Video: Bachmann Refuses to Say President Obama is an American Citizen

Firedoglake:

Michele Bachmann is a member of Bill Posey's nine-member Birther Caucus. She originally blocked the resolution celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Hawaii Statehood that included a line citing Hawaii as President Obama's birthplace, but then voted for it. But when asked by Mike Stark of Firedoglake.com whether she believed Obama was born in the United States, she recited a litany of things she was too busy working on that precluded her from giving a "yes" or "no" answer.

Bachmann is not a co-sponsor of Rep. Posey's birther bill , however Bachmann will be appearing at an event in September co-hosted by birther Janet Porter.



Read Bill Maher's opinion piece in the LA Times about the birthers.

H/T MN Progressive Report

Bachmann Uses Census Data on Her Townhall Blog

A former census worker sent us this tip.

From Bachmann's Townhall blog:

The relationship between illegal immigrants and our nation's health care system is one that cannot be overlooked. In 2006, the Census Bureau reported that there were 46.6 million people without health insurance of which about 9.5 million were not United States citizens. The expense of illegal immigrants' health care in California, for instance, has become so unbearable that many municipalities had to eliminate this benefit to save tens of millions of dollars. Texas estimates that illegal immigrants cost hospitals there $1.3 billion in 2006 alone.

Did ACORN gather those statistics?

Birther Orly Taitz Says She's Facebook Pals With Michele Bachmann

From Orly Taitz' blog:

10th Member of Congress, Michelle Bachmann, MN signed up as my friend on Facebook

Read more about Orly Taitz and the birthers in this DB post.

Read more at Huffington Post, Media Matters. and the Washington Independent.

UPDATE: I just looked at the Facebook page for Orly Taitz and there's no Michele Bachmann among her 1,208 "friends".

UPDATE 2: The fact that Bachmann may have been a Facebook "friend" of Orly Taitz isn't as important as the fact that she has yet to repudiate the birther movement. Bachmann will be appearing at an event in September co-hosted by birther Janet Porter.

This is one of a series of videos on Orly Taitz's You Tube channel:

Will Bachmann Support 9/11 First Responders and Victims?

The Queens Gazette:

Congressmember Carolyn Maloney scored a success last week in her continuing fight to secure healthcare funding for Ground Zero workers when the House passed a bill allocating more than $70 million in funding for the World Trade Center Health Program.

Maloney was among the prime sponsors of the 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, which would provide long-term comprehensive health care and compensation for those sickened or injured in the aftermath of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center of Sept. 11, 2001.

Commenting on the bill's passage, Maloney (D- Queens/Manhattan) declared: "The heroes and heroines of 9/11 deserve a helping hand from the federal government—it's the least we can do as a grateful nation. This $70 million in federal funding will keep the doors of 9/11 health clinics open until we pass comprehensive 9/11 health legislation, hopefully by the eighth anniversary of the attacks."

Maloney's release said the $70,723,000 would directly benefit first responders and community members who are living with 9/11-related illnesses.

From Congresswoman Maloney's press release:

“Today’s vote is a crucial step toward our goal of passing this landmark bill by the eighth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Eight years is long enough to finally get proper care and compensation for the heroes and heroines of 9/11,” said Rep. Maloney. “I thank my good friends and cosponsors Jerry Nadler, Pete King, and Michael McMahon for their leadership and I am grateful to Chairman Conyers, Congresswoman Lofgren, and Speaker Pelosi for their steadfast support in moving this long-overdue bill forward. I would also like to extend my gratitude to three friends on the other side of the aisle who voted today to approve this bill: Reps. Dan Lungren, Ted Poe, and Thomas Rooney.”

The Daily News:

GOP Disses 9/11 Responders

July 28, 2009 WASHINGTON — First responders from 9/11 can accept if Republicans don’t vote for a bill to help ailing Ground Zero workers, but they say rudeness is another matter.
Several victims of the terror attacks who have become advocates on behalf of other ill responders say they were treated poorly when they called some Capitol Hill Republicans in hopes of getting them to back a measure coming up for a committee vote Wednesday.

“One office said, ‘Why do you people keep calling us? Leave us alone,’” said Charlie Giles, 41, from Barnegat, N.J. “‘You people?’ That is a disgrace from a congressman’s office.”

Giles, a Republican, said his rounds of calls — and GOP opposition to a bill to reopen the Sept. 11 Victims’ Compensation Fund — left him so angry he’s ready to denounce his party when he and other responders take a bus to the Capitol Wednesday.

“I’ll bring my Republican card, and show it to them,” he said. “If I have to tear it into a million pieces in front of them, I will.”

Giles, who was an EMT on Sept. 11, 2001, singled out the offices of Reps. Randy Forbes (R-Va.) and Thomas Rooney (R-Fla.), as did other angry responders. They said their reactions from other members of the GOP was better.

Spokespeople for both congressmen said they were not aware of any problems with callers, and insisted they provide unfailingly polite and helpful service.

In one instance, a spokesperson for Forbes thought an intern may have annoyed someone by offering to take their name and see if an appointment could be arranged.

“If someone felt they were mistreated, we apologize,” said Rooney spokesman Jeff Ostermayer. “Our office treats everyone who calls with courtesy and respect.”

Daily News calls to their offices were answered politely, but a worker in Rooney’s office said she couldn’t answer a question about the bill, and transferred the call to a Democratic committee office without saying that’s what she was doing.

“They were just cold,” said Glen Klein, 50, a retired city detective, “like you’re interrupting their lunch or something like that.”
Klein, of Centereach, L.I., spent nine months working at Ground Zero and is collecting Social Security disability.

James O’Connell, 50, an ex-Army man who recently survived a suicide attempt he blames on his 9/11 suffering, said he couldn’t understand the reception he got.

“They were at the very least, conduct unprofessional,” he said. “I don’t get politicians. I thought 9/11 was something that affected all Americans. I thought it was nonpartisan.

Read the whole article....

What happened to Charles Giles and other 9/11 first-responders is shameful.

Bachmann is not on the list of co-sponsors of H.R. 847 The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation.

Bachmann often invokes 9/11. Reporters and constituents need to ask Bachmann and other representatives to co-sponsor the bill to help the first responders and victims of the events of 9/11.

Whether you're "pro-life" or "pro-choice," Bachmann's "pro-duced" nothing

Andy Birkey does some really great articles on Michele over at the Minnesota Independent. But he makes a strange claim in his latest article on Michele, Tarryl Clark, and their current standing with pro-lifers.

Birkey writes:

With more than a year to go until the general election, abortion is already becoming an issue in the 6th Congressional District race. An analysis of anti-abortion campaign donations finds that Rep. Michele Bachmann is one of the country’s top earners — and she’s delivered for her contributors on that issue.

No, she hasn't. That's not true, what he's written there. Michele hasn't delivered any successful legislation that's lowered the number of abortions. And she hasn't organized any successful repeal of law permitting abortion. So what does reporter Birkey mean when he insists that Bachmann's "delivered" for her pro-life contributors?

Birkey explains here:

Bachmann’s disproportionate share of contributions has paid off for her anti-abortion benefactors. She’s sponsored or cosponsored an impressive 13 bills restricting abortion rights so far this year. Among the bills, one includes funneling entitlement money to “abortion alternatives” programs and another that would ban race and sex discrimination against fetuses. Yet another would give 14th Amendment protections to an embryo or fetus.

