News & Views of Phillips Since 1976
Sunday December 21st 2025
The Rand Report: Sex workers on Lake St. #2
By Rand Retterath
Rand Retterrath
Part 2 of a series.
After the one man research project attempting to fully comprehend all the mitigating factors affecting the sex tourism market on Lake St. and on Bloomington Ave. among others, I was left with the following considerations: Gender-based approach doesn”'t work! Community approach doesn”'t work! Political approach doesn”'t work! Feminist approach doesn”'t work! Social Service approach meets with only very limited success! Law Enforcement doesn”'t have the resources to effectively arrest their way to a solution (nor should they)! Judicial approach doesn”'t work, it means nothing! Penalties are meaningless. Combined Judicial/Social Service approach meets with limited success! Community Engagement approach doesn”'t work!
We have a spectacular list of tried and failed approaches to the sex industry. For decades, Lake St., as well as Bloomington Ave., have been the sex tourist destination of the south metro area. And for over 50 years nothing has ever resolved the phenomenon. Let”'s try a new and completely different approach.Â
My first endeavor was a market assessment. Why is the industry almost exclusively on Midtown side of Lake between 18th and 11th while on Columbus to Clinton, it is on both sides? The demand side participants like to SHOP the supply side before purchasing services.Suddenly,… Read the rest “The Rand Report: Sex workers on Lake St. #2”
Raise Your Voice: A worker”'s proud moment
By PETER MOLENAAR
Peter Molenaar
Circulating within the ranks of organized labor is a sign-on statement with the caption: “Union Members Stand United with Rep. Ilhan Omar.”
It reads:
“Rep. Ilhan Omar is a fighter for working people who upholds her time as a union member with pride and continues to stand with unions, with working people, and with all who are oppressed.
“Just a couple months into her first term as one of the first two Muslim women ever elected to Congress, Rep. Omar faces unprecedented attacks. Her statements and intentions are being purposely twisted in cynical and disingenuous ways to try to discredit and isolate her.
“As union members we understand the importance of solidarity when our union siblings are under attack. The biggest enemies of working people and unions, like Donald Trump and his followers ”“ who themselves are guilty of enabling violent antisemitism and white supremacy ”“ are stoking the attack on Rep. Ilhan Omar.
“We unequivocally stand with Ilhan Omar against the Islamophobic smears being leveled at her for her outspoken views.
“We denounce the despicable efforts of Republicans to label her a terrorist or connect her to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
“We call on our fellow union members, on our unions, and on elected officials to stand with Ilhan against Republican efforts to pit Jews and Muslims against each other.”… Read the rest “Raise Your Voice: A worker”'s proud moment”
Frank Reflections – Rental housing supply and demand: gratitude or greed?
by Frank Erickson
More than 42,000 renter households in Minneapolis, even though employed full-time, pay more for housing than they can afford.
Without these 42,000 rental households, there wouldn”'t be the high demand for rental housing; there would be supply glut. Are there 42,000 potential renters on waiting lists who can afford the units with high rents?Â
How can tens of thousands of renters who cannot afford their rents, be the foundation for raising all rents? These 42,000 households, who cannot afford their rent, are the core of “supply and demand.” The landlords have nothing without renters.
Capitalism is wicked. Renters have no choice. Renters have to pay their rents. Ironically, they drive up their rent by paying rents they cannot afford.
All “supply and demand” sees is rent paid. It doesn”'t see nor does it care if the renter went without food to pay the rent. All capitalism needs to justify raising rent is that rents are paid. That is inhumane!
Without these 42,000 renter households in Minneapolis the “market” would crash! Landlords need to focus more on gratitude and less on greed!
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