What To Do With Grandma / Grandpa?

"Again, that's been my experience. Or the experience of a lot of low income people who will tell you how hard it is to come up with the property tax payment." Hiram

Since most young people pay their property tax with their mortgage payment, I assume Hiram is talking about older fixed income folks who have more house than they can now afford, and likely more space than they need.  So what should society do about old folks who want to stay in their home of many years even though the kids are long gone.

My pragmatic side says they should move to a nice 1 bedroom apartment.  Less cost, less maintenance, etc. They likely even would qualify for subsidized housing if their income is as low as Hiram infers.

Thoughts?

Who Will Cause Shutdown

What do you think of the Boehner retirement notice?
What do you think will happen this Fall in Congress?

MinnPost Boehner and Hard Liners
MinnPost Boehner and Barn Burners

Poor People are Irresponsible Citizens

I mean I am paraphrasing what Laurie implied in this statement. :-)

"Here is another link that you will likely disagree with, John, I found it interesting. It explains the reason the USA has a lower rate of redistribution compared to other advanced countiries is our low voter turnout. It pretty much contradicts your view that we have a high rate of redistribution due to the votes of poor people." Laurie

One big reason Congress ignores the poor: they don't vote

Thoughts? Are poor people just lazy and irresponsible citizens?  Or are there real hurdles to them voting?

My belief is that for many, the reason they are poor, under educated and do not vote are the same.  The just are not too smart, ambitious, disciplined, hard working, etc.  And most importantly, they just don't know any better.  They have been raised by Parents that were poor role models and they did not fall far from the tree.

Laurie,
By the way, I say that Democrats try to buy votes by villifying the successful folks, and trying to convince the poor to vote by offering them more welfare, healthcare, education, phones, housing, etc that will be paid for by the successful people.  And thankfully apparently the poor still do not have the interest or ambition to go vote. 

On the downside, we have been drifting Left for 100 years...  Hopefully the responsible citizens who worked hard in school, work hard at their careers, work hard at their marriages, work hard at being great parents, pay a lot in taxes, work hard at being informed / voting, etc stop that leftward slide.

The Villain and Daraprim

Laurie's Link on "a different evil corporation"...
MJ Heat Warming Story

Slate Martin Shkreli
CNBC Drug Story

Now this guy seems a bit extreme, however do you really want government breaucrats trying to decided how much you can charge when selling things?  What could be the good and bad consequences?
 

Pawlenty, Civics, Suburbs, Pheasants and Emissions

In Nanning I could not access my google backed site, here in Shenzhen I can...  I need to get ready for tomorrows design review, but here are some topics I was able to comment on from Nanning.

MinnPost Pawlenty
MinnPost Civil Engagement
MinnPost An Argument Against Suburbs
MinnPost Iowegians are Coming

And here is a new story that Laurie brought to our attention.
"Here is an interesting story I just read which might interest you as you work in the auto industry (I think.) It reinforces the liberal view that corportations are sometimes evil.  WTF, Volkswagen?" Laurie

Interesting India

Yesterday I had an opportunity to take a car ride from New Delhi to Jaipur. (~4 hours each way)  It was definitely an interesting experience.  Imagine a major heavy use 3 lane each way highway that has no controlled intersections, slow vehicles drive in any lane they want, cars sometimes exceed 70 mph, people walk across the road ocassionally, there are many trucks, there are many farm tractors and don't forget the horse/camel drawn carts or the cows in the 4 foot wide median.  Here are a few of the memorable images.

4 people on a motorcycle.  Yes the mother is carrying a toddler.  I missed getting a photo of the guy carying 4 sheep in the saddle bags of his motorcycle. (2 on each side)

 Repeatedly we passed jeeps that were full to brimming with passengers.

 Many of the road side villages had trash and cows 15 feet off the road.

 Not to read too much into their culture, however mostly I saw men along the road.  Some working but many seemed to be hanging out.  And the construction workers, waiters, truckers, etc were all men.  The women I saw working seemed to be harvesting the fields by hand, planting grass tufts by hand, maintaining the plants in the median, etc.  It was interesting.



 

 

 

John Kline Not Running

Those silly MP moderators.  MP Kline Won't Seek Re-election  The Liberal commenters are saying all kinds of nasty things about John Kline. Then Pavel says he wishes Betty McCollum would retire also, to which Jason says at least she gets things done...

Now "I know nothing" about either of these folks.  However I simply try to post GovTrack John Kline and GovTrack Betty McCollum, and they never show up. I would love to no their top secret moderation criteria.  And of course Jason did not see John getting anything done, since one likes more government control and one wants less government control.

For a related post. MP True Swing District.  I just don't see it happening, however I have been wrong before. Thoughts?

Ben Carson: Rent-A-Black

 I know you are going to find this amazing... The MinnPost Moderators are blocking one of my responses again.  And have tried to soften it every way I can...  So here we go again.

"I find this obsession by the Left regarding race interesting. Personally I think this is all about Capitalism versus Socialism and where the USA should operate in between the 2 extremes. And about law and order. I don't think many people care about race at all.

One group believes strongly in personal property rights. The other believes government should control a large part of "Americas" wealth. One group thinks people need to live with the consequences of their choices, one groups thinks people deserve good food, clothing, healthcare, housing, etc just because they are standing on American soil. And both groups want to care for the truly needy, they just disagree with what that means.

As to the law and order. One group wants to enforce our borders so we know who is living amongst us and to ensure people are not rewarded for budging in line in front of legal process following immigrants. The other group wants to keep the borders soft and reward people who are brave enough to violate them with citizenship.

