Income Redistribution v Tax Relief

This is a more national topic than a local topic but it is important on the local level. Let’s layout our definitions here so that there isn’t any misconceptions.

Income Redistribution is the collection of money from generally income taxes that is used in the funding of programs to supply money to lower income people thru tax credits or cash payments. Refer to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Income_redistribution.

Tax Relief is the lowering of tax rates in order to stimulate economic growth thru encouraging business investment and relieving the tax burden on a targeted group. The opposite of this is reflected in China’s economic and taxation system. Refer to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_system_in_China.


The US economic system is based mostly on capitalism, but we keep marching more towards a mixed system that includes socialism. The results of this march are appearing in our markets today, hence the real problem with our current economy. Higher taxation and more Government control and regulation lead to the problems that we see today in the financial markets.

The local flavor in all of this…Government has the responsibility to provide the citizens for which they can’t provide for themselves. Be it building roads and bridges, police protection, national defense, public works (water/sewer/trash), etc. That doesn’t include sports stadiums, crafting public behavior (self protection laws like smoking bans and idling cars), and such. As Government goes further and further into areas that it isn’t really responsible for then Government will continue to grow to meet the demand, the more expensive it will get, and the more freedoms will be lost. This trend will also result in a deepening of the economic troubles and the increasing difficulty of the capitalist system to function. Minneapolis is a microcosm of the problem. Even if our regional economy is stronger than a lot of metro areas, Minneapolis continues to be a place not to do business because of the taxes and fees that are imposed on the citizens and business community. Most of the strongest regional economy isn’t driven by Minneapolis, but increasingly becomes the greatest expense. The “elected” officials that come from Minneapolis need to realize this fact and start to turn things around before there isn’t any turning back from the economic grave.

A city that doesn’t work

According to the Mayor crime is worse that it has been. Whew..talking out of two sides of your face. Straight from the Mayor’s web site.
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Closing the Gaps
Closing the gaps between the haves and have-nots is the most important value for our city because the story of this period in Minneapolis cannot be a tale of two cities. While billions of dollars of investment are lifting most of this city, parts of Minneapolis are falling further behind. Crime is worse, unemployment is higher, heath and education disparities are growing. I believe that the role of government is more about leveling the playing field than about treating everyone equally. Where there is disproportionate need, we need to make disproportionate investment. We have proven in the Phillips neighborhood, where a once-distressed area is now creating more jobs than any other part of the state, that investment in areas in need pays off tenfold. We need to reproduce the success of Phillips to north Minneapolis and the entire city.
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The biggest problem that the Mayor nor the council really seem to properly address is the high taxes that the city has. Be it taxes on business, property, sales, user, or amount heavy handed fees, Minneapolis faces some of the highest around. The education system is a complete failure, and the city keeps getting whacked by lawsuits for things that are avoidable or the results of their overreaching authority. One of the most distressing parts of being low income is being able to meet the basic needs.
- If you want to own a home.. you need to pay high property taxes … to pay the city.
- If you want electrical, water, sewer, and trash service for your home… you have high fees and taxes to pay..the city.
- If you want to educate your kids… you have to pay high school taxes … to the city… and get failed results… so you need to go to some alternative … which costs less but you still have to pay the high school taxes .. to the city in addition to your choice.

Whew… what a crazy cycle of tax and spend .. and for what?

