More proof that the people who are so-called experts at social engineering are morons, idiots, and incompetent.

Pressed for money by a looming budget deficit, Metro Transit will close two smaller park-and-ride lots in Minnetonka and Brooklyn Park on Wednesday and shift about 150 commuters to other nearby transit parking.

The metropolitan area transit system, which includes Metro Transit, suburban bus systems and Metro Mobility for the disabled, is facing a $72 million budget shortfall for the next 2 1/2 years, and closing lesser-used park-and-ride lots is one way to cut costs, said Bob Gibbons, director of customer services for the transit agency.

[...]

By closing the Minnetonka lot, Metro Transit expects to save about $17,000 a year on snow plowing and $16,000 a year on lighting.

Has anyone ever considered charging a buck or two to park at a park and ride? I’m no expert but if you have 150 people who use the park and ride 250 days a year (rough computation of workdays) pay a buck a day to park at the lot, it’d bring in $37500. (ahem paying for the service!) Charge $2 and you would, god forbid, turn a profit. 

Buit enough with the common sense, let’s look at how these professional bureaucrats got themselves into this budget pickle.

About 38 percent of the Metro Transit bus budget comes from motor vehicle sales taxes, and nobody is buying cars,” Gibbons said.

When these social engineers achieve their ultimate goal of no one driving the carbon belching cars they will be in even more red ink. 

And we actually have people seriously considering turning over their health care to the same morons who can’t manage anything. Look at the service provided by Metro Transit. It sucks. And so does everything the Government tries to do. 

Didn’t we just get done with all the triumphalism from Metro Transit and the local media how much ridership was up during the high gas prices? Maybe the people who are “benefitting” from the buses and parking rides ought to pay for their “fare” share.

But The Met Council Will Be Begging For Another Billion For A Choo Choo From The Legislature

No really, I am seeing a new push to blame conservatives for the election results and a shaming of them for thinking their principles are worth standing up for. Some are saying that conservatives stayed home and it is solely their fault for the loss of the scores of Republicans across the nation. 

No I am serious, some people who I thought were smarter than that are now going to try to shame principled conservatives and cast blame for election losses squarely on their shoulders. 

I think over the (almost) 4 years of this blog, I have done a pretty darn good job trying to expose how Republicans going left loses them votes, so I am not going to go into that again. 

Let’s use one simple and tragic example of what they want us to do. 

George W. Bush. Now I am not ready to say he was the worst President ever, and it wasn’t him who destroyed the country, no he was just acting like a Democrat. And that’s the point. 

Bush was a Republican, but he governed like a Democrat, sans the tax increases. He increased spending exponentially. He expanded the size and scope of Government. Deficit, don’t get me started. He made more and more Americans dependent on Government. Oh sure it was carrot and stick tactics on most parts, but if he was a Democrat, no one would be complaining about anything, except for conservatives. But he did prevent a second round of terror attacks in America, a feet no one thought possible on September 12th, 2001. 

Now let’s take a look back at how the GOP got tossed out of relevance, shall we. History is fun, sometimes. 

In 2000 it was all about how conservatives have to prevent the liberal AL Gore from keeping the White House in Democrat hands. It worked, Bush won. Then in 2002 we sent scores of Republicans to join Bush in Congress and gave him majorities in both lawmaking bodies. 

Then in 2004 we sent Bush back to the Oval Office with more Congressional Republicans, growing the majorities. 

And then what happened? 

That’s right, all liberal hell broke loose, and under the Republican’s watch. 

Conservatives did show up then, and they felt burned after they won. Whose fault is that? Is it conservative’s fault that Bush and Congressional Republican made drunk Democrat sailors look like penny pinchers? 

Are we supposed to simply assume if we sent more Republicans to Washington that maybe we would do away with the K-Street project and stop the Rove tactic of stealing the Democrat issues through pandering policies? 

I’m sorry, I know some people think they are doing the right thing by trying to deflect the blame for why Republicans have faced 2 straight ass whoopings at the polls, but they are exposing themselves for the (sorry to say) hacks that they are. I am not interested in remaining on the cocktail party circuit. I was on it for a tad, but then my darn principles got in the way and I became an enemy for speaking the truth or at least being honest and candid.

