I missed this part. Too bad she moved on with her first question. I think hammering them for a few minutes would have been far more powerful.
Paul was also on Glenn Beck’s new show yesterday. Beck is getting better all the time. He’s still got a long way to go but his increasing respect for Paul and libertarian ideas is refreshing for Fox and the MSM in general.
Minnesota is deep in the hole financially, but the state still owns a premier golf resort, a sprawling amateur sports complex, a big airport, a major zoo and land holdings the size of the Central American country of Belize.
Valuables like these are in for a closer look as 44 states cope with deficits.
Like families pawning the silver to get through a tight spot, states such as Minnesota, New York, Massachusetts and Illinois are thinking of selling or leasing toll roads, parks, lotteries and other assets to raise desperately needed cash.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty has hinted that his January budget proposal will include proposals to privatize some of what the state owns or does. The Republican is looking for cash to help close a $5.27 billion deficit without raising taxes.
GOP lawmakers are pushing to privatize the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and the state lottery. Both steps require a higher authority – federal legislation in the case of the airport, a voter-approved constitutional amendment for the lottery. But one lawmaker estimated an airport deal could bring in at least $2.5 billion, and the lottery $500 million.
Massachusetts lawmakers are considering putting the Massachusetts Turnpike in private hands. That could bring in upfront money to help with a $1.4 billion deficit, while also saving on highway operating costs.
In New York, Democratic Gov. David Paterson appointed a commission to look into leasing state assets, including the Tappan Zee Bridge north of New York City, the lottery, golf courses, toll roads, parks and beaches. Recommendations are expected next month.
Such projects could be attractive to private investors and public pension funds looking for safe places to put their money in this scary economy, said Leonard Gilroy, a privatization expert with the market-oriented Reason Foundation in Los Angeles.
“Infrastructure is more attractive today than ever,” Gilroy said. “It’s tangible. It’s a road. It’s water. It’s an airport. It’s something that is – you know, you hear the term recession-proof.”
Unions don’t like privatization deals out of fear that worker wages and benefits will be squeezed as private operators try to boost their profit by streamlining services.
Taxpayers, too, can lose out if the arrangements don’t work – and sometimes even if they do, said Mark Price, a labor economist with the Keystone Research Center in Harrisburg, Pa. Higher tolls on privatized roads can push drivers onto state-operated roads, wearing them down faster and raising public costs over time.
“You’re privatizing some profits in this process and socializing some losses,” Price said.
This is exactly right. What is being done is not true privatization or marketization. Unfortunately since the State never legitimately owned the resource it’s difficult to release it into the market. Ideally you’d auction it off in a fully open auctioning process and use the money to lower taxes. That however will not happen. In most cases you will have a small auction which favors some cronie of someone in the legislative or executive branch. They socialize the costs and privatize the gains. Fascism, corporatism, cronie capitalism. Call it what you like. What will inevitably occur is that the system fails due to inefficiency or corruption and the statists will blame the free market just as is being done currently with the Wall Street and car manufacturer bailouts. I’d say it’s better to let the state government wallow in their inefficient and tyrannical ways then “privatizing” components. Let the public see the state fail and keep all ideas of the free market out of the picture.
Police are investigating vicious graffiti written on the homes of six Minnesota politicians–a mix of both democratic and republican lawmakers. Now, one of them is personally offering a $1,000 reward to find the suspects.
It began with a report of graffiti in the Crocus Hill neighborhood in St. Paul, written on the garage of Sen. Norm Coleman.
Words sprayed in black paint read, ‘you are a criminal resign or else’; ‘SCUM,’ which is written three times; and ‘Psalm 2.’
Across the Metro, at least five other lawmakers’ homes were damaged overnight. The case now may point to a non-partisan group, as both democratic and republican politicians were hit.
“I think it’s clearly a terroristic threat. It looked like someone went way out of their way to do a hateful act,” Ellison told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS as he viewed the vandalism on his home for the first time.
Can’t say I feel sorry for these politicians. They support a fascist state and are backing people into corners. Given the scope of their involvement and the greater and greater effect they have on the average person’s life they should expect more this to occur. Why are the militias growing, your home vandalized and the letters to your office increasing? Why is the approval rating of the Congress the lowest ever? Because you exert your believes on others through violence and the threat of violence. It’s the same reason real terrorists attack this country and why militias in Iraq are attacking US troops. Your inability to understand this basic human… animal response is why we are in so much trouble currently.
While millions of Americans watched the 2008 Republican Convention on television, the well-staged event wasn’t all peaceful and enthusiastic, according to several delegates attending the St. Paul, Minnesota event.
Several delegates — who are avowed Ron Paul supporters — claim they were treated shabbily at best, harshly at worst.
“While almost every other GOP contender for president was permitted to speak at the convention, Ron Paul was not. The word was that Paul was invited, with the natural caveat that he (like the other speakers) endorse McCain for president, which Paul was reportedly unwilling to do,” said a McCain delegate from West Virginia.
“Instead, Paul held a separate ‘convention’ for one afternoon at the Minneapolis Convention Center,” said the WV delegate.
The McCain campaign and the Republican National Committee were unnecessarily nervous about the presence of Ron Paul delegates at the XCel Energy Center, and sometimes that fact was reflected in unwarranted actions, such as someone yanking away a banner proclaiming the word “Liberty” being held by a handful of Paul delegates outside the building, according to several delegates.
In fact, several told NewsWithViews.com that while the Rep. Paul delegates demonstrated little, if any, support for McCain throughout the convention — mostly sitting quietly on their hands while the rest of the crowd erupted around them — they caused no problems and were respectful and polite, including the Paul delegates from West Virginia.
“The Ron Paul movement has brought thousands of young people into the political process — shouldn’t the GOP find ways to welcome them rather than alienate them?” said “Patrick,” a delegate and Ron Paul supporter from Maine.
The actions of the GOP should surprise no one, but it’s worth documenting anyway.
 |
|
Shared News feed twitter feed
|
|