Public Education – Death Knell or Strengthen – the two party view

Ok folks … we have heard from both parties’ candidates for the big chair. What do you think? One of the most key livability in the city is education and it is currently ruled here by the public system. A system that is proven, come on now and be straight here, not to work. We have wondered off the path of common sense and the basics of education and cornered into the world of covering our you know whats. I will not get into a political debate here based on a party viewpoint, but look at this from purely logical standpoint. Massive amounts of data has been captured to prove that the state of the public education system in the US is appalling, especially in the inner cities. All one needs to do is to compare testing results between us and the rest of the industrialized world and even an public educated sixth grader can see the problems we face in a ever expanding worldwide economic system. The US is the most highly adaptive society in history and we the people are capable of anything we put our minds to. However, our government has grown to a point that it stands in our way of getting onto the path towards the journey that we all know we must take. Be it education reform, business development, tax reform, economic growth, health reform, etc… it is all held back because of government intrusion and control. Regardless of what problems need to be addressed nothing is going to get accomplished if we are uneducated. Senator McCain was absolutely correct when he stated education is our number one civil rights issue of today. Our entire ability to continue enjoying our freedom and way of life depends on a properly educated population. We must lift the education bar in order to compete in the world market. No amount of extra funds into the existing system is going to fix the problems public education faces. This is way I tend to lean towards the McCain plan instead of the Obama plan.
As I have stated on this blog in the past the major steps that need to be taken are:

Control of each school site needs to rest in the hands of the principal.

No more programs of the month. Stick to meat and potatoes basics.

Focus on areas of math, science, technology, writing, and reading.

Promote life long learning.

Teach health lifestyles thru physical education and health.

Focus on citizenship thru history and civics, but don’t cram doctrine. Be true to historical events and don’t give just a perspective.

Most important… encourage good teachers and weed out the bad ones. They are there for the kids.

No degree of tweaking the current system is going to get the job done, it calls for a complete and immediate overhaul. We not only have to lift up the failing schools, but raise the bar on the more successful ones. It’s a huge undertaking, but it is required. Government must get out of the way and allow it to take place. As example, the Minneapolis Schools referendum this November doesn’t address any of the problems that the education system faces. It is just a band-aid to allow the schools to stay open. This is why it must not pass, and the education board challenged to draw up a detail plan to bring the system around before any funding questions are placed in front of the voters. Unless they do this the taxpayers would be better off flushing the money down the toilet, because at least the school system wouldn’t have the chance to do it.

MPS Principal Academy may be a step in the right direction

Any changes to be successful in the Minneapolis Public Schools will require Principals to be highly skilled and trained for the office of commander and chief of their school. The administration at 807 needs to get out of the mindset of micro-managing each school site and allow the academic leadership of the school to take over. Enough with all the programs of the month and shell games played with budgets and get back to meat and potatoes education. Of course this will require cooperation with the other levels of government such as the federal and state levels. Most urban schools do have needs that are not as prevalent in suburban and rural schools and funding does need to reflect that. Specialized training and collaboration among peers is necessary and is a good step towards improving the quality of education. The only thing is … why did it take so long to get to this point?

Citizen Government

Here comes the Minneapolis Shadow’s national tie to the local political scene. Being a FORMER Republican and now a non-partisan agenda driver I like the pick of Sarah Palin as Vice President of the United States of America. Here we have a person that is a real slice of America. She embodies everything that is good about our country. She is a fighter, a rugged frontier individualist, a family valued person, without deep dark scandal riddled background, and someone that seems like you could sit down and enjoy a cold one with. She doesn’t seem to come from a rich background and seems very genuine. She has been a business person, a mayor, and a Governor. She faces down big interest folks and isn’t afraid to do what she thinks is the right thing to do. Now for the local link……
The Minneapolis political establishment is made up of a bunch of people that came from the ranks of the politician want-a-bes that seem to only answer to a political special interest bent. None of them seem to be interested in doing what is best for the city, but what is best for their own special interest bent and political career. No one with any guts or motivation to do things for the right reason. No one to stand up for anything important. No one that is willing to stick their neck out and be counted. We have gone too far down the trail of career politician regardless of what party you are from. Who can dare say that what we get from the Minneapolis-politcalpoparotzi is working? Just look at the non-specifics we keep getting from Obama, and what he does give us is either misled or not feasible.
In the coming weeks we will find out what Sarah Palin stands for (I like what I’ve heard so far), and see if her ideas she brings to the table reflect good old American meat and potatoes values and common sense. We will see if this hockey mother of five, mother of a soldier, mayor, governor, and hunter; has the handle on the major issues of the day enough to be a beat away from the President’s office. After all, it seems to me that she is just what the founders had in mind for the position and just what is needed to give us a governmental renaissance.

