‘Commentary’ Archives
They Can’t Kill Us All
Raise Your Voice By PETER MOLENAAR Peter Molenaar This Week in Action is the weekly news digest of Take Action Minnesota, a splendid social-democratic organization which presses our concerns within and around the DFL (i.e. for the time being they do not project a fundamental socialist transformation). Nonetheless, the October 15 issue of This Week contains an article with the caption: “Late-Stage Capitalism”. Actually, I arrived at the “late stage” conclusion 50 years ago. “The universal soldier, he really is to blame” were popular lyrics at the time. But then more than a year ago, I reported to the alley about an interaction with National Guard troops gathered at the corner grocery at 26th and Cedar Ave. Their assault weapons were not pointed at me. On the contrary, they earnestly listened. Moreover, in hand is a fundraising appeal, penned by Major General (Ret.) Paul Eaton on behalf of VoteVets. The general [...]
Society of St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Shop
Something I Said By DWIGHT HOBBES Society of St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Shop is, in very good terms as the euphemistic parlance goes, a beast: the South Minneapolis operation has made it through the corona contagion thus far, the catastrophic 2020 riot and the ongoing economic climate which, stimulus or no stimulus, is in lousy shape. That rioting, supposedly in the name of George Floyd, absolutely devastated the very community it's alleged to have been for the sake of. Overnight - actually the course of a few days - the business outlets along Lake Street that it didn't shut down were flatout destroyed, depriving whole neighborhoods of affordable goods and services in an area where affordable goods and services amount to a godsend. Not to mention store staff glad to have a job with all the contagion-related layoffs and firings suddenly were left wondering how to pay their bills. Fortunately, more than a year later, much, in fact most, of Lake Street's thriving commerce has [...]
Letter to the Editor: Responding to “Ebenezer Land”
Public Housing: The Best-Kept Secret I think it's worth noting that the summary of the article on public housing that you quoted from us was "The best-kept secret about public housing is that most of it actually provides decent, affordable housing to many people. Properly run, it remains one of the best options for housing the poor." The quote you selected describes not something intrinsic to public housing, but what happens when it is designed and funded in a cynical manner by people who would like to see it fail. I encourage readers to explore the full article. shelterforce.org/1994/09/01/public-housing-what-went-wrong/ Miriam Axel-Lute CEO/Editor-in-Chief Shelterforce
