‘Commentary’ Archives
Neighborhood Talk
As of the month of May 2011, the total Public Debt Outstanding of the United States of America bumped the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling set by Congress. This is not good. Come August, Lord knows what will happen should Congress fail to lift the ceiling. So, what’s going on? Our country’s gross debt has increased over $500 billion each year [...]
Thor and Pandora
by Peter Molenaar To the ancient observer, the approaching cumulonimbus cloud appeared as a giant hammer from which lightning bolts penetrated the earth. Hence, the hammer-wielding Viking god associated with thunder storms and destruction, but also healing and renewal, was born in the people’s mind. Thor was his name. In the modern [...]
Commentary NRP Funds…Are Mpls. City Hall Democrats still Democrats? Party of Compassion?? Do the Math!! The Rich Get Richer, The Poor Get Poorer and Neighborhoods, too
By Carol Pass In the midst of watching the destruction of the democratic right of collective bargaining going on next door in Wisconsin, an action bought and paid for by the billionaire Koch brothers, I attended a meeting called by a group of Democratic legislators. A graph was handed out, shown here, of the seriously regressive taxation rates [...]
Beyond Wisconsin
by Peter Molenaar March 13, 2011… There were pleasant greetings between the handful of neighborhood folk who attended the most recent rally in Hudson. David Bicking was there. His handmade sign read: “Labor Creates All Wealth”. In jest, I pondered out loud, “Oh, I thought ownership of the means of production created wealth.” And [...]
Millions In Motion
By Peter Molenaar The people in this neighborhood of the world have yet another opportunity to experience an enhanced human connection—to elicit a smile and eye contact from the Arab people among us. For example, don’t just plop coins on the counter at the corner convenience store, but boldly ask: “What’s your opinion regarding the [...]
Editorial “A Smile is…the shortest distance between people.”
The final piano number at the recent Grand Opening of the American Swedish Institute’s Victor Borge Exhibit was the nostalgic Claire de Lune played by pianist Glenn Henriksen. The last quotation shared by Janet Borge Crowle, a daughter of Borge, following nearly an hour of fascinating reminiscing about her “Papa,” the famous “Great [...]