What's at stake when it comes to how political district lines are drawn? The answer is simple: your voice in our democracy. The process that occurs in Minnesota every 10 years following the national census is the foundation for how our representative democracy operates. Ultimately, the redistricting process determines how your community is defined, who you have the opportunity to vote for, what kinds of policies and issues get debated, what happens to your tax dollars, and how the complex set of challenges we face are handled.
Speakers will provide background information, current status of redistricting, and how people can have an impact on the process. The event is sponsored Draw The Line Minnesota and co-sponsored by Community Action Partnership of Ramsey and Washington Counties. While not required, please RSVP to help us with our planning.
Date: Thursday, April 7 from 7 – 9:00 p.m.
Location: League of Women Voters Minnesota, 550 Rice St, St. Paul
RSVP online
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
DFL launches video series highlighting the success of the Affordable Care Act in the week of the historic law’s one-year anniversary
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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Real Stories of Health Reform
DFL launches video series highlighting the success of the Affordable Care Act in the week of the historic law’s one-year anniversary
St. Paul (March 21, 2011) — Today, the DFL Party launched the "Real Stories of Health Reform" series to highlight the successes of the Affordable Care Act one year after it was signed into law.
"For decades, Democratic leaders worked to reform America’s health-care system to make coverage more affordable for American families and small businesses, to extend coverage to uninsured Americans, and put an end to the worst practices of the insurance industry," said DFL Chair Ken Martin. "One year ago this Wednesday, President Obama and our Democratic leaders in Congress made that long-held dream a reality and the historic reforms in the Affordable Care Act became law. Now, Minnesotans are feeling the benefits every day, and that's something we can all celebrate and be proud of."
Each day this week, the DFL will post a new health-reform-success story at www.dfl.org/RealStoriesHCR. The first video highlights the Ihle family from Brooklyn Park, Minnesota:
March 21, 2011
The Ihle Family
Not long after their son William was born, Justin and Kari Ihle of Brooklyn Park, MN found out their son had Tuberous Sclerosis. It's a genetic condition that affects William's major organs, his brain, and recently has caused seizures. William regularly sees 6-7 specialists and takes medication to help control the seizures. His condition is something that will need to be monitored for his entire life. And until the passage of the Affordable Care Act, it was a pre-existing condition that would have made it impossible for him to be approved for health insurance if his father had ever changed jobs, lost his job, or once William was too old for his parents' insurance. Watch the Ihles tell the story in their own words, and describe the real way the Affordable Care Act has helped their family.
Minnesotans can find more information on the Affordable Care Act or submit their own health care stories at www.dfl.org/RealStoriesHCR.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Kallisti
Apparently interesting things happen on the weekends in legislative tax committees.
Today the House Tax Committee was finishing their omnibus bill, and the last amendment made was to repeal metropolitan fiscal disparities program. The amendment was proposed by DFL Rep. Ann Lenczewski of Bloomington, and adopted on a 12-10 vote.
Fiscal disparities is a program that redistributes property taxes generated by commercial properties. Cities pay in based on their commercial tax base, and then get paid back according to another formula. Maplewood has a strong commercial tax base (around the Maplewood Mall, for a conspicuous example) so we pay a lot in and get less back.
The Metro Council has a map that shows the top 20 contributors, including Maplewood. Another map shows the top 20 recipients.
The fiscal disparities formula has been in need of some attention and reform for a long time. I've griped about it myself, as I'm sure have the mayors and councilmembers of many similarly situated metro suburbs. (Rep. Lenczewski is a former Bloomington councilmember, and they too are a big net contributor — #1 last year, in fact.) However, just dropping it all at once is a pretty shocking change.
It might actually be a windfall for Maplewood. Pair it with the proposed elimination of the Market Value Homestead Credit program (to be replaced with a class rate reduction for qualifying homes), and it seems theoretically possible that the 2012 levy certified by the city would actually represent the taxes that would be received by Maplewood to pay for our city government.
For cities that are big net recipients of fiscal disparities, it could be a harsh blow to their finances. Further complicating things, the disparities figures affect calculation of local government aid, for the cities that still receive it. So the change would ripple out to affect outstate communities, presumably by shifting some of their LGA to metro suburbs.
