A Better Minnesota Blog

"The sum of these parts leads to a conclusion that the middle class in Minnesota has suffered a lost decade."

"...for the first time in generations, more people are falling out of the middle class than joining its ranks."

Those are just two of the damaging conclusions at the end of yesterday's MinnPost article, "How is Minnesota's 'middle class' doing?," which examined wage equality, the Great Recession and Minnesota's middle class.

That's why today we applaud the DFL-led House of Representatives for holding a hearing on developing the world's best workforce.

Over the last 15 years wage inequality in Minnesota has increased and the middle class has been left with the short end of the stick. According to MinnPost, "workers in the exact middle of the pay range gained about $4,300 over their 1995 annual incomes -- some 13 percent. Meanwhile, the top earners gained $49,924 to claim 24 percent more than they had earned in 1995." The Great Recession also hit the middle class much harder than the richest Minnesotans. Between 2006 and 2011, Minnesota's middle class saw their pay fall by $500, compared to the richest 2 percent who saw their pay rise by $10,000 during that same time period.

Minnesota must reform its unfair and outdated tax system and ask the richest Minnesotans to pay their fair share. In Minnesota, the richest 5 percent of households earn average incomes 11x as large as the bottom 20 percent of households and 4x as large as the middle 20 percent of households, according to the Economic Policy Institute and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

This evening's joint hearing of the House Education Finance and Education Policy Committees will be an opportunity to hear more about the challenges facing Minnesota's workforce and the best path forward to strengthening the sate's middle class.

Legislators will hear from presenters from across the business and academic spectrum - including Minnesota State Economist Dr. Tom Stinson, Minnesota Chamber of Commerce Board Member Sanjay Kuba, Minnesota AFL-CIO's Steve Hunter, Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius, MnSCU Chancellor Steven Rosenstone, and many more. The hearing begins at 6PM.

In the U.S., 1 in 4 women are victims of domestic violence at some point in their lives.

Every day, more than three women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends.

These are just a few of the horrifying numbers and statistics about violence against women in the U.S.

These numbers--these women--are the reason the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) exists. It revolutionized the way violent crimes against women are prosecuted and prevented.

Since VAWA became law, domestic violence has dropped by more than half.

Yet, thanks for House Republicans, for the first time since it became law in 1994, VAWA has expired.

Two-thirds of Americans strongly agree that domestic violence is a serious, widespread problem in the U.S.

In the past few years, Republicans have taken to saying are such things "forcible rape" and "legitimate rape," and today, a U.S. Representative from Tenneessee actually said,

"Like most men, I'm more opposed to violence against women than even violence against men. Because most men can handle it a little better than a lot of women can."

Reauthorizing VAWA has traditionally been a bipartisan, non-controversial, easy vote. All women deserve protection from abuse and violence - no matter if they are black, white, immigrant, Native American or gay.

The Senate-passed version of VAWA includes landmark protections for Native American and LGBT women, which is why newspapers all across the U.S. - including in Minnesota - are urging the U.S. House not to eliminate those important protections and quickly pass VAWA.

The St. Cloud Times perfectly outlined what's at stake and what Republicans are holding hostage with their inaction of VAWA:

Instead of drafting its own version of the bill, which would most likely deny protections to Native American women living on reservations, the House should not squander its chance to pass VAWA as is.

...there's little time left for a repeat of the political games Congress pulled last session.The VAWA is desperately needed. A delayed vote is not an option.

When the Senate passed VAWA last week, every single female Senator supported protecting women from violence. It is critical that our Minnesota House delegation--including Michele Bachmann, Erik Paulsen, and John Kline--take a stand and show Minnesotans that they take violence against women seriously.

Photo credit: Flickr

Imagine if Members of Congress did E-Harmony profiles or those old school computerized match games we did back in junior high. What if they were matched on a series of personality characteristics - in this case policy positions outlined by votes - with their Congressional Soulmate?

That would be awesome. Unless, of course, someone had the unfortunate experience that we all remember from junior high. You remember the day you got matched with that kid who made fun of you in gym class or worse, you got matched with the person you secretly crushed on for years!

