Surprising poll and the anger vote
Results in the latest Minnesota Public Radio/Humphrey Institute poll are somewhat surprising showing Mark Dayton opening up an 11 point lead over Republican Tom Emmer.
Apparently, Dayton's tax the rich message is not scaring too many average people. You have to wonder if one of the worst recessions in decades, angst and discord in Washington, tea parties across the country has created the perfect storm for the anger and frustration vote.
The idea that taxing the rich will hurt job creation also seems to be a message that not many people are buying. I'm not sure why they would. They haven't seen their "rich" employers add many jobs lately. So, they figure, what do we have to lose?
That's not necessarily the way I would think about it, but I've not seen anyone offer a study that shows when you raise taxes on wealthy individuals you curtail job creation, or conversely, if you lower taxes - like in 2001 - you spur job creation. That obviously didn't happen.
Anger, part two, the Chinese
With voters angry at their U.S. elected leaders in Congress, you've got to figure Congress gets angry and frustrated as well. So why not take it out on the Chinese.
A bipartisan group of 348 members of the House of Representatives voted to penalize China if we don't like how they value, or - in our view- manipulate, the value of their currency, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.
Journal writer Michael R. Crittenden and Bob Davis describe it as a move that is "sending a powerful warning to Beijing but risking a response that could harm U.S. companies and consumers."
That's a great piece of good old fashioned journalist intelligence to work into that lead. The politicians were acting tough, but likely to the detriment of their constituents.
But who is against bashing the Chinese, the guys who are like the "rich" of the world because they own so much of our debt.
The bill would allow us to put tariffs on Chinese goods if we didn't like the fact that Chinese currency was making ours look bad. Congress is probably posturing more on this than actually thinking about doing it, but then again, actions of Congress are often based on what looks good and not what will work well.
The risk in this kind of retaliation legislation is what the World Trade Organization won't tolerate. The WTO has the authority to rule against any unfair tariffs and allow the aggrieved country justice. This legislation seems like it would certainly fall outside the WTO rules we all agreed to abide by years ago.
We'd just have them retaliate with tariffs on everything we have to sell to them. And being that China is one of the largest markets in the world for U. S. goods, (why would our governors and others be continually traveling there if they weren't?) cutting off trade or artificially raising the price of our goods in the Chinese market wouldn't make any economic sense.
Tip of the day for tea party folks
The tea party continues its angry protests against all manner of federal spending that doesn't ever seem to be specified except in broad ways like welfare and Obamacare.
I offer this specific for use in their next rally: The House of Representatives approved in May a Defense Department budget that will increase $46 billion in 2011, or 7 percent. The vote was 229-186.
But Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, and his deputy recently told Congress their budget is bloated and wasteful and they don't need that much money, and are aiming to cut their own budget $100 billion over five years because of waste in private contracts that should be done by the Defense Department's own employees.
They also didn't want Congress to spend $485 million on backup jet engines they say they didn't need, as did Obama, as did Bush before him. The House voted down stripping that money from the Defense bill. The vote will surprise you. Democrats voted against the wasteful spending, while many Republicans voted in favor of the extra jet engines, though there was crossover both ways.
Tea parties and citizens getting involved in government is great. It helps if you have some facts.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Friday, August 20, 2010
Investors now hammer Target political contribution
The Target political contribution saga continues
Now, major investors in Target are asking independent board members to review political contribution policies.
One investment manager said they can't believe Target didn't see how political contributions toward controversial candidates affect the bottom line and its business.
Several groups are calling for a boycott.
Many corporations will be reviewing their policies and many are likely to be chilled.
What's interesting about this whole series of events is that the need to do good business trumps the need to be political or make a statement, especially with investors money!
Here's latest Strib story which also quotes L.A. Times.This story is getting a lot of traction and will likely not go away soon.
Now, major investors in Target are asking independent board members to review political contribution policies.
One investment manager said they can't believe Target didn't see how political contributions toward controversial candidates affect the bottom line and its business.
Several groups are calling for a boycott.
Many corporations will be reviewing their policies and many are likely to be chilled.
What's interesting about this whole series of events is that the need to do good business trumps the need to be political or make a statement, especially with investors money!
Here's latest Strib story which also quotes L.A. Times.This story is getting a lot of traction and will likely not go away soon.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Business and politics don't mix
I knew it would happen.
As soon as the Supreme Court gave corporations the go ahead to contribute to political campaigns, many would move that way headstrong without thinking of the ramifications.
Many, like Target Corp., are now thinking twice about corporate contributions to political candidates.
