"FEC Won't Regulate Internet Politics". This statement reverberates throughout the internet today. Although in many circles, it will get nary a glance, among bloggers, however, this is an important and significant development. You and I will likely never encounter the likes of FEC enforcement but imagine answering the door and having two federal agents standing there with warrants to seize your laptop. It is at least a little disconcerting. The door remains open to an infinite variety of attacks on free-speech, such as fallacious accusations of libel/slander but those can be avoided by qualifying what you say as opinion and not getting into specific allegations or accusations represented as fact, etc.
Why is this significant? This allows people like you and I to blog about candidates for political office, independent of the majority of constraints without fear of federal prosecution. The local implications are obvious as well. Would a State be willing to bring enforcement action against little ol' me if the FEC has already come out in support of allowing this type of communication? This will likely have implications for States with more restrictive rules as well. The best part is Free Speech has survived another attempted assault.
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Dry Reading
I have a tendency to get too verbose in my postings. I am passionate about Duluth and feel an obligation to do whatever I can to effect change. I will continue to post to this blog but going back over my posts, it is clear, my writing appeals only to me and has no impact relative to a call to action or providing relevant, current information. I have no traffic counters but I suspect if I did, it would click off a visit about three times a month and a few more in-between as I log in to update and check for comments. Is this a worthwhile endeavor? Well, only to me as it relates to pealing back the onion of my brain to occasionally review what I was thinking at any given time.
What to do? Well, it seems it is time to begin posting more relevant, current, appealing and certainly less lengthy posts. In this day and age, nobody has the time to read through an opinion piece of 2000 words, especially when that opinion is about nothing more than Duluth. After-all, there are 86,000 residents in Duluth and we are all struggling for survival, save Marti Buscaglia and all her limosine liberal friends as well as a few over-paid, wacko college professors.
I am going to start taking on less than local issues and do a little more digging, provide better linking, etc. to make this space more useful to the handful of people who accidentally stray to it on occasion. If you have read this page, you will see I have also eliminated the ads placed between the articles as they were distracting and mostly junk. Have a great day and to the few of you who have actually read, thanks!
What to do? Well, it seems it is time to begin posting more relevant, current, appealing and certainly less lengthy posts. In this day and age, nobody has the time to read through an opinion piece of 2000 words, especially when that opinion is about nothing more than Duluth. After-all, there are 86,000 residents in Duluth and we are all struggling for survival, save Marti Buscaglia and all her limosine liberal friends as well as a few over-paid, wacko college professors.
I am going to start taking on less than local issues and do a little more digging, provide better linking, etc. to make this space more useful to the handful of people who accidentally stray to it on occasion. If you have read this page, you will see I have also eliminated the ads placed between the articles as they were distracting and mostly junk. Have a great day and to the few of you who have actually read, thanks!
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Nothing to Fear
So much of what I have written culminates into one general theme. That theme is that Duluth needs a fundamental change of direction, change of leadership and change in general thought and attitudes. The comments by the Publisher of the Duluth News Tribune, typify the attitudes of the stodgy, dusty and out of touch, liberal, DFL establishment in Duluth. This sort of 50s era thinking seems so entrenched, to dislodge it is going to take a powerful voice.
When change is the only direction to progress, the new voice of that progress must not only be powerful, afterall, anyone can stand at a podium and bang their fists, shouting slogans of power to the people, it must be unifying and galvanizing. I cannot remember a voice in my lifetime that I felt compelled to follow on a local level. I cannot remember a voice that truly galvanized people to action and compelled change in Duluth. It has been the same, whether the voice comes from the right or the left. The voices have always stuck to one message or another, pro-business, or pro-labor; pro-development or pro-environment; pro-growth or pro-green. I submit to you that these voices have done damage to their respective sides and viewing the situation Duluth now finds itself in, they have done a disservice to Duluth as a whole, with little exception.
