Re: [Mpls] Heat in apartment buildings
I'm not sure if this is exactly right, but I remember hearing recently that if the outside temperature is below 60 degrees for 24 consecutive hours, landlords must keep the inside temperature at least 68 degress. On 10/23/05, clindau [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Can anyone tell me if there is a Mpls law stating when landlords must turn the heat on in apartment buildings? It's really cold in here today... Cindy Lindau tip 'o the Wedge (for now) REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact 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 Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@mnforum.org Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls -- Nathan Hunstad CARAG Minneapolis, MN PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact 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 Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@mnforum.org Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
Re: [Mpls] Heating the great outdoors
On 10/16/05, Jim McGuire [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I realized a while ago that a by-product of the smoking ban is that bars are going to be providing heat outdoors for smokers using heat lamps or whatever works. Personally, I think this is a bad idea. It will provide small comfort to the smokers, of course, but heating the outdoors in the winter in Minnesota is a silly idea at best, but I know from talking to bar owners near me that they are already making plans to do just that. Perhaps I'm missing something here, but why exactly is this a bad idea? The way I see it, if bar owners want to spend their money to attract smokers in this way, it is no different from spending money on other things to attract customers. It has nothing to do with me. -- Nathan Hunstad CARAG Minneapolis, MN PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact 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 Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@mnforum.org Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Star Tribune Web Site
A couple things I've noted. Overall there are no problems with the new design. When I load the site in Firefox, however, the Flash items jump all over the page momentarily until it is entirely loaded. I don't think this happens in Internet Explorer, so maybe it is a case of not testing the site on alternative (*-cough-* better *-cough-*) browsers. Also, I like the fact that under news stories there is a link to related stories; what I don't like is that a dropdown list appears with those related stories when you simply mouse over the link. Unexpected dropdowns are never fun. It would be better if users had to click to get the list. Some of the sections are a little busy with the list of stories quite compact with little to break them up and show that they are separate headlines. On 10/12/05, Steve Brandt [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Yes, it crashed around 6:30 a.m., after demand overwhelmed the servers in North Carolina. Back up around 10. Curious what people think iof the site's new look. Steve Brandt Staff writer Star Tribune Phone: 612-673-4438 Fax: 612-673-4359 425 Portland Av. Minneapolis, MN 55488 REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact 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 Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@mnforum.org Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls -- Nathan Hunstad CARAG Minneapolis, MN PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact 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 Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@mnforum.org Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
Re: [Mpls] RE: WIFI, No free lunch - Why should it be 'free' at all
On 9/27/05, Ray Marshall [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I can see why there should and will be WIFI virtually everywhere. But why should the city be involved with it? Wireless telephone companies have wired much of the state of Minnesota without any government financing, to my knowledge. Why wouldn't WIFI be the same? Bringing up telephone companies illustrates a perfect argument in favor of the city getting involved with WiFi. I don't think we want the service and cost that private companies bring. Case in point: Qwest. I hate Qwest. Their customer service is awful; typing a few things into a computer to turn on service takes them a week. Their prices are outrageous. For over two years I have had the pleasure of not having to deal with Qwest; I have VoIP service through Vonage. A big reason why I got Vonage was the fact that I could choose not to use Qwest. The other reason is that unlimited long distance with Vonage costs half as much as a basic line from Qwest. Qwest is expensive because they are a monopoly; Vonage has to compete with a lot of other VoIP providers, bringing costs down. I actually can use Vonage because of another monopoly: Time Warner broadband internet access. Here, again, we see high prices. Rumor has it that if Comcast comes here, the price for cable internet will go even higher, and you will be penalized if you don't have cable TV. I don't watch TV. I don't want cable TV. Why does that have anything to do with the internet? The electromagnetic spectrum is one of the true public goods out there, like air and gravity. There are only so many frequencies to go around. Covering the city with hotspots is going to be done by one entity; it will be a monopoly. I would much rather have that monopoly run by the city, where it may be a bit more responsive than another entity. -- Nathan Hunstad CARAG Minneapolis, MN PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact 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 Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@mnforum.org Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Crack pipes for sale at your local corner store
On 9/16/05, Constance Nompelis [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: In a perfect world I would be libertarian and say let people do what they want to their own bodies... but this world ain't perfect and the drug dealers are shooting each other over turf and $$$ and the crack pipes, hood stores, and blase attitudes of stores owners are contributing to the madness. If the problem is drug dealers shooting each other and other people over turf and $$$, then banning crack pipes or other paraphernalia from corner stores isn't going to accomplish anything. Users and dealers aren't prevented or encouraged to use or sell drugs based on whether you can go into a store and buy a pipe, syringe, etc. There isn't anybody out there that is thinking, I would start doing drugs if only I could buy a pipe, but since I can't I won't! On the other hand, if that corner store sold the drugs themselves, then all the dealers would disappear, driven out of business by a higher quality and cheaper product. If the elimination of drug turf wars is the goal, then we should talk with our city and state leaders about ending this irrational War on Drugs. I haven't heard of too many shootings over tobacco and alcohol turf wars. -- Nathan Hunstad CARAG Minneapolis, MN PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact 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 Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@mnforum.org Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Crack pipes for sale at your local corner store
On 9/16/05, Dennis Plante [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Dennis Plante Responds: And how exactly would this solve the problem of disadvantage citizens earning a living illegally? Take away their income and my guess is they'fdmove-on to something equally illegal and just as damaging to society. Of course legalizing drugs wouldn't eliminate crime. Nothing can do that; as far as I know, there isn't a crime-free utopia somewhere on this planet. However, if you take away the selling of drugs, you take away a lot of gang activity. That doesn't mean that people who want to break the laws won't keep doing so. But they would probably be doing something else, like resorting to theft. Frankly, if there was a choice between stealing cars and getting into gun battles that kill innocent bystanders, I'll take the car stealing any day. What can reverse the decline of neighborhoods? Clearly, the current plan to simply throw users into jail doesn't cut it. What we are doing now is not working. This is also why I don't see how public safety can be a big issue in the upcoming elections, at least for mayor. Neither Rybak nor McLaughlin are proposing anything that will actually change the drug problem other than to perhaps nibble away at the edges. No new ideas at all. It seems pretty simple to me: if there aren't people demanding drugs from gang members, then there won't be any violent gang members to sell those drugs. Until somebody comes up with a good idea that eliminates the demand from the drug dealers, not much is going to change. -- Nathan Hunstad CARAG Minneapolis, MN PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact 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 Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@mnforum.org Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] A Savage Strib article
Anybody who wishes to see how viable Harry Savage's campaign is, or any other 10th Ward candidate's campaign, should go to the Uptown area DFL meetup at Gigi's Cafe (36th Street and Bryant) at 7 P.M. Many, if not most, of the 10th Ward candidates will probably be there to speak with residents. Harry Savage is a regular attendee. -- Nathan Hunstad Minneapolis, MN PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact 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 Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@mnforum.org Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
Re: [Mpls] Power outages
Anderson Turpin wrote: David Brauer wrote: Even before the recent heat wave, it's been a bad summer for power outages in my neighborhood. I'm wondering if other people have experienced more outages than usual in the past year? If so, recap your turmoil onlist, please. I'm curious how widespread this is... There have been a few outages in this area, some for pretty long durations. Rarely have they been as a result of storms. About a month ago or so, there was one late on a very hot evening. Not having air conditioning is bad enough; trying to sleep when it's 85 degrees inside without so much as a fan is even worse. -- Nathan Hunstad CARAG Minneapolis, MN PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact 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 Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@mnforum.org Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Campaign Signs
How can this ordinance be legal? What about pro-/anti- Iraq war signs? Are they considered to be campaign signs? They are all over the place. And if it truly is elect candidate X signs that are covered by the ordinance, then how about putting up a sign that says X is doing a great job! or I like X! Since there isn't a reference to an election, that's not technically a campaign sign. If it is your property, you can engage in whatever political speech you want on it. Besides, there are far worse examples of visual pollution. -- Nathan Hunstad CARAG Minneapolis, MN PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact 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 Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@mnforum.org Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Predatory lending: is government intervention appropriate?