You see: Birkey seems to think that "making noise" equals "delivering for her contributors" or "paying off for her contributors." It doesn't.

It's true that the anti-abortion lobbyists love Michele, but it's not true that she's *ever* delivered anything of value in the way of the changes in the law that this lobby seeks. (I can't find any evidence of Bachmann delivering a successful reform in the law governing abortion, and I assume that Birkey can't either or he would have reported it.)

When Mark Kennedy, Bachmann's predecessor as Congressman here, announced on his web pages that he "delivered" for the people of the Sixth District: he listed the amounts of money that amount that his lawmaking work in D.C. produced for the people of the district. That was "real" money, a tangible refund to Kennedy's constituents of the real money that his constituents had paid in federal taxes. Kennedy was bragging that he had "delivered" something "real" to his district: a cash infusion to foster or preserve prosperity in the local economy.

Bachmann on the hand, "delivers" nothing real, nothing tangible, nothing that will become law. I think Birkey is wrong to suggest that she is delivering for the pro-life crowd, if all she delivers is empty resolutions that go nowhere.

To make it clearer, let's go back to Rep. Mark Kennedy. Suppose that Kennedy had announced on his web pages that he *hadn't* obtained large amounts of money for his district--announcing that he had merely "sponsored resolutions for large amounts of taxpayer money to be returned to his district" (but these resolutions had gone nowhere, in fact, and never become law or reality.) If that had been the case (and Kennedy and a newspaper had announced that his go-nowhere resolutions constituted "delivery to" his constituents) Kennedy would have gotten nothing but dismissive laughs. And so would a paper that reported his non-achievement as "paying off" for his supporters.

What Bachmann has delivered here, is also empty rhetoric and pointless gestures that don't go anywhere. If the anti-abortion set is *happy* with empty rhetoric and pointless gestures, that's their business--but Bachmann has in fact delivered nothing. A commenter to Birkey's article makes the point:

Alec
Comment posted July 30, 2009 @ 7:06 pm

You state that supporting Bachmann has paid off for the anti-abortion groups, but I do not see any evidence of that whatsoever. Authoring useless bills that will never pass doesn’t help, does it? In fact, I wonder if Bachmann has ever authored a bill that actually became law. I am pro-choice, and for all practical purposes Bachmann and I have done the same for abortion rights groups. Nothing. Which is about the same as she has done for her real constituents.

Did Karl Rove Create the Crusade Against ACORN?

Americablog:

One other aspect of this story that's fascinating. The Rove-led effort to fire New Mexico U.S. Attorney David Iglesias was initiated after he wouldn't press charges against ACORN. Yes, Rove started that.

--snip--

So, Rove started the GOP obsession with ACORN, which continues to this day. Rove saw a potential political issue, but the U.S. Attorney didn't see any wrongdoing. Iglesias got fired. Let's hope Rove finally goes to jail.

TPM Muckraker has more about the Rove emails.

DB readers may recall that Karl Rove came to Stillwater for a Bachmann fundraiser.

Bachmann Steamed About Alleged Stimulus Smut

Bachmann tweet:

Stimulus tax dollars supporting objectionable and obscene movies, plays, and exhibitions. Check out the story: http://tiny.cc/wIB0Ia

The story Bachmann is tweeting about is by Joseph Abrams on the Fox News website:

Talk about a stimulus package.

The National Endowment for the Arts may be spending some of the money it received from the Recovery and Reinvestment Act to fund nude simulated-sex dances, Saturday night "pervert" revues and the airing of pornographic horror films at art houses in San Francisco.

The NEA was given $80 million of the government's $787 billion economic stimulus bill to spread around to needy artists nationwide, and most of the money is being spent to help preserve jobs in museums, orchestras, theaters and dance troupes that have been hit hard by the recession.

But some of the NEA's grants are spicing up more than the economy. A few of their more risque choices have some taxpayer advocates hot under the collar, including a $50,000 infusion for the Frameline film house, which recently screened Thundercrack, "the world's only underground kinky art porno horror film, complete with four men, three women and a gorilla."

Bachmann NEA-bashing again?... Bachmann voted to "eliminate funding for the National Endowment for the Arts".

This is a column by Karl Bremer we posted back in 2007:

Always vigilant for our safety, Rep. Michele Bachmann on June 27 tried to save the Republic from the threat of performing and visual arts by voting to eliminate all funding for the National Endowment for the Arts.

But her effort failed miserably on a 335-97 vote; she was the only member of the Minnesota delegation who voted to defund the NEA.

So just who are these freeloaders in the Sixth Congressional District sucking at the teat of the taxpayer?

Andres Serrano?

Robert Mapplethorpe?

Let’s take a look at some recent recipients of NEA grants in the Sixth Congressional District and how much these nefarious groups have received from the NEA since 2002:

College of St. Benedict, St. Joseph: $92,500

St. John’s University, Collegeville: $35,000

Chamber Music Society of St. Cloud: $25,000

St. Cloud Civic Orchestra Association: $20,000

Paramount Arts Resource Trust, St. Cloud: $10,000

This doesn’t even count the NEA funds that go to state and regional arts organizations such as the Minnesota State Arts Board, and individual artists. Forty percent of all NEA program funds are re-granted through state arts agencies.

And on average, each NEA grant leverages at least seven dollars from other state, local and private sources.

NEA grants bring a taste of culture to parts of Minnesota that are underserved by the arts. Seven out of eight members of the Minnesota congressional delegation recognize that.

In the Sixth Congressional District, they’ve funded everything from dance performances to artists-in-residency to the work of world-renowned potter Warren MacKenzie of Stillwater. In addition to arts groups and individuals, activities funded by NEA grants involve many other organizations, such as battered women’s shelters, Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Minnesota, and senior centers.

So what is Bachmann’s problem with the arts? Does she believe the Sixth Congressional District is made up of a bunch of rubes who have no appreciation of culture beyond the crop art at the county fair?

To the contrary, even many of Bachmann’s supporters like to take in an occasional night at the orchestra or purchase a handmade work from a local artisan.

Compared with what we’re spending on the carnage in Iraq that Bachmann so fervently supports—about $100,000 a minute—you have to wonder where our congresswoman’s priorities are. When the Taliban gained control of Afghanistan, it destroyed many of that country’s cultural treasures.

By trying to eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts, Michele Bachmann and her ilk are trying to accomplish the same thing in this country one vote at a time.

Karl Bremer is a writer who lives in Stillwater.

More Criticism of Bachmann's Attire

We had a post last week about Roll Call wondering about Bachmann's "retread threads".

The Capitol Hill Style blog has more to say about Bachmann's choice of work clothes:

When the weather turns hot and humid, the prospect of wearing a wool suit is less than appealing. Hell, even that sleeveless cotton sheath dress can look like a cloth prison once the mercury rises. But if you’re a working professional, what other choice do you have? You don the suit and head to your 9 to 5. Unless of course, you happen to be Rep. Michele Bachmann.

