Kline Has No Values but Money

Besides having his staff anonymously blog attacks on Coleen Rowley, Kline even shows less moral leadership qualities by taking money from questionable and criminal sources...as pointed out by Lakeville Dad:

Kline takes $21,999 from one of the 13 most unethical members of Congress

Convicted Felon Gives John Kline $6,000

John Kline takes $35,574 from John Boehner PAC

John Kline takes $30,000 from Tom DeLay PAC

"Klinefan" unmasked

Rather than engage in an open discussion about the issues, Congressman John Kline has resorted again to hiring people and recruiting volunteers to anonymously attack for him.

"Klinefan" a frequent (and impolite) poster to this blog has been posting his comments from the same ip address that hosts John Kline's re-election website!

Kline campaign spokesperson, Marcus Esmay, who recently sent a letter to the Star-Tribune that uses much of the same arguments in "Klinefan's" postings says he was also the only one who was in Kline's Burnsville campaign headquarters during Klinefan's most recent postings. When I called, Mr. Esmay said he had nothing to do with the postings. Coincidentally, "Klinefan" logged off the site within minutes of Mr. Esmay hanging up the phone. Draw your own conclusions.

John Kline has used anonymous bloggers to attack Coleen Rowley in the past. Michael Brodkorb made frequent anonymous attacks on Rowley as "MDE" until he was sued for libel and was forced to unmask. Brodkorb also happens to be the Republican Chair of Senate District 38, which coordinates Kline's campaign in the Eagan/Burnsville area. As we've reported before, Brodkorb is also on the payroll of a company that does work for John Kline's campaign and is also a paid consultant to the Mark Kennedy campaign.

Minnesota doesn't need a Congressman who resorts to this sort of premeditated skullduggery. It's one more reason to dump him and bring in someone who doesn't leave their ethics at the campaign door.

Kline's Crybaby Defense

It appears that the ever so big Colonel Kline is turning to the ‘cry baby’ defense in his race against Coleen Rowley. Rather than an honest debate about his past voting records, Kline and his spokesperson finds it easier to run crying foul claiming that the Rowley campaign is smearing Kline!

Kline has the worst voting record in the state on environment, education, disabled veterans and working family issues. At a recent event Coleen Rowley referred to Kline’s terrible voting record on issues that she specifically selected for their nonpartisan nature.

"The 2nd District is Republican-leaning, But these issues are all things that any person should find important and Kline has done nothing to support them."

The Minnesota Daily has a Kline spokesman saying Rowley campaign is smearing them by trying to address Kline's voting history. Imagine that, using the facts of Kline's voting record is 'smearing' Kline's record!

“Marcus Esmay, spokesman for the Kline campaign, described Rowley's campaign as a "smear" against Kline's record”

Definition of the word:
- Smear- to smirch, spot, stain, slander or defame,
- Slander- a false and malicious statement or report about someone.

Kline is trying to dodge the real issues by claiming that attacking his voting record is the same as attacking his military record. Kline was a good soldier who can follows orders. However, a good soldier who votes 96% of the time with Bu$hCo does not make a good Congressman for Minnesota as his voting record shows.

The crybaby defense is a sad and pathetic attempt to avoid real debate with substance. It’s no mistake that Kline wants to divert the discussion back to being a good soldier given his vote record but unfortunately he’s not running for the office of soldier. It’s time for this old soldier to fade away.

Kline And Tales of Dirty Money

First it was Ken Lay and now it's weapons companies that target civilians. They must think John Kline will be a 'good' friend to them just like DeLay:

"John Kline got $10,000 from BAE Systems, the same military outfit that gave to Mike Erlandson. If you remember, we told you about BAE selling arms to evil regimes and providing weapons that are responsible for civilian deaths internationally. Kline also got money from Minnesota's premier moneyed hate group: the Freedom Club. hattip to:American Hot Sausage Co:

And talking about Kline and dirty money...

On Wednesday, the Houston Chronicle reported that Tom DeLay's ARMPAC reached a deal with the FEC to pay $115,000 in fines and shut down.

John Kline did not return the money he accepted from ARMPAC when DeLay was indicted, in part because he made a distinction between ARMPAC and DeLay's TRMPAC --- the Texas-based PAC which is involved in DeLay's indictment for money-laundering. Now that the FEC has fined and shut down ARMPAC, Kline can't really pretend the $30,000 he received is 'clean' any more.

Kline should have come 'clean' with the dirty money he took form DeLay a long time ago.

$uper DeKline: Hero Only To The $uper Rich

Congressman John Kline (R) sent out a letter spinning his support of the estate tax legislation that protects only the $UPER RICH. Since Kline’s been in office his zealous safeguarding of the wealthy is well known. The question to ask is when is Rep. John Kline going to take care of the average Minnesotan who elected him into office?