Michael Thompson wrote: There's a way around this: don't take out the loan. Or better your credit rating/score so you don't have to get a loan at an extravagant interest rate. I'm NOT saying deception is OK. but if you can't understand the fine print, you shouldn't be signing. I honestly don't know where I stand on this. In general, I support letting the market work. Interest rates are set by the market, and it seems that if the market were working properly, interest rates on loans to people who don't have the highest credit scores would be high enough to offset the higher risk those loans entail and no more. Thus, there wouldn't be any problems, and there wouldn't be a need for this ordinance. Butthere's something I can't quite put my finger on. For one thing, it's not necessarily right to think that the invisible hand is working correctly here. I think there's a reason that pretty much every major world religion has laws against usury: because there are people who will take advantage of people with less-than-stellar credit histories or sophistication about banking. They will do this for two reasons: first, because this market isn't well-developed and so there isn't as much competitive pressure. Second, and more importantly, because when you screw the little guys, they can't complain. I do think that it is wrong to send people the message that one of the best ways to improve their neighborhoods and improve their financial standing is to purchase the house that they live in, and then take from them the ability to do so by allowing subprime lenders to take advantage of them. You say that people who don't understand the fine print shouldn't be signing anything in the first place. Yes, that's correct. That's also not terribly realistic, nor do I think it is the moral thing to do. In an ideal world, our schools would be teaching economics to students so they know this stuff, but it seems like they have enough trouble with basic math and reading. Even if schools became perfect tomorrow in this regard, though, it wouldn't do much for those adults right now who don't know much about finance. To say that they shouldn't sign anything if they don't understand that is to relegate them to perpetual uselessness. It's like saying, You don't understand that contract because you are illiterate? Well, then don't enter into any contracts. Good luck with life. That's not empowering people to become better, and helping people help themselves is something I believe in. I am somebody who has a good credit rating and who worked hard to get it. I don't have any credit card debt because I have not given in to the buy now/pay later mentality so prevalent in our materialistic culture. I've also had pretty steady employment and health insurance to guard against going into debt. But I also know that as a middle-class white kid growing up in suburbia, I have a lot of things already going my way that many people don't. I'm proud of what I have done, but at the same time I'm not going to sit back and tell everybody else to pull themselves up by their bootstraps before I will consider how to help them. Because in the long run, I think the damage from predatory lending outweighs the benefits of whatever profits banks might get from the practice. Whether we need this kind of ordinance is a good question. If this has been tried in other municipalities, and it sounds like it has, I think we need to know what has happened. Has predatory lending diminished? Has homeownership risen? Have banks pulled out of markets entirely in protest? If these ordinances don't have any measurable benefits, then it would be pointless to pass one here. If, however, they do correct a market aberration with minimal cost, then I think the benefits to the community would make it worth our while. Allowing people to own their own homes without an unfair, crushing debt burden seems to me like the right thing to do. -- Nathan Hunstad CARAG Minneapolis, MN PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact 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 Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@mnforum.org Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Accessory Units - Legalize them
Aaron Neumann wrote: But first, I'd like the landlords, tenants, planners, etc. on the list to weigh in on this subject. Perhaps someone can start by explaining why these arrangements are illegal in the first place. Didn't the Fonz live in one of these? -- Nathan Hunstad Minneapolis, MN PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact 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 Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@mnforum.org Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Lagoon Project (Uptown)
I live near this project, and given the details I know so far, I have absolutely no problem with it. Development is going to happen. That's a simple reality. Either it can happen in the far-flung 'burbs, like Chanhassen or Blaine, where there is no hope for much transit and more highways will have to be built, or it can happen where there already are roads, transit, and other necessary infrastructure. In today's Star Tribune there was an article about the mess that is Eden Prairie's road system, especially around Eden Prairie Center. Lake and Hennepin is simple, it is accessible, it is already a commercial center. We need to develop these nodes to create a critical mass of residents, offices, and retail to justify investments in transit and to make a truly vibrant neighborhood. I'm not absolutely pro-development, but this development makes sense in a lot of ways. Fearing change because it's change will not allow our neighborhoods and city to mature. -- Nathan Hunstad CARAG Minneapolis, MN PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact 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 Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@mnforum.org Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
Re: [Mpls] Comcast coming to Mpls :o(
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: There's a distressing article in today's Strib regarding consolidation in the cable industry resulting in Comcast taking over Time Warner's franchise in Minneapolis http://www.startribune.com/stories/535/5362049.html I too saw this article and was equally distressed. I know very little about the city's differences of opinion with Time Warner, but what I do know is that the service is better and cheaper than Comcast. I have had Road Runner cable internet through Time Warner for a year and a half, and I don't remember one long-duration outage. This is important to me, because I have VoIP phone service through Vonage, and thus any interruption in internet access is an interruption in phone service as well (to be sure, I am very happy with Vonage and that I was able to finally say good riddance to that company with the worse customer service imaginable, Qwest). Time Warner has steadily increased the speed of my connection without increasing the price. Most importantly, they do not charge more for cable internet if you don't have cable TV. I don't watch TV and thus I have no desire to throw $500 a year at the idiot box for more channels, so it is nice that I am not encouraged by Time Warner to get cable TV by charging more for standalone cable internet. I will not be thrilled if this goes through. -- Nathan Hunstad Minneapolis, MN PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact 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 Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@mnforum.org Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Minneapolis Wi-Fi proposal advances
The wireless network speed is not the speed that users will be surfing the web. The wireless network (whether 802.11b or 802.11g) is simply the speed at which your computer communicates with the wireless access point. Think of it as the size of a pipe, and 802.11g is a very large pipe. However, a pipe is worthless without something running through it, and that something running through it is the internet access. It can be any speed up to the speed of the pipe (obviously, it can't be more). But the speed of the internet access and the speed of the pipe are two entirely separate things. You could certainly share dialup access over a wireless network, in which case the flow of water through your wireless network pipe would be little more than a trickle. 1 to 3 Mbps sounds more reasonable, and notice that those speeds are less than the maximum capacity of the wireless network pipes (11 and 54 Mbps). It certainly won't be faster than cable internet. I have Road Runner cable through Time Warner and I get 5 Mbps down, 300 Kbps up. I don't know where Bill Beck got a number like 0.6 or 0.7 Mbps for cable, unless he was confusing bits and bytes, a common mistake. -- Nathan Hunstad CARAG Minneapolis, MN (651) 489-9107 -- Home PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt You don't need a Weatherman to know which way the wind blows.--Bob Dylan Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact 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 Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@mnforum.org Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Bus Strike
