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Mullah Atiqullah captured in Afghanistan
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Page 4: Opinion
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Economy
Minnesota budget problem as 'serious as a heart attack'
After a brief Thursday morning meeting with Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, state leaders said Minnesota's budget problem was sobering, serious and could produce an uncharted crisis.

The state's deficit could be as large as $3 billion and could mean Minnesota will be out of cash to pay its bills in short order, said Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller, DFL-Minneapolis. It is a gap borne in part of a Wednesday State Supreme Court decision that ruled Pawlenty's 2009 unilateral budget cutting was illegal and could not stand.

"This is as serious as a heart attack," said House Minority Leader Kurt Zellers, R-Maple Grove.

Pawlenty and the DFL-controlled Legislature, which have shown little ability to cooperate on budget matters in the past, have just 11 days to solve the daunting budget problem if they hope to end the 2010 session on time.

After the 45-minute meeting, neither sides showed much budging from their firmly entrenched positions.

House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher said Pawlenty is "insistent" that the Legislature should pass the budget scheme he enacted through "unallotment" last year.

Pogemiller said that solution was "not viable" and "not wise."

Meanwhile, Pawlenty spokesman Brian McClung said Pawlenty has no interest in signing a measure to raise taxes to solve the problem.

Last year, the governor vetoed lawmakers' tax increase bill and then cut the state's budget on his own to fill the gap.

Pawlenty has a planned political trip to South Carolina Friday. McClung said he had not asked the governor if that trip would be cancelled, given the budget situation.

The governor and lawmakers plan to meet against Thursday afternoon to continue work on budget issues.
Posted by: Fred || 05/07/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  DFL? dumb effing liberal, maybe? Just a guess.
Posted by: AlmostAnonymous5839 || 05/07/2010 12:21 Comments || Top||

#2  HEY! DFL was in the original story! Who knew reporters could be unintentionally funny.
Posted by: AlmostAnonymous5839 || 05/07/2010 12:22 Comments || Top||

#3  Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. Old line Minnesota.
Posted by: KBK || 05/07/2010 16:14 Comments || Top||

#4  So basically, the Supreme Court told him that not spending money you don't have is illegal.


Posted by: bigjim-CA || 05/07/2010 16:39 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Politix
A Disaster Opportunity - BP Spill and Obama's Climate Bill
Some environmentalists and liberal lawmakers believe the BP oil spill has handed President Obama a significant political opportunity to renew his stalled energy and climate bill, and are urging him to push for sweeping legislation to move the country away from reliance on oil and other fossil fuels.

The climate bill that White House officials have been negotiating called for limited greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, transportation fuels and eventually factories. It included large incentives for drilling offshore, nuclear power plant construction and so-called "clean-coal" technology. It also would have required set levels of renewable electricity use nationwide. The bill included several sweeteners to minimize the cost for industry.

Still, the nation's reliance on gasoline means choosing between imported oil or increased domestic production — and there, the gulf spill may have an impact. All signs from Capitol Hill suggest that Obama's expanded drilling plans will find little support in light of the BP leak.

Environmental groups want the administration to push for enhanced oil recovery on land, but not ANWR especially if gasoline prices spike again and public pressure mounts for more domestic production.

Many economists say Obama's best chance to reframe the energy debate — and dramatically cut oil use — could also be the least popular—a large gasoline tax on gasoline, with the proceeds dedicated to alternative fuel research, reducing the federal budget deficit, or even refunded to consumers according to their needs.
Posted by: Bobby || 05/07/2010 08:17 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Every disaster is an opportunity, so said a wise man to my friend after he survived the flying cans in the Safeway store during the 1964 Alaska earthquake.

Obama will use this disaster for promoting more of his agenda. Crap and Raid, etc etc, the bottom line being that we will spend way beyond our means and wind up JUST LIKE GREECE, in an accelerated fashion.

