Re: [Mpls] Northstar Survey / Transit Hub / Stadium
The shameless rich developers know they have only a few years to ram their insane projects down our throats, and sneak far away with millions before their projects collape. They don't give a damn about the city now, or in the future, or other people - just capitalist greed and manipulation. They have to move fast while there are still people in government that will aid and abet them in this transfer of public resources. God we know wants them to be rich, and is telling them to act fast and loose ASAP. These shameless developers and their puppet government lackeys are far more evil than any poor street criminals. Far more criminal. But they have three piece suits and may have been to Harvard, so we are supposed to say, O, well YOU can have anything and everything you want from us, we love you because you are rich and thrillingly unscrupulous. This shows how capitalism is able to invade and pervert our very minds, so that we beg to be victims. Or perhaps, as rape victims are advised, we should just lay back and enjoy it. --David Shove Roseville On Sun, 27 Nov 2005, Gary Hoover wrote: We need to de-link the Twins stadium proposal from transit. Here is an article about how we do transportation funding that highlights the character of the problem. http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/1126-06.htm To wit: the federal Highway Trust Fund is running out of money just months after a huge, porky transportation bill was signed into law. Taxes must be raised to build more highways and useless bridges to nowhere in Alaska. What is the natural way to raise taxes? To raise the tax on gas, which has not been touched since 1993; it has not even been adjusted for inflation. But that is not politically popular, so a better idea is to tax hybrid cars and alternative-fuel vehicles, which don't use any or as much gasoline. Brilliant, simply brilliant! Tying transit to the stadium is the same sort of political nonsense on a local level. We link a sustainable infrastructure project to an anti-sustainability project. Just as the Neanderthal mind figures that we should add a special tax for green cars to pay for the anti-sustainable Federal Highway Trust fund, we decide that those who want sustainable urban infrastructure development in Minneapolis will have to agree to pay an extra and regressive tax for a structure that is not necessary and will in fact set sustainability back. This kind of political effort is absurdly self-defeating. We are on the cusp of an energy crisis which will not go away in our lifetimes. Natural gas and oil depletion are the first limits we bump up against. Water will follow soon enough. We are smack in the middle of an Empire that has declared an unending war for resources -- a war that wastes resources and will be lost by everyone. And yet we cannot see the simple truth that we must invest in sustainable new infrastructure and we must not invest in new anti-sustainable infrastructure. I guess the trick in politics lately is to tell people what they want to hear -- life will continue just as it has. We will have plenty of time and energy and money to throw at professional sports entertainment structure which is rooted in a culture which will no longer exist, that is, a culture which assumes entitlement to an eternal supply of energy (and other resources) so cheap that we do not even have to think about them. Want to advocate for a new Twins Stadium? Great! Just keep it separate from sustainable projects. why? We do not need and cannot afford more infrastructure rooted in a world that no longer exists. -- pedaling for peace and ecojustice from Lynnhurst -- Gary Hoover 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 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] Minnesota Women's Political Caucus 27th Annual Luncheon with Dana Priest
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 28, 2005 Contact: Erin Moline Ph: 651-228-0995 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] MWPC 27th Annual Luncheon with Dana Priest Dana Priest has worked at The Washington Post for 19 years and also currently serves as an analyst for NBC News. She has written extensively on the intelligence lapses that led up to the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the failure of pre-war intelligence in Iraq, Washingtons covert war against suspected terrorists around the world, the CIAs secret rendition and detention practices, and the governments efforts to build a homeland security department. As an investigative reporter, Priest covered the 1989 invasion of Panama, reported from Iraq in the late 1990s just before the war began, reported on the 1999 Kosovo war from air bases in Europe, on the Special Forces in Afghanistan in 2001, and with the Secretary of Defense in Iraq in 2003. She has traveled widely with Army Special Forces in Asia, Africa and South America, and reported with Army peacekeeping units deployed in Bosnia, Kosovo and Afghanistan. Priest is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards including the Gerald R. Ford Prize for Distinguished Reporting on the National Defense, and the State Departments Excellence in Journalism Award. Her