Where traditional retail operations are growing at about 4.5% annually,
online sales are growing at a rate of 28%. It's clear to see where the
trends are going. They are going to online stores.
These figures are good news for every business owner, particularly those in
small towns. Why? To
Senate Bill 835 (Urban Renewal Areas established):
Introduced by Sen. Don Betzold and Sen. Lawrence J. Pogemiller on February
10, 2005, to allow economic development authorities with tax increment
financing authority to designate Urban Renewal Areas after city and county
approval. Normal
So the claims that it's the Governor's fault and it's the Legislature's
fault turn out to be false. The erosion of the commercial market in
Minneapolis seems to be the real problem. Office vacancies are 4 times
higher than required for a stable market. Where have all of the
businesses gone?
The industrialist Andrew Carnegie built thousands of libraries at the turn
of the twentieth century, mostly throughout the United States and the
British Isles. It's possible that he sought historical redemption for the
rough manner in which some of his factory workers were treated. But the main
American consumers are living closer to the financial edge than ever, and
that's good business for debt-collection agencies.
Meanwhile, the army of debt collectors poised to come after late payers is
growing. Collection agencies nationwide have tripled their income in the
past 10 years and
The StarTribune hasn't had a property tax increase. In fact its
headquarters building taxable valuation has dropped.despite the LRT
station's arrival..
2001 $9.1 million
2002 $8.8 million
2003 $8.6 million
2004 $8.6 million
'Nuff said
Vicky Heller
North Oaks and Cedar-Riverside
Today's Pioneer Press
To pay for the new library and other system improvements, Minneapolis
residents voted to raise their property taxes by $140 million. A private
campaign is raising an additional $15 million, Ulseth said. The library is
scheduled to open in the spring of 2006.
[VH] The
Brown: We should remember that in Minneapolis the TIF tap has been pretty
much cut off. Gone are the days when every downtown project had a subsidy.
Heller: What about the $30 million TIF contribution to Ryan Construction
and George Sherman for the Sear's site? The ink is barely dry on that
Provided as a public service to Minneapolis voters:
LEVERAGE - Small amount of cash, huge amount of debt.
PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP - Private entity gets the cash, taxpayers get the
debt, plus interest.
INVESTMENT - Handing over public cash, roll the dice, hope there's a return
someday (after
From the Mortgage Chronicle 5/12/04: Wells Plans to Add 1000 Jobs in Iowa
Wells Fargo's Home Consumer Finance Group plans to build three office
buildings and one training center in Iowa, a spokesman said. He said the
group is aiming at housing 2,300 existing employees and 1,000 positions from
WizardMarks: Fancy fundraisers are needed to complete the [library]
project. That's where the captains of industry get a chance to shine and
flash money and pay some of the freight on this venture. I hope you didn't
think they [Walker and Carnegie] would keep that up forever.
Vicky Heller:
[Barb Lickness] The Phillips neighborhoods have worked with the Midtown
Exchange redevelopment project from it's inception as did Powderhorn.
Between the relocation of Wells Fargo Mortgage and Allina, over 3,500 jobs
will be added to Midtown Phillips and Phillips West.
[Vicky Heller] The 3,500
Tonight, Rybak will unveil his campaign Web log, or blog, a part online
diary and part forum that many credit with helping launch Howard Dean -
temporarily - to the top of the race for the 2004 Democratic presidential
nomination.
John Palfrey, the executive director of the Center for Internet and
Last week, a candidate for City council mentioned never having seen a
property tax bill - other than his/her own (not in a TIF district).
It occurred to me that most Minneapolis voters have no idea how the property
tax system works in Minneapolis, so I prepared a spreadsheet for the ten
parcels
Today's Pioneer Press:
Joseph and Ellen Konstan live in a $1.65 million home they built recently on
Summit Avenue. They have a hefty city property tax bill of $6,765, but are
paying only $84 in new fees because they have a relatively narrow lot.
They're paying $1,100 less than they would have had
CHEYENNE -- Attention high school students with at least a 2.5 GPA enrolled
in challenging courses: Stay in Wyoming for college and it won't cost you a
dime.
That is, at least if Rep. Pat Childers, R-Cody, has his way. Childers wants
to reward Wyoming students who do well in school and stay out
Baby steps in the right direction
1995 - Minneapolis was #1
2002 - Minneapolis was #9
2004 - Minneapolis was #14
At this rate, Minneapolis might be able to attract some business activity by
mid-century.
