Multipartisan Minnesota

Farheen Hakeem and the 99%

2011-10-17T21:46:00.000-07:00

Hilarious and pathetic defines last Sunday's Star Tribune Op-Ed section. Except this time Jason Lewis was telling it like it is and Lori Sturdevant was spinning partisan lies. Then again, they alternate between their opposing roles. Both enjoy leaving out vital information that might actually serve to inform voters - what the media is meant to do.

Without mentioning Farheen Hakeem, Sturdevant attempted to paint Hayden as the savior of Minnesota. The one politician who will channel the Occupy Wall Street movement into Minnesotan politics. The one person who can save the day when people clearly have given up hope.

Hayden says in the article, "You don't hear any longer about good governance or negotiating or 'try to get along. People are very fed up. They see the Tea Partiers as obstructionists, and they want us [DFLers] to be tougher on them. ... These people see their community starting to erode, and they want to fight for it." So what has he been doing the last few years? Obviously constituents expect more than a politician who toes the party line and refuses to push new and creative agendas.

I got a call today from a DFL activist. She said that I should vote for Hayden because he is a "true progressive champion." Pondering the article I had read only yesterday, I asked her what his stance was on Occupy Minnesota. She knew about the occupation but didn't know his stance. She then stammered "I don't really know him or what he stands for. Check his website for more information." Asking her if she even lived in Minneapolis, she replied that she lived in northern Minnesota. Partisans without a cause are not the type of leadership people look up to.

For a progressive champion, I would expect the DFL candidate to actually BE at Occupy Minnesota. Except, he wasn't. His opponent Farheen Hakeem was there. She spoke at the opening day rally about the need for real political change.

Fortunately, I saw one individual there who was wearing a Hayden shirt several days into the occupation. I pointed this out to some of the individuals I had been chatting with. "He's a pretty sorry representative" was the response with nods of agreement. These were not fellow Greens, but individuals who were hyper aware of politics. They see through the DFL-speak, where a "true progressive champion" doesn't really mean anything.

So, with all the anger people have these days against injustice, do we really want to vote for another corporate shill? A guy who keep taking money during a government shut down? Or do we want to vote for someone who proposes economic and environmental policies that would benefit the 99%? Only Farheen has relentlessly brought up that we need to tax the rich to resolve systemic inequities. She would advocate for her constituents while spearheading a new agenda that Minnesotans have long awaited. Minneapolis voters can choose more of the same OR vote against the 1% by electing Farheen Hakeem.

Democratsy is Failing but Opportunity for Real Change Exists

2011-09-10T19:16:00.000-07:00

"The people who are controlling our economy, are controlling our democracy," says Dan McGrath of Take Action Minnesota. Those with money are clearly the ones with power in our society. Unfortunately, McGrath did not elaborate on the DFL endorsement process - or his organization's. The conversations not occurring and the lack of shared power with the average person says a lot about ruling class perceptions.

We have two special elections in Minnesota. One is in south Minneapolis and the other in Brooklyn Center. While the media has given these races some attention, there is still little discussion of them. What I find disturbing is that the DFL executive committee has overruled their local parties from endorsing, deciding themselves who is best fit for the state senate. Some within the DFL, who were unable to vote on endorsement, thought the process was fair if unusual. Others were quite appalled at being a delegate or precinct chair without a say.

Take Action Minnesota has decided to take a similar stance. On Thursday, September 8th they choose to endorse only one candidate in the senate district 61 race. None of the other candidates were invited to screen or compete against him in their endorsement. If this is not a flawed process, I do not know what one is.

Most of my friends and neighbors in the district aren't hearing much. Yet, they don't seem enthused about the DFL primary, either. The election is this Tuesday and there is complete silence. Okay, I know a few people who support candidate X or candidate Y. A concerted campaign by anyone is what I have not seen. In the blogosphere, there is only one post from the SD61 DFL chair. This scenario bodes well for either the candidate with the best name recognition and/or who can mobilize the most voters to show up. I expect extremely low turnout, perhaps 1800 voters.

I could be wrong, as residents could be mobilized to vote. Senate District 61 is in one of the economically impoverished parts of the state. Minnesotans for a Fair Economy door-knocked here earlier this summer, with fantastic results. The organization wants to mobilize the working-class and unemployed to change our political system as the Tea Party folk have. With a long-term weak recovery followed by another potential recession, there is no better group of people to get involved in politics.

Minnesotans for a Fair Economy has a goal of rectifying the unfair economic system we find ourselves in. They have been quite honest about the predicament we are in. However, if someone is inspired to run for office after attending their events - would this group support them? Donna Cassutt is their executive director but has also spent time as the DFL associate chair from 2005 until early this year. Likely their real motive is to inspire a Tea Party movement of the left and funnel solely into the DFL. If they get involved in the primary or general special election, they will only do so for the DFL endorsed candidate.

So those who are without a job or are struggling, can they trust a corrupt political system? Sure, they can run for office. However, it's not what they know but who they know that will get them institutional support. Also, these very same voters have no idea how they have been continually robbed the opportunity to hear about other candidates.

Am I the only one who find this situation disturbing? If local party delegates and even political candidates themselves are stifled, can we still call our partisan democracy functional? Or do we call it efficient and open to those with wealth and social connections. If what Dan McGrath says is true, then closed door groups of Democrats and Republicans decide our politicians and control our economy.

Our state government shut down this summer to the detriment of everyone. Our Federal government also faced a near collapse. Democrats and Republicans continue to play partisan games while families can barely make it pay check to pay check. They blame each other while continuing to do nothing to change our country's direction.

Things could be different...

The sad predicament we find ourselves in need not be so. I attended an endorsement today that did not shut its doors to non-executive committee members. The Senate District 61 Green Party endorsed Farheen Hakeem for Minnesota Senate. She has raised over $10,000 and will be mounting a campaign over the coming weeks to change the direction of our state.

Minneapolis voters who want a progressive champion at the capitol need look no further than Farheen. She will be a fighter for the working class and unemployed who feel voiceless and discouraged. Essentially, she won't take her position for granted and be content with the status-quo.

Some of what Farheen Hakeem stands for:

Single-payer universal healthcare - healthcare for everyone in Minnesota
Uninterrupted and increased E-12 funding
A moratorium on foreclosures so people can stay in their homes
Lower and affordable college tuition
More rights for undocumented workers and saner immigration policies
Alternative energy and green jobs
A fair tax system that includes taxing the rich
Protecting the environment
Ending the achievement gap
LGBTQ rights

Minnesotans have changed the trajectory of America's politics many times. Through the Farmer Labor Party we pushed for such things as Social Security. Hubert H. Humphrey brought social justice issues onto the national stage. The election of Jesse Ventura may have "shocked the world" but it also led to our first light-rail transit project.

Our current well-known politicians project hyper-individualistic values. T-paw's anti-tax governorship has bankrupted our state, with the DFL refusing to fight against his un-allotment. Michelle Bachmann makes us look intolerant and ignorant. She serves as comic relief and a glitter bomb target. Is this the Minnesota we want projected forward?

Let's imagine a different future scenario. A green movement that empowers people by prioritizing our collective needs. A movement that provides sustainable jobs that pay a living wage. A state that cares about all its people and would never relegate them to 2nd class. What we need is a positive movement in these dire times.

Things do not seem to be getting better and they never will unless we do something about it. We are heading down the road to failure but we can still take the path towards shared success. A vote for Farheen Hakeem sends the message that we want a better vision to represent our future.

Nonfeasant Politicians

2011-07-10T16:25:00.000-07:00

With the government shut down, it is apparent that partisan gridlock is not working. Neither side can seem to agree on how to resolve the impasse that creates greater challenges for Minnesota each day. Republicans are opposed to any taxes to resolve the budget crisis. Dayton refuses to give in as Margaret Anderson-Kelliher and other DFLers did during Pawlenty's last term.

The Republicans want Governor Dayton to "call them back to work." However, he will likely dismiss any bills they give him that do not include a tax increase. And what work did Republican achieve while "working?" It is laughable to say the Republicans were focused on the budget "like a laser" as House speaker Amy Koch claimed. They passed Constitutional amendments requiring photo identification to vote and an anti-gay marriage bill. Neither of these will save Minnesota any money long-term and could have been brought up next year when the budget is less an issue. Minnesotans wisely chose to focus on biennial budgets so that the first term could focus on budget issues. Republicans, primarily elected on fiscal issues, chose to push a social agenda Minnesotan voters have little taste for.

What Minnesotans want is for government to work for them and not against them. Voters have a civic duty to elect representatives who will represent them and theoretically hold them accountable for their actions. Yet Minnesota has a growing body of elected officials choosing to ignore their duties. These representatives and senators choose not to vote at all.

Voter anger over the government shut down is only beginning to stir. Some are asking what are neighbors in Wisconsin have and are beginning to do: How do we recall these good for nothing politicians?

Minnesota was the first state in the country to pass a Constitutional amendment allowing for the recall of elected state officials. It essentially states, "State officers can be recalled for “malfeasance,” “nonfeasance,” and “serious crime.” So breaking the laws are clearly problematic but so is the issue of nonfeasance. Nonfeasance is defined as, "...intentionally and repeatedly not performing required duties of the office." Since elected officials are intended to represent their constituents, when they choose not to vote, are they not in derelection of their duty? I would certainly consider this a form of nonfeasance.

Are state politicians really not voting when, in fact, they should be? People can miss all sorts of things. Democrat defenders of Bobbi Jo Champion claimed he had "family business back home" and could not vote on the gay marriage Constitutional amendment. We could ignore the fact that his district in predominately African American, a community that appears to support homosexual oppression.It's an astute political move enabling him to keep the label of a "progressive" within his party, while simultaneously prevent a primary threat in his own district. Senator Obama also chose to not vote on most controversial bills while running for President, so there appears to be legitimacy and precedence for not voting.

Which elected officials "forget" to vote?

As you can see from the graphs below, most politicians miss out on voting. Next time you forget to vote, remember that even our politicians do not consistently. The average house DFLer missed 6.4 votes in this year's session(8.7 in the senate). The average house Republican missed 2.8 votes (3 in the senate). The clear outliers are who I would like to point out.

There were a total of 164 bills (111 in the senate) that were voted on during their third reading. In the Minnesota House, On the Republican side you have Steve Smith (Mound) who missed 25 votes, Rod Hamilton (Mountain Lake) 21 votes, and Bob Gunther (Fairmont) 19 votes. On the DFL side, Carolyn Laine missed 45 votes, Bobby Jo Champion (Minneapolis) missed 37 votes, Kerry Gauthier (Duluth) 21 votes, and Karen Clark (Minneapolis - 61A) 19 votes. The Minnesotan Senate was much more proficient in completing their duties.However, Republican Senator Geoff Michel (Edina) missed 12 votes, and DFLer Senator Roger Reinert (Duluth) missed 40 votes.

During the government shut down, Governor Mark Dayton and some state senators and representatives are foregoing pay. Would you believe ALL of those mentioned above, except Carolyn Laine, are collecting paychecks during the government shutdown? This should be appalling to the constituents in these districts where your elected officials are refusing to fully represent you.

In a perfect world, these politicians would be docked pay for not doing their job. For all the talk from Republicans about government being run like a business, it never applies to politicians. They are not the ones out of work right now and collecting unemployment. They are not worried about paying bills this month or next when the rental rebates are being held back. Politicians seem to be the last to feel the pain of the people, living in an immaculate bubble of delusions.

Another solution that would still allow districts to be represented in each vote, would be to have alternate representatives. The candidate who received the second most votes could easily do this. If a Democrat or Republican chose not to vote for their district, one of their opponents could step in. This would be a boon for constituents who lack a voice in the legislature, to include major and minor parties. (Let me interrupt with a shout out: I'd love to have fellow Greens Farheen Hakeem and Dan Craigie at the state capitol to voice what is being ignored by the corporate parties!)

There are currently no actions to take against these officials apart from a recall. Twenty-five voters in a district could sign a petition stating their purpose for recalling, submit it to the secretary of state and get things started to recall their malfeasant elected official. If approved, there would need to be an organized petition effort to attain 25% of those who voted in the district's election. This is not an impossible goal if constituents are angry enough. If the government shut down lasts for too long, what was once unthinkable will manifest.

America's car-centric short-sightedness clunking along

2009-08-08T12:16:00.000-07:00

Now that the US taxpayer's own a good portion of GM, the thought is we should subsidize the purchasing of cars. The justification for this is that handing car owners $4500 to trade in vehicles for those with better mileage is that fewer oil will be consumed. The problem with this is that it perpetuates the belief that "all Americans must own cars." The very notion of not owning a car is still regarded as suspect, and peraps even un-American. Yet more Americans will need to abandon their cars for our nation to transform to a lower energy society.

Oil is at half what it was a year ago ( $71 a barrel ) , but we are also in the worst recession since the 30s. Once the economy begins to pick up again, the price of oil will skyrocket again. Anyone that is car dependent will be whining for even more car-centric subsidies like the cash-for-clunkers program, but for oil.

Yet, the much touted "cash-for-clunkers" program is a measly $7 subsidy per taxpayer. At $4500 per clunker, that comes to one beneficiary per 643 taxpayers. Right now this is very cheap and has received a lot of hype. Unless Congress decides to throw more money at this car-centric program, it will run out again within weeks. And if the majority of taxpayers want a bite at this program, it would take a significant portion of the Federal budget. And how can a car

-subsidizing program end our addiction to oil when none are electric?

Naturally, Republicans are starting to oppose this program. Governor Tim Pawlenty also opposes the clunkers program because it takes many used vehicles out of the market. He believes this will hurt the poor who could have used the cars currently being recycled. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas also opposes because it will further burden future generations with pointless debt. And interestingly, Democrat Senator Patrick Leahy voted against more clunker money because he did not see enough evidence the program was working.

One argument conservatives make against building more transit is that they could just spend the money buying cars for everyone. This argument is pointless for those who are too young/old to drive, cannot afford gas/repairs/insurance, and who care about our environment. Yet, altering their argument, one might say about the clunkers program: why not buy everyone bikes?

A "cash-for-rusters" program. Trade in any working vehicle or rusty bicycle for a shiny new bike. This would greatly reduce oil consumption and cost far less per beneficiary than the clunkers program. It would appease conservatives railing against wasteful spending because it is cheaper. Environmentally bikes clearly use less gasoline to produce than even the most energy efficient vehicle. America needs a pro-bicycle program, not more car-centric subsidies.

( Top image produced by Ken Avidor )

Anti-Choice Democrats

2009-07-26T14:26:00.000-07:00

This may come as a surprise, but good number of self-proclaimed Democrats are anti-democratic. Having experienced the wrath and dumbfounded anti-choice logic several times last summer feel it should be known.

My first incident was gathering signatures for candidates on July 4th, 2008 at Powderhorn Park. Those who arrived their early were primarily those who lived outside of Minneapolis and even Minnesota. Still talking about politics was fairly pleasant. Because I was not gathering signatures for Democrats some people of color assumed I was "the enemy" or something. They gave me a lecture about how the Republicans used to represent blacks but now only Democrats did. The Greens were not on their radar and they were mistrustful of why we even wanted to be involved in the electoral process. Clearly, there would be a benefit if people of color had a choice rather than a default vote, and an eternal blank check, for Democrats.

Next at Powderhorn, I found it increasingly difficult to gather signatures for our Congressional District candidate Adri Mehra. Local residents would sign to get Farheen Hakeem on the ballot, but refused to sign for Adri. The comments I heard were "I like Keith Ellison," "No thanks," and "he's doing a good job." Mentioning his unwavering support for sending more money to the Iraq war were met with sympathetic comments for "the troops" or simply blank stares. Mentioning that only America has such strict ballot access laws and if this were any other nation there would be no problem was also met with blank stares. I even asked a woman's parents visiting from Norway if their country had such anti-democratic tactics, which they didn't. I also asked if their nation had more than two political parties, which they laughed and said "of course we do!" Their daughter, a staunch DFLer, refused to lend her signature for the sake of democracy. Partisan Democrats simply do not care about democracy if it isn't "their" democracy.

Staunch partisans take note: Senator Al Franken signed every ballot access sheet for the Green Party's statewide candidates in 2006. If there are other prominent partisans who support democracy like Franken, I would like to hear about them. From my perspective, Democrats and Republicans oppose ballot access and open debates. While Senator Al Franken does not support the Green Party, he at least understands democracy should exist.

When I door-knocked for Farheen Hakeem, who ran for state representative, many were very excited with her candidacy. One woman in particular told me in a very upbeat manner "Oh, I think Farheen is great! I saw her on May Day and at Pride. Of course I will vote for her and all the other DFL candidates!" I did have to mention that on the ballot she would be listed as a Green, not a Democrat. "Oh," She said rather surprised. Her facial expression morphed to that of shock and utter disapproval "Well, now I am not so sure then..."

Not so sure? One second she was an enthusiastic supporter, the next all energy had dissipated into thin air. Is this the heart of the Democrat party? Discussing issues with her did not matter, because she only supported "DFL" issues. Those issues are less political and more social in nature. In Bill Bishop's book "The Big Sort" a theory is put forth that America is politically sorting itself. Democrats only consider moving and living in Democrat controlled areas. The same goes with Republicans. Red and blue regions are becoming more and more concentrated. It's like the Libertarian Free State Project except on a national scale.

So in regions like Minneapolis, the one political party control the majority of all politics. The other major national party does not exist, supplanted partially by a third party ( in Minneapolis, it is the Green Party). According to Bill Bishop, in areas with only one powerful political party, voting for that party becomes an "affirmation of your community." To vote DFL in Minneapolis is equated to being a good neighbor and citizen of the city. But if you don't like the candidate, you might be able to vote for a Green.

This does not mean this will happen. Not all cities have an active Green Party, and find the idea of an opposing political party to Democrats scary. I had a new neighbors last year from Chicago. I told them about my volunteering for Green campaigns and they were very skeptical. They thought we were Republicans in disguise and were stealing votes from Democrats. In fact, these thoughts are echoed on the Minneapolis Issues list where Greens are attacked for being extremists of the far right and left. Greens were either "too hot" or "too cold" but never "just right" simply because Greens are not Democrats.

One interesting phenomena in Minneapolis is that the local Republicans are becoming more active, having been revived by Ron Paul supporters. Their mayoral candidate is a former Green Party candidate for Attorney General Papa John Kolstad. In addition, he has the endorsement of the Independence Party and is seeking Green support also. While his candidacy is late in the game, viable strategy for change at this point. Whether self-proclaimed Democrats go against their afirmation of community remains to be seen. Even with Ranked Choice Voting, such social coercion is difficult to undo.

Further, the Republicans only have three actual candidates listed on the ballot with 95 total filing. The Green Party has five endorsed candidates and three more are seeking endorsement. Three who previously sought endorsement decided to run independently or as DFL.

An idea I have to improve the chances of Green candidates coming forward in the future and support is through voter education. Many do not know we exist and clearly do not know what Greens stand for. Gossip, rumors, and blatant partisan lies frequently fill the void. The national Green Party does not have the necessary literature, yet there should be a handout to explain the party's history and our Ten Key Values. Locals could create their own and start an outreach campaign to inform voters. I also think asurvey with key questions could allow for a more open-minded electorate. Mindless partisanship need not be inevitable in Minnesota, even if so in other parts of the country.

Blogger Disclosure for 2008

2009-01-01T09:11:00.000-08:00

Another fun year has gone by. And one where Americans are beginning to come to turns that everything is indeed "changing" economically. A world without cheap oil is changing everything, and politics has yet to adjust.

In 2008, this blog had 3970 visits.

I have personally been involved in a few campaigns during 2008. Those I donated money to:

Bicking for City Council $22
Neighbors for Cam Gordon $22
Green Party of Minnesota $50
Cynthia McKinney for President - $35
Dean Barkley for US Senate - $50
Green Party of the United States $225
Neighbors United for Farheen Hakeem $65

Campaigns I have volunteered on in 2008:

Farheen Hakeem for Minnesota House 61B
Colin Lee for Minnesota House 36A
Adri Mehra for US Congress 5th District
Michael Cavlan for US Senate
Cynthia McKinney for President of the United States

I also distributed lawn signs to Minneapolis residents for the Dean Barkley for US Senate campaign and Cynthia McKinney for President.

2009 appears be an active year in local Green politics. Look forward to the new year!

National Debt Report October 2008

2008-11-09T15:37:00.000-08:00

Per www.treasurydirect.gov, the newest National Debt statistics are in.

As of November 6, 2008:

Publicly held:
$6,358,998,910,837.97

Intragovernmental holdings:
$4,265,731,316,960.28

Total:
$10,624,730,227,798.25

Interest Payment October 2008:
$18,984,305,636.29

Interest Payments Fiscal Year to Date:
$18,984,305,636.29

Gifts to reduce the public debt September 2008:
$42,512.35

Gifts to reduce the public debt FY 2008:
$2,189,358.89

Gifts to reduce the public debt FY 2007:
$2,624,862.42

Cross posted at http://nationaldebtbusters.blogspot.com

Farheen Hakeem - Building TRUST across party lines

2008-11-02T21:02:00.000-08:00

Farheen the Green. That's all partisans want you to see of her. Yet her supporters are able to transcend simplistic notions continually parroted by the media. Farheen Hakeem is marshaling a multipartisan force rarely seen in American politics.

One could assume an Obama supporter would vote solely along party lines. This is not so in 61B as evident across the district. You see more Farheen signs paired with those of Obama, AL Franken, and Keith Ellison. Norm Coleman supporters also tout Farheen signs. They no doubt see she is of strong character and unwavering in her principles. Her issues may be different from conservatives, but her consistency and professionalism are appealing to them. Farheen has earned the respect and trust among the diverse community of south Minneapolis.

Farheen's final get out the vote literature let's residents know where to vote and what to bring for same day registration. She asks voters to consider supporting political diversity at the polls - meaning voting for whoever they see fit but not forgetting a check by Farheen Hakeem.

Her opponent has chosen another route: vote partisan only. He has a rather insular logic on his literature: "because I am DFL endorsed and because I endorse Obama, you should vote for me." Unfortunately, he does not inform voters as to where to go to vote or what to bring to register. The residents of south Minneapolis deserve better than the myopic elected official Hayden clearly wants to be. Rather than being TOLD how to vote, Farheen gives voters the information to not only vote, but actually make them think about who they truly support.

Farheen's differentiation from Hayden can be articulated through her vision:

Repeal the Minnesota PATRIOT Act
Enact Single-Payer Univeral Healthcare
Environmental Justice ( Farheen opposed the Mid-Town burner, Hayden and the Sierra Club did not )
Improving Education - The core of Minnesota's budget and our collective future
Improving transportation and transit ( Farheen has attended forums and meetings, while Hayden did not )
Homelessness - not just throwing money at it, but solving the root causes
User Friendly State Government ( Farheen has been at every community event in 61B, and major event in Minneapolis. She will be visible to constituents long after she is elected, Hayden has not )
Children and Youth rights
LGBT Rights - beyond marriage
More here ( not unabridged )

It is clear that Farheen Hakeem is the most capable and sensible person to represent the heart of Minneapolis. No one has refuted this beyond naive rhetoric. On Tuesday, November 4th Vote Green with Farheen Hakeem!

