Joe Doakes, formerly of Como Park, emails:
“Too many people cheated the program“
That’s not the best reason to shut it down
“It was a dumb idea in the first place”
That’s a much better reason
Joe Doakes
True.
And when you don’t have DFL trifectas, you get fewer of these dumb ideas.
Not “none”. But lots, lots fewer.
The news broke last week – the Department of Human Services tanked its “Housing Stabilization Services” program before the Feds could start digging into it.
Not that there’s not gonna be some digging anyway. Joe Thompson, the acting US Attorney for Minnesota, is finding a prosecutorial “targret rich environment”:
We welcome today’s news. Fraud has been eating away at Minnesota’s public programs for years, costing taxpayers billions. Ending the Housing Stabilization Services program cuts off a major source of abuse, but this is just the beginning. The fight against fraud continues, and a broader reckoning is long overdue.
“What” your ELCU-haired sister in law might exclaim, “they’re taking housing from people?”
No, not really. Bill Glahn explains:
Don’t be confused. HSS doesn’t provide actual housing or anything else that would be considered useful. Instead, the program, operated by the state Dept. of Human Services (DHS), offers counseling services to Medicaid program participants.
Actually, it doesn’t do that either, as Thompson has documented. The “vast majority” of the $100 million in annual spending (of taxpayer funds) goes to outright fraud.
Today, state DHS took the correct step to shut down the program entirely, you can read their letter to the U.S. Medicaid office here. The Minnesota Star Tribune has a report on this major development,
“Vast majority”.
Not a skim of fthe top.
Not 10% for the big guy.
Vast. Majority.
If Trump does nothing else in office, turning a firehose on the State of Minnesota will make this next 3.5 years a wonderful thing.
Joe Doakes, formerly of Como Park, emails:
Trump is trumpeting a trade deal with the EU. I put no stock in trade deals, they don’t last and everybody cheats. I put more stock in the mindset that “you’ve been riding our coattails long enough, we’re cutting you loose.” End of the free ride, end of the Marshall Plan, end of NATO riding piggyback on the US.
That’s what I was hoping Trump was going to say when Europe ignored his 2% defense spending demand during his first term, and is ignoring his 5% demand during this second term: “We’re done.” Same with Ukraine – don’t threaten more sanctions on Russia, threaten to pull every CIA officer out and cut off all funding, all intelligence sharing, all weapons transfers, until every nation in NATO either (a) steps up to declare war on Russia or (b) steps up to convince Ukraine to surrender. Because that’s where it’s going to end up. Ukraine is losing everything East of the river including Odessa. Everybody knows it. Nobody is willing to die for Ukraine, not even their own people. So cut to the chase and surrender that territory now. Ask for safe passage for Ukrainians who want to evacuate to the West. Guarantee safe passage for those who wish to flee to the East.
If Trump wants to be the hero who ended the war, sanctions and bluster won’t work. Walk away from the negotiating table. Wait for them to come to their senses. Then declare a victory, Mission Accomplished.
Joe Doakes
I’ve been supporting a free and independent Ukraine since most Democrats were saying the USSR was here to stay.
But it’s time for Europe to show how much their own security really matters to them
Somebody hacked the City of Saint Paul:
What is it about information technology that makes every level of Minnesota government so very very bad at it?
It would seem Mayor Carter could have diverted some time from setting up college funds and yakking about Universal Basic Income to make sure the city’s patching was up to date and tell city employees to stop answering scam emails.
Speaking of bad ID, Governor Walz called out the 19 year old cooks:
This isn’t the “Hummers patrolling the streets” National Guard. The MN Guard actually has a cybersecurity unit.
And, knowing what we know now…
No, I mean knowing what we have evidence of, it’s not the dumbest idea. If MN IT responded, the fix would cost more than building the Rondo Land Bridge. And it’s a good, free training opportunity for a cyberwarfare unuit.
I’ll give it an 80, so far.
Lieutenant Governor Flanagan [1], one of the MNDFL’s leading public intellectuals, on the economics of healthcare:
So much better to have some dude with a public employee union card, behind a desk at a for-corruption state agency, deciding it for you. Amirite?
Former Senator Sean Nienow pointed out the inconvenient facts:
[1] Although have you noticed how the social media accounts of Governor Walz, Senator Smith, Lt. Governor Flanagan and, frequently, Senator Klobuchar sound like they’re written by the same person, or at least some people who sound like 20-something guys (I said what I said) interning in the DFL Comms office?
When Jim Smorada was teaching me how to write the news, he taught the same cliche every other journo student and cub reporter gets: do the who, what, when, where, why and how of the story.
So I caught this yesterday:
And I thought – maybe it’s just the social media intern doing a terrible job of clubbing and burying the lede?