Even the Mayor agrees that Minneapolis officials haven’t been focusing on their responsibilities

The Mayor has stated in delivering his budget proposal that the infrastructure in Minneapolis has been neglected and is in disrepair. He announced his 27.5 million package to repave or repair more than 1/3 of the city’s heavily traveled streets and parkways maintained by the city. Of course he blames the state and federal government for the problem. Let’s take an accounting of the facts here. This is the same gang (Mayor and City Council) whom most are in at least in their second four-year term. Roll call please:
Rybak : 2001
Ostrow : 1997
Gordon : 2005
Hofstede : 2005
Johnson : 1997
Samuels: 2003
Lilligren: 2001
Goodman 1997
Glidden : 2005
Schiff : 2001
Remmington : 2005
Benson : 2001
Colvin Roy : 1997
Hodges : 2005

You mean to tell me this group hasn’t had the ability to address the problem until now. It is the responsibility of the city officials to take care of these things, it’s what they are elected to do. They have to look no further than a mirror in front of them to find someone to blame for the crumbling infrastructure. Here is a short list of things they have been focusing on.
Green roof tops
Water fountains
Bike path projects
Payoffs of lawsuits for bad policy
New Community Engagement Department
Redesigning perfectly good streets for no good reason (example: Hennepin)
Making the city more “walkable”
Global warming handouts

Whew…this is just the tip of the iceberg. None of these things are going to catapult the city into the annals of Better Homes and Infrastructure. Isn’t about time these folks get to the business of conducting city business, or maybe it’s time to give them the business.

Declining cities .. and Minneapolis is next

A recent report, http://realestate.msn.com/Buying/Article_forbes.aspx?cp-documentid=9579218&GT1=35000, by Forbes magazine underlines the decline of several cities along what is know as the ‘rust belt”. The article shows how declines in housing value and lack of jobs can lead citizens to abandon once prosperous urban areas. Some may see this as the nature order of things, but it doesn’t have to be this way. The combination of high taxes, lack of quality education, and burdensome laws lead us into situations such as the one being experienced by these cities. Many more urban areas are in danger of falling prey to the same fate, and more than we would care to admit.
One of the factors that the article mentions that stems this tide is the influx of immigrant population. This only stems the tide of population decline, and doesn’t necessarily add to the economic growth of the area.
The flip side of the equation is the attraction of higher income single or dual income no kid families. These folks add to the tax roles, but aren’t taken with the idea of really putting down roots in a given area.
That leaves the majority of the people left in an urban setting being in the poor or low-income variety who don’t add but subtract from the area’s tax generating potential. Of course these facts are generalities, but that are facts. Cities such as Minneapolis are building themselves towards this three-tiered population and ignoring the fourth class, middle income with children. One can come to this conclusion by simply watching the actions of the government identities at work here. If they were truly trying to attract middle-income families to this city they would lower taxes, improve the schools, spur business development and growth, and get serious about crime. Without a serious, well thought-out agenda on the table; Minneapolis will go the way of Canton, Youngstown, Flint, Scranton, and Dayton.