This new voice must be able to articulate that it is possible to be both pro-business and pro-labor and that the two go hand in hand. Labor depends on job creation. The new voice must be able to articulate that it is possible to be pro-development and pro-environment and that, in today's day and age, the two now go hand in hand. Developers are now held to the highest, strictest standards of environmental protection and aesthetic sensitivity. We must realize that leaving land undeveloped or in the public domain, leaves it essentially without stewardship. Todays developers have become excellent stewards and out of necessity, demanded by the marketplace and the political arena, are keenly aware of the sensitivities of their detractors. Good stewardship, depends on those good stewards to take ownership.
Duluthians must be made to understand that by embracing growth, we aren't, at the same time, capitulating to urban sprawl. We must also understand that to embrace growth, maintain a higher standard of living for all and the quality of life we now experience, we can and will do all of it with careful stewardship of and respect for those ideals from all sides of the political spectrum.
For decades, we have been lead to believe that growth and development are mutually exclusive from high quality of life. We have been brainwashed on both sides that to protect green and open spaces, we have to sacrifice economic and population growth. We have been misled to believe that both sides of the arguments require unequivocal compromise and one will cease to exist if the other is allowed to succeed. We have, in a nutshell, lost balance. That loss of balance has come from the paranoia of those on the extremes of both sides, that the other is out to monopolize the public domain, grab up all the land and exclude the other from the process. This paranoia has come from our elected leaders and those campaigning for office who feel using fear is the only way to obtain and retain elected office.
The new leadership of Duluth, if it is ever to move Duluth in a unified manner, and if this new brand of leadership ever arrives on the scene, must be a master of public communication and a non-threatening presence to all. They will have to move us toward solving the issues that affect all and toward creating opportunities across all spectrums for all Duluthians and those not native to the area, who would like to locate here, such as our hundreds of college graduates every year. They will have to put out a message that Duluth is too good to suffer mediocrity and stagnation. Duluth is too valuable and beautiful to think small in regards to the future. We have to think smarter and bigger and we need a leader who will bring this message to all Duluthians, across all political and dogmatic lines. "Enlightened" leaders are not enough. We need enlightened, bold, articulate and unashamed leadership.
The new leadership must be a problem solving, not finger pointing presence. The demons of the past must be exorcised and forgotten. The enemies of the future must be dealt with and convinced, theirs is a message of days gone by. The Party loyalists who capitalize on fear must be marginalized and their message drowned out by one galvanizing the community into hope and progress. A "polarized" community must alienate and ostracize those who capitalize on and propagate the myth of polarization.
The new voice of Duluth has to be able to convince those across all lines that, in the words of FDR, "We have nothing to fear but fear itself". Fear is the most powerful tool in the politicians' arsenal and it has been used far too long, to the detriment of society. It has created a chasm in Duluth, larger than the City itself and that chasm must be filled with a message of unity, cooperation, hope and most of all, galvanized determination to turn the City into what it once was; a place where anyone with an able body, sound mind and the willingness to work hard, could and would succeed.
When change is the only direction to progress, the new voice of that progress must not only be powerful, afterall, anyone can stand at a podium and bang their fists, shouting slogans of power to the people, it must be unifying and galvanizing. I cannot remember a voice in my lifetime that I felt compelled to follow on a local level. I cannot remember a voice that truly galvanized people to action and compelled change in Duluth. It has been the same, whether the voice comes from the right or the left. The voices have always stuck to one message or another, pro-business, or pro-labor; pro-development or pro-environment; pro-growth or pro-green. I submit to you that these voices have done damage to their respective sides and viewing the situation Duluth now finds itself in, they have done a disservice to Duluth as a whole, with little exception.
This new voice must be able to articulate that it is possible to be both pro-business and pro-labor and that the two go hand in hand. Labor depends on job creation. The new voice must be able to articulate that it is possible to be pro-development and pro-environment and that, in today's day and age, the two now go hand in hand. Developers are now held to the highest, strictest standards of environmental protection and aesthetic sensitivity. We must realize that leaving land undeveloped or in the public domain, leaves it essentially without stewardship. Todays developers have become excellent stewards and out of necessity, demanded by the marketplace and the political arena, are keenly aware of the sensitivities of their detractors. Good stewardship, depends on those good stewards to take ownership.