It is a candidate of a party’s responsibility to build up his coalition. After conservatives got fooled twice in thinking George W. Bush was closer on the issues to Reagan than his father and we learned different, we woke up. 

You cannot expect conservatives to dig their own grave. We’re limited government and personal liberty conservatives. When the Republican is as left on these issues as the Democrat, with just marginal differences, we do say “why bother?”. And that;s our fault? Franken and Coleman were indistinguishable on global warming. McCain and Obama the same. And the similarities from candidate to candidate go on.  

Now not everyone did stay home as some think, but if you look at how Norm Coleman choked against Franken, don’t ya maybe wonder if Coleman’s campaign team is kicking itself for not listening to me? 

yes, Coleman pissed off his base numerous times. Amnesty, SCHIPs, Bailout, spending, ethanol, global warming, etc. Is that conservative’s fault? No seriously, is it our fault Coleman tried to thread the political needle and cut his own base off at the knees? 

Look at John McCain. We couldn’t have had a worse candidate than him. God bless him for his service in uniform, but as a Republican Senator John McCain has done more to marginalize the conservatives than he has for us. Pork? Yeah, thanks, you would blow through that $25-50 billion in a heartbeat on Amnesty programs and global warming ponzi schemes there Johnny.

And do you remember the one time that McCain looked truly impressed with himself and proud of a campaign line? It was when he was smearing Romney in the California debate with lies. That smug smirk still is burned into my brain. The guy takes more pride in trashing a Republican than he does against teh most liberal Democrat every to run for President. 

Had we had a real conservative who not only believed in the free market and limited Government principles, but would take that debate to the electorate, Obama would not be enrolling his kids in DC school today and Franken wouldn’t be packing for Washington. 

It was the war against conservative values that caused the Republicans losses, the problem is, some people aren’t willing to shed light on who lit the fuse on the bomb that took the GOP down. 

Yes, Republicans like Bush and the RINOs tore down the house that Reagan built and Gingrich expanded. It was left leaning Republicans who destroyed the gains they made. It was Republicans who demoralized the base and soured the public on the notion that Republicans would actually provide freedom, liberty, and the opportuinty for personal responsibility. And the final nail was the corruption. 

So as we begin this new year, we are once again forced, as conservatives, to have fellow Republicans blame us for the Democrat majorities and electoral wins. 

Would you put a tent up in your back yard and offer free food and lodging to a crack dealer? Of course not, it would be detrimental to you. Sooner or later the car would be missing and so would all your irreplaceable mementos. 

Until the Republican party understands that – until it can win over the people with no other place to go politically, there is no way that they can draw those skeptical of our ideas. 

The MNGOP leadership race is the perfect example of how some people are more interested in keeping their job (and shifting the responsibility for their own jobs on anyone but who collected the paycheck) onto people who thought the party stood for what it says it does. Lipservice to the platform during legislative sessions and in office, but simple quota based liberal lite apologetic strategy in September and October are what has put the GOP in the skeleton minorities across the nation. 

Party leaders have been more concerned about what Governor, Senator, Representative So-and-so think about them then they are about moving the conservative ball down the field of public opinion. 

Ron Carey, Tony Sutton, and the rest of the MNGOP Executive Committee are proof they are tone deaf to the grassroots. Yeah, I named names. They are just the public faces on the MNGOP establishment that aims only to maintain their own power. The grass roots made up of truly principled conservatives are the unwashed and not to be trusted. There are a couple of good eggs in the lot, but look at the results of what the party did this last election and what they are doing this very day. 

What happens tomorrow in Minnesota? Clue: It has nothing to do with Al Franken. 

The Legislature convenes and begins the process of closing a $6 Billion deficit. And what is the party doing about it? Are they putting out research and proposals for public consumption so that Minnesotans can call their Legislators and urge them to cut the waste? Are they working on educating voters how we got into the deficit mess? (ahem out of control spending under a Republican Gov?…. I’d give you a pass if you went on to point out how Democrats own the House and Senate, but you’d have to make the sale to the public and have it stick)

Are they using this monumental issue that will impact every single Minnesotan, one that is a hanging curve for fiscal conservatives, and reaching out to Minnesotans to ID and educate them? 

