My Two Least Favorite Days Of The Year…

…are: “Property Taxes Payable – 1st Half” and “Property Taxes Payable – 2nd Half”.

And yesterday was the one of those two least favorite days of the year. I don’t escrow, so twice a year I see – and feel the pain – of Gov. T-Bag’s “stewardship” of the great state of Minnesota. In 2001, I paid $2,316 in property taxes; as a result of the Property Tax Reform Bill enacted in 2001, and signed by then-Gov. Jesse Ventura, I paid $1,845. Under now-Gov. T-Bag, I paid $3,451 in property taxes this year.

The State House Research Department prepared an eleven page slide show in January of 2007 explaining what the 2001 Property Tax Reform Bill was supposed to accomplish; it’s available here.

According to the House Research Department, the goals of that 2001 Reform were:

Realign the state-local fiscal relationship:

• • Increase state’s role in funding state priorities (education, courts, transit)

• • Decrease state’s role in financing municipal services to give residents more direct responsibility for municipal service decisions

The bottom line, is Gov T-Bag accomplished the latter, while ignoring the former. While researching this post, I noted that MN2020.org has a new report out; published just this morning by Jeff Van Wychen. From it:

Since 2002, Minnesota property taxes, in general, and homeowner property taxes, in particular, have increased rapidly. The cause of the statewide growth in property taxes is not growth in local government budgets. These property tax hikes are the result of state policies that require more public costs to be borne by property taxpayers and a larger share of total property taxes to be borne by homeowners.

Yep – since 2002, my property taxes have increased rapidly; from $1,845 in 2002 to $3,451 in 2009 – dam near doubling during the reign of T-Bag The Terrible (a/k/a, “Worst. Governor. EVER.”).

Go to MN2020.org to find out why.

(crossposted and comments welcomed at MnProgressiveProject)

"The federal government has run every entitlement program they have essentially into the ground."

Dusty Trice caught the hypocrisy of Gov. T-Bag’s appearance on Faux News yesterday; about how Gov. T-Bag cancelled an appearance at Harvard University when there was a potential for a Swine Flu outbreak but had Pawlenty of time to chat away about teabagger bull(stuff) on Faux News while Minneapolis was cleaning up after yesterday’s tornados. It’s all about the priorities, doncha know?

So I’m watching Gov. T-Bag, and I spit coffee on the keyboard when Gov. T-Bag said this:

The federal government has run every entitlement program they have essentially into the ground Medicare is broke. Medicaid is broke Social Security is broke they’ve running every program they have them — that nature into the ground why would we give them another one to run and manage into the ground.”

O
M
G.

Just exactly who – WHO – has “run the government” over the last, say, 40 years?

Nixon – 1969 to 1974; Ford 1974 to 1977 (GOP 8, Dems 0)

Carter, 1977 to 1981 (GOP 8, Dems 4)

Reagan 1981 to 1989 (GOP 16, Dems 4)

Bush The Elder, 1989 to 1993 (GOP 20, Dems 4)

Clinton 1993 to 2001 (GOP 20, Dems 12)

Bush The Lesser, 2001 to 2009 (GOP 28, Dems 12)

Over the last 40 years, the GOP has run the federal government, and it’s entitlement programs, for 28 of the last 40 years.

So, when Gov. T-Bag says the “government has run everything into the ground” – that’s HIS party he’s talking about.

And in a way, T-Bag is “right” – we should NOT give the GOP another chance to run government; they break EVERYTHING.

(crossposted from MnProgressiveProject)

Protecting A Parking Lot, or….

“Information? We don’t need no stinkin’ information.”

It’s important to note that after all their “due diligence” – according to them – the Sierra Club decided to oppose the Crown Hydro project on the basis that “a fifty year lease (of a parking lot) isn’t really a ‘lease’ – it’s a ‘sale’.”

Here’s the money quote from the Chapter’s State Director, Maragret Levin:

“After careful consideration, the Sierra Club is opposing the Crown Hydro project due to what amounts to, legally, as a “sale” of public parkland (the proposed 50-year lease, with a right to renew for an additional 50 years). The Sierra Club North Star Chapter has long expressed concern about the sale of public park land to a private enterprise.”

Now, one way to look at that opposition is this: since after all that “careful consideration” the only – ONLY – reason the Sierra Club opposes the project is the length of the lease, it must be a pretty dam(n) good project.

But, what did ParkWatch testify to the Minneapolis Park Board, just the other night? Let’s look!

Protecting Parkland

The following speech in opposition to Crown Hydro’s proposed hydropower project on park land was given at the June 17, 2009 Park Board meeting during Open Time.

June 17, 2009

Commissioners:

First I would like to thank you for your previous decisions not to spend any further time or resources on the Crown Hydro project. Now, Crown is back with a renewed request for environmental review of its proposal. Nothing material has changed, and I urge you reject this project once and for all.

On its face, an EAW may sound appealing. Why not support a fact-finding exercise? Well, there are many reasons, and the main one is that you already have more than enough information to make a decision on this proposal.

1. We know that the Park Board mission is to “permanently preserve, protect, maintain, improve and enhance its natural resources, parkland, and recreational opportunities for current and future generations.”

2. We know that the public will lose control over St. Anthony Falls to a private developer and the FERC. No one can predict water flows over the next 50 to 100 years, and an EAW will not enlighten you on this topic. The FERC will have the authority to let the Falls run dry in order to produce energy.

