Tag: Minnesota

Police Shoot Armed Woman in Golden Valley

Yesterday a Golden Valley police officer shot an armed woman. I bring this story up mainly because the police are being incredibly cagey about it and have refused to release any details whatsoever:

Police said the officer had tried to stop the woman, who eventually pulled over along the median shortly after 1 p.m. Thursday on westbound Interstate 394 in Minnetonka.

“The lone occupant of the vehicle, an adult female, was in possession of a handgun and was subsequently fatally shot by the officer,” according to a statement from Golden Valley police.

At this point we don’t know why the officer shot the woman. Did she take a shot at the officer? Did the officer simply see she had a firearm and shot her on the spot? Who knows. Usually with cases like this some amount of detail is given about the events leading to the shooting but in this case we’ve received nothing. This lack of information makes it appear as though the police are trying to cover it up which is usually done to protect an officer who unjustly killed somebody.

I’m reserving no judgement at this time but I want people to be aware of this story and to pay attention to the details as they are released. It is my hope that this is not another incident of police brutality but until we know for sure I won’t rule the possibility out.

Obama Came to Cannon Falls

So Obama came to the small Minnesota town of Cannon Falls a couple of days ago on his Tour of Economic Destruction. I would have reported on it earlier but there were far more important and interesting things to write about such as my distaste for new trends in the first person shooter genre of games. Either way he came, he saw, and he accomplished nothing (his tour is turning into his presidency already). The Red Star has a small piece on the President’s visit and one of the shittiest live blogs I’ve ever seen about anything (if anybody from the Red Star is reading this please hire some people at Engadget to consult you on doing proper live blogs in the future).

As this is the Red Star the article and live blog both tout the President as the man who will deliver us from evil and vanquish all that may harm us. In reality Obama is a moron who, like almost every other politician out there, doesn’t have a clue on how to actually fix the economy. Instead of discussing the economy (which is the supposed purpose of this tour) and how he’s going to “fix” it the President’s visit seems to be nothing more than the beginning of his taxpayer funded campaign for the next presidential race. One of my favorite quotes from the article was the following:

Responding to a question about the legal challenges to his health care reform bill, Obama noted that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney “instituted the exact same” individual mandate in Massachusetts.

“This used to be a Republican idea by the way, this whole idea of the individual mandate,” Obama said. “And suddenly it’s like they got amnesia. ‘Oh this is terrible. This is going to take away freedom for Americans all over the world, all over the country.'”

OK Obama I get it, you get your rocks off but forcing people to do your bidding. Because this masturbatory pleasure ends when people start calling you on your tyrannical activities you feel the need to justify why you did what you did so the serfs will shut up. But claiming that something was a Republican ideal isn’t a valid justification for anything. On top of that most Republicans wouldn’t consider Romney one of them in any real sense thus saying, “But Romney did it so that means the Republicans support it!” is stupid and meaningless. Further demonstrating his tyrannical tendencies Obama had this to say:

Noting that it was “not election season yet,” Obama said he had to mention a recent Republican presidential debate in which candidates said they would not take a deal that offered $10 in spending cuts for every $1 in revenue increases.

“Think about that,” Obama said. “I mean, that’s just not common sense.”

Although I don’t agree with the Republican’s justification for not raising taxes (their justification being that the Democrats oppose it therefore they support it) when you look at taxation for what it really is the refusal to raise taxes is common sense. Raising taxes increase the amount of money the government steals for its citizens victims (might as well call us what we really are). Increasing taxes increases the criminal activity of theft and therefore should be avoided at any and all costs. On top of that taxes aren’t revenue, so stop claiming otherwise.

And Yet They Wanted to Raise Taxes

During the government “shutdown” many people were demanding that the government increase taxes on “the rich.” Dayton thought that sounded like a swell plan because as everybody knows the smartest thing you can do during an economic depression is steal even more money from productive people. Well that idea sounds even more ridiculous now that Minnesota already ranks seventh in the list of states with the highest tax burdens:

7. Minnesota
Taxes paid by residents as pct. of income: 10.3%
Total state and local taxes collected: $45.7 billion
Pct. of total taxes paid by residents: 75.5%
Pct. of total taxes paid by non-residents: 24.5%

Less than 25% of Minnesota’s tax revenue comes from non-residents and businesses. The state only collects average, or below average, rates on alcohol and tobacco, and has one of the smallest tourism economies in the country. This means the state relies heavily on income and property taxes from residents. Minnesota has the 21st largest population in the country, but it collects the 12th most in tax revenue each year. The state and local taxes collected per capita is the seventh highest in the country, as is the tax burden as a percent of income.

By Thor in Valhalla! We’re right behind fucking California. Minnesota is only the 21st largest state yet we collect the 12th most in taxes. That’s a fucked up ratio right there. And to top it all off we can’t even keep the government running at its current capacity without either generating a giant deficit or robbing people of even more money. Who in the fuck thinks this is a sound way to run a state?