--snip--

Bottom line, I could say plenty about the matchy-matchy soccer Mom attire, but the outfit itself isn’t the problem. It is a disgrace that a Member of Congress would think that it’s perfectly okay to walk onto the House floor wearing a t-shirt, a prairie skirt and sandals. This is a governing body, not Woodstock. And given that the path from her office to the floor doesn’t require her to leave the air conditioned safety of the Capitol, I don’t buy the “it’s too hot” bulls****.

A comment:

I once saw Rep. Bachmann wearing pantyhose and Teva sandals. When we were in session. I died a little inside that day.

UPDATE: Decide for yourself:

Summer is Back

I thought summer is already gone because for the past days its always raining. But i'm wrong, summer is back with a vengeance. The town is now again full of shoppers and the ice cream parlors were a hit. People are taking advantage of the summer sale and its also the start of the summer vacation for students.

I also shopped for some of my food needs at Thai Shop. On the way home, i encountered two hidden cameras in the bushes. It's good that i was warned by the passing motorists but i was surprised on the second one, so i brake hard and the eggs that i bought broke. So i ended up eating the broken eggs for dinner.

Summer is Back

I thought summer is already gone because for the past days its always raining. But i'm wrong, summer is back with a vengeance. The town is now again full of shoppers and the ice cream parlors were a hit. People are taking advantage of the summer sale and its also the start of the summer vacation for students.

I also shopped for some of my food needs at Thai Shop. On the way home, i encountered two hidden cameras in the bushes. It's good that i was warned by the passing motorists but i was surprised on the second one, so i brake hard and the eggs that i bought broke. So i ended up eating the broken eggs for dinner.

Bachmann Parrots GOP Talking Points on Health Care

Bachmann on Fox:

Clark almost (not quite) nails the Bachmann issue...

...in that letter announcing her candidacy, published yesterday on this blog. Here's what she's got to say about MB:

For the past few years, the 6th District's representation in Congress has been about missed opportunities. We've watched opportunities slip away - opportunities to build our local infrastructure, to modernize our transportation system, and to create good jobs and a strong business climate.

It's time to deliver more than a sound bite. Representative Bachmann's biggest accomplishments are creating controversy instead of creating good jobs, and working the talk show circuit instead of helping working families...

That's pretty good. The first paragraph I quoted there is about how much Bachmann non-representation has *cost the people of the district.* Bachmann's knee-jerk special interest votes, failure to use her committee assignments to regulate financial markets--all of that hurt people in and out of her district. Bachmann actually bragged about how she refused to bring home some of the federal tax dollars her constituents pay. Bachmann's mindless "I won't seek federal money for my district" ideology cost her constituents real jobs, real opportunity to weather a bad economy. Clark might have also mentioned the chronic high rate of home foreclosures in the Sixth District, which is disgraceful.

The second paragraph is also pretty good: it is true that Bachmann is more interested in being a notorious national figure than in creating jobs and helping working families. After nearly ten years in government, Bachmann is more famous for what she says than for anything she's actually achieved. And that's true whether you're a conservative or a liberal or a whatever.

It's amazing that Bachmann gets a pass on the talk show circuit when she's called on to comment on economic matters--isn't it? An informed interviewer could demolish her by letting her start in on her conservative talking points--and then ask her about the rate of home foreclosures in the Sixth since she's been in office, compared to other Minnesota districts. If she really is credible on the subject of how to fix the economy--why is the rate of Minnesota home foreclosures highest in *her* district? But they don't ask her that, so she gets a pass and continues to spout conservative country club economics on TV and radio--with impunity.

There's a "heads up" for the Bachmann staffers who read this blog. You might want to get her ready to answer that one, in case she ever runs into an interviewer who actually knows something about what's going on down on the ground here.

The reason that Clark's letter doesn't "nail it," is that she makes no allusion to what every one of her supporters already knows about Bachmann: that Bachmann is a nut, liar, and bigot. This has been noted time and again in national political reporting on our district, and this year it has been alluded to in more than one Minnesota daily paper. But Clark is trying to keep it positive, I guess.

You can read the rest of Clark's letter in Avidor's post, here.

Judge Allows Flying Imams Lawsuit to Proceed

DB readers may recall Bachmann's bizarre radio rant about "The Flying Imams". There was a recent ruling by federal Judge Ann Montgomery allowing a lawsuit by the imams to proceed. MNObserver at The Cucking Stool has an excellent post explaining the constitutional reasons behind Judge Montgomery's decision...

On Friday of last week, federal Judge Ann Montgomery issued a decision on motions to dismiss in what has been called the "Flying Imams" case. Background can be found here. I have only read very quickly through Judge Montgomery's order, but the length and detail of the opinion demonstrate the thorough analysis she undertook in the case. In the end, she dismissed some of the claims and allowed others to proceed to trial.

Predictably, this upset those Powerline guys.

But reading through the Powerline guy's post, you'd think that uncharted territory of official immunity had been created, that vast precedent had been thrown aside by some activist judge. He's wrong, of course. What he misses first is that there were claims that were dismissed. Judge Montgomery dismissed the false arrest claims, she dismissed the claims against US Airways in their entirety, and she denied the Imams' request for more discovery against US Airways.

What remains is a claim for a pretty standard constitutional tort under the longstanding law in Bivens v. Six Unknown Agents, a 1971 US Supreme Court case. It's a well-accepted legal vehicle for addressing deprivations of constitutional rights by law enforcement, and the Imams now get to present that claim to a jury.

Read the whole thing.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Bloggers File Ethics Complaint Against Bachmann

Minnesota Independent:

U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann violated House ethics rules when she directed auto dealers in an official email to contact the National Automotive Dealers Association (NADA), according to a complaint by three self-described “Minnesota bloggers.”

MN Publius post about the ethics violations.

Read complaint HERE (PDF)

Tarryl Clark Video - She's Running for Congress

Tarryl Clark's website isn't exactly all the way up yet, however there is an appeal for $$$ and a video:



A Message from Tarryl Clark:

Dear Friend,

I want you to hear it from me.

With the encouragement and support of Minnesotans from Stillwater to Saint Cloud, today I am announcing I have filed the forms necessary to pursue Minnesota’s 6th District seat in Congress, currently held by Representative Michele Bachmann.

Minnesotans understand the challenges facing our State and our nation. As a State Senator, I talk every day with families and businesses facing economic challenges head-on. As a Mom and Dad, my husband Doug and I must often make the same difficult decisions about balancing the rising costs of college, health care, and energy.

I see these challenges, and believe they present great opportunities. On issues ranging from health care to caring for our veterans; from energy independence to relieving the burdens on small businesses; from helping parents ensure their children are ready to start school to developing a 21st Century work force; we have an opportunity to address our nation’s challenges while also creating new opportunities for jobs and growth.

For the past few years, the 6th District’s representation in Congress has been about missed opportunities. We’ve watched opportunities slip away -- opportunities to build our local infrastructure, to modernize our transportation system, and to create good jobs and a strong business climate.

It’s time to deliver more than a sound bite. Representative Bachmann’s biggest accomplishments are creating controversy instead of creating good jobs, and working the talk show circuit instead of helping working families. I am ready to go to Congress to put our community’s interests first -- to fight for Minnesota’s working families, seniors, children, small business owners, and veterans.

With your support and help, I’ve won tough campaigns before and, with your support and help, I know we will do it again. I’m proud to have earned the DFL endorsement in each of my campaigns, and this campaign will be no different: I will seek and abide by the DFL endorsement, and I will not challenge the endorsement in a primary. The future of those in the 6th District is too important to let party politics get in the way.

