For Progress

Congressman Finstad is no Friend to Farmers

(Ghostwritten, Rochester Post-Bulletin, May 25 2023)

Let’s forget politics for a moment. The consequence of not raising the debt ceiling would be an economic disaster. It’s a routine procedure done by every administration for the last ninety years. How you and I feel about government expenditures at this time is irrelevant because they have already been voted on. The markets are expecting the money to arrive. 

It’s ironic that Congressman Finstad (R-1, MN) is challenging the debt limit because his constituents stand to lose the most—a gap in spending would decimate the economies of rural and agrarian areas, which obviously make up much of southern Minnesota. 

In 2021 alone, Minnesota farms received over $500 million in federal subsidies. 

Meanwhile, the top income earners in District 1 would be far less affected than everyone else. The Mayo Clinic, for example, doesn’t rely upon government subsidies in the way that farms, cooperatives, and dairies do. 

But Finstad knows all this—he’s a farmer himself. He even campaigned on being one. So why is he risking the livelihoods of his people? Maybe it’s because he’s joined a party that purports to help rural Americans, but actually just cuts taxes for billionaires.

Florida Seniors Deserve Better

(Ghostwritten, Tampa Bay Times, May 20, 2023)

I've lived in Hillsborough since 1986 and have seen the county grow from Fletcher to the county line north. I live in New Tampa. If the debt ceiling is not raised by June 1, seniors, immigrants, and the poor will be disproportionately impacted. I need my Social Security Check every month. 

Congresswoman Laurel Lee claims she is a fiscally responsible politician. Her campaign website states she intends to cut “wasteful spending” and “put more money back in the pockets of hard-working Americans.” But a closer look at what Lee herself is doing for the constituents of Florida’s 15th congressional district tells another story.

At this moment, Lee is prepared to stop Social Security checks by fighting against raising the debt ceiling. Her decision comes at a time when costs are skyrocketing for seniors in the Tampa Bay area. Additionally, she voted against the very thing that would address the cost of living crisis—the Inflation Reduction Act. This act has measures that lower prescription drug prices and increase access to affordable treatments for Medicare and Medicaid recipients. 

None of us want wasteful spending in our government. But if Lee’s not trying to put money into the pockets of seniors—who have given a lifetime of work to this country—then who?

A look at her donors sheds some light: predatory lender Amscot Financial, and the New York-based investment firm Blackstone, which has nearly a trillion dollars in assets.

Representative Laurel Lee has, through her actions, effectively said she can’t afford seniors. Well, maybe we can’t afford her.

Take the education fight to the Legislature

(MinnPost, March 2022)

Minneapolis Public School teachers have every right to strike. They were deprived of meaningful pay increases in both 2019 and 2021. Who is the power broker in this situation? It is not the school board — and certainly not Superintendent Ed Graff.

Only the governor and state legislature can provide the funds teachers are demanding. Local school boards just hand it out. They exist solely to oversee the districts, and have no power to raise money. Any increase teachers receive now would be trivial, and taken from other areas of MPS, which is already in a deficit.

I volunteered with Adriana Cerrillo, Director of District 4 on the Minneapolis School Board, during last year’s budget negotiations to avoid the present situation. When the State Senate GOP proposed defunding public education, a small group of parents, teachers and civil servants from around Minnesota banded together. We phone-banked, wrote letters and took to social media to pressure those blocking attempts at funding schools. While teachers did not receive funds for a meaningful raise, the catastrophe of cutting $600 million from schools was averted.

Politicians are only as powerful as their ability to unify voters. Pushback from a broad, geographically-diverse coalition is enough to make any senator blink. Had enough people joined in to pressure their Republican senators last year, teachers would likely not be striking today.

The GOP wagered that their constituents would put up with underfunding schools. They were right. The power, then, lies with those voters. If we are serious about improving public education, we must make these voters understand how funding cuts hurt everyone. Then we have to organize with them to oust any politician who opposes us. The districts of Senate Education Finance and Policy Chair Roger Chamberlain (38) and former Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka (9) are logical starting points.

Or we could just yell at a superintendent.