Well, we used our very sophisticated, highly scientific (it actually is!) Congressional Match-O-Meter to make an amazing discovery: Congressman Erik Paulsen's Congressional Soulmate is...

(DRUM ROLL!)

...Congresswoman Michele Bachmann!

How convenient! Not only will Paulsen not have to commute very far to hang with his Congressional Soulmate, but he also knows whom to turn to when considering an important vote in Washington.

They're perfect for each other!! After all:

• Both Paulsen and Bachmann voted against the fiscal cliff deal that prevented a massive tax increase on middle class families
• Both Paulsen and Bachmann voted for the Ryan Budget - putting our children's education, seniors' ability to retire with dignity, and even support for veterans at risk

The list goes on and on. Paulsen and Bachmann are such a great match that they voted together a stunning 92% of the time.

92% compatibility definitely earns Paulsen and Bachmann soulmate status!

Oops! We hope we didnt just accidentally reveal Paulsen's secret soulmate, junior high style. Sorry, Congressman!

Written by Executive Director Carrie Lucking

Photo credit: Flickr

This afternoon the Senate Education Committee considered two bills - SB 146 and SB 38 - in hopes of expanding Minnesota's free lunch program to 61,500 students.

"We can all agree that hungry children can't learn," said Senator Jeff Hayden at the start of the meeting.

The bills would provide a free lunch to the more than 61,000 students who currently qualify for Minnesota's reduced price lunch program, which costs families 40 cents a day. Unfortunately, not all low-income families can afford even that and some students are turned away without food, according to MPR.

"There is a risk that these kids don't have the money for lunch," said Jessica Webster, a staff attorney with the Legal Services Advocacy Project.

Legal Aid surveyed about half of the school districts in the state to find out what schools do when students run out of money in their lunch accounts. The group found that in some lunch lines, such children can't get a meal.

"We found that about 20 percent of districts do have a policy of turning a child away with nothing," Webster said. "It looks different in a lot of districts. Some days you'll get a peanut butter sandwich for three days, and then they'll send you away. Some days you'll get crackers, and then you get turned away after a week."

Children who are hungry are more likely to be sick, more likely to get severe types of sicknesses and to be sick for longer periods of time, according to Mark Miazga, research coordinator at the University of Minnesota, who testified at the hearing. As a result, these children miss more school, are more likely to struggle with mental illness and emotional problems and are more likely to be suspended from school.

Miazga also told the committee that hungry children are more likely to have behavioral problems, engage in delinquent behavior, go through the criminal justice system and engage in substance abuse.

And according to economic cost estimates, the average daily cost of hospitalization for a child is $12,000 -- that doesn't include additional costs such as added staff time of law enforcement and extra costs to citizens, property owners and small businesses who suffer from delinquency crimes.

"Passing this bill can help cut down on these expenses," Miazga said.

Both bills were referred to the Senate Finance Committee.

"This is not just a nutrition or hunger gap -- it's an achievement gap in our schools," said Samuel Chu, a Nat'l Syngagoue Oragnizer for MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, who testified at today's hearing.

Photo Credit

The latest saga in Rep. Erik Paulsen's "Will He or Won't He?" PR blunder run for U.S. Senate in 2014 continued to play itself out yesterday. One thing has become clear: the Congressman is saying one thing to the national media and the complete opposite to his constituents in Minnesota.
 
On Wednesday, Paulsen told a group of University of Minnesota political science students that he was not planning to run for U.S. Senate and that "someone else is going to have to run." Hours later, however, a Paulsen spokesman backtracked (once again) and told the national outlet POLITICO the Congressman "has not ruled anything out related to 2014."

Surprised? Not really. This is the same Congressman who earlier this month, in the span of just 48 hours, gave so many different answers to a possible U.S. Senate run -- "No, that's ridiculous," "I haven't ruled anything out,"  "Maybe" and "No" -- it made heads spin.

The Congressman's inconsistency is just strange.

But Paulsen's contradictory comments this week did shed light on the fact that he has no problem telling Minnesota one thing and the national press the complete opposite.

