Getting in line for immigration

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“Go to the back of the line” is one of the mantras of the current immigration debate, but few know what the line looks like.NPR reported on one of the couples currently in line for a visa. Maria’s husband applied for a visa in 1997. He’s still waiting. Applications for his visa category are backlogged to 1993, and the line is not moving, according to his lawyer. But they’re lucky — they qualify for a visa, some day, because of a family relationship. Continue Reading

Banning assault weapons is not the answer

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Yes, you read that right. I don’t think banning assault weapons is the answer — not the answer to our abominably high gun murder rate, not the answer to a culture of violence. While I think that a ban on assault weapons would be a good, small step, I don’t believe that such a ban would reduce the gun murder rate by very much. Here’s why —The FBI stats shows 8,775 homicides by firearm in 2010, with only 358 of those attributed to rifles and 373 to shotguns. The vast majority of gun murders — 6,009 — are committed with pistols. Continue Reading

From stats to snark: Governor Dayton’s Minnesota budget plan

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All of the official story is here, in the official Governor’s Budget Recommendation with a summary here, and the video of the governor’s budget address here. Among the key proposals:Taxes:• Reducing sales tax from the current 6.875% rate to 5.5% and extending sales tax to cover more goods and services, including clothing purchases of single items costing more than $100. (Though Dayton observed that taxing clothing “goes against my upbringing.”)• Overhauls property taxes, with rebates for individual taxpayers, increase in Local Government Aid, and• Increases cigarette taxes.• Higher income tax bracket for top 2%.• Reduce corporate income tax.More money for education:• Increased scholarships for quality pre-school and access to all-day kindergarten for 85% of Minnesota children.• More money for Minnesota State Grant college scholarships.• Increased basic state aid to K-12 schools.• Increased funding for special education.MinnPost reported Republican responses, including:Senate and House minority leaders Sen. David Hann and Rep. Kurt Daudt found nothing to like and everything to fault. They characterized Dayton’s proposal for a lowering and broadening of the sales tax as a middle-class tax increase and job killer.“A more fitting title for the governor’s budget would be that this budget is for a better Wisconsin because that is where Minnesota jobs will go,” Daudt said. The budget proposal quickly sparked Twitter discussion and debate at #mnleg. Among the critics:• Patrick Kessler ‏@  Press Release: MN Bar Association opposes Dayton proposal for sales tax on legal services, says it’s a “tax on justice”. #mnleg• MN House Republicans ‏@mnhousegop Tepid reception for Gov. #mdayton’s budget proposal || Pioneer Press: Don’t undermine Minnesota businesses: http://bit.ly/ViHbsw • Sean Nienow ‏@SNienow Got a nasty cold? Called in sick to your #Obamacare 29 hr/week job w/o sick time? Continue Reading

PHOTOS | Martin Luther King Day 2013 in Minneapolis and St. Paul

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While the Twin Cities had many celebrations of Martin Luther King Day, I went to just two of them — the beginning of the Occupy MN march in Minneapolis, and the Governor’s Commission and Minnesota Humanities Center-sponsored celebration at Central High School in St. Paul. Organizers of the Occupy MN march in Minneapolis posted their explanation on Facebook:This march seeks to honor that legacy of Dr. King. The MLK of the “Vietnam and Beyond” speech in which he condemns the militarism, materialism and racism in US society and proclaims that: “ A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death… Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Participants focused on foreclosure and homeowners’ rights. Occupy MN continues to focus on the rallying cry of “the 99%.”Subzero temperatures meant bundling up for marchers, whatever their age.  A sign signaled solidarity with the Native American Idle No More movement. And a St. Paul teacher wore buttons representing various teacher organizations. Continue Reading

Talking about guns

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Twenty children, six teachers and school employees, the gunman and his mother died in the Newtown, Connecticut school shooting on December 14. Since then, almost a thousand other people across the country have been shot to death. Slate and @GunDeaths are partnering to document the shooting deaths here. Each icon represents a victim. Click on the icon, and you see details of the shooting. Continue Reading

NEWS YOU CAN USE | Where to get a flu shot — right now in 2013

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With the flu epidemic ramping up in Minnesota and nationwide, where can you get your flu shot? My pharmacy ran out of vaccine last week, as did many others. If you still need to find a flu shot, try calling ahead to be sure that the clinic or pharmacy still has shots available. I found two sites with listings of places you can get flu shots — the Minnesota Department of Health and HealthMap.For either site, you can plug in your zip code to find places to get a flu shot. When I searched, using my 55104 zip code, the MN Department of Health search turned up only six sites. Continue Reading

Goodbye, Macy’s — I’ll miss the popovers

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Years ago, when Macy’s was Dayton’s and my children were young, we went there once a year for lunch in the elegant River Room. We went with my Aunty Helen, who knew something about making memories. Dayton’s seemed like the fanciest store around, a special and impressive place, and the River Room is justly famous for its popovers, still remembered as “basically amazing.”Then Daytons became Marshall Fields and then Macy’s and now it’s going away, quickly, with clearance sales beginning Monday and ending in less than three months.The official word from the city of St. Paul is aggressively upbeat:[Mayor Coleman:] “Downtown Saint Paul’s momentum and rebirth continues. And much like when the ballpark or light rail was in the infant stages of great redevelopment ideas, the Macy’s site provides the city with a tremendous opportunity to bring another part of our city into the 21st century.”The closing of Macy’s brings with it great redevelopment potential, according to Matt Kramer, President and CEO of the Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce. “We understand that large national retailers have been trending for years to the suburban mall model. Continue Reading

Minneapolis reports: Crime is up! Crime is down! What?

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The City of Minneapolis trumpeted the good news in a December 26 press release:”Minneapolis crime numbers for 2012 stay among the lowest levels in decades — Serious crime nearly flat, violent crime sees a single-digit increase over 2011.”The Star Tribune had a different take on the same numbers:”Violent crime on the rise in Minneapolis this year.”So what’s really going on?The city’s press release says Minneapolis is “on pace to finish 2012 with crime numbers that are among the lowest in the last 30 years.” That’s true — the numbers are “among the lowest.” Last year — 2011 — had the lowest numbers since 1983. This year’s numbers, while somewhat higher, are still “among the lowest,” even if they don’t beat 2011.But — since they don’t beat 2011’s record lows — it’s also true that, as the Star Tribune reads the numbers, violent crime is “on the rise in Minneapolis this year.”The bigger story — if anyone reads beyond the battling headlines — is that crime in Minneapolis has been on a steady downward trajectory. Even youth crime is dropping, as last year’s press release reported: “From 2006–10 (the last year that full statistics are available), the number of youth suspects involved in violent crime dropped 60 percent.”Feeling any safer?Probably not. Continue Reading