widely acclaimed 2003 book, THE MISSION: Waging War and Keeping Peace With Americas Military, won the prestigious New York Public Library Bernstein Book Award and was a finalist for The Pulitzer Prize. In her speech, Priest will share her experiences as a woman in the trenches, giving her perspective as a woman traveling around the world with U.S. Army Special Forces and four-star generals and covering issues typically covered by men. Taking the audience inside military and CIA counter-terrorist operations, Priest will also examine questions such as: Is America winning the global war on terrorism? Can intelligence and military operations alone defeat terrorism? What does the United States really need to rebuild war-torn nations and to ultimately defeat terrorism? What: MWPC's 27th Annual Luncheon with Dana Priest When: Friday, December 2, 2005 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m, Members-Only Reception, 11 a.m. Where: The Historic Milwaukee Depot, Great Hall, 225 3rd Ave. S., Minneapolis (612-375-1700) Tickets: $100/members, $125/non-members, $150/includes MWPC membership. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 651-228-0995 or email [EMAIL PROTECTED] Eva Young Near North Minneapolis Blogs: http://lloydletta.blogspot.com http://www.outletradio.com 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] Land Value Tax
Mark A. scribed, in part: I've always thought real property values to be a pretty good proxy for wealth (or better than anything else we have, at least). That's why I think property taxes make more sense than income taxes, which are a disincentive to work. I agree that property is a good proxy for wealth. Many people are living in houses they really cannot afford in terms of income even without high property taxes. I disagree that income tax is a disincentive to work. All taxes can be seen as a disincentive to work if one tax can be seen as such. The simple fact is that we do not live in an ownership society but rather in a sharecropper society. Minneapolis is situated smack-dab in the middle of the Empire which is playing out the capitalist end game. We kill and terrorize people to steal their resources. Given that most Americans have a blind faith in the Great God Free Market which is not at all free, we have little chance of seeing any outcome other than a corporatist oligarchy subsuming government (drowning it in a bathtub). Our local officials are increasingly subservient to the dominant Republican party line in every way. Full spectrum global dominance begins at home, with meek and compliant local officials kissing the boots of corporate overlords. The city begs for jobs that can disappear in an eyeblink, along with pensions and health care benefits if corporations decide to externalize those costs. When these corporations get a bigger tax incentive elsewhere, they will move ten miles or ten thousand miles in a heartbeat. Minneapolis is left to squeeze tax dollars out of homeowners. In order to survive, globalization and American hegemony both demand increasingly brutal warfare overseas and more income disparity and enforced compliance in the homeland. We are in the homeland, folks. There is little chance that political action will get us anywhere these days. The Democrats offer a secular apocalypse while the Republicans offer a particular religious version. Both worship the Great God Free Market which demands blood from the masses which feeds the cannibals in power. Neither party has the will acknowledge that our foreign policy is in fact a war crime or that our domestic policy is an intentional road to bankruptcy and ruin. The US government holds the keys to Hell and intends to invite us all in for a party. Meanwhile, local government officials piss away the time with parochial party insider politics dominated by issues which bear no relation to the needs of the people. Local taxes -- land value tax, property tax, and income tax have become the local expression of corporatist oppression. We raise local taxes on ordinary folks to subsidize corporatist who kill, rape, and torture oversees and tell us to buy slightly smaller SUVs. -- pedaling for peace and ecojustice -- Gary Hoover 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] Class sizes and the referendum
I do not and will not defend current class sizes as I do believe they are very problematic. However, I do want to provide a high level explanation to help further understanding - and better yet, for the generation of new ideas to resolve the current situation. There are a couple types or sources of money that go into class sizes, one of which is the referendum money. Technically, all of that money is used to keep class size down. However, there have been huge cuts in the MPS budget ($130+MM in the last couple years). Meanwhile, the Federal and State Governments are as busy as ever providing unfunded mandates. Therefore, the other sources of money that contribute to class size have to be cut/reduced to pay for the unfunded mandates, among other things. The net effect is that class sizes swell. A month back, I posted some short term solutions on the MPS Parents Forum list as well a long term consideration (besides more money) that I think