In the meantime, homeowners will pay more and more of the colossal cost of
City
Senate Bill 561 (Prohibition Against New Tax Increment Finance Districts):
Introduced by Sen. John Marty on January 27, 2005, to prohibit new or
extended tax increment finance districts. The bill would mandate that local
governments conduct public hearings before providing any business subsidies
Senate Bill 496 (Local Government Retirement Funds Invested by State Board
of Investment):
Introduced by Sen. Cal Larson on January 26, 2005, to require for the
investment of the assets of a series of local retirement plans by the state
board investment including the Fairmont and Minneapolis
The following table shows the U.S. Census estimates for 245 cities with
populations over 100,000, using CONSISTENT methodology. It reflects changes
(estimates based on interim data) for one year only - July 2002 to July
2003. This is the report that was released last June.
Minneapolis is shown
. The more you abuse credit cards,
the less money you have to spend on food.
[Jim Mork] It seems that Victoria Heller, the North Oaks critic who loves to
hate everything any Minneapolis ruling body does is still using faulty logic
and gross generalizations to steer away from any authentic solutions
[Terrell Brown] Perhaps that explains why the population of Minneapolis
increased in the last decade (US Gov't census data). Or is that an inodus
[Vicky here] Please cite your source. Here's mine which was also published
in the Strib a few months ago.
POPULATION DECREASE
The population
[lomonaco at polisci.umn.edu] The trouble with this claim is that it in no
way makes clear what the connection is between the NRP and the problems it
points to.
[Vicky Heller] I can tell by your comments that you have never looked at
the Minneapolis Comprehensive Financial Reports (CAFR). Why
[Dorothy Titus] I don't see how it would be better to let the city council
determine where the money is spent.
[Vicky Heller] Excuse me! Why do you think they get elected? The City
Council is supposed to safeguard the public treasury; use money wisely.
They are supposed to deal with
Senate Bill 318 (Local Government Property Tax and Fee Freeze):
Introduced by Sen. Lawrence J. Pogemiller on January 13, 2005, to prohibit
local governments from increasing property taxes or fees. The state would
be required to pay local governments for any reductions made to state aid
during
Annie Young: I just want to say: That one of the things I did admire about
Tony [Scallon] when he served on the council was his ability to understand
the City budget and how money moves around during budget time.
Heller here: Boy oh boy. Staying within the List rules is going to be
tough on
House Bill 342 (Minneapolis Tax Increment Finance District Duration
Extension):
Introduced by Rep. Karen Clark on January 20, 2005, to remove the time limit
on a redevelopment tax increment financing district in Minneapolis (SF413
Companion Bill). Details and Comments:
[Strib] The newsletter talks about efforts by the administration that range
from targeting repeat offenders and fiscal responsibility to airport,
air quality and trees.
[Heller] In the fiscal responsibility category, I hope Candidate Rybak
explains the $30 million TIF gift to the developers of
The real heroes are people like Paul Klodt, Bill Cullen and many others who
provide affordable housing with NO government subsidies, NO developer's
fees, NO credit enhancement fees, NO bond underwriting fees, and NO harm to
the Minneapolis taxpayers.
Readers need to understand that, after all
The handwriting is on the wall - local units of government will eventually
have to disclose actual expenditures and justify tax increases. Pawlenty
must be tired of being blamed for the reckless financial shenanigans at the
local and county levels.
What a politically astute move: Who would dare
Steve Cross: However, I think that it is time for me, and all of us, just
to consider the source of all of her [Vicky's] accusations and just ignore
them.
Vicky replies: Just to clarify that all of my sources are VERIFIABLE public
documents. Nothing secret. The only difference between me and
From The Daily Reckoning Weekend Edition January 15-16, 2005
Fannie is in the news again, and it sure ain't good news. Two Ohio public
retirement funds have been granted lead plaintiff status in the case against
Fannie, Ohio's Attorney General announced on Thursday. These two retirement
funds -
I didn't make my point very well. So I'll try again.
Other governments GET ANGRY and GET ACTIVE when their constituents are
ripped off. They sue! They scream! They pound on the table! But not in
Minneapolis.
