Grace Kelly's blog

Around this holiday season, I like to say "Thank You" to people who serve unnoticed. The Democratic-Farmer-Labor party has many people who work so hard to create better communities and better government. This is mostly volunteer work with a few underpaid jobs. These are the everyday heroes!

We are in the blues times of the year, so activities should be picked that bring cheer. That is why putting up a tree now with lights could really help. One of the best ways to stop the blues is dig in dirt, by planting a garden. Yes I mean right now with snow on the ground! I noticed that pots were on super sale in hardware stores. If you can give up the window sill or counter space for a while, you could make holiday gifts of basil, cilantro, chives, oregano, parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. Imagine being able to make a Christmas meal with really fresh ingredients. It would be a less expensive gift with big impact, and very unlikely that anyone else will do it. Plus very helpful directions abound. This picture also comes with directions at all-about-container-gardening.

The Republicans would not spend 30 million over 5 years to help provide health care to the nation's poor children, however the the Republicans gladly added US debt of a trillion dollars to pay for 2 wars, an almost trillion that was supposed to buy up toxic mortgages but was instead used to buy stock. Now we have the greatest end run of government responsibility of all, the Federal Reserve is financing $7.8 trillion in debt that is basically in helping pay for the credit swap debit that estimated to be larger than the assets of the world.

In the last year, the government has assumed about $7.8 trillion in direct and indirect financial obligations. That is equal to about half the size of the nation’s entire economy and far eclipses the $700 billion that Congress authorized for the Treasury’s financial rescue plan.
(New York Times)

And how is the federal reserve paying for this? - by printing money meaning inflation! Everyone one's dollar will be worth less. Through inflation we will all be taxed. We didn't have the money for health care, helping people pay mortgages, or converting to green energy. However the Republicans had the money to save the "credit swap" bets of the very rich. Truly Republicans are the government of the rich. by the rich and for the rich. This time will live in Republican "spend, spend, spend" infamy and the most enormous redistribution of more wealth to the wealthy. Furthermore, with all the money in the hands of a few, we truly might have King Midas end to this story. We would have been way better off declaring all credit swaps null and void! We could created a US bank that borrowed only for legitimate business and never for credit swaps, letting "credit swap" banks go through bankruptcy. And especially notice how little media attention is being devoted to the $7.8 trillion, it is invisible news!. What news is out there was published on Thanksgiving day. In fact, I would wonder if the super rich did not arrange for news to hit during the Mumbai distraction. $7.8 trillion should have 2 million times the fuss that was made about spending 30 million over 5 years to help provide health care to the nation's poor children.

Republicans tend to break election rules and laws. Now, is the time to be checking those financial reports! Like Republican Mark Mohr, running for the West St. Paul City Council 2nd Ward seems to have conveniently forgotten the $300 individual contribution limit for city offices.

CONTRIBUTION LIMITS: Candidates or candidate’s committees for county, municipal, school district offices may not accept aggregate contributions in excess of $300 in an election year or in excess of $100 in a non election year made or delivered by an individual or committee. However, candidates seeking election from districts with a population in excess of 100,000 may not accept aggregate contributions in excess of $500 in an election year and $100 in a non election year.
(Minnesota Secretary of State)

Just so you know the $300 limit applies since the population of West St Paul was 19,405 at the 2000 census, which is well under the 100,000 needed for the $500 limit.

So add up these contributions from the 39A GOP for "Mohr for Change", the personal campaign account of Mark Mohr? Do you get $500, greater than the $300 limit?

(Minnesota Campaign Finance Board, select RPM, select 39A House District RPM, select view report twice)

And there is more on Mohr ...

AP obviously sat on the story about melanine until after the election. The fact that melanine was in our US food supply has been reported by me, at this very site since April 11, 2007. So basically all the Republican owned corporate news sources are now going to be reporting all the bad news that they should have been constantly reporting, now that it can't hurt Republican election chances.

Traces of the industrial chemical melamine have been detected in samples of top-selling U.S. infant formula, but federal regulators insist the products are safe....

Melamine is the chemical found in Chinese infant formula — in far larger concentrations — that has been blamed for killing at least three babies and making at least 50,000 others ill....

The three firms — Abbott Laboratories, Nestle and Mead Johnson — manufacture more than 90 percent of all infant formula produced in the United States.
(AP)

Basically China gets a free pass because we need China to keep buying our US debt bonds. Ever notice how we now never talk of cancer prevention, just on about working on cancer cures. Melanine is "singing canary" of a much larger problem. Note that we have many description deaths of unknown causes like "Sudden Infant Death" in babies. The coverup could be much more widespread than we currently know.

Since every magazine tends to have a personality type test and story, the real question is there a personality type model that really works, that helps political persuasion and that helps put volunteers into good matching roles. I believe that I have found just such a model, a diamond level personality model.

