Dave Mindeman at mnpACT has his eyes on the GOP’s priorities:
Remember the good old days when the House and Senate GOP were going to make the budget and JOBS issue number one?
Actually you should remember….it was three weeks ago. But that was then, this is now….priorities seem to have changed:
Well, no. And of course, HF1, the very first bill introduced in the session, which would reform the permitting process in Minnesota (and which Mindeman curiously ignores) does directly address those priorities.
And perhaps, being a DFLer, Mindeman thinks that the GOP should push a bill, perhaps one requiring companies to create jobs. But debate over most of the real job-killers – regulation and taxes, especially corporate taxes – happens when we get into the budget process. The GOP has a proposal out there. Governor Dayton is waiting until February 15 – presumably because, as we discovered during the campaign, he hasn’t the foggiest idea what to do, other than “Tax the Rich”.
Still, leaving aside Mindeman’s selective choice of bills, the fact is the word “priorities” implies that there is more than one thing to be accomplished. The MNGOP was sent to Saint Paul to do a whole bunch of things; jobs are the top priority; if it were the only objective, then there’d be no need to prioritize at all.
Mindeman cherry-picks some initiatives:
SRepublicans push photo I.D. bill
Republican legislators are using their new-found majorities in both chambers to push a bill to require photo identification at the polls.
Estimated Job generation: 0
Imagine how many jobs we’d create if we legalized fraud!
The proposed legislation would ask residents to vote on a constitutional amendment on whether workers should have the “freedom to decide to join or not join a labor union; to remain with or leave a labor union; and to pay or not pay dues” to a union, without the choice affecting their employment status.
Estimated Job generation: 0 (but you might get to work for less)
Well, maybe and maybe not. One of unions’ key purposes is to restrict the supply of labor available in a given trade and area, to help keep prices high.
One of the DFL’s other memes on this issue is “now you can work for less”. Well, that depends on how effective your union is, now, doesn’t it?
A bill that would partially repeal Minnesota’s smoking ban has been introduced in the House. The legislation would allow smoking in bars provided they meet certain requirements.
Estimated Job generation: Possibly a few minimum wage jobs but probably offset by more health care costs
I’m going to guess that Mindeman has never worked as a server, and doesn’t know anyone who does. Waiting can be minimum wage; it can pay six figures; most of all, it is a job with no entry requirements that, with effort and application, can pay just fine – just like any other trade.
But Mindeman seems not to care for the jobs that the smoking ban destroyed; the waitstaff laid off, the bars and restaurants closed. Those jobs may or may not come back – but I’ll take my chances. Real estimate of jobs created: hundreds and hundreds.
Hackbarth backing amendment protecting right to bear arms
Rep. Tom Hackbarth is proposing an amendment to the state’s constitution that would explicitly guarantee the right to bear arms. The proposal would essentially mimic the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in ensuring gun rights.
Estimated Job generation: 0
Civil rights are every bit as important as jobs.
Abortion emerging as major issue, lawsuit at Minnesota Capitol
Today, a bill restricting funding for abortion was submitted to the Minnesota Senate, co-sponsored by Koch. The bill, Senate File 103, is the first anti-abortion bill of the session.
Estimated Job generation: 0
Except that some of the babies saved will be the entrepreneurs that start the companies that’ll create the jobs that’ll generate the wealth that’ll be sapped by government to pay for Mindeman’s retirement.
Jobs generated: Countless.
After the election Senator Koch and Speaker Zellers were telling us how “focused” they would be. It wasn’t that long ago that these words were uttered…..
“If it doesn’t have anything to do with business and jobs, it shouldn’t be our first priority.” Rep. Kurt Zellers, the speaker of the Minnesota House
“There’s a lot of important issues and we will get to them. But the priority now is the budget, jobs, and the economy,” Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch
That was then….this is now… (and the way they were going to do it all along).
Dave Mindeman: Cross “clairvoyant” off of your future career options list.
And hang on. February is going to rock.
Dave Mindlessman, what exactly did liberat demonrat controlled legislature do to crate jobs? Oh yes, that’s right – zero, zilch, nada, nothing!
The bill, Senate File 103, is the first anti-abortion bill of the session.
I humbly suggest that each committee that hears this bill set aside 8 empty chairs to remember the known (…so far) victims of abortion hero Kermit Gosnell.
I am getting the sense that we’ll be watching the best legislative session ever. Change the litter box often, there’s going to be a lot of cat pissing.
I wonder how often Dave has lunch with my Aunt’s husband? I bet they are both shitty tippers.
I love how he points out that House File 103 is the first anti-abortion bill of the session as he rips us for having the wrong priorities.
The bill restricting funding for abortion would save the state money so it does involve the budget.
Chad’s a racist. Why else would he want to question the wisdom of executing 40% of black babies before they’re born?
Alex, I’ll take “Pontificating DFL Hypcites” for $2000 please. The answer is: “This whining liberal moonbat for a no-place blog, funded by George Soros, spews so many lies that he can’t recognize reality any longer.”
Dave Mindeman, the Wile E. Coyote of Reality. Always trying, but never succeeding at reality.
Estimated Job generation: Possibly a few minimum wage jobs but probably offset by more health care costs
A couple of points (in addition to Mitch’s points about tips and how much a good server can make).
First, something like 10% of private sector jobs in Minnesota are in the hospitality industry and smoking bans by and large have had a negative impact on the bottom line of the bar and restaurant industry. So yeah, it is a pretty big deal to alleviate the regulatory burden.
Second, as far as health care costs go – smokers generally are less expensive than non-smokers because (a) they pay higher premiums (not to mention tobacco excise taxes) and (b) they have shorter life expectancies which means less health care costs associated with old age and nursing home stays. Not to mention the savings from public employee pensions (another fiscal time bomb that I hope the Legislature tries to address).
The average union leader’s mindset can be summed up this way:
“We’d rather than 1 man working for a Fair Wage and 999 men out of work, than have 1,000 men working for $1.00 an hour less.”
Jobs created or saved by giving people a chance to get out of the union: 999.
Not so shabby.
following up on thorley’s point, wasn’t all of the money left over after liberat lawyer Mike Ceresi stole from the tobacco companies for the state supposed to go for healthcare costs associated with smoking in MN? I wonder where all of that money went?
Of course, after he got HIS cut, there wasn’t much left, so, it probably ended up in RT Rybacks 50,000 urinal fund.
People of Mindeman’s mentality believe that without government there would be no jobs.
Swiftee; nine victims of “Dr.” Gosnell
And the anti-abortion bill would cost jobs in prenatal infanticide clinics, but generate them due to an overall lower tax burden.
2nd Amendment bill; countless jobs save due to the Brady Center being told to pound sand.
kwatt said:
“I love how he points out that House File 103 is the first anti-abortion bill of the session as he rips us for having the wrong priorities.”
Indeed.
From what I can tell there are 175 Senate Files and 260 House Files. Dave Mindeman cherry picks five of them and thereby attempts to “prove” jobs aren’t a priority. That’s in “I Need To Be Stupid To Prove My Point” territory.