Minneapolis sweeps the fraud under the table and pretends it didn't happen.
an alternative view of Minneapolis history.
Public notice posted by...
Victoria Heller
North Oaks and Cedar-Riverside
REMINDERS:
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2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame
Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray birth City your soul to keep,
Guard us while we sleep tonight,
And wake us honest at day's first light.
An election year has just arrived,
Candidates come with schemes contrived,
I pray that voters see the truth,
For everyone's sake, even this sleuth.
Vicky
Bernstein: Instead, there are a lot of folks who want to know that city
leadership is focused on making Minneapolis a safer, cleaner, responsive,
compassionate (but definitely not conservative) place to live and work.
Heller: We've been hearing this same story for decades - and it hasn't
Russell Raczkowski: That's why when Minneapolis institutes a fee for all
suburban recipients entering the city by car to make money, to attend
entertainment events, to shop, or to partake of some of the city's illicit
pleasures, I expect not a peep out of them.
Vicky Heller: I don't think
Jim Bernstein: I'm not sure what your point was or why you spent time
sleuthing around but an e-mail or a phone call to me could have quickly
informed you that if there was line item in the city budget for compensation
and benefits paid to Charter Commissioners it would read NONE!
Vicky Heller:
Good news Mike - I just bought you a copy of With or Without Beans: An
Informal Biography of Texas Chili
That was an easy way to save Minneapolis $100 million.
No need to thank me, I make many charitable contributions for the public
good.
Vicky Heller
North Oaks and Cedar-Riverside
Mike
From the Taxpayers League E-Update on January 7, 2005.
But what a steal at $6800/foot to move the Shubert two blocks
Back in 1999 the city of Minneapolis moved the Shubert Theatre a few hundred
feet from its original location to make room for the Block E development. At
a cost of $4.7
Listmember Jim Bernstein is also the Chair of the City's Charter
Commissionand a candidate for the City Council!
From Mr. Bernstein's posts:
My conclusion: the dumbing down of America and more people voting
republican is not a coincidence! 5/13/04
Why [not park near a Bush sign]? Fear of
Oops - after all of that cutting and pasting, I forgot to sign my post.
Vicky Heller
North Oaks and Cedar-Riverside
REMINDERS:
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2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious
BARB JOHNSON'S DEBT-REDUCTION PLAN
The answer, according to Council Member Barbara Johnson (Ward 4), is to make
a deal with the state legislature.
CALIFORNIA'S DEBT-REDUCTION PLAN
Schwarzenegger also took aim at pensions being paid to state and other
public employees. He said that only four
Steven Cross: I am weary of Ms. Heller's endless attacks on good
government.
Vicky Heller: Marching toward bankruptcy is not a form of good government.
Withholding financial data from the taxpayers and voters is not a form of
good government.
Tripling property taxes in Minneapolis over the
Jim Bernstein: The cold hard truth of it is that you are utterly dependent
on government for almost everything you do - you have been for a long time
and will continue to be as long as you live.
Vicky Heller: Your statement may apply to you, but I've never been on the
government payroll. Quite
Here is something to keep in mind as Listmembers fantasize about transit
modes that you can't afford, at least for the next several years.
A very large number of people, even in Minneapolis, do not want to become
dependent on government - for anything. I'm included in this group because
I
Whether it's leaves, smoke, hot air, or anything else -- do not give up your
RIGHT TO BLOW, at least on private property.
Without thinking about consequences, Minneapolis is gaining momentum as it
slides down that slippery slope towards tyranny.
If government can regulate conduct on private
David Shove: I like to eat really fresh meat, so I raise chickens in my
apartment. (free-apartment chickens). Then when I get hungry, I look over
the flock and pick one out to be my dinner. Whether it's chickens, pigs,
goats, or anything else -- do not give up your RIGHT TO SLAUGHTER, at least
Brauer: The state approved $87 million in 1998 for the Convention Center's
expansion - but that was two governors ago (remember Arne Carlson?).
Heller: Wrong again David.
Finance Director Patrick Born should be your source. A few months ago, I
posted to this List about a mystery donor of
Nick Frank: At least one rating agency lowered the MN state bond rating
under the current administration of supposedly superior financial minds.
This occurred because they refused to take action to address the structural
deficits inherent at the state level so clearly the bond houses don't just
Brauer: The city retains a triple-A rating, the highest investment grade.
