NAFTA is Now USMCA

NYT New NAFTA is signed


The Hill DEMs resist new NAFTA


The partisanship never ends...  Just pass the thing...  Thoughts?

The Bell Tolls for Trump?

From Sean

"If this holds up, I don't know how anyone can claim there was "no collusion". Now, Republicans will have to try to explain it away. Manafort held secret talks with Assange in Ecuadorian embassy"

And then there is this.
CNN Alan Dershowitz says Mueller report will be 'devastating' to Trump

Trump is Bad for Business

VOX GM is closing plants and cutting jobs.
Here’s what it means for workers — and for Trump.
It’s not great.


FOX Trump Not Happy with GM after Job Cuts


Let's see...  Trump:

• raises the cost of steel and aluminum with big tariffs
• raises the cost of many components with big tariffs
• does not place tariffs on completed products
• destabilizes the US Healthcare system by picking away at ACA
• and he is unhappy that manufacturers are suffering?

This is an interesting Letter... (ie Trump is BAD for Business)


Tariffs Hurt the Heartland

4th National Climate Assessment

FOURTH NATIONAL CLIMATE ASSESSMENT

Volume II: Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States

Pay me now or pay me later. 😎

MN vs WI and IA

A Facebook friend linked to this exercise in selective comparisons with the comment. "Good information for those of you who think Minnesota is going in the wrong direction."

My thoughts are:

• What does our "current state" have to do with "where we are going"?
• I mean the DEMs only had control of the state for 2 years. During which they increased taxes significantly.
• Then in 2015 the GOP was able to reverse some of those excessive hikes that had created a huge surplus.
• My point being that MN is a great place to live, but I have a hard time giving significant credit to the recent DEM policies.
• I personally give a lot of the credit to our strong agricultural history that gave us General Mills, Cargill, Pillsbury, etc.  The fact that a lot of Northern European workaholics settled here, Then there was 3M, Daytons, Target, Best Buy, etc. And our good fortune to have Medtronic set up shop here, which attracted many other medical device firms.

Personally I think comparing IA, MN and WI is silly since they are all excellent states to live in.  And according to this US News Comparison...  IA is #1, MN is #2, ND is #4, NE is #7, WI is #11 and SD is #14...  We all very fortunate!!!

And don't forget that our State has a terrible academic achievement, even though we have a very strong Education Union...  Could those 2 things be related?

Trump on Deficits

It must be hard to be a President when one apparently has ADHD...

Happy Thanksgiving !!!

Earned Income Tax Credit

From Laurie

"New Study Says EITC Expansion Would Be 87% Self-Financed  by Kevin Drum  So would you support more money to poor people if it cost very little? "

I think increasing the EITC may be a good idea if we can reduce the welfare budgets by the same amount. Or are you think we should increase EITC and keep the welfare / Medicaid the same?

I support most programs that require the recipient to learn, work, improve, etc...  I disagree with most programs that provide services or money with little or no expectations of the recipient... The goals need to be:

• Promote fiscally responsible behavior
• Promote escaping government dependency
• Promote learning and improvement 
• Promote raising children well

EPI EITC and CTC History
TPC EITC
CBPP Reducing EITC Over Payments
CBPP EITC and CTC

Lock Her Up ! Lock Her Up !

CNN Ivanka Uses Personnel Email for Business

Then has nerve to say she did not know it was not allowed.

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha !!!!

Fox News says House will Investigate

Press Pass Games

Thank heavens for Lawyers and Judges to block Trump's more foolish actions.

CNN WH Restores Pass

FOX News WH Restores Pass

The new rules seem somewhat common sense.  Thoughts?

• A journalist called upon to ask a question will ask a single question and then will yield the floor to other journalists.
• At the discretion of the President or other White House official taking questions, a follow-up question or questions may be permitted; and where a follow up has been allowed and asked, the questioner will then yield the floor.
• Yielding the floor” includes, when applicable, physically surrendering the microphone to White House staff for use by the next questioner.
• Failure to abide by any of rules may result in suspension or revocation of the journalist’s hard pass.

2 Republican Wings?

MinnPost Lessons from the past for the GOP to become a majority party

This was an interesting piece...  Probably not likely given the GOP's current rightward shift, however worth consideration. Since a Far Right party does not seem to be very popular.

Acosta Gets Press Badge Back

NPR Judge rules in favor of Acosta and CNN


What I found strange about this is that apparently there are no press pass written rules?

Trump's Racism is Showing

NPR Trump Is Reshaping The Judiciary. A Breakdown By Race, Gender And Qualification


The other day I was trying to give Trump the benefit of the doubt that he is not a true racist... Unfortunately it appears I was very wrong and this article pretty well confirms it.


I mean Obama found better qualified nominees from various races.  Where as Trump is picking White nominees that the Bar rate as less qualified.


I really can not think of another reason for Trump's behavior.


Then there is that very "White" White house.

Rasmussen Presents

MPR Scott Rasmussen says our tradition of pragmatic problem-solving still works today


I heard a little of this at noon and it was pretty interesting.

Trump The Manipulator

Trump sent 45 tweets about the caravan / invasion, and now...  None...

And the cost of the deployment is unknown yet...  But it is a LOT of money.

So he worked so hard to scare his True Believers, he spent many many millions on an unnecessary deployment stunt to scare them even further and the manipulation did not get him everything he wants...  So now he is skipping Presidential duties, moping and ranting... I sure wish he would grow up and start working with people instead of trying to manipulate them.