can help the situation begin to right itself. If anyone is interested, contact me off list. More money is certainly one answer. However, we may not get it. Therefore, we have to be thinking of other solutions that can help the situation. Tom Madden Lowry Hill On 11/26/05 6:47 PM, Dorie Rae Gallagher [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Steve in your post you mentioned the different classes and the sizes they were to be. You also mentioned that the sizes were kept down for a while and now have gone back up (example class size should be 28- 33 but are back up to 37). I would understand that to be a vote for a referendum to raise money for lower class sizes that was not adhered to since the class sizes are not smaller. So we do not know when we vote... if they are really going to use the money for the reasons given in campaigning. Dorie Gallagher/Nokomis Seth from Kenny posted: I only voted for the most recent referendum, but I know for certain that the actual ballots contained no wording about class size. The ballot language only described the technical detail of the tax increase. The referendum campaign talked about specific class size, the actual referendum did not. Understanding this distinction is an important lesson for the next referendum that we face, be it about taxes, gambling, or same-sex marriage. Brandt: It's also important to understand that the referendum that raised money for lower class sizes did not mention class sizes because the state law governing the wording of referenda prohibited that Steve Brandt Star Tribune 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 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 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] Dunbar-Ortiz speaks on Nicaragua
Internationally recognized author, activist, and scholar Roxanne Dunbar-Oritiz will visit the Twin Cities on Tuesday, Nov. 29 and Wednesday, Nov. 30 as part of a speaking/promotional tour for her new book, _Blood on the Border: A Memoir of the Contra War_. _Blood on the Border_ is the third in a series of memoirs that Dunbar-Ortiz began in 1997 with the publication of _Red Dirt: Growing up Okie_ and continued in 2002 with _Outlaw Woman : A Memoir of the War Years 1960-1975_. _Blood on the Border_ covers the Nicaragua years; Dunbar-Ortiz was asked in 1981 to visit Sandinista Nicaragua to appraise the land tenure situation of the Miskitu Indians in the northeastern region of the country. Her subsequent trips put her in the middle of the United States' proxy war against the Sandinistas, the Contra War, which she monitored from 1981 to 1989. Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz has led her life in pursuit of social justice as a radical feminist, an anti-war activist, a revolutionary, and a scholar focusing on indigenous rights and ethnic studies. She'll speak at the following Twin Cities locations: Macalester College on Tuesday, November 29 at noon on the 4th. Floor Lounge of the Old Main Building; Borders in Calhoun Square at 7:00pm on Tuesday, November 29; Minneapolis Community and Technical College (MCTC) on Wednesday, November 30 at noon in the Hennepin Dining Room (1st floor of T- Building). Each event is free and open to the public. **Please put these events on your schedule and let students, friends, family, and fellow travelers know about this rare opportunity.** For more information contact Liz McLemore or Russell Raczkowski at 612.823.3979. Liz McLemore Bancroft 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] Election post mortem ..connecting more park boarddots--part3
The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board has taken minutes forever. It is the quality and format of them that would make one wonder if they are actually minutes. To get minutes of committee meetings ( where the issues are really discussed) you had to have a fast speed audio tape changed to a standard format and the minutes I quoted are available online for only part of 2002 and then forward and only for regular board meetings not committee meetings. When the MPRB started broadcasting they eliminated all minute taking except to amend the agenda to say passed/failed/tabled or amended and now passed as on the website. They have since gone back to at least adding some comments. The fact is that written minutes will stand the test of time. The old voice recorded committee minutes are difficult to reference and as video is now becoming passe DVD will no doubt follow that same path eventually. Parkwatch has been advocating for minutes that actually include commissioner discussions and actual votes in committee as well as during the regular meetings. How can you hold your elected officials accountable if you never know how they voted or in my case WHY they voted for something. I am not so set in my ways that a good debate cannot sway me to reconsider my stand on an issue. This is why unlike many I do support keeping an independent park police force. Commissioner Dziedzic made more facts available and after verifying them I had to agree. Liz Wielinski Columbia Park www.mplsparkwatch.org 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] History is Made: Minneapolis Grants a Permit for a Corn Stove!