No. They are trying to save Coleman and have an excuse for spending millions on the whole Angry Al ad campaign. 

You want conservatives to show up and help, I got an idea for you. If workers are really dwindling in numbers and our help in the GOTV process is the sole excuse for why Democrats won big across the nation and state, then why don’t you try listening to us instead of lying to us, shaming us, and ignoring us? 

You think that principled conservatives are to blame, well maybe some of you pointing fingers had better look in the mirror.

I’m sorry, but I am just really getting tired of hearing people on the right who claim to be fighting for conservatism laying down cover fire for those responsible for the demise of the party that Reagan and Gingrich built. 

Yeah, that clearly lost us a handful of US Senate seats. 

No wait, maybe this one. 

Give me a break. Put down the cocktail party invites and consult with your conscious. You might be surprised what you once believed. 

If the Republican party, its candidates, and its elected officials cannot fight for true conservative values, the party is over, turn out the lights. There’s nothing we have that voters will buy.

The auto bailout may be just another government atrocity that is being considered against the will of the people, but I think there is so much more to it. 

Overall, 55 percent of those polled oppose the latest plan thatChrysler, Ford and General Motors executives pitched to Congress last week, on par with public opposition to earlier, pricier efforts. But with 42 percent support, the new request for up to $14 billion in emergency loans has more backers than previous proposals to secure up to $34 billion in loan guarantees.

But as with the earlier bids, those who strongly oppose the measure greatly outnumber those who are strongly supportive.

Democrats have been trying to enact socialist policies for decades but they kept running up against economic forces. Well, the complete collapse of our economic system has opened the door for the great new nanny state. And now that Corporations are lining up for handouts and willing to turn over their business’s sovereignty in return, the only other barrier to National Socialism has fallen. 

You see, if Democrats can get the reigns on businesses through billions in handouts, then they can force business to perform the socialist acts Democrats have failed to do. A car czar? They aren’t even trying to hide the near Communist tone of this whole private industry hostile takeover. 

Democrats are far too eager to save an industry they have been demonizing for years.

I just got this one from General Motor’s Mark Laneve (VP North America). 