Making $20 an hour to drive a bus (a bus!!), and they wanted more from the public teat? No wonder we're going broke. I ride the bus every day to work. I also ride it to get downtown when going to bars or restaurants, I take the LRT to the Mall...you could say I use transit more than the average person here. I see bus drivers have to deal with motorists who refuse to obey state law and yield to the bus, I see motorists try to run buses off the road when they are on the shoulder on the freeway, I see drivers deal with short fares, belligerent riders, and drunk riders. This morning on my bus ride to work a police officer had to be called to deal with a problem rider. Drivers spend several hours a day driving buses over pothole-filled streets, shaking and getting jolted in their seats. While they are trying to maneuver 20 tons of metal and get 50 riders to their destinations safely, they are getting flipped off, yelled at, sworn at, even called racists pigs because they won't let a rider on for free. No, I don't think they are overpaid in any way. I wouldn't have that job no matter how much it paid. I certainly wouldn't start out as a part-time driver for far less than $20 an hour, which is how drivers start. === Nathan Hunstad CARAG Minneapolis, MN PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact 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 Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@mnforum.org Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Inclusivity at the caucus
I was also at the caucus in 8-2 where the women made the offensive and insensitive comment about the white males should step aside. I was infuriated on two points. Had I been there, I most definitely would not have let it just become an awkward silence. These kinds of comments are simply unacceptable. If it would be inappropriate for me to say that all black females should step aside, or all lesbians, or all people over the age of 60, or all people with disabilities (and it would be most inappropriate!), then it is no more appropriate to say that white males should step aside. Bigotry is bigotry in my book. Fortunately, I have never heard anything remotely like that uttered at any DFL caucus I have attended, and that includes last night. Unlike most other meetings, mine (10-4) did not get done early. Our went until about 9, which was completely unnecessary. A good chunk of that was sitting around in our precinct caucus, and considering that there were more delegate slots available than attendees, it could have taken all of 15 minutes. But we had visitors (Peter McLaughlin, House Minority Leader Matt Entenza, Rep. Frank Hornstein, Sen. Scott Dibble), so of course that took up some time. And there was talk about neighborhood issues, although fortunately there were no resolutions, which I was told was pointless because there is no state convention for these resolutions to be forwarded to, and thus no votes on adding things to the platform. Based on what I saw, I believe this could have been better handled by a simple ward convention first. Having precinct caucuses to elect delegates is not necessary, since in every single precinct caucus I have ever attended, there has never been an actual fight over delegates. There have always been more slots than people willing to fill them. I don't know if this means the delegate numbers need to be adjusted or what, but when it takes over an hour to simply write down all the attendees' names on the ward delegate list, newcomers may not be enthralled by the process. I get sick of the arguments over procedures and the constitution and other minutiae, and I've been going to caucuses since before I could vote. It's nice to give new people the opportunity to get involved, but in the off years I don't see why we couldn't just start at the ward level and let it be open to all comers. === Nathan Hunstad CARAG Minneapolis, MN PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact 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 Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@mnforum.org Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] DFL 10th Ward meeting last night
Anytime there is a such a filter, there is potential for manipulation. I'm not saying it was there, but some of the questions seemed a little softballish. I will admit that I was the person who asked a question that seemed softballish: the expansion of 35W through south Minneapolis. I support this, and I was looking for one of the candidates to support it as well. I was a little surprised that all four candidates in attendance dismissed it out of hand. Because everybody agreed, it may appear that the question was a softball, but it certainly was not my intention. And even though they all opposed it, the way they answered the question was illuminating. We have enough fake townhall meetings on television. I want to see candidates grilled as thoroughly as possible to see who is toughest. So do I. That's what future candidate forums are for. For impromptu, short, get to know the candidate-type presentations, which the DFL meetup was, I think asking a few written questions was appropriate. === Nathan Hunstad CARAG Minneapolis, MN PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact 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 Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@mnforum.org Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] DFL 10th Ward meeting last night
Questions for the candidates were written down and apparently screened by a couple party operatives - an unnecessary and undemocratic step - open questions would have worked in the room of 30-40 people. It gave me a taste of what big city machine politics of yore must have been like. But all in all, it was a lively expression of democracy. I've been going to these DFL meetups in the Uptown area since this summer. I wouldn't exactly characterize any part of the meeting as being run by party operatives or being undemocratic. The purposes of these meetups is to get people who are interested in politics involved outside of the normal caucus/campaign/election framework that party activists are already plugged into. As such, they are not candidate forums, but of course candidates for office are as welcome as everybody else. The point is, these meetups have agendas outside of asking candidates questions. Last month, our meetup had a number of surprise attendees: Mayor R.T. Rybak, Peter McLaughlin, and about half a dozen candidates for city council. It was wonderful to see so many candidates show up, and of course we spent a great deal of time listening to them and asking questions. As might be expected, this pretty much took over the meeting. So when we had more candidates appear this month, a little order was instituted by having people write down questions so that the most popular questions would be asked. The people doing this were not party operatives, but the volunteers who put these meetups on every month. I think that it worked very well and people got a very good idea of what the candidates stood for. === Nathan Hunstad Minneapolis, MN PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact 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 Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@mnforum.org Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] City declares snow emergency
Most of the others were the number of cars I saw plowed in in the uptown area. Yes, there were a lot of cars plowed in near Uptown. What was shocking to me was how lax enforcement seemed to be in the area, especially on Saturday. Cars were supposed to be off the even sides of side streets by 8 AM, but cars that were still there were not even ticketed by early afternoon, and none were towed. Tickets seemed to be handed out earlier on Sunday. Since those scofflaws weren't towed, though, a long stretch of my street was not properly plowed. Since this weekend, many cars have gotten stuck in the mess created there. That's not fair to people who took the time to move their cars. === Nathan Hunstad CARAG Minneapolis, MN PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact 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 Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@mnforum.org Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Turbocharged Truth-in-Taxation: NO!
