Deal, I Call It Spending Addiction

The State Legislature and Governor struck a deal last night to spend more of our money. Oh don’t let the news reports twist the story, they didn’t just figure out how to close the $1 billion deficit (they created by spending too much). Nope they spent more of our money and committed Government to spending more of it in the future. 

What Gov. Pawlenty and the DFL Legislature agreed to is much closer to a comprehensive omnibus bonding bill than it is a budget closing deficit. They spent more on special interest pet projects, ones that were scuttled or derailed earlier in the session. 

Both sides will claim victory, well I guess the Legislative Republicans won’t they must have been barred from participation in the negotiations…. if the lack of media mentions are right. This bill was Gov. Pawlenty vs. SOTH Kelliher & Poggemiller. 

I know that some people are going to race to the podiums and keyboards to scream brilliance of Pawlenty, but I don’t think this is a victory for conservatives and the Republican party. Let’s take a look at this list from CCO of some key points in the agreement. (all emphasis mine)

–Takes $500 million from the state’s reserve fund, leaving $153 million.

–Provides public schools $51 more per student, financed in part by a $10 million cut to Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s QComp program that offers incentives to districts with teacher contracts based on performance.

–Calls for compensation increases for nursing home workers.

–Reduces state payments to hospitals.

–Higher fees totaling $500,000 are assessed on industrial water users, depending on the volume of water.

–Adds a $1.75 surcharge to driver’s license issuance fees through June 2012.

–Cuts to the Legislature of $1.8 million, the governor’s office of $113,000, the attorney general’s office of $749,000 and the secretary of state’s office of $195,000.

–Gives the Department of Revenue $7 million to go after individuals and businesses not paying all the taxes they owe, which officials expect to produce $21 million more for the state next year.

–Makes $21 million in combined cuts to the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system budgets.

–Cuts $1.25 million from a program that provides incentives to gas stations that install E-85 pumps.

–Redirects $500,000 from a state marketing account to lure filming of a Coen Brothers movie to Minnesota.

–Allocates $300,000 for completion of a polar bear exhibit at St. Paul’s Como Zoo.

–Puts $40,000 toward a memorial to former Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey on the Capitol grounds that has been in the works for at least 15 years. The same amount is set aside for a Capitol worker’s memorial.

The items crossed out are pet projects or increases in spending and actually increase spending IE teh deficit. And that is hardly any of them. Pawlenty agreed to another $70 million for a choo choo train that will destroy part of the Twin Cities. Actually the CCO list goes on let’s just look at all the projects and spending. (again, emphasis mine)

Some elements of a tax bill passed Sunday by the Legislature:

–Increases the maximum state refund tied to property taxes. The refund amount is based on income and property taxes payable for 2009.

–Imposes a levy limit of 3.9 percent on local governments. But it allows for exemptions tied to police and fire services, areas dealing with high mortgage foreclosure rates and for counties hit with federal grant reductions.

–Adds more than $60 million to the state aid given to local governments. [AAA note: MUNICIPAL WELFARE]

–Requires a study of state aid to local governments that must be completed by December 2010. [AAA note: MUNICIPAL WELFARE]

–Changes the definition of a foreign operating corporation, a tax code change that will bring in $109 million to the state treasury in 2009.

–Provides a tax credit of up to $750 for veterans and members of the military who served more than 20 years or were disabled in service.

–Allows Bloomington to raise the sales, entertainment and restaurant taxes at the Mall of America and the lodging tax citywide to help finance construction of a major expansion.

–Permits Mankato to raise its food and beverage and entertainment taxes to help pay for a new women’s collegiate hockey arena.

–Leaves a business incentive program known as JOBZ (Job Opportunity Building Zone) intact.

—— [AAA's note: Yes, we're still going to pick winners and losers and the unfortunate businesses who have been here all along will be forced to pay the already high and burdensome tax levels while new ones will be able to come in and have unfair advantages]

 

 

Some elements of a borrowing proposal passed Sunday by the Legislature:

–Approves $70 million for the Central Corridor light rail line running between Minneapolis and St. Paul.

–Allows the state to spend up to $20 million to acquire land for a new northeastern Minnesota state park on Lake Vermilion. Any leftover money can be used to furnish the park.

–Provides $2 million to remove and replace the old Cedar Avenue bridge in Bloomington for bicycle commuters and recreational users.