Dear Andy, Thank you for being a GM customer. There’s been a lot of discussion about the auto industry over the past few weeks, and I want to make sure you know the facts about GM. This is important because with all the media coverage of late about our company and industry, it is evident that there is much misinformation and many very dated perceptions being communicated. The truth and the facts are always helpful. First, we’re building our best cars and trucks ever, and we’re committed to being the best car company on the planet. Take a closer look at Chevrolet, Buick, Pontiac, GMC, Saturn, HUMMER, Saab and Cadillac. You’ll be surprised. Our vehicles are more fuel efficient. 19 of our 2009 models have an EPA estimated 30 MPG highway or better — more than Toyota, more than Honda For 2009, we offer more hybrid choices than any other manufacturer. We currently have six hybrids, by mid-2009 we will introduce three more, and by 2012 we will offer 15 hybrid models 11 of our last 13 new-product introductions have been fuel-efficient cars or crossovers. This trend will continue with 22 of our next 24 new-product introductions Higher quality. We back our quality with the Best Coverage in America: A 100,000-Mile/5-Year Transferable Powertrain Limited Warranty.1 Plus, Roadside Assistance1 and Courtesy Transportation Programs.1 This coverage is superior to Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Ford. We believe in our quality and reliability, and we back it up! The 2008 Chevy Malibu and Chevy Silverado were the “Highest Ranked Midsize Car and Large Pickup in Initial Quality” according to J.D. Power and Associates2 Safe. 37 of our 2009 models have five-star frontal crash safety ratings3 We offer the safety and security of OnStar,4 including Automatic Crash Response,5OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics6 and Turn-by-Turn Navigation.7 Not Honda. Not Toyota. Not Ford. Not Chrysler. Not Nissan. Not Dodge The proof is on the road today. Chevy The Cobalt XFE offers an EPA estimated 37 MPG highway. More than Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic DX8 The Malibu offers an EPA estimated 33 MPG highway, which is better than Toyota Camry LE or Honda Accord9 The Traverse offers the best highway fuel economy of any eight-passenger crossover,10an EPA estimated 24 MPG highway. It has more interior space than Honda Pilot or Toyota Highlander The Silverado is Car and Driver‘s Best Pickup 2 years running.11 The Silverado XFE offers an EPA estimated 21 MPG highway. No other large pickup beats it. Not Ford. Not Dodge. Nobody.12 Buick • Pontiac • GMC The eight-passenger Buick Enclave crossover is quieter than Lexus RX 350.13 And with an EPA estimated 24 MPG highway, it gets better highway gas mileage than Lexus RX 350 and Acura MDX14 The Pontiac G5 XFE offers an EPA estimated 37 MPG highway. More than Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic DX8 The GMC Sierra XFE offers an EPA estimated 21 MPG highway. No other large pickup offers better highway mileage. Not Toyota. Nobody.15 Saturn The AURA midsize sedan offers best-in-class16 highway fuel economy. Its EPA estimated 33 MPG highway beats Toyota Camry LE and Honda Accord17 The VUE Hybrid has the best highway fuel economy in its segment:18 an EPA estimated 32 MPG Cadillac • Saab • HUMMER The Cadillac CTS is a 2009 “Best Resale Value” Award winner from Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com.19 It is one of Car and Driver’s 2009 10Best. And it was also selected a top safety pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety20 The Cadillac Escalade Hybrid eight-passenger luxury SUV offers an EPA estimated 20 MPG city. Better than a 2008 MINI Cooper S Convertible with automatic transmission21 The Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan, SportCombi and Convertible have earned the 2009 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s “Top Safety Pick” award in the midsize category for the third straight year22 The HUMMER H3 has a lower annual fuel cost than Nissan Pathfinder23 And our future looks even brighter. The upcoming Chevy Volt (expected launch date late 2010) represents a fundamental reinvention of the American automobile industry. The Volt will deliver up to 40 miles24 on a single electrical charge, well within the daily commute of nearly 80% of Americans. It represents a giant step toward energy independence GM will also continue to invest in hydrogen fuel cell technology, which is capable of reducing automobile tailpipe emissions to non-polluting water vapor. Already, GM has deployed 90 Chevy Equinox compact SUVs to people in what constitutes the world’s largest market test fleet of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles All made by GM. Surprised? Here’s something else amazing: the Red Tag Sales Event,25 which continues through January 5, 2009. The price on the tag is the price you pay. See some red, save some green. It’s a smart time to buy GM. Visit gm.com for more surprising reasons why. Sincerely, Mark LaNeve

***Note: There are a bunch of disclaimers that are referenced in the body at the bottom of this email.

Congresswoman Bachmann wrote a post warning how the Federal Government’s spending binge on bailouts is consuming a growing portion of our economic activity and how we could see $1 TRILLION federal deficit as the norm for the next decade. 

I suppose it goes with out saying that just as members of federal government start passing out real money like they’re the banker in Monopoly, the makers of Monopoly have dropped the Monopoly money (chances are Congress has devalued their dollars as well) and gone to an ATM. 

Yep, the people who taught young Congressman and women how to throw money around when they were kids, have now gone to plastic.

I guess they never landed on Community Chest that often as kids. Maybe they all dreamt of being bankers. 

Besides the Bank’s money, the MONOPOLY Bank holds the Title Deed cards and houses and hotels prior to purchase and use by the players. The Bank pays salaries and bonuses. It sells and auctions properties and hands out their proper Title Deed cards; it sells houses and hotels to the players and loans money when required on mortgages.

The Bank collects all taxes, fines, loans and interest, and the price of all MONOPOLY properties which it sells and auctions.

The Bank never “goes broke”. If the Bank runs out of MONOPOLY money it may issue as much more as may be needed by merely writing on any ordinary paper.