What exactly is the point of Turbocharged Truth-in-Taxation? Since the Governor's budget plans include so many property tax increases, it sounds like this is a way for him to propose new programs while allowing conservatives to prevent coming up with any funding for them, letting him get the credit for at least trying. I'm sorry, I'm not buying it. These kind of reverse referenda are completely unnecessary. I fully trust our school board members and the city council to make the right decisions with regards to property taxes. If they make what I consider to be the wrong choices, then I can vote them out of office. No need for any postcards. If this is such a good idea, why limit it to property taxes? Why not take a vote on every tax: income taxes, sales taxes, gas taxes, excise taxes, etc.? Why not turn over budgeting to the masses altogether? Of course, if that were the case, our state would soon be in dire financial straits, and our quality of life would definitely suffer. I agree that property taxes are unfair, but these postcards aren't going to make them any more fair. Let's instead talk about things like a circuit breaker for low-income residents, or moving towards entirely new taxes like an areal tax. But Turbocharged Truth-in-Taxation will only cost cities like Minneapolis money, at a time when we are struggling to provide necessary services like police protection. === Nathan Hunstad CARAG Minneapolis, MN PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact 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 Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@mnforum.org Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] PGP Test message
-BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE- Hash: SHA1 PGP-signed test message per the request of the List Manager. === Nathan Hunstad CARAG Minneapolis, MN PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower -BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE- Version: PGP 8.0 - not licensed for commercial use: www.pgp.com iQA/AwUBQe0G089knMZAaWtAEQL5uACg7ftLGjzswq3ykpuWnsVZaH5HiF0AoJbJ dI/n2dmdXC9YgD4VJFIStLdj =bdz3 -END PGP SIGNATURE- REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact 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 Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@mnforum.org Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Pinched in the Zipper on Hennepin
As this relates to the example at Hennepin Avenue, the offended driver should join in. It's been used like this for years and more cars are allowed through the intersection with each light cycle... win/win. It may be win/win, but I am looking for some kind of official statement on whether this is legal, not whether it is efficient. I once got into an accident because somebody tried to pass me on a residential street. Hey, there was no oncoming traffic, and apparently I was going too slow for the driver behind me, so passing me on the left used the roadway most efficiently to move the most traffic. Of course, being illegal as far as I can tell, people really don't expect this to happen, and accidents result. I'm not right at the corner of Franklin and Hennepin, so I can't see it exactly, but I am pretty sure there are a few parking meters before the intersection with Franklin, as well as a bus stop. There is no indication that the unmarked lane closest to the curb is meant to be a through lane to the 94 entrance ramp. Just because everybody uses it as such doesn't make it legal, and it can throw people who are unfamiliar to the area for a loop if that is how people use it. Not to mention all the times I have been in the real right lane, getting ready to move over to the entrance ramp, when somebody zooms up on my right from the intersection trying to cut me off. I just want to know if this is legal, not whether it is efficient. === Nathan Hunstad CARAG Minneapolis, MN PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower 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
[Mpls] Pinched in the Zipper on Hennepin
A similar example of this is the North bound lane of Hennepin Avenue at Franklin Avenue. You should get in the far right turn lane prior to the Franklin intersection, to line up for the entrance to 94 East and 35W North. The importance of this is most evident at rush hour when the extra lane allows many more cars through the intersection per light cycle. It's not illegal and everyone seems to do fine with this. I live in the area, and I am definitely not fine with this. The far right lane seem to implicitly be for traffic turning onto Franklin only. There are no painted lane markings to indicate that this lane continues forward on Hennepin. I am most chagrined with I drive up Hennepin and stay in the right through lane to get onto 94 and there are people coming through the Franklin intersection to the right of me. When people don't use their signals (and people don't), it is impossible to tell what they are going to do, either drive straight or turn right. It would be nice to get some kind of official word on this. I don't think it's acceptable to use that part of the road as an ad-hoc through lane, others do. Which is it? === Nathan Hunstad CARAG Minneapolis, MN PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower 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
[Mpls] Bicycle Protocol
I think it's totally senseless for bikers to use a parkway when a bike path is next to them. Isn't that what it's for? Bicycles? The bikes paths around lakes such as Nokomis are just that: Bike paths. I don't drive my car on the bike paths, bikers should stay off the parkway until they need to turn. I'm sorry, but bikes can be on the road regardless of whether there is a bike path nearby. The law does not require bikes to use bike paths where available. There are many good reasons why a bicyclist may choose the road instead of the path. Some paths are in horrible shape or flooded, and so using the road is the only viable option. If cars get backed up because of this, well, that's not the fault of the person on the bike. === Nathan Hunstad CARAG Minneapolis, MN PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower 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
[Mpls] Hennepin bike lanes
Bicycles, in my often aghast observation, seldom stop for red lights and stop signs, ride on the sidewalks, will ride against the traffic, and, even with bike lanes clearly marked, will insist on riding on the other side of the street where no bike lane is marked or expected. They have no headlights or tail lights, nor do they wear reflective clothing uniformly. Whereas it is true that bicycles behave erratically I would argue that the only person they're endangering is themselves - a big difference from cars that behave erratically. That doesn't justify the behavior, but it does cast it in a different light. Unfortunately, I can also attest to the fact that most bicyclists think they are exempt from the laws. However, if a bicyclist chooses to do this, they are endangering more than just themselves, they are endangering all other bicyclists, including me. It seems to be at least somewhat acceptable for drivers to gun for bikers these days, as opposed to mere pedestrians, because many motorists see that too many people riding bikes simply ignore stoplights and stop signs. I am sure that part of the reason that I am yelled at by motorists is because they are taking their anger at all scofflaws out on me. Why else would a motorist yell at me for simply riding my bike on the road, where it is my right to do so? I've tried yelling at these bicyclists myself, but that doesn't seem to accomplish anything. We need to have law enforcement crack down on both motorists who disobey the laws and bicyclists who do the same. Neither driving a Hummer nor riding a bicycle exempts you from traffic laws, and our local law enforcement needs to remind people of this. === Nathan Hunstad CARAG Minneapolis, MN PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower 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
[Mpls] Red lights and photo cop
Perhaps someone from MPD Traffic will correct me if I am wrong, but I have been under the impression that a vehicles rear wheels must cross the third line of the crosswalk on the near side of the intersection prior to the light turning red to avoid an infraction. I have spoken to the State Patrol about this, and I was told that as long as the vehicle is in the intersection before it turns red, it is okay (the officer said There is no such thing as running a yellow). I don't think the law says anything specific about what part of the vehicle must clear what to be in the intersection, and it is probably up to the officer. Also, photo cop can be foiled by license plate covers that appear clear at eye level, but are opaque at an angle. Putting anything over a license plate to obscure it in any way is already against the law, and people are ticketed for this. === Nathan Hunstad CARAG Minneapolis, MN PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower 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
[Mpls] Cameras, cameras everywhere!
It didn't take long for people to prove that privacy concerns really ARE valid. What was once just red light cameras quickly became drug dealing cameras, loitering cameras, and who knows what else. Maybe some people would prefer living in a society with a camera at every corner waiting to catch criminals. Not me. I don't run red lights (or have affairs), but I am a criminal, as is everybody else here. I don't drive 55 MPH on I-94 between the downtowns. I may do a rolling stop at a stop sign once in a while when there is no traffic. Is putting up cameras to catch me and everybody else going to stop this behaviour? No. The same thing goes for cameras catching drug dealing. I'm sick of the war on drugs and the last thing we need is another expensive battle. Can anybody explain to me how a camera is going to prevent people from having the urge to use drugs? The only thing it will do is drive the activity somewhere else. Even if it does catch something, are drug dealers going to be so thoughtful as to pay the $100 fine? If not, then in the end we will have to throw them in jail. We already incarcerate more people than just about any other country on the planet and we still have all these problems. Somehow, I doubt that PhotoDrugCop is going to solve anything. Often times, the slippery slope argument is not valid, but I think it is here. After seeing what cameras at red lights can do, lots of people with good intentions start calling for cameras as the answer to all those problems that are the bane of urban life. Let's not forget what good intentions can get you. === Nathan Hunstad CARAG Minneapolis, MN PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower 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
