Boots On

• The Irony In The Obit

  Paul Samuelson died. He received an interesting obituary in today's printed Star & Tribune.
  
  Samuelson is a famous economist and economics textbook author. Most college grads of the last three decades probably used his texts.
  
  The Star obit calls Samuelson a Keynesian and a liberal. Make a note [...]
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  Posted: December 14, 2009, 3:28pm EST
  

• Knuth in Copenhagen

  Representative Knuth is lending her expertise in climate change to the goings on in Copenhagen. No doubt, she'll come back home with a renewed sense of purpose, a new religious fervor, as it is. Surely, her ability to represent the citizens of HD50B will be much enhanced.
  
  She's Twittering,' [...]
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  Posted: December 14, 2009, 9:15am EST
  

• Better Put Some Ice On That, Al

  via Ace of Spades blog:
  
  Palin v. Gore on Climate —Ace

  Gore condescendingly dinged her. She dinged back.

  The response to my op-ed by global warming alarmists has been interesting. Former Vice President Al Gore has called me a “denier” and informs us that climate change is [...]
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  Posted: December 11, 2009, 9:15am EST
  

• Bunning for President?

  I've mentioned my utter disdain for Pawlenty's presidential aspirations. I don't have it in me to back someone just because they share my geographical location. Sorry, fellow Minnesotans.
  
  But here's someone who seems to really understand the root of the ills in the American economy:
  [bunning.senate.gov]
  
  Sen. [...]
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  Posted: December 04, 2009, 8:23am EST
  

• From Ramsey County to North Korea, Deprivation of Economic Freedom is Difference of Degree, not Kind

  Anonymous criticized my previous post, saying I was heartless and unaware of the burdens some carry. To enlighten Anonymous just how far he is from the truth, I submit today's essay.
  
  The people of North Korea suffer under a government that is the ultimate illustration of the abuse [...]
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  Posted: December 03, 2009, 10:26am EST
  

• Revealing Revelations from Last Night's Ramsey County Truth in Taxation Mtg

  Never having been to one before, I don't know if this is unusual, but no less than 23 citizens got up to have their say before the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners last night at Roseville Area High School.
  
  It was clear that some kind of pre-meeting coordination had' [...]
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  Posted: December 01, 2009, 11:22am EST
  

• Apparently, Democrats Love Irony

  A recent caller to the Glenn Beck program asked, "Why do the Democrats have the image of being for the little man, when their actions destroy opportunities for the little man?"
  
  Why, indeed? Mr. Beck gave an historical answer, but another big part of the answer lies in the [...]
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  Posted: November 26, 2009, 1:04pm EST
  

• Fort Hood Shootings In a Nutshell

  I’m going to play amateur psychologist and sum up the Fort Hood shootings. Army Major Nidal Hasan is a practicing Muslim who opened fire on his fellow soldiers, killing many, wounding many. Let’s be frank. He was not insane. This was premeditated. He did not expect to survive. He fully [...]
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  Posted: November 09, 2009, 5:58pm EST
  

• America's Queen Michelle I

  What's next--hereditary royalty? Maybe Michelle hopes the hubby will get a second term and by the end of that, she'll have been able to get him crowned King, and someday we'll see Queen Sasha ascend the throne after daddy has passed on.
  
  Look at the list of the 26' [...]
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  Posted: November 07, 2009, 1:22pm EST
  

• Blue Dogs Beware

  President Obama proved that he can smooth talk his way into making history. That was then, this is now.
  
  Since taking office, Obama has introduced the nation and members of his own party to Rules for Radicals Politics -- Chicago style. His inaugural proclamation ending the petty grievances and [...]
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  Posted: November 05, 2009, 11:01pm EST
  

• New Brighton Elects New Mayor, Re-Elects Council Member

  New Brighton mayoral challenger Dave Jacobsen defeated incumbent Steve Larson. Jacobsen received 57% of the vote to Larson's 43%. Larson did a little better today than he did two yeas ago when two challengers split the opposition vote.  Update: Larson received 45% of the vote in 2007. He did worse' [...]
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  Posted: November 03, 2009, 9:55pm EST
  

• Get Out and Vote Today!

  Please make every effort to get out and vote today. We have the opportunity to elect Dave Jacobsen as our new mayor and to return Gina Bauman to the City Council. If all of us who support Dave and Gina get out and vote we have a good chance of [...]
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  Posted: November 03, 2009, 6:35am EST
  

• Mounds View School Board Election

  Mounds View School District 621 (Mn) elections are tomorrow. Three seats are up for election.
  