Anti-Endorsements

2008-10-29T19:14:00.000-07:00

Who and what NOT to vote for
( AKA the names to cross off your ballot )

President - John McCain: Four more years - really? Seriously? Honestly, can we really afford four more years?!? And do we really want a deer caught in the headlights to take over when he keels over? This is real life people, not some fantasy island where it would be entertaining if he were to win - there would be REAL consequences. One tiny example: he might, oh, end the world as we know it by bombing Iran!

U.S. Senate - Norm Coleman: A snake-like career politician. Or should I say chameleon-like? Once a "progressive" DFLer, then a staunch conservative Bush clone, now morphing his image into the likeness of a "moderate." Does he think Minnesotans are idiots?!?

U.S. Congress - 3rd District - Erik Paulsen: Come on. Ashwin Madia and David Dillon are far better candidates than Erik!

U.S. Congress - 5th District - Barb Davis White: Her energy and tax policies are worse than Bush. At least Bill McGaughey supports single-payer Universal Healthcare. And I have seen more Dean Barkley signs throughout the 5CD than hers! ( not that I have even seen any of Bill's )

U.S. Congress - 6th District - Michelle Bachmann - I thought this jester would be re-elected easily in this district. Her latest gaffe was one Bachmannism too many! Adios Michelle! She has enough fans to publish a book like that un-funny Anne Coulter character.

MN House 61B - Jeff Hayden: Does anyone even know who this guy is? He's not "scary" as some of the above clearly are. But his contempt for the electoral process is quite unsettling. Just because he has the endorsement up and down the DFL doesn't mean he is a shoe-in. Where is his political courage? Where is his long-term activism and name recognition? A Republican has no chance of winning in south Minneapolis, but Farheen Hakeem has shown she will engage her neighbors. This is what Vote Smart has said about Jeff Hayden:

Jeff Hayden repeatedly refused to provide any responses to citizens on the issues through the 2008 Political Courage Test when asked to do so by national leaders of the political parties, prominent members of the media, Project Vote Smart President Richard Kimball, and Project Vote Smart staff

This open seat previously held by Neva Walker is clearly not important to Mr. Hayden. The fact that Mr. Hayden has NOT received the endorsement of Neva says more about his campaign - that and no one in his district seems to know who he is. They do notice the signs - but know Farheen Hakeem because she actually has an active campaign.

One ironic liability for Mr. Hayden is his endorsement by the Northwest Sierra Club. This is the same Sierra Club that endorses Clorox products, and yet did not oppose the Mid-Town Burner to be built in Phillips - at all. Clearly, Mr. Hayden did not abstain from parading around this endorsement. Unfortunately, the Sierra Club does not worry about environmental justice, as they are another facet of the green-washing movement begging Americans to purchase "green" SUVs.

MN Senate District 61 in 2010 - Hussein Samatar: Come on DFLers, you know this is pretty sad when you endorse someone more than 2 years before an election! No one even knows that Linda Berglin intends to step down and you have the gall to hand pick like this?!? I understand it is part of your SOP but dang. Maybe I will write him in for Soil and Water or Hennepin County Judge - that way I can say I voted for him before I campaign against him in 2010.

Anyone who intends to run for Minnesota Senate in 61 should run as a Green. At least you would have a shot at winning, the DFL endorsement is always fixed before anyone even knows there's an open seat.

Mayor - New Prague - Craig S. Sindelar: This former mayor ran a paper campaign last election cycle, and lost to Bink Bender by less than 100 votes. Bink actually campaigned and had lawn signs. Sindelar did not. So what has this real estate agent and owner of half the homes in New Prague decided to do this year? Post his own lawn signs on his rental property! The town is littered with his signs. He isn't door-knocking, but assumes he can win with his lawn sign campaign!

Sindelar is a small-town advocate. That is, he believes it should stay small so he can control it. The anti-Wal Mart, anti-Coborn's, and anti-roundabout voters will support him. Anyone that knows him personally, outside the business community, will realize he is an angry and out of touch ego-centric man. New Prague deserves better than this sad man. Nothing personal, Craig, but you should stick to your shady business enterprise and stay out of politics! ( Does anyone know who Laura Brod is supporting? You can respond anonymously - she can always deny it later! )

Voting No - Why not vote yes? And I am talking about every amendment, referendum, and change on the ballot for Minneapolis and Minnesota. Yes for schools and the future of our students. Yes for Minnesotan environment and unique culture. Yes for school board accountability with fewer at-large seats. Is three-eighths of one percent increase in the sales tax really worth squabbling about when it leaves a long-term legacy? Minnesotans deserve more than what we get for our Federal taxes - let's keep more of our money working for us here! Vote Yes in November!

Of course, if the Minneapolis school referendum fails, Co-chairs Keith Ellison, R T Rybak, and Hussein Samatar will be the ones to blame. I personally have never seem them campaign for this, so perhaps they are just making it look better. I have seen many school board members attend neighborhood and political meetings to rally support. Nonetheless, I support more money for schools. Though I believe charter schools in Minneapolis should gain some of the referendum money.

Dave Ramsey's Thoughts on the Elections

2008-10-24T10:51:00.000-07:00

Dave, which bozo should I vote for in this election? Who’s going to fix the economy? Who’s going to give me the most money?

Well, I’m here to remind you that you’re going to fix the economy because your personal economy is up to you. It's not Washington's job to fix what's going on with you. If you are waiting on Washington to change something, you've got a long wait!

You’re going to give yourself money as a result of your hard work and persistence. Waiting for money to be taken from others and given to you is a spirit of envy, and it's wrong.

I’m not here to tell you who to vote for. But I am here to tell you that the government doesn’t have the capacity to fix your problems. Washington is full of bozos, and I am doing my part to send a lot of them home!

This economic mess is a reality, but we can each only control one thing—our reactions. Does this stuff define you? Only if you let it. The weird thing about the economy is that YOU are the economy! I learned this the hard way. I got my real estate license when I was 18 years old. By the time I was 21, interest rates had risen to 17% fixed-rate … and I still sold houses. How? Because I worked hard.

As bad as USA Today meant a recent article to be about what we think of the suffering economy and upcoming election, I think it’s rather encouraging that no one thinks that President Bush or Barack Obama or John McCain can fix the economy!

This may be the beginning of the biggest level of prosperity this nation has ever known if we don’t look to a candidate to fix our lives. How about we say, "I’m going to vote for the candidate who’s going to fix the nation. I’m going to fix my life, so leave me alone and let me do my own thing."

Don't react based on fear or panic. Don’t look to Washington to fix your problems. Why would you do that? At what point did Bill Clinton fix any of your problems? At what point did he cause you to prosper? At what point did George Bush end your career or cause you to prosper? When did Ronald Reagan fix your problems? Guess what? I liked Reagan the most, and while he was in office, I hit rock bottom and filed bankruptcy—but it wasn’t Reagan’s fault. It was mine.

So when you go to the polls in a few days to cast your vote, don’t get caught up in following a political party or candidate without knowing the issues they support. Do your research so you can make educated decisions.

Forget third parties in 2008 debates

2008-10-17T22:50:00.000-07:00

It appears that third party candidates have blown their only chance at mainstream media coverage. It's unlikely they will have any shot this election year, apart from MPR. Perhaps one of them could go to Ohio and convince Joe the Plumber to endorse them?

America needs to hear alternative visions. Greens know that energy independence is an illusion - let's end our addiction! Greens know health-care is a right - let's stop corporate HMO rationing! And the majority of independents believe that our national debt will hinder the livelihoods of future generations - let's stop overspending!

At some point this may change. The media may decide dichotomy is too boring, and add more perspectives and political movements. Otherwise it appears the two "major" parties will lead our nation to downfall, as is currently underway.

History made Sept. 30 as National Debt hits $10 Trillion

2008-10-06T11:05:00.000-07:00

History was made on Tuesday Sept. 30, 2008, the last day of Fiscal Year 2008 for U.S. Government accounting purposes, as the National Debt crept up over $10 Trillion for the first time ever. There was no fanfare, no balloons, no real mention of it in the newspapers. This was an important milestone in American history and it went by as an average day.

On Sept. 30th, the total debt amounted to $10,024,724,896,912.49

A Letter to My Congresswoman

2008-10-02T20:17:00.000-07:00

Written on Oct. 2, 2008 at 10:14 p.m.

Dear Congresswoman McCollum:

I find it amazing that you have already voted to increase our National Debt by $700 Billion, and the fact that you are even considering supporting an even bigger bill of $810 Billion is completely unthinkable.

It's bad enough that we pay nearly $500 Billion each year on the interest on our National Debt but you want to raise that to $600 Billion. How much Federal Spending is enough? I highly encourage you to vote NO on the Wall Street bailout package. It's time we have some financial responsibility back in Washington and New York. Main Street American's right here in St. Paul, your home district, cannot afford this.

In addition, I would like to know your reasoning behind the vote, and what you plan on doing to eliminate our national debt. Please put it in writing to me at:

(Edited)

Sincerely,

Jeffrey S. Williams
Constituent

Gingrich: We Need Action Now

2008-10-01T13:16:00.000-07:00

Replace Secretary Paulson and Suspend Mark to Market
by Newt Gingrich (more by this author)
Posted 10/01/2008 ET

Following Monday's failure of the Paulson plan in the House, it is imperative that our leaders not hesitate to bring stability to our financial markets.

We need action now.

The Paulson Plan - is dead. The time has come for Congress to turn its attention to a plan that does the right things the right way instead of trying to fix the wrong way of this monstrosity of a Wall Street bailout bill.

As I said to Fox News' Greta Van Susteren Monday night, and spoke about at the National Press Club on Tuesday, there are two steps that could be taken that would send a needed signal to the world financial markets that America has leaders who recognize the gravity of the crisis and are capable of putting aside narrow partisan self-interest for the good of the country.

Step One: Replace Secretary Paulson
A plan that relies on the former chairman of Goldman Sachs presiding over disbursing hundreds of billions of dollars to Wall Street is a terrible concept and inevitably will lead to crony capitalism and the appearance of - if not the actual existence of - corruption.

The American people understand this and they don't trust the Paulson plan. Congress should never have been faced with this as its only option to solve the financial crisis. Congress never should have been confronted with this bill. And one man, above all others, is responsible.

That man is Henry Paulson, who may have been a great deal maker for Goldman Sachs, but has been an utter failure during this economic crisis.

It's time - passed time, in fact - for President Bush to fire Secretary Paulson.

President Bush should replace Paulson immediately with someone more capable of forging a deal that the American people can trust. Secretary Paulson's Deputy at Treasury is Robert Kimmitt. He does not have the Wall Street background that made Secretary Paulson so difficult to trust as a negotiating partner and should be much more open to alternatives because he has less invested in the "Paulson" plan.

Kimmitt need not go through the actual confirmation process to immediately take over negotiating with Congress. The sooner Paulson is replaced as the chief negotiator for the administration, the sooner we will have a deal the American people can support.

Step Two: Suspend the Mark-to-Market Accounting Rule
The second thing our leaders should do immediately is simple and uncontroversial: Suspend the "mark-to-market" accounting rule that is exacerbating this crisis.

Under this artificial rule, the value of assets of banks moves up and down with economic conditions, regardless of their underlying worth. So in a time of economic crisis - such as the current subprime mortgage crisis - the value of bank assets gets caught in a downward spiral, causing investor panic and a drying up of credit.

In 2004, the European Central Bank issued this now eerily prescient opinion of the mark-to-market rule:

"With a real estate crisis or a stock market crash... [a bank] under [mark-to-market] accounting might aggravate the effects of the shock. Banks may be encouraged to react by panic selling and tightening lending standards, thus contributing to a further deepening of the crisis."

A Smart First Step
I've spent the past few days talking with businesspeople across the country - from Oklahoma, Georgia, Nevada and California - and they agree: this artificial accounting rule is needlessly making the financial crisis worse.

On Monday I appeared on Fox News' On the Record with Greta van Susteren and called for mark-to-market to be suspended.

I also wrote this op-ed yesterday for forbes.com urging the same course of action.

I gave a speech at the National Press Club in which I discussed in depth the need to end this problem now. You can read the text and view it here.

Then, later that afternoon, the Securities and Exchange Commission took a smart first step by issuing a "clarification" giving companies more leeway in estimating the value of mortgage related investments. You can read more here. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Chris Cox deserves credit for recognizing how this accounting requirement is needlessly exacerbating our current financial difficulties.

The Bush Administration's Expensive Legacy
Taking these two steps - replacing Secretary Paulson and suspending the mark-to-market rule - are absolutely necessary right now to give Congress the breathing room to develop a plan to replace the Paulson Plan and to re-establish trust with the American people.

The Bush Administration has now provided three case studies that have badly damaged the cause of conservatism.

First there was former FEMA head Michael Brown during Hurricane Katrina, whose incompetence convinced Americans that Republicans can't be trusted with governing.

Then there was Ambassador Jerry Bremer in Baghdad, whose decisions as the head of the American occupation of Iraq convinced Americans that Republicans can't be trusted to manage foreign policy.

And now we have Secretary Paulson at the Treasury, whose intransigence during the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression has convinced Americans that Republicans can't be trusted with their money.

It's a tragic and very expensive legacy. No conservative and no Republican should doubt how much it has hurt our cause and our party.

Rebuilding Public Trust with a Work Out, Not a Bailout
As I told Greta Van Susteren Monday night on Fox News, the fundamental flaw in the Paulson Plan was that it was seen by the American people as a deal designed by and for Wall Street.

Congress needs to go back to the drawing board and develop, not just a financial markets rescue bill (which should be a work out, not a bailout) but also an economic growth bill.

This economic growth package should do two fundamental things:

First of all, it needs to provide relief for our financial markets that is based on lending troubled institutions the capital to restore our credit markets, rather than buying their bad assets. The taxpayers should be asked to extend these institutions a line of credit until they can get back on their feet, rather than blindly acquire these institutions' toxic paper. This is the essential difference between a workout and a bailout.

Second, the plan should stop the flow of $700 billion each year out of our economy and into the coffers of foreign dictators by achieving energy independence. Not only would our national security be improved, but this much new energy income would cause our economy to boom and government revenues to grow.

A Final Warning: Don't Allow the House Democrats to Move the Plan Left
A lot of people are scratching their heads over what would cause House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to deliver such a bitterly partisan speech minutes before the House voted down the Paulson Plan - a plan she purported to support.

I think it's likely that Speaker Pelosi deliberately delivered her highly partisan speech at the last minute to get precisely the result that she got - the defeat of the Paulson Plan. The danger now is that she and the liberal Democrats in the House will spend the next couple days re-loading the bill with all the leftwing pork projects that Senator McCain and the House Republicans were able to remove from it.

This danger makes it imperative that Republicans unify behind Minority Leader John Boehner in resisting moving any rescue plan to the left. The stakes are too high for the American people to allow liberal Democrats to use the current crisis to line the coffers of their special interest allies.

Bipartisan Coalition Defeats Casino Socialism

2008-09-29T13:09:00.001-07:00

The Wall Street Bailout bill failed to pass Congress. And the corporate media, Democrats, and President Bush are "shocked" that it happened. Bush said our economy would collapse within days. Democrats and Bush also wanted to ensure that their corporate donors get more of their money back. The corporate media said it was a "done deal." The American public were told it would pass, so don't bother try to call your Congressperson. The American people didn't capitulate as the so called leaders of our nation did. Now Wall Street is throwing a temper tantrum and dropping the values of stock they thought could be purchased with "free" taxpayer money.

Just a couple months before the election, the economy is looking in worse shape than ever. To buy our confidence, and our votes in November, the government wanted to bail out their long-term corporate donors. It appears that Americans are no longer fooled by such gimmicks. We defeated the biggest corporate handout of taxpayer money in world history! For once, the people of this country actually have had a say. It appears that for once, Americans are actually comfortable with change!

The Federal government has long felt its role was to end or prevent recessions. Unfortunately, by doing this they make future recessions harsher. After every energy spike, the US economy goes into recession. The Feds should have allowed it to run its course, assuming we believe in capitalism. But Democrats continually believe it is the taxpayer's job to "create jobs." And they were literally the party behind the bailout.

There were some leaders against the bailout. On the Republican side, our own Michelle Bachmann stated her opposition early on. The Democrat who best represents my own views is Representative Marcy Kaptur. Someone else the corporate media love to hate also took a stance against the bailout: Dennis Kucinich. Too bad the media determine who wins elections, because Kucinich could easily beat a insanely sad McCain-Palin.

In Minnesota, half of our elected representatives refused to give in to Pelosi's pleas to help out Bush's bailout. There were also many Republicans who enabled the American people to stop this corrupt handout of money that could be better spent elsewhere. In Minnesota, these representatives deserve great praise for their stance against George Bush and Nancy Pelosi:

Michelle Bachmann (R )
Jim Ramstad (R )
Collin Peterson ( DFL )
Tim Walz ( DFL )

This could be the issue that gains the Walz campaign some traction against the GOP. It is a very close race, and if he wanted to win he would vote with his constituents and not against them.

BAILOUT SUPPORTERS

Call these supporters of the Wall Street Bailout today:

Keith Ellison --- 202-225-4755
Betty McCollum --- 202-225-6631
James Oberstar --- 202-225-6211
John Kline --- 202-225-2271

Tell them that the only Americans supportive of the bailout are the corporations that stand to profit and the politicians who stand to get more political contributions. Everyone else stands united against this abhorrent form of government policy that is appearing before us.

These un-leaders deserve to be called out for their pathetic stance in handling our economic situation. None of them have proposed weaning the American public off of oil. Skyrocking energy prices are the primary culprit of our economic doldrums. They refuse to deal with the reality of Peak Oil and global energy demand, but want a "deal" with Wall Street before our government can no longer sell its T-bills to China.

America needs long-term solutions, not short-term election gimmicks. A rescue package for Wall Street is a future tax-bill for the working class. Democrats need to get the message.

The Bailout Is a Band-Aid

2008-09-27T20:32:00.000-07:00

The Bailout Is a Band-Aid: Housing Crisis Needs to Be Fixed
Thursday, September 25, 2008 4:18 PM

By: Christopher Ruddy
www.newsmax.com

Yesterday Sen. Orrin Hatch was hitting the airwaves.

The subprime crisis, he said, was the fault of the Clinton administration, who he said created the subprime mortgage crisis.

Other Republicans have been laying blame on the financial crisis on minorities and illegal immigrants who got mortgages they simply couldn’t pay. They offer no statistical proof on this point.

Nor does the usually sensible Senator Hatch offer evidence when it comes to pointing the finger at the Clinton administration.

The attempt to deflect blame for the crisis is not simply wrongheaded; I think it will compound Republican political woes and bring us disaster again in November.

Doesn’t Hatch and Co. know that Bill and Hillary Clinton voters in the swing states will decide who becomes the next president? They are wary of Obama, but love the Clintons and remember the good economic times of the’90s.

As a conservative Republican of the Reagan type, I find myself in this odd place cheering on some of the sensible things I hear from Democrats.

Barack Obama said any bailout to Wall Street must not be simply a cash payout or a loan, but be treated like an equity investment in these firms. We want our money back and then some. Yes to that, I say.

And demands by House Democrats that the secretary of the treasury alone not be given a blank check for more than a trillion dollars of our money, and that we have complete transparency in the transactions, I say yes to that, too.

Fiscal responsibility, transparency and accountability — aren’t these things Republicans believe in?

The Democratic complaints about the Bush plan shows that our government is working. The executive branch tried to put a gun to the head of Congress and told them, “Sign this check or the whole U.S. banking system will collapse.”

Congress didn’t blink.

Don’t get me wrong. I am for a bailout, but one that is sensible and is a win-win for Wall Street, Main Street investors and taxpayers like you and me.

But remember the government bailout plan proposed by the president and modifications supported by the Democrats won’t fix the underlying problem: the housing market collapse. Home prices are continuing to fall, and fewer people are buying homes than ever. Foreclosures will continue.

Unless this underlying problem is fixed, the economic symptoms will continue. There are some remedies. But before I get to them, let’s review what has happened.

The Federal Reserve under Alan Greenspan gave the U.S. economy shock treatment back in 2001 and 2002 when it lowered interest rates to 1 percent — the lowest Fed Funds rate in recent history.

By pushing the pedal to the metal and backed quietly by the White House, the Fed injected massive liquidity in the U.S. economy, creating the largest asset bubble in history, according to the Economist magazine.

Incredibly low rates by the Fed were accompanied by an acceptance of the central bank for all sorts of exotic mortgage loans. No down payments. Interest only. No job and income verification. Get the picture?

Compounding this irresponsibility was then the “greed factor” that kicked in at several levels.

First were the local banks and mortgage companies that pushed mortgages, notably adjustable rate ones that offered extremely low introductory rates, and gave them to buyers who would not be able to pay back once the rates adjusted up.

Well rates have adjusted up and the crisis hit.

Many mortgage providers also encouraged loan applicants to lie about incomes and qualifications to approve these mortgages.

Wall Street as a whole had little role at this stage. But later, Wall Street took these mortgages, which had been rolled up into collateralized debt instruments, better known as mortgage backed securities, and sold them off to investors globally.

Wall Street failed to compute the risks involved in these securities. It was a failure, not a crime.

But many Wall Street firms, hedge funds and other investments took incredible, unwarranted risks using these securities. These firms would borrow money at low rates — say 4 percent — and invest in CDOs paying 6 to 7 percent. This small difference in rates of 2 to 3 percent, the arbitrage, would throw off enormous returns, especially considering little or no money had been placed on the table to buy the securities.

I have been told that Lehman and AIG played this leveraging game, investing only $1 for every $30 they held in such toxic suggestions. Again, what they did was not a crime. They took enormous risk and reaped huge returns — for a while.

Now they want us to pay for the huge losses that ultimately fell upon them.

Washington played a role in the mess too. The White House pushed for easy money and easy lending practices, many weighted in favor of the banks and lenders and against the consumer.

Congress, dominated largely by Republicans from 1994 to 2006, did an awful job in oversight. This is especially true after President Bush took the oath of office.

When Bill Clinton was president, the Republicans acted beautifully, working diligently to keep President Clinton on a center-right economic course. The results were great.

This seems like ancient history, but it’s important to have a clear picture of how we got into this mess. It may help us get out of it.

First, we need to know the “crisis” the Bush administration presented to us just last week is not a crisis that just popped up. It was apparent to many two years ago the real estate market was in a bubble and would bust.

And when the Fed moved in 2004 and raised rates from 1 percent to 5.25 percent by 2006 — a more than 400 percent increase in two years, it also led directly to those adjustable mortgages re-adjusting at very high rates. Homeowners got struck hard — with monthly mortgage payments on medium size homes mushrooming literally overnight.

The Fed increase rates started the credit crisis. The first tremors were apparent over a year ago when the Fed took emergency steps to give banks liquidity.