[Mpls] Yay! to the Met Council
As I read the Trib this week and see that the Met Council has approved the Northstar line I am appalled that here they are thinking about making more trains and not building park and rides for the one they already have. Is it that the park and rides will not bring in revenue?? I am happy they are expanding the line; but wheres the park and rides for the Hiawatha line? The Northstar Line is commuter rail. There will be plenty of park and ride lots along the line, starting in Big Lake (hopefully very quickly expanded to Saint Cloud, which is the logical endpoint to the line). Designers know that people will be driving to the Northstar line and will plan accordingly. Northstar is supposed to get people out of their cars for part of their long commutes. LRT is different. It is meant as a local transit system, not solely a commuter system. There will be an expanded Park and Ride at Fort Snelling and a lot in Bloomington. That should hopefully take care of some of the problems around stations in south Minneapolis. Not all of the problems, though. For anybody who is familiar with Chicago, Northstar is to Metra what LRT is to the El. I am glad that the governor took the initiative to keep funding going for this project, and that the Met Council approved it. I almost never agree with him, but when it does the right thing I will give him the credit that is due. === Nathan Hunstad Minneapolis, MN PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower 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
Re: [Mpls] Library Workers Must Face Same Realities As Private Sector
So that's what I think about unions. Libraries are there to serve patrons, not employees. Employees can be replaced. I bet many people would be willing to do that job for less money, so they should shut their mouths. Wasn't there once a time when employees were valued instead of being treated like disposable commodities? When employers knew that in order to stay in business they had to treat employees well, not only so they could actually get good work out of their employees, but so that they would have a market for their goods and services? This isn't the case anymore. And apparently, the solution put forward is not to reverse this trend and start treating employees well again, but to make sure that ALL employees are equally fungible and miserable. That's quite an interesting theory there. I hope that you are not an employer. === Nathan Hunstad Minneapolis, MN (651) 489-9107 -- Home PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt This may be the year when we finally come face to face with ourselves; finally just lay back and say it -- that we are really just a nation of 220 million used car salesmen with all the money we need to buy guns, and no qualms at all about killing anybody else in the world who tries to make us feel uncomfortable. -- Hunter S. Thompson Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower 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
Re: [Mpls] Overpaid Superintendent Peebles
I am really angry that there doesn't seem to be BIG outrage at the money that Thandiwe Peebles is getting out of our wallets. We bring in this lady from out of town, pay her over 50k more than she got at her old job, and then she makes us pay for her living expenses. I wonder why the we couldn't have got somebody that already lived here and paid them closer to $60,000. Because if we only paid $60K a year, we wouldn't have been able to get a quality superintendent. Simple. I went over to www.salary.com to use the salary calculator to check on a hunch. I have family in retail, and as I suspected, the median salary for a district manager in retail in this area is around $60K ($67,000 to be precise). The Minneapolis school district, according to their website, has over 8,000 employees and a budget of $600 million. So you think that paying less than a district manager salary for a position that involves overseeing more employees and a bigger budget would work? I then went to find a company that has revenues of around $600 million (not exactly an apples to apples comparison, I know, but it is still close). Urban Outfitters happens to have revenues around $600 million per year. According to their latest DEF-14A filing, the Chairman of Urban Outfitters, Richard Hayne, has a base salary of $278,000 in 2004, a bonus of $105,000, and other compensation of almost $29,000. This does not include benefits like health or life insurance. The President of Urban Outfitters Retail, Tedford A. Marlow (talk about your blueblood names!), has a base salary of $373,432 in 2004, and a bonus of $405,000. The number of employees at Urban Outfitters is 4,600, or a bit more than half the number of employees in the Minneapolis School District. Given these facts, it is pretty hard to argue that Peebles is somehow overpaid. I'm not losing any sleep over it. === Nathan Hunstad CARAG Minneapolis, MN PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower 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
[Mpls] Tragic misplanning by Metro Transit
Is this tragic misplanning on the part of Metro Transit, or is Metro Transit trying to negotiate between a complicated set of conflicting realities? I definitely think it is the latter, not the former. As I have said before, I ride the bus to and from work, commuting between Lake and Lyndale and Saint Paul. I also ride the bus whenever I can to get around, be it to Jitters in Saint Anthony Main, the MOA, or to see a Twins game, which I did last night. I have never felt unsafe while riding a bus, and although I have seen some characters from time to time, I just accept them as part of the urban jungle. I should note that these characters have no racial or economic characteristics in common; I have seen it all, from the most unexpected places. While I feel comfortable riding the bus whenever, I do know that there are a lot of people who will refuse to ride the bus at all, presumably for safety reasons. I think that this is just another symptom of the irrational fear that so many people have these days, but for whatever reason, it does exist. That is why the Hiawatha line is so successful where a dedicated busway would not be. Time after time, surveys show all across the country that people would much rather ride light rail (or heavy rail) instead of buses, all other things being equal. And let's be honest: the Hiawatha line is really cool to ride. It's fun, it's interesting, it makes people feel they are in a big city. This is one reality that Metro Transit has to deal with. On the other hand, there are a lot of people in the legislature, House Republicans in particular, who are either opposed to transit in principle or want to skimp as much as possible. These people, who control the purse strings, are much more likely to fund busways than rail if they fund anything at all, citing the higher cost of rail (just look at the Northstar Corridor). They do this despite the fact that the very people who are electing these legislators are saying that they would never ride buses. It sounds like a recipe for failure to me. As long as transit, and particularly bus transit, is seen as serving only the non-voting poor, Metro Transit is going to have to deal with the fact that those people who refuse to ride buses also refuse to pay for rail. This is hardly a new phenomenon; cities across the country have dealt with this very same issue. It's definitely not helping that transit funding continues to be cut year after year by the legislature, mainly because it is seen as just a program for the poor. It's this perception that needs to be changed, not the lack of parking spots for LRT riders. The notion that buses are only for the dregs of society, and that they are unsafe for anybody else, needs to be thrown out the window. Metro Transit needs to do its share by having more of a visible police presence on the buses (I have never seen a transit cop just riding a bus, but ever since the Hiawatha Line opened I have seen at least two transit cops at stations or riding almost all the time). They could teach their bus drivers a little customer service, which is lacking all too often. They can expand service instead of cutting it. Of course, all of this takes more money. Considering that Metro Transit no longer relies on property taxes for operating funds, the only way to get more money is to raise fares (entirely counterproductive) or get money from the legislature, and that hasn't happened lately. I think the only way this will ever change is if bus riders themselves lobby for more funding, proving to legislators that voters do ride the bus and that voting for transit is an election winner. As long as bus transit is seen by both legislators and the public as just welfare taxis, though, our transit system will not improve. That is a real shame. === Nathan Hunstad CARAG Minneapolis, MN PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower 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
[Mpls] Application Fees
I am a renter, and I have been renting here for several years now. Today, given that this is a renter's market, the issue of application fees isn't as great, but it is still there, and it will come back when the market changes. Whenever I have tried to find a new apartment, I have almost always had to pay a fee, usually $50. The fee was paid before I signed a lease, so if I didn't get the apartment, I was out that money. No landlord ever credited that towards rent, either, which is something I read that others do. Many of my friends who applied for several apartments four or five years ago when the rental market was tight were out lots of application fees without seeing any benefit. It was pretty common knowledge that landlords were profitting from this, too. Is it really likely that the cost of a background check is exactly $50? Probably not. I was a student at the U of M at the time, and the area around the university perhaps has a few more shady landlords, since they know that students without cars don't have many options. From what I understand, many landlords don't conduct background checks themselves, but use other businesses that provide this service for them. In that case, isn't it just as easy to provide a potential renter with a report as a landlord? A report could be bought by people, with an expiration date of 30 or 45 days, and used by the prospective tenant when applying for apartments. The information would be the same information that the landlords would receive anyway, so there is no fox in the henhouse problem, and the expiration date would ensure that the data was timely. From the tenant side of things, I see lots of problems with using credit reports and criminal records to screen applicants, but those problems are larger than this discussion. I do think that the idea I put forward does address the problem of too many application fees, though, and it would be nice to see. === Nathan Hunstad CARAG Minneapolis, MN PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower 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
