This process is tedious and really not pleasant. A Republican state senator was quote soliciting sex from a person he believed to be a teen. Republicans immediately moved to expel him and he subsequently resigned. Meanwhile we have a Democratic state senator who was arrested and charged with felony burglary over a year ago whom Democrats refuse to encourage to resign and have protected from expulsion. The contrast is striking and tells you everything you need to know about the relative ethics of the parties. Of course, the Reps are confident they will replace their lost Senator, but Dems fear they will lose if their criminal resigns or is kicked out. But you will read little in the Strib news stories comparing the handling of the two situations and what you do see, at the very end of the story, defends the Dems protection of their criminal. I will mention that an editorial today acknowledged the inconsistency and actually suggested that the Dem senator should go too.
In other stories we learn that Trump is keeping Alzheimer’s patients from being saved by a drug. Of course, the drug doesn’t exist and the early studies are not promising and why is the NIH funding this research when drug manufacturers make billions in profits. Americans are an unhappy people, and its Trump’s fault. St. Paul is considering easing rent controls–guess what, rent control means less affordable housing, not more. Judges are keeping Trump from going totally out of control, or maybe they are mostly whacked Dem apointees who are exercising powers they don’t have.
The Trump threat to Social Security is doused. There was no threat to Social Security payments, just another judge attempting to intercede in data access matters that are solely the province of the executive branch. Walz is adjusting the proposed state budget, which he has totally screwed up, but not a word of that in the story. Deporting criminal Venezuelan gang members is a problem. White people in South Africa might seek refugee status, not one word of the overt statements of the current government there encouraging the murder of white people and taking of their property.