Duluthians must be made to understand that by embracing growth, we aren't, at the same time, capitulating to urban sprawl. We must also understand that to embrace growth, maintain a higher standard of living for all and the quality of life we now experience, we can and will do all of it with careful stewardship of and respect for those ideals from all sides of the political spectrum.
For decades, we have been lead to believe that growth and development are mutually exclusive from high quality of life. We have been brainwashed on both sides that to protect green and open spaces, we have to sacrifice economic and population growth. We have been misled to believe that both sides of the arguments require unequivocal compromise and one will cease to exist if the other is allowed to succeed. We have, in a nutshell, lost balance. That loss of balance has come from the paranoia of those on the extremes of both sides, that the other is out to monopolize the public domain, grab up all the land and exclude the other from the process. This paranoia has come from our elected leaders and those campaigning for office who feel using fear is the only way to obtain and retain elected office.
The new leadership of Duluth, if it is ever to move Duluth in a unified manner, and if this new brand of leadership ever arrives on the scene, must be a master of public communication and a non-threatening presence to all. They will have to move us toward solving the issues that affect all and toward creating opportunities across all spectrums for all Duluthians and those not native to the area, who would like to locate here, such as our hundreds of college graduates every year. They will have to put out a message that Duluth is too good to suffer mediocrity and stagnation. Duluth is too valuable and beautiful to think small in regards to the future. We have to think smarter and bigger and we need a leader who will bring this message to all Duluthians, across all political and dogmatic lines. "Enlightened" leaders are not enough. We need enlightened, bold, articulate and unashamed leadership.
The new leadership must be a problem solving, not finger pointing presence. The demons of the past must be exorcised and forgotten. The enemies of the future must be dealt with and convinced, theirs is a message of days gone by. The Party loyalists who capitalize on fear must be marginalized and their message drowned out by one galvanizing the community into hope and progress. A "polarized" community must alienate and ostracize those who capitalize on and propagate the myth of polarization.
The new voice of Duluth has to be able to convince those across all lines that, in the words of FDR, "We have nothing to fear but fear itself". Fear is the most powerful tool in the politicians' arsenal and it has been used far too long, to the detriment of society. It has created a chasm in Duluth, larger than the City itself and that chasm must be filled with a message of unity, cooperation, hope and most of all, galvanized determination to turn the City into what it once was; a place where anyone with an able body, sound mind and the willingness to work hard, could and would succeed.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Denying the Market
As I read and discuss the most recent development significant to Duluth, the sale and impending re-sale of the Duluth News Tribune, I thought it might be time to reflect on a few things. First and foremost is Duluth's longstanding failure to embrace and recognize the importance of market economics. To put it in a very simplistic way it all boils down to supply and demand. In the case of the Tribune, the supply is ample and the demand dropping. In many senses, the demise of the Tribune has been brought about by their own brand of "journalism".
Any "news" entity that embraces the politics of personal destruction, vindictive targeting of individuals and organizations and a selective approach to subject matter to promote an agenda damages not only their credibility, but those they seek to serve. The consumers of news want balance. People want to make informed decisions and generally, people thirst for accurate and unbiased information. If you are making judgements and decisions based on lies, misconceptions or misinformation, your judgement is ultimately, based on ignorance. When a "news" outlet chooses to promote an agenda, rather than simply and objectively report the news, and subsequently damage their own credibility, the consumers of that "news" will dismiss that "news" more and more and ultimately will turn to other sources of information.
Recently, the bias of the Tribune has been so evident, even the least discriminating reader has begun to turn to other sources to corroborate or verify the content. When that becomes too troublesome, or in the case of the Tribune, preferable to reading the "paper", readership declines. Further, the Tribune has been a willing accomplice to the local labor unions and left of center organizations and agendas. What this has lead to is a general approach to governing Duluth and a philosophy among Duluthians of denying market forces.