It’s important to remember that most adjustable mortgages created in the boom years still have not reset – and will continue doing so through 2011.

This problem will worsen unless Washington tackled the underlying problems.

The first thing the Fed must do to reduce the continuance of the problem is drop rates. It doesn’t have much wiggle room, because the dollar needs to be protected, but a small decrease in rates could have an enormous impact on those readjusting mortgages.

The second-most-important thing to do is for Congress to give a significant tax credit for new home buyers. Congress just passed a $7500 tax credit for new home buyers, though it’s not actually a credit but a loan at no interest.

The famed economist Edward Leamer of UCLA’s Anderson School says a $25,000 tax credit to new home buyers would put an immediate end to the fall in home prices. He suggests it would spur economic activity and government tax revenues would grow, more than covering the cost of the program.

Already home prices have fallen to reasonable prices and it should be a buyer’s market. But government can spur home buyers who keep staying on the sidelines think prices will fall more.

If this is done, home prices will stabilize and likely begin rising. All of the sectors that relate to the housing market will find relief.

And, most important, the value of those mortgage backed securities will increase as the underlying mortgages become current. Foreclosures will also abate.

The key to solving the financial crisis is not to simply send a blank check to Wall Street, but to get consumers buying homes again.

The National Debt Is An American Issue

2008-09-27T20:22:00.000-07:00

Greetings. My name is Jeff Williams, blogger at National Debt Busters, finally responding to an invitation that was given to me months ago to post here regarding economic matters.

Since this is my first post, I want everybody to know that the National Debt is not a Republican issue or a Democrat issue. It is an AMERICAN issue that must be dealt with. While I personally am a fiscal conservative and tend to vote Republican, my blog is not necessarily aimed at furthering the Republican agenda. It is aimed at educating citizens (who are hopefully voters) about the size and scope of the National Debt and other economic issues that face this great nation of ours. There are areas where I agree with Democrats, disagree with Democrats and same with Republicans.

Most of the time, I merely post articles that have been posted elsewhere, giving full attributions to the original authors, because not everybody has access to the same sources of information.

In the ensuing weeks and months, I'll be making occasional posts on Multipartisan Minnesota on issues that we Minnesotans should care about from an economic perspective regardless of political affiliation. My hope, again, is to educate people on the economic ramifications of the political decisions made by politicians of all parties at the State and Federal levels. This is something that all Minnesotans and all Americans should care about.

Thanks for listening.

Jeff

End of the American Empire - time for change!

2008-09-24T23:09:00.000-07:00

Our economy is collapsing as Republicans go on about how Wall Street Socialism is GOOD and Democrats concede to Bush, again. Neither party wants to talk about change - REAL change. No partisan wants to say "The America we have had for the last 60 years is over. Life will be different from now on." That is the true reality, one that I thought it would take $250 a barrel oil to make true. It seems our economy is more fragile than I had thought.

The government is trying to instill confidence in the market, well I am not buying it. Nor will I respect their "leadership" in saving us. I want the bums thrown out - all of them. Every Democrat and Republican has failed at this point. Even my first term congressperson, Keith Ellison, has done NOTHING to prepare my district for this. Is there enough frustration like my own out there? Is switching from D to R or vice-versa really making a difference? There are those who who feel as I do, but they have to actually vote for change. ( Note to non-voters: make an economic statement instead. Stop shopping. Buy only necessities. And you might need some savings if your job disappears. )

Most Americans will have little hope to change Congress. Anti-Democracy activists have ensured that only major parties have any media attention, assuming they could get on the ballot. In Minnesota, one candidate shines very brightly: Senator Dean Barkley. The media here only mention him in 2 out of 3 articles, which is astounding in our elitist democracy. Barkley questions the need for the $700,000,000,000 bailout of Wall Street. I don't hear the Democrats or President Bush questioning, but wanting Republicans to vote with them so it's "bipartisan." Let's throw the bums out who got us in this mess and elect those like Dean Barkley!

Harry Grigsby supporting Farheen Hakeem

2008-09-20T20:43:00.000-07:00

A day before the primary the Obama campaign made phone calls to its Minneapolis supporters, asking them to volunteer on a "get out the vote" initiative. They wanted members to show up at.... (drumroll please ) the Jeff Hayden HQ. Upon arriving at 9AM, they instructed their foot soldiers on the true nature of their calling: ensuring Jeff Hayden is endorsed. While on their valiant mission for a candidate they did not know, they performed an informal survey of 61B voters: it appeared that Hayden and Farheen Hakeem are currently tied. This doesn't worry Hayden as his main objective was complete, thanks to volunteers of a candidate not in the Minnesotan primary race.

Harry Grigsby, Jeff Hayden's sole DFL opponent, did not win the primary endorsement. Yet a plethora of average, and not so partisan, voters who tend not to participate in the primary supported him. His campaign did not focus on internal partisan organizing, but spoke directly to actual residents of 61B. His supporters, along with independents and undecideds, can easily vote for the candidate Harry Grigsby has now endorsed: Farheen Hakeem.

Harry knows that Farheen Hakeem is the candidate truly meant to represent the heart of south Minneapolis. While the Democrats tax us to build a stadium for a billionaire (Target Field should be Hennepin County Taxpayer's Ballpark), Farheen has fought against such unscrupulous acts. Her voice is consistently ignored by the corrupt powers that mock the needs of the working class. Fortunately, these powers cannot squelch her message as the campaign goes door to door to ensure victory in November.

Can the Obama and Al Franken campaign really spend much more time on this local Minnesotan race as November approaches? Not if they want to win. Fortunately, the voters in this small Minneapolis district can rest assured that one campaign will not ignore them. The volunteers on this campaign wear brown t-shirts that beg the question: "What does Farheen Hakeem mean?" It means fresh wisdom. In times such as these , when change is both crucial and vital, Minnesotans need such a leader. Vote for Farheen Hakeem on November 4th for Minnesota House 61B.

November Predictions

2008-09-10T07:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was an interesting primary election! It says a lot more than polls do about how those invested in democracy choose to vote! Based on the election info, I would like to make some estimated guesses at the general election. These are using current statistics, as debates and other political unknowns will come into play.

With regards to my support in November, I believe that candidates should seek to solve our intertwined energy and economic crisis. More "rebates" from Democrats or "drilling" from Republicans are both insufficient. I'd love to hear someone try to prove, without blatant misinformation, that they will be. My solution is an annually increasing carbon tax in support of green jobs.

President - I do not see Minnesota as up for grabs. It will go to Obama. Assuming there is no voter disenfranchisement issues this time, only one hour waits in Cleveland this year, Obama should win nationwide.

U.S. Senate

Coleman - 45%
Franken - 35%
Barkley - 20%

There are about 10% of Republicans who voted for Jack Shepard. These Republicans would most likely not vote for Franken, but would consider Barkley. The biggest loser is clearly Al Franken, because he lost nearly a third of his support to Priscilla Lord Faris. I really don't think he can recover such a hit. He's been trailing Obama for a while in Minnesotan support, and this is a bad hit. And there are parts of Minnesota where she almost surpasses him in support ( in 25A, Franken got 49% of the vote, Faris 46% )!

If Dean Barkley is allowed in the debates, his support could improve. Franken is no longer seen as viable against Coleman, which reduces any form of political momentum. Barkley will need to attract Republican votes that Franken obviously can't if he is to beat Coleman. Being a former U.S. Senator helps Dean Barkley considerably, assuming the media refers to him as one.

US House - 1CD

This race will be close. Still, I think that Brian Davis will beat Tim Walz, who is in his first re-election bid.

US House 3CD

The Democrats shouldn't cry too much about possibly losing 1CD, as Ashwin Madia should win here.

US House - 5CD

Ellison - 84%
Davis - 10%
McGaughey - 6%

I could be overstating Barb Davis White's support. Ellison's opponent Gregg A. Iverson received more votes in the primary than she did. I could also be overstating McGaughey's support, though he may get the anti-Ellison vote. Keith will win easily by double digits.

US House - 6CD

This is another close race. I would really like to see the last of Michelle Bachmann. Perhaps Tinklenberg will be able to gain enough support from moderate Republicans who do not feel Bachmann truly represents them.

US House - 7CD

Blue dog Democrat Collin Peterson should easily win.

In Federal races, it is difficult to really change current trends months before an election. These races tend to be media dependent and less "activist" oriented. Though get out the vote efforts are still very important.

As far as local races go, we will see. It will be up to local candidates to ensure that they stay ( or become ) engaged with the residents of their district. Candidates who accurately reflect their community's needs stand the best chance to be chosen to serve.

Minneapolis School Board

The voters of Minneapolis always support DFL endorsed. My fave non-DFL candidate, Mary Buss, did not make it past the primary. However, Doug Mann did and is seeking Green Party endorsement. I still like Lydia Lee and Jill Davis. Anyone else will have to prove themselves, assuming I vote for a third candidate.

Primary Election 08

2008-09-08T09:36:00.000-07:00

US Senate

Tomorrow is the all important primary, and have done a little homework. I have decided to support Jack Uldrich for U.S. Senate. He clearly stated in one ad that off-shore drilling is like giving more cocaine to a coke-head. Sounds like he knows more about our addiction to oil than the "major" two-parties. You won't hear Al Franken mention anything about our nation's addiction to oil, you'll only hear it from people like Jack. Franken simply wants to end our "dependence on foreign oil" which will never happen if we never cut consumption.

I was appalled listening to bits of the RNC, when delegates shouted "Drill here! Drill now!" How much oil can be drilled in Minnesota? How about off-shore oil in Lake Superior? I'll bet there is oil that has runoff into Lake Calhoun - but that doesn't mean we should drain the lake, process the water, to get whatever is in it. Thankfully, Minnesota has no shale oil or uranium. Our best local energy solutions are solar, geothermal, and wind. But I didn't hear any catchy slogans about these at either "major" party conventions this year.

The only Independence Party member who could beat Jack is former US Senator Dean Barkley. He spoke at the "Open the Debates" super rally with Ralph Nader, Rosa Clemente, Governor Jesse Ventura, and others. He has support of Jesse and former Congressman Tim Penny. He does have experience as a U.S. Senator, unlike Al Franken. We will see how both of them do in the primary tomorrow.

Minneapolis School Board

I have thought about this, read some discussions on e-mail and online. I intend to vote for Mary Buss, Jill Da vis and Lydia Le e. Doug Mann's opinion on Curriculum Based Measurement (CBM) and Response To Intervention (RTI)literacy strategies is in the comments section. But both Doug Mann and Thomas Picks are perennial candiates for school board and other local offices. I don't think it should be discouraged for people to run for office, but it is a factor.

Judicial Offices - Associate Justice 3 :

For the Supreme Court Tim Tingelstad's website screams "extremist Christian", but he does believe in abiding by the Constitution. Something I rarely hear anyone talk about lately, being the Supreme Law of our land. Tim has a good point that having our judicial branch appointed by committee doesn't allow for accountability. He emphatically states: "The seats on the Supreme Court belong to the people of Minnesota, not to an individual, not to the governor, and not to committees. Our courts must be accountable to the people."

But My vote will be going to Alan Lawrence Nelson, because he's a Minnesotan with a worldview. He also has the experience necessary for the job.

Associate Justice 4 :

I personally like Jill Clark, who stated this about incumbent Lorie "Gildea votes overwhelmingly with Justice Barry Anderson. Justice Anderson is a well-developed jurist, but aligning so often with him indicates that Gildea is not." And I just liked her statements overall.

4th District Court - Judge 53 :

David Piper is running - and he called me just about an hour ago asking for my vote. I think he got a hold of some of the DFL candidate's supporter list. ( it's too easy to get on these, you just sign up as a supporter of say.... Al Franken ). It's tough to weed through six excellent candidates, but being a part of the DFL establishment doesn't bode well with me. I am most likely going to vote for Paula Brummel.

US House - CD5 :

No one. I am voting in the Independence Party primary, but have no intention of supporting their candidate.

More info on Minnesota Judicial Elections go here:http://www.minnlawyer.com/elections/2008/index.cfm
In Hennepin County, you can find your polling place and a sneak peak at your ballot : http://www16.co.hennepin.mn.us/voterinfo/addrsrchnonfrm.jsp
On Minneapolis School Board: http://www.startribune.com/local/minneapolis/27939899.html

Sister's Camelot WINS Myspace Impact Award!!

2008-08-30T11:53:00.001-07:00

When I initially voted for them, they were in third place and needed promotion. Sisters Camelot didn't even have a video to encourage voters, and thankfully did get one in time. Thanks to everyone getting the word out and voting because they won! Their reaction:

We are thrilled to receive this award and would like to thank everyone who voted, giving us this wonderful gift. We will use the money to continue rescuing organic fruits and vegetables from going to waste, and making sure they end up in tasty dishes eaten by hungry people in our communities.
- Karen Eisert (Collective Member & Staff Member)

They will be able to buy another bus and further expand their amazing work!

Thank you to everyone who voted for them! If you live in the Twin Cities, I encourage you to volunteer with them. It's fun and you get a bunch of food also!

Peace,

-Kevin

DLC wins VP nomination with Joe Biden

2008-08-23T07:01:00.000-07:00

While I had assumed Barack Obama would not capitulate to the Democratic Leadership Council, because he had said he was independent of them, he has. Joe Biden might as well be Joe Lieberman - both are war hawks who could easily transition to the Neo-Conservative wing of the Republican Party. Because, the DLC is comprised of the same liberals who espouse the Neo-Con agenda, they just never left the Democrat Party.

In 2005 when he received a DLC award, Senator Biden stated. "I believe that our military power is necessary, but not sufficient, to change the world. It will be our ideas and our ideals -- the things we value, the things we stand for, the same things that brought the Berlin Wall down -- that will nudge the world toward more freedom and democracy." Peace through strength mantra, again. Bomb the world to peace?

Sorry, Obama you have failed miserably in your choice. I will not even consider voting for you, not that I have ever considered McCain. The DLC and NeoCons envision a world where America's military is sent from nation to nation to hang on to resources we "need." What we need is a world where all people are secure, not just the American people. Most Americans agree on this, but they also know that the power in the upper echelons of our society are difficult to rein in. Just ask Obama, who may not have wanted a DLCer but because he ran in the Democrat Party, has no choice. Hillary lost, they need the VP, and now we get another Cheney.

Cynthia McKinney has a different perspective of our military. She wants accountability, not an never-ending empire that loses Trillions in taxpayer money. You won't hear Joe Biden grilling Rumsfeld or any other NeoCon because..friends protect their own right? Watch the video and decide who is best to lead America's military and the world into a better future:

Which would you pick:McCain's War Economy or McKinney's Green Economy?

2008-08-22T18:09:00.000-07:00

Unless McCain is living in some warped reality, which he is, the economy needs a LOT of work. Not being able remember how many homes you own is a bit disconcerting. I mean, Norm Coleman only owns one! And he rents his place in Washington!

Let's consider that if McCain considers the fundamentals of our economy to be just fine - then do not think he will address our addiction to oil. He will not address the need to properly ensure access to education for future generations of Americans. He will not worry about the growing National Debt or reducing our imperialistic ambitions abroad. Why worry about the Homeland when you have to prop up your empire instead? Because, Mr. McCain, empires fall. And they can do so gracefully, or they can collapse in a heap.

So, if the Presidential race were done by Instant Runoff Voting, I wouldn't even put a number by McCain - unless it were double-digit. In the #1 spot would be Cynthia McKinney, who I adamantly support and WILL be on the ballot in Minnesota. Her ideas for a Green economy are expressed in the video below:

The Misunderstood "independent"

2008-08-20T19:04:00.000-07:00

I just had my second conference call Sunday with CUIP, which stands for the Committee for a Unified Independent Party. Jacqueline Salit is chair and co-founder, and she facilitated the conference call. She was also on the Midmorning show on MPR, so I have heard some of what she had to say again during the conference call.

What is interesting is that she and CUIP really are at the forefront of a monumental change in American politics that few in the media truly understand: independent voters. People who choose not to label themselves with a party brand, but say " no party for me." I really admire the independent who does not worry about what is "best for the party." For instance when Democrats nominate an "electable" candidate, independents smell this right away as an act that is "good for the party" and not necessarily good for our great nation.

Independents are frequently relegated to second class citizen when they are not allowed to vote in primaries, because they are for "partisans only." Independents want political power too - just outside of parties. Minnesota has open primaries and same day voter registration - which works in favor of independent swing elections( partisans would call them spoiling elections ). It would be wise for any party or organization to recognize this demographic.

Take Action

I recently volunteered with Take Action Minnesota. My primary motivation to do this because they initially told me they were supporting Sen. Marty's Single-Payer Universal Health-care Plan. Excellent! I made phone calls using their automated/computer calling system, which I found annoying as it called people and made them wait for a volunteer to say "hi." I was calling on behalf of DFL candidate Jerry Newton.

What I disliked most was the script they had written up for us. It didn't feel like me saying these things, although I liked Jerry. I did call many voters who were self-identified as independents. The first question on my script was asking the voter a partisan question, and independents hate these ( as did I - I am no Democrat! ). One person told me " I am a staunch Republican." And I was like "Well, have you heard of Jerry Newton?" And she was "Oh, Jerry? Yeah! I like him, can I get a lawn sign?" So much for consistent partisanship.

I spoke with some of those in Take Action after, and they agreed with me on Single Payer. But they believe in an "incremental" approach to health-care. Is this the same type of approach being supported by more pro-lifers? Chip away at choice, until there is none? Incremental works when you are tearing something down - like the icebergs slowly melting in Greenland. There comes a point when they just sink. But how do you build up Single-Payer from..small pieces? But Take Action buys what polls are saying - that only 30% of Americans support it. Maybe Take Action could educate the public instead of capitulating to polls?

What Take Action has become, is a partisan organization. They believe progressive change can only occur through the Democratic Party, and electing more of them. They want to show the DFL that they are a grassroots organization that can mobilize its members to help them win crucially close elections. But they do this by alienating non-partisan independents. They also believe that third-parties are not a vehicle for any type of change.

But Take Actions says they want to hold the Democrats accountable, by running candidates against anti-progressive Democrats. They were doing this in Minneapolis, in House District 58A with Peggy Flanagan. Rep. Joel Mullery did not get his party's endorsement, and could have lost in the primary had she been able to stay in the race. Of course, when I asked who they would run against my senator, Linda Berglin, they were quiet. "Perhaps she is going to run for higher office?" was one thought. ( Linda Berglin is opposed to Single-Payer ) Why aren't they recruiting for this and just allowing the DFL to dictate the agenda of my district? They conveniently "forgot" to endorse Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer for US Senate, waiting until after the DFL endorsed Al Franken. Sounds like they just want to stay on the good side of the DFL, and not radically challenge them.

But this is why it is difficult for independents to support partisan organizations, we do not care whether the party thrives or crashes and burns. Independents want to get things done on health-care, deficit spending, oil addiction, and peace. None of these are issues either Democrats or Republicans are strong on. But they sure like to pretend like they are!

Support Sister's Camelot!

2008-08-16T14:36:00.001-07:00

I just read a post that Sister's Camelot is one of three finalists competing to receive a MySpace Impact Award. They give away free food in various locations all over Minneapolis - and it's all organic! Seriously a great organization, that I think we should all vote on to ensure they get more attention.

Please vote for Sister's Camelot at: http://www.myspace.com/impactawards

impact awards speech

My Guess: Chuck Hagel

2008-08-10T19:21:00.001-07:00

I just got an e-mail announcing that Obama will soon be announcing is Vice-Presidential pick. Obviously, it will not be John Edwards. My guess for several months now has been Chuck Hagel, the Republican Senator from Nebraska. He was against the Iraq war starting in 2005, though he initially voted to authorize the war. Hagel is the maverick independent Republican that McCain used to be. It will make many Republicans seriously consider such a duo.

While I have told many people my guess, I never actually posted it here - so why not now before I can be proven wrong? I think Obama will want to appeal to be a bi-partisan leader who really wants change. I think he formulated this plan with Hagel a while back in the Senate. I do not claim to have any form of insider info. From my perspective of Obama's campaign, it seems to make sense. And if he chooses someone else, I hope it makes even more sense than what I have surmised.

Green budget hero

2008-08-07T09:49:00.000-07:00

I tried the Budget Hero Challenge at MPR today. I won all three of my badges and holding true to my values! I proved that you can balance the Federal budget, cut the National Debt, AND provide single-payer universal health-care to all Americans. I did what neither Dems or Republicans seems willing to do: improve the quality of our government, protect the environment, and cut the size of wasteful government. All we have to do is make major changes now and stick with them long-term. Try it and see how it works for you!

Of course, these would all be attainable if we elect some Greens to congress. In 2006, America had a paltry 29% voter turnout. If more Americans chose to participate and vote Green, we could change the direction of our great nation!

Obama vs. Cynthia and Rosa

2008-08-03T22:02:00.000-07:00

I know many out there think Obama is 100% perfect - but take a look at his history. He's not very democratic, in order to get elected in Chicago he kicked his opponent off the ballot on technicalities. More info here: http://www.democracynow.org/2008/7/28/how_chicago_shaped_obama_a_look

Now if you compare Obama to Cynthia McKinney the differences are:

OBAMA....

Opposes trade with Cuba

Is against outlawing the Death Penalty

Opposes friendly relations with Russia in building a missile defense shield in former Soviet states

Is against Fair Trade ( He prefers "free" trade )

Opposes campaign financing for his own campaign ( supports it in others )

Adamantly supports a Mexican Border Wall

Believes there should be more Presidential powers, such as the line item veto

Is supportive of the USA PATRIOT Act ( especially wire tapping )

Opposes Single Payer Universal Healthcare ( what they have in Europe and Costa Rica )

Supports America's addiction to oil by allowing Off-shore oil drilling

Source: http://www.2008electionprocon.org/summarychart.htm

Cynthia McKinney is firmly on the opposite side of these issues from Obama. If you believe in a peaceful world, building walls and missiles is not the way to do it. Obama is just as much an enemy of peace as Bush, as scary as that may sound. If he is elected, which he probably will, the true Obama will become much more apparent.

The French Model....

In Washington, there always seems to be a lot of comparison to France. When we went to war with Iraq, France become the butt of jokes because they opposed it. Conservatives even declared war on everything French - until they elected a conservative. Now they like things French - especially their nuclear program!

Cynthia also supports a French model - cutting our bloated and wasteful military budget. France is cutting their military budget by 15%. If we did that and half started paying for the National Debt, the other half could be used for free college and health-care. We could be using more of our money at home instead of guarding such wonders of the world like Iceland ( no offense Björk ) and Kazakhstan.

Cynthia McKinney and Rosa Clemente are part of a Global movement for peace, known worldwide as the Green Party. Obama and McCain both support a global arms race. They believe in the "peace through strength" mantra with a clear destiny towards failure. It is time to truly heal the wounds the 20th Century has left us with. Building walls and bombs do not create Global Security. With 35% of the world living on less than $1 a day, Global Security will come through ending poverty - not bombing the poor. It is time for America to envision and implement the path to a more compassionate world, for both ourselves and all those on Earth.

