Sir Paul and the shooting gallery

"Mayor Betsy really does not seem to get it. Not at all."

Last night was a HUGE night in the Mill City! Sir Paul made a return visit! And he played and played and played. All kinds of songs from many decades past. The folks that went there forked over a bunch of money for this special event. Some tickets required a very large sum of money. This is the tale of one city. A city of fun, music and happiness. A tale of another city going by the same name happened in the northern part of the city. It is a sad tale once again. Six people shot leaving one dead and two critical.

Mayor Betsy really does not seem to get it. Not at all. Her city is in deep, deep do-do. Her city has the highest achievement gap in the country. And guess why? It uses a broken education system compliments of the union thugs in the state teacher's union along with their friendly DFL coharts. And guess what the minions in the city continue to do? Vote for more of the same. And they will again in November. Count on it. 

Back to Mayor Betsy and her "Brag Minneapolis" campaign. Like many clueless life long DFLers, she is starting to "hollow out" Minneapolis just like other blue cities have done. Similar to Chicago, we will have very nice areas in town which are fun and somewhat safe to visit. Also similar to Chicago, we are developing areas of town which are so toxic, so very dangerous, most people are scared to death to come within miles of them.

An interesting article in the paper goes along with this thread today. Hennepin County, the county which houses Minneapolis, has a record number of requests for carry permits. So many so, the sheriff's office had to open a special location just to handle the large number of requests. Why in the world would so many people in Hennepin County feel the need to carry? Because the police seem to be perplexed on how to handle the growing shooting gallery in North Minneapolis. 

Since the Mayor and the City Council cannot seem to connect the dots, let me help. Breakdown of the family = trouble in school = achievement gap = growing crime wave. It is just simple math. Just as the Great Society programs started to break the family unit, we need to fix the family first. By fixing the family, the achievement gap will lessen. The more young people who succeed in schools, the less crime there will be in North Minneapolis.

Hint for Mayor Betsy. Since the War of Poverty started in the 1960's, we have spent $22 trillion dollars on anti-poverty programs. This money has done nothing to eliminate poverty, but has done a job of the family unit. To fix the family unit once again, will require less money, not more money. To fix the achievement gap will require less money (and less teacher unions), not more money. Just connect the dots Madam Mayor, and the Mill City will be back on the right track once again. 

And now???

"He was one advantage she does not - he has no political record. He will go into every sordid detail of what she and her husband have done since the get-go."  

Lots of sad faces this morning. Lots of shock with not a lot of awe. All of a sudden the big race for Cleveland has become somewhat of a coronation in Indiana. I am already hearing from staunch conservative friends they really don't know if they can pull a lever for Donald Trump. And I am hearing that in my own house.

For some, November is looking like a choice between the devil and the deep blue sea. Some think that in preparing for the general election, Trump could say something regrettable about Hillary. So bad it could turn off the female vote on both sides of the fence. Others think that Trump will beat Hillary like a drum. He was one advantage she does not - he has no political record. He will go into every sordid detail of what she and her husband have done since the get-go.

And then there is Bernie. Why in the world would he stick around? Simple - he is an ideologue. Always has been. He knows he does not stand a snowball's chance of getting the nomination. But he has a huge opportunity to make Democrats look more like socialists. He hates the kind of Democrat that will hop into bed with Wall Street. And that is the rub he has with Hillary - she is a classic limousine liberal. Someone who has become a fat cat while "in public service".

So the contest who so many have feared is now coming to fruition. Someone said, "Out of over 300 million people, this is the best we can come up with?" For Republicans, we can go back in time even further. We have run Bob Dole, John McCain and Mitt Romney. That was the best we had? All three got smoked. Two by some activist with zero experience. 

I guess I am still a bit numb right now. I really did think that Ted Cruz would be the right fix for our country. That being said, Ted is gone and I, along with many others, have a tough choice to make. Pull the lever for Donald Trump, or not. The "or not" is almost a guarantee that Hillary Clinton will be out next President.

We all have some time to process what happened last night in Indiana. Some don't have too much time as our state convention is coming up in a couple of weeks. We know the choice we have in front of us. God help us all.    

Losing the best of our best

"I will once again quote General Colin Powell before he became a bit tame. He said he hated fair fights. He like overwhelming odds." 

I really don't know if I should feel mad or sad tonight. We just lost a Navy SEAL. Fighting in Iraq. While there, he was in an "advisory" role. Ash Carter broke the news to the country today. Well, it was just one guy, who happened to get in the wrong place at the wrong time when a ISIL bullet was in the air. WRONG! This kind of warfighting just absolutely drives me nuts!

I will once again quote General Colin Powell before he became a bit tame. Prior to the Gulf War, he said he hated fair fights. He like overwhelming odds (in his favor). He wanted to cut the head of the snake off so the snake would die. Now we are going back to the future. Back to how Vietnam was fought. By the politicians. A little bit here, a little bit there, and at the end we end up with almost 50,000 Americans dead. And by the way, also a lost war. 