This is the greatest damage done by the Tribune. Refusing to recognize that market forces will eventually kick in, thwarting those forces at every opportunty and promoting anti-market practices and policies can only lead to unfavorable long term economic impact. It is worth saying at this point that the Tribune has done so many things to cause long term damage to Duluth, it is hard to quantify it all on one blog entry. It is poetic justice then that they are now suffering the fate of so many years of liberal, anti-market practices and policies. The population of Duluth has declined, the remaining population has become very skeptical about the content of the Tribune and are therefore, dropping their Tribune subscriptions.
Accurate, unbiased sources of information are available with the touch of a button. The Tribune has stubbornly refused to recognize and adjust to the reality that promotion of an agenda will not be tolerated by the news consumer. Does this spell the end of the Tribune? Only if they are purchased by an organization that will tolerate continued blatant promotion of a social agenda that is counterproductive to the community. Unless the new owners of the Tribune do some house-cleaning from the top down, they will be purchasing their own ruin.
The internet is not to blame for the plight of the Tribune. The Tribune must recognize and embrace the notion that mainstream America is not left of center and is in-fact right leaning and leaning farther that way. They must further recognize that the Unions, especially the public employee unions do not have the best interests of the community at heart. Their's is a single-minded, self-promotion at all costs approach, whether or not they have bankrupted the City of Duluth.
Bottom line; Duluth is on the shakiest financial grounds it has ever seen. The Tribune has been a huge contributor through it's denial of the Market and promotion of it's leftist agenda. Duluthians have been making terribly irresponsible decisions for decades due to the spin and misinformation promoted by the Tribune. This poetic justice will be meted out without regard to those who promoted it, fought it, or are currently suffering. This should be a lesson to Duluth and Duluthians. In today's America, the market will adjust and if you don't embrace the market, it will backfire. The backlash is occuring.
Any "news" entity that embraces the politics of personal destruction, vindictive targeting of individuals and organizations and a selective approach to subject matter to promote an agenda damages not only their credibility, but those they seek to serve. The consumers of news want balance. People want to make informed decisions and generally, people thirst for accurate and unbiased information. If you are making judgements and decisions based on lies, misconceptions or misinformation, your judgement is ultimately, based on ignorance. When a "news" outlet chooses to promote an agenda, rather than simply and objectively report the news, and subsequently damage their own credibility, the consumers of that "news" will dismiss that "news" more and more and ultimately will turn to other sources of information.
Recently, the bias of the Tribune has been so evident, even the least discriminating reader has begun to turn to other sources to corroborate or verify the content. When that becomes too troublesome, or in the case of the Tribune, preferable to reading the "paper", readership declines. Further, the Tribune has been a willing accomplice to the local labor unions and left of center organizations and agendas. What this has lead to is a general approach to governing Duluth and a philosophy among Duluthians of denying market forces.
This is the greatest damage done by the Tribune. Refusing to recognize that market forces will eventually kick in, thwarting those forces at every opportunty and promoting anti-market practices and policies can only lead to unfavorable long term economic impact. It is worth saying at this point that the Tribune has done so many things to cause long term damage to Duluth, it is hard to quantify it all on one blog entry. It is poetic justice then that they are now suffering the fate of so many years of liberal, anti-market practices and policies. The population of Duluth has declined, the remaining population has become very skeptical about the content of the Tribune and are therefore, dropping their Tribune subscriptions.
Accurate, unbiased sources of information are available with the touch of a button. The Tribune has stubbornly refused to recognize and adjust to the reality that promotion of an agenda will not be tolerated by the news consumer. Does this spell the end of the Tribune? Only if they are purchased by an organization that will tolerate continued blatant promotion of a social agenda that is counterproductive to the community. Unless the new owners of the Tribune do some house-cleaning from the top down, they will be purchasing their own ruin.
The internet is not to blame for the plight of the Tribune. The Tribune must recognize and embrace the notion that mainstream America is not left of center and is in-fact right leaning and leaning farther that way. They must further recognize that the Unions, especially the public employee unions do not have the best interests of the community at heart. Their's is a single-minded, self-promotion at all costs approach, whether or not they have bankrupted the City of Duluth.