When Target contributed to Minnesota Forward, a political group backing GOP gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer, the corporation ran into a buzzsaw of sorts of public opinion from the gay community.
Lots of those folks work at Target, lots buy at Target and they weren't so keen on Target backing a guy who they believe does not have their best interests at heart.
Target apologized to its gay and lesbian workforce and later to the groups as a whole.
Now, Moveon.org is "targeting" Target for a boycott.
I must say I am amazed at corporations who hire squadrons of public relations people to gauge consumer reaction to the size and shape of Cheerios have no clue when it comes to offending consumers in the political arena.
The longstanding rule of polite conversation is to avoid topics like politics, religion and sex, seems to be lost on corporations who must adhere to the rules of polite conversation if they want to maximize the number of people who may be interested in their products.
For more on this topic, check out MPR's story.
Here's an interesting FactCheck story as well.
As soon as the Supreme Court gave corporations the go ahead to contribute to political campaigns, many would move that way headstrong without thinking of the ramifications.
Many, like Target Corp., are now thinking twice about corporate contributions to political candidates.
When Target contributed to Minnesota Forward, a political group backing GOP gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer, the corporation ran into a buzzsaw of sorts of public opinion from the gay community.
Lots of those folks work at Target, lots buy at Target and they weren't so keen on Target backing a guy who they believe does not have their best interests at heart.
Target apologized to its gay and lesbian workforce and later to the groups as a whole.
Now, Moveon.org is "targeting" Target for a boycott.
I must say I am amazed at corporations who hire squadrons of public relations people to gauge consumer reaction to the size and shape of Cheerios have no clue when it comes to offending consumers in the political arena.
The longstanding rule of polite conversation is to avoid topics like politics, religion and sex, seems to be lost on corporations who must adhere to the rules of polite conversation if they want to maximize the number of people who may be interested in their products.
For more on this topic, check out MPR's story.
Here's an interesting FactCheck story as well.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Give Emmer credit,
You've got to give gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer a little credit for going into the belly of the beast and having a town hall meeting with angry waiters and waitresses.
He said in remarks earlier that he favored a lower minimum wage and that some waiters and waitresses can make $100,000 a year. He said he was told that by the owner of a St. Paul cafe, who he says, now says he didn't say it.
Here's a Strib story and video worth watching.
Of course, he had supporters in the room ready to clap at appropriate times, but his message was still mainly clear. If you're a good servers, you should make a little more than minimum if you're not good you should "maybe" make a little less and "work your way up."
I don't think I've ever seen a candidate talk to people about how they should work and what they should be paid. It's an unusual conversation.
He said in remarks earlier that he favored a lower minimum wage and that some waiters and waitresses can make $100,000 a year. He said he was told that by the owner of a St. Paul cafe, who he says, now says he didn't say it.
Here's a Strib story and video worth watching.
Of course, he had supporters in the room ready to clap at appropriate times, but his message was still mainly clear. If you're a good servers, you should make a little more than minimum if you're not good you should "maybe" make a little less and "work your way up."
I don't think I've ever seen a candidate talk to people about how they should work and what they should be paid. It's an unusual conversation.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Editor's take: Today's news 7/14
Are felons for Democrats?
Another story getting a lot of attention is the discovery that several hundred convicted felons were allowed to vote in Minnesota.
The research by conservative watchdog group Minnesota Majority unearthed a bunch of felons who voted in Franken-Coleman election.
Ramsey County is prosecuting, but as Majority spokesman says, nothing can be done legally. Some media, including ours quoting a third party, are coming up with headlines like "Felons favor Democrats"
It's not surprising to me that our system of counting ballots and making sure people are legal that relies on volunteers at a school cafeteria is going to have some flaws.
Heck, we can't even keep track of sex offenders.
There are some kinks in this investigation. The research was unable to show if the so called felons where indeed felons when they voted. You can be convicted of a felony in Minnesota and then later be allowed to vote once you've done your time and other circumstances are right.
Here's an excellent unearthing of the facts to caution some to not get too excited just yet.
Here's a fairly complete story on this felon vote controversy.
Mauer seems kind of listless at the plate
Watching Joe Mauer over the last few games, he seemed relaxed at the plate, almost too relaxed. His facial expression is not as intense as it normally seems.
Makes one wonder if his head is not in the game and if so why not. Lots of pressure from the big contract getting to him possibly.
The moving from second on a ball hit to the right of him on the infield was simply a mental error. Little leaguers are taught that rule from day one.