The Grateful Dead were prophetic:

Drivin' that train
High on cocaine
Casey Jones you better
watch your speed
Trouble ahead
Trouble behind
and you know that notion
just crossed my mind

Trouble with you is
The trouble with me
Got two good eyes
but we still don't see
Come round the bend
You know it's the end
The fireman screams and
The engine just gleams


/Greetings to Commodore Frank

Heh.
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 05/07/2010 16:40 Comments || Top||

#2  heh heh, thank you, Al-Aska Paul.
Posted by: Frank G || 05/07/2010 19:42 Comments || Top||


EPA Directs More Cash to Blue Cities
States, it asserts, should prioritize projects that upgrade the drinking water and wastewater infrastructure in cities over projects intended to serve new developments on the suburban fringe.
In the name of "Smart Growth". They upgrade Detroit's water system until there's no one left in the City. That'll encourage more suburbanites to move back into the city. Beacuse there won't be any EPA water in the 'burbs.
The new guidance arguably arrives five years too late (Bush's fault - again) after a home building boom that swallowed up vast swaths of land and crashed the economy. But building will eventually resume, and EPA officials say the leverage of the federal funding - the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund - could coax states toward a more sustainable form of development. With so many cities contending with aging water pipes and sewer lines, officials say, it makes most sense to address those needs first.
Yet another reason why states can be smarter at spending our money.
Posted by: Bobby || 05/07/2010 07:31 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  That's throwing good money after bad money. Create a problem and then throw money at it to solve it. Corollary of Rahm Emanuel's don't let a good crisis go to waste. Also another play out of playbook is to blame the crisis on someone else.
Posted by: JohnQC || 05/07/2010 10:08 Comments || Top||

#2  "good money after bad"

Yep, it's what libs do best.
Posted by: Jefferson || 05/07/2010 14:35 Comments || Top||


Sarah Palin endorses Carly Fiorina in California
Former Alaska GOP Gov. Sarah Palin endorsed former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina on Thursday in the GOP contest for the California Senate nomination.

Fiorina -- a top surrogate to Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) presidential campaign -- received the primary endorsement over Tea Party favorite Chuck DeVore, as well as former Rep. Tom Campbell.

The endorsement also comes as something of a surprise, given that Fiorina once said Palin was not qualified to run a "major corporation" during the 2008 presidential campaign. Fiorina later backed off the comment slightly, saying she didn't think McCain or Barack Obama could run a major corporation either.

Palin dubbed Fiorina a "commonsense conservative" in a post announcing the endorsement on Facebook, a label she frequently gives to candidates with much firmer conservative credentials.

"We can trust Carly to do the right thing for America's economy and to make the principled decisions she has throughout her professional career," Palin wrote. "Her fiscal conservatism is rooted in real life experience. She knows that when government grows, the private sector shrinks under the burden of debt and deficits."
Posted by: Fred || 05/07/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Tom Campbell has more brains and sense than Carly and Palin combined. Then again, if Carly's stronger against birdbrained Barbie Boxer, then let the stronger candidate move forward.
Posted by: lex || 05/07/2010 0:39 Comments || Top||

#2  Until she gets kicked out of office, Barbie wants us to defer refer to her as Senator, lex.
Posted by: gorb || 05/07/2010 1:09 Comments || Top||

#3  i absolutely loathe Carly... the way she ran HP was an embarrassment. she has minimal grasp on things conservative and is in thrall to all that is PC. i suspect she would run a campaign against boxer that would make McWimps presidential outing look aggressive and well oiled.

she may be the lesser of 2 evils stood next to Boxer. but the difference is rather slim.
Posted by: abu do you love || 05/07/2010 1:34 Comments || Top||

#4  This does hurt. Palin appears to be building her cred as opposed to supporting a true candidate. That said, she has remained consistent in her loyalty to those she's worked with in the past. It's a tough call but count me in the "disappointed" camp.
Posted by: Rex Mundi || 05/07/2010 2:21 Comments || Top||

#5  Boxer is a national embarrassment. I'll gladly put up with Carly in order to get rid of Barbie. It would be a huge, Scott Brown-style win, a sign that the tide is truly turning.

Seriously, people need some hope. The situation in this country is truly frightening. We HAVE to get rid of this Congress and this administration.
Posted by: lex || 05/07/2010 3:47 Comments || Top||

#6  Palin's prob'y being loyal to a sister suffragette. Poor Tom Campbell-- the Charlie Brown of CA politics.

It's a great shame, really, given that this man is, aside from maybe Paul Ryan, the only national pol we have who has any clue about how to avoid the coming fiscal/financial sh$tstorm.
Posted by: lex || 05/07/2010 3:50 Comments || Top||

#7  Another defeat for the "Tea Party".

See? We told you there was nothing to worry about!