The bond houses don't give that to bankrupt cities.
Heller: Not so fast. S P rated the Enron bonds AAA until six weeks prior
to its bankruptcy. The rating agencies will say anything for a large enough
fee. Also, the
Linda Koelman writes: The same person who may be scrupulous about
truth-telling any other time can be given advice that it is not in their
best interests to be completely honest.
Vicky Heller: Lying is NEVER the correct thing to do.
Real leaders tell the truth, whether or not it's in their
NRP Director Bob Miller in today's Strib.
NRP is not just about [$400 million] dollars, he said, it's about the
fact you're empowering residents themselves. If they make a mistake, they
pay for it. The money is lost.
http://www.startribune.com/stories/587/5164381.html
Relayed by Vicky
The state of the Minneapolis teachers' pension fund, already the invalid
among major public pensions in Minnesota, has taken a sharp turn for the
worse.
The fund has a $851 million gap between assets and its obligations to pay
current and future pensions, as of last June 30. That's up $126
Simply put: Minneapolis is now walking firmly in the direction of financial
failure of the sort that has haunted cities all over the rest of the country
for decades. Real failure. Bust the bank failure. The kind of failure that
could affect the financial reputation of the entire state.
The entire
I am utterly amazed by the number of people who have no knowledge of
American history and thus cannot distinguish between group think and
Constitutional rights.
Not long ago, it was OK to hang the town drunk from the nearest oak tree --
for the public good. Lots of outrageous conduct has been
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/local/10525468.htm
Minneapolis residential taxes take 1ST PLACE - and they're going to triple!
The good news is that EVENTUALLY the voters in Minneapolis will pay
attention to SPENDING. Thus far, they have been insulated from financial
reality by
State Rep. Phyllis Kahn 59B writes: I know pensions and present value
costs are just too boring to be worthy of discussion, but I'm trying.
Vicky: The pension hemorrhage is the most important issue Minneapolis faces
(followed by crushing debt).
But some facts are missing from the discussion:
David Rust states: Where these laws have been passed in other cities,
there is always a drop-off in bar traffic at first but it does re-bound.
Vicky asks: Is the City willing to fund any financial losses until business
rebounds? And how long will that take?
I hope several lawsuits are filed
The following link highlights the award that I accepted as President of
Cedar-Riverside Associates along with our architect Ralph Rapson.
http://www.aia-mn.org/awards/25YearAward.cfm
The property accumulation in Cedar-Riverside, led by my late husband, was
the largest privately financed land
Mark Synder: Once again Ms. Heller demonstrates an inability to tell the
whole story.
Vicky Heller: Gosh, I assumed that Listmembers could read. That's why I
included the link to the WHOLE STORY. If others want to be spoon fed, just
let me know.
Dyna Sluyter: ...the growth trends you
Here's a prime example of desperate government in action!
Minneapolis has SPENT itself into a corner. Not only will property taxes
TRIPLE over the next few years, but now the politicians want to increase
sales taxes! Nice job Minneapolis DFL.
A lesson in free markets from today's Strib:
[Mayor] Kelly singled out Council Members Jay Benanav, Dave Thune, Kathy
Lantry and Lee Helgen and suggested that the gang of four set up shop
across the river. If they want to have a city government like Minneapolis
that everyone agrees doesn't work, then they should move there and get
elected
Brauer: Minneapolis passed its budget 12-1 with Mayor Rybak and the
council working respectfully together (at least in public).
Heller: I should hope so! After all, they hired a taxpayer funded hug
therapist as soon as they convened. Remember?
I'll give them an A+ for civil behavior and an
Brauer: ...could you please cite a source that total Minneapolis commercial
values are decreasing?
Heller: You might want to talk to Council Member Lisa Goodman. About a
year ago, she told me that downtown's share of property taxes has dropped
precipitously; from 50% to 20% I think.
As a result, homeowners, who paid approximately 32 percent of Minneapolis
property taxes in 1997, are expected to shoulder 53 percent of the burden
next year. .from Mike Mosedale's article.
[Vicky] This is a VERY important sentence. But percentages can distort
what's really happening.
As
[David Brauer].it puts the blame less on the assessor's department than
on litigation and the courts. Maybe our focus should turn from a scandal
involving city employees to tort reform!
