At first, looking at the most current information by the Republican Party (and from incumbant Republican Senator Norm Coleman himself), it looks like Al Franken is a tax dodger, a hypocritical liberal who has gone out of his way to not pay his taxes. Even CBS picked up the story from the Politico and it suggests that this could possibly be a problem. 

There's only one problem: Al did pay all of his income taxes, he just did it in the wrong state. And here's another thing: why, exactly, would Al Franken pay ALL of his income taxes in New York state and Minnesota if he was trying scam the government? Given that there are 17 other states demanding income taxes from him, and at least half of them have lower income taxes, wouldn't it have been more devious of him to pay taxes in those states instead, since it would be less than paying them in NY and MN?

Right. It's potentially damaging, and it's a shame because he's just now beginning to pull ahead of Norm Coleman. This is the type of thing the Republican Party can distort in any way imaginable without any trouble whatsoever. And it already is. "Paying taxes is an obligation that I think Minnesotans expect to be adhered to, and that Minnesotans do," says Norm Coleman. Sounds like a good thing, but Al Franken paying his taxes isn't the issue. He just paid them to the wrong state, and he probably ended up paying MORE than he should have, given Minnesota's and New York's high state income taxes.

Well, here we go! It's time for the weekend homework, and this week I'm going to provide you with a number of links to Web sites that you can use again and again. I'll try and do this again in the future, but for now, this will give you a great head start. Bookmark these.

Climate Progress -- Run by a scientist who's actually conducted empirical research on global climate change, this is a great resource. He's funny, intelligent and has no problem calling out Democrats or Republicans who are unwilling to accept scientific facts. Global warming is real, it's important, and we have technology available right now to begin combating the problem.

David Sirota -- One of my favorite columnists and author of Hostile Takeover. Sirota takes Republicans and conservative Democrats to task, focusing mainly on corruption related to lobbying issues and how bribery can affect a politician's decisions. In addition, he makes a point of showing the positive side of government and how grassroots organizations are making a real difference. Well worth subscribing to.

Paul Krugman -- A liberal economist, one of the best on this planet. Krugman's analyses on everything from the dangers of unregulated forces to universal health care to classic economics is always well researched and intelligent.

Enjoy these. The most recent posts are excellent.