  The incumbents:
  Greg MadsenMarre Jo SagerJon Tynjala The challengers:
  Jack BrunellTimothy Husnik For more info, check out HD50B.com. Here's a teaser. Marre Jo Sager is opposed to any form of vouchers, saying she wants the' [...]
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  Posted: November 03, 2009, 11:52pm EST
  

• Gina Bauman Sets the Record Straight

  As in most political contests it is starting to get ugly out there. In a post on Enlighten New Brighton Council Member Gina Bauman corrects some of the misconceptions that are apparently being spread by the competition in the New Brighton City Council and Mayoral races.
  
  As [...]
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  Posted: November 02, 2009, 9:26am EST
  

• New Brighton Mayoral Race - Job Performance Matters

  In the real world of the private sector, after one has been on the job in their chosen professional career long enough potential employers look at a candidate's job performance as the primary criteria for deciding whether or not to hire. For example, consider an applicant for an engineering position' [...]
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  Posted: November 01, 2009, 9:58pm EST
  

• Meet and Greet Dave Jacobsen and Gina Bauman - Today

  Found this on the candidate's sites (sorry, I should have checked the sites more often):
  Bring any questions, concerns, comments you have about the issues and discuss them with Gina and Dave in an informal setting, or just stop by and say hello.
  
  All are welcome.
  
  TODAY! [...]
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  Posted: October 31, 2009, 9:00am EDT
  

• New Brighton "Non-Partisan" City Elections - A matter of picking the right partisans

  (Final post of the series)
  
  The previous posts of this series highlighted three of the nine candidates involved in the New Brighton Mayoral and City Council races, pointing out just how partisan these candidates are in the "non-partisan" election. As I noted in the introductory post to the [...]
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  Posted: October 29, 2009, 8:45pm EDT
  

• Words of Wisdom from Mr. D...

  Mark, aka as "Mr. D", over at Mr. Dilettante's Neighborhood makes a concise but very good point about the upcoming New Brighton elections.
  
  Well worth checking out and keeping in mind as you try to make sense of all of the campaigning that will be coming at' [...]
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  Posted: October 29, 2009, 10:04am EDT
  

• New Brighton Races Non-Partisan? Exhibit C: City Council Candidate Char Samuelson

  (Part 4 of a series)
  
  Char Samuelson is a former member of the New Brighton City Council as well as a two-term State Representative from District 50B. On her run for the Minnesota House she ran as a Republican. So, are we looking at a partisan Republican right-winger [...]
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  Posted: October 28, 2009, 9:06pm EDT
  

• BOOT the Mounds View (I)s

  A local city council member of the Republican persuasion recently said within my hearing that we should go with the incumbents in the Mounds View school board races. His basic idea is that we should take the bad we know over the unknown since MV's finances have been handled prudently,' [...]
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  Posted: October 27, 2009, 1:18pm EDT
  

• Why informed citizens are a career politician's worst nightmare

  A New Brighton resident notes in an open letter to his fellow residents what was not asked or said at the last mayoral candidate forum, but really should have been...check it out here.
  
  [...]
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  Posted: October 25, 2009, 10:19am EDT
  

• New Brighton Races Non-Partisan? Exhibit B: City Council Candidate Graeme Allen

  (Part 3 of a series)
  
  Graeme Allen appears to be a nice, thoughtful young man running for his first elected office. He is obviously well educated, polite, and affable. So what wouldn't there be to like? Well (a little nostalgic throwback to the days when we had a' [...]
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  Posted: October 23, 2009, 5:30pm EDT
  

• The LWV New Brighton Candidate Forum - Superficially Revealing

  The League of Women Voters Candidate Forums have always been a poor source to glean information about the candidates due to the restrictive format, but this one was a bit more tedious than usual. Nothing against any of the candidates for participating, as for all practical purposes they are pretty [...]
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  Posted: October 20, 2009, 9:15pm EDT
  

• New Brighton Candidate Forums Next Two Mondays

  There is a candidate forum Monday 10/19 at 7:00 PM at New Brighton City Hall. This event will be moderated by the League of Women Voters.
  
  Another forum is scheduled for next Monday 10/26, also 7:00 PM at City Hall. This event is a production of Twin Cities North [...]
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  Posted: October 18, 2009, 8:55pm EDT
  

• It's a beautiful day in Mr. D's Neighborhood...

  ...as it always is.
  