Oh, and if there are any members of Congress who think that real money does grow on trees, you can download and print all the Monopoly money you want (here). As a taxpayer, I would greatly appreciate you do that rather then just crank up the printers in the Treasury Department. 

I’d advise all my readers to send that link to their members of Congress. I know I will be.

“I made it very clear when I was re-elected leader that the marginalization of members based on how they voted on an override or anything else was over.” —Rep. Marty Seifert (R-Marshall), newly re-elected House Minority Leader (Source)

Let’s have the Republican caucus stand for nothing again. Let’s have the Republican caucus work against its own base, again! Brilliant!!!!!!!!!! The 2008 election was the perfect case of running RINOs as the perfect solution to the Republican message problem.  

My goodness does this seem like the dumbest thing I have heard. Seifert obviously learned NOTHING from 2006 & 2008. Zip, zero, nada!

Once again the Republican base is going to have to waste time, energy, and passion simply holding the 68 Republicans at the Legislature accountable, rather then go spread the conservative message around. Gee, where have I seen that before? Oh yeah, 2007 and 2008.  

But then again, I guess the Republican party of Minnesota isn’t the conservative party I was led to believe. 

Closed circuit to the conservative base that makes the Republican party a serious entity. 

You will need a pair of these close by at all times next year. It appears that Republican leadership in the Legislature is going to aid and comfort any Republican who is going to be proud of sticking their fingers in the bases’ eyes.

 

(Oh yes, I am saying that there aren’t enough populist windsock RINOs in this party to even come close to a majority let alone win elections.)

Conservative activists beware! Yes, safety goggles are a must when dealing with the Republican office holders in 2009.

Yep, union wages appear to be the only thing not up for a haircut for the Detroit bailout. 

$14 billion auto bailout dies in Senate over union wages

GM is threatening to file for bankruptcy. Chrysler says they will be there soon. Without everything being on the table, there is no way these companies can survive. The Big Labor goons from Detroit refuse to consider any wage concession until their current contracts expire, 1-2 years from now. 

Of course Senate Democrats fought tooth and nail to pass this bailout bill. It would kill the corporate level of the Big 3, but not touch a hair on the Unions. Considering that was one of the major components of the whole Big 3 collapse, what is the point? 

Kudos to the Senate Republicans for standing tough and fighting for what is right. Frankly the Big 3 shouldn’t get a dime for running their countries into the ground, but there is no excuse for them to get money tht is simply a union bailout. 

Now maybe we can get down to crafting a real bill that would actually save the car industry. A honest person can plainly admit that another big problem that Detroit has been facing is Washington. Let’s have a real debate about what is best for the America auto industry, not what is best for the Sierra club and the Auto Unions.

Sen. Klobuchar is the new Al Gore. Obama has picked a Gore disciple to be his energy czar. The UN is trying to kill the energy producers with a carbon tax. 

The people who hate free market energy are desperate to get you to think that the earth is dying and it is all carbon’s fault. But they are lying to you. They just hate capitalism and are trying to get Government to tax it to death through energy. 

Well look outside and read your thermometer the next time you hear someone say global warming is reality. It snowed in New Orleans yesterday. It snowed in Texas yesterday. It is below 0 in Minnesota today. We have a huge winter storm/blizzard bearing down on us for Sunday. 

The debate is over alright, these people are insane. 

Please wake up America, Sen. Klobuchar just wants to kill capitalism. There is no man made global warming. Don’t believe me? Can you explain how dinosaurs used to roam the Earth?

More proof that the United States Congress is not trying to save the American car makers, but use this opportunity to destroy their free market approach to existence. (emphasis mine)

The last-minute disagreement centered on a single word — with the Senate bill requiring the automakers “to comply with all applicable federal fuel efficiency and emissions requirements” and the House bill referring to “all applicable fuel efficiency requirements,” which would include state emissions rules that the automakers oppose.

So if Minnesota adopts a ludicrous emissions policy that requires happy thoughts, kittens, and sugar free bubble gum to be the only tailpipe emissions, the American auto companies have absolutely NO CHOICE.