In his letter Kline says, “Knowing of your opposition to the estate tax, I thought you would be interested to learn of recent activity on this issue in the House ofRepresentatives….In June, we passed a bi-partisan compromise which will provide significant relief from this destroyer of family owned farms and businesses.”

Kline's statements more closely represent urban legends and myths than facts….‘Destroyer of Family owned farms and businesses’? Yeah right, name one farm in Minnesota in the last year affected by this? Once again $uper DeKline comes to the aid of the $uper Rich! Consider the facts:

With the current exemption level of $1.5 million, a CBO analysis found, only 300 farm estates in 2000 would have owed any tax at all - and of those, just a paltry 27 would have a tax bill in excess of their liquid assets. And, most of them would have the cash on hand to pay the tax owed. So this bill would have helped barely a handful of rich farmers but will help very wealthy families that have nothing to do with farming. Ask John Kline to name one farm lost to the estate tax since he’s been in office.

In fact, less than 3 percent of deceased adults in 2002 had estates subject to the tax, according to the nonpartisan Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center and figures from the IRS. So again, Kline protects the top 2-3% richest families in America!

Even one of the leading advocates for repeal of estate taxes, the American Farm Bureau Federation, said it could not cite a single example of a farm lost because of estate taxes.

The argument about a double tax is also ‘double talk’. While it is true that some portion of a taxable estate might be made up of cash that was taxed before, when it was earned as income, most of all estates are made up of stocks, bonds, real estate or other holdings that have appreciated greatly in value over the lifetime of the person who owned them. The owner didn't pay taxes on that profit during his or her lifetime because they weren't sold and the profits weren't turned into cash, or "realized."

Furthermore, heirs who inherit such appreciated assets won't have to pay tax on that unrealized profit either. The estate tax is the only tax that applies to such unrealized capital gains.

This bill was never meant to protect farmers or farms or families of working Americans, If it had been, Kline probably would not have supported it. This bill supports only the riches of the very rich and that’s why it was dubbed the Paris Hilton bill. Only the top 1-2 % of wealthy families in America. Kline's voting records shows he protects big oil, big corporations and $uper wealthy people but not the average Minnesotan. His support of this legislation is just more proof of that.

Over the years, the discussion of the estate tax hasn't exactly been noted for its intellectual rigor. But Kline’s vote on this issue and now his continued exaggeration of it’s affect on farms and families borders on malfeasants and lack of ethics. Either he’s stupid or he’s brought and paid for by special interests for the misinformation he continues to peddle. Personally I believe it’s a combination of both!

While Kline may characterize this as a death tax or saving farms and families, the facts speak for themselves. The estate tax is not a tax on death. It’s a tax on the transfer of large amounts of money. More than ninety-nine percent of Americans who die pass their estate on to their heirs completely tax-free — in fact, they get a valuable tax break on capital gains. Zero estate tax is charged on assets left to a spouse or to charity.

Super Kline once again saves the wealth of the $uper rich from being taxed for the common good of American.

John Kline + Bush = MN Red

The fact that Bush and Kline consider a $296 billion deficit an occasion to celebrate shows how far we've fallen. Each Minnnesotan pays $1075.00 of their taxes in interest payments only. Roughly 20% of every dollar we pay goes toward interest on the national debt. Naturally, as interest rates climb, so will the amount paid by us.

When President Bush came into office, he inherited a surplus of $284 Billion. At that time, the Bush administration predicted a $516 billion surplus for 2006. Five years later their legacy of tax cuts for the wealthy and other failed policies has left Minnesotans with a mounting debt to be paid off for generations to come:

2004 (George W. Bush) $413 billion
2003 (George W. Bush) $378 billion
2005 (George W. Bush) $318 billion
2006 (George W. Bush) $296 billion (projected)

The deficit includes no funding for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan after fiscal year 2007, and only $50 billion for that year. So far Minnesotans have paid a large price in dollars (over 7.2 billion) and deaths (over 30). In addition, over 2500 Minnesotan's have been seriously wounded in the war.

The GOP talk about turning Minnesota into a red state. Kline's and Bu$h's tax cuts for the rich, never ending wars and out of control fiscal policies have all hardworking Minnesotans in the red.

Out of Control Gas Prices

Out of Control Gas Prices - And No Minimum Wage Increase

Average two car families in Minnesota will pay an average of $1888.6 more for gasoline in 2006 than they did in 2000 because of rising gasoline prices.

Meanwhile, 86,900 people in Minnesota would have benefitted from an increase in minimum wage that Republicans like John Kline blocked.

Kline Is An Extremist Wingnut

But we knew that! Still say it again!

Coleen Rowley-- Taking Back MN-02 From An Extremist Wingnut

by downwithtyranny

John Kline Bragging About Record Deficit!

