Say Anything Blog

It may be hard to believe, but good public policy can actually be made.  Unfortunately, bad policy is generally made by gullible and naïve officials.  Party designation, however, has very little to do with this.

Fortunately, incumbents have a voting record we can look at to determine whether they are good at making public policy, or if they should try their hand at something else.

In the 2005 legislative session House Bill 1512 was put forth as a method of relieving the property tax burden that has hit every community in the state.  The premise of HB1512 was that the way to relieve the property tax burden was to slap a 33% increase on individual and corporate income tax, and raise the state sales tax from 5% and 7%. 

Fortunately Rich Wardner, and all but two members of the State Senate, saw this bad idea for what it was.  The same cannot be said for one of our Representatives, Nancy Johnson (District 37 - Dickinson). 

Her idea of property tax relief, apparently, is to raise taxes on businesses, workers, and consumers – it doesn’t sound like much relief to me.  And it certainly doesn’t sound like sound fiscal policy – or something a conservative Republican would support.

Nancy Johnson also voted against an excellent proposal (HB3004) that was co-sponsored by Rich Wardner to require a 60% majority to increase ALL taxes at the state level. The only conclusion we can make from these votes, as well as her vote to raise the wheat tax, is that Nancy Johnson is a tax and spend liberal – despite the “R” behind her name.

I have been involved in Republican politics as an activist, as Chairman of the DSU College Republicans, and as a party worker.  One thing that I have found to be true is that if the Republican option is not good on taxes, there really isn’t any reason to vote for that Republican. 

Combine this with the fact that Nancy Johnson was also one of only 13 Representatives to vote against HCR 3017 “a concurrent resolution urging Congress to pass a human life amendment to the Constitution of the United States.” I wonder if she supports partial-birth abortion too?

The Republican super-majority in the legislature will likely continue, but this is an opportunity to send a message to Republicans – “don’t get too comfortable in Bismarck” - and that we as Republicans are willing to clean up our own party once in a while.  Hopefully, with some luck, officials calling themselves “Republican” will get the message start acting like the Republicans they claim to be.

Till then, we should send people that will work with conservatives within our party, even if they are not Republican.  This is why I am supporting Stuart Savelkoul with my 2nd of my two votes for the North Dakota State House of Representatives.  I would rather send a message than plug my nose and vote for someone who pretends to be a Republican but really isn’t.

It’s time to show candidates calling themselves Republican when they really aren’t that we would rather have a young, up-and-coming Democrat, who is at least honest about what he believes and what he represents instead of a “Republican” that would be on the extreme left-wing of the Democratic Party if she was honest with herself, and the voters of District 37.

Ronald Reagan, 1964

I have spent most of my life as a Democrat. I recently have seen fit to follow another course. I believe that the issues confronting us cross party lines. Now, one side in this campaign has been telling us that the issues of this election are the maintenance of peace and prosperity. The line has been used “We’ve never had it so good.”

But I have an uncomfortable feeling that this prosperity isn’t something on which we can base our hopes for the future. No nation in history has ever survived a tax burden that reached a third of its national income. Today, 37 cents of every dollar earned in this country is the tax collector’s share, and yet our government continues to spend $17 million a day more than the government takes in. We haven’t balanced our budget 28 out of the last 34 years. We have raised our debt limit three times in the last twelve months, and now our national debt is one and a half times bigger than all the combined debts of all the nations in the world. We have $15 billion in gold in our treasury--we don’t own an ounce. Foreign dollar claims are $27.3 billion, and we have just had announced that the dollar of 1939 will now purchase 45 cents in its total value.

Human Events

One of the strangest things about North Dakota is that the Roughrider State has not had a Republican U.S. senator since 1986 and last had a Republican as its congressman-at-large in 1980.

That is particularly strange because not only has the state twice given its electoral votes to George W. Bush, but has filled all statewide offices save that of commissioner of agriculture with Republicans and given handsome majorities to the GOP in both the state senate and state house of representatives.