[Mpls] Smoking and alcohol
To me that sounds like selfishness. Since you believe alcohol is not dangerous to others or harm others. I have seen alcohol ruin and destroy more lives than tobacco ever could. It destroys lives around those who use/abuse alcohol. Yes, alcohol can certainly be dangerous. That is why drinking and driving is illegal. As for alcohol ruining lives through addiction, almost anything in the world can become addictive. The government can only be concerned with actions that harm others. That doesn't sound weird, it sounds sad. Lots of people who were not drinking, killed by those who were. People allowed to make a choice to drink and then they drove (yes it's against the law, if they are caught)... Yes, it is against the law, and the law needs to be enforced more. The law also needs stronger penalties. I know somebody who just got their fourth DUI. Somebody like that should be locked up for at least five years in prison. Look at crime rates. If you look at crimes and violent crimes most will be committed while under the influence of some substance and usually alcohol is involved. I have no problem with enhancing penalties if the criminal is under the influence of any drug, including alcohol. Alcohol use does harm others, as does tobacco use. We can't selectively choose those things we like and say they don't harm others, we have to be objective and admit that most things we do have consequences about other people. The mere USE of alcohol is not guaranteed to harm anybody else. I could get falling-down drunk every night, but as long as I don't drive or assault anybody, my drinking doesn't harm anybody else in any way. Simply smoking in the presence of others, however, does harm people, no matter how many times you claim that studies of second-hand smoke are flawed. The mere act of smoking is harmful to others. Just as we have laws against drinking too much, What laws are those? We have laws against drinking while driving, but no laws against drinking too much. I can drink until I kill myself and it's perfectly legal. === Nathan Hunstad Minneapolis, MN (651) 489-9107 -- Home PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt This may be the year when we finally come face to face with ourselves; finally just lay back and say it -- that we are really just a nation of 220 million used car salesmen with all the money we need to buy guns, and no qualms at all about killing anybody else in the world who tries to make us feel uncomfortable. -- Hunter S. Thompson Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower 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
[Mpls] Benson and Goodman: ban it, and smoke-free groups must come
Yea, you can go bar-hopping as long as the anti-alcohol crusaders haven't make MN into a dry state by then. What goes around comes around. The logical inconsistency with forcing your morals onto others is that your ability to do so lasts only as long as your power; you have no recourse to the higher moral ground in your own defense. The smoking ban has nothing to do with morality, and I find the comparison between banning smoking in workplaces and prohibition to be weird. I don't think smoking is immoral; I just think that sucking on something that's on fire is stupid. But that has nothing to do with the point of the smoking ban, which is protecting workers from harm. If anything, I think it is immoral to harm people's health so you can selfishly enjoy something. I am a strong supporter of a smoking ban. I am also a strong supporter of getting rid of bar closing times and the ban on Sunday alcohol sales. When you come down to it, it is for the same reason: allow people to act as long as it doesn't harm others, but don't allow people to be harmed out of selfishness. Simple, consistent, and it doesn't have anything to do with whose morality is better than whose. === Nathan Hunstad CARAG Minneapolis, MN PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower 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
[Mpls] Benson and Goodman: ban it, and smoke-free groups must come
I'll try to make this as simple as I can because people just don't seem to get it. First of all, I proposed a compromise that would have eliminated any risk to non-consenting adults: ventilated smoking rooms. Few want the expense of ventilated smoking rooms. Do you think every bar and restaurant owner wants to invest tens of thousands of dollars in one of these rooms? Ask around and see. So what's left? 1) Smoking is unhealthy. Do you really want to give government unbridled power to limit what you do that is unhealthy? If you want to smoke and kill yourself, go right ahead. I don't think the government should regulate what is unhealthy for YOU, so if you smoke and don't affect anybody, go nuts. But when you smoke and harm ME, then you are making the judgment that it is okay to harm me in order to fulfill your pleasures. That's not right, and that is what is being addressed. Just like if you want to drive your car into a brick wall on your property, okay. If you want to drive your car into my car on the road, not okay. If you haven't gotten the idea here yet, here are a list of things the government could ban that are potentially bad for your health: donuts, bicycle riding, skiing, walking downtown after 2pm on a weekend night, McDonalds, boating... Although not endless, this list is very long and many items on this list are also potentially harmful for others as well as yourself. All of those things, when they are unhealthy, are unhealthy only for the person engaging in the activity. So there is no reason to ban them. Notice that for many of those activities, when the activities harm others, like boating while intoxicated, or walking around downtown late at night assaulting people, they are illegal, as they should be. As to the lack of morality (I guess people don't see the irony of claming the limiting of other people's behavior is not an expression of morality): I'm not limiting your ability to smoke, I'm just saying that you can't harm anybody else when you do it. If you want to travel down that path, you are arguing that forcing people to drive on the right side of the road is imposing morality on others, because you are limiting people's behavior. So are zoning ordinances. So are pure food and drug laws, anti-fraud laws, worker protection laws, and lots of other laws. The government prohibits certain behaviors when they harm others all the time. To do away with that would be chaos. === Nathan Hunstad CARAG Minneapolis, MN PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower 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
[Mpls] East-West one-ways 26th/28th Sts
A rumor that has been floating around the Wedge for decades: MNDOT, during the 1950s had preliminary plans to tear out 26th Street, 28th Street and everything in between, to run a freeway from I-35W to Hwy 100. I think it is more than just a rumor. According to a website on MN highways (see http://www.ajfroggie.com/roads/minnesota/state/mn280.htm and http://www.ajfroggie.com/roads/minnesota/cancelled/cedar-ave.htm), plans were for highway 280 to be extended across the river and run parallel to Lake Street as the 28th Street Expressway. There used to be bridges and ramps at the I-94/280 interchange leading to the southwest in preparation for the eventual extension. Like many of the proposed freeways in the area, it was never built. === Nathan Hunstad CARAG Minneapolis, MN PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower 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
Re: [Mpls] Lake Street lane vote
This rhetoric from Niziolek is a myth he's creating. There are 4 lanes today, the plan is 4 lanes in the future. There are also turn lanes at some intersections. Niziolek, Lilligren, and Zimmerman want to reduce it to three lanes. If that happens, one quarter of Lake St. traffic will use the neighborhoods' narrower side streets to stay off Lake. How does that improve the situation? Going from four lanes to three does not automatically mean that capacity is cut by one quarter. I ride the bus at rush hour on the 53 (used to ride the 191 before it disappeared) and I see that even though left turns are supposed to be prohibited at most intersections, that doesn't stop drivers from turning left, especially at Chicago. That means that there is really only one through lane in each direction anyway, and traffic backs up as people weave back and forth between the lanes to avoid the left-turning drivers. Combine this with the poor stoplight timing, and things don't work very well. Capacity is more than just how many lanes there are. More lanes with traffic going more slowly means less capacity than fewer lanes with traffic moving consistently. I still think that three lanes can carry just as much traffic if the stoplights are done properly. === Nathan Hunstad CARAG Minneapolis, MN PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower 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
[Mpls] Lake Street traffic and alternatives
I've used both 28th and 28th streets (26th more often) instead of dealing with Lake, and they can be a real timesaver. I recently used 28th to travel from Lyndale to Hiawatha and didn't have to stop once, since all the traffic lights seemed to be better synchronized than on Lake. Probably one of the bigger problems with Lake is that the timing of the traffic signals make no sense at all. I think traffic could be much improved if they were. I think that a three-lane Lake Street with continuous left-turn lanes, combined with better-timed signals, is more than adequate. Perhaps the city could use signs to direct through traffic to 26th and 28th streets to better divert traffic from Lake and make it more pedestrian friendly. === Nathan Hunstad CARAG Minneapolis, MN PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower 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