Mauer, of course, was thrown out.
Strib columnist called him "tepid." I agree
Will class warfare sell in politics this year
Given Mark Dayton's clear campaign message "Tax the Rich" and his surprisingly, to me at least, strong poll numbers, one wonders if there's just enough anger at "the rich" to turn this election into a fight between the classes like we've not seen in the past.
Here's the theory: The economy is bad, people are losing their jobs or being asked to do more with less at their jobs.
Average people equate their employer or manager as the "rich" therefore they have a lot more people to be angry at as opposed to just being mad at the neighbor down the street who bought a new Lexus.
Typical workers want to get back at how they've been treated. The "rich" are becoming their target.
The recent furor over Tom Emmer's comment about $100,000 waiters also seemed to suggest there is a bit of class angst out there.
As soon as Emmer suggested a lower minimum wage, one of his opponents, DFL candidate Margaret Anderson Kelliher came out proposing a higher minimum wage. The thought here is again, creating that kind of two-class argument in the political arena.
Should be interesting to see how this develops and how the campaigns might use this emerging social trend in their messaging.
Another story getting a lot of attention is the discovery that several hundred convicted felons were allowed to vote in Minnesota.
The research by conservative watchdog group Minnesota Majority unearthed a bunch of felons who voted in Franken-Coleman election.
Ramsey County is prosecuting, but as Majority spokesman says, nothing can be done legally. Some media, including ours quoting a third party, are coming up with headlines like "Felons favor Democrats"
It's not surprising to me that our system of counting ballots and making sure people are legal that relies on volunteers at a school cafeteria is going to have some flaws.
Heck, we can't even keep track of sex offenders.
There are some kinks in this investigation. The research was unable to show if the so called felons where indeed felons when they voted. You can be convicted of a felony in Minnesota and then later be allowed to vote once you've done your time and other circumstances are right.
Here's an excellent unearthing of the facts to caution some to not get too excited just yet.
Here's a fairly complete story on this felon vote controversy.
Mauer seems kind of listless at the plate
Watching Joe Mauer over the last few games, he seemed relaxed at the plate, almost too relaxed. His facial expression is not as intense as it normally seems.
Makes one wonder if his head is not in the game and if so why not. Lots of pressure from the big contract getting to him possibly.
The moving from second on a ball hit to the right of him on the infield was simply a mental error. Little leaguers are taught that rule from day one.
Mauer, of course, was thrown out.
Strib columnist called him "tepid." I agree
Will class warfare sell in politics this year
Given Mark Dayton's clear campaign message "Tax the Rich" and his surprisingly, to me at least, strong poll numbers, one wonders if there's just enough anger at "the rich" to turn this election into a fight between the classes like we've not seen in the past.
Here's the theory: The economy is bad, people are losing their jobs or being asked to do more with less at their jobs.
Average people equate their employer or manager as the "rich" therefore they have a lot more people to be angry at as opposed to just being mad at the neighbor down the street who bought a new Lexus.
Typical workers want to get back at how they've been treated. The "rich" are becoming their target.
The recent furor over Tom Emmer's comment about $100,000 waiters also seemed to suggest there is a bit of class angst out there.
As soon as Emmer suggested a lower minimum wage, one of his opponents, DFL candidate Margaret Anderson Kelliher came out proposing a higher minimum wage. The thought here is again, creating that kind of two-class argument in the political arena.
Should be interesting to see how this develops and how the campaigns might use this emerging social trend in their messaging.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Editor's take: today's news developments
Steinbrenner dead at 80
Making big news today is the death of Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, who apparently had a heart attack.
The hard-nosed longtime businessman will be remembered for a lot of things, not all of them complimentary.
From an AP story of today.
"With the national unemployment rate still at an alarming 9.5 percent, it's common sense that politicians back up grand talk about job growth by supporting policies that actually help the companies that do the hiring.
Unfortunately, common sense seems in short supply when it comes to an important but little-known piece of legislation called the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB), which helps keep manufacturing jobs in the United States. The MTB comes up for renewal periodically, and in previous years -- most recently 2006 -- it garnered broad bipartisan support. But this year, its routine passage is jeopardized primarily because Republicans have recently redefined the term "earmark," political slang for directing appropriations to favored programs or projects.
Because of this, they now consider MTB's longstanding duty reductions or suspensions on raw materials imported by American manufacturers to be earmarks, a big problem when U.S. House Republican leadership announced an earmark moratorium. Despite this ban, the nation's political leaders need to hammer out a compromise quickly. With the economy still struggling to recover, lawmakers need to do everything they can to encourage economic growth and preserve key measures such as the MTB that have helped firms in Minnesota and across the nation stay competitive for years."
