BY PAPA JOHN KOLSTAD Twin Cities health care activists are seeking changes to a state law that gives nearly free state collection services to a corporate giant. Health Partners/Regions Hospital enjoys the privilege of having the Minnesota Department of Revenue provide collection services for debt people owe for health care.…
‘Capitalism in the 21st century’ Years ago, I read a glowing review of Thomas Piketty’s book “Capitalism in the 21st Century” and I tried to read it. I read about a fourth of the first chapter and gave up. Now he’s written a new book, but I know better than…
Karl Marx said, “History repeats itself. First as tragedy, then as farce.” The reaction to the killing of George Floyd was somber with serious consequence. The assault on the Capitol was opera buffa, a “tale told by idiots signifying nothing.” A South politician preaches to the poor white man “You…
BY ED FELIEN Estimates range from between 1,000 and 1,200 people who gathered on Sunday, Jan. 3 to protest yet another police killing of a young Black man. On Wed. night, Dec. 30, the Minneapolis police Strike Force/SWAT Team/Community Response Team/Roughrider Cowboys/or whatever this unit of the MPD is currently…
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE I can’t tell you (because I’ve lost track) how many friends and acquaintances have done major or minor remodels this year, or moved to a larger or smaller place, or just a different place, or just impulsively rearranged their furniture and changed their decor every couple…
BY SAFIYO MOHAMED This is a true story about how Amazon dehumanizes and abuses its workers for the sake of excessive profit. When Amazon (msp1) hired me and more than 50 other people in 2016, we joined over a thousand workers already working there. My first day was very exciting…
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Throughout this pandemic, we have been noting businesses in various categories that have closed for good (and a few brave souls who opened businesses!).We’ve noted the impact on restaurants, breweries, retail and services, both vital (like groceries and pharmacies) and not so vital but still pretty…
The battleground that is Lake Street Lake Street,” Kay says in the beginning “ …surrounding the riots in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by the MPD… ” I take exception to her statement. The Minneapolis Police Department did not kill Mr. Floyd, a fired Minneapolis police officer…
Holidays are holy I love Debra Keefer Ramage’s essay “Holidays are Holy” in the December 2020 paper. I agree with the core ideas and values, and I hope that our society resets into something more equitable for everyone. However, I question two points: 1) The Israelites probably were not enslaved…
BY MARIE BRAUN Two days after Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th president of the United States, nations around the world will celebrate the ratification of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Wea-pons. This international treaty makes it illegal to “develop, test, produce, manufacture … use or…
BY KATHY KELLY Recently, an ad from Vote Vets featured the father of a U.S. Navy Seal, Ryan Owen, who was killed in Yemen. Three million people watched it. They heard Ryan Owen’s father urge them not to trust Donald Trump with the lives of their kids. “Look what happened…
BY MERIDEL LESEUR Editor’s note: The following remarks were delivered in 1988 by video to the Alliance for Cultural Democracy conference in San Francisco. I bring greetings from the Middle West and also from Time. On Feb. 22, I’ll be 88 years old. I’ve been a writer, an artist in…
BY ELINA KOLSTAD “Defund the Police” has sparked a nationwide debate, the likes of which we have not seen before, about what a safe community looks like and how we achieve that for ALL of our residents. The vast majority of people in Minneapolis support redirecting funds from the MPD…
Mexican children incarcerated at the U.S. border Some Central American children coming into the United States are being stopped at the border and are being returned by the U.S. Border Patrol to Mexico or placed in custody. The transfer is contrary to both U.S. policy and an outstanding diplomatic agreement…
BY ELINA KOLSTAD In the month of November, Gov. Walz made two missteps that should cost him any chance at reelection. His administration deployed excessive force to a protest on I-94 and approved the 401 water crossings permit for the Enbridge Energy Line 3 pipeline replacement project. On Nov. 4,…