The War on Partisanship

We have had many wars; some militarily and some figuratively. We have had the War On Poverty, the War on Drugs, but where is the War on Partisanship? One of the biggest underlying problems with our political system today is the deepening divide between the political ideologies. Political discourse is the critical foundation of our Republic, however we have lost our ability to focus on solving the issues instead of the rhetoric. Many of my friends are steeped into the political process in one form or fashion in one party or the other. God love them for their beliefs and hard fought stances on issues. The problem is that too much of our policy-making has been compromised by money and pay back issues. Common sense and the good of the people has been replaced by political gamesmanship and partisan “got you one upsmanship”. These games are played on all levels of government.
On the national scene you see that America can’t produce the energy needed to fill the needs of its people. This is due to the silly notion that the oil companies can’t be responsible stewards of the environment.
On the state scene you see that Minnesota can’t provide much needed work on bridges and roads because the funding is misused or political games are being played out by oversized children (see article in the StarTribune http://www.startribune.com/politics/state/26818829.html?page=1&c=y).
On the local city scene you have the one party fiefdom that continually treats Minneapolis like a game of SimCity with the money cheat entered as many times as needed to fulfill it’s ever-loving need for spending.
For the very good of the county, state, and city; Stop the insanity and get to the real work of addressing real problems before we the people declare war on you!

Avoiding Criminal Recidivism

One of the biggest problems in the criminal justice system is the repeat offender. There are many factors that make it difficult for a paroled individual to “get along” once released and to avoid repeat offences. Difficulty in finding jobs, housing, drug and alcohol treatment, and general reintegration into society issues contribute to the pressures of avoiding violations. The Urban Institute did a case study on the interaction with parole officers, which I found very interesting http://www.urban.org/publications/411744.html. It highlights the need to have parole officers take a more active role in leading ex-cons to jobs, housing, treatment programs, and other needed services. Taking this approach would go a long towards cutting the recidivism rate and be a very good investment of the taxpayer’s dollar.

Minneapolis Police award winning embarrassment

The Minneapolis Police award the officers involved in the mistaken raid on the wrong home. See the details at http://www.startribune.com/local/26083024.html?location_refer=Minneapolis:highlightModules:4.
The Minneapolis Shadow believes that it is correct to award officers’ that get shot in the line of duty. I can’t imagine how tough it is to be a police officer and I have the utmost respect for the police, and thank God they are out there. However, this is a total and complete blunder by the administration, and a good example of one of the major problems facing Minneapolis. As the story goes Chief Dolan didn’t speak with the family, but did spoke with Hmong community leaders who were mostly understanding of the awards. Not speaking to the family before the awards were handed out is the wrong thing to do. He might not have been successful in getting the family to talk with him or getting them to understand, but it should have been attempted. Be it the Mayor, City Council, County Board, State Representatives, or whoever from Minneapolis; it seems that the idea of talking with certain community leaders is what they always do instead of talking directly to the people themselves. Most of the time I find that so called “community leaders” really don’t have the backing of the majority of a group of people to begin with. On the national scene people like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are looked upon as “community leaders” and end up speaking for black people. I have found that most black people don't think the same way these two do, and therefore aren’t a true representation of their beliefs, needs, wants, and desires. The “elected” need to be more careful who they are putting in front of the line of communication, especially in a situation such as this. Why allow anyone else to speak for the people who are most directly concerned? Talking to just the “leaders” is either an attempt at putting forward just a token effort, or is just plain misguided.

Why not to do business with Minneapolis

All the “Silly Council” wants to do is soak you if you want to do business with or in Minneapolis. Here is a good example of the type of “stick it to them” business approach that the city takes, which you’ll never see unless someone is watching closely.
Take a look at the agenda for the Public Safety and Regulatory Committee Agenda item number one on taxicabs. The time period for the fare increases are during the Republican National Convention.
http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/council/2008-meetings/20080808/PSRS20080730agenda.asp#TopOfPageInstead of being happy to allow the increase in revenue from the activity that the convention brings, such as income from cab rides, they need to raise fares. I find this practice appalling. It is another example of how the city officials purposely go out of their way to discourage business growth, or are just plain stupid when it comes to long term thinking on economic development.