[Vicky Heller]and who do you think represents the City in court? Hint:
The Minneapolis assessors! It
Today's Strib: City spokeswoman Gail Plewacki noted that Mayor R.T.
Rybak's proposed city budget has recommended a police budget increase of
about $2.4 million to $101.8 million next year.
[VH] The 2005 proposed budget that was handed out at Monday's Truth in
Taxation hearing shows Police
[Vevang] We are the richest nation on earth, we are in one of the richer
cities in a richer state in the richest nation.
[VH] Wrong on all three counts. We are the greatest DEBTOR nation in the
history of the world. Asians must lend the U. S. $1.8 Billion PER DAY to
finance Americans'
I actually feel sorry for Sabri; not because he is innocent, but because he
used the old-fashioned form of bribery that is common around the world. He
wasn't in Minneapolis long enough to learn new techniques for obtaining quid
pro quo (favor for favor, you grease my palm and I'll grease yours').
Tim Bonham: Having worked at Hennepin County Data Processing, where the
'secret formula' is applied to property, I can assure you that the Property
Information database has no fields telling the party affiliation of either
the property or the owner of the property.
Vicky Heller: I hope other
Last night's Truth in Taxation hearing should be renamed to Money Hide and
Seek. C. M. Ostrow presided and made it clear that the Council Members
would ANSWER NO QUESTIONS. It was one of those listening events.
I didn't stay long because there was such a long line of other people signed
up to
Come and get your free Pie Chart!
It's the annual Truth in Taxation hearing.
Let's see if the Mayor and Council Members have the nerve to show up. In
2002, C. M. Zerby was absent. I was told that he was in Cuba and have been
wondering ever since if Mpls taxpayers paid for the trip. Mayor
I hope that there are a few people left in Minneapolis who haven't abandoned
their principles to keep their property taxes low.
Here's today's example:
Former Council Members Minn and Cherryhomes prance into the MCDA with
documents showing that their Stone Arch project is worth $33.5 million.
Mark Snyder writes:
Now consider that another feature of hOurCar is that businesses can sign up
for this program rather than have to maintain their own stand-alone fleets
and all of the various costs associated with them.
Vicky adds:
I hope the City of Minneapolis signs up immediately. The
Brauer: If everyone is under assessed - as Vicky seems to imply with her
many examples, increasing assessments won't change anyone's share.
Heller: What kind of logic is that? Homeowners should be paying MORE TAXES
(a much larger share of the total burden), which will bring in a lot more
money
A Listmember posted on 9/15/04: My house is now worth $300K and I am
paying close to $1,500 in taxes.
Using this house as an example for taxes payable in 2004..
The Mpls Assessor says the Market Value is $169,500.
The Mpls Assessor says the Taxable Value is $115,800.
The taxes are
John Harris falsely accuses: I don't expect Victoria to answer as she is
very good at throwing out outrageous claims and then never readdressing
them.
Vicky here: There must be some amnesia here on the List since I've been
posting examples for almost three years. One recent post on the subject
Mike Hohmann writes:
These 'non tax-supported' operating funds (about $20 million at the time)
were off limits for public discussion in the overall 'public'
budget-planning process, and probably still are off-limits for public
discussion purposes.
So let's get this straight.
The publicly funded
The Truth in Taxation hearing is next Monday (room 317 City Hall, 5:05
p.m.), but not much has been discussed since the Strib article about the
$278 million pension shortfall. LGA subsidies for Minneapolis from State
taxpayers seem a little tenuous...
From today's Strib story..
After
To those who attend the meeting tonight; please ask about the following
accounting discrepancy.
The Park Board claims that its budget is around $50 million annually.
However, the City's Truth in Taxation budget shows Parks and Recreation
expenditures as nearly $80 million.
This $80 million,
Prices falling..watch out below!
I hope there's no public money in these deals (other than $95 million in The
Village at St. Anthony).
http://www.citypages.com/databank/25/1251/article12714.asp
Relayed by Vicky Heller
North Oaks and Cedar-Riverside
REMINDERS:
1. Think a member has
Ken Bradley asks:
Why can't board members work more cooperatively together?
Why is the board appear to be so divided? (The board appears to be bitterly
divided more often then not. Other city boards at least appear to be able to
work together, even when board members have significant
Lots of silly comments are being made by people who clearly don't understand
economics or American history.