So I looked into the story proper:
Brooklyn Park Police said a crowd gathered for a cultural event had to be dispersed Saturday evening due to people trying to force their way into a stadium.
According to police, officers were working at Park Center Senior High on Brooklyn Boulevard, where a cultural event was taking place.
Police said a crowd had gathered outside the event, which then began to try and force their way into the school district’s facilities.
So let’s break it down:
Who: A crowd, and “people”. Who? What people?
What: A “cultural event”. What culture? What event?
When: Saturday evening.
Where: Park Center High, in Brooklyn Park.
Why: Uhh…
How: With…er, “force” apparently.
And this is the Five – the least PC-whipped of the local TV stations.
(Hat tip to Bill Glahn, who had the same idea).
It’s entirely possible that DNI Gabbard is making a mountain out of a molehill.
But if she’s not…:
A president using national intelligence infrastructure fo try to jink the political order is not only an order of magnitude bigger than Watergate – it is the kind of thing that the system bent over backwards to correct, and overcorrect, in the wake of learning all the information J. Edgar Hoover had collected about Americans.
If true, it’s a greater threat to democracy than hundreds of riots at the Capitol, no matter who’s doing it on whom’s behalf.
I may have to promote Berg’s Seventh Law to Berg’s First Law.
Joe Doakes, once of Como Park, emails:
Liberals are protesting Donald Trump for exercising his authority as President. They don’t want our country to be ruled by a king.But maybe by Lords?There are so many examples of liberal Democrats thinking they are above the law, better than ordinary people, entitled to do as they please.The governor going to a French restaurant while the rest of his state is locked down. A governor’s daughter spying for protesters burning down a city, a high official running a secret email server, a legislator getting rich from insider trading…….. the list goes on.Liberals don’t want Donald Trump to be King but they sure would like to be Lords and Ladies themselves. As for the rest of us peasants in flyover country, if we do not grovel sufficiently before the new nobility, they will replace us with illegal immigrants who will.Joe Doakes
Fads in bars:
I don’t drink a lot of beer anymore – I think I’ve had less than half a dozen since 2018. But as someone who didn’t start drinking ’til I went ot Europe, and so got kind of spoiled by really really good beer, I certainly enjoyed the rise of the microbrewery over the past decade or so.
But as microbreweries started opening on every corner in the North Loop, Northeast, Dinkytown, Lowertown, Downtown Minneapolis, Lowertown and the less blighted parts of University, I kind of thought a “market correction” had to be coming.
Looks like we’re creeping up on it; Wild Mind Brewing, somewhere in South Minneapolis, has killed the keg:
Wild Mind’s announcement comes less than two weeks after last call at another reputable beer maker, Alloy Brewing in Coon Rapids. Alloy’s team blamed their closure on “rising costs, supply chain hurdles and an incredible decrease in sales over the last three years.” That’s a common tale among breweries of late, with alcohol sales declining all across America as younger adults turn to nonalcoholic and/or THC drink options.
Among the other Minnesota breweries to cease operations over the past year are Minneapolis-founded Dangerous Man, Chanhassen Brewing Co., Mankato Brewery, Burning Brothers in St. Paul, Loons Landing in Savage and Finnegan’s in Minneapolis (whose beers are now brewed and on tap at Fulton Brewing).
The breweries are folding all over the place, so it’s not just “Minneapolis crime and taxes” – at least not entirely.
Now, Hudson does seem to be doing just fine…
Not sure if I’m getting tired of Trump winning – but I’ve had enough of Saint Paul losing.
The Cub on University Avenue is closing after several decades:
The store at 1440 University Ave. W. will close its doors to the public on Aug. 2, and 96 store employees will be laid off starting on Sept. 22.
In a statement, a Cub spokesperson said the closure is part of an effort to “optimize our footprint.”
“We know the impact our stores have for the people who work in, shop in, and live in our communities. Like any food retailer, we’re constantly working to optimize our footprint, which includes investing in stores – like our newly remodeled Cub in Burnsville, MN – as well as closing stores where necessary so we can operate as efficiently and effectively as possible,” the company said.
“Optimize our footprint” is apparently how corporations say “We’re tired of the shoplifting, vagrancy, panhandling, the lack of prosecution of anything that happens, and the fact that so many people who do shop at Cubs will go to Roseville because of less hassles and a lower sales tax”
I live less than a mile from that Cub – and I haven’t gone there in literally decades. Back then, there were 3-4 big box groceries in that half=mile; Rainbow, Target and Walmart (although it wasn’t one of the Wallmarts with the big grocery sections, it was still a low-price option); Cub was never as cheap as Rainbow or as clean as Target.
