FINAL UPDATE: I talked to Grassel and he has assured me everything was done to the letter of the law and as I have dug into this more I believe it to be the case. There were lawyers involved and everything was cleared through public channels, it was just ill-wording on some people’s behalf. It was run of the mill political stuff and I applaud Jake Grassel for his quick and open response, it is that kind of things that can move the dialogue forward. So this blog at least counts Grassel on this issue on the right side of the right!

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Well folks, the rabbit hole gets deeper.

The following comment was made by someone whose IP tracks back to the Minnesota GOP HQ:

I just wanted to clear something up. Michael Davidson and Alexander are claiming that what they gather from IRS reports is that Minnesota received some $32,000 in block grant money that was sent to our state leadership as reimbursements for expenses.

In actuality we did not receive one dime in block grant money from the CRNC. Actually, we were quite successful in raising our own funds and as chair Jake Grassel raised over $132,000 of hard money. Because McCain’s crappy campaign finance reform our state exec board were advised by counsel to either spend hundreds of man hours and tens of thousands of dollars filing with the IRS or to send the money to the CRNC, we decided to send all of our money to the CRNC and be reimbursed for state grassroots operations through the money that we had raised.

We did not receive any money raised by the CRNC only that money of which we raised for ourselves. Our Chairman worked diligently to raise money to fuel our operations that grew our organization to over 10,000 members. If you have any questions for him, I’m sure that he would be more than happy to answer them in person as he has always been open and honest with us.

Comment by MNCR Exec. — 4/27/2005

Now I had originally said that this transaction, if true, was probably legal as it was a gift from donors through a non-affiliated to a 527, kinda shady but not illegal. HOWEVER, the below seems to indicate that the MNCRs are a subsidiary of the Minnesota GOP, which would make the funneling they did IF TRUE illegal. Now let’s not all jump out here calling for blood, but I do believe we need some answers. Though sadly I doubt we’ll get them.

NOTE: I am not claiming there IS a connection simply that it looks at least probable, which is why we could use some answers.
So let’s start getting some answers…

Jake Grassel listed as a staffer of the MN GOP as the CR Chair

UPDATE: Jake Grassel has offered to answer all the questions so we”ll have this sorted out soon, and I suspect there was no legal wrong doing, but still good to shed some more sunshine on operations.

create your own visited states map
or check out these Google Hacks.

I spent most of this lovely evening watching the Nationals lose to the Phillies. It was disappointing but what really killed me was what was happening just a few seats in front of me. An all American family with three kids, mom, and dad, with one major problem. While the father watched the game the wife chatted on her phone almost the enitre time, and the three kids played VIDEO GAMES!!!!! This is a baseball game and they let the kids bring handheld VIDEOGAMES!!!! The outrage!

No, not me. I’m posting this link reluctantly, because I’m really not a fan of gimicks. Or “Sex and the City” for that matter, which this girl is apparently enamored of. Anyway, I post it because the article in the Syracuse Post-Standard about the woman in question indicated that she is the founder of the Wells College Republicans. Wells is an uber-liberal, uber-feminist, and until last year exclusively female college in picturesque Aurora, NY. It’s pretty amazing that these young women tried to found a CR chapter.

The Front Page article scans sort of oddly, partly because the author quotes herself in the third person. All in all, fairly interesting. And maybe someone here can fix her up.

Canada has never really had a problem with granting jihadists asylum, so long as it’s a short stay. When it gets down to it, and someone literally needs asylum at the risk of life and limb, Canada becomes as hard hearted as, well, one might wish the U.S. were. Of course, reading the last paragraph, one feels the man brought it on himself.

This article from the Wall Street Journal shows why we don’t need to change the tax code, we need to burn it. The fairtax is the best way to go. Why is it that Sen. Isakson has not signed on to this bill this year? We need men to say what they mean and mean what they say.

Who Pays What
Even the most ardent class warriors have no choice but to concede that the U.S. income tax code is steeply progressive — that is, that it soaks the rich. You know the numbers: The richest 1% of all Americans pay 33.7% of all federal income taxes, even after the Bush tax cuts, while the bottom 50% of earners pay a mere 3.6% share.

But wait, our friends on the left quickly add, what about the payroll tax? Low-income folks pay the full 12.4% FICA tax on all of their income, while that levy is not applied this year on income above $90,000 (a level that rises each year with inflation). Thus, we are told, the U.S. tax system really isn’t very progressive and the government would be well advised to raise taxes further.

Well, not so fast, Robin Hoods. An IRS study by a trio of tax wonks shows that, even after including Social Security taxes, the overall tax burden grew more progressive from 1979 to 1999. And while that burden became a tad less progressive after the Bush tax cuts of 2001 and 2003, the rich and upper middle class continued to pay far and away the bulk of U.S. taxes.
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I think the message from Congressional Democrats to young workers is reading pretty loud and clear: $@#% you!