Minnesotan's believe that paying their bills and balancing the budget are everyday actions that good families do. Most of us wouldn't think of bragging about being less 'overdrawn' at the bank especially when we're talking TRILLIONS! But not so John Kline...

Rep. John Kline is bragging about how the deficit projections are lower than expectations, unbelievable! He's actually spinning the all time highest US deficit ever into being positive! Here's what he's saying:

The Office of Management and Budget announced this week that the deficit is now projected to be $127 billion less than projected just six months ago.

In case you missed it, here's my report about how the deficit under John Kline has ballooned to an all time high. The national deficit is 8.4 TRILLION dollars.

Kline's attempt to 'spin' this shows he doesn't hold the same values as working Minnesotans. According to the comptroller general (head of the GAP), $330,000 is the amount owed by each full-time worker to pay down the deficit; $140,000 per American, even the newest newborn.

Kline: More For Me, None For You!

John Kline (R-MN) gives himself a (secret!) pay raise!!!

John Kline and his buddies in Congress try and hide their pay raises:

"As part of its normal course of business, Congress has buried a pay raise for itself in a larger spending measure….

But if a raise is necessary, then members of Congress should have the courage to argue for it on its merits rather than try to hide it in a huge spending measure. Congress should vote up or down on a pay raise."

And why would Kline and the members of Congress try and bury this? Because incredibly while Kline gives himself a payraise, he opposes even a symbolic non-binding resolution to raise minimum wage for America's working poor!

According to the Children's Defense Fund, over a third of the workers whose families would benefit from an increase are their families' sole breadwinners. As for the notion that only teens would benefit from the increase, almost 80 percent of those who would benefit are adults.

As the DFLers goes on to report: The most frequently uttered criticism of minimum wage increases is that they are "bad for the economy." However, the Economic Policy Institute reports that there is no evidence minimum wage increases have a negative effect on the economy. In fact, in states that raised their minimum wages, there was no effect on economic growth.

It turns out about the only think Kennedy and Kline know about minimum wage earners is that they are very poor. And whom do we have to thank for that?

Support Our Troops, Vote John Kline Out

John Kline (R-MN) can now order a new Minnesota 'Support Our Troops' license plate design to put on his car. But if Kline really wanted to show support for American troops, shouldn't his past voting record reflect those same value?

In 2004 and 2005 the Disabled American Veterans rated Rep. John Kline a big fat '0'!...

Yes, John Kline (R - MN)= ZERO, the lowest rating among all Minnesota's House Members...

Want to make a real difference and support our troops?
Then come November VOTE JOHN KLINE OUT of office.

John "Porky' Kline

Rep. John Kline is busy right now ‘struggling’ with over 1,700 ‘earmarks’.

Yes that’s right, Kline along with House Republicans are trying to move a labor, health and human service (HHS) appropriation bill through the house that contains a corral full of porkers. The GOP leadership believe these 'earmarks' will help them in their November reelection bids.

Instead of real solutions to America's problems, Kline and the GOP house offers voters...more pork. Minnesotans would rather have a balanced budget, an end to the war, affordable health insurance, better access to education, lower gas prices, and economic security for their families.

According to The Hill:

Few lawmakers publicly concede the importance of earmarks to their own campaigns, but several acknowledge the benefit of voting to bring federal money home before the midterms.

“I think it’s helpful on the campaign trail,” said Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), whose projects include $600,000 for the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls.

“It’s important, particularly for members in tight races.”Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) said leadership will be under pressure to move the bill before the November election.

“We’re in an election season, and members have come to believe that the path to reelection is paved with pork,” Flake said. “This bill is full of it.”

“Obviously,members like earmarks,” Regula said. “There are a lot of them in our bill.”

John Kline 'DeKlines' Responsibility

While under John Kline's 'conservative' leadership, the national debt has grown to it's current all time record high of $8.4 TRILLION DOLLARS! (this morning's number). In 2005, the U. S. spent $352 Billion on the debts interest payments alone. Compare that to NASA at $15 Billion, Education at $61 Billion, and Department of Transportation at $56 Billion.

Congressman John Kline’s website tries to 'dekline' responsibility (and reality!) by stating: "A strong fiscal conservative, John Kline understands how the federal deficit, created by years of over-spending, is a threat to the long-term health of our economy. "

But the FACTS during Kline's tenure present a very different picture than his words:

• Before Kline came to office, the U.S. was not running a deficit
• Each American's share of this debt is $28,143.34 (includes children).
• The National Debt increases an average of $1.71 billion per day
• The federal deficit has borrowed more than $1.6 trillion from the Social Security Trust Fund, and Republicans are warning that it's going to be hard or impossible to pay it back.

This Chart shows that the huge rise in our National Debt coinciding with Bu$hCo and John Kline's time in office (Nov 2002):

With the national debt high and rising, repaying the debt to Social Security would require borrowing from private markets and very large cuts in other government programs. Social Security is not part of the Federal Budget general fund. It is a separate account and has its own source of income. Social Security payments do not go into the general fund, they go in the Social Security trust fund.

