D.C. gridlock pauses to stop floods and carp
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In a rare burst of bipartisan harmony in Washington, Congress just overwhelmingly approved a $12.3 billion water resources bill with two critically important measures for Minnesota. Continue Reading
Memorial Day and disabled survivors of war
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About three weeks ago, my wife and I stopped downstairs after 9:30 Mass at Basilica for our usual coffee and conversation. Continue Reading
COMMUNITY VOICES | Mother’s Day and the federal budget
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When I was growing up, my single Mom worked hard as a minimum wage waitress at the local golf club to put food on the table for our family and to pay the mortgage. Mothers care about the well being and security of their families. As a legislator and a grandmother of 18, I carried that concern as I proudly introduced and passed the Women’s Economic Security Act, a series of bills aimed at updating workplace policies that are holding women and their families back. This Mother’s Day, we hope that Members of Congress are also thinking about their roles as caregivers and providers not only in their own homes, but for the nation as a whole.The federal budget which is made up of our tax dollars is an important blueprint for meeting the security needs in our communities. In Minnesota and in Congress, the budgets we craft allow us to have clean drinking water, public transportation, schools, law enforcement, paved roads and highways, and other essential services. Communities like ours rely on federal money to be safe, healthy, thriving and economically sound. Yet, Congress continues to allocate inordinate sums to the Pentagon and its programs, to the detriment of our national and economic security.More than half of the federal discretionary budget that Congress appropriates each year is taken up by the Pentagon. Continue Reading
COMMUNITY VOICES | The untold story of the Iran nuclear scare will be told in the Twin Cities this week
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This is shortly before talks between the P5+1 (The five permanent members of the UN Security Council: U.S., China, Russia, France, Britain + Germany) and Iran resume May 13, to be concluded in June. In the Twin Cities, Porter will examine the premise they are based on. He is the author of the Manufactured Crisis: the Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare, published in 2014 (Just World Books). Gareth Porter will address his findings based on an intensive dissection of allegations about Iran’s nuclear program. Porter is “the most conscientious follower of the fantasy danger of Iran’s purported ‘nuclear weapons program,’” according to Iran expert William O. Beeman, a University of Minnesota professor.Gareth Porter, the 2012 recipient of the prestigious London-based Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism, an award presented to a journalist who reveals “an unpalatable truth, validated by powerful facts.” (Julian Assange received the award in 2011 for Wikileaks) will be in the Twin Cities Wednesday, May 7, and Thursday, May 8, to talk about the Iran nuclear scare.As an historian and investigative journalist, Porter has been examining U.S. foreign policy, military and security issues regarding the Middle East and Afghanistan, as well as writing on the Philippines, Korea, Cambodia, and Viet Nam. Continue Reading
The Affordable Care Act is working for America
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Political humorist Mark Shields has said that a week can be a lifetime in politics and three months can be an eternity. How true for Obamacare and MNSure… Continue Reading
Deadbeat Uncle Sam?
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As Minnesota’s two seasons — winter and road construction — collide again this month, the state is launching transportation projects worth $1.1 billion at 74 Twin Cities locations, 194 in Greater Minnesota and 40 others not on highways. Continue Reading
President will wait, again, to decide on Keystone XL
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The latest delay is projected to put off the decision until after the November election. Continue Reading
The Constitution and the failures of contemporary American politics
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Is the polarization and dysfunctionalism in contemporary American politics an accident or a product of design failure? The more one thinks about it the conclusion may well be that the many of the problems now confronting the United States are the product of a faulty Constitution, or at least one that may perhaps have outlived its times. Continue Reading
MayDay 2014 starting the Joy early
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The MayDay Parade has a new start time this year. The partying puppets and associates will begin their entertaining of the parade viewers starting at Noon on May 4th, 2014, an hour earlier then previous years. The Ceremony will commence at its customary (approximate) 3:30 p.m. time, allowing the Sun to get into position. Powderhorn Park will be vibrant with the MayDay Festival for all the daylight hours. Simply start your joy on MayDay an hour earlier. Continue Reading
Shortsighted cuts could hurt community health advancements
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The Community Transformation Grant (CTG) program was initiated in 2011 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in an attempt to address health disparities, help control health care spending, and create a healthier future. To this end, federal funds from the Affordable Care Act were allocated to select communities across the U.S. to help support community-level efforts to reduce chronic diseases by expanding efforts in “tobacco-free living, active living and healthy eating, and quality clinical and other preventative services.” Minnesota fared well in the selection process: the state was awarded $4.7 million per year (including $1.1 million for Hennepin County) for what was supposed to be a five-year program.