Link to full article
Making big news today is the death of Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, who apparently had a heart attack.
The hard-nosed longtime businessman will be remembered for a lot of things, not all of them complimentary.
From an AP story of today.
After building his fortune in the shipbuilding industry, Steinbrenner purchased the Yankees from CBS in 1973 and returned them to the glory of the Babe Ruth-Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle-Yogi Berra-Whitey Ford era teams.
It was later revealed Steinbrenner invested less than $200,000 in the $10-million deal — but turned the Yankees into the most valuable franchise in sports history, with an estimated worth of well more than $1 billion.
"Owning the Yankees is like owning the 'Mona Lisa,' " Steinbrenner once said.
Politics erupts on budget, deficit issue
There appears to be a lot of steam behind the story of the House of Representatives failing to pass a "budget outline" for the first time since 1974.
It's turning into a fairly spirited political debate and will heat up for the election.
Here's the best, most objective and clear story I've found on this complicated issue.
I'll be writing an editorial for tomorrow's print edition on the subject, pending approval of course.
What's great about this debate is for once we're bringing the complex subject of the federal budget to voters and typical Americans everywhere.
That can only be good.
Manufacturing program in jeopardy
Here's an interesting editorial on a program that helps manufacturing companies do business overseas.
It points out that though the program has had broad bipartisan support in the past, Republicans are now describing it as an earmark.
U.S. Rep. Tim Walz is mentioned in the article as supporting it for the good of jobs and making sure we don't through another uncertainty at manufacturers who have come to rely on this program.
Here's relevant parts of the edit from StarTribune
It was later revealed Steinbrenner invested less than $200,000 in the $10-million deal — but turned the Yankees into the most valuable franchise in sports history, with an estimated worth of well more than $1 billion.
"Owning the Yankees is like owning the 'Mona Lisa,' " Steinbrenner once said.
Politics erupts on budget, deficit issue
There appears to be a lot of steam behind the story of the House of Representatives failing to pass a "budget outline" for the first time since 1974.
It's turning into a fairly spirited political debate and will heat up for the election.
Here's the best, most objective and clear story I've found on this complicated issue.
I'll be writing an editorial for tomorrow's print edition on the subject, pending approval of course.
What's great about this debate is for once we're bringing the complex subject of the federal budget to voters and typical Americans everywhere.
That can only be good.
Manufacturing program in jeopardy
Here's an interesting editorial on a program that helps manufacturing companies do business overseas.
It points out that though the program has had broad bipartisan support in the past, Republicans are now describing it as an earmark.
U.S. Rep. Tim Walz is mentioned in the article as supporting it for the good of jobs and making sure we don't through another uncertainty at manufacturers who have come to rely on this program.
Here's relevant parts of the edit from StarTribune
"With the national unemployment rate still at an alarming 9.5 percent, it's common sense that politicians back up grand talk about job growth by supporting policies that actually help the companies that do the hiring.
Unfortunately, common sense seems in short supply when it comes to an important but little-known piece of legislation called the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB), which helps keep manufacturing jobs in the United States. The MTB comes up for renewal periodically, and in previous years -- most recently 2006 -- it garnered broad bipartisan support. But this year, its routine passage is jeopardized primarily because Republicans have recently redefined the term "earmark," political slang for directing appropriations to favored programs or projects.
Because of this, they now consider MTB's longstanding duty reductions or suspensions on raw materials imported by American manufacturers to be earmarks, a big problem when U.S. House Republican leadership announced an earmark moratorium. Despite this ban, the nation's political leaders need to hammer out a compromise quickly. With the economy still struggling to recover, lawmakers need to do everything they can to encourage economic growth and preserve key measures such as the MTB that have helped firms in Minnesota and across the nation stay competitive for years."
Link to full article
Monday, July 12, 2010
Things you didn't know about this "news enterprise"
There's still a lot of gnashing of teeth about the future of newspapers out there.
Explaining our emerging new modes of operation in my social gatherings, I find people terribly out of the loop on what newspapers are doing that's new.
That's partly, perhaps mostly, our own fault.
First let's re-describe ourselves as "news enterprises" as the "paper" part is becoming less and less significant.
As a news enterprise we now:
1. Can link you and get you to all manner of news via the website, including hourly weather forecasts for Mankato or a specific GPS location in Mankato. You want the weather forecast for Franklin Rogers Park, we can provide you the easy tool to find it.