[/WaPo]
Posted by: Bobby || 05/07/2010 6:00 Comments || Top||

#8  I've been really concerned about Campbell's longstanding ties to jihadi enablers. I doubt his ideology is really in that camp, but his judegment is iffy, to say the least.
Posted by: lotp || 05/07/2010 7:14 Comments || Top||

#9  longstanding ties to jihadi enablers.

Links? I know he wrote one stupid letter, but that seems overstated. Nonetheless, he's a RINO and Carly's an incompetent. The strongest argument for either is that they're not Barbara Boxer. The Caliphornia trunks are still in disarray. Big loser? Palin.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble || 05/07/2010 7:21 Comments || Top||

#10  The Frontpage people dug into that, Nimble Spemble, in an article published last month. I believe it was posted and discussed here at Rantburg; at any rate, the Thing From Snowy Mountain posted it in the O Club this morning, so I thought I'd share it again.

Representative Campbell did more than merely write a letter. He introduced legislation to ban the use of secret evidence in immigration courts, for the purpose of preventing the deportation of Sami al Arian's brother-in-law, who was accused of connections to terrorist groups. One assumes he, like Professor al Arian, was in leadership positions in the Muslim Brotherhood and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The connection to Campbell was his policy director/press secretary.

In other words, not a dinner party acquaintance or automatic favour to a constituent... although not as tight as President Obama's friendship with Professor Khalidi, the PLO official at whose table Obama wrote a good portion of his second autobiography.
Posted by: trailing wife || 05/07/2010 8:21 Comments || Top||

#11  Carly Fiorina saying she didn't think someone could run a major corporation is the funniest thing I read all day. Although I generally like Sarah Palin, this is a big disappointment. Fortunately, even an horribly incompetent former HP CEO is better than Babwa Boxer.
Posted by: Eboreg || 05/07/2010 8:41 Comments || Top||

#12  Campbell also has some huge question marks in how he the California's budgets have been handled. Why do the California Repulicans always leave us with such sad choices.
Posted by: rjschwarz || 05/07/2010 10:13 Comments || Top||

#13  Thanks, TW. I missed that one. I had not heard the legislation angle before. That is disturbing.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble || 05/07/2010 10:14 Comments || Top||

#14  Hello Ladies and Gentlemen, I'd like to welcome you all to the game of Go.
Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain || 05/07/2010 10:54 Comments || Top||

#15  Chuck DeVore is the conservative in the race, and he's stuck at 14%. Campbell never met a tax hike he didn't like, and Carly is self funding. That's the math, and Sarah solved it correctly.
Posted by: Iblis || 05/07/2010 11:01 Comments || Top||

#16  the woman will have a better chance of winning than the man.
Posted by: bman || 05/07/2010 11:31 Comments || Top||

#17  Bill Buckley has framed, better than I ever could, what I think is the correct perspective: I'll vote for the most conservative person electable.

Campbell is not electable. DeVore is not electable. Good people in their own ways, and I can lament way DeVore can't get it done, but he can't, and were I a California resident, I wouldn't throw my vote away on him.

Fiorina is more conservative than Boxer (my pet chihuahua is more conservative than Boxer). Fiorina is also electable. Therefore, Fiorina gets my support.
Posted by: Steve White || 05/07/2010 11:37 Comments || Top||

#18  Sarah, this is a huge disappointment. Did you do it just because Carly knows where the money is? How much did she promise you for 2012? Ask yourself: How much did she really help McCain? What happened to McCain? Loyalty is a great thing but if somebody is a boat anchor you need to cut them loose.

Republicans need to wise up if they ever want to gain power in this country again. Look at what happened in the last general election in California. Obama beat the crap out of McCain. Boxer will do the same to Fiorina.

Boxer may have been damaged by ObamaCare and the bailouts but I gotta believe that the people in this state who voted for her don't understand any of that anyway. They'll vote for her again. The unions, the illegal aliens, the moonbats...they're all still here. They are dumber than dirt and platitudes from Fiorina will not get through to them.

Moonbeam Brown will endorse Boxer. Feinstein will endorse Boxer. These are big names in this state.

And remember, Fiorina is deadly dull as a speaker. I've seen her. I know. She'll put you to sleep faster than Sominex if you don't have sense enough to walk out on her first.

And remember that the HP board of directors paid Fiorina $21 million to get rid of her. They fired her and they had good reasons for it. Boxer will examine those reasons. You cannot assume that Boxer will be dumb enough to let that slide.