Check Cynthia and Rosa out at www.runcynthiarun.org

Peace,

-Kevin

Legislative intelligence going offshore?

2008-07-29T11:30:00.000-07:00

The United States Legislative Branch is showing little signs of intelligence regarding energy. Assuming they had any intelligence, that which they have appears to be going into the sea.

1) Off-shore drilling GOP ( the advertisment they are capitulating to located to the left )

Fact: Off-shore drilling will take 12+ years to go online.

Fact: Off-shore drilling endangers our coastline for centuries

Fact: Off-shore oil will NOT be cheaper than conventionally drilled oil, even ignoring insurance risks.

SO why do Republicans really think that off-shore drilling will somehow reduce the price of oil today? Oil speculators could conclude that more oil will go online 13 years from now, and therefore lower prices for such futures. This is quite a long-shot, because demand 13 years from now will be considerably higher than it is now. American production in 2022 will be lower even if off-shore oil comes online. If we allow off-shore drilling now, the speculators will be better able to determine if it will make a significant dent in prices in around 2016.

The Republicans also are ignoring the fact that oil corporations can have multiple oil spills, with little repercussion. If Republicans want to reassure the American people, they will pass strict measures on the oil companies. Exxon is still trying to reduce any type of settlements based on their Valdez spill. Since Republicans now believe that Global Warming is a fact, they should also tack on a carbon tax of $50 a ton for all hydrocarbons.

2) Clueless Democrats

Al Franken would not support a carbon tax. But he did support a Minnesota gas tax increase, before he decided he was against gas taxes! Franken's mind-numbing logic also concludes that a gas tax "holiday" would be a bad idea. So does he support a gas tax or not?

The Democrats somehow believe that changing the makeup of our strategic petroleum reserve will somehow lower gas prices. Do they not realize that it will have to be re-added at some point? The reserve exists to be used only in times of true emergency. These fools are clueless as to what an emergency is.

In Minnesota, we have opportunities to NOT support such short-sighted policies in the US Senate race. Both Al Franken and Norm Coleman are prime examples of oil drunks lacking the will to sober up. We should kick the oil-peddling mentality out of Washington, allowing generations of Americans a future with potential. Signing the Oil Depletion Protocol would be a good start. We could begin to transition away from the lethal road hydrocarbons are taking us.

Will Minnesotans be able to circumvent the binary Coleman/Franken frenzy? I have little faith the media will give the Independence Party candidates any time, especially as they are consolidating their journalism activities towards bland national coverage( Star Tribune - you are getting pathetic). In such an atmosphere, only Ventura could have cut through. Too often voters seek the media to tell them who they are allowed to vote for. The corporate mainstream repeat misinformation against any potential threats to the two-parties. I often wonder if all the media-parrots would decide not to vote if the media told them not to?

If we elect Franken or Coleman this fall, it will mean Minnesotan's have only to blame ourselves for this long-term energy crisis. I certainly love my state more than to succumb to such a level of ignorance. I would rather vote None-of-the-Above and have an election do-over than support either of these two ditzy clowns!

Twin Cities Pride

2008-07-01T11:49:00.000-07:00

It was very uplifting marching in the Minneapolis Pride Parade. The positive cheers from enthusiastic supporters of Farheen's campaign were consistent throughout the parade, from start to finish. She will be a formidable ally in the state legislature with her undeviating support for LGBT rights. She knows we cannot have Minnesotans be treated unequally with regards to their personal relationships. She also knows that LGBT rights go beyond marriage, ensuring families from all walks of life the stability they rightly deserve.

Volunteering at the Green Party booth was also exhilarating. Many stopped by to see what the Greens were up to either locally or nationally. With 500,000 attending the event, it became apparent that many were from out of state but were aware of the Greens where they lived. We also handed out Farheen's custom made rainbow stickers, which were quite a hit! Several who stopped by recognized me as their favorite slot attendant at Mystic Lake. They were upset to hear that I no longer work there, but wished me the best in my future endeavors. The hours there were well-spent and am thankful for the opportunity to have been there! Special thank yous to Lydia Howell who made us sandwiches and tea!

I did end my time at the booth towards the end of the evening. It gave me time to check out all the other amazing activity going on at Pride. I stopped by several booths to chat. One I will particularly mention is that of the Log Cabin Republicans. I am thankful they are working towards the goal of inclusion. Log Cabin Republicans also tend to support Ron Paul, whose candidacy is also a step in the right direction for their party.

Alan Shilepsky, President of the Minnesota chapter was there to introduce their wing of the party to attendees. We had a fun discussion about energy, fiscal responsibility, and trade policies. Obviously we do not see eye to eye on many issues, but he did state that Greens truly live by their values, as opposed to other parties. My mom is a Republican, so I signed up to receive e-letters from the Log Cabin and will let her know what they are up to. ( She's also on the other side of the digital divide, and we do like to talk politics. She voted for Nader in 1996, but also Bush in 2000 & 2004)

I also was re-acquainted with a few ex-Mystic Lake employees at Pride. Good to see them and look forward to working with them on some future campaigns!

If you did not have the opportunity attend Pride this year, I hope to see you next year at Loring Park!

Amtrak Surpasses Northwest Airlines

2008-06-21T06:50:00.001-07:00

In the past week, Amtrak , for the first time ever, has surpassed Northwest Airlines in traffic to its website. Americans are well aware the traveling by air is getting more expensive, as it consumes an immense amount of fossil fuels. Hydrocarbons and valuable commodities, are not going down in cost anytime soon. Trains are much more efficient, but in America, they are still slower. Not a very practical attribute in a fast-paced society.

This is changing, and the Midwest

High Speed Rail Association is at the forefront. They are advocating for high-speed rail starting at the current rail hub of Chicago. Many Minneapolitans are familiar with our current Hiawatha line. But the future corridor between Minneapolis and Chicago bears the same name. It would be wise to support such a line, especially as Northwest Airlines has no qualms about moving its headquarters to Atlanta. That and the Twin Cities will cease to be of value in a post-cheap oil world without transit.

Adri Mehra, Green Party 5CD Candidate, Responds to Republican Inadequacies on Energy Policy

2008-06-05T07:18:00.000-07:00

Barb Davis White: wrong on energy, wrong on peak oil, woefully wrong on any solutions.

Ms. White also appears to not know or, worse, respect her own party’s history with regard to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. In 1960, the administration of PresidentEisenhower – a Republican – ordered the preserve federally protected. Currently the area supports more wildlife than any other protected habitat in the Arctic Circle, featuring six different eco-zones and thousands of migratory animals. Even the most optimistic pillagers acknowledge that ANWR’s total exploitation would only buy the nation a few more years at current consumptionlevels – sort of like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic in hopes that the ship will stay afloat.

Furthermore, extracting shale oil through tar sands, sometimes known as “strip mining,” has proven to be about as useful as a Republican in the Fifth District. Besides causing 10 percent more environmental damage than drilling for crude oil (including excessive land and water destruction), the process is painfully unreliable and horrendously slow - thus rendering it costly and inefficient, and a grand waste of the energy we were supposed to save in the first place.

Finally, nuclear energy development should be off the table until we find a safe way to dispose of the thousands of tons of viciously toxic radioactive waste that will continue to radiate cancer-causing emissions for thousands of years. In addition, nuclear power relies on highly enriched uranium, yet another air-choking fossil fuel – but much more expensive and dangerous to mine than all other options combined. It is true that France has had some success with reprocessing its spent fuel for further energy usage, but even they acknowledge that they cannot reduce the toxicity of the waste. This is all to say nothing of the constant risk of an “incident” resembling the 1986 meltdown of the reactor in Chernobyl, Russia, which resulted in thousands of cancer-related deaths estimated in the years that followed.

Barb Davis White’s “solutions” for the global energy crisis are just another example of the zero-sum game the Republicans love to play with our planet’s future. Peak oil is more than just a theory – it’s a clarion call for all of industrialized humanity to seek the development of new renewable energy resources in this late autumn of our dialogue with Earth’s oil. U.S. oil production peaked forty years ago, and the rest of the world is less than a generation behind. The time for denial, mitigation, and simple conservation is over. We need to fully fund sustainable solar and wind energy NOW to prevent famine and global economic collapse tomorrow.

Adri Mehra
Minnesota 5th Congressional District Candidate for US Congress
Seeking Green Party endorsement

Barb Davis White for 5CD

2008-05-24T06:57:00.000-07:00

I decided to meet the Republican's 5th Congressional District's candidate for U.S. House: Barb Davis White. In 2006, when the 5CD was an open seat, Alan Fine ran. He made attacks on Ellison his primary issue, which was a mistake because one could not remember what Fine stood for. I was also unable to meet him and find his perspective on energy.

Keegan's Irish Pub is located in Northeast Minneapolis. It is located just north of downtown and has a very fun and unique environment. An interesting fact is that it is the first and only Irish Pub Concept pub in Minnesota. The Minnesota Organization of Bloggers ( MOB ) meet there Thursdays around 7 P.M. They can easily be found to the rear of the building, outside and thereby easily accommodating smokers.

My primary mission in getting to this event was to discuss energy with Barb Davis White. She is a very charismatic person and definitely someone you can instinctively trust. But her answers on energy are from a perspective that is quite prevalent in America: one that refuses to change to fit a new reality.

I first stated that I was a blogger who is specifically focused on Peak Oil. She does not believe in the concept of Peak Oil, brushing of years of American oil production falling ( since 1970). What I think that many Americans are concerned about is "when it runs out" and it NEVER will. What is important is whether you can afford the last trillion barrels of oil. And America is only beginning to understand that it can not afford as much oil as it used to.

So, within the scope of not believing in oil as a finite resource, her answers to our energy problem are quite symptomatic of an addict: drill ANWR, process tar sands, build nuclear power and create a French model electrical system. Basically get as much energy as possible as soon as we can.

I have issues with these solutions, but I also do not want to see our society collapse. As much as I oppose any measure that would create more nuclear waste, Barb claims the French found a solution in re-processing them. I will have to read further about this, as I thought America just wanted to stuff all this waste in Yucca Mountain for the next 10,000 years.

When we talk about ANWR and shale oil, we are talking about very expensive oil also. Expensive for biodiversity and expensive for topsoil. While again, if society were to collapse these may be required. But we have to realize that these are temporary solutions to a long-term dilemma. Politicians are very often for status-quo and against radical change in a societal paradigm.

Discussing with Lynne Mayo about Barb's solution to Peak Oil: "ANWR and Shale oil." Her response: "Did you say she would end the war and share the oil?!?" If only this Freudian slip were true!

Solar power at Little Earth

2008-05-23T05:16:00.000-07:00

I attended this wonderful event at Little Earth yesterday, where solar panels were installed to offset energy expenses. The plan is for the entire community to have a panel on each home.

The keynote speakers were Van Jones and Winona LaDuke. What I found interesting to note here is that both were adamantly opposed to the Midtown Burner proposed by Kandiyohi Partners ( R.T. Rybak no doubt felt uncomfortable). Both also feel we can change course nationally on energy policy, putting forward initiatives like this one.

Van Jones observations that our younger generation need better alternatives than they currently are receiving. He stated that many are entrepreneurs and leaders already, but are doing the wrong things. Selling the wrong resources in a society that needs what it does not and that our society needs to move from a wasteful pollution-based economy to a zero-waste green one.

Winona discussed how White Earth would be setting up a 250 kilowatt wind-turbine with the help of SMSC. Hugo Chavez is supporting this project more than they are, but she isn't concerned with this. Winona is quick to point out that over half the potential wind-power in America is on Native American reservations. These tribes have more potential power than they can currently use, making them potential exporters of their local energy resource. I also appreciate that she used the word "relocalization" as this is what we need more than a corrupt top-down system that Americans consider as standard.

Jason Edens of RREAL spoke briefly. His organization brings solar-heating systems to families on energy assistance. His analysis is that we are subsidizing the oil and gas companies with these programs and not focused on long-term energy assistance. Local energy production would alleviate low-income families more than fossil fuel dependency does. Jason also believes we are going to face Peak Oil, and should have local solutions that do not leave the poor frozen in their homes.

I can't help but remember seeing SMSC Vice-Chair Glynn Crooks sitting next to Annie Young, Minneapolis Park Board - At Large - Green Party. I do not know where Glynn stands politically, he's more of an investor. I do know that SMSC donates large sums of money to the major two parties. They hedge their bets like any large business would. But if the new eco-jobs are to have any meaningful expansion in this century, they will need more individual investors. Government grants, be it from the US or Venezuela, should not be seen as the basis for a future society.

Glynn did not stay for the food, music, or visit the booth for supporting organizations. He's quite busy and I do not blame him. But for the sake of "green jobs" in the future, we will need investors like him engaged in the communities through projects similar to this. Peak Oil is a serious matter for those unable to hold jobs during the chaos that it will entail. Those with jobs will find they are "priced out" of a middle-class lifestyle. The American way of life will change or die, and conscious investment in our future will determine a more positive outcome.

Post-oil Dark Ages?

2008-05-21T07:35:00.000-07:00

With oil skyrocketing, is it difficult to surmise that we will plunge into another dark age? Many Americans think this is not possible, but after the Roman Empire collapsed, Europe stopped building homes, writing history, producing art, and embraced Christianity to the literal detriment of its former faith's adherents.

There are people and countries already in a Dark Age. Countries that are allies of America and considered "enlightened" compared to other nations on their continent. Prime example: Kenya. This nation is an ally of America's, and is considered a stable nation. But their elections are based on tribalism. And anything except Christianity and Islam is seen as "evil."

Just as in America, Kenya has two major parties running for president. These are coalitions of different parties, based on tribal lines. There is a difference between rural and urban voters, as many in Nairobi chose to vote for another candidate than their rural tribe did. But when a similar situation to Bush v. Gore occurred, the nation fell to chaos. Few Kenyans participated in the disruption compared to those who were affected. As terrorism reminds us, it takes but a few extreme and organized people to bring a country to its knees.

In Kenya, witchcraft is illegal. Is anyone then surprised when women are burned after being accused as witches ? This is 2008, and Monty Python could still make a modern sequel to the Holy Grail. Do we really need politics so intertwined with religion? Or can we choose a better world.

While I do see a Dark Age as distinct possibility, it is not inevitable. Humanity can embrace a more peaceful approach to this situation without succumbing to aggression. Various different ways of looking at the world are possible, if we give them a chance.

Oprah just finished her show on A New Earth with Eckhart Tolle. Rather than seeing the world in the competitive paradigm of the ego, seek the intuitive understanding of your own being. The biggest obstacle to this is living in the present moment. If you can not get a glimpse of this, it would be difficult to further go down this avenue. But Eckhart is quick to note that if humanity does not live more consciously, we will destroy ourselves. The fate of humanity is being held in the balance, and we cannot keep going down the same egoic path.

I also recommend nonviolent forms of communication. Simply by stating in a sane manner what you are feeling, you prevent and even dissipate conflict. You may not get instant results as you might think you would in a direct verbal attack, but you prevent long-term harm and foster healthier relationships with those you come into contact with.

And even if one dismisses or ignores these, it is hard not to imagine Americans coming together to face such a burden. We will unite in ways currently unthinkable. Getting to know our neighbors better, starting gardens, and starting businesses that allow for the economy to continue.

Before hydrocarbons made life much simpler and individualistic, we lived in more tribal settings. Many of these were around 150-300 in size and did not get much larger or smaller. Each member of a tribe had a niche that benefited their tribe, be it hunter, farmer, or water collector. I think this will also be a possibility, though not as much in urban settings as rural. These newer tribes will most likely occur organically through like-minded individuals coming together in creating intentional communities, that will morph into what needs to work rather than what was initially imagined.

What these world views have in common is one thing: trust in humanity. If you think humanity is incapable of anything but war and corruption, then peaceful means of living are alien to you. I certainly do not believe that any one person, organization, or political party will be able to move America through the perils of Peak Oil alone. It will take all of our collective ingenuity to face such an obstacle that man has never faced before.

Jesse Ventura ( Or None-of-the-above ) for U.S. Senate!

2008-05-15T19:06:00.000-07:00

Did I get to meet Jesse Ventura at the Mall of America tonight? You betcha! And of course, got a nifty autograph of his in his new book. I even got to the mall using light-rail that would not exist yet but for Jesse.

He was able to state much of his beliefs on the current state of our political system: it isn't working. The politicians and media are owned by the interests of making money. They are focused on short-term gain rather than long-term sustainment. And if there is one person who can create a truly multipartisan campaign of supporters, it's Jesse Ventura.

He discussed how NOTA (None of the Above) should be on the ballot, and would give voters the right to show their disapproval of those running for office. He discussed how the two-party system supported by an entertainment-based news media feed a corrupt system. Few wish to question how sad a state our nation is in, but a leader is one who asks the hard questions and demands better results from our government.

If he were to run for U.S. Senate, he has one issue that neither major party can dispute: the National Debt. How can they claim they didn't support this? It is holding America back, and the interest alone is just under 20% of our annual taxes! Democrats want to continue spending unchecked without new taxes, and Republicans want to cut the governments income without cutting budgets! Pathetic! Both Norm Coleman and Al Franken are highly supportive of maintaining the status-quo.

What we need in Washington is a Constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget - and no exceptions. If there is a war or economic depression - tough, raise taxes or cut spending. Our national budget has been living in fantasy land and reality will hit us hard when this illusion can no longer be maintained.

One of Jesse's ideas that I disagree with is that we should stop giving aid to poorer nations. I think that it is imperative that the wealthy nations improve the lives of those that are not. It would reduce human populations growth, eradicate malaria, and reduce the future likelihood of terrorism. I also believe it is the right thing to do, and will continue to support a Global Marshall Plan. We can easily do this by ending our imperialism and bringing ALL of our troops home - even Germany and South Korea. The United Nations should be the global peace-keepers - not the USA or China.

One of Jesse's media opponents decided to try to ask a question. But Jesse made clear that he would speak to no Minnesotan media. He was especially angry at one Star Trib columnist known as CJ. It is odd, I read the Star Tribune a few times a week and never really read her columns. I notice those by the awful Katherine Kersten and the decent Doug Grow among others. Who is this CJ? Anyways, she is someone who decided to make up a story about Jesse's son having parties in the Governor's Mansion. It was bogus, but she ran on this sensational story anyways. The rest of the media used her column as a source, and Jesse has hated the Minnesotan media for this very personal attack on his family ever since. Can't say I blame him, but the media don't always get their facts correct. It's amazing how they choose to only show so much of a story, or cut out illuminating context. But sensation sells right?

One issue Jesse doesn't really go into detail in his book or in any public appearance is Peak Oil. This is something that is important, especially if we are at the point. Okay, call it an undulating plateau - but it is still Peak Oil. But fortunately Jesse is paying attention to Global Warming and believes we must act - and he actually means that he would. Does he unplug his "vampire energy" sources? You betcha, and he noticed his energy usage drop immediately. I think it imperative that we elect a leaders who actually would enact a carbon tax and end our hydrocarbon addiction.

I highly recommend anyone interested in populist politics or simply the state of America read Jesse's book - Don't Start the Revolution Without Me! But read it one chapter at a time and stop to reflect a while before beginning a new chapter. I do not think it is meant to be read all at once. As a Minnesotan, I am still proud that he was our Governor. Would Norm Coleman or Skip Humphrey really have helped the future of Minnesota as Jesse did? No, they would not. And reading this new book gives one an even better appreciation of his time in office .

Jim Ogonowski's campaign - A Major Party theme?

2008-04-17T08:47:00.000-07:00

I am sensing a trend here. And it crosses both sides of the political "aisle" so I can't complain right? That is what a political pundit or even an "activist" journalist might say. But I am not beholden to partisan co-workers or corporate advertisers while writing. I am appalled at the state of our democracy and how candidates for US Congress can choose to beg for money but not state where they stand on issues.

My initial statement on this issue was Jackie Speier, whose supporters have attacked me for blogging about their most worthy candidate because she begged me for money for months. When you beg for money you should state your issues. Some of what her website now states as her issues were taken from e-mails I sent her, and that is fine with me. ( In example energy is a national security issue. )

Speir fans should take note, she has a photo of soldiers wearing DCUs on your website. Those have been out of commission since 2005, maybe you haven't heard about ACUs, but that is what the ARMY wears now. But her thoughts on Iraq are like Hillary Clinton's: fund the war indefinitely and end the war someday over the rainbow.

Now we have a Republican running against John Kerry in Massachusetts for US Senate. He has no issues page at all. The Speier fans went into a frenzy claiming I couldn't justify saying she was a non-issue candidate because she now has issue statement. Well, she didn't for 3 months while she badgered me for money. Now Mr. Ogonowski is begging and has no issues page at all. Unlike Ms. Speier who had one but each page stated a synonym of "coming soon. " At least she tried.

Mr. Ogonowski makes a cheap flash movie on John Kerry and tests its fund-raising ability. Nice way to run a campaign! So what do you stand for again? Oh, whoever gives you the most money can decide. Very Major-Party-like of you.

So to "prove" that he has no issues, I have taken an image of his website and will post it here. At least we know that West Coast Democrats and East Coast Republicans have something in common: they want money and power and won't let the public truly know how they will use it. And immigrants think America is less corrupt than their homeland!

DLC vying for Vice President

2008-04-13T13:49:00.000-07:00

It is generally believed that Obama will win the Democrat Party nomination for president. Yet Hillary continues to run while some would like her to drop out. I think it foolish for anyone to drop out if they are to attain the highest office of the Executive Branch. Dennis Kucinich would still be in the race had he not received competition for his seat in the U.S. House. Hillary should also stay in for all the women who want to see her win, and for the sexist men who think no woman can fill the role.

But it is hard to forget that this is not just any woman but Hillary Clinton. And it is not hard to forget what wing of the Democrat Party she represents: the right. She is part of the Democratic Leadership Council or DLC. These are essentially the Neocons who never left the Democrat Party. Few realize it was initially Hillary Clinton who claimed Iraq and 9-11 were somehow connected. Few know that it was Clinton's speech after 9-11 that was plagiarized continually by Bush to calm the American people. And it is with this mentality that the DLC and the Neocons wish to continue the American Empire and its wars further in this century.

Then there is Barack Obama. The strongest organization that he associates with, and few know of, is the Network of Spiritual Progressives. Obama is pushing for a bill in the Senate that Keith Ellison is in the House: a Global Marshall Plan. Rather than funding the Iraq War or any other such waste, the Global Marshall Plan would enable the billions of poor humans opportunities many of us take for granted: free primary education, vaccines for malaria, adequate food, etc. This would prevent not only future resource wars, but allow humanity to recover from impoverishment and be given the tools to make wiser decisions.

The DLC knows that Obama belongs to a wing of the party opposed to its strategies. But the also know that Obama is beholden to party interests and maintaining the "big tent" strategy of the main two parties. They have a quite simple goal if Hillary is not going to win: ensure that his running mate is a member of the DLC. If he were willing to do this already, Hillary would have little reason to continue running. But I suspect he has not given in, just as he did not cave to the money of PACs or Corporations.

