Patriot Watermelons

Small Business Joins States Challenge of ObamaCare Constitutionality

It's not just a matter of states' challenging unfunded mandates. It's not just a matter of individual liberty. It has profound implications for the survival of the backbone of the American economy.

WSJ: ObamaCare vs. Small Business. Why the National Federation of Independent Business supports the constitutional challenge to the health-insurance mandate.

The countdown to repeal.

--crossposted at BackyardConservative

Slip 'n Slide

School's out for some around the country, Memorial Day weekend is coming up so water sports are in to beat the heat.

But what if you're in the hot seat?

Up to date in Kansas City

Fed banks in Kansas City, St. Louis and Dallas called for an increase in the so-called discount rate by a quarter-point to 1 percent. They said the rise would represent “another step toward restoring a pre-crisis discount-rate structure,” according to the minutes.

I still think this:

P.P.S. Screw the NY Fed of Turbo-tax deficient Treasury Sec. Geithner. How about St. Louis or Kansas City taking the lead. Heartland common sense. Hell, yeah.

P.S. Obama needs some intervention, take it from a level-headed Midwesterner. The Politico:

"The more he talked, the more he got upset," Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) said. “He needs to take a valium before he comes in and talks to Republicans and just calm down, and don’t take anything so seriously. If you disagree with someone, it doesn’t mean you’re attacking their motives — and he takes it that way and tends then to lecture and then gets upset.”

Talk about a creating a crisis atmosphere. Talk about being a uniter of these United States. How about listening. For a change. Get in touch with your Kansas side, Mr. President.

It's the spending, stupid

As Michael Barone points out:

It has long been a maxim of political scientists that American voters are ideologically conservative and operationally liberal. That is another way of saying that they tend to oppose government spending in the abstract but tend to favor spending on particular programs.

But not this year. Even in farm program states like North Dakota, Red locally, but with a solid Dem delegation nationally to bring home the bacon, the shift is clear.

Earl's gotta go...how bout a song. (How bout Stephanie next door too)

And throw in a few lemonade stands.

P.S. Shrinking favorables for the Dems in Congress. Plus Rasmussen does a poll variation of the Wm. F. Buckley phone book quote.

Tiny Pears

NoDaks Concerned About Border Too

Poll: Majority Of North Dakotans Want An Arizona-Style Illegal Immigration Bill Say Anything

And why wouldn't they be?

Because Just call him "Moe" is no joke.

Who's Dressed Better?

Pelosi not afraid a House will fall on her Ruby Slippers

Sorry Trib Coastal Types me

The Technocrats’ New Clothes small dead animals (Oh, Canada)

Weasels, et cetera Pundit & Pundette

Who is best equipped to oust Dave "Pelosi Parrot" Loebsack? Coralville Courier (Iowa)

Rush Limbaugh and the Conservative Resurgence Moonbattery

Paul Ryan and free-market populism James Pethokoukis

Who’s Dressed Better? The First Spouse, or Whitney Houston? Hillbuzz (You can vote right NOW!)

The Unconstitutional City of Lake Elmo, MN

Via The Corner. How Minnesota Farms Have to Fight Protectionism. Video:

Welcome to the New Country, Same as the Old Country

David Harsanyi on the enlightened despots we need to kick to the curb in November.

We left the old country and had a revolution here. We can have one again. We're not leaving this time.

Corrupt to the Core Left

SEIU Pays Media Matters $50,000 In Wake Of Gladney Incident 24th State

Brutal Beating by SEIU in St. Louis. Where's the Justice?

Refuting The Disinformation Of Media Matters 24th State:

And what I know is this. Kenneth Gladney, non-political guy who sold flags and buttons to both the left and the right (he was selling Obama buttons in Arnold earlier in the year), was attacked by SEIU-shirted staff. Kenneth has been insulted, smeared, and called an Uncle Tom and worse for wanting justice for those attacks. He has suffered personally, emotionally, physically, and financially, and he has yet to see justice.

Read it all.

Dana Loesch, Big Government with comments.

The Coast off Galway

We are all expendable

Ron Kind (D-WI-3) Wants The Government To Track How Much Your Daughter Weighs Red State

Monitoring early on. And then denial of care later, but sooner rather than later for those considered overweight? Or objectionable in some way?

Obama's Medicare Czar: It's Worse than You Thought And so it goes in Shreveport

Look--this amount of intrusion and arrogance is unseen before in American society. And about our very lives.

I'm starting to think of these guys as Bond villains.

No, Mr. Bond. I want you to die.

P.S. OK, this is pretty (deservedly) funny: I say we start with Michelle’s BMI. Fausta

Minnesota Standoff. An Uff Da Moment

Don't count on Pawlenty to blink, Dems. True North

The WSJ starts off this way:

Minnesota has a rich Scandinavian heritage, and if Democrats in the state legislature have their way the state is headed toward Scandinavian tax rates. Governor Tim Pawlenty, a likely GOP Presidential candidate, has now smacked this slow, fat pitch out of the ballpark.

