Minnesota Prayer Breakfast

I went to the annual Minnesota Prayer Breakfast this morning in St. Paul for the second year in a row, and heard one of the best speakers I've listened to in quite some time: Mr. Jonathan Aitken (wikipedia bio found here), former Member of Parliament and the British Cabinet and prolific author. His story is an incredible testimony of what God can do in a person's life, and is resonant of Chuck Colson's life experiences.

I now have a copy of his Prayers for People Under Pressure, and I'm looking forward to reading it. Other well-known works he has written include biographies of former President Richard Nixon and Chuck Colson. His new book on John Newton comes out in June this year.

Minnesota: We do more to raise your taxes before breakfast than any other state in the country

The MN Senate was called for session this morning at 8, and on today's agenda is an entirely too huge tax/education bill. Besides the fact that it's unconstitutional to have two different subjects in one bill (taxes and education), we're attempting to raise taxes by a billion dollars when we have oh, a billion or two in surplus. This makes sense how, exactly? Oh, but it's all for the children, they say...(which is why the tax and education components were mushed together - to make a tax increase more palatable to many Minnesotans. Sorry, I'm not buying that, and I'm hoping Minnesotans are smarter than that.).

In the proposal, the MN DFL would like to add a new fourth level income tax bracket, and make it the highest percentage in the country, 9.7%, a rate that would beat Vermont (9.5%) and California (9.3%).

I'm sorry, but I know that it's good to be first in the nation in many areas: test scores, health, things like that. But in my opinion, aiming for the being the most-taxed state is not a good goal.

This is what would happen if troops were defunded

You would think...

...that spending my waking moments analyzing & summarizing a $1.1 billion public safety budget, complete with bill, spreadsheets and fiscal analysis, would make the thought of doing my piddly lil' personal income taxes laughably easy. Especially when I have another section of the state budget to cover as soon as I'm done with this one.

It does not. I'm not laughing, and it's having the contrary effect: I still don't want to do my taxes.

Building Stonehenge

My Dad sent me this; I think he's getting ideas in his retirement...

Q: Should an attorney know the difference between substantive and procedural due process? You'd think the answer was "Yes!"

It's not often I speak specifically of things at work. But today, there's just one thing I have to say. I heard testimony in committee this afternoon from a licensed Minnesota attorney, and it just boggled my mind. He was there to discuss blighted housing, what to do about it, how can we get rid of it, using non-profits to help get rid of it, etc. Keep in mind that we changed our eminent domain laws last year to tighten things up since Kelo and you supposedly aren't just willy nilly able to go take someone's property just 'cause you feel like it and it's good for economic development (and for you locals, just think Best Buy all over again).

This gentleman, who shall remain nameless, apparently believes that there is only one kind of due process: procedural. He kept saying that if notice was given, there was no issue of due process because he was unaware of any other kind of due process. I'm sorry, but did you skip the day in law school when they discussed substantive due process? That's the part that you might want to think about, since there's the little subject of taking your property - I don't care if it is by the government or a private entity acting at the direction of a court. Seems to me that's a pretty big deal.

Where do these people come from? And they're not only licensed to practice law, but they're called before a MN Senate committee because they supposedly have some knowledge of their subject area? This was supposed to be this guy's area of expertise since he practices in it!

There. I just had to get that off my chest. I could go on and on - the committee I sat through today really irked me for many reasons - but I will stop now.

Hold on to your purses and wallets: the Democrats want to raise your taxes, Minnesota

I could not say it any better myself than MDE does here.

However, when it comes to the transportation tax increases, Senator Dick Day (R-Owatonna) says it best. On a bill that would increase taxes by more than $500 million for roads and transit, Sen. Day remarked that Republicans offered no amendments to the bill because it would be "almost like putting a helmet on a kamikaze pilot." (See the Strib story on the bill here.)

In news of other animal note...

...I believe that by attending the Ducks Unlimited State Capitol Chapter Banquet last evening, I am now a member of Ducks Unlimited.

So, I had my magazine subscription sent to my parents' house. Can that count as an early Father's Day gift? 'Cause if not, I picked up some other awesome stuff that would definitely count.

Superman is a better name for this cat...

...since he can apparently fly and get on top of really high counters without assistance.

If he had not sneezed in my face already (see my previous post), I now have further cause to not like this cat. This morning, at 5:19am, Basil somehow got into the kitchen sink (I still don't understand how - there is nothing around to help him up and it's a fairly tall sink/counter) and knocked over a stack of dishes and glasses. If only looks could kill. Or at least give SuperBasil the idea that I was not happy with him. I would settle for that - my scowl telling him, "NO!"

The only thing that speaks to this cat is water. I'm not kidding. And he thinks all water comes from the kitchen faucet. If you run water in the bathroom, he'll trot over to the kitchen sink to check it out.

Argh! Oh, well. The cat will be gone back home to its rightful owner tomorrow evening. I am not a cat person. The cats just keep confirming it for me.

It's not easy being green

You Are Kermit

Hi, ho! Lovable and friendly, you get along well with everyone you know. You're a big thinker, and sometimes you over think life's problems. Don't worry - everyone know's it's not easy being green. Just remember, time's fun when you're having flies!

The Muppet Personality Test

Basil, Kitty Extraordinaire

My roommate, Kari, is catsitting for her old roommate. Our visitor is named Basil, and he's a friendly little thing. Even though I'm not a cat lover, he is rather cute. And rather amusing. He jumps every time I open a door - any door. He is extremely curious to know what's making that noise when I run the water in the kitchen sink, but he can't get to it.

My favorite, though, would have to be how he finds great fascination with the bathtub and regularly camps out in it. What kind of a cat likes hanging out in a damp bathtub? I thought cats weren't supposed to like water?

Update: All potential affection for the cat was destroyed this evening when he sneezed in my face.

75K

No, that's not the number of beans I take home each week. It's not the number of M&Ms I've eaten so far in 2007. I have not rowed 75,000 meters on the ergs yet.

It's the mileage on my car. The odometer hit 75,000 this morning, and it would have been a momentous occasion had it not been so darn early in the morning. It would take a lot more than hitting 75K on the car to make me celebrate at that time of day...