There are many positions that I disagree with the Obama campaign on. But if he solidifies the chasm of difference between the DLC and the party in the Executive Branch, then he has made a positive impact on American politics. Let us not forget that the Republican version of the DLC is known as the Project for a New American Century with George W. Bush as their current leader. We need a better vision of the future, rather than a war-mongering corporate Empire.

Greens against the Override

2008-03-09T23:22:00.000-07:00

One would assume that any Green in the Minnesota House would instantly approve of the recent transportation override. They might vote for it, but not after arguing about the intent and process of the new taxes. As it currently stands, these new taxes are not within the party's values.

2 Penny Gas Tax ( on April 1st )

I don't really have a lot of problems with the gas-tax, except that it has to be used for roads and bridges. It is Constitutionally mandated, and perhaps the Green Party should add to it's platform that they want this changed. Republicans wouldn't know the difference, because all those who I've spoken with believe it goes into the general fund. So why not make it official?Let the roads crumble - and build more train lines instead. Future generations will thank us for allowing the car-culture to collapse locally before the rest of America will have no choice but to.

The DFL may lose some seats this year over the "outrageous" 2 penny gas hike. I wonder if they will think it was worth it. The Republicans who supported the override, especially those from Edina, may find their predicaments a bit harsh. But at least Laura Brod can still run for Governor in a few years. No need to attack her since she "forgot" to vote on it.

Transit Sale Tax

This tax will be imposed without a voter referendum. This flies in the face of grassroots democracy, and would be fought by Greens. If residents were allowed to vote on this, I know it would pass in a majority of counties - even Scott and Carver. So why not vote on a new tax? Hennepin County hands taxpayer money to Minnesota's billionaire Carl Pohlad, but might not if its residents were given a choice.

The tax creates a transit renaissance in the Twin Cities that will attempt to rival the original system abandoned last century. Streetcars built these cities, but LRT and bicycle paths will be more energy efficient than even that system.

I don't expect the fools in my old homes of Carver and Scott Counties to join in the festivities. They will engorge themselves on auto-dependent development until long after it's days are over. Then they will cry for even a couple bus routes to the Eden Prairie LRT, while their residents fill the park and rides in neighboring counties. Maybe Rice county will join before Scott? We could then build a LRT route right through the county,without any stops there, to Fairbault and Northfield, or even commuter rail to Mankato.

In Summary Greens believe:

The transit sales tax should be approved by counties through a voter referendum, rather than imposed by county commissioners.

Gas taxes should not be spent solely on roads and bridges - but added to the general fund or used for transit

A carbon tax would be more beneficial to reducing CO2 than a gas tax alone.

Green Party Caucus

2008-03-04T22:22:00.000-08:00

The Green Party caucus went smoothly in south Minneapolis today. I was able to pass a platform change that would support the Global Marshall Plan and we passed a resolution opposing the Midtown Burner.

We supported Cynthia McKinney's bid for the Presidency over Nader 7 to 1. Impressive, though Nader is not formally seeking Green Party endorsement. He is seeking any endorsement he can get, and feels the Greens are not a threat but a progressive ally. Had he run as a Green, I doubt he would have won in Senate District 61 today.

We heard from US Senate candidates Michael Cavlan and Thomas Harens. Both are strong on Green issues. Though they both have their weak spots. Thomas is more business oriented, while Cavlan more the anti-corporate type. I supported Cavlan in 2006, but feel Thomas is more than ready to spread the message of our party to a wider audience. An audience that is more a part of the green movement than the actual party, with his goal to bring us together. There were no attacks against each other, though Cavlan did stress his long-term commitment to the party, while Thomas could make no such claim having recently joined. Thomas has also done little work toward racial justice,but has remained more focused on sustainability issues. Both candidates know the seriousness of peak oil and how higher crude prices drag our economy down.

Farheen Hakeem attended and is still running a campaign that has the DFL scared witless. I doubt they will have a candidate who has the experience or knowledge that Farheen has. Mr. Hayden assumes that the DFL machine will hand him the seat. But if any challenger shows up on the primary ballot, he'll need as much help as he can get from them. His record in such primaries hasn't worked to his benefit in the past, garnering third place behind Elizabeth Glidden and Marie Hauser for city council Ward 8.

Jackie Speier's Hollow Candidacy

2008-02-28T07:03:00.000-08:00

I use Gmail, and frequently see ads for Mike Huckabee, Mike Bloomberg, and Jackie Speier. It appears that they are all working to improve their campaigns, but Ms. Speier is not running a national one. She's running for Congress in California.

Her ads have shown up for 3 months now, and still her issues pages state "coming soon." This is her entire issues summed up: She's against the war. The war is destroying the American economy. Something must be done about health-care. Better access to student loans.

That's it. Oh, and she's a Democrat. She's vague. But she's fund-raising nationwide using the internet. Big on hype, little on substance. That reminds me of the technology hype of Silicon Valley, movie and music hype of Hollywood, political hype of Arnold Schwarzenegger, and housing hype where homes cost over $500,000. Greens there endorsed Ralph Nader by large numbers, while the rest of America's Greens prefer Cynthia McKinney. Sounds like California to me.

It's good to be a little different and stand out. But what do you stand for? And how effective will you be if you have all hype but no substance (Speier) - or too much substance but little support (Nader)?

I have e-mailed her campaign several times, and have received no reply. I have called her campaign's phone number ( (650) 347-4370 ) and left voice mails twice. When I receive a reply, I will post it - because my focus was on issues and not "what will Jackie's hair look like at the rally? I prefer curly hair.." or other such drivel.

Ms. Speier's campaign reflects current American politics - little on substance and a lot of hype. When asked the tough questions, they prefer to be on both sides of the issue - assuming they answer the question. At a time when America needs serious leadership, we get power-hungry phantoms who prefer to look at the latest poll in deciding what to support and how. Put your finger in the wind and seek the direction of least resistance.

What true leader will stand up and say that America's heading for bankruptcy? Where will solutions to Peak Oil and Global Warming come from if no leader states bluntly that we should stop using energy excessively - and put teeth in legislation to make it happen. "America is addicted to oil" as Bush stated back in 2005. Yet he does nothing to ameliorate our situation. People eat unhealthy foods and buy bigger digital TVs, then wonder why their health-care expenses are so high. When will a true leader tell America that on President can't change the world - that we must all do our part to make America better. And when will Americans of all political stripes band together to solve the myriad of problems facing humanity?

I am not involved in the Greens just because their values match mine. Their members actually do what they politically believe in. They are a vast combination of: vegetarians, who buy organic, garden, live carfree, subsidize wind energy, recycle, strive to live nonviolently, are community and social activists, and won't keep quiet in the face of injustice.

When I see someone in a car toss their Starbuck's latte cup on the street, I calmly walk over and pick it up and find the nearest trash receptacle. When I walk home from work, I pick up cans and trash with a plastic bag I keep with me. I invest in my son's future education and for my own retirement. I don't expect government to do everything for me - because that is now why it exists. Our government is a reflection of our society, and our society is greatly ill. I pray that we wake up, hope that better future can be realized.

But campaigns like Jackie Speier undermine grassroots democracy, in support of a powerful elite with no intention of real change in America. I hope the Greens run against her in California. Though he is NOT a Green, Ralph Nader could run against someone like her. He would still garner media attention and might even get more votes!

Gas Taxes could be called a USER FEE

2008-02-26T07:51:00.000-08:00

It is ridiculous to think the Minnesota gas tax should never increase. Some say gas prices are so high an added tax would be regressive, hurting families. Others chide in that the roads are still there, why worry? And some would rather cut all such taxes and rely on income tax alone to fund our roads.

Let's get past the simplistic rhetoric and talk actual facts:

1) Oil prices will never fall again to $1 a gallon ever ( yes, even if Obama or McCain are elected ). We should be happy that they are below $10, because that is what they pay in Europe and what we will pay in 10 years.

2) Adjusted for inflation, Minnesota trunk highway spending in 1998 was $1.4B, with 66% funding from from motor vehicle and fuel taxes. In 2007 we spent $1.5B with 50% from vehicle and fuel taxes. In essence, we have become more reliant on state income tax to pay for roads, meaning less spend on health and education.

3) If we are serious about mitigating the pains of Global Warming and peak oil, we must tax oil more not less. Any tax should be indexed to inflation indefinitely unless we decide roads are unimportant. Or we can create a carbon tax and use that money to further reduce our reliance on hydrocarbons. If a road "user fee" is unacceptable, then why fund them with income taxes?

What is truly shocking about the entire transportation debate in Minnesota, is that it took our largest corporations to influence our legislature that they needed to do something! Are the citizens of Minnesota so far behind the times that they can't understand we are losing our competitive edge?

"No new taxes" means a Minnesota resembling a low-tax Mexico in 30 years. Mexico has plenty of jobs. Yet not enough to keep up with population growth or pay well. I suggest the "no new taxes" people compare low-tax nations with ours. Then we could see for ourselves what they truly suggest.

All the DFLers voted for this change. The Republicans who did risk losing support from the anti-tax wing of their party. I commend them. The Republicans who chose a better future for Minnesota transportation are:

Senate:

Dille (Dassel); Frederickson (New Ulm)

House

Abeler (Anoka); Erhardt (Edina); Hamilton (Mountain Lake); Heidgerken (Freeport); Peterson, N. (Bloomington); Tingelstad (Andover)

It is interesting to note that Laura Brod of New Prague chose to not vote. Her calculated voting record probably means she is a future prospect for governor, but is more a liberal/neoconservative than her colleagues.

Superdelegates and Grassroots Democracy

2008-02-16T12:01:00.000-08:00

For a political party that claims to believe in democracy, why do they insist on allowing superdelegates? The people who are supposed to be above and beyond the actual delegates are the elected officials and long-term partisans. Their power yields even more power within the party. From my perspective, this wreaks of corruption.

But then again, what is corruption? I consider it the misuse of power. Others only worry about it if they feel hurt by it, because if it helps them it is justified. So much of the US government is corrupt, but we don't worry about things like the National Debt and the environment because our children can worry about that, right?

So when Amy Klobuchar and other party insiders can't decide who they support, while elected from Minnesota, that is okay - right? After all, they have the power and can do with it what they want. Accountability for voting against Minnesota's wishes won't hurt you in a US Senate election because it's not like we have a choice in a two-party system. Minnesota voted for Obama over Clinton at a ration of 2 to 1, yet Amy is having a difficult time deciding how to wield her significant power.

While the hypocrisy of democracy in a two-party system is quite noticeable, we do have options. We can support change where we can, and the Green Party already states its position on Grassroots Democracy:

1. GRASSROOTS DEMOCRACY Every human being deserves a say in the decisions that affect their lives and not be subject to the will of another. Therefore, we will work to increase public participation at every level of government and to ensure that our public representatives are fully accountable to the people who elect them. We will also work to create new types of political organizations which expand the process of participatory democracy by directly including citizens in the decision-making process.

Superdelegates add to the abundant cynics of our election system. It also shows the true colors of the Democrat Party - stay with us to gain power and we will give you more. Makes one wonder who Joe Lieberman and Zell Miller would support as a superdelegates if they hadn't willingly left the party.

I was initially astonished that Obama is now catering to them. He is asking his supporters to convince them to support his campaign. Obama realizes the corruption within his party can't be ignored if he wants to be on the ballot. But Howard Dean was also the candidate for change in 2004, adamantly supporting the idea of superdelegates. Can we assume that Obama will undo this undemocratic method?

The DFL is also turning against the caucus system in Minnesota. The caucus saves taxpayer money and allows for party members more control over their party. It also alleviates the heavy burden on independents and third parties to get on primary ballots. The Illinois Green Party has received several complaints about their state primary: voters were told that there was no Green Party ballot, or they were given a Democratic ballot on green paper, or they were told to vote on a touch-screen machine while other voters cast paper ballots. So again, the Democrats are turning their back on Grassroots Democracy to allow for more government control of the political process.

Greens, Independents, and like-minded Republicans and Democrats should fight for the caucus system in their state. In Minnesota, we have a presidential preference primary during the initial hours of the caucus and then start party business. If the DFL or other parties wanted to have the presidential vote all day, they could choose to do that. But they will need volunteers, not anyone employed by the state or the use of taxpayer money to assist them. Support Grassroots Democracy by insisting on a caucus and ending superdelegates.

Coulter endorses Clinton?

2008-02-02T20:46:00.000-08:00

Okay, I was hanging out with my Mom last night and were having fun checking out videos on YouTube. I decided to actually check out the main page and scan for anything interesting. You can imagine our shock when we came upon an actual video of Ann Coulter endorsing Hillary Clinton! I guess McCain must be quite the polarizing candidate for the Republicans.

My mother is a die-hard Bush fanatic, while I am obviously an ardent Green. Yet we both like Barack Obama, and would prefer to see him President more than any other front-runners. We both watched the live video of the Minneapolis rally at the Target Center.

The truth is, Ann Coulter is right. Hillary Clinton is by far the closest candidate to Dubya. He even stole right from Clinton's speeches after 9-11 and prior to the Iraq War. Hillary was touting the link between Al Qaeda and Iraq more than Bush was! McCain is only going along with the surge to allow himself to be still called a Republican. He's a moderate who is moving the party to the center on many key issues. But the Clintons surpass McCain in their move to the far-right on issues of trade and the US military empire. Anyone that hasn't realized this hasn't done the research!

While I will not be attending a caucus in February, I still urge those who do to consider supporting Barack Obama (and Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer) in the DFL. I know my mother will, my friend Habtamu Ansha, and several others. Instead myself and dozens of others will be campaigning for Farheen Hakeem in House District 61B. ( I currently live in 61A )

Meanwhile, I ponder how awful a situation America could be in if we only have a choice of McCain or Clinton. And how Ann Coulter would be campaigning for the "liberals" she has for so long hated. Ironic, but it shows how far the Democrats are willing to move to win. Which is why the "electable" argument shouldn't always be the most important one.

Edwards and the Upper Class

2008-01-06T20:14:00.000-08:00

I think it quite horrifying that Americans are so utterly clueless about presidential candidate John Edwards. He is like the personification of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - not someone I would want for President. He talks about the two-Americas: one very rich and one at a standstill and getting poorer. He claims to be on the side of the poor and middle class as a candidate. But in real life he worked for a hedge fund named Fortress Investments Group.

Hedge funds are very lucrative for those multi-billionaires who want their assets invested with a bit more secrecy than for normal investors. Fortress also benefits from being incorporated in the Cayman Islands, reducing possibilities for paying US taxes.

Edwards was paid 500K for a few meeting with Fortress, to the benefit of the ultra-wealthy he claims to be opposed to. If he were truly committed to change, would he not be working for organizations that invest in Fair Trade, Organic foods, and renewable energy. I understand that this may not be instantaneously profitable, but it is the energy put into something that can make it more effective long-term. I also understand that many talented individuals lament the possibility to do this yet make less money. Why not do it part-time until it takes off? And any true leader would do so more than he does for unsustainable firms.

If John Edwards is indeed working for more sustainable firms, then I would like to know about it. We need a president fully involved in the Socially Responsible Investments market, not the profit-at-all-costs market of the previous centuries.

Hope for Kenya

2008-01-03T00:10:00.000-08:00

If you look at they typical American media, you might think that the latest election in Kenya was solely about tribal politics. Delving further into the news there, I have found more than that. I recommend checking out the Daily Nation, The Daily Standard, and the ODM-Kenya Party.

Odinga believes in Universal Healthcare, reducing the size of Kenya's military, and improving the livelihood of Kenya's poor. Yet he also drives a Hummer, as the Governator does in California. He wants taxes reduced but opposes trickle down economics. He wants a Marshall Plan for Kenya, that could only be financed through a progressive tax. He sounds like an FDR populist.

When officially announcing his run for Presidency, Raila Odinga stated " To paraphrase Nelson Mandela, I dream of a Kenya at peace with itself; a country free of hatred. As Martin Luther King Jr said, hatred paralyses life while love releases it. Hatred confuses life, while love harmonises it. Hatred darkens life, while love illuminates it."

Also stating in his announcement speech, "Tribalism is today tearing this country apart." If Odinga really wants to end the bloodshed, he should ensure that his rally in Uhuru Park does not incite more hatred than hope. Though Kibaki is against the rally, it is important that freedom of speech and right to assemble are allowed for democracy to flourish.

His supporters have a right to be angry if the election was rigged or tampered with in any way. But to use the announced results as an excuse to riot, pillage, rape, and murder are not to be condoned. Odinga should extinguish the cycle of tribal warfare in Kenya. He should heal the wounds through word and then action if he is the true winner of the election. There will be hope for Kenya if its chosen leader acts with the highest of wisdom and compassion for all Kenyans.

2007 Blog Disclosure

2008-01-01T23:58:00.000-08:00

Name of Blog: Multipartisan Minnesota
Organizer: Kevin Chavis
1168 visitors from 11 October 2007 until December 31, 2007

Purpose: The primary intention of this blog is to gather those from all active political parties in Minnesota to focus on one main issue: energy - particularly Peak Oil and Global Warming. I would like an active member of each party to blog at least once a year on this particular subject. The diverse perspectives would be a welcome voice on this important issue, as we rarely see our media discuss more than two sides.

As a member of the Minnesota Green Party, my individual blogger focus is on: 1)Envisioning a society that values compassion and wisdom 2) Supporting peace and justice for all beings. and 3) Preparing for a post-oil world. I consider these issues to be intertwined and do my best to connect the dots.

No profit is made (apart from knowledge) and sources are always stated explicitly.

Participation in this blog is available to those interested. Please e-mail KevinChavis AT Yahoo dot com with subject line:"Multipartisan Blog"

Blogger Political Contributions:

Kevin Chavis:

$100 to Neighbors for Cam Gordon
$50 to the 5th Congressional District Green Party
$50 to the Barack Obama for President campaign
$50 to the United States Green Party
$25 to the Cynthia McKinney for Congress

Who has military support?

2007-12-20T23:20:00.000-08:00

This has been covered by the media, but not as frequently as false claims of military support come from candidates such as John McCain. McCain has stated that he has the most support - when in fact two candidates have much more support: Barack Obama and Ron Paul. Both candidates adamantly against the Iraq War since 2002. This says more about the shape of our military and the policies that have put them there. Overextended tours in Iraq and Afghanistan are crippling our military strength and soldiers want it to end now! As a veteran of the Iraq War ( OIF III ), I also support any candidate who will get us out of these conflicts.

The clip from USA Today:

WASHINGTON — Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Ron Paul have little in common politically, except their opposition to the Iraq war.

Both top a new list of presidential candidates receiving campaign contributions from people who work for the four branches of the military and National Guard, according to a study released Thursday by the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics.

Obama, an Illinois senator, brought in more donations from this group than any White House contender from either party. The Democrat announced Wednesday his plan to withdraw all U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of 2008.

Paul, a Texas congressman and the only GOP presidential hopeful who supports an immediate troop withdrawal, comes in second.

This does not put into perspective with other candidates. I found one website looking solely at Republican candidates. Obama beat them all, but nonetheless here is a list from July:

NAME: TOTAL [ARMY] [NAVY] [AIRFORCE] [VETERAN] [USMC**]

RON PAUL: 24,965 [6,975] [6,765] [4,650] [5,075] [1,500]
McCain: 17,475 [6925] [6305] [1795] [800] [1600]
Romney: 3,551 [2,051] [0] [1500] [0]
Giuliani: 2,320 [1,450] [370] [250] [250]
Hunter: 1000 [0] [1000] [0]
Huckabee: 750 [250] [0] [500]
Tancredo: 350 [350] [0] [0]
Brownback: 71 [71] [0] [0]
Thompson: 0 [0] [0] [0]

Units are contributions in dollars by employees of the respective military organizations.

Source: Finance Reports for the 2007 July Quarterly.

Percentages**:

49.5% Ron Paul
34.6% McCain
7.0% Romney
4.6% Giuliani
2.0% Hunter
2.3% Others

The once maverick McCain clearly has support from the military. But if anyone has a mandate or political capital gained from military support - it is Barack Obama, then Ron Paul. McCain takes 3rd place, yet you only hear him talk about how isolationist Paul is.

A McCain Administration would dishearten our military if elected. He would make recruitment and retention goals that much less attainable. Veterans and service members can take comfort in the latest polls, because McCain is looking more tired politically than ever before.

Regressive Ron - Progressive Greens

2007-12-12T08:27:00.000-08:00

If I were a die-hard Republican and against the Iraq war, my only choice for President would be Ron Paul. He is an old school politician known as a Libertarian. To someone of a liberal mind, he doesn't make a lot of sense: let states decide major issues not in the Constitution. And also income tax is "unconstitutional" even if authorized by the 16th amendment.

This is a very defining moment for the Republican party. I believe it marks the take-over of their party by the Neo-Conservatives. 9/11 illuminated this wing, and brought it fully public. The Project for the New American Century had ideas, including the spreading of democracy globally, starting with Iraq. Republicans have embraced these ideals, including many liberals. The anti-tax and fundamentalist wings were disregarded for the most part, as government spending outpaced economic growth. Our national debt is now over $9T, and even Hillary can't remember what Ross Perot was grumbling about.

The major issues that no party wants to discuss are Peak Oil, the National Debt, and the inherent racism in our society. We can pretend these are not issues, as both parties currently are. Oil production most likely peaked in 2006, the National Debt is out of control, and we have not yet dismantled the tools of discrimination. How can we move forward as a nation when these threaten our economic and social security more than terrorism ever will?

Ron Paul does deal with these issues, but not with the intent of a progressive or Green. He envisions an America far different - even if he dismantles our militant empire. I cannot live in an America that varies so drastically from state to state. Paul still thinks we are a nation of nations, but the Civil War ended that utopian vision. We need to be a progressive rather than regressive nation.

There is only one party that vigorously takes on these issue: the Green Party. We already know what the major two parties will do: nothing or exacerbate these problems further. The Libertarians and Constitution Parties would move our nation backward, and allow the magical "free market" solve these problems. Unity08 is still in conceptional stages in creating a new party. The only one left standing and capable of change are the Greens.

Cynthia McKinney, Elaine Brown, and Jared Ball are all running for the Presidency within the Green Party. The average amount each American will donate to a Presidential candidate is less than $3. Small donations by a committed group can sway an election, unlike how the media portray big donors as the primary catalysts for change. Any amount you can assist them with or the Green Party is more than most citizens care to give. You can participate in changing the direction of America, or you can sit on the sidelines and watch others do so.

And sorry Ed Felien, I will not attend a Republican caucus next February. Thanks - but truly no thanks to this particular invite. The Republicans need to find who they are in this century. America needs a party to stand up to them, and we know the Democrats will not cut military obligations or funding so as not to appear "weak." Therefore I support the Greens adamantly. Let's debate the purpose of American militarism and whether it really makes us more secure long-term.