Learning where to set priorities and work within our system

The city council has historically spent unprecedented amounts of taxpayers’ dollars on pet projects and bad brokered deals to the point they have successfully legalize unlawful use of the public money. This problem is rooted in a general mindset of most of the elected officials in this town that the taxpayers’ money is an unlimited pot to dip in for all their high ideals rather than look upon the money as a public TRUST. We as the owners of the government have a responsibility to pay for it, however the “elected” have the responsibility to spend the funds wisely. Most of the blame for this occurring falls on the majority of the general public for allowing it to occur. Shame on you voters for not being informed and educated enough to see what you are electing for what they really are, thieves.
The city council members, like Paul Ostrow, whine about situations like the one they are currently facing with the federal government not fully reimbursing the city for all of the costs related to the bridge collapse as they had requested. It will be interesting to hear the results from the hearings on this matter, and the reasons the full requested amount isn’t being reimbursed. Given the city’s habit of asking for more than it needs, spending control issues, and general lack of respect for the taxpayers; I would expect that the findings would fall into one of those categories. Instead of sucking it up and cutting back on spending they will either; fight it out until they get what they want or run into a brick wall, raise our taxes to cover the expense, or try to steal it from somewhere else. Here again, we the citizens get the government we ask for. We keep electing these people and promoting them to higher office. For example, Diane Loeffler gets elected to the state house of representatives after working in the financial office of the city of Minneapolis, which is riddled with financial problems costing the taxpayers millions. Way to elect someone we can trust with the state coffers! We have elected officials and citizens running around singing the praises of the James Oberstar (not even elected from Minneapolis) who is promising to use Federal Highway funds to build bike paths in Minneapolis. Do you think maybe we should use, or should have used, that money for bridge repair, inspection, and reconstruction? Does anyone think along these lines? NO! They want it both ways. This type of government mentally may work in other countries with other forms of government, but not here in the USA. Our government, regardless of party, have gotten away from basic principles that work for the way our government is setup. Like in football you need to play to your strengths. The strengths of this country is our freedom to pursue our personal goals, an economic system that allows for the feeding the basic human desire to achieve, and a government serves the people not the other way around. The government is setup to service the citizens for which they can’t do for themselves, and the government ceases to function properly when working outside of that charge. Clearly our government at all levels has gone beyond that charge and no longer functions properly. We the citizens need to recognize that fact and make the proper corrections.

Schools…an example of the solution

Thank the education gods they are coming to Minneapolis. We need more of this ASAP. This is an example of what to expect of the school system, instead of what we have to settle for www.startribune.com/local/25489944.html?page=1&c=y

A City ranking to be proud of!

Congrats to the city of Plymouth from The Minneapolis Shadow and the Urban Renaissance Coalition for ranking number one among cities with population between 50,000 and 300,000 according to Money magazine. See the StarTribune article for details http://www.startribune.com/local/west/25335494.html?location_refer=$urlTrackSectionName.
Now this is a ranking one can put some stock into when choosing a place to live and a perfect place to begin our MICR effort. It is rooted in comprehensive analysis and based on the key livability factors of education quality, cost of living, business climate, and crime. A serious ranking regarding the quality of a city must be rooted in an honest assessment of factors such as these. The other rankings, some highlighted on our blog, are rooted in the more subjective factors and sold as “best places to live”. The more honest approach would be to label the lists based on the subjective nature. A list that covers green friendly factors should read “Best Cities to Live for the Earth-Friendly Minded” or such other title is appropriate. This is the problem with most of the “best city” rankings.

What is wrong with Minneapolis…A serious look

The main goal of the Urban Renaissance Coalition is to uncover issues, explore solutions, engage the public and elected officials on the issues, and advocate for the solutions. We bridge the gaps between the public, issues, government, and solid reform.
We are going to over the next week(s) explore the issues that are plaguing our fair city and the reasons why. We are going to explore options to address these issues and the characteristics that it takes to address them. I’m referring this series as the Minneapolis Initiative for City Reform (MICR). Some of the topics here will be specific to Minneapolis and some will be more national in scope.

I look forward to presenting these concepts, engaging you in the conversation, and blazing a trail towards what could ultimately be real sustainable change in policy and direction for Minneapolis.