We have heard that Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty will announce his 'unallotment' cuts entirely on one day in the next few weeks, in a plan to manipulate perceptions by attempting to contain the bad news into one news cycle. With little publicity, this day will arrive suddenly, it is hoped, denying his opponents a basis to organize against.

The bad news will begin on this day — good people will die, in particular because of Pawlenty's planned cut to Local Government Aid of at least $400,000,000, possibly much more. The beginning of Fiscal Year 2010 is July 1st, 2009. Before then, Pawlenty will cut off funding to everything in a way that will assuredly pander to national GOP primary voters. Our state and its still-strong social welfare net (as well as previously "equalized" statewide local government funding) will be the test lab for a sinister, hardcore GOP austerity agenda that may serve as the foundation of an authoritarian-rightwing populist electoral message in future years. The Shock Doctrine will get practiced against the cities and towns, first of all, by ripping apart the "Minnesota Miracle" funding streams that financed strong statewide local education (and services) since the 1970s.

Higher education tuition rates and health services will also get damaged, worsening the quality of life for the middle class (let alone other classes). Hennepin County Medical Center and Regions Hospital, to begin with, will start slashing services because of the GAMC Fiscal Year 2011 veto (which technically starts next July 1st). 

It's not a game, but for Pawlenty it always is. When the local governments have to hike property taxes or abandon everything, the statewide media will refuse to connect Pawlenty to it. More depressing to see are political reporters concur that the public perception that Pawlenty hiked the taxes "won't stick." They won't push any context.

That's what's coming up. It seems like Pawlenty's great day of state terrorism should be really unpleasant in order to cut the coverup down to size. It'd be a great day for a general strike, or just a time to stop and reflect on what authoritarian prairie fascism looks like. It's your preview of class warfare for the 2012 election.

Chrysler and the Rule of Law

The Founders put the contracts clause in the Constitution for a reason.

By TODD J. ZYWICKI

One year ago, on May 12, 2008 the Agriprocessors plant in Postville, Iowa was raided by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.  389 workers were arrested, most from Guatemala.  After arrest, they were taken to the local fairground and held in shackles for three days without significant access to lawyers.   Under those circumstances, 297 signed plea bargains despite the speed and dubiousness of their arrest.  These were not arrests for undocumented status but for criminal charges of fraud due to the use of false social security numbers.  The fact that these were criminal charges was used by law enforcement to justify the speed and opacity of the raids.

During the hearings, workers were shackled at the wrists, waist and ankles.  They were processed in groups of ten.

Account by interpreter of hearings after Postville raid

 Minnesotans for Personal Responsibility—PawLenty for Us!—present Governor Tim Pawlenty with a Golden Bush Award

Dear President Obama: 

On friday April 17, 2009 the Resource Center for the Americas hosted a film/presentation on Guatemala. The film was called Voice of a Mountain (http://www.voiceofamountain.com) and the speaker was Mr. Domingo Tum Mejia, member of Memoria Historica, a group which commemorates the "disappeared" of Guatemala's 36 year-long civil war. Voice of a Mountain was directed by Michael Field and Tyler Rumph and was narrated by Jose de Vega.