A main reason the war, single-payer health care, the Patriot Act, and earlier the boycott of S Africa, etc have to be taken up at the city level is ALL THE OTHER LEVELS HAVE BEEN BOUGHT UP BY THE CORPORATIONS AND SUPER-RICH FAMILIES.
Thus there is now NOTHING progressive coming from the president, congress, most governors, most legislatures. They're all bought and paid for. The corporations and the rich want war, no social safety net, no unions, no democracy - only silent scared serfs and wage-slaves quaking in their boots. Bush stole the 2000 election. He stole the 2004 election. Jeb will steal the 2008 election. DeLay criminally redistricted Texas to help Congress be a hopeless corporate puppet. All the so-called Dem prospects for 2008 prez are pro-war - because their bank-rollers are (and to hell with what the majority wants). Pawlenty wants to prove he can be as mean as BushCo puppets must be to be advanced to national office. BushCo determines Pawlenty. So we have to get a majority large enough to overcome his veto. Good luck as we are awash with corporate money for state offices. No way to get single-payer nationally. Not with BushCo there. No way to get in in the state. Not with Pawlenty there. So we have to start looking at implementing it at the CITY level. And this is true of many other issues. The rich have got access denied, lock stock and barrel, at all but the city level, and they are working to deny it there too. Eg Randy Kelly, the StPaul Chamber of Commerce, 3 of the 7 council members. Eg Kelly and Coleman and RT and Maclaughlin - all for stadiums for undeserving capitalist pirates. There are a few cracks at the bottom, not yet sealed tight by the arrogant totalitarian rich, and it is here citizens must go if they wish to begin to have ANY influence on stopping this runaway elite-stolen juggernaut society. It's all we have left to try to take back our country. Ruling it off-limits means we sit quietly while our freedoms shrink to nothing. -David Shove Roseville On Sun, 16 Oct 2005, David Strand wrote: > > > --- Mark Hanson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > In the meantime, I'll argue that resolutions about > > national/international affairs have no place in the > > City Council chambers. It's a waste of time. If > > individuals on the council have strong feelings > > either way, they should exercise their First > > Amendment rights like anybody else, and speak as > > private citizens. We're not paying people to sit in > > City Hall offices and debate Washington DC policy > > making. > > > > Mark Hanson > > Prospect Park > > This is complete abrogation of responsibility. The > city has an intergovernmental relations committee for > a reason and there is reason for the city to speak out > on many issues that will impact the city and yes Mark, > the wasteful war of choice in Iraq will have an impact > for years to come on the ability of the federal > government to prioritize needs of importance to the > city due to the financial sinkhole it has created. To > the extent the shift in priorities necessitated by > engaging a supposed "pre-emptive" war which is by > definition a war of choice impacts the cities > priorities and access to resources, it is the > responbility of our city officials to speak up. > > I presume Mark thinks that the city councils of New > York City, Chicago, Los Angles, and numerous other > metropolitian areas were off base when they passed > antiwar resolutions pertaining to the war in Iraq > because the war distracts from what those city leaders > felt where higher priorities. > > The strict "seperation of levels of government" > philosophy is detrimental to the city in other ways > and is often applied in the other direction to say the > city shouldn't act on issues that the county, state or > federal government SHOULD take responsibility for. > > I think of some of our city council people's attitudes > towards the city's dept of health and human services > which has been the first responder to so many issue of > importance to the city on issues which the county, > state or nation have not yet had political will to act > on. > > I think of how the department of health and human > services has historically worked with local citizens > seeking to address glbtiq youth issues, HIV/AIDS > prevention programs and many many other issues in the > city at a time when these issues where nowhere on the > radar of the county, state, and federal government. > > As the closest level of government, the city can be > far more responsive to the unique and emerging needs > of it's population in the areas of health and human > services than higher levels of government. Often this > response has meant bringing together private sector > actors and supporting initial formation of > organizations that become funded by a combination of > private funds and grants from higher levels of > governemnt as the importance of the work becomes > apparent in excercise. The city has been very > successful when supported by the political powers of > the city in helping leverage resources to address many > of our cities most pressing health and human needs. > > Strict "seperation of government" folks would want to > pigeon hole such responsibilities at distinct levels > of government which restricts responsiveness and > therefore effectiveness. > > So if the county, state or federal government are > failing to take action on a health or human need in > our community is the solution to have local government > neglect to address the issue itself and let people > suffer and or die because it's not the "appropriate > role" of city government? > > So many private and public nonprofits and services in > our city which make it a better place to live and in > the long run save us all money by reducing healthcare, > welfare and even criminal justice costs would not > exist if it were not for the involvement of the city's > department of health and human services with local > citizens and institutions looking for innovative > solutions to the cities problems. > > Social invention that moves our quality of life > forward almost always begins at the local level and > spreads to other local jurisdictions and communities > before ever being supported by higher levels of > government, just as the most innovative ideas in > business usually start with small businesses before > being adopted by large businesses, not the other way > around. > > David Strand > Loring Park > > > > > __________________________________ > Yahoo! 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