Congrats on the corn stove permit, Dyna! Corn stoves diversify and localize our energy supply. further, they use energy from plants, which (with greater use of biodeisel on farms) can reduce the amount of fossil fuels we need to dig. Even without green farm equipment, the amount of fossil fuels invested in getting corn to your stove is relatively small. We could make this work well if local corn could be brought into town by rail and distributed by biodiesel van and by bike. My cargo trikes can handle 6 to 8 hundred pounds plus another 4 hundred pounds on a trailer. It is possible to imagine delivery trucks dropping off corn to be delivered in neighborhoods on demand or on a schedule. This would make it easy for folks who have a hard time carrying sacks of corn around. Of course, neighbors could and would just help neighbors, too. Supplies could be delivered in larger or smaller quantities, using very little or no fossil fuel. Clean, green, and patriotic all at once. -- pedaling for peace and ecojustice from Lynhurst at the moment -- Gary Hoover 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] Election post mortem
Seems like you started it: For those of you who want to perpetuate divisiveness find some other organization to focus on. In a post ostensibly about a new era, you had to take a shot. Can't blame them for shooting back, as you noted in your last post. An eye for an eye makes everyone blind. You want to create a positive atmosphere, model good behavior. A start would be eliminating the use of the word you, in list posts, which personalizes things. David 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] Election post mortem
Major mistake on my part here. This was an offlist conversation between me and Scott which should not have been sent to the list. It was inadvertent, and my apologies to Scott. However, I should note I've sent similar sentiments to members of the other side of the Park Board debate. I'd like it if everyone knocked off the personal shots! Nevertheless, this was an unintentional look at my offlist process, and wasn't mean to be public. David Brauer List manager -Original Message- Seems like you started it: 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] The Downtown 33
I read today's Strib article entitled Same Offenders, big crime headache. The reporter for the Strib could take some lessons from the reporter from the Downtown Journal regarding providing a balanced overview of the issue. The Downtown Journal article on the same downtown 33 did a much more in-depth analysis of the causes and also solutions to the revolving door of those who are caught up in the criminal justice system time after time. The Strib reporter seems to have lived in a vacuum all the years that the Decrim Task Force had been working, researching and presenting ways to work to resolve the revolving door. And the Strib reporter seems to never have heard of the Hopper Mental Health/Criminal Justice Working Group that was created as part of the Safezone efforts by the County Commissioners. The Downtown Journal consistently seems to do its homework to try to educate themselves as they research a story. Anyway, if you want to read a more helpful, informative article on this issue. the Downtown Journal archives have the story entitled How the Downtown 33 hit your pocketbook. Leonardo Castro's comment in the Strib article certainly rings true to me--- that the people now given the title Downtown 33 are not garbage, ...they are human beings...many of whom have been failed by our social service systems. Whenever I hear a social service provider make comments such as the one attributed to Dominick Bouza at Branch ll homeless shelter--- (I hope this staff person was misquoted) I just shake my head, The quote I refer to : I want to coax people to do the right thing. But there's certain guys that absolutely refuse to. If you have never been at this or any of the other shelters coaxing someone to do the right thing without a decent place to sleep, decent mental health screening, privacy, being in a crowded, noisy place with many, many other men, ...many people have undiagnosed Traumatic Brain injury or PTSD, ... well, it is hardly the way to coax anyone to do anything. Our social services are inadequate in assisting persons experiencing homelessness... I would hope that there would be a willingness to critique the inadequacy of the service rather than blame the person for whom those services do not work. In my world I would prefer to hear a shelter provider say The services we are able to provide just are not helpful to this man. We need to do better. I have worked in many shelters...I have been amazed at how much people can tolerate to get out of the elements...smells, noise, rules, mats on a floor, inadequate sleep, ... I have worked with people who are actively psychotic who have stayed in shelters. I have found that to be heartbreaking. And having come from a home with an alcoholic father, I find it particularly heartbreaking to see those with chemical health issues so harshly judged by the larger public. As if they do not deserve help or compassion. Margaret Hastings Kingfield 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] Land Value Tax