Could we beat ISIL? Boko Haram? Al Qaeda? Any offshoot of the Islamic State? In a short sentence - in a heartbeat. Our best and brightest are almost unbeatable in a normal fight. But the way we are using these highly valued assets concerns me. And it should concern Ash Carter.

Now I am not saying this just because I am retired Navy. I am saying this because I am an American. And a world citizen who is tired of seeing innocent people getting killed for no reason. This latest scourge called the Islamic State needs to be eliminated for once and for all. Like yesterday.

No more American deaths. That is until we have (as Saddam said) we have the "mother of all battles". I would put our best up against their best any day of the week. And we would win quickly. Let's get it done. No more American deaths operating only on the fringe. The only American deaths that would be acceptable would be in obtaining total and permanent victory. 

So please Secretary Carter, bring our young SEAL home to Dover, so we can bury him (with honors) at Arlington. I would much prefer him to still be alive and on the battlefield getting ready to rid the world of the Islamic State. Can we please end this before my grandson is old enough to fight these guys? Please?  

Free bonding money!!!

"And here is where the slight of hand comes in. Money spent today in bonding becomes part of tomorrow's budget." 

Free money! What is there not to love? Yippie skippie! I really don't see what the problem is. If you can't get boondoggle projects into the budget, just bond them! Maybe we should just bond the entire state budget, then we would not need any more state taxes!

Okay - enough of this foolishness. Of course bonding is not free money. It is similar to going to Costco and buying up the joint and putting the entire charge purchase on your American Express card. When you walk out of the store, you really do feel like you just received a whole bunch of stuff for free. And that feeling continues until the American Express bill comes due. That is when the buyer's hangover comes - and sometimes it comes in spades.

State bonding is absolutely no different. It is money spent which must be paid back. And here is where the slight of hand comes in. Money spent today via bonding, becomes part of tomorrow's budget. Yep - it has to be paid back with interest (albeit the interest rate today is almost zero). 

Case in point. The Governor would like to have $1.5B in "free bonding money" authorized this year. Of course there is money in that $1.5B for another choo-choo train! The Speaker does not want to bond that much - maybe about $600M (which is about $600M too much). Here is the kicker. By law, all bonding bills need to originate in the House. There is zero support to bond $135M for ANOTHER choo-choo train. So the odds of any money being in a bonding bill for SWLRT are practically zero.

Of course if the state does not authorize that $135M for the SWLRT, then the additional "free federal money" that will accompany it will be in jeopardy. Boo freaking hoo.

One more thing. Those of us who would really like to see our state spending brought under control, hate bonding. Simply hate it. It is the worst way in the world to spend money. And as long as we continue to bond, we will NEVER live in a low tax state. And as long as we insist (thanks for nothing Dayton) on living in a HIGH TAX state, our wealth migration out of this state will continue.  

A hellish event?

"I have said this before, but it needs repeating. Barack Obama has done a number on this country. He has fractured it like a fragile vase."

Let me start off by simply saying this. I greatly admire each and every person who has thrown his or her hat in the ring to go to the national convention. However, I will also say this. If I were offered a national delegate slot, flown to Cleveland first class, put up in a 5 star hotel, fed like a king, I would not go. In fact, I would run as fast as I could in the opposite direction. I think what is going to happen in Cleveland (and maybe even Philadelphia) could be one for the ages. And I don't mean that in a good way.

The closer we get to the convention, the more scared I get. I have gone through all possible outcomes in my mind - and none turn out well. It is obvious at this time that Trump will have most of the delegates at the time of the convention. They are going to feel entitled to the nomination. If it goes to the second or third ballot and Ted Cruz or someone else gets the nomination, I can see mayhem breaking out both inside and outside of the convention center. 

Donald Trump will not go into the night gently. No, not a bit. He has the bug too much right now. If the Republican convention is not kind to him, I would almost bet the house he would go third party. And then what could make things even more chaotic, is if the Democratic convention also fell apart. Where too many of the faithful felt Hillary was part of the problem. Too much baggage. Too much Washington. Then Bernie also runs third ticket. 

I have said this before, but it needs repeating. Barack Obama has done a number on this country. He has fractured it like a fragile vase. Our national motto has gone from "Out of many, one" to "As many as you want". 

One more thing. This was on the news this morning as well as in the print. Somewhere between 60% and 2/3 of us think we are on the wrong track. I guess the other third is still gulping the Kool-aide. And (this is the important one), should the race be between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, a full quarter of the electorate will either stay home or vote third party. In a critical year when we need mending after BHO, this is what we are left with.

Now I have said this before - I support Ted Cruz. But many do not. And one of the reasons I have heard people do not is Ted does not play well with others. Let me help clarify - he does not play well with Washington insiders. And that is exactly why I support him! Boehner, the ultimate insider, recently referred this very faithful man of God as Lucifer. That statement alone should have resulted in another million or so votes going for Cruz. 