After Rainbow and Walmart disappeared? It was easier and cheaper to go to Roseville.
Joe Doakes, formerly of Como Park, emails:
D0GE identified $100 billion in fraud, waste and inefficiency
“Less losing” was good for starters.
But yes. More, faster.
Omar Fateh won the the DFL – let’s be honest, DSA – endorsement for Mayor of Minneapolis:
Well – probably won:
Anyway, close enough for city work.
Anyway, the whole thing is further proof of Berg’s 21st Law.
And at least he knows what the real problems are:
This fall will become known as the moment when Minneapolis’s decay graduated from organic to institutional.
Merely rejoice that he is gone.
Colbert – the unctuous and desperately un-funny little man who replaced David Letterman and became the standard-bearer for the collapse of late-night TV – is leaving the air after this season.
Oh no.
Pass the beer nuts.
Never watched the guy for more than a couple minutes live, and maybe a few clips – and when I did, I almost couldn’t tell if it was Jimmy Kimmel or Jimmy Fallon or Seth Meyers or pretty much anyone on late night but Craig Ferguson – who was funny – and Greg Gutfeld, who is flensing the Big Three in late night.
My interest is lessin the departure of…oh, look, I/ve already forgotten his name, and more in the way Big Left is trying to spin this.
Elizabeth Warren:
And for a completely different perspective, here’s Pramila Jayapal:
And now for something completely different; Adam Schiff:
Anyway – I’m not so much going to ask why he’s gone.
I’m merely going to celebrate the fact that he is gone.
Adios, un-funny man. You shall live forever in Dog Gone’s heart.
I’m not sure whose bright idea it was to put Sen. Nicole Mitchell (DFL – Woodbury) on the stand yesterday.
It did not go well:
Maybe the defence was hoping the sheer overkill would spawn a sympathy vote in the jury?
The ones who truly don’t deserve a sympathy vote – her DFL enablers::
Joe Doakes, once of Como Park, emails:
It’s good to know that all the other problems in the state have been solved, leaving legislators free to take up this important question.Joe Doakes
After two years of “trifecta”, this sort of frippery is almost a relief.
Joe Doakes, formerly of Como Park, emails:
What SHOULD a person do in that situation?I’m curious to know what SITD readers think the result would be in Minneapolis versus Greater Minnesota? Charges or no?Joe Doakes
Joe asked for thoughts.
Mine: This is one case for which Mary Moriarty could be stirred from her stupor.
Greater MN? Depends on the county, but there’s a decent chance of actual justice.
The wages of DFL control are languishing as a backwater.
Count the zeros: that’s 90 billion in Pennsylvania…:
Google said it would invest $25 billion in the region in AI and data center infrastructure over the next two years, while investment firm Brookfield said it had signed contracts to provide more than $3 billion of power to Google from two hydroelectric dams on the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania.
That’s $90 billion, with a “b.” One thing these projects all have in common is that none of them are being built in Minnesota. Instead, this is what we get: from KAAL-TV:
And 33 million in Minnesota:
As KAAL reports, “This new funding is expected to reach 225 new and developing businesses.” That works out to about $147,000 per business. Meanwhile, back in Pennsylvania:
The list of participating CEOs includes leaders from global behemoths like Blackstone, Bridgewater, SoftBank, Amazon Web Services, BlackRock and ExxonMobil and local companies such as the Pittsburgh-based Gecko Robotics, which deploys AI to bolster energy capacity. Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, will also attend.
Some of this investment would have surely come to Minnesota if not for the many taxes, laws and policies enacted in the past three years to discourage private investment and weaken our electrical grid.
Other than the number of zeros, the big difference is that the big, Pennsylvania number comes from private investors. Ripe marks…er, taxpayers covered it in Minnesota.
So yeah – while I’m not tired of winning at the national level, I’m over it here locally.
I’ll direct your attention to the Alondra Cano corollary to Berg’s 21st Law. To wit:
Cano’s Corollary to Berg’s 21st Law: In Blue city electoral politics, “blue” never gets “lighter” or less “progressive”. There is only one electoral direction – more “progressive”.
Submitted in the affirmative:
The primary effect of Ranked Choice Voting is to protect “the establishment”, whatever “the establishment” is.