Lenczewski is a savvy politician and probably one of the most knowledgeable legislators in the state on tax issues. Given her Bloomington council background, I'll bet she does want to see fiscal disparities reform. But it's also possible that she's playing Eris and, in this radical form, the repeal is her golden apple, rolling into the middle of the House floor. Yesterday I linked to an article about the politics in the tax bill. This new amendment has the potential to pit one suburb against another, as well as to pull in the outstate cities with even bigger dollar reductions in LGA than looked to be the case a day ago, and thereby turn the local interests of some House Republican caucus members against each other.
Of course, we don't know what a final bill that passes either chamber will look like, nor whether it will be greeted by a veto pen at the governor's desk. And it's way to soon to seriously think Maplewood is going to see a windfall from this, and if we did I wouldn't trust that it wouldn't be taken away by another bill the next year. But in the completely rearranged political landscape like we have in the state this year, who knows what might happen?
Written By: Councilmember John Nephew, Maplewood City Council
Let's support our brothers' and sisters' right to collectively bargain!
On April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, where he had gone to stand with sanitation workers demanding their dream: The right to bargain collectively for a voice at work and a better life.
Today, that same demand is electrifying people across America. It’s the demand of all people—black, white, Latino and Asian American: The right to join together for our common dreams.
Join us in St. Paul on April 4, 2011 as we stand in solidarity for jobs, a fair budget and worker rights!
5:00 p.m. Gathering at Cathedral Park
Intersection of Marshall Avenue and John Ireland Boulevard, Saint Paul
5:15 p.m. March for the Middle Class
John Ireland Boulevard
6:00 p.m. Program and music
Minnesota State Capitol, Upper Capitol Mall
Today, that same demand is electrifying people across America. It’s the demand of all people—black, white, Latino and Asian American: The right to join together for our common dreams.
Join us in St. Paul on April 4, 2011 as we stand in solidarity for jobs, a fair budget and worker rights!
5:00 p.m. Gathering at Cathedral Park
Intersection of Marshall Avenue and John Ireland Boulevard, Saint Paul
5:15 p.m. March for the Middle Class
John Ireland Boulevard
6:00 p.m. Program and music
Minnesota State Capitol, Upper Capitol Mall
Visit www.mnaflcio. org or call 651-227-7647 for more information.
Please arrive early. There will be a limited number of parking spaces available, at regular rates, at Saint Paul College.
Please arrive early. There will be a limited number of parking spaces available, at regular rates, at Saint Paul College.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Organized Religions Support Collective Bargaining
Who supports collective bargaining? If you listen to Republicans, conservatives, the Tea Party and in particular the Wisconsin Republicans you would think that most people don’t support collective bargaining. They also claim that as long as workers (unions) have collective bargaining there is no way to reduce government deficits. Most of what they say is false.
Currently, in Wisconsin, the Unions have made it very clear that they are willing to take pay cuts and contribute more too both their retirement plans and to pay for their health care costs. Their main request is that collective Bargaining be preserved. In many local governments in Minnesota many of the unions have worked with the different governmental agencies to reduce wages or payments for benefits during these tough economic times.
So who is supporting the right to collective bargaining? Polls done nationwide show almost 60% of people support the right of the unions to have collective bargaining. Well the following religions also believe in the right to organize and engage in collective bargaining: National Council of Churches (represents 33 million Protestants), Baptist Churches, Catholic Churches, Church of Brethren, Congregational Christian Churches, The Disciples of Christ, Evangelical and Reformed Church, Jewish Synagogue, Methodist Church, Presbyterian Church, The Protestant Episcopal Church and The Lutheran Church.
Republicans are always very quick wrap themselves with religion. So why are they ignoring what the religions are saying? Why do they want to trample on workers’ rights? The Milwaukee Archbishop, Jerome Listecki, issued a statement on February 16, 2011 saying “Hard times do not nullify the moral obligation each of us has to respect the legitimate rights of workers.” He goes on to say that “Every union, like every other economic actor, is called to work to the common good, to make sacrifices when required and to adjust to new economic realities.” Remember the Wisconsin Unions have all said that they will accept the wage and benefit cuts the Wisconsin Governor has outlined. The Archbishop then says, “It is equally a mistake to marginalize or dismiss unions as impediments to economic growth.” So why are Republicans continuing to disrespect the legitimate rights of workers?