Be brave folks. When the Republican convention starts, it could be the start of something very bad, or the end of a very shallow party, or the start of something new and promising. In any event, the birth pangs have already started. July could really be the darkness of the storm just before the light of day can once again be seen. 

Feeling Dionysian?

"But for the most part he is portrayed as just a fun loving guy (or god). The kind you would like to have at just about any party." 

Ah springtime! Yesterday was a fine example of a fine day in (what is my opinion) the finest time of the year! There are many ways to see it coming - and not just by watching Mother Nature waking up from her deep winter slumber. People start to "push the season" by wearing warm weather clothes, even if the thermometer says it is still only 40 degrees; kids tend to play their music louder; some people (not me of course) tend to drive a bit faster; and yes, many of us start to feel a bit Dionysian.

What the heck is feeling Dionysian? In short, it is a term taken from the Greek god Dionysus. Over the years, his name has gotten somewhat of a bad rap. Like totally equated with pleasure. That would be hedonism, another concept started by an ancient Greek (Aristippus). Hedonism simply means "pleasure for the sake of pleasure." Or as Aristippus is rumored to have said, "pleasure is the highest good".

Feeling Dionysian does have a sensual aspect to it, but it is the ying to the yang of what the Greek god Apollo taught. Instead of being measured and controlled, feeling Dionysian is to "let it all hang out". Or what I like to say - feeling springtime! It is true that Dionysus often was portrayed drinking wine and eating grapes - and sometimes practicing orgiastic or debaucherous type of behaviors. But for the most part, he is portrayed as just a fun loving guy (or god). The kind you would like to have at just about any party.

Back to springtime. Our entertainment and arts are replete with how we react to springtime. For example, James Michener wrote a book called Fires of Spring. It is a romance novel about a young man right set right before World War II. Some think it might have been autobiographical. Then there is the song about the best month of spring (May) from the Lerner and Loewe musical Camelot. "It's May, it's May, that lusty month of May."

Today will be another beautiful day in the neighborhood. Things are greening up so fast, they change almost daily. The smell of the earth waking up is like no other time of the year. For many, spring is always synonymous with new life, whereas winter is often called "the dead of winter". Springtime is when going for a walk, a run, a bike ride or just acting like you are 10 years younger is more the norm than not. 

There is some bad news in this equation. These fresh days of low humidity, great fragrances, and bug free pleasure are soon going to give way to hot, hazy and humid days with more bugs than you can shake a stick at. The freshness of this season will slowly fade into the dog days of summer. And then as quickly as it started, the end will be in sight. The first frost, the changing of the leaves, and then....the first cold blast from old man winter.

So enjoy these days folks, no matter how fleeting. For just these very few days of early spring, we really have caught lightening in a bottle. It is just too bad we cannot save some of that lightening for later in the year.  

Bernie's May Day Parade

"Today's activities will be a lollapalooza made just for Bernie Sanders."

Happy May Day! Those of who grew up many years ago remember May Day as a fun filled day. May Baskets, May Poles, the talk of spring - it was wonderful. Flash forward to today. May Day is a day of protests. We (many of our youth) now celebrate May Day by protesting and maybe rioting. Yes, we have adopted the "Workers of the world unite!" May Day philosophy from Mother Russia.

California is getting ready to batten down the hatches. They have already had some days of rage over Donald Trump. Many now think the table is set for some very active May Day demonstrations. What would those folks be protesting? Minimum wage. Exploitation of workers. Open borders. Free health care. Free college. Reparations. Returning California to Mexico. Today's activities will be a lollapalooza made just for Bernie Sanders.

For some reason, this entire socialism/communism thing has really caught on with some of our youth. To say they are looking at socialism/communism through rose colored glasses would be an understatement. Free college, free money for little work, no competition - it will be great! Of course the schools no longer teach the real truth on many matters of world history. Is that Common Core at work? Could be.

Kids are not taught that socialism and communism rob people of innovation and hard work. It has been tried numerous times and has racked up historic failures. Failed states galore. Many people have died under the oppressive boot of the socialist rulers. And those who are not killed, end up living lives of poverty and misery. Those are the facts. If you don't believe it, check out Venezuela. Or Cuba. Or North Korea.

Today we celebrate the "struggle" that workers have in this country. Yes, the struggle is real. In fact, besides most of us have three hots and a cot, at least one car in the driveway, the best medical care in the world, free education, a roof over our heads and cable TV, life really can suck! And for those who think capitalism is the thing that sucks, most of the aforementioned items just mentioned were developed by capitalism in this country. If ANYTHING on May Day, we should be celebrating capitalism! 

So happy May Day folks! I will not be swinging around a May Pole since I don't have one. By the same token, I am not going to protest nor demonstrate how unhappy I am. No, I love this country and I love living here. What I will do is simply this - enjoy this beautiful spring day.