For all the talk about how government needs to be run like a business, Tim Pawlenty has done anything but. He only seems to get one side of the income and expense equation. He cuts expenses with wild abandon. Of course there's only so much you can cut essential services without causing other, more expensive problems down the line. Cities are starved, schools have closed, bridges have fallen -Republican dis-investment has been going on for years now.

Now, he should be looking at the income side of the books but, of course, Pawlenty will not even think of asking the wealthiest 10% of Minnesotans pay as much as the other 90% of us do in taxes.  Greed is rewarded in Pawlenty's world and any utterance to the contrary is heresy at best, unpatriotic at worst. He also has his eye on the White House and he needs to cater to the Tea Partiers -heck for all intents and purposes he is a Tea Partier.

Today's more extremist Republicans have no practical solutions for any of our crises. They have no plan for runaway health care, they want no regulation of the banking and investment industry that got us into a global economic meltdown and they think that since cutting greenhouse gasses will cost companies money therefore global warming can't be real. They have no solutions and "No" is all they say here or in Washington.

Now Minnesota faces a three billion dollar deficit. By some projections, maybe even a 5-7 billion dollar deficit. Our own Audrey Britton, running for house in 43A made a very interesting point in an e-mail last week; a point that that does not seem to be reported much in the media: the Governor is required by law to submit a balanced budget -and he has not done so.

I suppose we can all sympathize with his plight. If your only solution is to cut expenses and you are ideologically opposed to raising revenue you only have one option -borrow. It would not be surprising if this was Pawlenty's plan all along. After the Bush Administration spent like drunken sailors they found the perfect solution -put the bill off on someone else -our children and children yet unborn.

It will be interesting to see what Pawlenty does. He's backed himself into a corner; if he does put our children further into debt, he risks the voters finally understanding the insanity of his approach -and this could seriously hurt his chances to go to Washington. On the other hand, if he does not put the bills on our kids credit cards it's hard to see how he could deliver a balanced budget (assuming he intends to). Stay tuned.

 

 

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A couple of articles, a study and an NPR show I caught yesterday profile what they are calling "backfire" -the idea that rather than change a belief people will disregard facts. Luckily someone on the SCC saw these too and saved me the work of rounding up the links:

How cognitive biases affect our interpretation of political messages

Cognitive dissonance, and the persistence of belief

Another cognitive bug: Attempting to correct a misperception often reinforces it

The Effects of Semantics and Social Desirability in Correcting the Obama Muslim Myth

When Corrections Fail: The persistence of political misperceptions

NPR: Talk of th Nation

This is all presented as if new and little mention is made of Lakoff or the century of cognitive science research that reached these conclusions long ago.

Note that "cognitive dissonance" is a term that is being slung around a lot lately and I fear that it has already been misused and that the misuse will stick. Cognitive dissonance is the tension between competing beliefs in one's mind or between one's beliefs and their actions. The theory by Leon Festinger posits that people will try to minimize cognitive dissonance by 1) clinging to their beliefs and disregarding facts, 2) changing their mind in light of new facts or 3) changing either their beliefs or their actions to bring them in line.

The action part is important; behavior strengthens learning. One interesting finding of Festinger's research was that, say, if a person takes the action of donating to a candidate, no matter how much, or even saying they will vote for a candidate, they are far more likely to actually vote for the candidate.

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How timely! If you read yesterday's Aurora E-mail Alert, I noted that Audrey Britton (MN House candidate for 43A) called on the Governor to submit a balanced budget and put aside divisive party politics that have gridlocked both Washington and St.Paul. And today, former Republican Governor Arne Carlson pretty much says what Audrey has been saying!

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has wondered, amidst all the really wacky stuff we see in today's GOP -the Creationism, the climate change deniers, the Birthers, Michelle Bachmann(!)- just where the responsible Republicans are. We know they are there. Just like we know there are Christians who don't believe Christ's central message was to forget the poor, make as much money for yourself as you can and send most of it to a televangelist.

And, though we believe solidly in our Progressive worldview, only crazy people believe that America will someday become a nation of citizens who agree on everything. If we are to have opposing views, better they come from thoughtful people grounded in reason and willing to work out their differences for the common good.

In Minnesota, former Governor Arne Carlson has led this effort for "old style" Republicans and in a stunning rebuke to Tony Sutton calls out today's GOP leadership for vindictive politics and charges that Tim Pawlenty has chosen to "sidestep his responsibility" by not submitting a balanced budget as required by law. Here's a link to the letter:

http://myaurora.org/aurorawiki/tiki-download_file.php?fileId=675

It is very interesting reading and if we see more of this, and responsible Republicans somehow regain control of their runaway party, there may be hope that gridlock and hyperpartisanship could be someday be on the wane.