Meanwhile New Hampshire, which has no income or sales tax, ranks number seven on the list of states with lowest tax burdens. Everybody who wants to increase the tax rate of anybody in this state can kindly go sodomize themselves with a retractable baton… and not by baton either, go buy your own fucking baton (and stop trying to steal shit from other people).

Increasing Taxes and Increasing Revenue are Not Synonymous

The thieves at the Minnesota State Capitol have apparently made an agreement to increase the deficit on the budget meaning the state shutdown is over. Like most agreements this one has left everybody wanting. What really galls me though is the fact that those angry about the lack of tax increases keep referring to it as a revenue increase. Calling taxation revenue is one of the biggest misnomers out there.

Think about it, if a thug on the street puts a gun to your head and takes your money do we say the thug has increased his revenue? No, we say he has stolen money. Revenue implies money that has been obtained through voluntary exchange. Taxation is not voluntary exchange but theft. Mark Dayton wasn’t looking to increase the state’s revenue he was looking to steal more money from Minnesota citizens.

Thus we shouldn’t say that the budget agreement included a lack of increasing the state’s revenue, we should be saying the budget agreement included the state stealing less money from us.

And before anybody bring it up I do realize I spend a lot of time ranting about this subject. It’s not because I think the verbiage is all that important, it’s because I want to point out the double standard most people have. When a private individuals uses violence to take from another we call that individual a thief whereas when a government uses violence to take from many people we call it taxation and legitimize it. Whether you believe the ends of taxation justify the means is debatable but saying taxation isn’t a form of theft is flat out lying.

Buy Your Snow Blowers Now

There are a lot of people complaining that they can’t find air conditioners for sale anywhere in the Twin Cities area. Guess what? You should have purchased an air conditioner before the heat wave hit, not during. I’m a man who believes in being prepared and thus I usually buy things before I know that I’ll need them. Many people, on the other hand, seem to avoid planning ahead and thus buy things when they need them. The latter people often cite that buying something ahead of time is a gamble since you may never need it but when the weatherman tells you a week ahead of time that it’s going to be 95 degrees outside with very high humidity it’s no longer a gamble with odds in your favor.

If you need a device to handle something that will affect many people at the same time waiting until the last minute is a stupid idea. Waiting until the last minute means you’re going to be competing with everybody else to get your desired device. This fact should be apparent to anybody who waited until the first big blizzard to purchase a snow blower. After the first blizzard hit in Minnesota there wasn’t a snow blower to be had anywhere.

Thus it’s a good idea to get a snow blower now as they’re easily obtained and likely cheaper as there is little demand for snow blowers during a heat wave. Winter is the time to buy your air conditioner as it’s easily obtain and likely cheaper. I’m glad I have a father who taught me this. Do you know what he did when power went out during one of the blizzards last year? He plugged in his big ass generator and kept the heat going because he was smart enough to buy one before he needed it. Hell his generator can keep the air conditioner running in his home of power were to fail during this heat wave.

Do you know what else is good to have available to you? Extra food and drinking water. Did the last blizzard leave you stranded at home unable to get to the grocery store? Did it cause your water pipes to freeze and burst leaving you in need of drinking water? Neither problems are problems if you did your work and prepared ahead of time.

My advice to everybody is this, don’t wait until the last minute to prepare yourself for a future scenario. Get what you need before you need it and when it comes time that you need it you’ll have it and be happy.

This has been a public service announcement from your friend Christopher Burg.

Carrying a Pocket Knife at a Minnesota School is Not a Felony

Here’s some good news for a change, the court of appeals ruled that carrying a pocket knife at school is not a felony:

Having a pocketknife at school is grounds for expulsion but the Minnesota Court of Appeals said Monday that it isn’t a felony if there’s no proof of it being used as a weapon.

The court’s ruling reversed a conviction against a teenager from Willmar, Minn., rejecting arguments by the Kandiyohi County Attorney that the teen’s dark-handled pocketknife with a 3 1/2-inch blade was a dangerous weapon, both by intended use and design.

Although I was say carrying a pocket knife isn’t even grounds for expulsion it sure as the Hell shouldn’t be a felony charge. The fact of the matter is a pocket knife is a tool which makes for a pretty shitty weapon.

When I was in high school I carried a pocket knife every day. Why? For the same reason I still carry one with me every day, it’s an extremely useful tool. I would say I whip out my pocket knife at least once a day, oftentimes multiple times a day. In high school I took a lot of shop classes and my pocket knife was immensely useful (and our shop teachers weren’t dicks so they ignored the fact that I was violating the school’s weapon policy because that pocket knife hardly qualified as a weapon anymore than a utility knife).

In all honesty I believe the pen that I carried around in high school was be a far better weapon than the blade on my pocket knife. If I were to stab somebody with my pocket knife I can see the blade closing and cutting my fingers instead of going into another person.

I’m glad to see this ruling as nobody should be nailed with a felony for being prepared. Does anybody even remember when being prepared was saw as a virtue instead of something requiring a felony charge? The fact that this kid faced a felony weapon charge at all is sickening.