That’s right, this whole deal over bailing out the Big 3 is simply the liberal anti-car nutters politicizing the situation to tick off another fringe left anti-American agenda item.

The chance that the Big 3 US automakers will be gone if the auto bailout doesn’t happen is worth it to me. What the Liberals (non-partisan) in Congress are trying to do to the auto inustry is worse than losing one, or all, of America’s car makers. 

This whole notion of Federal Car Czar and having Washington dictate what kind of and how the cars are made is very troubling. This is unAmerican. Oh yes it is. The liberals in Washington, spearheaded by Pelosi, Frank, and Democrat leaders are using the the recession to tick off one of their long term to-dos in destroying the American automobiles that Americans want. 

Yes, they have long hated the fact that Americans could buy the cars they wanted, most importantly the SUVs and trucks. The automakers were operating in a free market form and built the cars and trucks that people wanted. Sure, they had to tippy toe along the federal mandate line, but in the end the mode of conveyance that Americans wanted was available. 

This idea of having a Federal official, for all impractical purposes, run the private businesses is unConstitutional and absolutely unAmerican. Ford, GM, and Chrysler are traitors to the American Experiment for even sitting down at the table with these socialists. The CEOs and boards of these 3 once great companies deserve to be thrown out of the corporate towers with out their golden parachutes. (figuratively!)

Not for 20+ years of terrible business decisions and capitulation to anti-business entities, but for turning over control of their private companies to the nanny state bureaucrats in Washington in the last few weeds and days. 

My God what the hell is happening in this country? Where have all the Patriots gone? 

Seriously, take a look around. The liberals, freshly juiced up on Obama ‘spread the wealth around’ adrenaline, are thinking they have been given the green light from voters to unravel American prowess.They didn’t run as socialists and are wary of the term Nationalization even on the eve of inauguration of the One. The time is now to mount a challenge from the traditional right in American. 

Yes, I’m talking to you Republican party. This none sense in Washington about Congress running the American auto companies ( what not the foreign ones…… yet) is huey! 

The 111th Congress – Now with even bigger Democrat majorities – are shooting themselves in the foot. The foaming at the mouth liberals who want to turn America into the 90′s version of Western Europe. The Republican party will have steady ground to stand on in 2010 if they stand in unified opposition to the Nationalization of American businesses. But that needs to happen now.  

We missed a great opportunity to change the trend before the 08 elections. When McCain and the other spineless pansies with and (R) behind their name voted for the Mortgage bailout, it sealed the election for the Dems. Before that, Republicans were making up ground locally. The day after the bailout vote, all the hard work of conservatives was forgotten by the open minded voters. 

There are leaders in the Republican ranks right now to follow. Republicans like Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R MN6) are fighting the fight for what’s right, what’s best for American, and what the GOP needs to do for the sake of the Republican party and more importantly for America. 

No More Bailouts (Rep. Michele Bachmann)

December 8th, 2008

It’s official. Washington’s favorite word this year is “bailout.” It’s been overused by Congress’ elite in hopes of rescuing their corporate friends from poor decision-making. It’s been used to pick the pockets of the already hurting taxpayer. It’s become a euphemism for robbing Peter to pay Paul.

The last thing a struggling, hard-working family needs is another Washington bailout which forces them further into debt and financial turmoil – especially during these tough times.

Past bailouts have thus far failed. Whether it was Bear Stearns or the larger Wall Street bailout, these government handouts have not done what they promised. There’s no stability in the marketplace. The Dow continues to plummet or yo-yo, at best. The only goals the bailouts have actually accomplished are to anger the American people and leave them — and their children — to foot a massive bill.

Next week, the Democrat-controlled Congress is expected to call Members back to Washington, with President-Elect Obama’s blessing, to consider a second auto industry bailout. Yes, that’s right, a second one.

In September, Congress passed legislation that established a $25-billion loan program for the automotive industry. And, last month, Detroit automakers jetted back to Washington, asking for another $25 billion. A couple weeks later, the Big Three revised their proposal and are now seeking $34 billion — much of it they say they’ll need by the end of the year. Didn’t their mothers teach them to finish what’s on their plates before asking for seconds?

(go read the rest)