[Mpls] Crime stats and Minneapolis residents getting skewed
Minneapolis had the distinction of having one of the highest rape rates for major cities in the United States for several years. Here is where the reliability of crime statistics comes into play. Sexual assault is one of the most underreported crimes there are. Thus, just because we have more reports of rape in Minneapolis, that doesn't mean the actual incidence of rape is higher here. We may simply do a better job of collecting data. I would need to see more information before I would believe that we were the rape capital of the country. Considering how the incentives stack up with regards to collecting crime data (collect more accurate data and your apparent crime rate goes up, and who wants that?), crime statistucs need to be understood in context. === Nathan Hunstad CARAG Minneapolis, MN (651) 489-9107 -- Home PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower 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
[Mpls] Biking on Hennepin
Fascinating. I understand that the maintenance of the bollards costs money, but apparently the safety, lives, and limbs of bicyclists have no determinable value. As a biker, I am not even sure I would want these bollards to be installed again. I bike down Hennepin Avenue fairly regulary (I did so yesterday), and no signs or markers are going to change the laws of physics. I fear that any markers would simply make both bicyclists and drivers blind to the real hazards present at these intersections; these may just be a few more signs that disappear into the urban panorama. That happens all too often when crosswalk signs are installed. As a bicyclist, I know what happens when I run into a two-ton steel vehicle, so I know it is going to be mainly my responsibility to ensure that doesn't happen. You can bet that I spend a lot of time looking over my shoulder when I am travelling down Hennepin Avenue. Putting a bike lane in the middle of a busy street, flanked by buses and three lanes of traffic, isn't the best idea in the first place, and I don't think that any small measures like signage will change that basic fact. === Nathan Hunstad CARAG Minneapolis, MN (651) 489-9107 -- Home PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower 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
[Mpls] Star Trib's apparent inconsistency on mass transit
While the Star Tribune's support for light rail is encouraging, it is difficult to square the paper's enthusiasm for the Hiawatha line with its advocacy for more highway construction in south Minneapolis. I would argue that they are eminently reconcilable. So would I. The truth of the matter is that I-35W through south Minneapolis is one of the most-traveled segments of freeway in the state, with over 200,000 vehicles a day. The current freeway layout in this area is inadequate from a safety point of view, as well as an access point of view. Adding access to Lake Street to and from the north, as well as moving the ramps from 35th/36th to 38th to add space between those ramps and the Lake Street ramps. Why it was designed the way it is now I don't understand. Like the Crosstown Commons, it's a remnant of highway design without the experience we have now, and since it is a real problem, I have no issue with fixing it. Like it or not, a lot of people use highways. Letting highways deteriorate in an attempt to force people to use transit isn't going to work. It will only harm the economy and make it harder for people at the fringes of society. We have desperate transit needs, and we need to do more to address them. We can't just ignore our road infrastructure, though. I would much rather see highway funding go to address real needs, instead of being used to construct highways to nowhere that will encourage sprawl (like TH 610). I also find it interesting that in another thread, some people are complaining about having too many lofts. Transit needs density to work, so increasing transit usage while complaining about higher densities doesn't seem to make much sense. We need more density in Minneapolis, I think. I'm sure others will disagree. === Nathan Hunstad CARAG Minneapolis, MN PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower 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
[Mpls] Cool idea, signage painting
No matter what signs are posted, no matter what intersections are painted, no matter what laws are passed, some laws you can't ignore, and those are the laws of physics: pedestrians and bikers come out worse every time when matched against vehicles. I don't rely on signs or laws to protect me because of this fact. I am constantly looking out for poor and inattentive drivers because my life depends on it. While it would be nice for drivers to yield to pedestrians and acknowledge that bikes are just as legal to use on the roads as cars, it isn't going to happen 100% of the time. It's unfortunate but true. === Nathan Hunstad CARAG Minneapolis, MN PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower 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
Re: [Mpls] I knew it! Smokers LIVE LONGER
According to the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, the life expectancy in the U. S. has hit an all time high of 76.9 years. Okay, now I'm all confused. One argument against smoking was that it was expensive: those unhealthy smokers were using more expensive health care to try to make up for their foolish habit. Then along came a study commissioned in the Czech Republic that said that since smokers died much earlier than non-smokers, there was no economic cost to smoking; it was a benefit because smokers never lived long enough to collect much Social Security or Medicare. Lots of people found this study to be questionable on moral grounds, but that never stopped pro-smokers from citing it to say that smoking actually saves money. Now Victoria comes along with statistics that say that smokers are living longer than ever. Which means that they are once again sucking up the health care dollars with their emphysema, heart disease, and other maladies associated with smoking. So which is it? It can't be both. Either smokers are living shorter lives, good from an economic point of view but bad for anybody that enjoys life, or smokers are living longer, which is good for keeping people around but bad for the economy (and for people like me, who are getting tired of seeing rising health care costs because unhealthy Americans keep on seeking quick solutions to their self-inflicted health problems). === Nathan Hunstad CARAG Minneapolis, MN (651) 489-9107 -- Home PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower 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
Re: [Mpls] (mpls) Re: PELRA
The only PELRA issue mentioned at the convention specifically by board members was the January 15th deadline for the settling of contracts. While people may see this as important (personally, I have no problem seeing that arbitrary deadline go), nobody was talking about major employee issues like outsourcing, taking away the right to collectively bargain, or anything else of that nature. There may have been that talk behind the scenes, but definitely the only explicit talk revolved around the January 15th deadline. === Nathan Hunstad CARAG Minneapolis, MN (651) 489-9107 -- Home PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower 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
[Mpls] DFL snubs two on school board
What does this say about the delegates and the convention process? That you can destroy the career of a good person just by generating rumors? That the convictions of delegates are so shallow that their decisions can be swayed by unsubstantiated rumors? Or, quite possibly, the choice of the delegates had nothing to do with race or rumor. Perhaps delegates were not pleased with Henry-Blythe's past actions as a board member. Since I haven't paid a whole lot of attention to the actions of the school board lately, it wasn't a retrospective look that caused me to withhold my vote for endorsement, it was the fact that I was not impressed with Henry-Blythe's vision for the future. I could buy this argument IF the DFL leadership had made a concerted effort to insure that African American students were represented by SOMEONE of their own race on the school board. I can't speak for all delegates, but I wholeheartedly reject the notion that school board members can only represent their constituents of the same race, or that constituents can only be represented by school board members of the same race. My criteria for endorsement was simple: who would do the best job. Not who would do the best job for one group or another, but simply who would do the best job. In my opinion, two candidates met the criteria, and that is who I supported. Race or gender had nothing to do with it, and I don't think it should. If we are in a position where it is argued that we have to take a candidate's race into account and change our criteria based on that, then we are not in the place we should be. We should be elected public officials based on competence. === Nathan Hunstad CARAG Minneapolis, MN (651) 489-9107 -- Home PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower 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
[Mpls] DFL snubs two on school board
But I'm not sure why anyone considers this important, other than lazy reporters looking for an easy story. The reasons that each of these candidates failed to gain endorsement were so individually different that such a listing is meaningless. I overheard lots of discussions between delegates about candidates, and I don't recall ANY where race or gender was an issue -- they were arguing about the past performance or the qualifications of the candidates. I attended the convention as a delegate. I voted to endorse Flanagan and Lee and was pleased that they were the only ones to be endorsed. I simply was not as impressed with the other candidates, with different reasons for each. None of those reasons, however, had anything to do with race or gender. === Nathan Hunstad CARAG Minneapolis, MN (651) 489-9107 -- Home PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower 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
[Mpls] Transit Strike -- What are your answers?