3. We know that a FERC hydropower license will preempt local control of historic preservation issues.

4. We know from experience that this particular developer is willing to breach agreements when it serves its interests.

While it’s true the DNR concluded that there are two mandatory EAW categories that could apply to this project, the DNR did not conclude that an EAW must be done. If there is no project, then there is no need for an EAW.

I urge you to stand by your earlier decisions and follow your mission: say no to Crown Hydro. Protect the Falls and this parkland for future generations.

Sincerely,

Arlene Fried Co-founder of Park Watch

Posted by Liz Wielinski on Thu, 06/18/2009 – 10:55pm

I can fisk this at great length, and will.

And I’ll do it on Monday; I got stuff to do today, such as attend the send-off ceremony for the Minnesota troops of Alpha Company 452nd Combat Support Hospital – they’re being deployed to Afghanistan.

For those interested, it starts at 10 in Building 505 at Fort Snelling.

Come Monday, though, it’ll be time to rip Parkwatch a new one.

And why will the ol’ TwoPutter rip ’em a new one?

The old-fashioned reason, Ladies and Gents: they’ve EARNED it.

For now, though, consider this, from the extremists at Parkwatch: They’re agitating to save a parking lot, and they claim, above, several times that: “we know….”

No, they DON’T know – and they don’t need no stinkin’ facts that an EAW would determine.

Actually, they don’t WANT facts.

The funniest/saddest thing about that ParkWatch post, on the ParkWatch website?

That “we don’t need no stinkin’ information” is just below this post:

Mprb Unalloted $2.5 Million For 2010 Budget

During the MPRB meeting of June 17th as part of the Superintendent’s budget wrap up for 2008 he discussed the expected LGA ( Local Government Aid) unallotment allocations for the MPRB for 2009 and 2010 based on the current plan proposed by the governor.

Posted by Liz Wielinski on Thu, 06/18/2009 – 11:21pm

For you Minneapolis voters, remember next November that Liz Wielinski is a candidate for Park Board. And perhaps you might want to ask her, why roughly $300,000 per year from Crown Hydro – for rent of a parking lot – is such a “bad thing” when Governor T-Bag is looking to cut the Park Board’s budget by $2,500,000?

Here’s Liz’s website:
http://www.lizforparks.com/Site/Home.html

(crossposted from MnProgressiveProject)

T Minus 165 – More Examples Of A Lying Liar, Lying

From the U.S. Government’s official, Oval Office website:

George aWol Bush: “Well, first of all, Ken Lay is a supporter.(so far, true….but: that’s only nine words….) And I got to know Ken Lay when he was the head of the — what they call the Governor’s Business Council in Texas.(BIG-TIME WHOPPER!) He was a supporter of Ann Richards in my run in 1994.(ANOTHER BIG-TIME WHOPPER!!)And she had named him the head of the Governor’s Business Council. (kinda true…) And I decided to leave him in place, just for the sake of continuity.(BIG-TIME WHOPPER!!!) And that’s when I first got to know Ken, and worked with Ken, and he supported my candidacy.(BIG-TIME WHOPPER!!!!)This is — what anybody’s going to find, if — is that this administration will fully investigate issues such as the Enron bankruptcy, to make sure we can learn from the past, and make sure that workers are protected.”(ROFLMAO!!!!!)

Well, first let me say, that it’s hard (“it’s hard work, to work hard, to be hard at work, when you’re workin’ hard”) to find a Bushism in history, on today’s date, during the summer doldrums, such as today, in August. So, we’ll go with a January Bushism, for today’s date, August 7th.

Most other dates? No problemo; Dumbya’s got tons of ’em. But during the “summer dumbdoldrums? Not so much. Let’s look at why!

And the “why” is, because this great nation, America, has never – NEVER – seen such a slacker as George aWol Bush, as President. There’s very few “Adventures In BushSpeak” during these weeks, these summer doldrums, because The Texas Fence Post Turtle usually is hiding from working somewhere other than The Oval Office during these summer months, like the bars around his ranch The Texas Slack White House.

Whatever.

The simple fact is, anyone that believes what Boy Blunder said about Kenny-Boy Lay, above, is a candidate to fall for a Florida Swamp Scandal potential investor in Florida “waterfront” real estate.

Oh – and they’re also liable to believe, just like many did, that the rolling California blackouts of 2004 was the fault of Democratic Party leadership – just as today’s republiCons would like you to believe today’s $4.00+ a gallon gas, is San Fran Nan’s fault. Or, that Obama thinks it can be solved with a tire-guage.

Yeah, “right”. They also happen to believe Richard Milhous was a “great American”, and Spiro T. wasn’t a crook. But, I digress. What it comes down to, is this:

Kenny-Boy,now that you’re dead, republiCons claim they hardly knew ya. But, they love to pizz on your grave, when it suits their political needs. Shoot, Boy Blunder And The Plunderers done pizzed on ya, while you were still alive. But, there’s no honor among Dumbya’s kind of thieves.

Which, of course, not only explains why reasonable people can no longer reasonably trust Republicans to tell the truth; it also explains why reasonable people reasonably wonder if the $4.00+ a gallon isn’t today’s Kennny-Boy gouging the American Consumer.

Oh – and it also explains why January 20th, 2009, will be The End Of An Error.

(originally published at MnBlue.com)