  In case you're not familiar with it, Mr. Dilettante's Neighborhood, located in good ol' New Brighton, is a great source for political commentary at the local, state, and national levels as well as for "just for fun" stuff and serious social commentary. I highly' [...]
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  Posted: October 16, 2009, 11:03am EDT
  

• New Brighton Elections Non-Partisan? Exhibit A: Mayor Steve Larson

  (Part 2 of a series)
  
  Our current mayor, Steve Larson, is a text book example of a liberal DFL hack who tries to portray himself as a mainstream moderate. In spite of his defensive "I'm not a liberal!" outburst at a New Brighton town hall meeting a few' [...]
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  Posted: October 15, 2009, 9:58pm EDT
  

• New Brighton City Elections: Non-partisan is Nonsense!

  A friend and I were talking the other day about the upcoming New Brighton city election and the discussion turned toward its purported "non-partisan" nature. Many candidates over the years, particularly those whose candidacy would generally not impress the contributors to, or the majority audience of, this blog have stressed [...]
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  Posted: October 15, 2009, 11:40pm EDT
  

• New Brighton Votes November 3rd

  Endorsement Time!
  
  Two New Brighton city council seats and its mayor's throne are up for election this year. The council seats in question are currently held by Gina Bauman and Sharon Doffing. The throne is occupied by Steve Larson.
  
  After six years of loyal service dedicated to protecting' [...]
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  Posted: October 14, 2009, 1:13am EDT
  

• Enlighten New Brighton

  There's a new blog in town and it threatens to light up the city of New Brighton with truth, logic, and reason. It's called Enlighten New Brighton.
  
  City elections are around the corner. How will candidates deal with a financially blighted plan to rebuild the Northwest Quadrant during [...]
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  Posted: October 11, 2009, 10:07pm EDT
  

• Why Pawlenty Should Give It Up

  A few days ago, Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who has been making significant presidential noises lately, gave us another piece of evidence in what is now a long string that he is politically out of touch. Having in the past tried to suffocate the idea of taxpayer funding for a new [...]
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  Posted: October 09, 2009, 11:32am EDT
  

• I Told You, Knuth and McCollum and Klobuchar et. al.

  (I refuse to include that gross nincompoop, Al Frankenstein, in my list of representatives.)
  
  I have been in relatively frequent touch with my representatives, explaining to them the folly of continuing to spend so as to necessitate what the monetarists call "quantitative easing." They haven't listened. Did you? When' [...]
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  Posted: October 08, 2009, 8:49am EDT
  

• If You Spend It, the Mooches Will Come

  I hope you all noticed the headline in the Pioneer Press:
  "Census: Minnesota among Leaders in Welfare Spending"
  
  I first heard it briefly mentioned on the radio. The gist is, Minnesota is THIRD in proportion of state spending that goes to welfare, barely behind Maine and Rhode Island. [...]
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  Posted: October 02, 2009, 11:33am EDT
  

• SV Press Finally Called to Account

  I have heard local conservatives complain numerous times about the rotten policy of the Shoreview Press to allow public figures, mostly elected officials, full-length editorials, without comment or fact-checking by the editorial board or a reply by someone holding opposing views. Today's SV Press contains 2 letters to the' [...]
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  Posted: September 15, 2009, 4:07pm EDT
  

• Truth, Lies, and a Presidential Address to Congress

  A rare thing occurred last night. President Obama addressed Congress and a truth was delivered. Of course, not by Obama, but by South Carolina Republican Representative Joe Wilson when he blurted "you lie" after the President falsely asserted that Obamacare will not cover illegal aliens.
  
  Wilson's outburst drew the [...]
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  Posted: September 10, 2009, 6:51pm EDT
  

• Amazing Fair Response

  I happened to catch a quick Channel 5 snippet over the weekend. They were interviewing Fair attendees who listened to the Republican candidates for governor forum. A couple of responses were bland as usual but one of them wasn't.
  
  An older woman said forcefully:
  
  "I'm here to" [...]
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  Posted: September 09, 2009, 1:27pm EDT
  

• They may not call it a Death Panel...

  ...but no matter how advocates of Obamacare try to sanitize the terminology of their fiscally and morally bankrupt scheme the outcome is still bad.
  
  Read how well the British system "works" for an premature baby who just missed the window of "viability" as defined by the National Health [...]
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  Posted: September 09, 2009, 9:52am EDT
  

• Quarantine Power Grab

  I don't have time to be writing this, but the alarm needs to spread on the government's preparations to deal with the fall flu season. As ZeroHedge blogger Project Mayhem shows with strong evidence, either there's much more to the problems H1N1 carries than the government is disclosing, or it's [...]
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  Posted: September 02, 2009, 12:43pm EDT
  

• Cheney lays the smack on Obama Anti-terror Policies

  Why wasn't this man president?
  