In fact, he did the exact same thing a few weeks ago. Paulsen first told Minnesota Public Radio "no" he was not planning to run for U.S. Senate only to later tell the national outlet The Hill newspaper "I haven't ruled anything else" that same week.

As one political commentator put it: "He's obviously trying to have it both ways."

The Congressman's media strategy is quite the opposite to that of the Senator he may (or may not) be hoping to challenge.

So, who is Paulsen lying to: the national media or Minnesota? You decide. Or better yet, maybe Paulsen will.

Mary Franson is certainly no stranger to controversial statements and public blunders. Remember last year? When she compared feeding food stamp recipients to feeding wild animals?

Well, she's gone and done it again. This time, Mary Franson is lying about Governor Dayton's fair and balanced budget. She claims she went out and about town with her kids, shocked at paying more for items. There's a huge problem with her logic, however: Governor Dayton's budget means Minnesotans will pay less for a ton of the items they buy on a regular basis.

One of Gov. Dayton's key proposals is a historic reduction in our sales tax rate: lowering it from 6.875% to 5.5%. Thanks to Governor Dayton's proposal to historically lower the sales tax, Minnesotans will pay less for many commonly purchased items.

Let's take a look at what Minnesotans can expect to pay less for under Gov. Dayton's balanced budget:

• Shampoo
• Soap
• Makeup
• Vitamins
• Yoga mat
• Bicycle
• Hockey stick
• Baseball bat
• Soccer ball
• Fishing pole
• Car parts
• Tires
• Tents
• Camping gear
• Books
• CDs
• Magazines
• Candy bars
• DVDs
• Musical instruments
• Cell phone
• Video games
• Car wash
• Lawn care
• Massage
• Dish soap
• Cleaning supplies
• Trash bags
• Vacuum
• Broom or mop
• Dishes
• Silverware
• Pots and pans
• Bowls
• Tupperware
• Coffee pot
• Sheets
• Towels
• Furniture
• Curtains
• Shovel
• Rake
• Lamp
• Rugs
• Water heater
• Furnace
• AC
• Washer and dryer
• Tools
• Paint
• Lumber
• Tile
• School supplies
• Notebooks
• Paper
• Pens
• Pencils
• Crayons
• Glue
• Tape
• Pet food
• Phone bill
• Utility bills

This isn't even an exhaustive list! We will pay less for all these items and more under Governor Dayton's fair and balanced budget.

Mary Franson, your scare tactics simply don't work here. Minnesotans know that Governor Dayton is committed to getting our state off the perpetual deficit rollercoaster by proposing a fair and balanced budget. He is making sure that Minnesota's recent trend of balancing the state budget on the backs of working and middle class families stops now.

Can you believe that there are still folks out there who think equal pay for equal work is "frivolous"?

Four years ago today, President Obama signed his first bill into law: the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which addresses the pay gap between men and women. Here's some great background on Lilly Ledbetter from ThinkProgress:

Ledbetter famously worked years without knowing that she was being paid less than her male co-workers for doing similar work. The Supreme Court threw out a case against her employer, saying that she had waited too long to challenge the pay disparity. The Ledbetter law is meant to ensure that women have ways to take action against pay discrimination.

This legislation was and still is much needed, because women still make just 77 cents for every $1 made by men. But Representative Erik Paulsen actually ridiculed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, calling it "frivolous" at a campaign event last year. Take a look for yourselves:

This is what Rep. Paulsen had to say about the Fair Pay Act:

And I'll just mention this Lilly Ledbetter law...[I]t does result in more litigation for many companies. And it forces more companies to hire more attorneys in anticipation of other lawsuits--frivolous lawsuits.

Erik Paulsen may think that more than $430,000 in lost wages for an individual woman is frivolous, but I sure as heck don't.

The amount a woman loses to the pay gap is equal to (thanks ThinkProgress!):

I am completely outraged that a U.S. Congressman from Minnesota could actually call equal pay for equal work "frivolous." I mean, come on, isn't it 2013? Paycheck fairness is not something to joke about, Rep. Paulsen. The pay gap is still very much a problem that starts early and grows over a woman's career.

Unsurprisingly, Rep. Paulsen has a history of voting against working women like me: Rep. Paulsen voted against the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act.

It can be difficult to follow the action at the state capitol, so we're going to wade through all of the mess on #mnleg and take you through a week of action in only five tweets. Some of them serious, some silly and usually nerdy. Here we go:

#5 First Day Of A New Legislature Means Adorable Family Pictures.

KARE-11 Reporter John Croman snagged the cutest of the cute family back-to-school-styled pictures of Senator Foung Hawj and family.

Great 1st day image -- Senator Foung Hawj of St. Paul posing with extended family after swearing-in ceremony #mnleg twitter.com/JohnCroman/sta...

-- John Croman (@JohnCroman) January 8, 2013

#4 Paul Thissen Named 2012 Legislator of the Year

The Minority Leader turned Speaker goes over well with the award-giving crowd. I cheated a little bit here, technically this came at the very end of last week, but we're just getting started here so cut me a break.

@politicsmn names Rep. @paulthissen the 2012 Legislator of the Year: bit.ly/Rx6pRh #BoldLeadership #mnleg

-- Zach Rodvold (@zrodvold) January 4, 2013

#3 Quist Rides Again!

Noted dinosaur enthusiast Allen Quist--recently defeated in his race against Rep. Tim Walz in CD1--won the Republican endorsement for the special election in HD19A. There was much rejoicing:

Those Minnesota Republicans sure like their dragons. Quist endorsed in 19A! mankatofreepress.com/local/x1303515...

-- Eric Fought (@ericfought) January 11, 2013

#2 Pay Kerfuffle

Cuts to GOP Senate staffers' pay--in part to save up to pay for GOP scandal lawsuit costs--caused quite the stir at the capitol this week. Irony was also involved:

Anyone else see the irony of MN GOP arguing that state workers need higher pay or they will leave #mnleg? theuptake.org/mn-senate-chan...

-- mmcintee (@mmcintee) January 10, 2013

#1 Now That We're In Session, Keep Taco Salad Costs Down

The key to every week at the legislature is the perfect taco salad.

Taco Salad TipsIn the spirit of Rachel E. Stassen-Berger's #tipsforCapitolnewbies here is my... kevinwatterson.tumblr.com/post/396736616...

-- Kevin Watterson (@kwatt) January 4, 2013

Did you miss Rep. Erik Paulsen's 'ridiculous' announcement for the U.S. Senate yesterday?

We don't blame you. Rep. Paulsen's office walked it back so fast, not even MJ's moonwalk could keep up.

Here's what happened: After Rep. Paulsen walked Minnesotans off the fiscal cliff and then voted against restoring tax relief for nearly all American families and small businesses, he was asked about whether he was interested in running for the U.S. Senate.

Paulsen's response? "No, that's ridiculous."

But wait!

Just minutes later, Rep. Paulsen's office corrected the report and said the Congressman wasn't referring to a potential U.S. Senate run but was referring to the "preface of the question that mentioned Paulsen's 'no' vote on the fiscal cliff..."

Nice walk back.

We did some more investigating and it turns out Paulsen's campaign created www.PaulsenforSenate.com a mere few months ago. And, surprise, it redirects to www.PaulsenforCongress.com (for now).

But Rep. Paulsen is totally not planning a run for U.S. Senate. Now that's ridiculous!

Every year, we get together with family and friends to celebrate all the things for which we're thankful. For all of us at ABM, that list of things and people we're thankful for wouldn't be complete if we didn't acknowledge all of you.

We wanted to take a moment and thank each and every one of you who signed a petition, shared our content with your friends on Facebook or Twitter, who voted on November 6th and maybe brought some friends along with you, donated some money, or sent us a nice reply to one of our emails.

Without all of you, we'd just be four people sitting in an office staring at computers all day. It's really all of our supporters who make our work so impactful.

Thank you for all you do,

Steph, Joe, Ryan, Carrie and everyone at Team ABM.

Photo credit: Flickr