Mark Anderson writes: I've always thought real property values to be a pretty good proxy for wealth (or better than anything else we have, at least). That's why I think property taxes make more sense than income taxes, which are a disincentive to work. My reply: If income taxes are any disincentive to work (and I don't think so) property taxes are a bigger disincentive to save. Example: Two people earn the same amount over their lifetimes. One chooses to travel, goes to the casino, drives a fancy car, wears expensive clothing. The other buys a home, maintains it, fixes it up, improving it and the neighborhood as well. Why should this second individual be further taxed? The place to tax fairly is at the source, when the money comes in. Income tax makes best sense. Dan Prozinski Cedar-Riverside 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] Calling all landlords
I have a family living near me that needs to find a 3 bedroom house to live in. They are not being evicted and there is no problem with their landlord or the property they live in. Their current landlord is attempting to find them a place he owns elsewhere but has nothing available at this time. The family (Mother, a girl and two boys) experienced a severely traumatic situation in the house this summer and it has been recommended that the family move to another house or apartment so the memories of the experience can have some closure. The family does get subsidized rent through their church and the mother has a job. This is a good family. They are not using drugs, drinking or engaging in any dangerous behavior. They have not destroyed the property. They are just very poor and trying to rebuild after a tragedy. If you have a place in Whittier, Lyndale, Lowry Hill East or even Phillips West please let me know. The mother needs to be in proximity to her job and child care. Please e-mail me off list and let me know if you have anything. Thanks. Barb Lickness Whittier Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. -- Margaret Mead 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] The Downtown 33
Margaret Hastings wrote, in part: If you have never been at this or any of the other shelters coaxing someone to do the right thing without a decent place to sleep, decent mental health screening, privacy, being in a crowded, noisy place with many, many other men, ...many people have undiagnosed Traumatic Brain injury or PTSD, ...well, it is hardly the way to coax anyone to do anything. GH here: I was privileged to work in a downtown Minneapolis shelter a few years back. The unit I worked on was a Special Needs Emergency Housing shelter. We took in homeless folks with a variety of mental health issues as well as people with gunshot wounds, diabetes, bad cases of frostbite, and people put out on the sidewalk by hospitals after surgery or a stay in the psych ward. One of the most difficult things for me was to see people who were clearly victim-perpetrators. These were people who had been severely damaged in ways --physically and psychologically. They seemed caught in a cycle of destructive behaviour that hurt others and always ended up hurting themselves. It is not pleasant to recall memories of people who grew up in wealthy or middle class homes filled with violence and abuse, and who ended up living under bridges downtown. Perhaps a kind of peace core program set up by local faith communities and other organizations could provide more people with some in-depth shelter work experience. I believe that candidates for public office (including City Council, Mayor, County Commissioner...right up through President!) should be required to work fulltime for a minimum of 5 years caring for children, including significant time spent working directly with infants...full time! But maybe some of that five years would be well spent working in shelters with a variety of homeless people. One of the reasons we are smack in the middle of a Democracy-turned-Empire engaged in an increasingly brutal war for resources is that our leaders are devoid of experience raising and nurturing children or learning to understand those who have truly been brutalised by our supposedly righteous and compassionate society. Add to this narrowness of experience the fascism of ordinary corporate welfare culture and we have a recipe for cultivating criminally sociopathic leadership. We need to ask ourselves how the household of our city is doing. Are the children cared for? Are we planning for future generations? Are the elders cared for? Are those who have been seriously harmed