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Here comes the inevitable "Obama is anti-capitalist or anti-business. It's a straw man of course, like the notion that our only choices are unfettered free markets and Socialism. The left does not want Socialism any more than the right (though the right wants everyone to believe that).

Those of us on the left make a distinction the right studiously avoids between incentive, which allows citizens to build a business, hire employees and make the world a better place, and greed which inevitably destroys economies and brings misery to millions.

And what's more anti-capitalist or anti-business than to allow greedy bastards to crash the world economy?! That is exactly what happened under Bush and I cannot believe that so many people want more of the same dumb policies that got us into this mess.

We Lefties believe citizens have the right to protect themselves from catastrophies of greed. If that means regulations to keep high flying money jockeys in line, or inheritance taxes to prevent our government from being controlled by dynastic wealth and the power it brings  (another thing our founders rebelled against) that's not socialism -just common sense.

Just to put the final nail in the coffin of lefties being anti-business, Lefties actually believe we should invest tax revenue in things like roads, schools and courts that provide entrepreneurs with a valuable foundation for success.

Here's a fun video. This is perhaps the most concise overview of economic perspectives I've ever seen. The animations make it very enjoyable and this guy David Harvey is a great speaker.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOP2V_np2c0&feature=player_embedded

 

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It is a measure of just how extreme and out of touch Tom Emmer is when he says that the richest Minnesotans ought to continue to pay less tax than the rest of us but wait staff (wait staff!) ought to have their minimum wage cut if they get tips.

Though you don't deserve one Mr. Emmer, I'll give you a tip: It's not the richest 10% who make Minnesota's economy healthy , it's the thousands of small businesses and the millions of workers in the other 90% . After your party allowed greed to ruin the world economy you might want to dial back on blaming the victims.

I know I'll be tipping off my waiters and waitresses to Emmer's plans for their paycheck.

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In past calamities the US has invested in employment and businesses, calculating that debt and deficit is less of a concern than worldwide depression. Virtually all economists agree that the stimulus packages have staved off a deeper recession, if not a depression. We know that providing jobs, raising taxes on the well off and investing in businesses works because it has in our previous calamities.

Yet Republicans want to try something new. In fact it is the exact opposite of investment. It is, instead, protection of private capital  -at least for those who have gobs and gobs of it. Republicans are asking you to approve, next November, a very large scale experiment; one that if they are wrong, will quite possibly throw us all into a worldwide depression. If you think that their constant obstructionism is stalling recovery, just wait 'til you see what they have in store for us should they get the power to do so.

What they want to do is what they have been doing (much of which got us into this mess in the first place):

• Deregulating; essentially dismantling any chance the public has to protect itself from the same greedy bankers we just bailed out or oil execs more concerned with next quarter's profits than the environmental catastrophe they've caused.


• Starving government by cutting spending and taxes. Cities and schools are in dire straights already -how bad will things be if, say, a Tim Pawlenty brings his brand of slash and burn to vital public services.


• Fooling people. It must be said that when you dismiss science and reason in favor of ideology and fundamentalist religion you have intentionally chosen to remain ignorant of reality. If you push that kind of wilfull ignorance on others you are either deluded or complicit in fooling your fellow Americans. Case after case of obvious falsehoods are believed by many millions of people long after they've been soundly debunked.
  
  

All indications are that responsible Republicans are on the wane and extremist Teabaggers are in charge. Today's free market extremism says the free market is always right and the government is always wrong. The government is us and Republicans think we are too stupid to govern ourselves.

The rise of right wing extremism rarely turns out well for any country and this time it may be calamitous in ways we've never dreamed.

Paul Krugman, who proves to be right about most things economic, predicts the current paranoid climate of reduced taxes and spending will derail attempts to fix our problems and put us into a "Third Depression". The article is a must read (you may have to sign up for free access):

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/28/opinion/28krugman.html

And this related NY Times editorial is also quite sobering:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/30/opinion/30wed1.html

Jeffrey Sachs, of the Earth Watch Institutute, makes a case for deficit reduction but also taxation on the rich:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=get-serious-about-budget-deficits

 

The hype about Clinton and irresponsible Home buyers not withstanding, I believe history will record that our problems in the financial market and the oil industry were directly caused by deregulation. For me I've never understood the concept that, where money is concerned, Americans are not allowed to protect themselves from greed. It was greed that built a casino made of playing cards and greed that blew it all down taking everyone else with it. What is most astonishing is that Republicans, in the face of this most obvious disaster, can, with a straight face, insist that we allow industry and the financial markets to continue as before with no regard to consequences.