What could Boxer say about DeVore? That he won't squander our money and allow our country to be conquered by the invaders from the south? That he doesn't believe in socialism?

Sarah, you're big enough that you could have given DeVore the boost that he needs. But you compromised for the money.



Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 || 05/07/2010 12:39 Comments || Top||

#19  I left HP soon after Carly announced the Compaq merger. She is a "bigger is better" woman, ripe for transnational government agendas. Sarah did an oops, Carly is not conservative. She is an egomaniac.
Posted by: Beau || 05/07/2010 12:56 Comments || Top||

#20  Fortunately, even an horribly incompetent former HP CEO is better than Babwa Boxer.

Well, maybe Sarah had to choose between the lesser of two evils. Mickey Mouse is not a good write-in.
Posted by: gorb || 05/07/2010 14:02 Comments || Top||

#21  I think Steve White has the Buckly calculus correct.
Posted by: No I am the other Beldar || 05/07/2010 14:22 Comments || Top||

#22  California started down the path to complete destruction a long time ago, nothing can stop it now. They're toast and nothing short of a complete and catastrophic collapse will wake most of them up.

Look at their budget deficits, their entitlement mentality. If some one did try to fix the place they'd make Greece look like a picnic.
Posted by: Jefferson || 05/07/2010 14:24 Comments || Top||

#23  When Palin endorsed McCain instead of Hayworth I started wondering. This just confirms what I started wondering about.
Posted by: Broadhead6 || 05/07/2010 14:59 Comments || Top||

#24  Palin owed McCain. She owes Fiorina nothing. I'd give her credit for Rubio and start wondering now.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble || 05/07/2010 15:39 Comments || Top||

#25  Palin shows great political instinct once again.

DeVore can't win, and we certainly don't want Boxer. Going for ideological purity doesn't cut it.

As for claiming that Palin couldn't run a major corporation, Carly's just shameless. She really did a job on HP. I'd have thought she'd be too embarrassed to make that statement, knowing the comeback.

Not only that, but she's wrong.
Posted by: KBK || 05/07/2010 16:09 Comments || Top||

#26  I don't think anyone can save California. Boxer and Rinos will try to funnel money into California to prop it up. The rest of the country will be paying for decades of bad decisions made by liberal California governments.
Posted by: JohnQC || 05/07/2010 16:22 Comments || Top||

#27  I agree w/JQC.

NS, not sure I think Palin owed him, his team did quite a hachet job on her as you no doubt recall after the election. I agree abt Rubio, but that was an easy call. I think she should've stayed mute on both maverick and carly.
Posted by: Broadhead6 || 05/07/2010 17:11 Comments || Top||

#28  Fiorina is a legend in her own mind. She took a world class company and ran it into the ground. After far too long, the HP Board showed the good sense to kick her out. She's better than Boxer, in the same way that the flu is better than a heart attack.
Posted by: DMFD || 05/07/2010 19:51 Comments || Top||



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Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.

Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has dominated Mexico for six years.
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Meet the Mods
In no particular order...
Steve White
Seafarious
tu3031
badanov
sherry
ryuge
GolfBravoUSMC
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trailing wife
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Two weeks of WOT
Fri 2010-05-07
  Mullah Atiqullah captured in Afghanistan
Thu 2010-05-06
  Death sentence for Kasab
Wed 2010-05-05
  Iraqi Troops Arrest Head of Qaeda-Linked Ansar al-Islam
Tue 2010-05-04
  Pakistani-American Arrested in Times Square Plot
Mon 2010-05-03
  Somali rebels seize pirate haven of Haradhere
Sun 2010-05-02
  Pakistani Taliban claim credit for failed NYC Times Square car bombing
Sat 2010-05-01
  Explosions inside a Somali mosque kill at least 30
Fri 2010-04-30
  Two New York men charged with trying to help al Qaeda
Thu 2010-04-29
  Hakimullah Mehsud no longer dead
Wed 2010-04-28
  Egypt court convicts 26 men of links to Hezbollah
Tue 2010-04-27
  French cops seize five jihad suspects
Mon 2010-04-26
  Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri Nabbed?
Sun 2010-04-25
  AQI confirms death of Abu Omar al-Baghdadi and Abu Ayyub al-Masri
Sat 2010-04-24
  DR Congo: Lord's Resistance Army Rampage Kills 321
Fri 2010-04-23
  50 killed, 85 wounded in series of Baghdad blasts

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