Bottom line; Duluth is on the shakiest financial grounds it has ever seen. The Tribune has been a huge contributor through it's denial of the Market and promotion of it's leftist agenda. Duluthians have been making terribly irresponsible decisions for decades due to the spin and misinformation promoted by the Tribune. This poetic justice will be meted out without regard to those who promoted it, fought it, or are currently suffering. This should be a lesson to Duluth and Duluthians. In today's America, the market will adjust and if you don't embrace the market, it will backfire. The backlash is occuring.
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Moving Right Along
Has Duluth ever been this disconnected? There seems to be no cohesion, no momentum in any given direction and the City is as lethargic and detached as I have ever seen it. It's almost as if we're all just standing around waiting for something to happen so we can respond to it. In that sense it seems Duluth has become irrelevant. We're like the slumbering bear waiting for Spring to roll around so we can go out and eat something.
A few days back, I had my kids and we were looking for something to do. It came down to doing something we had done a hundred times or leaving town. Duluth and Duluthians seem content that the City during the Spring is a place where there is almost nothing to do. This time of year, when the banks are still high, the snow too mushy for Winter sports, the ground too wet, mucky or slushy to do much outside, it hits you like a brick; Duluth is a dying community. Sure, this weekend things will come to life for the adults with the DSSO and other weekend fare but for the kids, there is relatively little for them to do. I remember days gone by when me and a few of my buddies would huddle around the pinball machines at the Morgan Park Goodfellowship Club and see who could post the high score. We could go downstairs and bowl a few frames or make a few extra bucks setting pins for the afternoon. We could check out a couple rackets and play racketball or shoot some hoops...all indoors. We could just run around the elevated track and play tag. There was plenty to do and all within walking distance from our front door.
I suppose a lot of those activities are still available to the kids these days but most require mom and dad to drive them somewhere, spend an exhorbitant amount of money and time and the activities are more one dimensional. The reverberating sound in Duluth is one of needing jobs and an economy that isn't almost solely based in tourism. This false economy has dropped the bottom out of the traditional American Dream in Duluth unless you are in the Medical profession or a public employee.
Where are the leaders of this community? What are they doing for Duluth? It seems the lethargy is coming from the top down and despite our best efforts, the best they can come up with is banning pigeon feeding and endlessly discussing the City's bowhunt for deer. The issues of greatest consequence, such as jobs, retiree healthcare, our failing infrastructure and bloated City budget get little more than a sideways glance. Apathy has not only infected the voters, it seems to have crippled our Council and administration. Is there anything we can do to motivate them? It seems not. Status quo is apparently preferable to moving any real agenda forward.
Progressives are in charge and we are waiting anxiously for progress. Will they deliver?
A few days back, I had my kids and we were looking for something to do. It came down to doing something we had done a hundred times or leaving town. Duluth and Duluthians seem content that the City during the Spring is a place where there is almost nothing to do. This time of year, when the banks are still high, the snow too mushy for Winter sports, the ground too wet, mucky or slushy to do much outside, it hits you like a brick; Duluth is a dying community. Sure, this weekend things will come to life for the adults with the DSSO and other weekend fare but for the kids, there is relatively little for them to do. I remember days gone by when me and a few of my buddies would huddle around the pinball machines at the Morgan Park Goodfellowship Club and see who could post the high score. We could go downstairs and bowl a few frames or make a few extra bucks setting pins for the afternoon. We could check out a couple rackets and play racketball or shoot some hoops...all indoors. We could just run around the elevated track and play tag. There was plenty to do and all within walking distance from our front door.
I suppose a lot of those activities are still available to the kids these days but most require mom and dad to drive them somewhere, spend an exhorbitant amount of money and time and the activities are more one dimensional. The reverberating sound in Duluth is one of needing jobs and an economy that isn't almost solely based in tourism. This false economy has dropped the bottom out of the traditional American Dream in Duluth unless you are in the Medical profession or a public employee.