It is important for all of us to remember this and to act on it. When Republicans wrap themselves in religion ask them why they do not follow these same moral obligations when it came to respecting the legitimate rights of workers to organize and have collective bargaining? It would seem that Republicans prefer to support business rights over workers rights. In the process they are ignoring their moral obligations to workers. So in the future remind Republicans what Pope John Paul II said in is 1981 encyclical “Laborem Exercens” that a union “remains a constructive factor of social order and solidarity, and it is impossible to ignore.”
Please help fight for all of our union brothers and sisters.
Thank you,
Peter Fischer
What do we loose when unions loose?
The Central Committee will be gathering for a short business meeting 6:30 p.m. followed by our panel discussion at 7:00 p.m.at the Steelworkers Union Hall, Maplewood on March 23. Representatives for public workers, teachers, and the trades will be answering questions about how DFLers can support the unions and their members during this vital time. Please join us for this important session!
Friday, March 4, 2011
Federal spending cuts would mean lower economic growth and less job creation
Federal spending cuts would mean lower economic growth and less job creation
Moody’s Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi is out with new analysis warning that a House Republican proposal to cut approximately $61 billion in federal spending this year below current levels would create drag on an economy struggling to recover. Warning against cutting too much too soon, Zandi writes,
If fully adopted, the cuts would shave almost half a percentage point from real GDP growth in 2011 and another 0.2 percentage point in 2012. There would be almost 400,000 fewer U.S. jobs by the end of 2011 than without the cuts and some 700,000 fewer jobs by the end of 2012.
See full story here:
http://minnesotabudgetbites.org/2011/03/03/federal-spending-cuts-would-mean-lower-economic-growth-and-less-job-creation/
North St. Paul Saw Home Sales Drop in 2010
http://mnrealestateupdate.com/post/2156081/year-end-2010-snapshot-of-north-st-paul-mn-home-sales-statistics
North St Paul, that quaint community on the east side of the Twin Cities with the big smiling snowman greeting passersby on Highway 36, saw sales drop along with prices in 2010. New Listings are up and sales are down so the inventory that was down at the end of 2009 is starting to creep back up again. The average sales price is down but not in a free fall. It is down 7% but combined with a similar drop last year it appears that this eastern Ramsey County community is struggling toward a more stable balanced market. The average days-on-the-market statistic is down by well over 6% so homes are staying on the market for less time. Sellers that reside in North St. Paul are not receiving their asking price and are accepting offers and average of almost 9% lower than asking. Overall North St. Paul did fare well in 2010 but hopefully will regain more momentum in 2011 toward a balanced market.
North St. Paul / School budget cut hearing slated - TwinCities.com
St. Paul / School budget cut hearing slated
Pioneer Press
The North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale school district is planning to hold a public hearing to gather input on proposed budget reductions.
The meeting will be March 8 at the District Education Center, 2520 E. 12th Ave., North St. Paul.
District 622 faces a nearly $7 million budget shortfall for the 2011-12 year. The goal is to reduce expenditures by $4 million and make up the rest with $2.9 million from the fund balance.
To see a list of proposed budget cuts, go to bit.ly/ gMI05w.
The school board will make a final decision on the budget at its March 22 meeting.
— Elizabeth Mohr
North St. Paul / School budget cut hearing slated - TwinCities.com
Pioneer Press
The North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale school district is planning to hold a public hearing to gather input on proposed budget reductions.
The meeting will be March 8 at the District Education Center, 2520 E. 12th Ave., North St. Paul.
District 622 faces a nearly $7 million budget shortfall for the 2011-12 year. The goal is to reduce expenditures by $4 million and make up the rest with $2.9 million from the fund balance.
To see a list of proposed budget cuts, go to bit.ly/ gMI05w.
The school board will make a final decision on the budget at its March 22 meeting.
— Elizabeth Mohr
North St. Paul / School budget cut hearing slated - TwinCities.com
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