And when your establishment is basically Marxism…
Joe Doakes, formerly of Como Park, emails:
California has legal marijuana so of course there are farms to grow it. And it’s hot, dirty, stoop-labor, field work so the cheapest workers are illegal aliens, whom ICE is arresting to deport. That all makes sense.What’s the deal with the children? Were they truly slaves, kidnapped from their parents, trafficked across the border, held captive by adults, forced by cruel overseers to labor under the burning sun, as the article suggests? That would be horrible.Or did the whole family come over together, all working at the same farm? That would be illegal but morally acceptable. They still have to go back, of course, but there’s no glory in enforcing that law.Or are they young adults, maybe 15 or so, doing farm work (as we did when we were kids) because union rules, labor laws, and minimum wage rates make it impossible for young people to get entry-level jobs nowadays? That would be more annoying than horrifying and certainly not something to celebrate.I question whether the feds heroically rescued child slaves or simply arrested entire families. It’s frustrating when press releases read like propaganda.Joe Doakes
When people can’t trust their sources of information, they make up their own.
To: Lieutenant Governor Flanagan
From: Mitch Berg, Irascible Peasant
Re: I Have Questions. Let’s Be Honest, You Just Don’t Do Answers.
Lieutenant Governor Flanagan,
I caught this tweet over the weekend:
I’ve got two questions:
1. Does This Mean You’re Cutting Taxes? One of the main reasons families (who can’t afford to leave Minnesota) are “just scraping by” is Minnesota’s confiscatory taxes. Sales taxes in the metro (when you add local to state taxes) are up over 10%. The overall tax burden, driving by state taxes, is among the heaviest in the nation, and affects people at every level.
Given that the administration of which you were an aggressively co-equal part squandered an $18B surplus, I need to ask: does this mean you’re repenting of your wastrel ways?
2. Do You Share A Platitude Tech With Gov. Walz?. Your twitter feed is not just an endless series of banal platitudes, but “style”-istically they appear to be written by the same unimaginative pollyanna-for-hire.
Example:
Perhaps endless streams of platitudes are going to sound the same no matter who the writer is, but it just seems too close to be a mere coincidence.
3. You Know My First Question Was Sarcastic, Right? There’s no way “cutting taxes” is ever going to be on the agenda, is there? Ever?
So, with the revelation last week that hiring managers and the MN Department of Human Services need to explicitly justify hiring white (presumably especially male) candidates for jobs, it’s not unreasonable to wonder – there must be some kind of deeply racist person driving these policies.
Your reasonable question has been rewarded with an answer:
The tipster raised concerns about Phillips and claimed his social media page is “littered with racist comments about ‘white folk.’”
After reviewing a Facebook page under the name Vonnie Phillips — filled with the type of content described by the tipster and a video tagging a woman whose name matches Phillips’ wife in public records — Alpha News sent an inquiry to Phillips’ state email address.
In his response, Phillips confirmed the Facebook page was his and lashed out at Alpha News reporter Jenna Gloeb in a profanity-laced tirade defending his posts.
“Good luck,” he wrote. “My Facebook page is within the ‘protected concerted’ activity guidelines, therefore, do what you want; nowhere on my Facebook page lists my employer; and the person, the gutless, worthless coward that reported me, the hell with them, please tell them I said that fool.”
Ooof. Someone played that one wrong.
And played it, and played it…
The worst part, to me at least, isn’t Phillips’s statements or actions.
It’s the culture of bureaucratic entitlement that allows bureaucrats to think that they’re OK acting like this on taxpayer time.
Their supporters – real and automated – are rutting:
We can test whether that’s true or not.
Experiment: Put a group of cute girls in tank tops with order pads in the middle of an open field.
If a “Hooters” magically springs up, you got yourself a theory.
Joe Doakes from Como Park emails:
It’s nice that Amazon is so concerned about me, they send me email telling me how to avoid be scammed.It’s annoying they send the email to my cell phone at 3:09 am.I leave my cell phone on overnight in case I get an emergency call: the kids have been in a car accident or a tornado was sighted in our area. I don’t mind be woken up for that.I suppose I could opt out of receiving emails but then I wouldn’t know when packages were on their way. Is there a setting that says “send me stupid advertising spam at 6 PM my time”?Not generating much goodwill here, Amazon.Joe Doakes
As someone who tends to work more on the design and engineering side, the jokes about marketeers write themselves.
Or hopefully they do, because I don’t feel like writing them right now
Rarely do we mere mortals share a time and space with a person like Peggy Flanagan.
A person who has led by example her entire public life – including her early turn on the Minneapolis School Board…:
…starting the Minneapolis Public Schools’ meteoric rise in achievement over the past 20 years, turning it into the beacon of exceptional learning that it is today.
Well, she’s not resting on her laurels:
Brilliant.
Know what else are taxes, Madame Lieutenant Goverrnor?
Taxes.
Like the ones your administration and legislative “trifecta” jacked up, statewide, after squandering a $18 Billion surplus, accelerating Minnesota’s slide to “below average” in gross product per capita.
She could be our next Senator. Or Governor. Or whatever the machine decides they want her to be.
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