In other news...
Randy Kelly says he is remaining a Democrat. I suspect this is much like how the Nazis were technically "National Socialists," or how East Germany was the "Democratic" German Republic.
Randy Kelly says he is remaining a Democrat. I suspect this is much like how the Nazis were technically "National Socialists," or how East Germany was the "Democratic" German Republic.
A special session "menu" is a pretty stupid idea. The more time passes, the less likely it will be that there will be a special session. There isn't a single legislative leader that wants this to happen.
There is a renewed push to repeal the minimum gas price law. This law requires gas stations to sell gas for at least eight cents over the wholesale price. It is designed to protect small businesses from large chains like Wal-Mart that can sell gas at a loss; however, there is doubt as to whether this law actually helps.
Word on the street is that House Minority Leader Matt Entenza is going to sometime soon enter the Attorney General's race for certain, thus turning what pretty much everybody expected to reality.
Pull tab revenues are down, so say state gambling regulators. While this may be bad news for some of the organizations that rely on these revenues, I tend to agree with those legislators that say it's not bad news for the state; the money is being spent elsewhere and being taxes.
Will American be a country where education and innovation will drive us to new pinnacles of creation and understanding? Or will we revert back to Neanderthal who bark at the moon? A court case may decide.
Today, speed limits increased on many state roads. That explains why I saw the signs today. Unfortunately, the speed limit on I-94 between the downtowns is still an artificially low 55 MPH.
WTF is up with this? Two A.M. is already ridiculously early, and people want to go back to one? Wow.
What is Senator Dayton's view on evolution and creationism in schools? Let's see:
Thank you for your letter regarding the teaching of evolution in schools.
I support the teaching of evolution in schools as a scientific theory explaining the history of life on the planet. However, I believe it is important that teachers explain both the supporting and detracting facts on the evolutionary theory. This is, however, a local issue, as it is the job of the local school board to set policies and curriculum which reflect the values and ideas of the community.
My best regards.
So here's the plan for the new Vikings stadium. Public money? Ya, sure, you betcha.
Katherine Kersten's column appeared in the Star Tribune today, so that means that there is stupidity to follow. True to form, she doesn't disappoint.
John Kline wants to put Ronald Reagan on the $50 bill.
If the responsibility to decide whether pharmacists can refuse to fill a prescription for contraceptives lies with the legislature, as the Board of Pharmacy says, then it's time for the legislature to pass a law saying that no, it's not okay for pharmacists to do that.
Google has a new feature called Blog Search. If you use it and search for Minnesota Politics, this blog is first. I can live with that.
This is pretty pathetic.
My post on per diems generated some comments, so I would like to share a few more thoughts on legislative pay. In my mind, per diems and base salaries are separate. There is no question that legislators are underpaid when it comes to base salaries, and I would have no problem with seeing them increased. At the same time, I want per diems to go down.
There's some slightly good news about the state's budget situation: since July first, all tax categories have brought in a bit more than expected. Nothing major, but mo' money is good money.
Just a few days after saying that Hurricane Katrina makes it less likely that a special session will be called, Senator Dean Johnson says a special session right before Thanksgiving may be a good idea after all.
A lot of people said that when AMFA mechanics went on strike, it was the end of their jobs and probably the union. Time has shown that these people are probably right. Now, it looks like Northwest itself may be no more if they declare bankruptcy.
Security is one of my favorite interests. Whether it is the security of data stored on a computer server, or the security of our airports, maintaining security is one of the most pressing issues of our time. And few people know more about security than Bruce Schneier. He has a must-read column in yesterday's paper, and if you want to hear more of his wisdom, definitely check out his blog.
I'm pretty surprised by this ruling. A Hennepin County district judge has granted a temporary injunction to two churches, the first victory for the religious groups in their quest to find that the concealed carry law is unconstitutional and a violation of religious freedom.
Another good article about how we need to raise the gas tax, and about how a Republican is trying to do the right thing by investing in our future.
The Star Tribune has an interesting article today in which four teens are interviewed about the comprehensive sex ed versus abstinence debate. Two teens are all for comprehensive sex ed, the other two are for "Just say No!" messages in school. Predictably, at least in my eyes, the abstinence-only people come off as having the weaker of the two messages, instead using humor to try and get other teens to agree.
The Pioneer Press says that so far, lawmakers have received $136,000 in per diem money for the special session. 39 out of 67 senators had put in their papers for the money, as well as 63 out of 134 House members, although the latter number may increase, since House members have more time to file. Two thirds of the money has been claimed by DFLers, which I find to be disappointing.
Bus cuts are on the way, and they are going to affect those with limited mobility options, as well as those in the suburbs who are taking another look at buses due to the high cost of fuel. These cuts are on top of a fare increase earlier this summer.
It's less than they originally thought, but about 300 evacuees from areas affected by Hurricane Katrina will be coming to Minnesota. I am sure that everybody in this state will do whatever can be done to make them feel welcome. Maybe some of them will decide that the other end of the Mississippi isn't such a bad place after all and will end up staying.
I knew there was something I was supposed to be blogging about yesterday, and I was reminded by this story in the Strib about the State Fair politics poll. Go to the article to see what this (unrepresentative) cross-section of Minnesota thinks, but the highlight in my opinion is the special session numbers: the vast majority of people don't want a special session for discussing things like stadiums.
During the past week, one thing that has come to mind repeatedly is the question, "What if something happened here?" What if a dirty bomb was exploded in Minneapolis or Saint Paul or the Mall of America? Are there any plans? Would there be just as much chaos as the government fumbled about, trying to figure out what to do? Would there be as many unnecessary deaths?
It appears that tobacco companies are suing the state over the new tobacco "fee." The storyline sounds like a comedy to me. They are suing because under the terms of the tobacco settlement, the state can't charge a "fee" to recover the cost of tobacco use. So Pawlenty insisting that this is a fee, not a tax, prompted this mess. But wait! It's not a fee, it's a tax, some say, and besides, everybody knows the money isn't going to help cover the costs of tobacco use, they are going to fund education. So it's not a violation of the settlement after all!