Earlier this week Democrats who control both legislative houses passed a three-year $1 billion income tax increase. This would raise the top tax rate to 9.1% from 7.85%, taking the rate even higher than that in New Jersey and New York (outside of Manhattan).

Yesterday Mr. Pawlenty vetoed this tax foolishness, as he has three previous tax hikes as Governor. The tax increase was targeted at the rich, but it applied to individuals with an income of $113,100 for singles and $200,000 for joint filers. Note how the definition of "rich" keeps becoming more expansive.

Well, Gov. Pawlenty is so far standing fast. Minnesota Nice only goes so far. Uff da.

More Rotten Border News

OTMs Crossing the Southwest Border (And I Don't Mean The Other McCain).

Other states taking cue from Arizona law

Are we concerned yet?

We're already getting beheadings in Mexico.

As the Middle Coast Turns

Flood Ravaged Iowans Idiotically Move On Iowa Hawk of course.

No wonder Minnesota is turning away from Dems. True North.

The TrogloPundit imagines his tall self in a ridiculous car.

UW Madison legal beagle picks up on the toothpaste tragedy in Chicago.

Delivering Evidence To The Prosecutor In The Gladney Case 24th State

If Someone On Wall Street Had Done This, There Would Be Charges. Red Stick Rant

Back on the tarnished south coast of a middling Great Lake a University of Chicago professor of law thinks states may have a case against ObamaCare.

The pots on the steps

Walking around town.

Lend a hand to Nashville

John Rich has written a song to encourage donations to help Nashville cope with this inland tsunami.

On with El Rushbo right now. Free download.

More Obamanation Fallout

Earl Pomeroy’s Opponent Rick Berg Advances To Top Slot Among 2010 GOP Candidates

...Some lousy things haven't changed though: Rich farmers still get the most cash from Uncle Sam

Obey Bows Out

My initial reaction here!!!

The 7th Congressional district includes my old home town so I am really getting pumped about this. The open seat changes the equation for victory in a big way. Politico:

Obey’s chairmanship of the Appropriations Committee allowed him to have a near-stranglehold on the rural northwest Wisconsin district, but his comfortable re-election victories belie the competitive nature of the seat. While President Obama carried the district with 56 percent of the vote, John Kerry barely won it by just over 5,000 votes in 2004.

Obey was one of the architects of the failed stimulus plan which rewarded porky union bosses while leaving most of the country in the lurch on jobs.

Now how about Sen. Feingold take a hike to open up a Senate seat, hmm?

Current RCP maps. House. Senate. Governorship.

Movement Right in MO

sorendayton

Blunt hits 50% in MO-SEN. Winning indies 2-1. http://bit.ly/1153si #mo-sen #tcot

Pawlenty and the Field

An interesting take on Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty's chances for the Republican nomination given his use of the Sam's Club brand. I shop at Target and occasionally Wal-Mart if it's handy. When my kids were little I did the Sam's Club run but now go for smaller portions of everything.

Well, while Pawlenty hasn't dazzled I think it's early days. Let's see how things look after the November election. His quiet, pleasant competence may wear well, especially during debates, should he choose to run. As far as the others mentioned I'd say Mitt Romney is handicapped by his Massachusetts template for ObamaCare, though the Dems there cluttered it up he signed it.

Ron Paul is appealing as a libertarian, but his national security stance is loony and will never propel him to the nomination. Mike Huckabee's assumed Christian Leader mantle won him a finite number of states and will play much less well with the Tea Party's fiscal priorities. He was known as tax hike Mike back in Arkansas before he had a conservative conversion to run for president last time.

Romney may well make a comeback given his stellar know-how on the economy, while Sarah Palin is in touch with America and frames the issues of the day exceptionally well. So who else? I'd say the Minnesota governor is in good company with his conservative Indiana counterpart Mitch Daniels, another quiet but effective executive. There's Rep. Mike Pence, the standing O machine, and perhaps Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin--articulate and substantive challengers of the Obama spin, but they're real dark horses for now.

The Mississippi River basin states are swing states--where the presidency may well be won or lost--and Pawlenty would be a favorite son.

Low (Economic) Stress Midwest

Kansas tops the low stress list with 4 counties. Kansas Watchdog on the AP index. (Illinois is in a class by itself, the Chicago Way run amok.)

Some of it must have to do with not buying into the oligarchy economy.

From James Pethokoukis, 10 reasons to be cautious on the economy, here's one:

9. The latest Case-Shiller house price index confirmed that we are into a renewed leg down in home prices. Financials, retailers and homebuilders are not priced for this outcome.

Yet Fannie and Freddie are not included in the supposed financial reform bill.

And until it is, the country can't sustain a lasting recovery.

Emmer for Minnesota

HT True North. More Emmer: