Posts Tagged ‘Jeff Hayden’
COMMENTARY Saving the Phillips Pool to Save Lives
By State Senator Jeff Hayden Minneapolis “The City of Lakes.” Minnesota “Land of 10,000 Lakes.” Behind all those images of sky blue sparkling waters, there is a startling fact: Minnesota has the highest drowning rate among African-Americans in U.S. The drowning rate for Native Americans is third highest in U.S. One reason is the lack of opportunities for inner city youth and adults to learn how to swim. In fact, the only free indoor public swimming pool in the city of Mpls. is at the Phillips Community Center and the only pool in the Phillips community. Unfortunately, the pool has been closed since Boys and Girls Clubs lease ended in 2008. The Mpls. Park and Rec. Dept. planned to infill with dirt and cap with concrete in 2010. Thanks to an outpouring of support from the community and advocacy from interested organizations, the pool was saved from demolition. However, before the pool can be reopened to the public, it needs extensive renovations. I”'m carrying a bill in the Senate, with Rep. Karen Clark in the House, to renovate the Phillips Pool using $2.1 million from the state”'s capital investment budget. The proposal was in Gov. Dayton”'s bonding request, and is currently included in the House version. The funds would pay for the pool”'s renovation, repairing decking, adding starting blocks, diving board, timing system scoreboard and an addition added for a wading pool and family locker rooms. There”'s been powerful support from the community and from local and state institutions. These include Mpls. Swims, the MN Chap. of USA Swimming, the Indian Health Board, Little Earth of United Tribes, the Mpls. Public Health Advisory Committee, the Roy Wilkins Center at the U of M”'s Hubert H. Humphrey School, and Augsburg College. Before funding can happen, it has to pass the House and Senate and included in the conference committee report before final votes in both chambers. [...]
Bra·vo! Bra·vo! Bra·vis·si·mo!
By Sue Hunter Weir It was an event like no other in Minneapolis. As far as we know the concert on October 8th was the first rock concert ever held in a Minneapolis cemetery. And, what a concert it was! It was one of those days when everything came together: beautiful weather, fantastic music and a wonderful, wonderful crowd. How big was the crowd? Our best estimate is that 1,500 people attended. We sold about 900 advance tickets and between three and four hundred tickets at the gates. Kids under twelve and volunteers got in free. Many who attended said that, although they had driven past the cemetery hundreds of times, this was the first time they”'d stopped into the grounds. Many also told us that they had no idea how much history could be learned there. One of the big hits of the day was the smartphone history hunt which enabled people to use their phones to learn more about 25 of the people buried in the cemetery. Kids had their own history hunt and could get their faces painted or chalk along the roadway as well. (more…)
Letter to the editor
Dear Editor, Has the electoral process withered while our legislators balked at compromise? The resignation of Senator Linda Berglin opens a seat to be filled by a special election. The first campaign candidates”' forum at the Mercado Central August 26 brought up some traditional and newfound issues. The citizens of Senate District 61 will decide by their votes which way to turn as we come to this fork in the road. Are the Minnesota legislators to remain in their traditional role of part-time service to the common good? Or are we headed on the path toward professional career politicians using the legislative process as a staging platform by which to create their next higher opportunity? Infotainment has become a business.” Take a look and ask the questions. Are media staff persons really jackals, as Governor Jesse Ventura liked to say? “Is politics as usual ”really dead and buried? Has governor Pawlenty”'s “no new taxes” pledge been saved by the Republican mantra of “no new compromise?”'” These antics brought us to a government shut-down. With this in mind, we must ask what are the needs of SD 61, and where is the political talent to match our issues and concerns? We begin the first post shut-down election with one major party candidate, DFL Representative Jeff Hayden. Where are the others?” But this is not to be a one candidate contest. ordinary Minnesota citizens ready and able to step up. They and their supporters raised important questions, and they did so with honest and integrity. They have the shellacking our politicians rightfully deserve.” Alas, just one candidate had the technical knowledge of the electoral process to jump the DFL gate and be nominated to oppose Jeff Hayden at the DFL endorsement contest. Does this mean the Party rules are serving us, or are they too much of a barrier?” These and [...]
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 then, yet another great semi-truck roared beneath our occupied overpass. Honk. Honk. Honnkkk”¦ Are public workers being unjustly scape-goated? Well, for starters, millions of good paying American jobs have been shipped overseas. And then came huge tax breaks for super-wealthy people in a time of war. To which we must add some wildly irresponsible Wall Street speculations and sub-prime mortgage schemes which culminated in a $700 billion bailout. You be the judge. My own handmade sign read simply: “Tax the rich”. Some long ago training as a draftsman found a nice expression. Requests for photo poses were many. Smile. In today”'s world, just 400 Americans have more wealth than half of all Americans combined””more loot than the combined assets of 155 million people. Or, to slice it in a different way, 20% of America owns 85% of the country”'s wealth. Clearly, public workers are in the category of “the people”””the 80% which owns a mere 15% . Therefore, the attacks against these workers are an absolute disgrace. Note: Wisconsin teachers average about $46,000 a year””top hedge fun managers “earn” $48,000 per hour. (more…)