Where are the leaders of this community? What are they doing for Duluth? It seems the lethargy is coming from the top down and despite our best efforts, the best they can come up with is banning pigeon feeding and endlessly discussing the City's bowhunt for deer. The issues of greatest consequence, such as jobs, retiree healthcare, our failing infrastructure and bloated City budget get little more than a sideways glance. Apathy has not only infected the voters, it seems to have crippled our Council and administration. Is there anything we can do to motivate them? It seems not. Status quo is apparently preferable to moving any real agenda forward.
Progressives are in charge and we are waiting anxiously for progress. Will they deliver?
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
To Caucus or Not
Tonight marks the true beginning of election season 2006. Caucuses will be held all over the State and attendence will likely be light. On the other hand, those forces commonly in control of the political football, will undoubtedly show. Listening to local talk show host, Lew Latto, you'd thing it was a big waste of time. He states, "the caucuses are only attended by extremists from both parties so I just won't go". Great attitude Lew. You don't like the forum, have your own comfortable little soap box you retreat to each day and are afraid to get out of your comfort zone.
For the rest of us rubes, instead of simply complaining, the other option is to attend and attempt to effect change. I am not happy where the local Republicans are taking the Party. I know where the DFL is taking theirs and it takes decades to climb the agreement ladder within that cronified Party so I definitely won't be going there. If there is a chance to effect change anywhere, it will be at the very scarcely attended Republican caucus. Maybe I am one of those extremists Lew speaks of with such disdain but I want things for this State and this City. I want my children to be able to stay here. I want my business to thrive and not be in survival mode all the time. I want prudent fiscal policy on a State and Local level. I want to see leadership within the Republican Party that adheres more closely to the principles and foundations of conservative and mainstream Republicans such as fiscal conservatism, smaller government, streamlined processes within government, pay and promotion for merit, economic stimulus through decreased taxation and finally, minimally invasive regulation.
Over the last several years, they have not adhered to these principles. While I admire and respect Tim Pawlenty and believe he is the best Governor we have had in decades, he has not reduced the size of government in any meaningful, long-term way. Further, he has transferred the lion's share of the expense of government on to small businesses and individuals through dramatic fee increases as well as extremely punitive penalty programs related to State taxes. While he has erased a large deficit by holding the line on taxes and reducing line items such as Local Government Aid, K-12 and higher education funding, core government agencies have not shrunk by any meaningful degree. Unions still largely control local political landscapes and therefore, local politicians and local elections. On that note, I would like to see some effort, any effort, to bring about right to work legislation. It has had dramatic results everywhere it has been instituted and would forever and positively change the political landscape in Minnesota. In the case of right to work, Unions only need fear the market, for employment, wages, and employee rights are universally enhanced by it. The only thing that tends to suffer is Union clout.
On a State level, our representation up North is almost entirely DFL and we need to take definite, affirmative steps to change that. We need to show up in numbers large enough to convince the Party that we are not happy with the direction. We need to bring in the next generation of politically and civically minded and get the ball rolling in the right direction. We need to caucus. Is it too late to get the word out? Maybe, but there's always the next caucus. Let's get organized and put out the effort toward getting things to swing our way. Go to your caucus and let your voice be heard.
For the rest of us rubes, instead of simply complaining, the other option is to attend and attempt to effect change. I am not happy where the local Republicans are taking the Party. I know where the DFL is taking theirs and it takes decades to climb the agreement ladder within that cronified Party so I definitely won't be going there. If there is a chance to effect change anywhere, it will be at the very scarcely attended Republican caucus. Maybe I am one of those extremists Lew speaks of with such disdain but I want things for this State and this City. I want my children to be able to stay here. I want my business to thrive and not be in survival mode all the time. I want prudent fiscal policy on a State and Local level. I want to see leadership within the Republican Party that adheres more closely to the principles and foundations of conservative and mainstream Republicans such as fiscal conservatism, smaller government, streamlined processes within government, pay and promotion for merit, economic stimulus through decreased taxation and finally, minimally invasive regulation.