In fact, Minneapolis has nothing tangible to offer me. I only go inside the Minneapolis city limits a few times per year and I easily could do without that. Brutal statements I know, but this is true for the vaste majority of Minnesota residents outside of Minneapolis.You may not like to hear this, but the world for most citizens of this state does not revolve around Minneapolis. They do not go to Minneapolis, they go to The Cities. Minneapolis is not important simply because I live here. It is important because without it, The Cities would not exist. Period. Why do you think the suburbs exist? Why is 394 heading into downtown a parking lot every morning? Why is 94 westbound into downtown a parking lot every morning? Why is 35W southbound heading into downtown a parking lot every morning? Why is 35W northbound heading into downtown a parking lot every morning? The world revolves around Minneapolis for people more than they perhaps realize. All those people who live in the 'burbs and are doing just fine are heading into Minneapolis for their jobs. They should be just as concerned about what happens in this city as anybody else. All those people heading into downtown Minneapolis on any given weekday are only part of what is going on there. Who is cleaning the IDS Center? Who is answering phones at Wells Fargo? Who is manning the counters at all the restaurants downtown? These people don't drive into downtown from their suburban and exurban houses. They take the bus. These are the workers that do the jobs that need to be done, there are a lot of them, and they rely on the bus. If they can't work, that's a problem. Employers aren't going to stick around if they can't find workers to do the work that needs to be done, the work that doesn't pay very well, the work that won't be taken by suburbanites. It is time for you, the citizens of Minneapolis, to figure out how to pay for that mass transportation system you so dearly want. I sincerely wish you the best of luck. Too many people seem to think like this: that the only things that concern them happen in the suburban donut in Minnesota. Nothing that happens in the urban core matters; nothing that happens in rural Minnesota matters. It is exactly what the Taxpayers League believes in: if it doesn't directly impact ME, it doesn't matter. If I don't ride the bus, it isn't important and I don't want to pay for it. If my kid speaks English fine, ESL classes are unimportant and I don't want to pay for it. Et cetera. But we are not so separated from others that this is the truth. If people who are on the lower and middle end of the scale don't have transit options, they will lose their jobs. They will lost their health insurance. They will lose their educational opportunities. We will be paying for unemployment, for their health care when they use the Emergency Room as preventative care, for jails when they turn to crime. We will be paying for lost productivity because they can't better themselves. We pay either now or later, it's your choice. The only difference is that we will pay far more in terms of opportunity cost if we wait. There is no way to keep what happens in Minneapolis from affecting the entire state, no matter how much people want to think. Frankly, I don't understand the short-sightedness that is so prevalent today. It seems pretty obvious to me: the economy is a pyramid, with the few at the top on top of larger base of less-skilled labor at the bottom. Erase that base, and the whole thing will come crashing down. Not right away, but eventually. Businesses can't survive if they can't hire anybody to take out the trash. It's expensive to provide parking for every single employee. It's a waste of resources. For some reason, though, a lot of people are forgetting this. They think that the unseen machinery that powers this region will continue to run flawlessly even when you start dismantling it. A wheel bearing in a car may not be nearly as complicated or valuable as the V8 engine under the hood, but take away those cheap bearings and see how far you go. If we don't start acting as a community to lift everybody up, we are going to lose our status as a top metropolitan area and we will become mediocre. It's too bad so many people in Minnesota these days want this to happen, because they no longer want to pay for what used to make our state better. Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower === Nathan Hunstad CARAG Minneapolis, MN (651) 489-9107 -- Home PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt 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
[Mpls] Get Me to the Church on Time
This shouldn't proceed through the courts at all. If these renegade jurists had any sense of constitutional duty, they'd sent the complainants packing - back to the legislatures - where this debate belongs. Legislatures didn't fight for people's constitutional rights and desegregate schools; the judiciary did. Legislatures didn't fight for people's constitutional rights and repeal laws against miscegenation; the judiciary did. Legislatures didn't fight for people's constitutional rights and repeal laws against consensual sexual activity between adults; the judiciary did. We don't live in an absolute democracy. The majority can't do whatever it wants just because it is in the majority. When the majority tries to ignore the basic rights of the minority, the judiciary is bound to act. In any case, it's only a matter of time. The polls are divided, but the young people support same-sex marriage. Which young people? Home schooled? From religious schools? The sons and daughters of Islamic and Catholic immigrants? I guess I am one of those young people. I was schooled at Catholic schools. I welcome same-sex marriage. Hatred and distaste of the other is not natural in humans. It has to be taught. I was never taught to hate those whose sexuality is different than mine, nor were most of my peers. It is homophobia itself which seems dangerous to me. It makes zero sense. In this day and age, we need more committed and loving relationships, not less. It may take a year or five or twenty, but progress is inevitable. Towards what, exactly? Towards equal treatment of everybody. It's too bad that this won't happen in Minneapolis, due to both the fact that Hennepin County handles marriage certificates, and the fact that I just don't think the mayor would do it if he could. I have seen the pictures of the people who have been married in San Francisco, and I can't fathom how anybody could look at the pure happiness in the faces of these people and believe that what they are doing is a threat. Considering how much money has been spent in San Francisco on hotels, flowers, parties, and so forth, doing this in Minneapolis could result in a big economic party. Tourism has been suffering for a couple years; this could help. === Nathan Hunstad CARAG Minneapolis, MN (651) 489-9107 -- Home PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower 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
[Mpls] Eric Eskola Rides the bus: Do other journalist, and city leaders ride the bus?
I also ride the bus to and from the Capitol complex every day for work. The cold does not bother me when I am wearing my polypropylene, although I wouldn't say no to more heated bus shelters. Right now, they are few and far between. Including one transfer, it may take about 45 minutes actual travel time to get to work. That's not bad, although it is still twice as long as it takes to drive. === Nathan Hunstad CARAG Minneapolis, MN (651) 489-9107 -- Home PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower 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
Re: [Mpls] Some Information on Immigrant/Resident Alien Voting
As a person who has recently married an immigrant, I think I have some insight into this issue. And while I won't go into the abuses of the INS here (there is much more abuse than good) because this is a Minneapolis discussion list, I do have some information on the issue of non-citizens voting in local elections. This is an idea that is long past its due. It is simply unconscionable that people are not allowed to vote due to the circumstances of their birth. While I can tolerate not allowing people to vote in federal elections if a person does not take an oath to the Federal Republic, local elections are another matter. Citizens and non-citizens have gotten their cars towed due to the plowing practices of the city; shouldn't they be able to vote for city council members? They go to schools. They pay federal and state taxes. Shouldn't they have some say in how that money is spent? In some parts of Europe non-citizens are already allowed to vote in local elections. It is the goal of the European Union to extend this to all member states of the EU. Already, citizens of EU countries can work in any other member country; with this change, they will be able to vote in city and EU elections. In my opinion, this isn't a perfect answer; I await the day when border controls are abolished and the INS is a quaint example in history books of using discriminatory practices to keep willing people out of our country. But until then, the least we can do is let non-citizens get involved in the level of government that affects them most. === Nathan Hunstad Minneapolis, MN (612) 331-7766 -- Home (612) 598-6484 -- Wireless PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt "You don't need a Weatherman to know which way the wind blows." --Bob Dylan Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