2. Can connect you to friends and neighbors engaging in enlightening discussion through our forums or chatting on our FACEBOOK site. The Free Press now has 1200 Facebook fans, who post their ideas, and especially their storm photos. We can put those photos up on a rotating widget on our website.
3. Help you to influence city hall or county board in a number of ways. You don't like something city hall's doing, you can write a letter to the editor that will, at no cost to you, go out to 60,000 readers. We still are among the few news enterprises who actually accept letters to the editor and have them reviewed before they are published by a professional editor who, incidentally requires, letter writers to provide sources for facts not generally known. Find that service on a ragtag blog or website.
4. You can interact with some dozen or so Free Press staffers who regularly write about what they do, their hobbies or what they think through our blogs.
5. You can interact with those in power by pointing out civic problems that need correcting. A interactive pothole map we posted on our website this spring garnered some 300 participants pointing out the worst potholes to Mankato City Hall. City Hall officials monitored the site and fixed the potholes. Wow.
6. Want to know monthly crime statistics for Mankato? We've posted the regular report under our police logs category.
7. This news enterprise is currently producing two magazines that according to our readers are top notch and over the top. Mankato Magazine and Minnesota Valley Business Journal are keeping people having fun and in the loop.
8. Newspapers still hire skilled reporters who are critical thinkers and can question officials and hold them accountable. Those officials don't always like it and many threaten retribution, but we take the job seriously. Bloggers, number one, often don't have the credibility to get an official to call them back, and two, they don't have the power of publicity that comes with working for an organization able to print 20,000 editions at midnight and get them on the street by 6 a.m. 7 days a week, 364 days a year.
9. Newspapers can cast public shame and the spotlight on corrupt public officials. We can call them out and write editorials about their chicanery. It often works and works pretty well to get someone fired or defeated in an election
10. The news enterprises of today still attract honest people who want to help a democratic system work. It doesn't work without good information. It's one of the few industries that still attracts a lot of smart people who are not motivated by seeing how much money they can acquire.
Explaining our emerging new modes of operation in my social gatherings, I find people terribly out of the loop on what newspapers are doing that's new.
That's partly, perhaps mostly, our own fault.
First let's re-describe ourselves as "news enterprises" as the "paper" part is becoming less and less significant.
As a news enterprise we now:
1. Can link you and get you to all manner of news via the website, including hourly weather forecasts for Mankato or a specific GPS location in Mankato. You want the weather forecast for Franklin Rogers Park, we can provide you the easy tool to find it.
2. Can connect you to friends and neighbors engaging in enlightening discussion through our forums or chatting on our FACEBOOK site. The Free Press now has 1200 Facebook fans, who post their ideas, and especially their storm photos. We can put those photos up on a rotating widget on our website.
3. Help you to influence city hall or county board in a number of ways. You don't like something city hall's doing, you can write a letter to the editor that will, at no cost to you, go out to 60,000 readers. We still are among the few news enterprises who actually accept letters to the editor and have them reviewed before they are published by a professional editor who, incidentally requires, letter writers to provide sources for facts not generally known. Find that service on a ragtag blog or website.
4. You can interact with some dozen or so Free Press staffers who regularly write about what they do, their hobbies or what they think through our blogs.
5. You can interact with those in power by pointing out civic problems that need correcting. A interactive pothole map we posted on our website this spring garnered some 300 participants pointing out the worst potholes to Mankato City Hall. City Hall officials monitored the site and fixed the potholes. Wow.
6. Want to know monthly crime statistics for Mankato? We've posted the regular report under our police logs category.
7. This news enterprise is currently producing two magazines that according to our readers are top notch and over the top. Mankato Magazine and Minnesota Valley Business Journal are keeping people having fun and in the loop.
8. Newspapers still hire skilled reporters who are critical thinkers and can question officials and hold them accountable. Those officials don't always like it and many threaten retribution, but we take the job seriously. Bloggers, number one, often don't have the credibility to get an official to call them back, and two, they don't have the power of publicity that comes with working for an organization able to print 20,000 editions at midnight and get them on the street by 6 a.m. 7 days a week, 364 days a year.
9. Newspapers can cast public shame and the spotlight on corrupt public officials. We can call them out and write editorials about their chicanery. It often works and works pretty well to get someone fired or defeated in an election
10. The news enterprises of today still attract honest people who want to help a democratic system work. It doesn't work without good information. It's one of the few industries that still attracts a lot of smart people who are not motivated by seeing how much money they can acquire.
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