So why has North Dakota elected liberal Democrat Earl Pomeroy to its lone congressional seat since 1992?

“In large part, it’s because more than 90% of his sizable campaign funds come from political action committees outside the state and that has discouraged Republican contributors and strong candidates,” said Roger Timm, campaign manager for Republican hopeful Matt Mechtel, “and the result is a congressman who doesn’t represent the common-sense values of the businessmen, housewives, and farmers of North Dakota.”

As recent examples of this, Timm cites the votes of Pomeroy (lifetime American Conservative Union rating: 24%) against the fence along the Mexican border, against warrantless anti-terrorist intercepts and against federal protection of religious monuments.

Such votes and such a record are finally coming under fire this year, as Pomeroy faces conservative Republican Matt Mechtel, a farmer from Cass County in the Northwest corner of the state. At 37, Mechtel has been a farmer for 20 years, launched a few successful small businesses, and is a gourmet cook. His political experience has been limited to donating money to the state Republican Party, but this has not stopped GOP powerhouses—notably Republican National Committeewoman Connie Nicholas and husband Gene, a 32-year state legislator—from weighing in strongly for the neophyte candidate.

Because of his lack of political experience and varied life in the private sector, Matt Mechtel is everything that Earl Pomeroy—who has been in elective office for 26 unbroken years—is not. Mechtel favors the Bush tax cuts and making them permanent, supports oil drilling in Alaska, and the tough, amnesty-free border-security measures passed by the House. A strong backer of the War on Terror, Mechtel wants a permanent Patriot Act as well as a declaration of war on terror itself.

As a political newcomer challenging a seasoned incumbent, Matt Mechtel follows in the tradition of another conservative Republican who was repeatedly questioned about his lack of political experience. That same Republican would concede that his opponent did indeed have many years of experience and quickly add: “That’s why I’m running.” And he won. His name was Ronald Reagan.

Langley Perry at Save the GOP

WASHINGTON - No sooner did Congress authorize construction of a 700-mile fence on the U.S.-Mexico border last week than lawmakers rushed to approve separate legislation that ensures it will never be built, at least not as advertised, according to Republican lawmakers and immigration experts.

GOP leaders have singled out the fence as one of the primary accomplishments of the recently completed session. Many lawmakers plan to highlight their $1.2 billion down payment on its construction as they campaign in the weeks before the midterm elections.

But shortly before recessing late Friday, the House and Senate gave the Bush administration leeway to distribute the money to a combination of projects — not just the physical barrier along the southern border. The funds may also be spent on roads, technology and “tactical infrastructure” to support the Homeland Security Department’s preferred option of a “virtual fence.”

Shame on the Republicans, including President Bush, for pulling a bait-and-switch on this issue. Gambling with border security for political means is dangerous and opposite to the Republican Party’s principles… that’s assuming the Party has any left.

This is ridiculous. Will it even matter if the Democrats take control of Congress? They would pass bills, and Bush would veto them. I’m almost starting to like the prospects of a gridlocked government the more I hear of clownery on the Hill such as this recent maneuver in immigration enforcement (or lack thereof).

World Net Daily

“Speaker Hastert had knowledge of Congressman Foley’s inappropriate behavior and chose to protect a potential pedophile and powerful colleague over a congressional page,” said David Bossie, president of conservative advocacy group Citizens United, today.

“This inaction demonstrates a lack of leadership on Speaker Hastert’s part, and calls into question both his judgment and character. If Speaker Hastert was willing to sacrifice a child to protect Rep. Foley’s seat and his own leadership position, then he surely does not share our American and conservative values,” said Bossie.

Hastert today called for investigation of the circumstances that led to Foley’s terse resignation last week.

But organization spokesman Stephen Manfredi said there was an obligation there when the information first became known to follow through.

“We’re hearing a lot of talk now about an investigation,” he told WND. “Where was the talk about an investigation when there was a problem.”

The situation was akin to an oil pressure light flashing on a car. Someone who sees it should check it out. “That’s a very good analogy,” Manfredi said.