I first tested the model by typing myself and others, which you see the diagram of my type. Friends have also tried the model. It has predicted problems and personality matches quite well. It does a good job of explaining how stress affects each personality type. Here is my personality type:

Type Five

The Investigator

The perceptive, cerebral type. Fives are alert, insightful, and curious. They are able to concentrate and focus on developing complex ideas and skills. Independent, innovative, and inventive, they can also become preoccupied with their thoughts and imaginary constructs. They become detached, yet high-strung and intense. They typically have problems with eccentricity, nihilism, and isolation. At their Best: visionary pioneers, often ahead of their time, and able to see the world in an entirely new way.
(Enneagram Institute)

You read my articles, do you think that fits? Test here for your type!

I grew up knowing that at any given second the world could explode in a nuclear holocaust. So I am accustomed to looking at death of civilization as we know it. So after this election, I promised to look again at the whole world view. Among my friends, I have known for uncanny long range predictions, so here are my latest long range predictions:

1) Global Warming: For the next years, this will manifest as strange weather - more hurricanes, more drought, more hail and more tornadoes. Due to lack of the freeze, our state will start having pest problems that we never had before. Due to the huge number of catastrophes, everyone can expect less government help and less humanitarian help. Count only on family, friends and neighbors. If you live on a flood plain, then move!

2)Energy Shift to Wind and Solar: Simply put either our economy totally shifts to wind and solar or we go back to the stone age. Any place going nuclear will fail, because nuclear takes a long time to get going and uranium supplies will soon also reach the peak possible supply, becoming super expensive. Coal will become more and more toxic to mine and to use.

Sometimes it takes a lowly blogger far from Washington to point out the only obvious credit fix:

Invalidate All Credit Swaps

When credit swaps are greater than the whole nation's assets, then there is no possible bailout that will work in any way. Duh! So think of this as a government mandated bankruptcy for the whole financial system. In bankruptcy, what debtors are paid what portion is determined, so there is a precedent.

Yet there are still people thinking that the taxpayers can bailout the financial system and pay all of those credit swaps. Really they are thinking that doubling the debt of the US will fix it.

U.S. Pledges Top $7.7 Trillion to Ease Frozen Credit (Update2)

By Mark Pittman and Bob Ivry
Enlarge Image/Details

Nov. 24 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. government is prepared to provide more than $7.76 trillion on behalf of American taxpayers after guaranteeing $306 billion of Citigroup Inc. debt yesterday. The pledges, amounting to half the value of everything produced in the nation last year, are intended to rescue the financial system after the credit markets seized up 15 months ago.
(Bloombery)

The current financial Republican thinkers are either incredibly stupid or incredibly cowardly!

Basically most people know less about the principles of government than their favorite sport, like this civics test shows. I thought that I would do my own true or false civics test on knowledge from the recount for your entertainment. Actually these are very tough questions, so knowing any of them means you are really paying attention!

1. True or False: Every valid ballot cast by a Minnesota voter has two sides with writing.

2. True or False: Next election if you want your vote for the lizard people to count proudly, sign your name on the ballot.

3. True or False: On election day, when you vote, accidentally filling in the wrong circle is bad because there is nothing that can be done.

4. True or False: One needs an ID to register for voting.

5. True or False: All write-in votes are photographed by the counting machine and electronically sent in.

6. True or False: No people dead on this election day were allowed to vote in the last election.

7. True or False: All Minnesota votes were counted on election day.

8. True or False: Every Minnesota precinct uses the same type and brand of counting machine.

9. True or False: You must be able to read the ballot to vote.

10. True or False: People in college, must use their permanent legal address, not their college address, as the basis for a place to vote.

I was suffering from sticker shock from buying mushrooms for the Thanksgiving holiday, when a friend pointed out that one can grow mushrooms in a bag in the basement, in the compost pile, on stumps or even in a helpful alliance with the garden. The most popular to grow are Shiitake Mushrooms. For the coldest basements, Enokitake mushrooms will grow in a 45 degree basement, which would look like this picture. Shaggy Mane mushrooms could be grown in your basement, and then the leftover bag can be put in the compost pile to provide a second crop.

Here is the perfect gift for a gardener for shady tree spots, for the pre-teen who likes science projects or just for a truly different and surprising gift for someone who has everything, started at about $25 plus shipping from Fungi Perfecti. Hint, hint, Santa Claus!

The Franken absentee court battle is really helping bring attention to an important issue. Even Minnesota could make absentee ballot voting easier. For stories like this break my heart:

Oh, and my husband (who is currently serving his country in the military) received a letter today that his vote was thrown out. Supposedly someone challenged his absentee ballot and election officials "determined" that the signature on his ballot did not match the signature on the absentee ballot application - even though he signed them both. I would love to know how many other voters also had their votes discarded like this... I can't even describe to you how angry it makes me.
(Kula2316 at DailyKOS)

November is a "blues" time to live up North. Truly you are feeling the lack of sunlight in your mood. I find one of the best cures is to do something active for the community like:

1) Phonebank: Call with a phone with free nationwide calling, to replace one of the very worst Senators in the game today with an actual progressive, the most progressive candidate to run statewide in Georgia in years, Democrat Jim Martin. Republicans have just dropped a $2 million bomb in the state! We can provide grassroots power by phonebanking through MyBarackObama.com . By the way, this method is easy and sweet. Just 15 voters at a time.