I hope you’ll join me. A winning campaign needs passion, energy, and good ideas. If you talk to people across Minnesota, they will tell you I bring those qualities to every campaign.

I can’t do this without you. A winning campaign also needs resources to connect with voters. I hope you will join our campaign today.

With your help, we can transform our challenges into opportunities for progress. I ask for your support as we build a winning campaign.

Sincerely,

Tarryl Clark

P.S. Please share this message and video with your friends!

H/T MN Publius:

Has Michele Bachmann Violated House Ethics Rules?

Aaron Landry makes a good case for that at MN Publius.

Landry focuses on Bachmann's links on her official website and her abuse of taxpayer-funded mailings (franking).

There are several posts on Dump Bachmann about how Bachmann's office abuses her franking privileges.

Has Bachmann run afoul of other ethics rules?

From the comments:

While we’re asking about her Personal Financial Disclosure form, we might also ask where the figure is from her family farm profits on her 2008 form. It’s been incomplete since she filed it. You know — the Bachmann family farm that has collected over $250,000 in federal farm subsidies.

...and then there's this likely ethics violation posted here last month:

Bachmann performed a service to a big campaign donor - she wrote a letter (on official stationery) in support of a pardon request for Frank Vennes Jr., an action that raises obvious suspicions whether there was a "pay for play"... adding to the appearance of impropriety - Vennes was not a constituent.

From ethics.house.gov website:

Because a Member’s obligations are to all constituents equally, considerations such as political support, party affiliation, or campaign contributions should not affect either the decision of a Member to provide assistance or the quality of help that is given. While a Member should not discriminate in favor of political supporters, neither need he or she discriminate against them. As this Committee has stated:

The fact that a constituent is a campaign donor does not mean that a Member is precluded from providing any official assistance. As long as there is no quid pro quo, a Member is free to assist all persons equally.26

An individual’s status as a donor may, however, raise an appearance of impropriety. The Senate Select Committee on Ethics has expressed the issue as follows:

The cardinal principle governing Senators’ conduct in this area is that a Senator and a Senator’s office should make decisions about whether to intervene with the executive branch or independent agencies on behalf of an individual without regard to whether the individual has contributed, or promised to contribute, to the Senator’s campaigns or other causes in which he or she has a financial, political or personal interest. . . .

Because Senators occupy a position of public trust, every Senator always must endeavor to avoid the appearance that the Senator, the Senate, or the governmental process may be influenced by campaign contributions or other benefits provided by those with significant legislative or governmental interests. Nonetheless, if an individual or organization has contributed to a Senator’s campaigns or causes, but has a case which the Senator reasonably believes he or she is obliged to press because it is in the public interest or the cause of justice or equity to do so, then the Senator’s obligation is to pursue that case. In such instances, the Senator must be mindful of the appearance that may be created and take special care to try to prevent harm to the public’s trust in the Senator and the Senate. This does not mean, however, that a Member or employee is required to determine if one is a contributor before providing assistance.27

The Senate Committee concluded that “established norms of Senate behavior do not permit linkage between . . . official actions and . . . fund raising activities.”28 .House Members, too, should be aware of the appearance of impropriety that could arise from championing the causes of contributors and take care not to show favoritism to them over other constituents..

Assisting Non-Constituents

On occasion a Member’s publicized involvement in legislation or an issue of national concern will generate correspondence from individuals outside the district. A private citizen may communicate with any Member he or she desires. However, the Member’s ability to provide assistance to such individuals is limited.

The statute that establishes the Members’ Representational Allowance provides that the purpose of the allowance is “to support the conduct of the official and representational duties of a Member of the House of Representatives with respect to the district from which the Member is elected.”29 This statute does not prohibit a Member from ever responding to a non-constituent. In some instances, working for non-constituents on matters that are similar to those facing constituents may enable the Member better to serve his or her district. Other times, the Member may serve on a House committee that has the expertise and ability to provide the requested help. Of course, if a Member has personal knowledge regarding a matter or an individual, he or she may always communicate that knowledge to agency officials. As a general matter, however, a Member should not devote official resources to casework for individuals who live outside the district. When a Member is unable to assist such a person, the Member may refer the person to his or her own Representative or Senator.

You can download a copy of the handbook HERE (PDF), or you can go to the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct website for more info,

Profile of Maureen Reed in the U of M paper

Some biographical information and "my important issues" stuff in this article.

Excerpt:

Reed said she is passionate about healthcare and education.

“When President Obama got elected and put healthcare reform on the front burner of the national agenda, I thought, ‘This is where I can contribute,’” she said. “I know the area, I know we can fix it, I am certain we can fix it, and I’m certain it has to be fixed.”

Reed wants students to know that education is important to her.

“[Students’] success and their future prospects are really important to me, and to all of us, not just to me,” she said. “We need our young folks to be very successful, our country needs that and I’m glad it can happen and it will happen.”

She was on the U Board of Regents for eight years. When she was a youth, she wanted to go to veterinary school--but they didn't let women in the program back then, so she became a people doctor. She ran for lieutenant governor as Independence Party candidate in 2006. She ice skates. She's raised a lot of money for this race against Michele, but we already knew that.

More strangeness at the Kos/Tinklenberg makes it official

Every so often I check the Google news search for Michele Bachmann stories. I did so just now, and one of the links that came up is this one:

What Tinklenberg Isn't Telling You, & Why He Doesn't Deserve ...
Daily Kos - ‎5 hours ago‎
Right now, Bachmann - despite her insane statements - holds the advantage. That's because the anti-Bachmann vote is split between the Democrats and the ...

And that's all that appears, but it's a link to the entire diary on the Kos. The funny thing is, when I press on that link and go to the Kos site...the Kos site tells me that it can find this post--which Google says went up today, about five hours ago. (There is no Internet "cache" version of the post to access.) The tags to the post appear. I did a search of these and can't find the writer's story that way, either.

It looks like some Kos diarist is trying to explain the weird political dynamics in the Sixth. I don't know who it is, but I'd love to read what they have to say to the community that raised so much money for a "dump Bachmann" effort, last time around. The "post that the Kos can't seem to find" also seems to have 146 reader comments attached to it. That indicates a significant degree of interest in this post; I hope the Kos can find it soon. I'll keep looking.

In other news: The Star Tribune reports that Tinklenberg made his candidacy official today. Strib reporter Bob von Sternberg informs readers:

Bachmann, who routinely attracts media attention for her conservative pronouncements, became one of the Democrats' prime targets in 2008, but even a late influx of contributions for Tinklenberg weren't enough to beat her.

"Conservative pronouncements?" If all she did was make "conservative pronouncements" she wouldn't attract any kind of "media attention." Von Sternberg should have written "wacky lies," those are the Bachmann pronouncements that have been attracting media attention.

Commenter Liz: "Tarryl Clark announced today on MPR."

...but I can't find any confirmation on MPR's Polinaut site or the Google news wires, at this moment.

Commenter Liz wrote in twice this afternoon to say that she heard Clark "officially announce," on the radio. Commenter Liz reported twice that Clark "officially announced," at one p.m. today on MPR.