The economic perspective:
Private business must ATTRACT customers. They cannot force anyone to enter
their premises or spend money there. Bullies don't understand the
voluntary nature
On Election Day, the voters in Duluth told the do-gooder nanny anti-smoking
zealots to go to hell.as quoted by Larry Oakes in his Strib story
published on November 8th.
Smoking will still be OK in Duluth bars and private clubs.
Additional info provided by Vicky Heller
North Oaks and
No, no, noit's not Minneapolis.
It is Donald Trump's casino empire, again.
For those who want to find out how Minneapolis plans to deal with its
crushing debt, be sure to attend the Truth in Taxation hearing on December
6th at 5:05 p.m., Room 317, City Hall (350 South 5th Street).
We'll
Worth noting is that the Orpheum bonds were sold to Rebecca Yanisch's
husband, father, and another insider. These bonds yielded 9% interest,
tax-free.
Unfortunately, the details are seldom made public. Even if Minneapolis was
lucky enough to have investigative journalists, I'm not convinced
I read about a new one almost every day lately.
Today's entry:
http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/5092275.html
Vicky Heller
North Oaks and Cedar-Riverside
REMINDERS:
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2.
Bruce Gaarder notes:
So it sold for $220,000,000. That should be good new for Minneapolis
taxpayers. The taxable market value for 2004 taxes was $111,512,000
yielding a tax of $4,560,424.10.
Vicky Heller adds:
A couple of pen strokes have increased the Minneapolis tax base by $144
million.
[Brauer] I think the point is that Mpls real estate goes up as well as down.
It isn't all negative examples, as some suggest.
[Heller] You're absolutely correct. It looks like Minneapolis is sitting on
a gold mine.
[Brauer] I have questions into the assessor's office about how they perform
Mayor Rybak wrote:
The city now owns it and it strikes me that this can and needs to be a
landmark development
The city originally acquired this as a terminal site for the Nicollet Mall
shuttle...but we want it to be more exciting than that...
..it would be a shame to have it be a
If you want to know why property tax collections are dropping in
Minneapolis, you must become familiar with the City's property tax
information website:
http://apps.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/pi.app/address_selection/address.asp
Look up 801 Nicollet. On the left margin, select valuation history. You
A listmember reminded me that 801 Nicollet is the Midwest Plaza building -
which has lost almost half of its value in the past five years; from $17
million to $8.9 million.
The old Dayton's building, now May Department Stores, is at 700 Nicollet.
Its value hit a high in 1991 of $13.7 million and
Council Member Dan Niziolek implores: But I also know we can and must do
better at engaging our residents and businesses.
Joseph Barisonzi, MCEP's new leader writes.
List, What have people found that works about the current community
engagement opportunities in Minneapolis? For residents?
Doug Walter writes:
This action would allocate $21.5 million of the tax increment revenues
expected over the next five years to affordable housing and additional
$8.8 million for administration of those funds.
Vicky Heller adds:
The CPED folks want the $8.8 million of administrative fees to pay
The Ponzi scheme unravels:
Minneapolis property taxpayers could be on the hook for a projected $278
million pension fund shortfall if City Hall leaders don't come up with an
escape plan.
By comparison, the size of the entire city property tax levy for 2004 is
$172 million. [Plus the $68 million
The City of Minneapolis Department of Community Planning and Economic
Development (CPED) is currently looking to fill the position of Financial
Analyst I in its Business Finance Section.
The job description contains the following summary of the position:
Performs complex underwriting work
Roberta Englund boasts.
The equipment, imported from Germany, provides an exceptional play
experience and Webber is the only park in Minneapolis that offers this
experience for neighborhood children, and any who choose to visit!
Project costs were $375,000 dollars. $125,000 of that cost was
From today's Strib...
Officials in Minneapolis were trying to determine what the departure of
Saks would mean for the city, which owns the building the store occupies.
In Minneapolis, Saks is bound by a lease with Brookfield that runs through
2015. Brookfield in turn has a lease with the city.
From Yahoo News:
The warning follows an analysis by the FBI (news - web sites) and the
Homeland Security Department of the siege that killed nearly 340 people,
many of them students, in the city of Beslan last month.
The horror of this attack may have created significant anxiety in our own
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