–Allocates $10.1 million for work on the Minneapolis Veterans Home campus.

It seems the one main thing that Pawlenty and DFL Legislators forgot to bring to the negotiating table was the fact that we’re in an economic slump and the state is running a billion dollar deficit. By the end of the session the citizens and taxpayers of this state are the biggest losers. We have more spending, less accountability, and a Legislature and Governor who seem more inclined to feed their addiction to spending than ensuring a sound financial health of our state or, who knows, making sure the citizens and businesses in the state aren’t working for the Government instead of the other way around. 

Unless Republicans make major gains and retake the Minnesota House in this November’s elections, you can bet your bottom dollar that Minnesotans will have taxes raised like never before next session. This addiction to spending and commitment to increases is going to soak us in the very near future. 

Here’s where the reality will rain on the parade that was this session ending agreements. Will our economy be back to levels of last year? IE will revenue be up naturally to meet these new higher levels of spending, or to repay the funds that were borrowed form? If not, they will simply raise taxes and fees in order to pay for all their pet projects and the entitlements. 

No one in the state or federally has done anything to try to lower energy prices, and in fact all signs are that our bills will be even higher next year. And do you think all these people who can’t pay their mortgages are gonna win the powerball and somehow be able to pay all of a sudden? FOlks, these legislators are banking on an economic turnaround in order to pay for all these feel good things. They wrote checks their butts won’t have to cover. You and I will. 

We will see another deficit next year? It would take a miracle turnaround of the economy in order to avoid one. This was the year for the State government to learn to live with in its means. They blew a $2.2 billion surplus last year, increased spending almost 10%, and still this year they came back and soaked us for even more. But nope, instead of finally figuring out that the citizens and businesses of this state aren’t ATMs and revenue doesn’t grow on trees, they actually increased spending once again. 

And all the while they already had a $1 billion deficit. 

Government spending went up over $7 billion dollars this year. With the transit tax bill, all the new spending and projects, and with all the fee and surcharges, taxpayers get soaked, and the politicians get to go fly around the state patting themselves on the back. 

Sure, these people can try to put lipstick on this pig, but since we’re paying for the lipstick and the pig we can’t get too excited about the addiction to spending that our lawmakers are suffering from. 

Is it just me or are the solutions being proposed for the $1 billion budget deficit not including anything meaningful that will prevent deficits in the future and in stead may create bigger ones by simply laying the tracks for this to happen again next year? Via Polinaut

Talks are set to resume at 10:30 Thursday morning. They wrapped up negotiations last night at Midnight after DFLers presented their latest budget offer. It includes a property tax cap of 5.5% and has tails of $150 million for property tax relief ($75m in LGA for Senate - and $75m in direct property tax relief for the House).

OK, sure it is a nice feel good gesture for state taxpayers to subsidize my local taxes, but that is spending more state money, isn’t it? And we have done this before. The problem with property taxes is that municipalities are spending like crazy and so are the schools. That’s why your property taxes are outrageous. Municipal Welfare

The plan also takes $2.5 million from Governor Pawlenty’s Achieve initiative and makes cuts of $1 million each to the University of Minnesota and MnSCU and $500k cut to Corrections. There’s saving from a GI Bill, they tap the Worker’s Compensation Special Fund, the Minnesota Investment Fund and the plan requires St. Paul to pay $1.5 million for the Arena loan (which the state will pick up later).

So we’re ’saving’ $5 million, but requiring the state to repay the St. Paul $1.5 million payment in the future. That’s $3.5 million ’saved’ out of $1 billion. And we all know that the Universities will be screaming bloody murder next session and that corrections will start letting sexual predators free because of budget cuts so they can stand there with their hand out next budget cycle. (I mean that last part as a joke, but I wouldn’t be surprised)

There are also fees in the offer. There is a Motor Vehicle transfer fee increase of $10 (it generates $10.2 million) and a $5 increase for professional licenses (Electronic Licensing Surchage generates $3.3 million). The plan also shifts inpatient hospital payments by one month generating $10 million.

So the state has blown its allowance and once again they come back and make us pay for it. Kids in the candy shop? I sure hope they get a tummy ache before the rest of us are broke.

We don’t have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem!!!!! 

The Health Plan Reserve Proposal ($50 million) is still on the table but would be backed up by money from the Health Care Access Fund.

