David Brauer wrote: "The problems are tough, but Minneapolis remains one of the finest, most vibrant cities in the U.S. - in many ways, getting finer and more vibrant - which is important to remember, too."
David, thanks for your response. I understand what you've said about the responsibility for the problems sitting at the feet of those in previous administrations, and I agree that most of it lies there. I didn't vote for RT Rybak, but I think he deserves praise for his work to devise a responsible plan for dealing with those problems. I also agree that Minneapolis is a great city, and shouldn't be mentioned in the same paragraph as Detroit, New York of the 70's and 80's, and Washington DC. What can't be denied is that "Republican" is a curse of the worst sort in this city. And it really doesn't have much to do with fiscal policies. It's about abortion and gay marriage and school choice and foreign policy. None of those have anything to do with city governance. Look at Councilmember Johnson-Lee. I'm no fan of hers, but I think it's kind of stupid that we're arguing on this list about whether or not she's against gay marriage. Who cares? It's an issue at the state and federal level--but she works in the granite palace, not St. Paul and not Washington. If we want the Republicans in state government to take us seriously, then we should damn well attempt to engage them, rather than hiss and spit and blow razzberries every time the "R" word is spoken. Honestly, they'll respond, and listen, to intelligent discussion--if it doesn't come with a heaping helping of condescension and contempt. --M. G. Stinnett Jordan REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[email protected] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