I will keep looking for confirmation of this. Did anyone else hear Clark "officially announce?"

All I can find on MPR right now is the same story that we have already been running for days--that Clark has filed FEC papers etc. that indicate she is running.

We did that here, already. If anyone else has a source for "Clark has officially announced" (which is different from just filing the papers to run) please send a link. If she has "officially announced," the timing of her "roll-out" is interesting--because this is the day after Tinklenberg began his big pitch for funds on the Kos.

The Young Turks on the Hawaii Resolution

Bachmann blocked the resolution, then voted for it.

Here's what Cenk Uygur says:



As mentioned in yesterday's post, there remains controversy about Bachmann's block and vote on the resolution:

Salon reports that Bachmann is not a birther as the block would suggest:

On Monday afternoon, it seemed that one House Republican, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, had indeed moved to support the Birthers, as liberal blog Think Progress reported that she blocked the bill.

This time, though, Bachmann was being criticized unfairly. She did indeed block a vote on the resolution, noting the absence of a quorum, but that move wasn't about Abercrombie's resolution specifically. She was just playing her part. The House had already decided to postpone the votes on all of the resolutions being considered under a suspension of the rules until Monday evening. Bachmann noted the absence of a quorum for several other non-controversial pieces of legislation so that those votes, too, could be postponed until the scheduled time.

In fact, as a spokeswoman for Bachmann told Salon -- and C-SPAN video of the congresswoman's remarks on the House floor confirmed -- Bachmann supports the resolution.

After the postponement, on Monday evening the resolution passed -- unanimously. Bachmann was one of the "yea" votes.

Think Progress on the Salon post:

Salon's Alex Koppelman says TP attacked Bachmann unfairly in our previous post because Bachmann was simply "playing her part" because "the House had already decided to postpone the votes on all of the resolutions being considered under a suspension of the rules until Monday evening." But the Hawaii resolution was only one of three resolutions that the GOP forced a vote on. Approximately 20 measures were considered today, most of which passed by voice vote.

Bachmann still plans to headline the "How to Take Back America." event co-hosted by a birther.

Pam Spaulding has more about that event -" Mother Schlafly wants YOU to choose the workshops for her wingnut conference"

UPDATE: CBS News Political Hotsheet has a good post on the Hawaii resolution:

Some Republicans have been dancing around birther issue, refusing to state flatly that the president is a U.S. citizen. (Here's a video from liberal blog Firedoglake of a number of GOP Congressmen dodging the question.) As Sargent wrote, the resolution put that group in a difficult position: "They can vote for the measure, and endorse the idea that Obama was born in Hawaii, which could earn the wrath of birthers. Or they can vote against commemorating the 50th state's joining of our blessed Union. Or GOPers can skip the vote, but that could look nutty."

Among those who have been offering the birthers at least tacit support are a group of House Republicans who introduced a bill (known informally as "the birther bill") mandating that presidential candidates reveal their birth certificates.

But the lead sponsor of that bill – Republican Rep. Bill Posey of Florida – apparently decided that was enough: He voted for Abercrombie's resolution, despite the Obama-birthplace language. So, as Eric Kleefeld reports, did several of the birther bill's cosponsors.

The resolution ended up passing the House 378-0. Fifty-five members did not vote – but don't read too much into that, as 35 of them were Democrats.

Two quick notes about the resolution. The liberal blogs were inflamed when it was reported that one of their favorite targets – Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota – had blocked a voice vote on the resolution "on the grounds that a quorum is not present."

Salon, the liberal web site, reported later that the criticism of Bachmann was, in this case, unfair. "She did indeed block a vote on the resolution, noting the absence of a quorum, but that move wasn't about Abercrombie's resolution specifically. She was just playing her part. The House had already decided to postpone the votes on all of the resolutions being considered under a suspension of the rules until Monday evening. Bachmann noted the absence of a quorum for several other non-controversial pieces of legislation so that those votes, too, could be postponed until the scheduled time."

Bachmann voted for the resolution in the end.

Salon also noted that the bill was not designed specifically in response to the birthers – it was introduced last month, and just happened to come up this week.

Bachmann also spoke in favor of the resolution here and here... not mentioning President Obama, but not mentioning Don Ho either.

The only way to find out whether Bachmann is a birther is for reporters to ask her directly.

My Disaster Baking

Pan de sal is a favorite bread bun eaten in the Philippines usually for breakfast. I really love this bread and i miss it so much here in Germany. I really take time to research on how to bake pandesal. There are lots of receipes available but i only tried the simple one.

I don't have a break maker so i just use the mixer to mix all the ingredients. It turned out to be a disaster, unsuccessful, failure call it whatever. It's just nice in the picture but you cannot eat it because its hard. But i will keep on trying, there's no harm in trying it again for the 2nd, 3rd, 4th....and so on, i will never give up.

My Disaster Baking

Pan de sal is a favorite bread bun eaten in the Philippines usually for breakfast. I really love this bread and i miss it so much here in Germany. I really take time to research on how to bake pandesal. There are lots of receipes available but i only tried the simple one.

I don't have a break maker so i just use the mixer to mix all the ingredients. It turned out to be a disaster, unsuccessful, failure call it whatever. It's just nice in the picture but you cannot eat it because its hard. But i will keep on trying, there's no harm in trying it again for the 2nd, 3rd, 4th....and so on, i will never give up.

Elwyn Tinklenberg makes his pitch to the Daily Kos

...and gets a very positive reaction, for the most part. I'm writing this shortly after midnight, Minnesota time. In the "Recommended Diaries" section of the Kos (one of the most widely read political blogs in the United States) is piece by Elwyn himself, announcing his run against Bachmann.

It's generated 225 comments so far; a respectable total. And diaries don't get elevated to the coveted "Recommended Diaries" list without the intervention of Kos staffers, so they are paying attention, too. (Wrong, according to Karl in our comments thread.)

Tinklenberg aide Dana Houle is in the comments thread to the Tinklenberg announcement, fielding the occasional question from commenters. Most of the comments are quite supportive, some Kos readers are even donating money to Elwyn on the strength his announcement on the blog. As you may know, the Kos readership and other liberal/progressive blogs did an outstanding job raising funds for Tinklenberg in the final weeks of his last contest with Bachmann. Donations were received in small amounts from regular folks who hailed from every state in the union.

The incident that triggered the donations was not something Tinklenberg did. It was something Michele Bachmann did: her appearance on Chris Matthew's Hardball news show. When she called for a media investigation of her fellow congressmen and senators to check for anti-Americanism, the outrage at the Kos and other blogs was palpable--and readers reached for their checkbooks and credit cards.

Tinklenberg is an intelligent politician. So his diary in the Kos does not contain his other announcement: that he does not intend to abide by the decision of the DFL in the primary, if they do not select him to run against Bachmann. Pointing *that* out, would cause some people on the Kos to put away their checkbooks and credit cards--and generate quite a bit of hate mail in the comment thread, I suppose.

I doubt that very many of the commenters on the Kos tonight are from Minnesota. Their contempt for Bachmann and kooky lies is obvious, but so is their lack of knowledge about the strange election dynamics we have here in the Sixth District. A few commenters are critical of Tinklenberg, but that seems to be because he's a Blue Dog or because he failed to beat an obvious kook, despite all the help he received last time.