So we have money sitting in all sorts of pots, and rather than bail their butts out by using money they already took away from Minnesota families, they are coming back for more. 

DFL House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher said she hoped the offer was a pathway to a deal. Governor Pawlenty’s spokesman said the proposed property tax cap was too high but was optimistic since the two sides are still talking. 

I’m just curious, has there been any discussion on cutting spending? Afterall, that is the problem that caused this deficit. The Governor and Legislature spent more money than it had available. Oh sure, they’ll try to say that revenue was down, but don’t forget they increased spending almost 10% last session. Hell, had they kept it to 3%, they’d have a surplus right now. 

We don’t have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem!!!!

Talks end badly

Lawmakers apparently are going to get back to passing bills — over the governor’s objections. Pawlenty’s spokesman reiterated that those bills will be vetoed.

Yes, the DFL has sent their spokes-humanoid out to dance a jig on the grave of fiscal responsibility.

The DFL will now spend the waining days of the Legislative Session passing bloated spending bill after bloated spending bill. The Governor will do what any fiscally sane person in his position will do (I pray) and will veto them.

But will the skeleton minority of Republicans in the Minnesota House be able to sustain the vetoes and in turn keep Minnesota’s state Government on the high road to fiscal sanity, or will it we take the long dark road to unsustainability and oppression through taxation and regulation?

Memo to all conservatives and freedom lovers: Don’t let up ticket letdowns and liberal Republicans stop you from sending good people to the Minnesota and US Houses. Get back at the Republicans (at the top of the ballot) who let us down by sending a team of solid conservatives so our Governor and President don’t have to veto any and all of the horrific bills the Democrats can possibly think up.

The WaPo has made it unofficial, and the Strib has picked up on it, Carol Molnau will be the first woman Governor of Minnesota……. or will she?

I’m talking of course about Gov. Tim Pawlenty being John McCain’s presumptive pick for Vice President.

“The Minnesota governor remains the single possibility in the Republican vice presidential field who best fits what McCain wants and needs in a VP. Pawlenty has been elected twice in a Democratic-leaning state that is almost certain to be a battleground in the fall. He is liked and respected by both conservatives and moderates, and he gets rave reviews for his political instincts. He has also known McCain for nearly three decades and, at 47, could allay some concerns about McCain’s age.”

I think this is far more about McCain having a VP that will not be a challenge to his policies than “shoring up his base”. What McCain needs is to balance himself with his pick, but a Pawlenty choice is more supplemental than it is complimentary. Pawlenty is cut from the McCain mold of Republicans. He is not a ’strict’ conservative who values Reagan principles first. They both share some conservative aspects, but they are both far from strict limited government conservatives.

McCain has been one of the most dangerous Republican Senators in Washington with all his Big Government bills, acts, and laws. Campaign finance is a great example. So are his attempts to make the Kyoto Protocol look vague. He also had his name on the Amnesty bill. Even his war on pork would only amount to saving a hundred billion or so out of our of a budget out of well over $3 trillion.

Now while Pawlenty does have some differences with McCain on policy (Illegal Immigration), in the #2 spot, Pawlenty will not be able to exercise those differences. Well, he could I suppose, but the chances of there being a 50-50 tie in the Senate on an Amnesty bill is not something we can bank on. The Vice President serves at the pleasure of the President.

Pawlenty has been a good Governor, but not a perfect conservative. Minnesota state spending has been going up at percentages that would make even DC politicians blush during his 6 years in office. Just last session we had a $2.2 billion surplus, but now we have a $1 billion deficit. Now sure the DFL has been a steady drag on any real fiscal responsibility or government spending reform, but Pawlenty has gone along with and proposed some of his very own expansions in spending and committed taxpayers to generations of publicly subsidized programs. He’s great on taxes, just not so good on the spending and scope of state government.

Now that doesn’t tell the whole story on how similar he is to McCain. Another major similarity is energy and environmental policy. It is a black and white issue. Both McCain and Pawlenty are left of center on the issue. I don’t think I need to renew my concerns for both of their leftward drift on global warming and turning food into fuel in this post. Let me just remind people that Pawlenty used to love using the line of how he wanted to make Minnesota the Saudi Arabia of renewable fuels.

So what will Pawlenty bring to the McCain ticket?