I think both side will happily accept support from people of every sex, race, nationality, etc. This is a philosophy fight, not a race war. Though the Liberals keep stirring the race pot in hopes to maintain support for their cause." G2A

"Gosh, I can't imagine which side you intend to take. Could it be the one that "believes strongly in personal property rights," that "thinks people need to live with the consequences of their choices," and that "wants to enforce our borders so we know who is living amongst us and to ensure people are not rewarded for budging in line in front of legal process following immigrants?" 

It surely could not be the scoundrels who believe "government should control a large part of 'Americas [sic]' wealth," who think that "people deserve good food, clothing, healthcare, housing, etc just because they are standing on American soil," and who want "to keep the borders soft and reward people who are brave enough to violate them with citizenship." No, no judgment or dramatic oversimplification there." RB Holbrook

"I think my simplistic summary makes more sense than Edsall's and the folks who are obsessed with Racism's simplistic summary.

Oh those terrible racist GOP folks... Gimme a break... A Black man is number 2 in the polls. And a guy from Cuba is one of the GOP's top movers and shakers." G2A
 

"Dr. Carson is a very successful man, and is the exception used to "prove" that racism is dead. He pronounces the correct Republican shibboleths and doesn't bring up race. Therefore, no one accuses him of being a secret Muslim, no one questions his birth, and in what I presume is deference to his very impressive record, no one is demanding to see his college transcripts. He is useful to refute charges of racism (in South Africa, they call it the "Rent-a-Black" phenomenon).

His standing in the Republican polls does not erase the Republican Party's retreat from its historic commitment to racial justice. Let's blow racial dog whistles all over the country--as long as we don't say the "N" word, we're cool. The Voting Rights Act? We don't need that--look at the successful doctor! Racism is dead, and we support this guy to prove it!

"And a guy from Cuba is one of the GOP's top movers and shakers." Do you mean Marco Rubio? He's from Florida, and he is hardly what one would call a "mover and shaker." His movement of late has been kind of shaky, but I don't think that's what you meant.

By the way, you talked about the fellow who is second in the polls. Who is running first in the Republican polls? What is his--or her--stand on racial issues? I have no doubt it's quite enlightened." RB Holbrook

Obama Inherited and Reduced Deficit

So Jerry is trying to convince Sean and I "that the deficit was on its way to zero under Bush, then suddenly became trillion-dollar deficits "as far as the eye can see" under Obama."  Now I provided 2 sources that clearly explain why Bush owns the 2009 deficit, and some other interesting links. Yet Jerry seems unconvinced. 

CATO Don't Blame Obama for Bush Deficit
Fact Check Spending Inferno

Forbes Spending
Forbes Are GOP Bigger Spenders
ZFacts National Debt
Wiki National Debt

Now the graphic below is from the CATO source and it clearly explains what most of us know. The economy started to tank in 2008, so Bush and Congress approved stimulus in late 2008 to offset the tanking of the Private sector and to help the unfortunate who were being crushed in the down turn. This money was then spent in 2009.





Then Obama and Congress approved additional stimulus spending in 2009 that would be spent in 2010. Now I may not approve terribly of Obama not cutting the spending back to it's pre-recession levels in say 2011, but to say he caused a tripling of the deficit is ludicrous. In fact the deficit has only decreased under Obama.

Unfortunately this downward trajectory is going to be short lived according to this link. And the CBO Report.  Thoughts?

Refugee Crisis: What to Do

Open Mic time.  What do you think we in America should do to help?

CNN Refugee Crisis
CNN Pope Calls for Mercy
CNN Photos

Trump Supporters Fear Shrinking White Majority

I kicked a hornet's nest...  This could get interesting.  Thoughts?

MinnPost Trump Supporters Fear Shrinking White Majority

"I find this obsession by the Left regarding race interesting. Personally I think this is all about Capitalism versus Socialism and where the USA should operate in between the 2 extremes. And about law and order. I don't think many people care about race at all. 

One group believes strongly in personal property rights. The other believes government should control a large part of "Americas" wealth. One group thinks people need to live with the consequences of their choices, one groups thinks people deserve good food, clothing, healthcare, housing, etc just because they are standing on American soil. 

And both groups want to care for the truly needy, they just disagree with what that means. 

As to the law and order. One group wants to enforce our borders so we know who is living amongst us and to ensure people are not rewarded for budging in line in front of legal process following immigrants. The other group wants to keep the borders soft and reward people who are brave enough to violate them with citizenship. 

I think both side will happily accept support from people of every sex, race, nationality, etc. This is a philosophy fight, not a race war. Though the Liberals keep stirring the race pot in hopes to maintain support for their cause." G2A


"Gosh, I can't imagine which side you intend to take. Could it be the one that "believes strongly in personal property rights," that "thinks people need to live with the consequences of their choices," and that "wants to enforce our borders so we know who is living amongst us and to ensure people are not rewarded for budging in line in front of legal process following immigrants?" 

It surely could not be the scoundrels who believe "government should control a large part of 'Americas [sic]' wealth," who think that "people deserve good food, clothing, healthcare, housing, etc just because they are standing on American soil," and who want "to keep the borders soft and reward people who are brave enough to violate them with citizenship." 

No, no judgment or dramatic oversimplification there." RB Holbrook

Who is a Moderate Politician?

I have posted this question to Jason and received no response, so let's try it here...

I had a related question for you from another post. What do you consider a "moderate"? See the Sponsorship Analysis graphs for a point of reference.

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/erik_paulsen/412303

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/amy_klobuchar/412242

Democrat Candidates in the Twin Cities

No time, but these are interesting.  Thoughts?

MP DEMs 1
MP DEMs 2
MP DEMs 3