GOP YouTube Debate

2007-12-02T09:33:00.000-08:00

The night after the YouTube debate, I decided to log onto YouTube and check it out myself. I was surprised at how lively this debate was, considering how much Republican's were initially reluctant to try the new format out. GOPers do not like to be asked questions by fictitious characters such as snowmen.

The worst candidate was easily Mitt Romney, who waffled more questions than I thought possible. His lack of answers makes me believe he supports torture, will enforce marriages through various schemes, and a police state. This after he states he is "more liberal than Ted Kennedy." Anyone who adamantly supports Romney after this debate, is fooling themselves and supporting an opportunist.

The candidate who held is own was probably Guiliani, though he is despicable on the issues, but actually answers questions the majority of the time. McCain seemed like an angry white male the entire time. Huckabee made a humorous statement: that Jesus would never foolish enough to run for public office. ( which is why Ajahn Brahm has stated numerous times that any President of the United States probably does not have good karma )

Ron Paul was clearly the most divisive of candidates in the GOP currently. He states the obvious and the crowd is shocked. Would America be okay if the Chinese were occupying the United States to free us from a dictator? Even after this dictator were deposed, would we be happy with such an occupation - especially if they were then importing massive amounts of our coal? The crowd remained rather mute, apart from those who agreed with him. The question has yet to be answered by GOP supporters, that is if they didn't ignore it completely.

The fact that the military overwhelmingly supports Ron Paul is not enough for those who control the GOP. They can make the claim that he is hated by the military instead, and because Americans are so disconnected from those in the service, many will believe it. Yet this veteran supports him enthusiastically if he is able to do what he says. And if you pay attention to how the media attacks Paul, it becomes obvious that as one put it "an increasingly authoritarian establishment feels threatened." As it should, because not all Americans are going to continue being complacent in our current environment.

National Debt Clock

The Republican Party is clearly not going to end its debt spending crusade. The only things they plan to cut are "non-defense related." If you are going to cut government spending, you cut ALL of it. If we are overspending by 10%, then cut all budgets by that amount. If you need more for the military, then negotiate cuts from other places in the budget. The only solution to this is a Constitutional amendment requiring a balanced Federal budget, with no provisions for war and no excuses. If America goes to war, then the extra money should come through taxes or other such fund-raising - not through debt. Excessive military spending comprises the entirety of our national debt, and the GOP refuses to acknowledge this fact. Their solutions to our National Debt is currently non-existent.

A Republican president cannot make abortion illegal, make guns available freely, or deport immigrants. The President can easily shape the size of our military overseas. If we bring home the troops from Iraq, Korea, Japan, and even Iceland we can begin to reduce the strain on our troops and Federal budget. Our National Debt could be paid off and Social Security made solvent. By the time the Baby Boomers all retire, we can say we solved the crisis and didn't have to raise taxes. We may even be able to reduce taxes! But our imperialistic empire cannot sustain itself on the backs of the working class, and must be reigned in now or we will all pay the price.

Many take issue with Paul's stance on immigration. He would like America to remain sovereign, and send those outside of our system back. There needs to be a way for temporary workers to come to America. Yet our immigration problem reflects a lack of discipline on the part of other nations to improve the conditions of their people.

A simple issue that reflects a lack of government planning is population growth. Estados Unidos has 14.16 births/1,000 population while in Mexico it is 20.36 ( 2007 CIA estimates). Mexico needs to promote family planning. Only when birthrates drop can jobs growth catch up with population growth - or surpass it as it has in the US. So is enforcing immigration laws and implementing comprehensive solutions can make nations more accountable for such inaction. Liberals tend to forget this frequently, but also believe we should not force other nations to do what we want them to.

Peak Oil Production - July 2006

2007-11-26T09:24:00.000-08:00

There are many in America scared about energy. I am quite concerned. In America, we have little to fall back on. We do not know our neighbors, nor what their strengths and weaknesses are. We have abandoned proximity for mobility.

James Howard Kunstler once said we would see Peak Oil in our rear-view mirror. If that is true, then we have peaked in July 2006, with global production of 85.5 million barrels a day. Saudi Arabia is producing less each year, as predicted by Matt Simmons. It is hard to dispute an energy crisis is now, and the Long Emergency has begun.

Though I do not own a car, this does not make me immune to the price of oil or the economy. And while Europeans already pay more for oil, they have not reduced their consumption. Therefore peak oil will affect them, albeit less than America.

Our road and transit infrastructure need more investment in Minnesota, yet we are reluctant to increase taxes because oil prices are significantly higher. But how do we fund fixing our roads and bridges? Can we disregard m and wait until they catastrophically affect the trucking industry and average drivers? To me, it seems foolish - yet this has been current Minnesota policy. That and Governor Tim Pawlenty borrowing money to fund road projects ( at excess of $2B ). Funding our roads with debt makes our roads a liability not an asset. If they are an asset, we should pay for them now and not later.

Energy research has also been lagging. Had pressure not been put on the Bush Administration, much of our energy research projects would have been axed. The priority of non-hydrocarbon research and development has increased in the last two years, but still needs to be at least tripled. It should be our top priority if we wish our quality of life to maintain and eliminate CO2 production.

I would like to find solutions to our energy problems. A possible solution would be drastic action to reduce our consumption, starting with rationing. This would wreak havoc on our economy in the short-term but reap enormous benefits long-term. The Oil Depletion Protocol is one such option. Does America or any other nation have the stomach for such foresight?

Hate Crimes Laws in America are spelled W-E-A-K

2007-11-23T08:06:00.000-08:00

According to statistician Caroline Harlow, an ordinary crime becomes a hate crime when a perpetrator chooses a victim because of a particular characteristic. It can be skin color, sexual orientation, physical disability or religion. And there must be evidence that hate prompted the crime.

I would argue that we should not base hate crimes solely on physical attacks. The psychological damage is as bad if not worse than physical violence. Intimidating and threatening others through symbols or language of hatred are intolerable. How would you feel if you were attacked for who you were, and then when you tried to do something about it were told to "keep quiet" or "not to worry about it?" Would you not feel and intense mix of outrage and helplessness? To have these situations exist anywhere is intolerable. We cannot be called a civil society unless we confront them directly.

Let's say someone displays a noose in front of African Americans or says all Jews should have died in Auschwitz. What this person saying is that something is inherently wrong with these groups of people. Somehow they are inadequate or inferior. It may just be pure hatred, all of the above and more. Either way, to have this communicated is violence. It is the same as holding a gun to someone's head and saying "you must die today because you exist." But it is worse because currently, you really cannot do much about it.

Would punishing someone in America for these types of hate crimes go against the admirable First Amendment? Many would say neo-nazis and skinheads have freedom of speech, and I agree. But everyone must be held accountable for their actions. You can't go into an airport and start talking freely about bombs and hijackings. You can't even joke about it - terrorism is a serious matter. No one disputes that. But when you talk about race relations or homophobia, people think minorities are whining or asking for special treatment. White Americans frequently get angry about the perceived "special treatment" because they have no personal experience on the receiving end. White Americans consider the vague threat of terrorism more a priority than the immediate fact of hatred permeating throughout our culture.

The outrage over this issue in White America is quite pronounced, the unapologetic apathy that is. Few seem to think that the remarks by Don Imus were much to worry about. Please forgive me for repeating them, because they illustrate this situation more clearly. He called women from a college basketball team "nappy-headed hos." Not only did he degrade them for being women, but also for being of African descent. And White America remained mute, until asked by the media what they thought. Then a majority simply said they did not care, a majority of 90%.

Polls show that when Don Imus was fired over his remarks 48% thought MSNBC was too harsh, 47% thought it was about right, and 4% thought they were too lenient. Imus attacks the existence of African American women and all he loses is his job. Gabriel Keith displays a noose to fellow college journalists, and only loses his job. Don and Gabriel and start working on something else, but their actions have left wounds and scars that they refuse to acknowledge.

America's hate crime laws do not stand on their own. They are simply attached to existing laws that threatens a persons physical existence that are no less important (i.e. threats,assault,rape, ). Are we really supporting a person's right to exist? Intimidation - AKA criminal threatening - is defined as fear of imminent bodily injury. Displaying a noose is not within the current parameters, unless we include mental and emotional disturbance. These explicit changes are necessary, lest we ignore the elaborate system of racism inherent in our society. And by ignoring them, we are complicit in allowing them to continue.

Racism is defined as prejudice plus power. One measures racism in society by results, the facts and statistics that give us a portrait of where we are. The polls of Americans clearly show we consider hatred to be a non-issue. We must confront the fact that we are essentially a society that is filled with hate and have yet to confront it. America is in denial of the problem, and therefore cannot face it.

So when you see acts of bigotry, hatred, and bias in yourself and others - make it known to as many as you can. Confronting such acts have a ripple effect in a nation like ours, still basking in ignorance. Shine a bright light on the wrongdoings and wake our society up from its complacency, in what capacity you can.

Twin Cities in a transit pickle

2007-10-30T23:38:00.000-07:00

While my suburban and exurban counterparts may be unaware, the practicality of their habitation is highly threatened by the rising price of oil. Never in the history of the Twin Cities has this happened. In fact, our history is very short indeed. Minnesota is just 150 years old, and began very simply.

"Transit and the Twins" was published by the Twin City Rapid Transit Company in 1958. They went bankrupt, were bought out by the state, and are now known as MetroTransit. After reading, it becomes apparent that both Minneapolis and Saint Paul were developed using solely hydrocarbons. The primary energy source being coal. Transit using streetcars became the preferred method, and was a for-profit venture.

In the early 20th Century, oil was cheap and America was the world's biggest producer and refiner. Cars became sought after and roads were subsidized heavily to promote their usage. Transit companies paid the taxes to build the roads we now drive on, and were not subsidized until governments bought them out. Those that became public assets soonest, tended to benefit the most - as is the case in New York City.

But during the growth of both Minneapolis and Saint Paul, as soon as a streetcar line was built - so was nearby development. Both cities were beneficiaries of was is now known as transit-oriented development. Often the planners of streetcar lines would succumb to corruption by investing in the lands near where they were to be built.

But either way, we had a much more urban atmosphere concentrated in a clear manner. There were cities and there was the rural country. One could get to most places using transit, as jobs, home, and shopping were highly concentrated. Just looking at the 1950 census map, one can easily see where the true cities are compared to now.

The best analogy of what has happened is the Big Bang. As a city, we have spread out as energy was cheap and abundant. When oil surpasses $100 a barrel, the suburban inertia will persist. It will even as its inhabitants go through the economic turmoil once thought impossible.

But the collapse will be more painful to America and capitalism than that of Communism. A unipolar juggernaut will not exist. Resource wars may become commonplace and brutal.

Initially I do see large cities like Minneapolis reacting sooner to higher oil prices - with higher crime and violence. But this is a city much more capable of withstanding long-term changes than say Maple Grove. Cities are like animals. They need to evolve or face extinction. Any part of the Twin Cities surviving the Long Emergency, will be the most economically and therefore energy efficient.

I highly recommend one find and read this very informative book! At least it gives one interesting facts of the Twins creation. I had no idea that Saint Paul once had more millionaires per capita than any other city on Earth! ( this largely due to the plundering of rainforest lumber in what is now Washington state ) I also enjoyed the competitive history of Minneapolis vs. Saint Paul and the annexation of Saint Anthony. After all, I do benefit from all the amazing parks in both cities!

And a solution to our mess? Many and multiple. I believe in more transit options and renewable energy such as wind for starters. But with a sprawled population, we need all those who can to start taking the bus and trains to work, shopping, etc. You can't support solutions solely on paper ( or carbon offsets). You have to live them and find what best works.

Target's Lackluster Response

2007-10-27T10:09:00.000-07:00

It seems that Target cares more about selling lead-coated toys from China than organic foods from the Midwest. Their response to my questions over their Archer Farms brand makes one cringe at their pathetic attempt. They don't even bother to check the context of their reply! ( what is that DVD about and why are they talking about Horizon Organics?)

The primary concern now is that Aurora has a giant farm in Gill,Colorado ( Weld County) that bothers its neighbors in many ways. The county commissioners want the farm to shrink down its number of cows from 3000 to a more manageable number. Aurora says it will bankrupt them and cost millions. But do factory farms really help the environment and local economies?

The bottom line: we need more corporate accountability. And those who support Organic should ensure that its standards match their values.

My original letter to them is here: http://textclips.blogspot.com/2007/09/target-sells-non-organic-at-organic.html

This is their response:

TARGET ( insert bullseye logo here )

October 26, 2007

Dear Kevin Chavis:

-Thank you for contacting Target® Corporation regarding your experience with returning your son's DVD. Robert Ulrich, Chairman and CEO, Gregg Steinhafel, President, and Troy Risch, Executive Vice President have received copies of your letter and have asked me to respond on their behalf. Please accept my apologies for any frustration and inconvenience you experienced.

Target works to provide guests with quality merchandise at affordable prices. By utilizing an extensive qualification and review process, Target ensures all required organic certifications are valid and up to date. Additionally, Target remains confident that the Archer Farms organic milk we provide guests adheres to the national organic program (NOP) regulations.

Based on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) dismissal of complaints, Target will continue to utilize Aurora Organic Dairy as an organic dairy provider. For additional information regarding the USDA's dismissal, visit www.ams.usda.gov/NOP/TodaysNews.htm

Thank you again for bringing your concerns to our attention. I'll make sure to share your comments with our Buying, and Quality teams for review.

Sincerely,

Lindy

Target Executive Offices
PO Box 9350, MS 1A-X, Minneapolis, MN 55440-9350

The Lies of Joyce Meyer

2007-10-22T08:08:00.001-07:00

Joyce Meyer Ministries attempts to portray itself as a humanitarian and Godly organization. Yet its magazine from April 2007 contains blatant lies, misrepresentation, and subtle ignorance. It contains more political discussion than one would assume from a so-called nonpartisan religious group.

The primary concern of mine is the obvious American Exceptionalism. Somehow America is great because we are Christian, and other countries need to be converted. The example in Joyce's April 07 issue is Thailand, Burma ( they call it Myanmar), and Laos. They call it "The Golden Triangle."

They claim that it is a region "known for its abject poverty and drug addiction." Personally, I do not think of nations solely for by their negatives but also by its many positives. If I only looked at America through this negative view, I would hate my country for its malicious treatment of others for greed. But I think America has many positive traits that can overcome these negative elements.

But Joyce conveniently ignores current statistics such as:

1) The global drug trade does not center on this region. Nor do its users represent a vast portion of its nation. According to the BBC:

Fewer people take illicit drugs than smoke tobacco or drink alcohol, but the numbers are growing, and the figure is currently estimated at between 3% and 4% of the world population. Most widely used is cannabis, but synthetic stimulants are booming in popularity - especially among urban youth. Meanwhile, in some countries, heroin is finding a new market among the fashionable and wealthy.

Many Americans smoke pot, at least 34% have tried - a lot higher than in the countries stated. Afghanistan produces 90% of the world's heroin and is trafficked primarily through the former Yugoslavia to Europe.

The poverty of this region is falling. If Joyce wanted to focus on nations not improving, she might want to focus on the Christian nation of Ethiopia. The current regime in Ethiopia is American friendly; Meles Zenawi is nonetheless a tyrant. Christians in America have decided to support a tyrant rather than assist the people in Ethiopia to improve their lives.

The photo on the left shows where poverty is increasing and decreasing as of 2004. Notice that the nations Joyce is targeting are not increasing in poverty, yet their Christian numbers are not rising dramatically.

3) The attack on Buddhism. Now Joyce notices that Christianity is having a hard time in growing here. Christianity denies many tenets of Buddhism such as reincarnation, karma, and the fact the people are not primarily evil. Buddhists see humanity as essentially good, but ignorant.

The fact is that Joyce Meyers is just another James Dobson. Her magazine is against stores such as Victoria's Secret, because it promotes sex. Homosexuals, because they should be "cured." And the American preoccupation with "sensuality." While Buddhism has perspectives on theses, none are essentially evil. It is how we live our lives that can keep us in this ignorance. Simple adherence to rules without knowing why we follow them seems more foolish than questioning them. You won't read this in her magazine, because questioning her interpretation of the Bible is deemed a sin by her and her legion of followers.

Making a difference through Coffee

2007-10-21T23:40:00.000-07:00

I already buy Peace Coffee, Cafe Fair, and Equal Exchange coffees frequently. But I recently found Yuban coffee at Rainbow. Instead of being Certified Organic, Fair Trade, and shade grown - it is Rainforest Alliance Certified. What does that mean?

According to their site it means: Rainforest Alliance Certification is a comprehensive process that promotes and guarantees improvements in agriculture, forestry and travel. Their independent seal of approval ensures that goods and services were produced in compliance with strict guidelines protecting the environment, wildlife, workers and local communities. To receive the Rainforest Alliance Certification, farms are inspected yearly and the certificate is only issued if the specifications are met and continuous improved is demonstrated. By following Rainforest Alliance guidelines, coffee producers can improve worker conditions, provide training, reduce waste, reduce costs, implement better farm planning and monitoring, and use the resources nature has provided without damaging them for the future. These things make a farm more stable and generally more prosperous for years to come.

On the Rainforest alliance website they state:

Kraft Foods, Inc.

As one of the world’s leading food and beverage companies, Kraft, with brands such as Maxwell House, Yuban, Kenco, Jacobs, Gevalia and Jacques Vabre, is passionate about coffee. In 2003, Kraft and the Rainforest Alliance launched a partnership to move Rainforest Alliance Certified sustainable coffee to mainstream markets. To date, Kraft has purchased more than 50 million pounds of coffee from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms and has successfully launched six coffee products in Europe and the US that feature the Rainforest Alliance seal. Kraft’s commitment to Rainforest Alliance certification has had an impressive impact on coffee producing regions, where thousands of farms have adopted the sustainable agriculture standard, resulting in better worker housing, healthcare, education and the protection of forests, wildlife and rivers. Farmers have invested the premiums Kraft pays for its Rainforest Alliance coffee in an array of improvements ranging from a school in El Salvador that the Ciudad Barrios Coffee Cooperative built for a nearby community to reforestation by farmers in the severely deforested Convencion Valley of southeast Peru, where shade coffee farms provide the only refuge for many threatened animal species.

I am going to buy these products, not just because I tried them and still enjoy their taste. But I want to reward these large corporations for actions that move our society forward. This is a fine example of how capitalism can work if consumers are constantly vigilant about change. I want to see Yuban 100% Rainforest Alliance Certified in the decade! They have done so in European nations, but the US market is much larger. We need more consumers to switch to the sustainable alternatives forged by both small competitors and mainstream brands like Yuban!

Greens and Libertarian candidates for President?

2007-10-06T19:29:00.000-07:00

Now I know this is controversial - but there are opportunities for those who support the Green and Libertarian Parties to change the major ones. This is apart from running against them - but within. Both candidates are almost like mirror images of Libertarian and Green tendencies.

Ron Paul raised over $5M in the 3rd Quarter - putting him in 4th place after Guiliani, McCain, and Romney. Paul is the chair of the Republican Liberty Caucus in the House of Representatives, and a former presidential candidate for the Libertarian Party. He has never voted for a tax increase but adamantly opposes pointless war and the National Debt.

Dennis Kucinich also is in 4th place among Democratic support, after Clinton,Obama, and Edwards. Kucinich was previously chair of the Progressive Caucus in the House of Representatives. He supports Single-Payer Universal Health Care and having our troops represent the United Nations in Iraq instead of solely American interests.

I think that BOTH of these candidates deserve to be President only because they would radically change the direction we are currently moving towards. While they may have radical ideas on some issues, it is the Corporatocracy we must truly confront.

The Corporatocracy feel that Americans cannot truly change their objectives. These two campaigns are proving them wrong. Both have started grassroots campaigns that have been lit up in the past few months. While neither is in the top 3, they have surpassed what the MSM ( mainstream media) claimed their potential was. They denounced both immediately as "long-shots." They cannot say that any longer.

If anyone truly wants change in American politics, but don't want to support a third party - these are your candidates. Donate to them now. There is no point in being afraid to talk about them openly. After having mentioned both of them to members of their respective parties, it became apparent that their name recognition was beyond what the media would like to tell us.

Below are a list of their important issues. One can read more about them at their sites.

Ron Paul
American Independence
Border Security & Immigration
Debt & Taxes
Health Freedom
Life & Liberty
Privacy & Personal Liberty
Property Rights
Social Security
The Second Amendment
War & Foreign Policy

Dennis Kucinich
Strength Through Peace
A Healthy Nation
Survival of the Middle Class
Securing Constitutional Democracy
A Sustainable Future
End to Poverty
Saving Capitalism

Target should improve its Organic Standards

2007-09-30T14:48:00.001-07:00

I think it is important that stores like Target sell organic products. But they are just profiting without truly informing consumers of the benefits to the environment, economy, and health of consumers. Now it turns out their standards really aren't as great as we had hoped.

Rather than reiterating what I have already written to them on this post, please visit my recent post if you want more information regarding the Target organic issues. Until you know all the facts, I urge you to shop locally first, organic second, and big box stores last.

Phillip Morris strikes again!

2007-09-23T22:31:00.000-07:00

I walked into my block's SuperAmerica to get a Coke Zero today. Waiting at the long line of customers at the counter I spotted a bright red handout. It stated boldly "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH." About what you may ask? A cigarette tax hike of $6.10 a carton. Is that 60 cents per pack?

The brochures have been printed by Phillip Morris and have a spiffy website that looks grassroots. But it is corporate, and they know that each tax increase decreases future addicts (AKA customers).

I think smokers should first consider how much they are paying currently for their addiction ( or habit). Calculators like this one are really great!

Once you see your annual costs, you may decide to cut back or quit again soon. ( you should, even though it takes 7 times of quitting to actually do so)

But if you are a smoking advocate, then I urge you to use the same calculator and add in the extra 61 cents per pack and see how much of a difference that makes. It makes quite a dent, but still won't deter you to quit until you are ready.

But teenagers and younger children will be deterred by high prices. But do higher priced cigarettes help all consumers who purchase them? After all, we are imposing a tax whether called it by name or not.

In Minnesota we have a "Health impact fee" that has been supported by our legal system. Why is this legal? Because a pack of cigarettes does not count its actual cost to its consumers - primarily its health costs. Therefore, to give Minnesotans a taste of a packs true cost, we charge them more and call it a fee. If smokers paid the entire health impact, it would be around $9 a pack. Now that is a cost children an adults will dislike, but it gives us the costs upfront of what we choose to do now. Don't you wish every product did that for you - rather than banning them? We'd all make healthier choices through capitalism, rather than against it.

Hopes of Obama dashed

2007-08-08T08:18:00.000-07:00

The Pakistan comment was disgusting. Invading Iran is also not an option. A true peace candidate would have never proposed something so vile. Instead of invading them we should work with them to create a stable society and root out terrorism?

His support for "clean coal" and turning coal into fuel will not put America on a sustainable energy track. These issues alone mean an Obama America would prosper only short-term - if at all.

