Twin Cities Daily Planet (https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/category/opinion/voices/page/16/)
Motherhood and family. Fewer words in our language have greater emotional pull. And pull those words do, in directions I never expected they would when I became a mother myself. On the covers of celebrity weeklies, moms like Gwen Stefani and J. Lo beam behind headlines like “How motherhood changed me.” In the latter case, it involved dropping her hip-hop nickname and buying another Bentley. Continue Reading
$4 per gallon gas is causing great hardship, but Minnesota can turn that problem into an opportunity to protect the environment, reduce traffic congestion, and help low and middle income people cope, simply by substantially cutting public transit fares. Unfortunately, just when we should be increasing bus and rail ridership, the Metropolitan Council proposes to move us in the opposite direction by raising fares. Boosting fares reduces ridership, while cutting fares increases it. The Met Council’s decision to raise fares due to higher fuel prices and insufficient funding is not surprising, but it is disappointing. When these higher fares reduce the number of riders, it simultaneously increases the number of auto trips, which in turn produces more congestion and wear and tear on roads. Continue Reading
Where can you find a map of homicides in the Twin Cities, a listing of foreclosures in your neighborhood, and the salaries of government employees? The Star Tribune’s new Infocenter offers a wealth of information at the click of a mouse. Editor Nancy Barnes introduced the Infocenter on July 20, writing that the Strib will now make available to readers some of the “amazing collection of news and information makes its way into the newsroom in any given day, week, year — crime statistics, home sales records, public salaries, voting records, school test scores and so on. We distill the data down to a publishable form or use it to report stories, and then file it away for use on another day.” Among the offerings are:Minnesota’s homicides: an interactive mapregional demographic profiles from the Met CouncilMinnesota’s 100 largest non-profitsWho’s financing Minnesota’s political campaigns?home prices in the Twin Cities Continue Reading
It is what cynics say about political candidates: “He’ll say anything to get elected.” I’ve demurred when I’ve heard that said about candidates I support. But I’ve had to accept that ideology doesn’t matter much when it comes to the tactics candidates use to … well, said nicely, broaden their appeal; in not-so-nice terminology, pander. I find this disturbing. Continue Reading
I don’t see much difference between the Republicans and the Democrats. The Democrats are just more polite and cordial when it comes to expressing their bigotry. Case in point: The Democrats participate in the anti-Muslim sentiment in this country when they escort two Muslim women off the stage in Joe Louis Arena in Detroit with the lame excuse that “because of a sensitive political environment, Obama should not be photographed with Muslims wearing head scarves.”
The Democrats are just as shameless as the Republicans in what they will do to get as many votes as possible. So, are they succumbing to the anti-Muslim bigotry, or are they bigots themselves? The Democrats are afraid of Muslim women wearing scarves — and these are the people who are going to get us out of Iraq? Continue Reading
“Apparently, massive welfare is ok for the rich but not for ordinary citizens. Socialism for the rich! Capitalism for the poor!” Roger Cuthbertson is angry about government bailouts, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac.”For nine years, the company offered on-line shopping that gave the “grounded” stores like Cub, Rainbow, Lunds & Byerlys a run for their money. However, with the economy tanking, and gas becoming more costly, something had to give.” Continue Reading
In her very first interviews last week after being rescued in the jungles of Colombia, following six years of brutal captivity, Ingrid Betancourt remembered and reflected on a great many things. But her most inspiring reflections, I think, were the startling words she uttered on two separate occasions last week about language itself – about words and their profound role in shaping human and political affairs. “We’ve reached a point where we must change the radical extremist vocabulary of hate and very strong words that intimately wound human beings,” she said in a Monday interview with French radio, her voice clear and strong, her eyes alert and piercing. So often in our private and public discourse, we rush to solve our problems with words. We may use them quickly, in defense or reaction, or we may spend time composing careful screeds of reason and reflection. Continue Reading
When America’s leading business advocacy group comes out foursquare for more and smarter investments in transportation infrastructure, you know that the nation has turned a corner in its regard for the roads, bridges, rails and other mobility assets that are so vital to our prosperity. In a deeply researched report issued in June, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s National Chamber Foundation branded our current transportation system inadequate to meet 21st century economic challenges and urged that “every funding and financing option must be considered to address its enormous problems.” That’s just the latest, and maybe the most influential, salvo from America’s opinion leadership that is beginning to bury the no-new-taxes-no-matter-what ideology, which for years has paralyzed our state and nation’s ability to compete in the global marketplace. “The consequences of inaction are unacceptable,” the U.S. Chamber said. “Something must be done – now.” Continue Reading
What could you do with a million dollars?Running for Congress may not be the first answer that comes to mind, but the quarterly campaign disclosure reports show quite a few Minnesota candidates ready to spend more than a million on their campaigns. Want to know who has how much and where it’s coming from? Read on. Federal candidates are required to file quarterly contributions reports with the Federal Election Commission. (State legislative candidates file with the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board.) Congressional candidate reports can be found at the FEC Web Site, as can Senate candidate reports. Continue Reading
Though the Central Corridor looks like a done deal, many people, especially in St. Paul, remain convinced that it is the wrong solution for transit. St. Paul E-Democracy forum hosts a lively discussion, including judgments ranging from “pretty sound” to “shame!” Among the comments:
“The current routing is slow, eliminates the abilityof the people in the neighborhood to use transit on University Avenue, eliminates parking and will create horrendous traffic jams at key intersections that are already overburdened.” Continue Reading