It always makes me cringe when liberals use "it's not fair" as their war cry. It's lame. And a waste of time. Because the point isn't about fairness in the sense that everyone is treated exactly the same, but that, under proper circumstances, opportunities are not gated. The extent to which the playing field is leveled depends on the specifics of the circumstances.

Sure, it's unfair that people who can afford to pay more taxes would be getting a break from this rebate. However,...

I'm glad that Bakk is talking to the leaders, but it's also clear that there's a lot of Henny Pennyism amongst conservatives and conservative businesspeople (at least people who think they're business savvy). The sky will not fall. This will not be a disaster. In the end, if the budget is carefully planned, it will be far more predictable, and overall cost less due that predictability. But make no mistake about it, balancing the budget will not be free. Get used to it.

I, too, have a hard time believing that such a tax would or could be imposed on snow birds. However, expanding the sales tax base will help in making snow birds pay for their use of Minnesota resources. Pick your battles. Stand firm on a broader sales tax base, including high end clothing and services, and drop the snow bird tax.

Mr. Brandon is right. While I won't be singing praises for the action, making a mountain out of it is a bit silly. Besides, this "news" is more than 2 years old. This wasn't missed when Lew was vetted (and approved) by Congress for the position of Budget Director of the OMB. Nor did it stop him from being appointed as Obama's Chief of Staff over a year ago (though the issue was necromanced at that time, too). And, having done a reasonably good job in both capacities, this becomes an...