Over the last several years, they have not adhered to these principles. While I admire and respect Tim Pawlenty and believe he is the best Governor we have had in decades, he has not reduced the size of government in any meaningful, long-term way. Further, he has transferred the lion's share of the expense of government on to small businesses and individuals through dramatic fee increases as well as extremely punitive penalty programs related to State taxes. While he has erased a large deficit by holding the line on taxes and reducing line items such as Local Government Aid, K-12 and higher education funding, core government agencies have not shrunk by any meaningful degree. Unions still largely control local political landscapes and therefore, local politicians and local elections. On that note, I would like to see some effort, any effort, to bring about right to work legislation. It has had dramatic results everywhere it has been instituted and would forever and positively change the political landscape in Minnesota. In the case of right to work, Unions only need fear the market, for employment, wages, and employee rights are universally enhanced by it. The only thing that tends to suffer is Union clout.
On a State level, our representation up North is almost entirely DFL and we need to take definite, affirmative steps to change that. We need to show up in numbers large enough to convince the Party that we are not happy with the direction. We need to bring in the next generation of politically and civically minded and get the ball rolling in the right direction. We need to caucus. Is it too late to get the word out? Maybe, but there's always the next caucus. Let's get organized and put out the effort toward getting things to swing our way. Go to your caucus and let your voice be heard.
Friday, March 03, 2006
Action Means Action, Dummy
I hear people around town, on local talk shows, at the City Council, claiming that though the retiree health care issue is spinning out of control, "at least they're doing something about it". My question to those of you who follow this train of thought is: what? What is the Mayor doing about it? What is the Council doing about it? They put together a panel to study, report and suggest remedies. They completed their study, gave a very comprehensive report along with suggested fixes and were thanked and summarily dismissed.
Has the Council or Mayor taken any action on their recommendations? The answer is no. There have been no resolutions other than a token endorsement of the recommendations by the Council. Still though, no tangible action on this critical issue. This debt grows by an estimated $35,000 every day, still no action by the Council to stem the tide. What are we waiting for? I was listening to a local talk show and a woman called in to say, "you all complain that they're not taking action so why don't you offer up a solution?" This is the kind of thinking that is sinking Duluth fast. They have had solutions presented to them and they are the ones who must take the action. We can offer up solutions all day long but if they fail to act, we are powerless and might just as well be mumbling in the corner.
For every two days we wait, this costs us as much as a full time equivalent (FTE) or the equivalent of one City employee. This is the subject nearly everyone who cares is concerned with and talking about. We are all waiting to see what the Mayor and Council do with this. They are doing nothing. It begins to make those of us who are on the more conservative side, disgusted, left feeling powerless and scratching our heads wondering who's running the asylum.
As much as people are demanding action and complaining about this, there is still no action and those seeking to defend the left, the unions, the DFL candidates charged with taking action and not doing it charge that we are attacking them. You're damn right we're attacking them. They have been presented this issue as the number one concern of the City, have been made aware of the dire consequences if it is not addressed and still we wait. All have paid lip-service to this issue but none seem to have the fortitude to take action. Tick, Tick, Tick, TICK... The clock is running and the debt is growing...Anytime guys! This is what electing incompetents to run our City gets us. Enjoy the view.
Has the Council or Mayor taken any action on their recommendations? The answer is no. There have been no resolutions other than a token endorsement of the recommendations by the Council. Still though, no tangible action on this critical issue. This debt grows by an estimated $35,000 every day, still no action by the Council to stem the tide. What are we waiting for? I was listening to a local talk show and a woman called in to say, "you all complain that they're not taking action so why don't you offer up a solution?" This is the kind of thinking that is sinking Duluth fast. They have had solutions presented to them and they are the ones who must take the action. We can offer up solutions all day long but if they fail to act, we are powerless and might just as well be mumbling in the corner.
For every two days we wait, this costs us as much as a full time equivalent (FTE) or the equivalent of one City employee. This is the subject nearly everyone who cares is concerned with and talking about. We are all waiting to see what the Mayor and Council do with this. They are doing nothing. It begins to make those of us who are on the more conservative side, disgusted, left feeling powerless and scratching our heads wondering who's running the asylum.