I guess we have to look no further than Austin Powers’ Mini-Me. Pawlenty is a younger more attractive version of McCain that strategists and pundits think the rest of the Nation’s conservatives will appreciate. Pawlenty is running for Vice President. Don’t let his dismissive statements and tactical answers from the past fool you.

He’s been doing fund raisers all across the country of late. I’ve been asking around and I still haven’t heard of any fund raisers he has held in Minnesota for State House candidates. (Please let me know if he has held any) [Update: An email came in this afternoon stating he has held a couple fundraisers for state House candidates as well as helped with some recruitment] He was a regular on the McCain Primary tour. He’s made the Sunday morning talk show circuits.

Speaking as someone who has felt uncomfortable at Republican events and meetings when Pawlenty has been lecturing us (conservatives) about how we need to change our stances for the times, I have to say he will simply be a Mini-McCain. Now he doesn’t lecture us in the same way as McCain does, but he is trying to reshape the Party to fit his image, not represent the party. Sounds a lot like McCain, minus the thumb in the eye & ‘out of touch’ comments for conservatives who stand on principles not polls.

McCain loathes the battle with conservatives and the absolute last thing he will want to do if he does win the Presidency is have to face one every single day. Pawlenty and McCain are friends and have a mutual respect and admiration for each other.

McPlenty will be the ticket, I told you so.

So who will Carol Molnau pick to be her #2?

Under the iron fist of the DFL Legislature freedom, privacy, and your baby’s DNA are now at risk. SF3138 passed the MInnesota Senate and is headed to the House. It will easily pass there and the State will begin building a genetic census of the state’s youngest citizens unless Gov. Pawlenty vetoes the bill.

Citizens Council on Health Care is leading the way on that notion. 

May 5, 2007  

Governor Tim Pawlenty 
Office of the Governor 
130 State Capitol 
Saint Paul, MN 55155 

Dear Governor Pawlenty, 

Please pick up your veto pen. You have a critical decision to make. 

The future of human rights, privacy rights, and the rights of human subjects in genetic research will be determined by your decision to sign or veto S.F. 3138. 

S.F. 3138 eliminates current legal informed written parent consent protections for the Minnesota Department of Health’s genetic research program. 

Today, parents must give their consent before the health department can store, use, or share their newborn baby’s DNA for the department’s genetic research program. 

If you do not veto S.F. 3138, the bill will take away today’s informed consent requirements and make Minnesota citizens available for involuntary genetic research.  

 

You can the rest of their letter here. Please send Pawlenty a message to veto SF3138 and protect the DNA of newborns. 

To contact Governor Tim Pawlenty on S.F. 3138:  
Metro: 651-296-3391; Toll free: 1-800-657-3717; Email:  tim.pawlenty@state.mn.us

Here’s the press conference from the CCHC from last week. 

Gov. Tim Pawlenty who made serious gains in the good will department with the fiscally responsible people in the state when he line item vetoed the Bonding bill, has just erased all those gains. 

The Central Corridor light-rail line, which has become a pawn in back-and-forth negotiations at the Capitol, is back in a budget proposal made by Gov. Tim Pawlenty on Wednesday.

There will be a voter revolt this November. (Barring major mishandling by the Party leadership, fingers crossed) Republicans will pick up seats in the Minnesota House. Pawlenty and Legislators are mortgaging the future of Minnesota’s children on all these pork barrel pet projects. 

Central Corridor is a boondoggle waiting to happen. Pawlenty did the right thing when he put it back on the wish list shelf. He made up for his betrayal of the taxpayer when he allowed Hennepin County to raise taxes with out a vote on the Twins tax in 2005. The rumors of him not fighting hard to sustain his veto during that Friday afternoon meeting with Republican House members still irks many fiscal conservatives. 

But his rekindled sense of fiscal sanity in cutting out the Corridor was a breathe of fresh air for many of us who see Minnesota headed toward unsustainable Government spending. But it was short lived and now I’m left to wonder if Pawlenty does have another job he will make his legacy out of. 

When in DC I was asked about Pawlenty in terms of Vice President. Of course I answered honestly and said that it would be a terrible idea. I said both McCain and Pawlenty are Big Government Republicans. Pretty solid on taxes, but terrible on spending. They are cut from the same mold. McCain needs a rock solid limited Government Conservative to balance the ticket, not pick a ticket mate that is just like him. 

