GM

Rep. Michele Bachmann took to the floor of the House of Representatives twice Tuesday, likening the United States to the Titanic and lambasting “gangster government” for meddling in carmakers’ affairs — though she boasts on her Web site of doing the same auto dealership-advocacy she decries Democrats for.

Minneapolis and St. Paul tear down vacant houses by the hundreds while suburbs and outlying towns face waves of foreclosures that leave homes empty. Meanwhile in rural Minnesota, a persistent meth craze continues to ravage not only people but real estate. Tiny Eitzen, in the state’s far southeastern corner, will soon lose a house that meth [...]

Thursday’s 52-35 Senate vote on a proposed $14 billion bailout for the auto industry broke down along party lines in Minnesota: Norm Coleman voted against it; Amy Klobuchar for it. The vote on the House version a day earlier: Minnesota Democrats approved, while GOPers Michele Bachmann, Jim Ramstad and John Kline voted against. Democratic Reps. [...]

The $14 billion bailout of the auto industry passed the U.S. House on Wednesday by 237 to 170, but the majority of Minnesota’s Congressional delegates voted against it. The bill will give loans to General Motors and Chrysler to aid them in continuing operations and staving off probable layoffs.
Democratic Reps. Betty McCollum and James Oberstar [...]