in life also cared for? Most American cities encourage citizens to treat government like a discount service center. Fix my roads for less. Make my commute easier and less costly. Let me park at the door for free. Give my corporate nanny big tax breaks so I will have a job. But screw everyone else. Give me excellent products and services at Wal-Mart prices but beat the Hell out of anyone who makes my urban experience the least bit unpleasant. Someone got a bit of peanut butter in someone's chocolate. Fortunately, they got a nice new confection. Unfortunately, someone got a bit of Ayn Rand in someone else's Pat Robertson, and ended up with American fascism. When they said 'Repent, Repent, Repent, I wonder what they meant... L. Cohen -- pedaling for peace and ecojustice from Lynnhurst -- Gary Hoover 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] class size - student achievement number of cops
A much delayed response to David Tilsen's thoughtful questions. I would be looking at the full study to see if it addressed some questions that I have. questions like - how many police does that make. Is it like the Police State that has been described in other studies, which is defined as always having an office in sight. The study's author concluded that a 25% increase over existing levels would probably be cost effective. And yes, it does make reference to a cop on every corner. Also what the resulting crime rate changes were in neighboring parts of the city. This is, does large police presence in one area, simply push drug dealers, prostitution, home break-ins, shootings etc. into other neighborhoods. The crime rate went down 15% in the National Mall area, 6.6% in the city as a whole. The decrease in the number of crimes per day was 3 in the Mall area and 7 per day in the whole city. So the whole city did benefit from cops in one area. The study also points out that the decrease was in street crimes - burglaries, stolen cars, etc. - not murders or other crimes that typically take place out of sight. Also, the cost of a 25% increase seems to be to be very large, perhaps in the order of magnitude nationally of our national pentagon budget. We are spending something line a billion dollars a day in Iraq, and would we be willing to spend that much on domestic policing, and would it be the best use of those resources. The study's author, an economist, concludes that the expense of the 25% increase would be a worthwhile investment. Good questions, I hope that the social science industry would continue to develop more data on this. I am more than willing to change my mind based on facts and research, but right now I come down on the side that more teachers, -reduced class size and increased student attention, is a better resource expenditure than more police. Agreed. But I'm a good liberal - I'd like to see more spending on both. And raise that so-called work disincentive, the income tax, instead of property taxes to pay for it. (Anyone listen to Sen. Poggemiller on MPR Midday today? He was just great.) Coupled, of course with changing education pedagogy and techniques. I suspect that this may also be true of policing, and, in fact the evidence of community policing does suggest this. Although it to does tend to make crime to other neighborhoods. This argues towards universal systemic changes rather than isolated pilots. Agreed also, but there's also something to be said for the impacts of just trying to cope. Teachers with the best skills will still be pressed by a too large class. (Michael Atherton's pedagogy tips seem best suited for the college level. I'd like to see a third grade teacher using peer evaluation to teach writing. And as someone who had to suffer through that kind of silliness in overcrowded grad school classes, I can guarantee that it makes things easier for the teacher at the expense of the students.) And well trained cops working within a well meaning system will be stressed by the need to cope with a too small force and rising crime rates. Recent criticisms of the list aside, the substance of debate seems to me to be higher now that the election is over. Becca Vargo Daggett Seward 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] Forward to The List: Northwest Transit Study Work Resumes