For years, Minnesota has led in election integrity processes to make sure every vote is counted fairly and accurately. Media does not want to tell an orderly fair process story, instead they want drama, even when there is not drama!

Take for example, the challenger Bob Murray story:

One dustup came when Coleman observer Bob Murray questioned Ramsey County elections manager Joe Mansky on all the people jamming in the room as well as how ballot stacks were being counted. When Murray challenged a handful of ballots in which voters appeared to mark Franken clearly, Mansky said they were frivolous challenges, something state law prohibits.

“If you want to deal with it, take me to court,” Mansky said.
(Star Tribune)

Fortunately, Noah Kunin was producing the actual video of the what happened, and actually put this comment on the Strib's article

The quote from Mansky is slightly inaccurate as posted here. Consultation of video from the incident produces the following exact quote:

MANSKY: If you want to deal with them, you can take my determination to court.
Slightly more politic, I’d say…

Noah Kunin
Senior Political Correspondent
http://www.theuptake.org

Basically an independent journalist was doing a better job in the comments of actually reporting what really happened. The best reporting is actual video. Here's my video, produced by Noah Kunin:

When I first arrived at the Ramsey Recount Center, I was looking over the shoulder of election judge on the second page of challenges when only 0-3 challenges is normal. Every stray mark was being challenged. Apparently stray marks could be identifying marks according to an old law that prevent people from signing or otherwise marking their ballot, so they could get paid for their vote. I could foresee boxes of challenged ballots arriving in front of the canvas board. Fortunately later in the day, Joe Mansky, the Ramsey county elections director integrated the mark check into a brief flash. Also all challenged ballots are reviewed by Joe Mansky, who makes the authors give a reason, dismissing the frivolous. Joe Mansky also declared that stray marks are not identifying marks! Suddenly the recount process was again back up to speed, with only 0-3 challenges. It is everyday heroes like Joe Mansky who create good government.

Updated with a math fix!

Here is my first day report of the recount. The most interesting item is that Precinct 5-2 was off by 9 votes, which is startling because rarely does a precinct count vary by as much as 4 votes. An undercount could easily happen, it would simply mean a pen was used that the machine could not read. However these 9 votes were machine overvote, meaning the machine read more votes, than the manual recount read, which is surprising. Sometimes a ballot jams the machine and is re-submitted in error, when people think it wasn't read. So that can account for a few, not 9. The total manual count is 2009 is 1 off from the 2010 ballots cast from the Secretary of State website (a friend looked this up for me). So, this is a mystery and an outlyer. More info on this later in the article.

The question before the board that certifies election results was whether reviewing the acceptance or rejection of absentee ballots was a part of the recount process. The board decided that the recount process could start without having decided the absentee ballot question. The board also certified the election results as final except for the four races going into recount, which includes the senate race.

Here are some of the reasons that an absentee ballot can be rejected:

At Ramsey County, I will be working with Uptake to set up a live blog of the senate recount. Uptake will be doing a twitter update as anything interesting happens. I have been at vote audits, which are similar to vote recounts. Under the best run elections places, both from Republican-run and Democratic-run locations, there has been changes in counts of roughly 1 in a thousand, that no one cannot explain. (I think the machines took a coffee break.) So don't let there be any weird myths when that kind of change appears. In this state, we audit, so we know that there is some normal error. That is why we have a .5% difference mandating manual recount by law. One of my audit reports is here. So on Wednesday, catch my coverage at the Uptake!

As we look to the news, even the news of President-elect Obama, we have to ask, "How warped is the news that we are getting?" Looking at what is reported and how it is reported:

• Framing - where issues like torture are treated like a gradient on a line (drowning is not really torture) instead simply black and white. In fact instead of the news discussing important issues, the news simply graded issues on the line between Liberal and Conservative.
• Stories not told - where President-elect Obama serving on an board with Ayers was a big deal and yet the fact that Senator McCain crashed 5 planes was never mentioned.
• How stories are told - Even though the President, the House and the Senate have to agree on budgets and laws, notice how suddenly "President Bush" has disappeared, and Congress now has all responsibility. This happens even though President Bush is still blocking effective economic action.

Yet it has become obvious that the control goes even deeper - that people at the highest most reputable news organizations are fired at Republican's whim.

On the Daily Show, Bill O'Reilly admits he is an anarchist. Does his picture now get put up in Sheriff Fletcher's RNC/Anarchist room? Will the Sheriff now spend time investigating Fox news?

Why aren't the street videos available to us all? Why does the police have to preview the videos before releasing access to the videos? Could "previewing" be code for altering or losing any evidence that might be damaging to the police? Why do we have the ones accused, in this case the police, controlling the evidence?