I’m at the DNC Western Caucus right now, and my internet connection is quite slow. Click here for the DNC Western Caucus Blog.  I’ll get some posts up shortly.  For now, here’s the 50-state roundup, posts from across the BlogPAC network.

Hello, I’m LP from New Mexico FBIHOP, part of the 50-State Blog Network.  The Network is a group of community blogs from around the nation that blog about local issues.  They also allow diaries, so you can write your two-cents on local issues as well. 

Every Friday, one of us compiles a Roundup of notable posts from the blogs on the network.  This week, I volunteered, and the following are stories that either I found by reading, were sent to me by blog authors or readers or just came to me in a vision.  If you want to help out,  Minnesota Campaign Report has graciously agreed to compile the State Blog Roundup on June 1. Please send recommended stories this upcoming week to: mncampaignreport [at] yahoo.com . To volunteer to compile a future round-up contact Clem G. at wvablue [at] gmail.com.

Oh, and as always, feel free to take this post and put it up on your blog.  Just attribute it to me or the 50-State Blog Network.  Thanks, and on to the Roundup!

Death and…

There are inevitabilities in life, death taxes and the Chicago Cubs losing.

• Blue Indiana has an interview with Jill Long Thompson, a former Congressional Representative “widely expected to announce her candidacy for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 2008.”  They speak about an issue near and dear to all our hearts — gas prices.
• On the income tax front, The Albany Project tells us of the extremely out-of-whack tax situation in the empire state. 
  

  That’s right: Donald Trump pays just 2.85% more of his income to New York State than do the folks who clean the floors at the Trump Tower.

• In Pennsylvania, pandering politicians have pushed property taxes down at a rate so much, it is now more of a priority to them than their constituents.  At least, according to an article found by the folks at Keystone Politics.
• Over at Free State Politics, they tell us of Ike Leggett.  Leggett, you see, is a County Executive in Maryland and decided to torpedo a tax to help out the developers. 
• At Michigan Liberal, one diarist is pissed off and says it is Time to Fight Back.  Fight back against what?
  

  We have bled this state dry, State government is lean and understaffed; services across the state have been eliminated, and now they want to cut education to where schools will have to shut down, cut Medicare so people won’t get the healthcare they need and cut revenue sharing so cities will be able to provide less to their citizens.

  Amen.

• Some people just have a knack for headline-writing.  Washblog’s Emmettoconnell is one such person, in his post, “In Washington, We Tax Poor People.”  It takes a look at their anti-poor tax laws.

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life…

As your mother always said, there is a silver lining to every cloud.

• The Minnesota Campaign Report looks at how the Democrats (the DFL) backing down on an issue isn’t the end of the world.  You win some, you lose some.
• Calitics looks at how Jane Harman, a California Representative, has changed since her time in office.  And, in a pleasant surprise it’s been for the better.  Harman has become more progressive on the issue of Iraq.
• The Burnt Orange Report tells us how and what it means that the state Presidential primary stayed in March instead of moving to Super Tuesday.  How can you avoid a post with this quote:
  

  So I’m spinning the March Texas primary as one big political orgy.

All Politics is Local… Even Presidential Politics

Presidential politics from the local perspective.

• If you are any sort of interested in the Presidential race this far out, you have to be reading Bleeding Heartland’s coverage of the Iowa caucuses.  The Iowa blog gives you the perspective from that important state.
• Sometimes, it isn’t a bad thing to agree with the Republicans, and Arizona’s AZ Netroots.  Take Russell Pearce in Arizona, who said the following of John McCain’s inability to, well, show up for work (as a Senator) while on a job interview for another (campaigning for President).
  

  “If he’s going to continue not to be there, then he ought to resign,” Pearce said during a news conference at the Capitol. “Otherwise show up for votes.”

• Sometimes it is hard to find news on the lesser-known candidates.  Trust me, I know, trying to cover Bill Richardson’s run for governor.  That’s why I am impressed by the job My Left Nutmeg has been doing in following the Presidential run of Chris Dodd, the Connecticut Senator.  Take a look at some of his stuff on their blog — you might find you agree with him more than you would have expected.
• At FLA Politics (that’s Florida), Mike lays into Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney, giving us some questions he wishes Mitt would answer.  For some reason, I think Mitt would tap dance around those questions.

And I Run…

…I run so far away.  Those running for office.

