#6
If I recall correctly. Ms Mazie is a typical party hack - she put her time in and was supposed to be given the Governorship, but was such a non-entity a republican (Lingle) beat her out. In HI you have to be pretty damn bad to lose to a GOP'er, but she was given the congress seat as a consolation prize, anyway.
Kansas has suspended income tax refunds and may not be able to pay employees on time, state officials said Monday. The state doesn't have enough money in its main budget account to pay its bills, prompting Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to suggest borrowing $225 million from other accounts throughout state government. But the move required approval from legislative leaders, and Republican leaders refused Monday.
Budget Director Duane Goossen said that without the money, he's not sure the state can meet its payroll. About 42,000 state employees are scheduled to be paid again Friday.
He added that the state might also have to delay payments to public schools and to doctors who provide care to needy Kansas residents under the Medicaid program. Ah, yes, the old "give us what we wants, or yer kids gets it! maneuver."
Goossen said the state stopped processing income tax refunds last week. Hmm. I wonder if they would let the good people of Kansas stop filing their state returns until they get back to work on this? Yeah, I didn't think so, either.
Sebelius accused Republicans, who hold majorities in both chambers of the state legislature, of blocking the accounting maneuver to "play political games."
Republican leaders said it's illegal under Kansas law to shift the funds around as long as the state continues to face a projected deficit in the budget for the fiscal year that ends June 30.
GOP leaders are hoping to pressure Sebelius into signing a bill making $326 million in adjustments to the budget for the fiscal year that ends June 30. Almost half of the adjustments are spending cuts. Legislators approved that bill last week, but it has not reached the governor's desk. Sebelius hasn't said whether she will sign it.
#1
Playing political games? So that's what it's called when lawmakers follow the laws that they themselves passed? What happened three months ago, when they had plenty of time to comply with the law?
#3
Please read the NRO article posted in non - wot for more information about what is going on.
Synopsis: Republicans want to cut spending across the board. Sebelius wants to keep spending on her pet programs. Her governess better take that Obama job, because she is going to lose this publicity stunt.
#4
If you choose the option to roll over your refunds to the next tax year for credit and keep that up till it matches most of what's due, what's the state going to do when they get their own IOUs for a fiscal year?
#5
Procopius,
You can guess how that will work - your tax refund credits will not be usable for paying your taxes; your taxes must be paid with real money. Or eventually, toilet paper, whichever is worth more (see Zimbucks for example.)
#6
California, Kansas, and next the Federal Government? At some point someone is going to have to get serious about working us out of this financial hole--either to stop digging or to come up with a realistic plan to create jobs for people. We have outsourced jobs to other countries for several decades now. We have not addressed the illegal alien problem. We have lost large chunks of our manufacturing base. We have made bad trade decisions. We have lost our ability to provide our own energy--other than by buying from someone else such as OPEC nations. We have strangled ourselves with regulations. We have a government that is not responsive to the people and is out of control. We have politicians that promise everything and deliver little in order to get elected or re-elected. Our financial institutions are in a disarray. Greed and power have driven our country to the brink of collapse. Maybe tomorrow I'll have a better outlook after a drink and a good night's sleep.
Gov. Paterson has secretly granted raises of as much as 46 percent to more than a dozen staffers at a time when he has asked 130,000 state workers to give up 3 percent pay hikes because of the state's fiscal crisis, The Post has learned.
What did you think he was going to do with the pörn tax?
The startling pay hikes, costing about $250,000 annually, were granted after the governor's "emergency" declaration in August of a looming fiscal crisis that required the state to cut spending and impose a "hard" hiring freeze.
One raise was approved as recently as last month - when Paterson claimed the budget deficit had reached an unprecedented $15.5 billion.
#6
I read "Animal Farm " some years ago, and the man was spot on, I hear the sheep chorus daily, "Men Baaaad" only now it's changed to
Whoever's against ME, Baaaad ("Me" being Democrats.)
("DEM"S GOOD, OTHERS BAAAAD)
I would have to say the DNC either uses Animal Farm as it's "Bible", or was the model "Animal Farm " was based on.
I frankly don't see any difference.
Posted by: Rednek Jim ||
02/17/2009 14:08 Comments ||
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#7
As I recall, Orwell was directly criticizing the Soviet Union under Stalin.
Senator Roland W. Burris of Illinois on Sunday defended his evolving descriptions of conversations he had with allies of former Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich in the months before Mr. Blagojevich appointed him to fill the Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama. "I did not donate one single dollar, nor did I raise any money or promise any favors of any kind for the governor," Mr. Burris, a Democrat who was sworn in as a senator a month ago, said at a contentious news conference.
Mr. Burris tried to explain why he did not mention three phone conversations with Mr. Blagojevich's brother -- in which he now says he was asked for fund-raising help -- during testimony last month before a committee of state lawmakers weighing whether to impeach Mr. Blagojevich. "Anyone who suggests otherwise," Mr. Burris added, "or would insinuate that my testimony in person or in writing is anything other than fully compliant with the committee and consistent with the truth is simply playing at partisan politics."
Mr. Burris said that none of his comments had been inconsistent and that he had hidden nothing, telling reporters, "If you all report this correctly, this is no story."
Posted by: Fred ||
02/17/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
His testimony is another example of "living document" in liberal parlance.
Democrat Al Franken has started using the title "senator-elect," despite the fact that his contest with Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) has not yet been decided. A Minnesota court is currently hearing Coleman's challenge to the recount.
A press release sent out by his staff Monday announcing a series of town halls with local mayors reads: "Sen.-elect Franken held the first in a series of roundtable discussions with Minnesota Mayors today in St. Paul. Franken and metro-area mayors discussed the economic realities facing their cities, budget cuts, President Obama's measures for economic stimulus, and how to grow Minnesota's economy."
The Democratic mayor of St. Paul is also quoted in the release referring to Franken as the victor. "Right now, Washington is debating matters of enormous consequence to Minnesota's economy," Mayor Chris Coleman says in the release. "Senator-elect Franken understands what our cities need to prosper, and we're ready for him to go to Washington to be a voice for us."
Since taking the lead in the recount, Franken has insisted that he is the rightful winner of the Minnesota Senate race but did not use the phrase in a press release until Monday. Franken staffers and attorneys have used the phrase but often drawn flack from Republicans for doing so.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/17/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
From the look of his waistline, nobody calls him late for dinner either.
*rimshot*
#4
Dunno what Besoeker is saying. But if Franken ever gets to Washington DC expect the old Air America blowhard to join the chorus of those who are calling for a revival of the Fairness Doctrine. OTOH, if Coleman could somehow pull out a miracle the Trunks might be able to stage a filibuster once in a while.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
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.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Gov. Paterson has secretly granted raises of as much as 46 percent to more than a dozen staffers at a time when he has asked 130,000 state workers to give up 3 percent pay hikes because of the state's fiscal crisis, The Post has learned. 
Senator Roland W. Burris of Illinois on Sunday defended his evolving descriptions of conversations he had with allies of former Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich in the months before Mr. Blagojevich appointed him to fill the Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama. "I did not donate one single dollar, nor did I raise any money or promise any favors of any kind for the governor," Mr. Burris, a Democrat who was sworn in as a senator a month ago, said at a contentious news conference.
Democrat Al Franken has started using the title "senator-elect," despite the fact that his contest with Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) has not yet been decided. A Minnesota court is currently hearing Coleman's challenge to the recount. 
