Rant index:  [lay off big oil]  [Al Franken's not right ... for Minnesota]  [What good are campaign disclosures]

Today's rant: When you vilify "big oil" you vilify Mrs. Farkel, my old arithmetic teach

Every time I hear people vilify the evil oil companies, I think of Mrs. Farkel, my old 5th-grade arithmetic teacher. She's retired now, living on a pension from the Minnesota Teacher's Union, and do you know what the pension fund's single largest holding is? It's Exxon Mobil. The plumber's pension fund owns it too. Many labor organizations and other institutional investors have stakes in the oil companies. Heck, I bet even Val Molin, the retired 4th grade teacher that Al Franken trots out in his campaign commercial, is a beneficiary of oil company profits.      So here's the deal. Stop complaining about oil company profits or you'll have to stand in the corner.      Can you still buy a dunce cap?

Yesterday's rant (good until November 4th): Al Franken's not right for Minnesota

Reason 1:    MN is about 50/50 DFL/GOP. We have one senator from each party now. Let's make sure everyone's represented.

Reason 2:    If you agree that one's sense of humor is a harbinger of their character flaws (who would want to be associated with someone who tells racist or anti-Semitic jokes), then it's hard to overlook Franken's past writings.

Franken defending one of his sketches

Al Franken script sample and response to criticism here

The day before yesterday's rant: What good are campaign disclosures

You've heard a lot about the various candidates' supporters. Sometimes they're classified as "special interests" or "corporate lobbyists." Sometimes a campaign will herald its grass roots support, you know, the regular people. Much of this is based on the information the donor provides and/or the organization reports. But how easy is that information to spoof or merely (conveniently?) report incorrectly? For example, in April of 2007, Ann Lynch was a DFL State Senator yet she reported (or the DFL did) that she was a "homemaker." Certainly the DFL knew she was a Senator -- they campaigned vigorously on her behalf!

So then, what is the value of the disclosures if they are inaccurate?

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