They Want Their Cut Too

Podcast Audio: https://commsolutionsmn.libsyn.com/episode-293-they-want-their-cut-too

YouTube: https://youtu.be/n4ORFZK88Fo

Ramsey County is trying to pass a $842 million budget, and there is no expense spared. It’s 750 pages of endless spending to the tune of almost $1 billion. They have huge personnel costs, as they have well over 4,000 employees. There is all sorts of state aid and federal aid, mixed with bonding, to meet the demands that they have laid out.

Ramsey County has hundreds of millions in debt. That’s a ton of extra money that its residents are paying just in interest payments. Ramsey County doesn’t care. You’re just an open wallet to them, and most governing bodies have the same attitude.

We also discuss the $535 million funding gap for Southwest Light Rail. Hennepin County and the Met Council decided to get together for a little “Let’s Make A Deal” to cover this endless financial sinkhole.

Have you checked out our Spotify playlist? At the beginning of each episode, Jason quotes some song lyrics that have to do with the subject matter of the podcast. Andrew never knows what they are, but now he can… and so can you! We’ve launched the Spotify playlist: “Community Solutions Music From the Podcast!” You can listen to Roundabout from Yes after listing to Episode 30 on Roundabouts… or kick back and enjoy a rocking playlist just for the thrill of it. We add a new song every week. Subscribe and enjoy!

Don’t forget that you can also subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify!

End The Met

Podcast Audio: https://commsolutionsmn.libsyn.com/episode-291-end-the-met

YouTube: https://youtu.be/o-QAmznHn54

Just about everyone agrees that the Met Council is way too powerful. They threaten cities with litigation if they don’t fall into line. So what glorious ideas are both Republicans and Democrats agreeing upon to fix this problem? Dismantle their authority? Of course not! We’re going to elect them! People don’t know who their county commissioner or park district representative is, and yet they will make an educated decision regarding their Met Council rep?

Both parties in our legislature are making excuses as to why they can’t strip the Met Council of its power over our counties and cities. There is little political will to make significant reforms over just changing the window dressings. The legislature is rushing this through, wanting some elections as early as 2024. Who will be ready to run? Only the people they are already grooming.

We also discuss a recent meeting one of us attended in a room full of lefties regarding John Marty’s bill for single payer healthcare in MN. It’s interesting how they tried to control the crowd and guide their thought process to accept a single-payer solution. There’s just a little bit of pressure. Tune in to see how the other half lives!

Have you checked out our Spotify playlist? At the beginning of each episode, Jason quotes some song lyrics that have to do with the subject matter of the podcast. Andrew never knows what they are, but now he can… and so can you! We’ve launched the Spotify playlist: “Community Solutions Music From the Podcast!” You can listen to Roundabout from Yes after listing to Episode 30 on Roundabouts… or kick back and enjoy a rocking playlist just for the thrill of it. We add a new song every week. Subscribe and enjoy!

Don’t forget that you can also subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify!

All That Glitters Ain’t Golden

Podcast Audio: https://commsolutionsmn.libsyn.com/episode-226-all-that-glitters-aint-golden

YouTube: https://youtu.be/6IjD7qA6Pc4

Some of our cities are running into a huge problem. They are steadily moving left. Even in cities where we see strong Democrat majorities, those moderate Dems are being replaced with radical Dems. One huge issue is odd year elections. Only a fraction of voters show up for odd year elections, making it easy for the Democrats and Unions to turn out their base. A very small cross section of the city is actually represented on the council. This is used to keep tight control over who gets on their council. Look at this example from Golden Valley. They will have seven running for two seats. We walk through some on-air research, because so often people don’t get informed on the candidates. Council member Larry Fonnest is out, and super left council member Gillian Rosenquist is running for re-election. Loretta Arradondo, Joanie Clausen, Andy Johnson, Denise La Mere-Anderson, Drew Peterson, Orville Christian Satter.

Golden Valley is also setting up a PEACE commission to discuss their issues with the Golden Valley PD. They want three people that have traditionally been injured by police and two police officers (who don’t get to vote). Can anyone say ambush?

We also discuss the recent President Biden vaccine mandate. It is so wildly out of bounds that it cannot possibly stand in the courts. So what’s his play here? Is it to justify expanding the Supreme Court or making it completely irrelevant? We are entering dangerous territory, and we’d better pay attention.

