Homeowners share foreclosure fears at election circle

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Payne Phalen resident Shadina McClendon was hit by a car in April and almost died. Still suffering a severe leg injury, McClendon is no longer employed and her doctors won’t allow her to return to work. Randy McClendon, her husband, is fully employed, but in order to keep his job, he was forced to take a significant reduction in pay by the company he has worked for the past 20 years. His income is not sufficient to pay the monthly house payment.The McClendons, who shared their story at a Twin Cities Daily Planet election circle on July 30, worry they may lose their home, and say that banks have not been helpful. Nor has the city of St. Continue Reading

Getting connected to promote regional transit options

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More than 50 people gathered at the Hopkins Center for the Arts on July 25 to “get connected” with Transit for Livable Communities (TLC), and to learn about new media tools that can help them advocate more effectively for transit options in their communities.Barb Thoman, TLC’s executive director, recalled all of the various arguments people used against funding light rail in 1996, when TLC was in its infancy. Citizen participation, she said, is what made all the difference.Citizen engagement takes many forms, including voicing support for transit at the legislature, in local newspapers, and during everyday conversations. Thoman said it also means providing financial support to TLC, so that it can continue to develop programs to fully fund a regional transit system, promote walking and bicycling, and strengthen community participation in transportation and development decisions.Citizen support crucial to state fundingCurrently, it’s the Southwest light rail line that requires citizen backing. If it gains state bonding support, construction could begin in 2014 on a15-mile line that would connect Minneapolis to Eden Prairie through St. Louis Park, Hopkins, and Minnetonka. Continue Reading

Connecting over health care, food and beer, at Amsterdam Bar & Hall

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The evening began with a show of hands. Dr. Elizabeth Frost, co-chair of Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP) Minnesota, asked: How many people are happy with the recent Supreme Court decision upholding the Affordable Care Act? Do you think it’s a step in the right direction? Are you angry about the decision? The 30-plus people gathered at Amsterdam Bar and Hall for a New Normal 2012: Get Connected!community meeting on July 18, mostly supported the Affordable Care Act as ‘a step in the right direction’, though perhaps not an ideal solution. This finding proved an appropriate lead-in to presentations on how to connect more effectively with others in advocating for universal single-payer health care.Establishing an emotional connectionDr. Sarah Kesler, one of the evening’s main presenters, spoke on behalf of PNHP. She stressed that progressives must dispense with the notion that if you just present the facts, people will come around and support your position. Continue Reading

Food and farming: Framing the issues for 2012 elections

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Seed biodiversity, farming methods, and food distribution were main topics as TC Daily Planet’s election circle met at Common Roots Café May 3. The result was a lively exchange that branched out into other areas, including corporate power, expectations around political leadership, and the United States’ role in the world.Marita Bujold, a regular participant, was invited to facilitate this month’s discussion. Bujold opened with a presentation based on research she had done for her Master of Arts in Leadership degree from Augsburg College. She focused on Mixtec farmers in Mexico, highlighting the diversity of seeds produced by organic peasant farming methods—approximately 1.9 million varieties since 1960, versus fewer than 7,000 developed through industrial agriculture. Bujold described how the North America Free Trade Act (NAFTA) has resulted in the erosion of land, depletion of genetic diversity, and departure of two million farmers from Mexico.Tying these issues to the election, Bujold noted: “We have a USDA that promotes big agriculture and genetically modified crops. Continue Reading

“We’re all stakeholders”: Citizens League and Bush Foundation convene “ordinary Minnesotans” to share their views on health care

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“The best solutions to tough problems come through engaging citizens,” says C. Scott Cooper, director of engagement and communication at the Bush Foundation. Sean Kershaw, executive director of the Citizens League, adds, “Hardly anything has a bigger impact on people’s lives than health care.  The public wants to have this conversation, but needs the invitation.”Last year the two organizations took “a bit of a gamble,” when they embarked on a series of community conversations about the state budget. Confident that Minnesotans would sit down with complete strangers to discuss the budget, the partners scheduled a series of gatherings throughout the state.  This year they’re back, inviting citizens to come together to discuss health care in Minnesota.More than 35 Citizen Solutions conversations will be held between April and July in communities as diverse as Bemidji and Willmar, North Minneapolis and Worthington, Eden Prairie and West St. Continue Reading