Monday, June 27, 2011

Meanwhile, Back On The Tundra...

I was extraordinarily proud of my home state on Friday when the New York legislature passed the same sex marriage bill. If two people want to be legally bound to each other they should have the right to do so. Period. End of discussion.

At the same time, I am deeply embarrassed by the state where I live. We have managed to spawn two presidential candidates, neither of whom actually live in the real world. 


Republicans subscribing to the myth that as governor, Tim Pawlenty didn’t raise taxes in this state are living in fairytale land. Let’s be real honest here; under his administration, property taxes rose by $2.5 billion, effectively dumping that burden onto the shoulders of Minnesota residential property owners. He "borrowed" over a billion from the tobacco settlement earmarked for health, "borrowed" another $1.4 billion from K-12 education funding. And he "borrowed" $400 million from the Healthcare Access Fund for low-income families. In other words, he effectively crippled the state's economy, and now he wants to bring that same slipshod slight-of-hand misdirection of the truth to the federal government.

Busy Timmy isn’t doing all that well in the straw polls, and his shot at being chief executive of anything other than fantasy land seems to be slipping into the mire of his own duplicity. America, listen up: you need to be thankful for this.

Would that Minnesota could stop there. But nooooo. We have Michele Bachmann with her Tea Party moronics and rising poll numbers.

She has benefited from farm subsidies she rails against, declaring she has never benefited from her farm, yet her financial disclosure statements tell a different story. Her husband's business has benefited from stimulus funding, but she says that doesn't count because, "That’s mental health training money that went to employees."

Remember, this is the same woman who also said,

We need to simply tell people the facts, like Glenn Beck, with that chalkboard, that man can explain anything. I think if we give Glenn Beck the numbers, he can solve this.

And she was a vocal participant in the attempt to defund AmeriCorps…that left wing socialist institution of which her own son was a member. After all, they take this radical pledge when they join:

I will get things done for America - to make our people   safer, smarter, and healthier.
I will bring Americans together to strengthen our communities.
Faced with apathy, I will take action.
Faced with conflict, I will seek common ground.
Faced with adversity, I will persevere.
I will carry this commitment with me this year and beyond.
I am an AmeriCorps member, and I will get things done.

This is where my brains hit the wall.

Since when is service to your country a bad thing? Can she really truly be this incredibly stupid? How does she manage to say this stuff with a straight face? Well, actually, she can and does.

Seems Madame Bachmann believes that AmeriCorps will result in "re-education camps for young people, where young people have to go and get trained in a philosophy that the government puts forward and then they have to go to work in some of these politically correct forums." 

Say what?   Uh, isn’t that also exactly what happens when you join one of Armed Forces?

So I'll say exactly what I'm thinking:  

Michele Bachmann is unpatriotic
 
Never mind that she thinks global warming is a hoax or that oil companies should get tax breaks. She lacks any understanding of what this country needs to succeed and has a misguided grasp of the Constitution of the United States.

Meanwhile, on a brighter note, I would like to report that the former CEO of Dairy Queen, a fellow name Chuck Mooty, was looking for a new challenge, something that would be of good use to country and people, and will be closing later this week on the purchase of the Faribault Woolen Mills with a plan to start up the looms by August. He is bringing manufacturing back to a town that needs it. He is doing this because he sees this as part of the solution. I don't know much about him, but anyone who returns manufacturing in a small town has got be encouraged.

The Wifely Person Tip o'the Week
Wanna do something nice for America?
Manufacture something here.

1 comment:

  1. I am astounded ... what happened to the MN I left 17 years ago ??!!

    ReplyDelete