The full text of the letters ABM has sent to the Senate Select Committee on Ethics and to the FBI requesting an investigation is below the fold. For more information on the scandal, check out Eric Black's story on MinnPost here.
John McCain, Norm Coleman, John Kline, and most notably Michele Bachmann have made many outlandish claims about the benefits of offshore drilling recently.
On the downside for them, people are starting to notice that these claims of immediate relief from high gas prices with more drilling are false.
Below the fold you can check out some other outlets that are making sure these myths get exposed.
Norm Coleman is backtracking yet again. Recently he said he would allow photos of his cozy living arrangement in Washington DC with a lobbyist friend to be made public. Umm, not so much. MNPublius has the story.
A National Journal article has sparked a mini-media frenzy over just how close Norm is to his lobbyist buddies. Apparently, he's close enough to a FLS Connect lobbyist to get his rent knocked down from over $1,700 a month to $600, which is a pretty sweet deal. Not to mention Norm was able to miss a couple of months rent without consequence. I'm sure we would all like favors like that, but not all of us have wealthy lobbyist friends. The article has many more fascinating details, so head on over and check it out.
'For the average American there is not debate that the eocnomy is in a recession,' said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Economy.com. 'That’s because their net worth is lower, their purchasing power is lower and it is tough to find a job. If you lose a job, it is tough to get back in,' he said."
Average Americans certainly know this economic reality, but John McCain apparently sees the largest increase in the unemployment rate in over 20 years as yet another sign that, "Our fundamentals are strong, very strong." You can't get much more out of touch with the tough times facing working families than that. Of course, McCain is "not an expert on this stuff."
Lost in the recent swirl of political activity in Minnesota earlier this week was a great event down in Rochester.
On Tuesday, local Iraq War veterans, US Action, and ABM gathered to thank Representative Tim Walz for his steadfast support of Minnesota's veterans and the 21st Century GI Bill.
From the press release (full text below the fold):
"This month, Congress passed the G.I. Bill for the 21st Century, co-sponsored in the House of Representatives by MN Congressman Tim Walz. This bill is critical in providing a full, four-year college education to the men and women of the U.S. military who have served on active duty since September 11, 2001. The bill helps make our troops and veterans part of a new economic recovery," said Sgt. Ryan Marti of the US Army
Thanks again to Army Sgt. Ryan Marti and Army Sgt. Stephan Rudenick for their brave service, and for coming to speak about an important issue. You can read the full release after the jump. Read More »
Just when you think you've thrown the last lobbyist out, another one springs up like a weed in your garden. From MSNBC:
"Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain’s national campaign general co-chair was being paid by a Swiss bank to lobby Congress about the U.S. mortgage crisis at the same time he was advising McCain about his economic policy, federal records show."
I guess that is kind of "maverick-y" to cut out the middle man and just have a lobbyist create your policy? Oh yeah, the bank he was lobbying for was this one. I'm sure a lobbyist from a bank that is accused of helping billionares evade taxes is going to have the interests of working class families in mind, right?
Want to see what some of your portion of McCain's Iraq Tax is paying for? Well... it turns out that for large portions of your money they don't really know.
"A Pentagon audit of $8.2 billion in American taxpayer money spent by the United States Army on contractors in Iraq has found that almost none of the payments followed federal rules and that in some cases, contracts worth millions of dollars were paid for despite little or no record of what, if anything, was received."
In one case:
"$11.1 million of taxpayer money was paid to IAP, an American contractor, on the basis of a voucher with no indication of what was delivered."
Looks like by the year 2013 a couple of billion dollars more of tax payer money could be misused in McCain's endless war.
Food inflation reached an 18 year high in April says a report from the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Pioneer Press article is here.
From the report:
"The food component of the Consumer Price Index rose 0.9 percent in April, the biggest monthly jump since 1990. The jump was even larger for food eaten at home — up 1.5 percent last month — 'reflecting substantial increases in all six major grocery store food groups,' the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics said."
With gas prices also reaching historic highs, the squeeze on middle class families continues.If that wasn't enough, health care costs are also up 30% in the last four years as well.
Last Friday Ready 4 K, Children's Defense Fund, as well as many other children's advocacy groups and local unions circulated a letter to Minnesota State Senate and House leaders urging them to keep their promise to fully fund early childhood programs.
With the budget situation as it is, it is understandable that legislators will have some tough decisions to make. However, with the benefits of early childhood care and education as plentiful as they are, it is essential that Minnesota maintains its commitment to these programs. Below the fold is the full text of the letter that was circulated.
"As conflicts between Pawlenty and legislative leaders escalated, he left for fishing opener activities in Breezy Point and Pequot Lakes, Minn., where he plans to spend today and Saturday."
With the legislative session scheduled to end in under two weeks, it is nice to see that Gov. Pawlenty is finding the time to relax. Meanwhile, Minnesota's budget woes are put on hold.
Rep. Betty McCollum has some news for members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee: St. Paul is, in fact, not located in Minneapolis. A report detailing hospital readiness for the convention site had mislabeled the host city, leading Rep. McCollum to correct it.
This "logo" may have had something to do with it. In fairness, they are twin cities so that can confuse some people. Hopefully the Republican members of the committee can figure this out before September, or the Minneapolis streets could be filled with wandering Republicans in the fall.
The House is expected to vote today on a relief package for homeowners facing foreclosures. Details of the policy can be found here. President Bush has promised a veto if the proposed legislation passes in its current form.
The Star Tribune has an update on groups seeking clear permits for protest march routes during the Republican National Convention. However, permit troubles are not limited to Minneapolis and St. Paul. Down in Bloomington, questions about a new permit restriction ordinance have postponed a decision on the measure.
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