Have you checked out our Spotify playlist? At the beginning of each episode, Jason quotes some song lyrics that have to do with the subject matter of the podcast. Andrew never knows what they are, but now he can… and so can you! We’ve launched the Spotify playlist: “Community Solutions Music From the Podcast!” You can listen to Roundabout from Yes after listing to Episode 30 on Roundabouts… or kick back and enjoy a rocking playlist just for the thrill of it. We add a new song every week. Subscribe and enjoy!

Don’t forget that you can also subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify!

King For A Day

There’s still a ton of news happening about protesters, tearing down statues, defunding police, autonomous zones headed up by anarchists, etc, etc…. we, however, have made an executive decision to take a week and add our voice to those asking for transformation of our government. Our wish list sounds a little different (ok, radically) from the roving bands of anarchists and socialists, but we’re still lobbying for change.

What would we like to see happen in cities, counties, and school districts? Why? How do we feel about Statutory Cities versus Charter Cities? Are at-large elections better than wards? We discuss how to get the most equal representation. Almost every city in Minnesota has what is called a “weak mayor”. We compare that with the concept of a strong mayor, and how that would work in a smaller city. Do even or odd year elections engage more people? We discuss why special elections are always better than appointments.

The levels of debt that cities are taking on should scare residents. The interest costs you so much more, and when we go into another financial downturn, cities need to be on better financial footing. How do we budget for all of these projects and expenditures ahead of time? Is that even possible?

Minnesota, we have a lot of work to do. The good news is that it’s winnable, but it’s winnable if (and only if) we stand together and actually get some skin in the game. We have to consider voluntarily sacrificing a little of our own freedom and security (by standing for what we believe in, not by giving in to the government) in order to gain freedom and security for our children and grandchildren.

Andrew also tests Jason’s knowledge on electoral history, and we geek out a bit on the Roaring 20’s.

Have you checked out our Spotify playlist? At the beginning of each episode Jason quotes some song lyrics that have to do with the subject matter of the podcast. Andrew never knows what they are, but now he can… and so can you! We’ve launched the Spotify playlist: “Community Solutions Music From the Podcast!” You can listen to Roundabout from Yes after listing to Episode 30 on Roundabouts… or kick back and enjoy a rocking playlist just for the thrill of it. We add a new song every week. Subscribe and enjoy!

Don’t forget that you can also subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify!

Podcast audio: https://commsolutionsmn.libsyn.com/episode-166-king-for-a-day-0

YouTube: https://youtu.be/TKImjuETu44

Looking Forward, But Shortsighted

We have begun to hear what some of the legislative goals are in St. Paul for 2020. On a good note, the Senate Republicans want to cut taxes on social security for our seniors… but should money taken out in taxes for 40 years be taxed at all? They also want use the “surplus” to hand out tax cuts… but don’t address the fact that a surplus only happens when we overpay. Governor Walz wants to spend $2 Billion in a bonding package, the Democrats want more, and the Republicans are prepared to work with the Democrats. Why did we elect you, again? They also want to get tougher on felons who possess firearms. Governor Walz would like to implement red flag laws and universal background checks.“The Fonz” (Rep Ryan Winkler) wants to reduce marijuana legislation. The legislature also cites the importance of school choice, but don’t really say what they want to do about it. It sounds like another rousing session of accomplishing nothing.

What if we were able to put a Legislative Action Coalition together to lobby the Legislature? What local issues would we tackle? What would we ask for? We have a little fun putting together our 2020 legislative platform.

Have you checked out our Spotify playlist? At the beginning of each episode Jason quotes some song lyrics that have to do with the subject matter of the podcast. Andrew never knows what they are, but now he can… and so can you! We’ve launched the Spotify playlist: “Community Solutions Music From the Podcast!” You can listen to Roundabout from Yes after listing to Episode 30 on Roundabouts… or kick back and enjoy a rocking playlist just for the thrill of it. We add a new song every week. Subscribe and enjoy!

Don’t forget that you can also subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify!

Podcast audio: http://commsolutionsmn.libsyn.com/episode-147-looking-forward-but-shortsighted

YouTube: https://youtu.be/hlavm2ssN30