Violent Crime Dropped Again in Minneapolis

Remember, if we let people carry guns there will be blood in the street as every argument turns into a gun fight. That’s what the anti-gunners would have you believe but truth be told the anti-gunners haven’t been able to point at a single case where violent crime dramatically increased after the passing of carry legislation. Heck violent crime has been steadily decreasing for a while now and I’m happy to report that the violent crime rate in Minneapolis dropped agian:

Violent crimes reported by mid-year in Minneapolis have dropped to their lowest point in a decade, and every category of crime except larceny has fallen from last year, statistics show.

While the drop in crime parallels what’s happening in cities nationwide, local leaders who gathered in north Minneapolis Monday credited better policing and a crackdown on gun-toting felons for reducing murders, aggravated assaults, rapes and robberies.

I’m not surprised that the Minneapolis governing body didn’t even mention the possibility that raising the potential cost of performing a crime in the form of more legally armed people may have contributed to this as well.

Although I won’t go so far as to claim causality between more legally armed people and a lower violent crime rate I will point out that the correlation exists. This correlation directly opposes the anti-gunners’ claim that more legally armed people will lead to an increase in violent crime rates. As this is the case there is the possibility that having more legally armed people leads to a lower violent crime rate but no possibility that having more legally armed people leads to a higher violent crime rate.

Everybody in Minnesota Should Know the Name Willis Carrier

I would like to give a huge middle finger to Minnesota’s weather. We have a dew point that is matched only by the Amazon Jungle.

All I can say is thank Thor for Willis Carrier and his invention of air conditioning. This man should be revered for his great invention that makes living in Minnesota (and many other areas) comfortably livable. Oh, I’d also like to point out that air conditioning isn’t a product of government decree or demand but of a need Mr. Carrier ran across when he witnessed quality issues at Sackett-Wilhelms Lithographing & Publishing Company. Air conditioning, like most inventions that greatly improve the lives of millions, is a products of the free market.

The State’s Definition of Critical Services

We’re in day eight of Minnesota’s government “shutdown” but really the word shutdown is a misnomer. I think it would be more appropriate to call this a reduce government operating capacity. Services that have been deemed critical by the state are still running. So what’s critical? Well the collection of taxes for instance:

The Minnesota Department of Revenue said Friday it will continue to process tax payments during the shutdown. All tax laws and deadlines are still in effect.

But with no authorized funding in place, agency functions not deemed critical by the courts are suspended. That means no tax refunds will be processed or issued at this time. And the Revenue Department will have no one to help taxpayers by phone or email until normal operations resume.

According to the state, who get to make the rules, processing the payment of taxes is critical but returning excess money is not. Although people are required to pay their taxes on the appropriate deadlines the state sees no need to ensure help is available to those not sure if they’re filling out the right forms correctly (after all if people don’t know if they’re doing something correctly they’ll likely screw up and the state can fine them for more revenue).

This further demonstrates that this entire “shutdown” is nothing more than a political game. Only services that will noticeably impact the lives of Minnesotans negatively have been shutdown. The parks were shutdown which was noticed on Independence Day, tax refunds aren’t being sent out which will noticeably impact the finances of many Minnesotans, etc. This “shutdown” is simply an attempt to gain political influence next election cycle. The Republican are blaming the Democrats and the Democrats are blaming the Republicans. Both parties are pointing to the other and saying, “Look! The other party make sure you wouldn’t get your tax refunds on time!”

Personally I hope the “shutdown” continues indefinitely. People who are dependent on the state need to rid themselves of that yoke and those not dependent on the state need to realize it. We don’t need the state to run our lives, we’re more than capable of doing that ourselves.

The State Shutdown

I doubt you noticed this morning but negotiations broke down between the parties last night and Minnesota’s government went into shutdown mode:

Talks imploded Thursday between DFL Gov. Mark Dayton and Republican legislative leaders in the final hours before a midnight deadline, and Minnesota began a historic government shutdown.

“This is a night of deep sorrow for me,” Dayton said in an address at 10 p.m. that was punctuated by jeers and hisses from Republicans, including some lawmakers.

Personally I’m glad the state went into shutdown mode. There are some valuable lessons that people need to learn and the only way to learn them is through experience. One of those lessons is the centralizing services is a bad thing because when the monopoly entity falters and stops providing those services everybody is negatively affected. If there were competition on all markets any single private entity failing would only affect that entity’s customers whom would then be able to go to a competing service.

I firmly believe that this entire shutdown is nothing more than a pissing contest to get votes during the next election. Both parties are blaming each other for the shutdown which has lead to parks and rest stops being closed on the 4th of July, a travel heavy holiday. Having parks and rest stops closed on this holiday ensures the maximum number of people will be negatively impacted in a way that they’ll easily notice (honestly the schools shutting down during the summer doesn’t affect too many people). People will remember the 4th of July where they had to go somewhere besides a state park and take that into consideration come voting time.

Either way the state shut down and all is still well. No riots are occurring in the streets, nobody is being murdered that wouldn’t have been had the state been running, water and electricity still work, and the highways still function.