Recent Comments
Re: “Internet sales tax nears Senate vote”
It isn't a tax on Amazon or Cabela's. They would collect but not pay. The people living in those communities pay the taxes to support the communities. The people buying those goods are most certainly using the brick and mortar of city streets, fire departments, etc. If you buy a taxable good, then you pay the taxes. Online or in the store makes no difference.
I would totally support some kind of allowance though until technology can mangage the tax rate of every area. That is a big task. Maybe they only process the state tax plus one percent or something. I think it could be burdensome to have to calculate tax rate at every delivery point.
Re: “Internal poll offers glimmer of hope for Herb Rule in 2nd District”
Never voting for griffin. And cotton is smooth? Nobody has ever seen the guy outside of television. I think he is 100 thread count cotton. Only good in the package
Re: “Transparency in politics: Let's start with Kochs”
I know I shouldn't be suprised but I am distressed that this wasn't in the real paper. No matter what she says about those mailers, it seems they were misleading at best. More like lies but definitely misleading.
Re: “Foes of horse slaughter cheer Congressional victory”
By having these facilities, you give horse owners options. No one is forced to slaughter their animal. Look if you want to keep your toothless old horse out there until he quietly gives up the ghost because he feels like a pet to you then do it. Or if you want a three legged horse that you can't use for anything, ok. Not all horse owners want to do that. Horses aren't good wildlife either. The wild horse populations of the west have to be constantly managed to prevent their overpopulation from destroying those environments.
Not everyone's horse's are "pets." And besides even if they are pets can't anyone take their dog to the vet and have it put down for illness or being old? We don't deny dog and cat owners end of life options for their animals.
Farm Bureau and other ag groups are right on this one. We need humane planys to slaughter horses. There is a market, human consumption, pet food and zoos. Are horses lovely to look upon creatures? Sure. That doesn't mean that we can't eat the damn things.
Re: “Tim Griffin joins the ethics reform movement”
It won't matter if Griffin runs for Governor. The ballot initiative does not impact the Governor or any of the Consitutional offices. They are not prohibited from accepting direct corporate donations or gifts according to the language of the proposed act. They are SPECIFICALLY exempted.
Pass it, don't pass it. I don't care but be clear about what it does. The corporate donations are not actually prohibited they will simply have to be filtered through a PAC. PACs are easy to form. They are only paperwork. Anyone on this blog can have one by the end of the day.
You want real reform. Don't prohibit gifts, lower the limit and make everything reportable. Also the reports cannot be generalized. No Revenue and Taxation Committee. They must list the legislator by name. Their searchable name.
Corporate donations won't stop until Supreme Court reverses itself.
Re: “Smear campaign mounted against ethics initiative”
I assume the motives of this ballot initiative are noble but it isn’t perfect and it could create some unintended consequences. It ultimately makes campaign contributions king. Now you have lobbyists buying $15 lunches but in the future you will simply have lobbyists making campaign contributions. And you really don’t stop the corporate giving. Those corporations simply form multiple PACS. It is easy, just paper work. The gift prohibition only applies to “lobbyists” or a person employing a lobbyist. So any wealthy Joe Blow can continue to give gifts as they please. If we are truly concerned about influence pedaling then prohibit gifts period not just gifts from lobbyists. A lot of lobbyists represent a broad swath of people and “interest groups”, not all of them evil greedy corporate interests. Let’s quit demonizing lobbyists.
And as a wise lobbyist once said, “If you can buy someone with a steak dinner, you can’t keep him bought.”
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Re: “Talking about hog feeder operations in the Buffalo watershed”
This farmer followed the law completely. People are so set to make him a villian but he has invested his own money, taken the time and effort to acquire the correct permits and is a citizen of that community. If he follows even a minimum of good practices the river will never be in danger. All this talk about interested parties not knowing is hard to believe. It took the guy two years to get a permit.
There is a video on the Farm Bureau website about this family and their farm.
http://video.arfb.com/video/ch-farms-conti…