None of the Tinklenberg criticisms so far cite his "I'm going to ignore the Dem decision on the nominee, unless it's me" stand. None of the more than two hundred comments so far explain the possible consequences of that decision or the effect of the independence voters on the election.

Neither Tinklenberg nor Dana Houle seem inclined to mention those unpleasant realities to Kos readers tonight. I'm not wading into that comment thread to explain those issues either, because it's entirely possible that ET may end up being the Dem nominee again and I'm certainly not going to be the one to try to discredit a likely Dem candidate.

Tinklenberg and his managers have obviously decided to go after the netroots support now, before Clark officially announces. That's probably wise, from the ET camp's point of view. Though Clark has filed, she hasn't "rolled out" yet--and a strong show of financial and moral support from the netroots is going to be critical for any Dem candidate hoping to defeat Bachmann.

We can't blame Kos readers and editors for being naive or ill-informed about the election dynamics of the Sixth District of Minnesota. Bachmann's craziness makes headlines around the country, the election dynamics of the Sixth District don't. I would wager that most Minnesotans who live in and outside the Sixth District don't understand why a Bachmann victory is the statistical way to bet. Most of the Minnesota political press doesn't bother to explain how the different political interests in the district can generate a Bachmann plurality despite the awful state of her district. If most of the local reporters don't know or report, how could people outside the state understand?

I have explained election dynamics on the Kos before, but I'm just another diarist there--one of thousands. A *very* good day for one of my articles on the Kos generates only from ninety to a hundred comments, nothing like the attention that Tinklenberg is receiving tonight. Even if the Kos community doesn't have all the information it needs to make a good decision about which candidate to support, its heart is in the right place: they know what Bachmann is, and they want to help us get rid of her.

Dana Houle Comments at Minnesota Progressive Report

Dana Houle, Tinklenberg's campaign manager answered questions about the upcoming 2010 6CD race in this post.

Some of the comments were about candidates not abiding by the endorsement.

Taxpaying Liberal is not happy about it:

I'll tell you who feels strongly about the endorsement since you're not from Minnesota,

It's the people who leave their home on a Tues night in the middle of winter to attend a caucus for 3 hours, Then the spend a full day on one of the first spring Saturdays to attend a convention, Then they spend another full Saturday at the district convention, Then they spend a lot of time on weekends and evenings working for the candidate they endorsed. After the election they still meet once a month or more until the cycle starts again. Most of them pay for the privilege.

I guess those are the DFLers who feel strongly about the endorsement.

I agree with Taxpaying Liberal, endorsement may not be important for the average voter, but party activists... the people who volunteer in campaigns, care a lot about endorsements for the reasons TL mentioned.

On a personal note, I don't see any point in blogging at Dump Bachmann if the opposition candidates spend more time and resources running against each other. It's a waste of my time.

Bachmann blocks Resolution Declaring Hawaii to be Obama’s Birthplace

Think Progress:

Today, Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-HI) introduced a resolution commemorating the 50th anniversary of Hawaii’s statehood. The resolution also proclaims the state as President Obama’s birthplace, a point the Plum Line’s Greg Sargent noted may “put House GOPers who are flirting with birtherism in a jam.” This afternoon on the House floor, Abercrombie spoke of his measure and specifically noted that Obama had been born in Hawaii. “It’s also going to be the birthday in a week or so of President Obama, born in Kapiolani hospital just down the road from where I lived,” he said. Just as the presiding chair of the House, Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), was about to declare the resolution passed by voice vote, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) stood and objected:

BACHMANN: Mr. Speaker? I object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and make a point of order that a quorum is not present. [...]

REP. ELIJAH CUMMINGS (D-MD): Further procedings on this motion will be postponed.

This confirms it; Bachmann is a birther.

UPDATE: Salon reports that Bachmann is not a birther as the block would suggest:

On Monday afternoon, it seemed that one House Republican, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, had indeed moved to support the Birthers, as liberal blog Think Progress reported that she blocked the bill.

This time, though, Bachmann was being criticized unfairly. She did indeed block a vote on the resolution, noting the absence of a quorum, but that move wasn't about Abercrombie's resolution specifically. She was just playing her part. The House had already decided to postpone the votes on all of the resolutions being considered under a suspension of the rules until Monday evening. Bachmann noted the absence of a quorum for several other non-controversial pieces of legislation so that those votes, too, could be postponed until the scheduled time.

In fact, as a spokeswoman for Bachmann told Salon -- and C-SPAN video of the congresswoman's remarks on the House floor confirmed -- Bachmann supports the resolution.

After the postponement, on Monday evening the resolution passed -- unanimously. Bachmann was one of the "yea" votes.

UPDATE: Think Progress on the Salon post:

Salon's Alex Koppelman says TP attacked Bachmann unfairly in our previous post because Bachmann was simply "playing her part" because "the House had already decided to postpone the votes on all of the resolutions being considered under a suspension of the rules until Monday evening." But the Hawaii resolution was only one of three resolutions that the GOP forced a vote on. Approximately 20 measures were considered today, most of which passed by voice vote.

Not that she's any different than her GOP colleagues:

GOP Criticizes Collin Peterson for not Holding Town Hall Meetings (Like Bachmann)

Republican Party of Minnesota Chair Tony Sutton:

Republican Party of Minnesota Calls on Collin Peterson to Apologize for Offensive Remarks about Seventh District Residents

Republican Party of Minnesota Chair Tony Sutton today called on DFL Rep. Collin Peterson to immediately apologize for offensive and outrageous comments he made to Politico.com in which he said, “Twenty-five percent of my people believe the Pentagon and Rumsfeld were responsible for taking the twin towers down. That’s why I don’t do town meetings.”

“Collin Peterson must immediately apologize for the outrageous and offensive comments he made about his own constituents. By stating that ‘twenty-five percent of my people believe the Pentagon and Rumsfeld were responsible for taking the twin towers down’ and that’s ‘why I don’t do town meetings,’ Peterson revealed just how out of touch and disconnected he has become in Washington. Given his liberal voting record, the real reason Peterson doesn’t hold town hall meetings is because he is afraid to face the residents of his district.”

Reporters should ask Tony Sutton why Michele Bachmann won't face her constituents at a town hall meeting.

The Big E Interviews Tinklenberg Campaign Manager Dana Houle

The Big E interviewed Dana Houle - read it at DKos, cross-posted at Minnesota Campaign Report. Houle is optimistic that Tinklenberg can defeat Bachmann (I suggest reading the entire post).

DB reader Anna thinks Bachmann willl be defeated... but not by Tinklenberg:

Bachmann is done. The only thing left is for the Democrats to fight over who gets the seat, and it looks like Clark will get the prize.

The parallels with McCarthy's career are uncanny, and whoever runs against Bachmann only needs to set up a series of TV ads that place Bachmann next to McCarthy (clips of McCarthy with his "anti-American" rants followed by Bachmann with her nearly exact same rhetoric).

William Proxmire ran on a message of McCarthy as a "a disgrace to Wisconsin, to the Senate and to America." The candidates running against Bachmann have already started that same campaign.

Like Bachmann, McCarthy's speeches on the floor were delivered to an empty or near-empty chamber (we've been seeing this for a long time now with Bachmann). Her peers don't want to be seen with her. Her own Republican peers tried, unsuccessfully, to get her to back off on her census nutwhackery.

From Wiki:

"After his censure, McCarthy continued senatorial duties for another two and a half years, but his career as a major public figure had been unmistakably ruined. His colleagues in the Senate avoided him; his speeches on the Senate floor were delivered to a near-empty chamber or were received with conspicuous displays of inattention.[100] The press that had once recorded his every public statement now ignored him, and outside speaking engagements dwindled almost to nothing."

Bachmann hasn't officially been censured, but effectively has been censured in the press.

Her only platform now is extreme right media, and speaking engagements with extreme right groups. I'm not sure she'd even be welcome at the local Chamber of Commerce these days.

What do you think?

UPDATE: El Tinklenberg sent out email about the 2010 election (PiPress):

Last November I came within three points of being elected to Congress. It was a tough campaign, and early on it was hard to convince many people that I had a chance to win. I was running against an incumbent member of Congress in a district with a history of supporting Republicans. But by coming within three points, we showed we could make this a competitive race, and that I can win.
The national parties have noticed how close I came last year. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has listed this race as one of their top eight pick-up opportunities. And just last week the National Republican Congressional Committee acknowledged that Michele Bachmann is one of their most vulnerable incumbents.

I've thought a lot about the last campaign, and have sought guidance and insight from many wise and experienced people. I have learned a lot, I have become a better candidate, and I am using what I've learned to assemble a team and to run a campaign that can win next November. I will tell you more about my campaign over the next few days, but I have hired a campaign manager who's run two straight winning campaigns against incumbent Republican members of Congress, and a team of consultants who over the last two elections have helped defeat dozens of incumbent Republican members of Congress.

The Sixth District of Minnesota needs better representation in Congress. In my professional life, as a minister, as a mayor, as a leader in transportation, I've worked to bring people together and build on our common interests and foster trust and cooperation. Michele Bachmann acts in opposition to those principles, and instead seeks to divide people, to spread cynicism, and instill distrust and exploit differences and fear. I have a record of accomplishments, while she has a history of embarrassments. We need someone in Congress who will serve the people of Central Minnesota, and not a small radical fringe motivated by distrust and fear.

In the last two elections eight Democrats who had previously lost to a Republican incumbent were elected to Congress. I intend to speak with each of these eight members of Congress, to learn from them, and apply the lessons they learned with what I've learned from my last campaign. I'm determined to build a great campaign operation, to work tirelessly, and to take the fight to Michele Bachmann and never let up. I am running for Congress against Michele Bachmann, and I'm running to win.

Noodle Box

Everytime i am in the town to shop, i always pass by a food store named nudel box. I'm really curious what's in there so i tried to taste their noodles. To my surprise, its only one kind of noodle and six different sauces.

The boxes to choose are small, medium and large. I tried only the small box and the carbonara sauce. The portion is just enough for me and it also taste good. Next time, i'm going to try other sauces. I'm really a noodle person, i eat it alternately with rice.

Noodle Box

Everytime i am in the town to shop, i always pass by a food store named nudel box. I'm really curious what's in there so i tried to taste their noodles. To my surprise, its only one kind of noodle and six different sauces.

The boxes to choose are small, medium and large. I tried only the small box and the carbonara sauce. The portion is just enough for me and it also taste good. Next time, i'm going to try other sauces. I'm really a noodle person, i eat it alternately with rice.

Lumberjack Days Parade, 2009 & 2006

Someone uploaded a video of Bachmannites on parade:



The video could use a better soundtrack... like this video from 2006:

Ohio paper: Bachmann wrong on census

It's amazing, isn't it, that a representative from a relatively unimportant district can generate so much attention around the country. Not because of what she's *achieved* in her ten years in political life--but because of her lack of judgment and credibility.

These are excerpts from an editorial in the Toledo Blade. The paper takes Bachmann to task for her stand against participation in the census. The same editorial criticizes National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders for encouraging illegal immigrants and others to boycott the census. The paper's point is that politics make strange bedfellows. (I don't know if the paper knows that Bachmann has attempted demonized illegal immigrants.)

Here are some excerpts regarding Bachmann (the critique of the Latino Clergy leaders can be read in the full editorial, here.)

...Rep. Michele Bachmann (R., Minn.) has said she would refuse to answer census questions other than the number of people in her home as a protest against government intrusiveness. "I think there is a point when you say enough is enough," she told Fox News last month.

Ms. Bachmann also claimed - incorrectly - that ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now), the liberal group whose voter registration activities became a flash point in last year's presidential election, would be "in charge of going door-to-door and collecting data from the American public" during next year's national survey.

Rather, ACORN is just one of tens of thousands of groups that have offered to help get the word out about the census.

It is, of course, a little difficult to take Ms. Bachmann seriously. She is the same person who earlier this year thought it was "interesting" that the last time there was a swine flu outbreak there was a Democrat in the White House as well (She was wrong then, too. Republican Gerald Ford was president during the last outbreak.). Ms. Bachmann also thinks government intrusion is fine when it comes to denying gay rights, and last year introduced the Light Bulb Freedom of Choice Act to stop the phaseout of the incandescent light bulb.

But it is disturbing that Ms. Bachmann seems not to know that the information gathered by the decennial census has always been more comprehensive than a simple counting of heads.

And it is even more disturbing that neither Ms. Bachmann nor the immigrant advocacy group appear aware of the uses the data gathered can and cannot be put to. Personal information from the census is confidential and cannot by law be used by the police, the courts, federal immigration officers, or anyone else.

The collective data are used by the federal government not only to determine congressional representation but, perhaps more significantly, to distribute about $300 billion in federal and state funds for roads, health initiatives, education, and other uses. And state and local governments use data such as age and ethnicity to plan for current and future needs...

...As for the congressman from Minnesota, if Ms. Bachmann wants to get government out of people's private lives, perhaps she should focus her efforts on something really intrusive, such as the Patriot Act.

An American talks to a Canadian about Canada's health care system

From our comments thread. Chris (an American) speaks to C.M. (a Canadian) about the advantages and problems of the Canadian health care system. The national health care systems of Canada and other Western nations are currently being demonized by Bachmann and other conservatives as unworkable, wasteful socialism.


Chris say:

C. M.

It seemed to me that in the 1990s, when the Clintons were trying to reform US health care, the Canadian system was what the Republicans pointed to as a means of showing that no way did we want THAT sort of program in the US.

But, according to the research I did, what I found was that AS A SYSTEM, most Canadians are very happy with it, in regard to such things like ease of use, lack of paperwork, satisfaction with the quality of care, etc. Bot civilians and medical professionals were positive on this subject.

Where there was any unhappiness, it seems to me that it was in such things as "wait time" for non-emergency treatments, like MRIs, knee or hip replacement, etc. To me, this seems to be a funding level issue, not a design-of-the-system issue. In other words, the Canadian system could provide MRIs on demand within 48 hours, but realize that would mean doubling the number of MRI machines from, say 2 per 30,000 people to 4 or 5/30,000 pop. In order to make these changes, the budget would have to be considerably increased, and the current level of funding is based on the assumptions of wait time that are built in. A gold plated system (instead of the silver plated on they have) is possible, but the taxes required might be more than people want to pay.

Does this strike you as a fair understanding of what you see, as a user of the Canadian system? If so, it seems to me that the argument needed in the US is to argue that distinction, and go for a single payer plan, with funding levels to be an open and clear discussion topic. Frankly, I'd be real happy if every American got silver-plated care. We can argue with making it a gold-plated system later.

Pr Chris
Chris Miller Edit comment Delete comment | Homepage | 07.26.09 - 2:56 am | #

C.M. replies:

That's the best assesment of the Canadian system I've ever heard from an American.
C.M. Edit comment Delete comment | Homepage | 07.26.09 - 5:08 pm | #

A Trip down Memory Lane

My daughter astrid send me this wedding picture of my eldest sister in the late 60's. I suddenly remembered my parents being together in a family affair. Though, we were born out of wedlock, my father is a responsible man. My eldest sister got married at the age of 18 and my mother really decided not to attend her wedding.

My mother was disappointed because she wanted my sister to finish first her studies. On the day of the wedding, my mother was still at home while the guests and the whole entourage were already in the church. Thanks to the convincing power of a relative, the wedding pushed through as planned.

A Trip down Memory Lane

My daughter astrid send me this wedding picture of my eldest sister in the late 60's. I suddenly remembered my parents being together in a family affair. Though, we were born out of wedlock, my father is a responsible man. My eldest sister got married at the age of 18 and my mother really decided not to attend her wedding.

My mother was disappointed because she wanted my sister to finish first her studies. On the day of the wedding, my mother was still at home while the guests and the whole entourage were already in the church. Thanks to the convincing power of a relative, the wedding pushed through as planned.

Commenter: more evidence that Tarryl Clark is in the race

Tonight Dump Bachmann commenter and Sixth District Congressional candidate Aubrey Immelman says it's fair to say that Taryll Clark is now a candidate in the Sixth District race against Bachmann.

Immelman presented the evidence for Clark's entry into the race in one of the comment threads this evening, and it is reprinted here:

State Sen. Tarryl Clark can now fairly be called a candidate for the U.S. House seat in Minnesota's 6th Congressional District.

The Federal Election Commission website shows the FEC received Clark's Statement of Organization (FEC Form 1) and Statement of Candidacy (FEC Form 2), dated July 17, via USPS Express mail.

The title of Clark's campaign committee is Friends of Tarryl (Clark). According to the paperwork, Clark is filing as a Democrat to run for U.S. House of Representatives in Minnesota's 6th Congressional District.

Clark's filings can be viewed on the FEC website at: http://herndon1.sdrdc.com/cgi-bin/fecimg/?_29030121960+0

The FEC filing does not mean that Clark is formally a candidate. For that (i.e., to get ballot access) the prospective candidate has to file an Affidavit of Candidacy with the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State during the official filing period the first two weeks of July 2010.

The primary purpose of the FEC filing is to raise and spend money in excess of $5,000 for a political campaign in accordance with federal election law.

What does Clark's entry into the race say about the prospect of defeating Bachmann? To answer that question, I suggest a reading of Bill Prendergast's assessment at: http://dumpbachmann.blogspot.com/2009/07/some-good-signs-for-our-side.html

Thanks for the info, websites, and explication, Aubrey. While other media sleep, the Dump Bachmann readers come back with the story.

A Sudden Storm

The other day, we were surprised that after a sunny morning, it became dark at midday. Then suddenly, heavy rains with small ice and strong winds hit our area. It lasted for about 20 minutes and after the sudden storm, many trees fell on the street and even on cars.

For a while there's no telephone connection and satellite TV, but it restored after some minutes. We were really surprised and its the first time that water enter our winter garden. Our garbage bin is also now full because of the collected leaves after the storm.

A Sudden Storm

The other day, we were surprised that after a sunny morning, it became dark at midday. Then suddenly, heavy rains with small ice and strong winds hit our area. It lasted for about 20 minutes and after the sudden storm, many trees fell on the street and even on cars.

For a while there's no telephone connection and satellite TV, but it restored after some minutes. We were really surprised and its the first time that water enter our winter garden. Our garbage bin is also now full because of the collected leaves after the storm.

Who are your art influences? Kirsty Hall

Kirsty Hall is an artist and freelance curator based in Bristol, England. She writes a blog, Up All Night and also worked on a year long project called The Diary Project.

"Capturing the traces left behind by events and finding ways to embody memory within objects are central concerns in my art. My work involves the accretion of large numbers of small objects – pins in fabric, knots in string or hundreds of envelopes – to make sculptures or performances that deal with fragility, decay, loss, repetition, obsession and time. My work is never fabricated by teams: when I burn 3,533 matches, tie thousands of knots in string or repetitively pin a length of material, it is my time and work that is being measured."

Drawing Statement: A few of the tiny drawings I've been doing lately. I'm restricting myself to pencil and gesso on pads of A6. I like working on this small size with such a restricted palette. It frees me up to work fast and loose in an uninhibited fashion, which is what I need right now.

3 Score & 10 String 2003 - 2005


3 Score & 10 is part of an ongoing series of work exploring the meaning and measurement of time. The knots represent the number of days (including leap days) that you would experience if you lived to your biblically allotted 70 years. It contains 25,568 knots and took just under two years to complete.

"Wow, my art influences - hmmm, that's a tough one because there's so many.I've gone for a mix of background stuff that's been a general influence and artists who've either had a long lasting affect or who were incredibly pivotal at specific moments in my artistic development."

In no particular order, apart from the first one:

1. Eva Hesse - absolutely top of my list and it definitely shows in my work

2. Paul Cezanne - it probably doesn't show in my work now but when I was just starting out, he taught me how to see.

3. Folk Art and Outsider Art

4. Giorgio Morandi - I find the quietness and paleness of his still lives very compelling.

5. Ben Nicholson - for his use of white and the way he isn't afraid of emptiness. He's someone I come back to time and again.

6. Petah Coyne - I strongly relate to her use of accretion and obsession.

7. Helen Chadwick - the first contemporary artist I fell in love with, all the way back in the 80's. When I saw her work, I realised for the first time that art could be more than realism.

8. Ann Hamilton - for her poetic narratives and also because she's one of those artist who regularly makes me think, "damn, I wish I'd made that!"

9. Tom Friedman - I love the way he sets up projects with very defined rules and sees them through to their ultimate conclusions. The way he combines humor with intellectual rigor is very inspiring to me.

10. Ernst Haeckel - a very big influence on my drawing. I love those crazy Victorians!

11. Museums and Cabinets Of Curiosities

12. The Japanese concept of Wabi Sabi

13. My granny on my Mum's side - she was my first model for what a creative woman looked like.

Scatter Statement: February 2006 Pins, fabric, wood

At what point does a labor of love become a futile obsession?

Scatter took 31 hours 24 minutes to make, spread over a period of 8 weeks. Altogether I pinned 280 rows and each row contained either 46 or 47 pins, which means that I put at least 12, 880 pins into this piece of fabric. However, because of the inherent fragility of the work very few of those pins now remain in the piece. With each row that I pinned more of the previous pins would fall out: in effect, the making of the piece also proved to be its unmaking. So my many hours of work have become almost invisible. Indeed, you only have my word that I did the work at all, although the tiny snags and pinholes in the material also bear witness to the thousands of missing pins.