I don’t think Tim pawlenty wants to be the guy who is remembered as destroying the Midway of St. Paul. I don’t think he wants to be remembered as the guy who allowed state spending to increase exponentially at a time of recession. I don’t think he wants to be remembered as the guy who has committed the state to programs, projects, and policies that will have lasting negative ramifications and huge costs hurting the state economy and forcing Minnesota citizens to sacrifice freedom, choice, and treasure. 

Pawlenty has been a decent Governor, but he has been a terrible fiscal, limited Government conservative. Like Bush has stumbled and ruined what could have been a good legacy. Bush’s, and Republicans in Congress along with him, blew it in the first half of his second term. 

Pawlenty has to have plans for the future. I don’t think being a former Governor is enough for him. I think the time spent on the campaign trail with McCain has gone to his head and rekindled the self-serving Republican in him. He is supporting flat out liberal energy and environmental problems. He is expanding the burden of Government on citizens and taxpayers. Now he is not all bad, but neither is the soon to be former President. But what they have done wrong (and those things are mostly when they worked with the Democrats on liberal agenda items) will leave lasting headaches and painful, costly policies for future generations to deal with. 

Does he really want to be another Arne Carlson? As in a former Republican Governor who left behind a legacy chalk full of liberal agenda items and policies all marked accomplished. That guy was on local morning news this AM, and he still puts a bad taste in my mouth when they introduce him as a Republican. He’s a liberal. Just look at his tenure and listen to what he says. 

So what will Tim Pawlenty’s legacy look like if his last public service act is Governor of Minnesota? What will Minnesota, and more importantly Republicans, think of his time as Governor? Unfortunately I am not too happy with his tenure so far. Central Corridor just happens to be the perfect example of how he is not acting in the best interest of all Minnesotans, let alone limited government conservatives. 

The DFL is testing him beyond, what I fear are, his limits. They are hitting where it hurts and trying to drive the final wedge between him and his base to destroy his aspirations for calling DC his home. 

Will he be known as the Republican Governor who signed into law policies that hand over control to bureaucrats  in California who get to make every single thing in Minnesota cost more, ban the sale and purchase of certain necessities deemed as tabu by feel good environmentalists, and force us all to drive Specs that have room for your arse and a bag of organic groceries? 

(long rant I know)Back to get back to the point. If the DFL will build a state park and Vet’s hospital, he’ll sign on to the billion dollar boondoggle that will destroy a historic park of our city, create added congestion rather then reduce it, and add millions in annual operating costs to already over taxed citizens at multiple levels. 

Pawlenty can save his legacy from being just another Arne, but he has to act sooner rather than tomorrow. The clock is not just ticking, the alarm already went off, Pawlenty hit the snooze button with his veto-palooza. But can he sustain the courage and backbone he had when he did that? It seems to come and go far to often to keep him from being just another Arne kinda of former Republican Governor. 

He must be trying to create an image and personality that will serve him in the recruitment to another position. Secretary Pawlenty? But of what?

Saudi Arabia of renewable energy…… how’s that working out for us?

I had another letter to the editor published in the Strib. It is the first one in the online version. 

MORE ECONOMIC UNKNOWNS

Jobs going to green

Just what is a “green collar job”?

I hear the term being thrown around a lot lately by DFL (and squishy Republican) policy- and lawmakers. The Minnesota House last week passed a preliminary cap-and-trade system bill. Freshman Rep. Kate Knuth, DFL-New Brighton, who never met a tree she didn’t hug, said she wants to change current Minnesota jobs into “green jobs.” Gov. Tim Pawlenty is working on a cap-and-trade regional system.

So I ask, what is a green job, and how do I tell if I have one?

I think all Minnesotans have the right to know if new legislation will target our jobs for elimination. Or are we not ready to talk about the dirty dark side of the “green movement” at a time of such economic uncertainty?

ANDY APLIKOWSKI, BLAINE

Speed Gibson has a great post about how the Ethanol scam is finally being exposed. EVERYTHING WE KNOW IS WRONG

It is a must read, especially for elected Republicans (Norm, Tim) who think Ethanol votes are more important than cheap food, 3rd world hunger, and the environment. It is doubly worthy reading if you were at all a fan of the 80’s sci-fi show “V”. I loved that show!

h/t Leo