Jonathan Alter, unfortunately, hits the nail on the head when he calls out the President for not being bold enough on deregulation in this article:

http://www.newsweek.com/2010/06/19/time-to-tap-t-r.html

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Janine Wedel has spent decades studying how Communist economies in Eastern Europe work from an anthropological perspective.  Her experience mapping under-the-radar power in Communist Poland helped her identify a new breed of modern-day power broker here in the U.S.  In her recent book, Shadow Elite, she explains how unaccountable operators increasingly shaped public policy to suit their own interests.  "Inside this closed culture, the ideals of the free market are repeatedly espoused, but not upheld. Derivatives, the exotic contraptions that enrich the banking business, have flourished in the shadows, not in the open marketplace" (Huffington Post Daily Brief, May 20, 2010).  Read Janine Wedel's article published for the May 20th Huffington Post:

Shadow Elite:  Derivatives, A Horror Story

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• We are a nation of immigrants.


• Fear should never cause us to abandon liberty.  A single case of a citizen being stopped and asked for papers to prove their citizenship smacks of fascist police tactics and erodes our liberty.
  
  


• Immigration has been a perrenial problem for decades. It has defied every administration's attempt to fix it. There is and will be no easy fix.
  
  


• You cannot build a secure enough border wall or adequately staff it to prevent large numbers of people from crossing the Mexican border into the US.
  
  


• At the rate people are crossing the border illegally and with millions already here, attempting to arrest them all or even a significant portion of them would take far more resources than Americans are willing to pay for.
  
  


• Busting illegal immigrants, as legally justified as it is, will never solve the problem. Large fines and the seizure of business assets from those who hire illegals would work better and cost less.
  
  


• Police are almost universally against laws forcing them to bust illegal immigrants. It keeps them from more pressing tasks and, when illegals are afraid to talk to police, it hurts law enforcement's ability to solve crimes.
  
  


• Anyone who believes illegals do work Americans won't has never seen the TV show Dirty Jobs. Americans will do the work, just not at the low wages paid. If Americans are serious about immigration reform they will need to be comfortable with the idea that some things will cost more than they do now.
  
  


• Yes, many immigrants are seeking a better life. At the same time we have a right to set immigration quotas and expect our laws to be followed. It is easy to understand the frustration of those who, following the rules, must wait a long time for citizenship.
  
  


• American involvement in making Mexico and Central America more stable and free from the devastating power of drug cartels will make Mexico and Central America a place people will not need to flee from.

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Fifteen years ago, anti-government extremist Timothy Mc Veigh blew up a truck laden with 5,000 pounds of explosives outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.  168 people were killed and more than 680 injured in the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil before 9/11. In a speech at the Center for American Progress Action Fund,  former President Bill Clinton spoke of this pivotal moment in his presidency and "drew parallels between the antigovernment tone that preceded that devastating attack and the political tumult of today."  Given the increase in anti-government extremism, Clinton emphasized that it takes only one Timothy Mc Veigh to cause extreme harm and urged leaders in politics and the media to be more responsible with their rhetoric.

Read the full April 19th Progress Report on President Clinton's comparison of violence during his presidency to trends today including comments by the Southern Poverty Law Center;  Center for American Progress Action Fund President John Podesta; Bradley Buckles, the former director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; and former Oklahoma Republican Congressman Mickey Edwards:

Radical Right - Betting Against America's Government

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The Democratic Visions You Tube Channel  features leading Minnesota DFL leaders and progressive thinkers in a great looking and sounding as well as supportive video environment.

Little on the Internet or local television can compare!  So, before the State DFL Convention in Duluth, check us out at:     http://www.youtube.com/user/DemocraticVisions

Top row:  John Marty, RT Rybak, Tom Rukavina, Paul Thissen, Mark Dayton     Middle row:  Matt Entenza, Rebecca Otto, Mike Freeman, Jim Meffert    Bottom Row:  John Benson, Terri Bonoff, Host Tim O Brien, Ron Case, Maria Ruud



Democratic Visions is hosted by Tim O Brien and produced by DFL volunteers for DFL Senate District 42 – Eden Prairie / south Minnetonka, DFL Congressional District 3. 

Democratic Visions is broadcast on Comcast Channel 15 in Hopkins, Minnetonka, Edina, Richfield and Eden Prairie Sundays at 9 p.m. and Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m.  The series is also carried on Bloomington Cable Access Television Channel 16 on Tuesdays at 2:00 p.m. & 10:00 p.m. and Wednesdays at 2:00 p.m.

Democratic Visions can also be seen online at:

http://www.dflsd42.org/get_informed/democratic_visions.htm   and at

http://www.youtube.com/user/DemocraticVisions

Questions or suggestions:  Contact producer Jeff Strate at 952-949-8980.

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