  ' [...]
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  Posted: August 31, 2009, 8:48am EDT
  

• What's Really in the Socialized Health Care Bill

  Just a quick post to get some info out about what's really in the train wreck the liberals in Congress and the current occupant of the White House are attempting to ram down our throats.
  
  The actual House bill (HR3200) is a natural predator to trees, weighing in' [...]
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  Posted: August 12, 2009, 8:40pm EDT
  

• Boots On – The Song by Randy Houser

  Country star Randy Houser's latest hit is a song called "Boots On". The song has nothing to do with this blog. Still, it's a fun diversion from politics and the video features a great performance by a toddler named Drake Dixon. You gotta watch this!
  
  
  
  For' [...]
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  Posted: July 30, 2009, 7:01pm EDT
  

• Obama's Gang Is Taking Over

  You can take the politician out of Chicago, but you can't take Gangster Politics out of the Chicago politician. President Obama and his left-hand man Rahm are determined to run the country. Not govern, mind you, but control all that they can grab.
  
  There are many lessons to be' [...]
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  Posted: July 09, 2009, 8:54pm EDT
  

• Grand Theft Election - Senator-select Al Franken

  The Wall Street Journal pretty much sums it up in the subtitle of their piece in todays edition: Franken wins by changing the rules.
  
  In good journalistic fashion, the first and last paragraphs of the piece provide a good summary of the debacle (emphasis mine):The Minnesota Supreme Court [...]
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  Posted: July 01, 2009, 8:38am EDT
  

• The Ideal Republican Candidates for 2012

  Call me crazy but the ideal ticket for Republicans in 2012 would be Chuck Norris for President and Bill Cosby, Vice-President.
  
  First of all, Republicans are going to need celebrity because no politician on the horizon is popular enough or communicates well enough to win even if Obama falters [...]
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  Posted: June 30, 2009, 4:07pm EDT
  

• A Mysterious County Appointment

  Bob Benke has been appointed to the Ramsey County Charter Commission.
  
  Just what is his motivation for this? Why would he want it?
  
  Bob Benke is the past Mayor of New Brighton. He's a friend and adviser to the current Mayor. He was co-chair of the re-election committee [...]
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  Posted: June 29, 2009, 5:04pm EDT
  

• Change the World--Irritate Government Workers

  As government at all levels moves toward total world takeover, I propose that one piece of the strategy to Starve the Beast is to make it no fun to work for the government. The people who work for the government should have to deal with cranky, non-compliant, detail-stickling, skeptical, slow-paying, [...]
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  Posted: June 11, 2009, 1:07pm EDT
  

• Obama is the Appeasement President

  President Obama has quietly reduced the number of US warships in the Persian Gulf to its lowest level in two years. What’s more, no US aircraft carriers are anywhere near the Gulf region.
  
  Meanwhile, Russian warships made their first appearance in the Bahrain port of Manama, seat of the [...]
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  Posted: June 01, 2009, 11:43am EDT
  

• Beware The American Community Survey

  The recent article on the American Community Survey below reminds me of my own experience two years ago.
  
  [www.nypost.com]
  
  I remember my wife was furious at the intrusiveness of the questions and so was I. In order to comply minimally with the law, we answered some basic [...]
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  Posted: May 26, 2009, 10:04am EDT
  

• Dead Austrian's Prophecies Trump Gitmo Controversy

  Ludwig von Mises:
  "There is no means of avoiding the final collapse of a boom brought about by credit expansion. The alternative is only whether the crisis should come sooner as the result of a voluntary abandonment of further credit expansion, or later as a final and total catastrophe of" [...]
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  Posted: May 22, 2009, 11:36am EDT
  

• Cheney Sets the Record Straight on GITMO and GWOT

  After listening to the self-serving propaganda of the Obama Administration regarding GITMO and the Bush Administration policies in the Global War on Terror, see the non-fiction version here as presented by former Vice President Dick Cheney.
  
  Remember when we had a real (not to mention competent) Vice President?[...]
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  Posted: May 22, 2009, 9:04am EDT
  

• Bush and Obama, Fulfillment of Prescient Beach Boys' Lyrics

  "You know, I hate to be a downer,
  but I'm the guy she left before you found her;
  Oh, I'm not sayin' you won't have a good love with her,
  But I keep on rememberin' things like they were ..."
  
  So sang the Beach Boys 50-odd years ago. As' [...]
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  Posted: May 21, 2009, 12:43pm EDT