My support for Kucinich diminished upon realizing that he gave up his delegates to Kerry in 2004. I have never or will ever support such a pathetic politician - one who never authored a groundbreaking bill in the Senate. Kucinich supports the Department of Peace, opposed the Iraq war from the beginning and was the only Congressperson to support Keith Ellison in his primary here in the 5th District. He's a great guy, working to change his party.

But how can I support a party that allows wiretapping and increasing military spending? A party that won't pay down the national debt. Only the Green Party supports what I do. Unless Michael Bloomberg brings up the important issues in his election bid ( i.e. peak oil) I support the Green Party candidate for President in 2008.

NEWSFLASH: Humans are the dominate species on Earth

2007-08-01T23:42:00.001-07:00

The ignorance of humanity never ceases to amaze me. And when people awaken to what is truly happening, I am amazed they have done so! Global Warming seems to irritate so many people. The question has changed - it's not whether it is real - what are we going to do about it?

Nathaniel states:"All you global warming people need to just stop...take a look at the world and realize that humans are not the problem with the world."

1) The Great Wall of China is visible from space
2) It took 300M years for oil (and coal) to be created from previous life. It will take humanity 300 years to go through most the oil.
3) Acid rain is the effect pollution has on the environment - care to drink from a local spring as people have in the not to distant past? Our waters are not safe anywhere. So much coal has been used in India and Bangladesh that Banglis have little drinkable water ( most has been contaminated with mercury )
4) The photo is of the Earth at night. Tell me again these lights emanate from nature and not humanity?

I keep doing as you say, Nate. I look around and see nature doing amazing things, and humans doing wonderful things to improve our collective quality of life. Unfortunately, humans must find a way to stay within natures boundaries - because we are subject to them at some point. Nature affects us and we nature. Just ask a farmer if humans affect the Earth - because if we didn't he would have no job.

Nathaniel statment #2: " How can you record the C02 emissions over 400,000 years when we obviously did not have instrumentation to record that."

Ice core samples from the Antarctic are the primary source. We know the earth is more than 400,000 years old. Therefore we are smart enough to devise ways to meausure Co2 levels. If you do not believe mankind is that smart, then that is your opinion. Facts have this annoying habit of proving themselves true.

Again, I do not see any debate on Global Warming occurring without ridiculing and ignoring all scientific thought. The debate ended when China capitulated - America's oil industry gave up long ago. Ideological Conservatives are nearly where their own party is taking a stance - that we should just give up on dealing with Global Warming and give in. ( similiar to what they say about Democrats giving into terrorism )

If only humanity realized how serious Global Warming is compared to petty terrorism.

Forced to go carfree?

2007-07-29T23:42:00.001-07:00

A lot of people consider Greens to be a bit like members of the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) instead of typical people who don't mind chatting on their deck while drinking a cold one. Having spent a year now working with members of the local Green Party, I understand many are a bit quirky - but not loony. Their political ideas are also more extreme than members of the DFL - but the DFL can be more extreme than Greens.

I won't go into details at this moment about every issue. But one issue I feel strongly about is promoting a carfree lifestyle. We all know what Bush said during his 2005 State of the Union Address: "America is addicted to oil." CNN likes to repeat that quote quite often. But that is only the first step in dealing with an addiction - and few can quit addictions cold turkey. Therefore having Americans go carfree won't involve outlawing driving - but it may include things like a carbon impact fee and support for carfree infrastructure.

Mallard Fillmore may annoy me at times, I have mixed-feelings about this particular strip. I think it great that the creator is more green than your average Democrat. Conservatives typically portray themselves as actually living by what they believe in. Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised he thinks that supporting a carfree society is wrong. Or does he just oppose government intervention, taxes, and partisan tactics with regards to this issue? Unfortunately the government already favors cars more heavily than the anti-car mantra now gaining momentum.

If you look at the Green Party of Minnesota platform you will see in line H that:

1) We support more efficient gasoline consuming vehicles
2) tax incentives for alternative energy vehicles
3) more bicycle lanes and racks
4) free transit in downtown areas of Minneapolis and Saint Paul
5) automobile free zones

in line C:

1) That we want our government to prepare for Peak Oil and focus on relocalization efforts

Nowhere in our platform does it say that we will force everyone to give up their cars. When a society is addicted to a substance, it is quite difficult to ban it. Though contrary to common thought, the prohibition of alcohol was a success ( it took 30 years for alcohol consumption per capita to reach its pre-prohibition levels). It would be better to support the post-carbon infrastructure.

Before any carbon tax is enacted, it is best to start with simple measures. Oil producers should lose lofty tax breaks. Car owners should pay the actual costs for using roads and other subsidies. Then it becomes easier for users to see their actual financial impact. CAFE standards should be increased at a certain rate for the rest of the century. Putting 10 times more money into energy research and development would yield amazing results as well. These are ways Congress can deal with our oil addiction right now, in a bipartisan manner.

Instant Runoff Voting

2007-07-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

The July 27, 2007 edition of Almanac covered all 4 active political parties in Minnesota. The primary topic seemed to be instant runoff voting ( IRV). The Green, Independence, and DFL parties have endorsed IRV, while Republicans remain ignorant and/or afraid.

Most partisan Republicans are scared of IRV. After all, Norm Coleman thought Jessie Ventura would be a "spoiler" to the DFL by inviting him to the 1998 gubernatorial debates. Conservatives only vote for their party - but liberals tend to be less partisan to Democrats. Thus the elections of 2002 and 2006 went to Pawlenty because the Independence and Greens appear to have taken DFL votes ( because without IRV, no one really knows). Some even consider Ross Perot to be a spoiler that elected Bill Clinton.

Republicans claim that America has the most successful democracy, and we should not tinker with it. They question IRV's Constitutionality. The worst argument is the claim that IRV forces people to "vote against their values." Personally, I think IRV has served Ireland and other nations well since it was adopted. ( Ireland's economy has boomed since IRV's adoption there )

If IRV does anything, it will make all political parties more conscience of voters needs and wants. It will increase those able to participate in debates, and broaden the discussion of issues. IRV will bolster civic involvement beyond the 2-party system - towards a more equal system. The Republicans, being the last third party to break that threshold, seem the most adamant at keeping the status quo in place.

Does America want to continue voting and thinking in binary? Or do we in Minnesota want to reform our elections to improve our local democracy? I see nothing wrong with IRV as I supported it passing in Minneapolis. Now our twin city is contemplating it also. I urge you to support the Better Ballot Campaign in Saint Paul! The only obstacle are a few conservatives and MCCL. But it will still take effort to complete.

Minnesota Peak Oil and Global Warming Conference

2007-06-19T09:21:00.000-07:00

I recently attended this amazing conference! It is great that Minnesotans are very concerned about preparing for peak oil and Global Warming AND believe in mitigating their effects. 20% of attendees were politicians ( local to state government ) , 40% were government employees, and the remaining 40% were representatives of local organizations. I went primarily as an individual that is embedded in the Green Movement ( also work in community garden , get neighbors involved, and am on its leadership board)

My state is a leader in taking on Global Warming. Minnesota will join the states of California, New Mexico, and Arizona in setting CO2 limits next February! We will reduce CO2 by 20% by 2020 ( which is easy) and 80% by 2050 ( which will require major lifestyle changes ). It is amazing that Tim Pawlenty chose to sign the bill, because it requires Minnesota to do this or forgo building any future power plants.

The Democrats can't get Republicans to back a 15% renewable energy initiative by 2020 - but Minnesota will be at 25% renewable by then. If America passed a 15 percent national renewable mandate on electric utilities, it would result in a 50 percent increase in wind power, a tripling in the use of biomass and a 500 percent increase in the use of solar power, while cutting greenhouse gases 6.7 percent below what they otherwise would be by 2030. It is unfortunate America lacks such visionary leadership when the opportunity is still available. ( John McCain or Rudy Guiliani may change that if Dems don't win in 08 )

Minnesota will also have to adapt to a warmer climate, more like that of Kansas. Therefore we must also allow avenues of prairie species to migrate to our ecosystem. The DNR and the MPCA all state this is of great importance as our environment rapidly changes. Also, since the Federal government has no plan for Global Warming preparedness currently, local governments must deal with them. Therefore local leaders must prepare now, otherwise when disaster hits they won't be re-elected.

Peak oil may already be occurring, though as Julian Darley stated at the conference, peak natural gas will probably hit us first. This just as 1/3 of Minnesotans are late on their winter gas bills. Half of them will have their gas shut off until they turn it back on in the fall - theoretically.

We must relocalize now, the stated goal would be to live our lives within a 5-minute walk. That is a tough goal, but is quite possible if we choose to make it happen.

Mason commented the other day about our interdependency on roads and oil:
" [..] the food you eat, clothes you wear, or the stuff you use was brought to you by roads. [..] the people who work to make/produce stuff use roads to get to work. [Yet] how many metrotransit people drive their cars to work?"

He takes this to the heart of the issue - because we are all interconnected in this web of energy use. Is living carfree futile, just because "others do it." It takes energy to make your food, things you use, and then to transport it - so why not use all the energy you feel like? Many still believe that Global Warming isn't real ( if even aware of it ). Many are also unaware that every drop of oil we use diminishes the wealth and opportunity of future generations. My intention is not to chastise everyone for doing too little, but to ask us each what we can do to resolve these moral issues. What can we all bring to the table to solve this crisis?

Costa Ricans expend 1.3T of CO2 per capita, while American expend 20T per capita. The average Twin Cities commuter puts about 2.6 tons of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere every year by driving alone to work. You may think this is a ridiculous comparison until you look at quality of life indicators. Both countries have the same average life-span - and Costa Rica even has Universal Healthcare. So, yes, America could expend 5% of the energy it uses now and STILL lead a quality life. The world would be better for it, and Americans may even be healthier as well!

But those who will find it most difficult adapting are those who usually face the brunt of problems - the working poor. In Nairobi, those who live in the slums of Kibera must walk miles to dead-end factory jobs. They are paid between one and two dollars a day. Yet they walk by roadways of busy cars, matatus, and buses that they will be lucky to afford travel in. ( and these roads are impossible to ride a bike in! Believe me - insane! ) They live in shacks made of whatever materials one can get a hold of.

The poor are always in desperate situations, trying to just survive. I strongly believe in prevention: a sane family planning policy should be in place globally. It should educate everyone, but make participation in effective solutions voluntary. Those mindful of this solution should make this happen whether through NGO or government form.

Regardless the huge obstacles, some progress is being made locally in transit:

IN THE TWIN CITIES

In 2005 and 2006, the number of miles traveled for each person in the metro area was recorded as 1 percent below the peak year, 2001, when the Met Council calculated 26.2 miles of driving per person.

TRANSIT USE RISING:

In 2006, transit use in the Twin Cities rose 6 percent mainly as a result of higher gas prices, Met Council research manager Todd Graham said. That's a shift of about 7,500 workers from cars to transit, a number that's half of 1 percent of the total number of people driving, he said.

Are more road user fees needed?

2007-05-13T05:01:00.000-07:00

When Minnesotans think about who pays for roads, they think that only car owners do. But in reality, we all do.

I do not own a car, but through local property taxes and Federal taxes, I pay for more roads than I will ever see. This is not an entirely awful scenario if I am able to get to the places I need to by transit. And if the roads are sufficient for Minnesota drivers. Roads are what allow me to take buses, and light-rail cannot serve every culdesac in the Twin Cities.

But there are many who feel that the roads are insufficient, especially when our population is still growing rapidly. ( this is where one could argue for better population policies, i.e. free sterilization ) Since the Twin Cities is the fastest growing metropolitan in the Upper Midwest, it would be wise to ensure our transportation system remains efficient. There is a greater investment needed in roads, but our transit system is grossly underbuilt. In fact, our transit system needs more light-rail lines to even call it modern.

With oil prices jumping 25 cents a gallon last week, it boggles my mind why Minnesotans balk at a 10 cent a gallon tax. After all, the oil industry is not going to freely build our roads - or a transit system that enables us to cut gas consumption. But if you don't mind paying more than $3 a gallon for gas, then why advocate to save 10 cents a gallon when it is $2.50?

GOPs time to accept Global Warming

2007-04-15T20:58:00.000-07:00

If New Gingrich can accept Global Warming, why does the rest of his party seem inept? Here is clearly the GOPs most effective leader ( as opposed to Bush ) who actually looks at the facts and can accept it.

This is a small clip of his statement for those like Senator Inhofe and The Global Warming Swindle adherents.

Obviously there are reasons for conservatives to be reluctant to tackle the issue. They are against any increase in the size of government, and dealing with Global Warming could mean a larger UN role. If the UN does start taxing hydrocarbons, we would need a global democracy. If I were a member of the Council of Foreign Relations, I would be pushing for this. We could them impose our view of "democracy" onto the entire globe. That could be good or bad depending on how it is done and sustained.

What is best would be the creation of a UN tax, then a timetable for global democracy. Democratic elections in authoritarian regimes would be imposed by the UN, and tax revenue could not be spent until the planet had converted. When the entire planet achieves democracy we could then have a global United Nations election. Any other ideas out there?

Segregation still exists in America

2007-04-15T19:17:00.000-07:00

My husband and I retired and were looking for a warmer climate and better cost of living. Ashburn is the best of everything - small town charm, friendly people, inexpensive living, and a great place to raise a family.
-Sue Mastrario moved from New jersey in 1992

This comment was taken from the Ashburn Chamber of Commerce website. Yet for 15 years after their prom remained racially segregated. Small town America has a sense of charm - primarily if you are white and Godly. Hicks are quite prevalent oustide of metropolitan areas, but the backwards mentality must be challenged. They can be 21st century hicks, with a more conscious perspective.

I hear from many male caucasian friends and acquaintances that "equality has been reached already for everyone." It isn't always stated overtly, but often it is. If that were the case Social Conservatives would have no reason to exist. Obviously we need to continue the progressive social agenda of true equality and opportunities for all beings. The argument is always about to what degree. Obviously I feel 100%, but most Americans feel we don't need that quite yet.

Here's the AP article:

ASHBURN, Ga. (AP) - There have always been two proms for students at Turner County High School in Ashburn, Georgia: one for whites and one for blacks. But not this year. The students have decided to hold one prom, with every junior and senior invited. The theme for the April 21st dance is "Breakaway." About 55 percent of students at Turner County High are black and most of the rest are white. Senior class president James Hall, who is black, says it was time for a change. Ashburn, which is located about 75 miles south of Macon, has about four-thousand residents. There also was another big change this year. Instead of a white and black homecoming queen, there was just one, a mixed-race student.

Minneapolis Libraries - Best in America

2007-03-30T09:35:00.000-07:00

The Minneapolis Library System is more than a center for research and academia. It is a cultural asset to the diverse residents of Minneapolis. The depth of its catalog appealing to young manga fans and those of classic literature. And music from the Dixie Chicks to Chicks on Speed.

The library enhances culture here by its the willingness to purchase materials requested by patrons. Rather than questioning the merit of each purchase intensely ( as outstate systems do) they prefer to obtain them. Instead of buying 100 copies of Harry Potter, they buy 50 and purchase 5 copies of 10 additional books/cds/dvds that are much less "mainstream."

And yes, I ended up buying the Harry Potter books because I couldn't wait months to get one at the library. I have lent it to friends, so it has gotten use. But I would rather have it this way than deprive the library of its inclusiveness.

A prime example of a fringe item the library purchased that few suburban counterparts would is Doctor Who:The Complete First Season. I requested this through my local library on Franklin Avenue. Doctor Who is my favorite TV Show: a British, science fiction, drama. Only shown on cable and not mainstream Americana. The single copy was requested so many times they ordered 5 additional copies ( one criticism is that all copies will go through the one branch on Franklin Avenue). This type of situation can be multiplied many times throughout this amazing library system.

The Minneapolis Library System embraced the concept of the Long Tail long before it was coined. Many conservatives claim that government should be run more likes businesss. While government is not a business, it can learn from their effieciencies. And the Minneapolis Library System has shown innovation long before businesses took on its concepts. A merger with the Hennepin County Library System will diminish this priceless institution.

I challenge anyone out there to check out their website at mplib.org and search for things they consider "fringe." Search an author/musician/actor you love but few know of , I bet they have nearly every copy of their published works . You can request items online and have them delivered to a local branch - similiar to Netflix. One can easily see this is all proof that the Minneapolis Libraries are the best in the entire United States.

Global Warming - more facts needed?

2007-03-19T23:56:00.000-07:00

What more do the skeptics need to hear?

Why do some claim that we should use whatever resources we want abundantly? But we must borrow endlessly to do so, and ignore the consequences of such actions.

Global Warming is a direct consequence of such affluenza. The First chart was taken from An Inconvenient Truth, and depicts a much larger graph than the smaller one published prior. Notice how we are trending much higher in temperatures right now.

Now there are the Antartic ice cores to cover. The second graph quite clearly shows that temperatures there have a relationship to global CO2 levels. Since CO2 levels are exceeding 300ppm, we will experience warmer Earthly temperatures than the last 400,000+ years! That doesn't seem to bother the skeptics.

It's hard enough to get thousands of scientists to reach concensus on anything - and yet they have.

RELOCALIZATION - a wiser reaction

What should appear blatantly obvious to Global Warming adherents, is that humanity will not give up this collision course with reality. Perhaps it would be wiser to focus on relocalization and preparation for this time? Mitigating it appears a nonstarter with the 3 most populated nations on Earth not participating. These nations alone represent nearly half of humanity and half of its material wealth.

It isn't meaningless to work to curb your carbon footprint. Nor is it pointless to reduce our societal impact. But the fact is, even if we curb Co2 emmissions drastically, we still have a rising temperature to deal with. It is possible to do both, as the two can overlap in many areas. But as ecosystems change, preparation will take a more urgent precedent - especially by the most ardent conservative skeptics of today!

A Global Warming challenger?

2007-03-17T09:17:00.000-07:00

I have recently heard of the The Great Global Warming Swindle documentary by Martin Durkin. Only through a website of a friend, who I know questions the issues thoroughly. ( but our own perspectives exceedingly differ )

The graph at the left depicts world temperatures for the last 120 years, as opposed to Al Gore's of a much greater stretch of time. What I find most disturbing about it is that humans have been using hydrocarbons longer than 1940 - they were called coal and oil. The first billion humans would have not have existed by the 20th century if hydrocarbons not been used until 1940.

Next, temperature changes that are ascribed to Global Warming are long-term. 20 years is not long-term. If we go back to the original usage of coal, we have been adding carbon to the atmosphere for hundreds of years longer than the Model-T ever existed. In 1748, America first delved into coal-mining. 50 tons were extracted from our Earth that year alone. When we look at the long-term effects of carbon in our atmosphere, they do not appear for about 100 years. So temperatures in 1940 to 1960 were affected by carbon put in our atmosphere around. It just so happens this is a time when the world and America went into an economic depression.

The primary argument in the documentary appears to be that the sun is more of a factor in Earth's temperature fluctuations. While the sun does affect us, here is a response from a scientist working for Britain.

Peak Oil - the markets vain attempt to ignore it

I am also concerned about this very charged statment: "Global warming is natural and will occur no matter how much we destroy our economy in a vain attempt to stop it."

The Global Warming argument is a good for those who believe in it to reduce hydrocarbon consumption. But others needs to hear about Peak Oil and its economic ramifications.

20% of American wages are spent on cars. That comes to around $700 a month per person. If we cut our vehicular consumption, where would that savings go? Back into the economy, and not to the Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Venezuela who sell us oil. Not as much to Japan, China, and Korea who make our cars. Why not conserve for these reasons alone?

Obviously cars have negative environmental consequences. One can greenwash this fact by stating that 95% of a car is recycled. But also 90% of the time it remains idle in a parking spot or stop light. If 10,000 people got together and pitched in $3000 each, they could build a light-rail line. They could support it for far less than $700 a month. But this economic model does not exist, because individuals cannot build light-rail lines anymore than interstates. ( individuals seldom have the right to take land as government does - looking out for one's self interest are not public-oriented )

America is so dependent on oil, we are heading for an economic dowturn. 100 years from now, we may end up selling all of our own coal to China, while stuck without oil in our engines. That would be the real tragedy of an addiction - having to quite cold turkey due to economic circumstances than choice.

Overpopulation is an issue, intertwined with immigration,family planning, and geopolitics. When you add that many people to the world over a short period of time, hydrocarbon usage whill increase exponentially. That is why it is so hard NOT to believe that Global Warming will not come about. We cry about 40,000 "overpopulated" wolves when a city of 40,000 humans is called a "large town."

What the Global Warming and Peak Oil skeptics appear to lack is perspective. It is smart to question when and to what extent these events will create. But it is utterly ridiculous to write them off completely because your political ideology does not accept it. Nature and Earth doesn't give a damn about your political beliefs, the truth cannot hide forever. Though when we all know for certain, it is probably too late to mitigate it.

Why this blog?

2007-03-16T00:26:00.000-07:00

I changed the description of this blog:

1)Envisioning a society that values compassion and wisdom.

The global society has lost its moral compass long ago.The pursuit of money appears to trump all other issues. If you have money, you are expected to spend it as lavishly as you can afford. Yet marriages falter primarily due to economic stress. When we do things to help others without reward, we are called fools. Compassion must be valued and not ridiculed for being altruistic or utopian.

The American people have long been ignorant. We may be able to read, but we don't read much. American Idol and 24-hour cable news have dulled the senses of the public. We can do whatever we want and think that the outside world does not affect us. To assume that politicians and scientists will solve all our problems is blind faith. We must question their intentions and ideas before having faith in them. We need to be a society that values wisdom, and also cultivates it on an individual basis.

2)Supporting peace and justice for all beings.

All beings deserve a peaceful life, with basic freedoms. The world's people need more rights. American should support this wholeheartedly, along with the United Nations. Implementing The Universal Declaration of Human Rights globally is a good place to start.

All beings deserve a decent future and life - including animals, plants, and the planet. While it is difficult to do no harm to any being, it is ignorant to not value them. We should value all beings and thank them for the sacrifices they make for us. If we feel the sacrifice is too much, we work to change things starting with ourselves (i.e. chickens who live caged and de-beaked their entire lives )

How can one support war or lethal acts towards other beings? It is not possible to prove that they are skillful acts. It is equally ridiculous to think that they improve our collective karma. We must cultivate a society that values life and practices nonviolence.

3) Preparing for a post-oil world.

While oil has not peaked yet, the fact it will is inevitable. We must conserve what oil we have and build a society that can outlast it. The post-oil infrastructure must be built and supported now. If we procrastinate, this may be mankind's last century.

Mankind was not the first beings of its kind on Earth. We were just the most successful thus far. If we die off, there will be other beings to inhabit this Earth. May we use these bodies we currently inhabit wisely, and pursuade others to do so as well.
---

If anyone wants to blog on this post, I invite them to join me. There are no other pre-requisites than the above listed. No one is barred from joining, apart from those who feel incompatible with the above listed values.

Downloading Music for free is spelled T-H-E-F-T

2007-03-04T22:15:00.000-08:00

I have been "online" since 1996. Got a copy of Doom 2 for "free." Purchased my first cd online from cdnow.com and books from Amazon in 1997.

