Friday, December 08, 2023

Quick Hits: Volume CCCXXXII

 - This past Wednesday was "Forecast Day" in Minnesota, where projections are given on how much of a state budget surplus or deficit we can anticipate one the Legislature convenes early next year. 


As expected, we weren't even close to the $18 billion surplus projected last year. 


Minnesota lawmakers are expected to have a $2.4 billion budget surplus for the upcoming legislative session, but spending it could result in a deficit of nearly the same size in the coming years, according to state estimates released Wednesday.


For the ill-informed progs who are tempted to jump around like poo-flinging monkeys by insinuating the DFL trifecta spending last year's surplus as if they were crack whores with a stolen credit card had no real impact? Yeah, that's coming. 





To be fair, this component was somewhat alluded to in Strib story I linked to.

 

The projected deficit for the next two-year budget cycle is close to the current surplus — $2.3 billion, according to state officials. That projection may change depending on actions in the Legislature and national and global events.


"Policymakers will need to be very thoughtful when making budget decisions this next year," (if it's still the DFL trifecta, we're hosed- ed.) Minnesota Management and Budget Commissioner Erin Campbell said, adding that saving the surplus instead of spending it could offset the future deficit.


Has anyone asked any of these prog elected officials what the solution would be a potential deficit, particularly in light of many high-taxed residents relocating or at least entertaining the idea? We certainly know leftists have no appetite to actually cut spending. 



- Say, what's gotten in to Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) lately? 


  




What does it say about today's Democrats when a guy with depression issues while recovering from a stroke comes across as one of the more level-headed members of their caucus? 



- If ever a college student is "mis-gendered" or, say, a university chapter of Black Lives Matter is dubbed a neo-Marxist organization, many school officials would dub such rhetoric as "hate speech." 


But showing support for the genocide of Jews? Eh. It's nuanced.





And as should be the case, the fallout was almost immediate, as Penn is losing out on a $100 million gift from a wealthy benefactor. 


Also, Harvard President Claudine Gay put forth a ham-handed apology. 

 

“I am sorry,” Gay said in an interview with The Crimson on Thursday. “Words matter.”

“When words amplify distress and pain, I don’t know how you could feel anything but regret,” Gay added.

“I got caught up in what had become at that point, an extended, combative exchange about policies and procedures,” Gay said in the interview. “What I should have had the presence of mind to do in that moment was return to my guiding truth, which is that calls for violence against our Jewish community — threats to our Jewish students — have no place at Harvard, and will never go unchallenged.”

“Substantively, I failed to convey what is my truth,” Gay added.


Leave aside the fact the phrase "my truth" makes my skin crawl, but how is there no universal standard which unequivocally condemns calls for wiping out an entire collective of people? "Your truth" I guess depends upon which collective is feeling threatened.


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