• Texas Kaos gives us a post by Dan Grant, explaining why he is running for Congress in TX-10.  He is a Democrat we can all be proud of.
• Prairie State Blue gets the jump on a John Laesch running for Congress in Indiana’s 14th congressional district.  Laesch ran against Dennis Hastert last time, and will face a primary to see who gets to take on the Republican in 2008.
• Blue Grass Roots proudly says, “Kentucky’s Next Governor is a Progressive,” thanks to the primary win of Steve Beshear over Bruce Lunsford.  They don’t much like Lunsford over there at Blue Grass Roots.
• Another progressive hoping for higher political office is Tom Allen in Maine.  Allen stops by Turn Maine Blue to tell them why he deserves Maineians’ (no idea if that’s what you call them, but damn it sounds good) votes for Senate in 2008.
• Fired Up Missouri looks into the news that Kenny Hulshof is running for the position of President of the University of Missouri. And they’re not happy about it.
• A potential Idaho gubernatorial candidate reaches out to the powers of the internets, and the readers of 43rd State Blues, and asks for some help with the design of his website.  It’s all about cooperation, people.

The Environment

Not as many environmental stories as I though there would be.

• KnoxViews gives environmentalists some great news from Tennessee, telling us the Road to Nowhere is dead.  Read up about the Road to Nowhere here.
• West Virginia Blue has a special guest post, from the Chair of West Virginia for Democracy. He writes about the WV Public Service Commission and Allegheny Power’s attempt to ruin wild, wonderful West Virginia.  After all, who needs that pesky wilderness when there is money to be made?

GOPers are the Same Around the Nation

There just ain’t much diversity of opinion in the Republican party.

• An Ohio blog, As Ohio Goes, gets the scoop on the archaeological discovery of the First Republican politician.  Caution: post includes 95% of your daily recommended allowance of snark
• Sometimes, all it takes one sentence to get me to read a post.  Tondee’s Tavern has that sentence in this post:
  

  I didn’t know the Republicans in the 10th congressional district were just so damn gangsta?

  The story is about rival Republicans getting into a scrap about… political signs.

• At RI Future, Matt tells about a challenge to our corporate overlords Wal-Mart.  RI General Treasurer Frank Caprio sent a letter asking the SEC to investigate Wal-Mar on “whether Wal-Mart broke the law by not disclosing that Wal-Mart’s CEO’s son works for a business partner of Wal-Mart.”  Wal-Mart breaking the law?  Is there anyone we can trust?
• Buckeye State Blog (Ohio) asks a very profound question: should conceal carry be easier than voting?  Unfortunately for residents in that important swing state, “it’s bullets over ballots in good ol’ OH-IO.”
• Voter ID cards are a perennial favorite of Republicans everywhere.  In New Hampshire, according to Blue Hampshire, the state Senate voted to prohbit the Real ID card implementation.  Kudos to the NH state Senate.
• In New Jersey, Blue Jersey tells us that state GOPers are trying to avoid Pres. Bush like he has the plague.  Maybe I’m naive, but shouldn’t a sitting president’s own party NOT be ashamed to be seen with him in public?
• Who would vote against a movement to apologize for racial bigotry in the south during the late 1800s?  Blue NC tells us: North Carolina Republicans.  I don’t know what to say about that.

Not All Dems Are Good

I could have done a 50-state roundup just on posts about the Iraq vote.  But I didn’t. Here are some criticisms and complaints about our guys, though.

• We have St. Pete here in New Mexico. In Vermont, they have St. Patrick, and the Green Mountain Daily has some quotes from Patrick Leahy about the impeachment of Dick Cheney.  Let’s just say St. Patrick isn’t on board.
• Left in the West tells us of Montana’s bad political messaging on the immigration issue.  Montana Max Baucus and Jon Tester proudly reiterated right-wing frames.

Other

A bit of a copout, but these excellent posts couldn’t be categorized, and couldn’t be excluded.

• Square State (Colorado) tells us there is a middle ground between the free-market media (which gives us such gems as Fox News and Rush Limbaugh) and government-run media: public broadcasting.  The CEO of Colorado’s Public Television “smacks” those who forget about the benefits of public broadcasting.  Personally, being stuck in traffic during rush hour would be even more unbearable without some “All Things Considered” on the radio.
• Raising Kaine tells us about two large traditions on Memorial Day weekend, and both involve loud motorcycles.  “Run for the Wall” and “Rolling Thunder”.  It is an interesting read, even if you don’t know a Harley from a Vespa.
• Gay marriage is a major issue in Massachusetts as well as around the nation.  That’s why it is important to broadcast the gay rights groups’ messages throughout whatever channels necessary, as Blue Mass Group does for the group MassEquality.
• The Daily Gotham (NYC) takes a look at a very important issue to residents of the Big Apple: congestion pricing.  Basically, public opinion is split on the idea of charging fees to get into heavily congested areas of the city; London has already implemented such a program.
• Utah’s Wasatch Watcher blog sees an editorial by the Deseret News and just shakes their head in disbelief.  The editorial opines against paper ballots for, among other reasons, “The younger generation sees the outcry for the tangible comfort of paper ballots as a hallmark of the fuddy-duddy.”  Hmm.  I’m in the younger generation, and the only thing “fuddy-duddy” about that sentence is the phrase “fuddy-duddy.”