In 1998 I downloaded my first MP3 - and fell in love with digital music, though broadband was nowhere in sight. Also bought my first cd-writer and began making and trading music.

In 2000, living in Saint Cloud I installed my cable internet myself, and never paid for it because they never did come to install it. I first downloaded Napster and Gnutella. I loved "free" stuff - and found not just music but videos and software.

Kazaa in 2001.

But I slowly got sick of the poor quality and reliability of "free" stuff. Some were the wrong files. Many files were cumbersome to install, and when installed didn't work perfectly. Some didn't work at all. Some even contained viruses.

But the PC world is morally corrupt. It is the culture created around it. PC Owners from America in 1990 to China in 2006 all have enjoyed pirating and copying files of all types. Though many do pay for these programs, many more enjoy using them for "free."

Not that buying an Imac changed my opinion. Purchasing most of my music used, I didn't really think I was supporting artists much anyways. The library doesn't mind assisting either.

But not all music is easily accessible. Itunes makes it easy to find music I like. It isn't that expensive and money still goes to the artists. I can find what music tracks are popular - buy those ones and forget the rest of the disc (unless I get it).

But I cannot find myself downloading a filesharing program on my Imac. I have no worry about viruses. But from an ethical standpoint, if I don't purchase what I appreciate who will? Who will pay for the next season of Doctor Who? Okay, yeah British taxpayers - but still. What you like should be supported when you can. Otherwise no one will.

So that is my stance. If you can support your favorite artists, please do. Even if you got an album online for free, buy it and give as a gift. Whoever you give it to will appreciate it, in addition to the artist being supported.

I love independent music in addition to a select few popular artists. The American Assn. of Independent Music in addition to others support paying for music. I used to hate the RIAA, but it is true that the industry is facing hard times. Support the music you love, with more than a click of the mouse but a few quarters from your piggy bank.

Visit Music United for more details on the issue.

Pierre Bottineau should be light rail

2007-02-23T10:03:00.000-08:00

The Twin Cities is already the best metropolitan for anyone to live in Midwestern America. But it lacks decent transit. This will have to be improved upon in the next 20 years for it to continue its high livability standards.

The Hiawatha Light Rail opened despite constant criticism from skeptics. It was touted by one Republican as the "train to nowhere." Yet it has achieved more than its proponents ever imagined. The University LRT will have at least twice the ridership of Hiawatha, and wouldn't started sooner if Hiawatha had not been such a success.

I believe in living carfree, and supporting the foundations of a post-oil world. But transit isn't just for those who choose not to own cars. 2/3 of bus riders and 80% of train riders own a vehicle. Transit gives drivers a break from not just high gas prices but stressful traffic and accidents. It would be wise to continue building a system that our citizens can be proud of.

That brings me to the Pierre Bottineau BRT project in northwest Hennepin County. I think it should be light rail, because it would have much higher ridership. There are more benefits to a LRT line than BRT. And the demographics of this area are ripe for a line. North Minneapolis and its adjacent suburbs do not deserve to be ignored in the future transit makeup of the Twin Cities. I would even consider moving to this area because it is more lower middle class. Without easy access to the amenities of Minneapolis I will not.

Hennepin County Commissioner Mike Opat agrees with me on this issue. A Republican who is a true conservative. Republicans can't continue acting as if the next 3 months are more important than the next 3 centuries. We need leaders who will work for a better future for our families. We need more true conservatives who understand the value of government and are wary of it being wasteful/corrupt.

Keith Ellison the only Non-Christian in congress?

2007-01-02T23:06:00.000-08:00

Some believe having a Muslim in Congress is bad, but allowing him to proclaim it with the Koran is too much. It reminds me of the GLBT Republicans, that when running for have to pretend to be straight. But anywho, a notoriously "pro-family" organization has a new survey: about Islam. It seems a bit skewed in its results already, unabashedly against Muslims.

One thing that disturbs me are the claims that Islam gives women few rights. Okay, maybe the Taliban was harsh - but they do not represent Islam. That would be like the Inqusition representing all of Catholicism and Christianity. Women have had the right to vote in Islamic democracies and a say in society long before the feminist movements of the 20th AD. What is ironic is that Muslim nations have produced more heads of state than Western Nations. Examples:

Indonesia, the most populous Muslim-majority country, elected Megawati Sukarnoputri as President
Pakistan, the second most populous Muslim-majority country, twice (non-consecutively) elected Benazir Bhutto as Prime Minister^[1]
Bangladesh, the third most populous Muslim-majority country, elected Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina as Prime Ministers
Turkey, the fifth most populous Muslim-majority country, elected Tansu Ciller as Prime Minister

Moving beyond Islam, what about my own philosophy: Buddhism? There will be two sworn in the same moment that Keith Ellison is. And you hear not a peep from the media, well maybe a small NY Times article. But we Buddhists do not truly enjoy controversy as much as perpetuating truth and uncovering falsehoods.

Representative-elect Hank Johnson, a Georgia Democrat will use the Bible citing it as an American tradition. Mazie Hirono, a Hawaii Democrat, has stated there not to be a Buddhist equivalent to the Koran or Bible. Even the Dhammapada, originating from the Mahayana branch of Buddhism, doesn't cover all of Buddha's teachings.

What does this say about the multi-religious future of America? Probably what Ms. Hirono says that we should have "respect and tolerance for other religions.” That is something Representative Virgil Goode,the AFA, and others of various faith and non-faith could work towards. A nation that truly values peace,freedom, and all it entails is where America needs to be.

Is Ethiopia a true ally against terrorism?

2006-12-16T00:03:00.000-08:00

While debate over whether Somalia will become a terrorist state ensues, few in America question the legitimacy of Ethiopia. The current Ethiopian regime was elected democratically. In a New York Times article, that may seem legitimate enough. Reality states otherwise, because our so-called "liberal press" leaves out context.

Just as the Kurds and Tibetans have had their lands seized, history shows the Oromo also had their lands taken unjustly. The Oromo have a distinct culture, language , and even religion. Contrary to beliefs of some Abyssinian scholars, the Oromo have been in the region for some time. The Oromo language shares 20% of its words with Somali, and no one disputes Somalian heritage.

The Abyssinians believe they are, and might even be, descendents of Cush. They had faith that God was on their side. Therefore their kings were appointed by God, who justified war with the Oromo many times. Using their Christian credentials with European traders, they were finally able to crush the Oromo.

Abyssinians are the most ardent Christians in Africa. Being so before Europe "colonized" them, were able to postpone take-over. Italian Fascist Mussolini invaded Ethiopia using Oromo slavery as justification, without League of Nations approval, in 1935 and controlled the country until WW2 resolved.

The Oromo have steadily regained rights as time has progressed. In some circumstances Oromo are able to speak their language without punishment, but not yet in most public schools. They have used both political and violence to push for their cause. The most visible organization in their struggle is the Oromo Liberation Front.

How is the current Ethiopian government illegitimate?:

1) European Parliament resolution on Ethiopia

2) Human Rights Watch - Abuses and Polit ical Repression in Ethiopia's Oromia Region

3) Amnesty International report on Ethiopia

4) US State Department codemnation

How is Ethiopia to justify war against Somalia when it is terrorizing its own people? How can Americans sit by and excuse human rights violations that are facts? How can America assume Somali will become a nation hellbent on American destruction? It takes quite a leap from reality to justify a war with Somalia.

Abdi Galgalo, an Oromo, makes his point against a war with Somalia. Siddise Abamagal believes genocide against the Oromo will be committed if war with Somalia breaks out. The American media ignore Oromo viewpoint, because they contradict Executive intelligence. But American citizens deserve to know what supporting a Somalian war entails.

If America supports Ethiopia, it supports terrorism and lethality against Oromo. This situation is not unfamiliar territory in American foreign policy. We ignored the Kurds, supporting Iraq, while at war with Iran.

Wake up America! We cannot support terrorism and human rights violations in any form - even from our so-called allies. We cannot drag our flag in muddy water and immediately fly it with pride!

Holy War or proxy war in the Horn of Africa?

2006-12-14T23:25:00.000-08:00

Ethiopia, an ardently Orthodox Christian nation, is declaring war on Somalia - with U.S. support. The primary reason appears that Ethiopia fears a neighboring nation being an Islamist State. The United States does not want that either, for the irrational fear that it could become a "terrorist" state. For some odd reason, all Somalians have the unpolitically correct label of "Islamofascists." That is who we are are war with, according to many.

Eritrea, having just regained their lands from Ethiopia, supports the Islamist government because Ethiopia does not. Isaias Afwerki , President of Eritrea, wants a proxy war with Ethiopia. With Osama Bin Laden claiming Somalia as primary front for his war on the West, America will want a proxy war through Ethiopia. Somalia, having just regained some stability in 2004, faces the prospect of another harsh conflict.

When nations insist on war as a solution in Somalia, they key questions:

1) Do Ethiopian and Eritrean citizens gain from such a war?

Their money would be better spent diversifying their economies and tending to their own citizens. Their governments seem hellbent on destabilizing the entire region. The people of both nations and Somalia lose.

Ethiopia can certainly slaughter all of its opponents, especially if America chooses a more active role supplying weapons. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi probably assumes more aid from America if he does its bidding. This is quite foolish, like attacking a bees nest assuming you will get help. Neoconservatives may care about foreign aid, but Conservatives do not. And Democrats won't likely give Ethiopia more aid because they follow Bush as blindly as Kazakhstan.

Eritrea is rushing headfirst into fatalities. But they only want a way to hurt Ethiopia without officially declaring war. Foolish, but very ego driven.

2) Does lethality really solve anything?

I have long felt that we need to change the culture of lethality. For too long humans have generally lived peaceful family lives, but accepted that "their" nations military was on "their" side. Lethality is on no man's side but deaths. We need to see militarism for what is it - a last resort and not just a big stick worth wielding at the "other" AKA "the enemy of us."

Somalia is a stabler nation, and even if Islamists control it - will lethality make things better? Somalian Women, children, in addition to men of all ages await war. They wield machine guns ready to die for their nation. They will obey the will of Allah, otherwise the Americans have won.

3) What would no war in Somalia mean?

Imagine that all sides backed off from war. Bin Laden would have nothing to rally around except "Nation Building" in Somalia - what we are supposed to be doing in Iraq. Eritrea and Ethiopia could focus on domestic needs instead of fighting a pointless and irrational proxy war. The United States could focus on real issues, rather than supporting lethality further. All other nations not directly involved, the most signifcant being Kenya, would have no refugees coming caused by a regional war.

I can't imagine why any American would think they could change the mind of another country by use of lethality. Did we end Communism through brute force? How about Socialism in Latin America?

If China becomes the next superpower, would we want them to act as we have - spreading authoritian regimes around the world? America has a reputation and legacy to rebuild. If we are to pass the torch of global power to another nation or region we must become create the standards we want them to abide by. We should start by supporting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and ensuring the UN enforces them.

Kucinich for America

2006-12-12T23:25:00.000-08:00

Who is best fit to be the next President? The media is already in a frenzy over Hilary vs. Obama vs. McCain vs. [ insert latest hot candidate here ]. But yesterday someone stood up and said he would fight for a better America. One that would value all its citizens and enable greater equality. One where hope would triumph over fear. Dennis Kucinich declared his candidacy for President in 2008.

Why would I endorse a candidate this early in the game? Because Kucinich is the real thing. He is in this for the long haul, and has continually worked to gain each political office he eventually attained. He will make it to the oval office.

What issues does Dennis stand for? Simple:

1) America needs some form of universal healthcare. Even Costa Rica has understood the value of this institution, and it has enabled its citizens to thrive in the 21st Century.

2)The United States cannot solve Iraq alone. Even if Kazakhstan and our "coalition of the willing" send all available troop strength - we will still be outnumbered. We need a stronger United Nations, if anything to preserve international order. It is unwise for America to undo the UN when it can be used as an international institution promoting human rights globally.

3) Free trade is not free. The environmental and labor regulations are trade partners do not have endanger our planet and local workers. NAFTA is not solving Mexico's economic woes, but exacerbating them - making America seem the only hope for the desparate.

4) The Patriot Act was passed after 9-11 through emotional fear rather than rational dialogue. It hasn't made us safer, and its effectiveness as a band-aid is beginning to wear off.

5) America is the only industrial nation to NOT offer its citizens free college. Do economically disadvantaged students really have to take out loans just to get what the rich already have? The only Federal program we have currently is the Pentagon, promoting lethality in conjunction with tuition.

6) Social Security does need some revision - it needs to be strengthened, not repealed. If SS benefits were offered on the free market, no citizen could afford it. But our government is able to provide this at a much lower cost than the financial market, to the benefit of our entire society.

7) Do we really need to undo the work of 30 years of human rights activism? Let's support the work already accomplished and a part of our culture. What isn't perfect can be reformed without dismantlement.

8) Corporations and business provide us all jobs - at least those not self employed or work for the government. But they cannot flout labor laws and treat its employees like cattle. Nor can employees expect to be useless to their employers. We need accountability on both sides, and a ways to ensure families and communites some economic stability.

9) Let's face it - oil and other hydrocarbons are starting to become more detrimental to our nation. When President Bush stated that America is "addicted to oil" we have made the first step towards ending the addiction - admitting it exists in the first place. Renewable energy can replace our needs more than we realized even 10 years ago. Further R&D in renewables will ensure a more sustainable future.

10) I can't agree more - we need a better agriculture policy than merely subsidies. We need incentives that have multiple bottom lines: more locally produced, biodiversified and nutritious foods, produced without chemicals that treat our soil like dirt.
I cannot think of reasons why Dennis Kucinich doesn't deserve the Presidency. The Democrats have become complacent, but have the opportunity to change that in 2008. I'm not talking about a further tilt to the left or center - but a tilt towards opportunity and hope. The mid-term election this November was a taste of what can be. Dennis Kucinich offers a glimpse of what is further possible.

The big question is: Will Democrats be bold enough to endorse a candidate not deemed "electable" as John Kerry or Mike Hatch were?

Government marketing marriage?

2006-11-25T11:37:00.000-08:00

The US Government has decided to market marriage with taxpayer money. If there are clear benefits of marriage, then perhaps promoting it will benefit society. With 4/10 children born out of wedlock in 2005 ,would marriage benefit these children? Does it make a difference when a majority of these births are not to teenage mothers, but women in their 20s?

Ron Haskins of the Brookings Institution claims there are
Four Simple rules to not be poor ( AKA end poverty ) :

1) Graduate from High School
2)Get a job
3)Get married
4)Have a child

The Federal government will spend $100M per year for 5 years promoting marriage, $17B a year for welfare, $35B year for food stamps. The theory is if all those unmarried with children got married - and took on characteristics of those currently married - the poverty rate would drop by 30%. Children would gain because two parent heterosexual and homosexual homes are more stable. Children thrive in an environment low in conflict, which usually have sufficient incomes.

This is quite an undertaking by the Federal Government, because currently there is more emphasis on marriage than education in welfare laws. While all this occurs 10M Americans went hungry , 38M intermittently hungry in 2005. Would marriage have saved them or not?

In reality work,education, and childcare would reduce poverty greater than a marriage certificate. 80% of the fathers of children out wedlock make a median income of $16K, only $4K more than the Federal poverty level. Getting these men a decent education and assisting them in doing so would reap greater benefits than marriage.

Getting married will also not reduce odds of domestic violence. A person does not change their internal characteristics indefinetely once they gain a marriage certificate.

The funding for this project ( $100M annually ) has come from refugee resettlement and Native American development projects. I would rather the money be returned to these programs than squandered on a social experiment.

Is this idea really in existence to reduce poverty or promote a social conservative perspective of marriage? I have no qualms with marriage, just the idea that it is a cure-all for poverty. And if it is a cure-all will this notion be applied to those who cannot currently marry - both homosexual and polyamorous?

When a homosexual couple adopts, would their child be better off if they were married? What about bisexuals who get together after having a child with another partner? If this experiment proves correct, that marriage is of utmost importance to reducing poverty for children, social conservatives will be in a predicament regarding homosexual couples. They would have to support them marrying, while denouncing their relationship. How odd reality can be!

And if two incomes are better than one - what about five? What's wrong with a polyfidelitous relationship if it is stable and provides loving nurture to its offspring? That is an avenue few have thought to explore and truly should. These groups exist in America because we are a free nation. To promote only one form of marriage using taxpayer money is not American. You would have to promote all those that work to reduce poverty under this program.

But if you don't agree with my few points, an organization that supports the unmarried has a few more.

Illegal Minnesotans

2006-11-22T08:58:00.000-08:00

Listening to Governor Tim Pawlenty on MPR yesterday, a caller stated his fear for undocumented immigrants. He didn't want illegal immigrants or their children to get his entitlements or tax money. This caller also attacked the Governor for not deporting illegal immigrants and their families.

If only the situation was simple - it isn't. Immigration is not a black and white issue - very few things are. If we wanted to solve the problem of undocumented workers using the criteria of this caller - we would see this:

1) Children of undocumented workers no longer able to attend school.

What makes these children different? If they are born in the US, they are citizens. But if we punish them for their parents, we create a new class in our society. We become like India and create our own class of "untouchables." While it will not be as dramatic as a caste system, it will have negative repurcussions nonetheless.

2) We force local police, especially Minneapolis and Saint Paul, to enforce Federal immigration laws

The Minneapolis police force is not the INS. If they become the INS, it will increase crime. Crime is the sole purpose for a local police force, unless you feel immigration a bigger issue than rape, drug use, and homicide.

If you were an illegal immigrant, would you EVER call the police if you thought they would deport you? Would you hide in fear if you thought the police were after you? If you witnessed a crime, you would pretend you never saw it.

What to do about illegal immigration?

Immigration has occurred for as long as human beings have existed. All Americans are immigrants, because these are truly Native American lands. And even the Native Americans emigrated here from Europe and Asia. We outnumbered natives and therefore earned the "right" to their lands.

There is not much value in undoing what American ancestors have done with our current generation paying the price. But their is a possibility to accept those who are here, either by being born or immigrant.

Ben Powers, Constitution Party candidate for Senate this year, stated that if all the unborn children had been born rather than aborted - we wouldn't have a worker shortage. Therefore undocumented workers were of no value and should be deported.

His logic is insane, but it does shed light on a solution. The primary source of illegal immigration is Mexico. What are solutions?:

1) Mexico needs jobs

Why not prevent the problems that lead to them leaving their homeland? Would YOU want to leave where you had been born, raised, and where you feel at home? No, but if you had no job and a family to support - you would.

2) Mexico needs family planning

If all women in this world had access to family planning, we could reduce the population growth to below the replacement rate. This would alleviate pressure on economic and environmental constraints. Mexico's current population: 106M In 2030 it will be 1432M

3) Mexico needs higher taxes

At 19.8% taxes, Mexico could be doing more. America's taxes stand at 26.8%. A lot of people make a claim that Mexico and latin America are moving to the left. With such low taxes and few services, why wouldn't they? America may not like it, and both political parties in our homeland work to stop their left from winning. ( But they cannot buy votes as easily as they do here. )

You can't educate all children on the free-market system. Nor can you build roads solely using that method, while ensuring transit to those unable to own or use cars.

Their government should be serving their people, not those who do not want to pay taxes.

If Mexico alleviated population growth and focused on its own people, it could drastically reduce those leaving for America.

Midwest Conference of Spiritual Progressives

2006-11-18T21:26:00.000-08:00

Politics and religion. The left-leaning elements in our political culture despise the idea of religion or spiritually intertwining in secular politics. But what secular politics is devoid of is a solution to living a life beyond a pursuit of money and power. They don't seem to see a problem in our society, and the problems are vast.

Rather than fearing those we do not know, Spiritual Progressives seek a world based on radical hope. The enemy is not the Republican Party but the cynical realism that has entrenched both major political parties. It is that realism that prevents the hope we all carry inside us of a better world.

Do we want to live in a world where we base the value of our life and others on material wealth? Should friendships and relationships be based on what they can do for us? Sadly, they are. This is a tragedy, and we need to refocus on the value of each human being - regardless of how society currently interprets worth. It is time for humanity to seek its full potential.

What is the purpose of the Spiritual Progressive movement? :

We are a grassroots movement creating a culture of purpose and meaning deeper than the mere pursuit of money and power.
We are working to reshape our economic, political, and social life in accord with a new bottom line of love, compassion, community, fairness, peace, and awe and wonder at the universe.
We invite everyone who believes in the power of love and generosity to join us in this process of healing and transformation.

When I tell my friends that Israel and Palestine have the possibility to live peacefully together they scoff. Nonviolent social change is a difficult thing for "realists" to grasp. They forget the power can be wielded not by the sword, but radical ideas fought sans lethality and excess violence. They forget Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. , and dare I say Jesus. There are many more unrecognized who have also paid the ultimate price without any fame. There will also be many more who take on such an important role.

Many participants were very hopeful and optimistic we would make a difference. But two weeks ago, there were only 40 people registered for this event. They were at least 500 people packed into the Wesley United Methodist Church. I think the Democrats winning by such a large margin in the election has empowered many in the Progressive community.

Many Democrats I spoke to prior to the election were very hurt, angry, and upset over the direction our nation was heading in. They wanted things to change with this election, and were doubtful that they would. I always told people that there was hope, that things would get better.

There were many cynics, and still are. I for one am doubtful the Democrats will embrace the ideals of the New Bottom Line this year. That is where activism comes in. That is where prayer comes in. That is where cultivating lovingkindness comes in. That is where hope will transcend such "realities."

Does it really matter which party embraces Spiritual Progressives? If the Republican Party stood by our values in 2010 or 2025 - it would be a victory for humanity. The movement has begun, please join us.

Chris Stewart - Racist comedian or just Racist?

2006-11-08T23:40:00.000-08:00

The newest member of the Minneapolis School Board thinks it funny to attack Tammy Lee with racial-based comments on a mock website.

I am rather sickened by the site, but perhaps many feel the same about white candidates. Race should not determine who one votes for, but issues. Some choose to identify themselves in a particular race ( or religion, class, party) rather than on the side of humanity. I consider myself a Minnesotan first, an American second, but interconnected to all beings on Earth.

There is always bias, be it subtle or glaring, in everyone for those outside our limited experiences and knowledge. Personally, I would like to see more community activists in general who fit better the communities they serve. But more often than not, community and political organizations in Minneapolis appear whiter than the areas they represent.

Chris Stewart has already shown us his perspective. Perhaps he made the "satire" page because Sabo didn't endorse Keith Ellison, and assumed it was racist. He claims to want a better Minneapolis, and I hope we all truly do in Minnesota. Our city has residents of all races and backgrounds, most of which Chris seems clueless about. Our democracy is more than about ones skin color or other such tribalism mentality. A better Minneapolis would include the perspective of all these citizens, not solely a racial-based viewpoint.

Comment has come from neither the Stewart campaign or the DFL.
( I thank the Lloyd Leta blog for posting about this and further information )