Subj:Subj: Northwest Transit Study Work Resumes Date: 11/28/05 6:00:30 PM Central Standard Time From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Northwest_Metro_Study) To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] November 28, 2005 Dear Northwest Metro Transit Study Stakeholders, Metro Transit is pleased to announce that work has resumed on our Northwest Metro Transit Study. This route restructuring study, which includes transit service in north Minneapolis and the northwest suburban communities between the Mississsippi River and TH 55, was put on hold last spring due to our uncertain funding situation. Now the issue has been resolved and we are eager to get back to work on this project. Planners will be developing a concept service plan over the next several months. Our goal is to present the conceptual plan at several open houses and an official public hearing in Spring 2006. After the official public comment period, we will modify the proposed plan based on feedback received. Metro Transit plans to bring the revised proposal to the Metropolitan Council for approval in Summer 2006, with implementation set for early 2007. We very much look forward to hearing your input and suggestions as we work to restructure the bus routes in north Minneapolis and the northwest suburbs. If you have questions or would like to discuss the study, please contact Cyndi Harper, Northwest Metro Transit Study project manager. She can be reached at (612) 349-7723 or via e-mail at [EMAIL PROTECTED] Additional information about the Northwest Metro Transit Study is available on Metro Transit's website at http://www.metrotransit.org/improvingTransit/northwestRestructuring.asp. Thank you for your involvement in the Northwest Metro Transit Study. Date: 11/28/05 6:00:30 PM Central Standard Time From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Northwest_Metro_Study) To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] November 28, 2005 Dear Northwest Metro Transit Study Stakeholders, Metro Transit is pleased to announce that work has resumed on our Northwest Metro Transit Study. This route restructuring study, which includes transit service in north Minneapolis and the northwest suburban communities between the Mississsippi River and TH 55, was put on hold last spring due to our uncertain funding situation. Now the issue has been resolved and we are eager to get back to work on this project. Planners will be developing a concept service plan over the next several months. Our goal is to present the conceptual plan at several open houses and an official public hearing in Spring 2006. After the official public comment period, we will modify the proposed plan based on feedback received. Metro Transit plans to bring the revised proposal to the Metropolitan Council for approval in Summer 2006, with implementation set for early 2007. We very much look forward to hearing your input and suggestions as we work to restructure the bus routes in north Minneapolis and the northwest suburbs. If you have questions or would like to discuss the study, please contact Cyndi Harper, Northwest Metro Transit Study project manager. She can be reached at (612) 349-7723 or via e-mail at [EMAIL PROTECTED] Additional information about the Northwest Metro Transit Study is available on Metro Transit's website at http://www.metrotransit.org/improvingTransit/northwestRestructuring.asp. Thank you for your involvement in the Northwest Metro Transit Study. Forwarded by Keith Reitman NearNorth 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] The Downtown 33
Gary Hoover wrote, in part: We need to ask ourselves how the household of our city is doing. Are the children cared for? Are we planning for future generations? Are the elders cared for? Are those who have been seriously harmed in life also cared for? Amen. And thank you, Margaret Hastings, for frequently reminding all of us of what my better self knows are more important issues than the ones that tend to occupy our time because they're easier to face. Becca Vargo Daggett Seward 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] Inaccurate Property Assessments for Taxes
Christine Viken wrote: I've done some scouting through the property tax records because of a purchase interest, and it is absolutely shocking what valuation exists on some of the buildings that haven't changed hands in a long time. It's especially notable in areas that have seen significant improvement over the last 10 to 15 years. These properties will see a boost when and if they're sold, but meanwhile the city is losing much tax revenue. And some property owners are really raking it great income, by dint of the same situation. Historically, property values have changed a couple of percentage points a year. When this happens, the assessment process works quite well. Values are easy to estimate, and there are few disputes. Homes were only looked at every 4 years, with small adjustments across the city made every year. Commercial property, especially property downtown, was looked at every year because the properties are valued based on the amount of money you can earn from them and there was somewhat more variation on this from year to year. But we have not been in that environment the last 5 - 8 years. To pick on my sister, she bought a duplex in NE six years ago for $140,000. It was appraised at $385,000 this year and I think that is low. If she had bought in other parts of the City (Phillips for example where property has got up 500%, 600% or more) she could