As much as people are demanding action and complaining about this, there is still no action and those seeking to defend the left, the unions, the DFL candidates charged with taking action and not doing it charge that we are attacking them. You're damn right we're attacking them. They have been presented this issue as the number one concern of the City, have been made aware of the dire consequences if it is not addressed and still we wait. All have paid lip-service to this issue but none seem to have the fortitude to take action. Tick, Tick, Tick, TICK... The clock is running and the debt is growing...Anytime guys! This is what electing incompetents to run our City gets us. Enjoy the view.
All Aboard the Tax and Spend Train
As I posted in my previous article, the increase in the food and beverage tax to fund the new Arena is a bad idea. But, the vote is over and Duluthians, in what is a very pathetic turnout, approved the new tax. I can't help but drop a few more comments on this as it goes South. Of course our local State Legislators will support and likely aggressively lobby for this project. Whether it will survive other skeptics in the Legislature and the Governor's Office remains to be seen.
The thing that gets under my skin is the comments by many of those who supported this project, that Duluth is an anti-business City. To all of you who supported this and bitch about how Duluth is anti-business, you have lost your right to complain. Are higher taxes favorable to business? The answer is an obvious and unequivocal no. How do those who support this and complain about the anti-business environment reconcile these opposing views? Well, it takes understanding the way Duluth and Minnesota do business and approach big projects. We have a long history of pork and taxpayer funded projects. It is viewed as an acceptable approach to funding practically anything. We currently fund various forms of entertainment, the Visit Duluth marketing program, other civic organizations and seed money for Grandma's Marathon and the In-Line Marathon. Are these truly appropriate uses of our tax dollars?
The bottom line to be made is that taxes in any form thwart business growth and contribute to a stagnant economy. In Duluth, however, we seem completely incapable of learning that lesson. On a national scale, a reduction in the capital gains tax resulted in greater activity in the stock market and others affected by the reduction. Reducing the capital gains tax from 20% to 15% resulted in an increase in revenue received by the government. On the other hand, when the capital gains went from 20% to 28%, it resulted in a net decrease in revenue. If Duluth and Duluthians truly want growth, economic vitality, a better job market and opportunities for enterpreneurs, we have to collectively get our heads around this priniciple. Taxes and taxation do not stimulate economic growth and in the long run, result in lower government revenue. Increasing taxes thwarts economic activity. Reducing taxes stimulates economic activity and growth resulting in significant and substantial increases in government revenue as more taxable transactions take place. Oh well, for the next 25 years, we will still not get an opportunity to test this theory in Duluth.
The thing that gets under my skin is the comments by many of those who supported this project, that Duluth is an anti-business City. To all of you who supported this and bitch about how Duluth is anti-business, you have lost your right to complain. Are higher taxes favorable to business? The answer is an obvious and unequivocal no. How do those who support this and complain about the anti-business environment reconcile these opposing views? Well, it takes understanding the way Duluth and Minnesota do business and approach big projects. We have a long history of pork and taxpayer funded projects. It is viewed as an acceptable approach to funding practically anything. We currently fund various forms of entertainment, the Visit Duluth marketing program, other civic organizations and seed money for Grandma's Marathon and the In-Line Marathon. Are these truly appropriate uses of our tax dollars?
The bottom line to be made is that taxes in any form thwart business growth and contribute to a stagnant economy. In Duluth, however, we seem completely incapable of learning that lesson. On a national scale, a reduction in the capital gains tax resulted in greater activity in the stock market and others affected by the reduction. Reducing the capital gains tax from 20% to 15% resulted in an increase in revenue received by the government. On the other hand, when the capital gains went from 20% to 28%, it resulted in a net decrease in revenue. If Duluth and Duluthians truly want growth, economic vitality, a better job market and opportunities for enterpreneurs, we have to collectively get our heads around this priniciple. Taxes and taxation do not stimulate economic growth and in the long run, result in lower government revenue. Increasing taxes thwarts economic activity. Reducing taxes stimulates economic activity and growth resulting in significant and substantial increases in government revenue as more taxable transactions take place. Oh well, for the next 25 years, we will still not get an opportunity to test this theory in Duluth.
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