Foley’s “inappropriate, perverse and illicit communications” with a teen-age page were known to several leaders, yet no one followed through with an investigation, the group noted.

Hastert “has already failed in his duty to investigate and prosecute this matter before it became a public relations problem,” the organization said.

“This lack of leadership is not only morally repugnant, but it may cost Republicans the House in November. Mr. Hastert should resign immediately,” Bossie said.

Michael Reagan, a nationally syndicated radio show host and chairman of Citizens United’s Faith and Family Project, agreed.

“Any member of Congress who was aware of the sexual e-mails and protected the congressman should also resign effective immediately,” he said.

Citizens United is a Washington-based conservative grassroots advocacy group dedicated to restoring the government to citizens’ control, the group said.

It “seeks to reassert the traditional American values of limited government, freedom of enterprise, strong families, and national sovereignty and security.” Its goal is the restore the Founding Fathers’ vision of a free nation, guided by honesty, common sense and good will of its citizens.

From SavetheGOP.com

I think more needs to be said about former Congressman and sexual predator Mark Foley. Look for many on the right to traipse out arguments of moral equivalency. Now is not the time to argue about blue dresses or Barney Frank’s lover running a gay prostitution ring out of their home. The only thing close to Foley’s actions is the accused rape of Juanita Broderick by then governor Bill Clinton. A charge President Clinton has yet to answer. But nothing compares to this. You do not excuse one bad behavior with another.

Foley is a sexual predator and should be prosecuted. Also at fault is the House Leadership who knew about Foley’s shenanigans and did nothing but tell him to stop. The GOP leadership is eating good old-fashioned oh s&*t burgers right about now and they deserve it.

I‘m disgusted.

Very interesting. 

Business Week

This chart starts at February 2001, which is the peak month for nonfarm employment. The top line is the broad private health sector (explained below). The bottom line is the rest of the private sector. Each line measures the difference in employment between that month and Feb 2001.

You can see that non-health private sector employment is no higher now than it was when the recession started. Meanwhile health care has steadily rose.

Note: This chart uses a slightly different cut at the data than the article. All the numbers in my article use 12-month averages of nonseasonally adjusted data, because I was looking at a lot of small industries which are only published in that form, and a lot of state and local data. On a 12-month average basis, the peak is June 2001.

For this chart, I use seasonally adjusted data for private jobs and private health care services, and nonseasonally-adjusted data for all other industries in the private health care sector.

GRAND FORKS - Democratic Sen. Kent Conrad and his Republican challenger have been traveling the parade routes of North Dakota in different ways. Conrad usually sits atop a convertible. Dwight Grotberg cruises standing up, on a two-wheeled scooter.

The two men joked about Grotberg’s Segway before a recent parade in downtown Grand Forks, after the company warned owners about a software glitch capable of sending riders tumbling.

“I was wondering, Kent, if you had something to do with that,” joked Grotberg, who has difficulty walking long distances because of back problems.

Both candidates have agreed not to attack each other. In the state’s last U.S. Senate race two years ago, Republican challenger Mike Liffrig kicked off his campaign by promising a “guerrilla warfare approach” against Sen. Byron Dorgan. The Democrat got 68 percent of the vote.

Grotberg said his campaign platform is based on providing a stronger rural economy. He wants to make tax cuts permanent and provide incentives for North Dakota businesses.

“Voters believe the Democratic delegation will bring them more money home from D.C.,” Grotberg said. “Over and over again, it’s their belief. I’m challenging them in that area. I don’t believe it’s true.”

So today I got a letter in the mail from Ken Mehlman asking for money - funny thing was this letter had a dollar in it.

Read the letter here.

Well, I think this is a stupid fundraising scheme, I wrote back to Ken about this.

September 30, 2006

P.S. Quit supporting RINOs and abandoning solid conservative candidates like Dwight Grotberg and Matt Mechtel.

I guess I owe Dwight a dollar now.