have seen even larger increases. In this situation, it is very hard to come up with accurate assessments because the market is in such flux. It wouldn't surprise me that there are individual assessments that are off. What is the solution? Once the extremely rapid changes in property value slows down and property goes back to its historical growth in valuations, things will become much easier for the Assessor and the assessments will be more accurate. Until then, the Assessor is only human and doing the best they can in a very rapidly changing market. What I tell people today is that if you think the Assessor has pegged your values too high, challenge it. In the spring you will get a card in the mail showing what the Assessor thinks your property is worth. If that is too high, the card will tell you the process for appealing it. 85% of people who appeal, win. If you think it is too low, enjoy it. It usually catches up. I would also note that Christine says that the City is losing tax revenue. This isn't true. The way a property tax works is that the City decides how much it is going to raise. It then takes that amount and divides it across the various properties based on their taxable value. If you don't pay up, they take your house and sell it for back taxes. The City ends up taking in pretty much almost exactly as much as it levies one way or another. You can't retroactively add to the tax base. You can, of course, reduce your share of the pie by increasing the pie for the future. I should have also noted earlier that I did put up a short primer on how the property tax works and how to intervene in the process on my website at www.carolbecker.net if you want to read more. Carol Becker Longfellow Future Member, Board of Estimate and Taxation Geek 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] Property Tax: Progressive or Regressive?
Mark Anderson wrote: Carol Becker wrote: snip The property tax in practice is strongly regressive; there little to no link between taxation and wealth, the incentives in the system are not what you want to create a healthy community, etc. Not a good way to go. Mark Anderson replies: That is an interesting supposition. It certainly is counter to everything I've seen. Do you have any evidence of the tiny link between (property) taxation and wealth? I've always thought real property values to be a pretty good proxy for wealth (or better than anything else we have, at least). That's why I think property taxes make more sense than income taxes, which are a disincentive to work. Carol Becker replies: Ah, the joys of being misquoted. This quote comes from a discussion of the Pittsburgh tax system, which is strongly oriented towards taxing land much more heavily than property. This has resulted in a strongly regressive tax system in Pittsburgh. Are Minnesota property taxes progressive or regressive? In Minnesota, the true tax geeks turn to the Minnesota Tax Incidence Study (see link below) to get answers on this question. If you have this report, look at the chart on page 32 that shows the major taxes in the state. This chart divides all the people in the state into ten groups by income (poorest to richest) and shows the percentage of their income each group pays in various taxes. What you will see is that of the four biggest state tax revenues, three of them are regressive (business, sales and property). This means the poor pay a larger portion of their income than the rich. The only progressive major state tax is the income tax. To give you a sense of the regressiveness of the property tax in Minnesota, for 2002, the amount of their total income that people paid in property tax (when you group people by income into 10 equal sized groups) - 2.2 percent for the second decile (the 10% to 20% poorest Minnesotans) - 1.8 percent for the fourth decile and 1.9 percent in the sixth decile (the people right in the middle for income - between 40% and 70% in income) - 1.0 percent in the tenth decile (the richest 10% of Minnesotans). In short, the poor pay more. The rich pay less. Link to the Tax Incidence Study: http://www.taxes.state.mn.us/legal_policy/other_supporting_content/05_incidence_report.pdf Carol Becker Longfellow Future Member, Board of Estimate and Taxation Still a Geek 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] RE: The Downtown 33
Keith Says; I find the quote offered by Mr. D. Bouza to be totally nonjudgmental. It was, purely, his observation; and I have no reason to doubt him. Keith Reitman NearNorth Margaret Hastings: Whenever I hear a social service provider make comments such as the one attributed to Dominick Bouza at Branch ll homeless shelter--- (I hope this staff person was misquoted) I just shake my head, The quote I refer to : I want to coax people to do the right thing. But there's certain guys that absolutely refuse to. 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