The trust fund is supposed to be used to pay future benefits. But....keep reading....Currently, there is more being payed into the Social Security Trust Fund than is being paid out to beneficiaries. What's left over is routinely being "borrowed" and used as if it were general budget revenue. Government agencies using that money promise to pay it back (IOUs). All of the money in the Social Security Trust Fund has been spent! That's part of the National Debt.

Also while under Kline's 'conservative' leadership:

• Bu$hCo (including Kline) gave tax cuts for the rich.

So how do we fix this growing debt problem? The best way to fix this problem is to vote those responsible for our record American debt (like Kline) out of office. It's time for a change. Even Reagan realized that a national debt is "leaving our children with an unrepayable massive debt and a shattered economy." Minnesota want and deserve better for their families and community.

Kline Gets Oiled

"NO AMOUNT OF CLEANUP WILL REMOVE THIS STAIN FROM JOHN KLINE'S VOTING RECORD"

Is what the half page ad read in today's Star Tribune (A11).

Remind Representative Kline that his loyalty is to the American taxpayer, not big oil corporations"

So this won't be a surprise:

"Big oil and gas industries have given Rep. Kline $95,905. Any surprise?"

Kline: Shoots The Messenger

With Kline it's more...of the same.
He even turns against a lakeville dad that once was with him.
CD2 voters want real answers not fake pats on the backs!

This summer is going to be a hot one,
full of parades and events,
but deklining into the fall...

The Truth Can No Longer Be DeKlined

Dave Mindeman at mnpACT has a story about how tough it is for John Kline these days....

"The people of the Second Minnesota District are going to have to make a real choice in November. It is clear that if you fully support the war, if you believe we did the right thing in Iraq, if you are confident that our future should have a continuous military presence in the Middle East -- then John Kline is the perfect Congressman for you."

Given how John Kline and the Bu$hCo lied about why we went to war in Iraq: (WMA, Saddam, al-Qaida, Freedom); and now, they're renewing a mission accomplished lie, at what point does their lies become criminal behavior? Even a good soldier must question this lack of leadership?

Kline lied and people died (are still dying). Perhaps it's the stress of those lies and not his arrogance that caused Kline to say to someone he doesn't even know, "You're a jackass. It's people like you and your party...."

The very least local patriots can do is confront John Kline for his role in duping Americans into going into a war at the cost of our children's lives and their education, healthcare, and future. That's what any good American would do.

The lies have to end, the war must stop, and American values need to be restored. If that sets John Kline off, then I predict November will be a really bad month for him.

Kline's Replacement

John Kline's legacy to the voters in Minnesota will take several generations to set straight. Hear what the next CD2 congresswomen has to say about why Kline must go.

“The irresponsible Republicans have run the economy into a deficit ditch, abandoned millions of our jobs to other countries, wallowed in a culture of corruption financed by the likes of Jack Abramoff, eavesdropped on American citizens without warrants and led us into a quagmire of death in Iraq. The most responsible thing Democrats like me can do is take back the House and Senate in 2006 by speaking the truth all the way.”

A DeKline In Eagan

While John Kline is busy supporting the Bu$h administration and promoting it's failed policies resulting in a endless war, record U.S. deficits, and an erosion in American civil rights, the voters he represents in Minnesota have continue to suffer and deklined economically.

ThisWeek Eagan had an article on Eagan's food shelf seeing a spike in need. Like most food banks, they have seen a steady increase in usage since the GOP administration has been in power. But posted on John Kline website's front page is: "...Minnesota counties and it shows that Minnesota’s economy continues to grow", however the facts tell another story for his area:

• A county study that shows 57% increase in the number of residences living below the poverty line since 2000.
• A 70% in the number of residences seeking public assistance from 2000.

In the very community that is home to many of the GOP leadership (Governor Tim Pawlenty, State Auditor Pat 'Awada' Anderson, and MDE blogger Michael Brodkorb), we're seeing a disgraceful American phenomena that has been unfolding since 2000:

"Middle-class neighborhoods, long regarded as incubators for the American dream, are losing ground in cities across the country, shrinking at more than twice the rate of the middle class itself."

In Minnesota, the well established GOP policy for shifting the tax burden away from businesses has added to the declining middle class . We continue to see under Kline inflation outpacing gains in average hourly earnings, reducing middle class buying power. U.S. Department of Labor May 2006 data shows Average Hourly Earnings (AHE) increased 0.01 percent, however, the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) increased 0.40 percent.

Kline's lack of leadership has led to a dekline for Minnesota's middle class in the Second Congressional District, just as GOP policies have lead to the overall economic dekline for Ameica. Minnesota deserves better than Kline or his policy of 'the rich get richer, but the middle class grows poor.'