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Affordability, DFL Style?

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I'm old enough to remember when license tabs fees dropped in price each year. I even remember when tabs were cheaper than your car payment. I'm betting that you're old enough to remember those times, too. Thanks to the 2023 DFL Trifecta, which spent the entire projected $18,000,000,000 surplus then raised taxes and fees by another $10,000,000,000, the days of affordable license tab fees are history and then some. When the House GOP tried returning to the pre-Trifecta prices, the DFL (this is rich) accused the House GOP of "blowing a $740,000,000 hole in the surplus." Let's compare a $740 million hole with a $28 BILLION HOLE in the 2023 surplus. The DFL Trifecta hole of $28,000,000,000 is 38 times larger than the PROJECTED $740,000,000 hole. And the DFL is LECTURING THE GOP ABOUT AFFORDABILITY?? The reason I'm writing about this is because of this Alpha News article . It reports "A 25-year veteran of vehicle sales in central Minnesota says customers...

Tim Walz admits Education Minnesota is a failure

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When Tim Walz published this tweet , he intended to brag about Minnesota. Instead, he highlighted a failure in K-12 education. He wrote "Minnesota’s graduation rates just reached another record high. From day one, we set out to build a better future for our students. I’m proud that every student who receives that diploma is better equipped to build a future they feel excited about." This Alpha News article slams the door on Gov. Walz's bragging in a NY split-second. The article opens by saying "Minnesota high school graduation rates hit a record high for the second straight year, even as test scores show little recovery from pandemic-era learning loss. New data from the Minnesota Department of Education shows the class of 2025 recorded a four-year graduation rate of 84.9%, the highest in recorded state history and an increase of 0.7% from the previous year’s record." That's nice happy talk but it won't eliminate this real-world reality: But academic p...

Amy Klobuchar is silent about helping students

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Apparently, Sen. Amy Klobuchar needs to get permission from Education Minnesota to see if it's ok to help K-12 students . Sen. Klobuchar is running for governor for Minnesota, a job that REQUIRES decision-making skills. This is different from Sen. Klobuchar's question-ducking skill. Apparently, Sen. Klobuchar's question-ducking ability is greater than her decision-making ability. According to the article, "Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a candidate for Minnesota governor, is silent on whether she would opt Minnesota into a federal tax credit program that could generate millions of new dollars for the state’s K-12 students. Why is she silent? According to the article, "Last year, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act created a federal tax credit which gives individuals a dollar-for-dollar reduction in their federal tax bill up to $1,700. In order to qualify for the tax credit, a taxpayer must donate to a scholarship-granting organization (SGO)." The money doesn't come out...

Iran: for whom the bombs will drop UPDATED

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Anyone that thinks that the U.S. and Israel won't start dropping bombs on Iran shortly before or shortly after 8:00 PM EDT is kidding themselves. Pakistan's latest proposal is filled with uncertainty. CNBC reports "Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday asked President Donald Trump for a two-week extension of his threat to wipe out the 'whole civilization' of Iran unless Tehran strikes a deal that includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Sharif in an X post also asked Iran’s leadership to agree to open up the strait for two weeks 'as a goodwill gesture.'" Based on this wording, it sounds like Iran hasn't agreed to the proposal. I'm not certain they've even talked with Pakistan about it. At this point, why would President Trump agree to something that I'd view more as a Hail Mary pass than as a serious proposal. Further, President Trump sits in the power position right now. "We also urge all warring parties to observe a...

Rescuing pilots and WSOs in Iran: what an inspiration!

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Monday afternoon's press conference was inspirational on a host of different fronts. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth made the most of his moment, highlighting as fact that he's a man of deep faith. Secretary Hegseth said "You see—shot down on a Friday, Good Friday—hidden in a cave, a crevice, all of Saturday—and rescued on Sunday, flown out of Iran as the sun was rising on Easter Sunday." Personally, I had chill-bumps when he said that. Other than President Trump, Secretary Hegseth is the most-hated man in this administration. It isn't that people hate Godly men. It isn't that people hate the military. It's that people hate the media's intentionally dishonest depictions of this administration. Secretary Hegseth also said "The United States military has once again proved why we possess the greatest fighting force the world has ever known. In two extraordinary combat search-and-rescue operations deep inside enemy territory in Iran, our warriors execu...

The Dems' Rahm Emanuel problem

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It's pretty obvious that Rahm Emanuel is still living in the past when Barack Obama, his former boss, was still considered electric and a great orator. Obama, though, has a major problem in that his policies are mostly worthless, starting with the Unaffordable Care Act. Emanuel has an Obama-sized millstone tied around his neck over Obamacare. It was Emanuel who said " never let a crisis go to waste ." That's how we got Obamacare shoved down our throats. I can't say that Obamacare is a total waste. I'm confident, though, that it's hurt more than it's helped. Mark Shepard, Harvard Kennedy School associate professor of public policy, is quoted as saying "It’s true that this shutdown fight is about a seemingly technical issue: whether to extend more generous 'enhanced' health insurance subsidies that have been in place since 2021. If Congress doesn’t act, those subsidies will expire at the end of this year, and out-of-pocket insurance premium...

He is Risen! Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone. While today is a fun day for little kids on Easter Egg hunts, Easter remains all about Jesus' resurrection. My favorite Bible account of Christ's crucifixion, death and resurrection is from Luke's Gospel. The Repentant Sinner's Crucifixion : Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, [j]“If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us." But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong." Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom." And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise." Jesus Dies on the Cross Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was t...