INSIGHT NEWS August 1 - August 7, 2011 • MN Metro Vol. 37 No. 31 • The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • www.insightnews.com
Rondo Our community at its finest
The Rondo Avenue community paid tribute to the legacy of leadership and service of the Retired Men’s Club by honoring the club members as Grand Marshalls of the 28th Annual Rondo Days Parade July 16th. The Rondo Days Parade and Festival is one of the largest gatherings of African-American people in Minnesota.
Photos by Suluki Fardan
Above: Dacia Durham, a founding member of Major Taylor Bicycling Club of MN. MTBCMn is committed to increasing participation in bicycling for transportation and health improvement. Their signature event, the Urban Bike Festival is held as part of the Rondo Celebration and they offer a community ride, free bike checks and they give away approx 60 new bicycles to community families.
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Ellison: American businesses must grow and compete By Lydia Schwartz Contributing Writer
National Geographic’s depiction of King Tutankhamun
US Rep. Keith Ellison (DFLMN) is organizing his new ‘Make it in America’ agenda, aimed at rebuilding America’s manufacturing sector. Our manufacturing can be a source of national pride when businesses create good jobs for our nation’s workers. “America’s economy can only be made by our fellow Americans, when products are manufactured in America, creating living-wage jobs for American families,” Ellison says. Off-shoring has been a major contributing factor in our economic slowdown. It diminishes the operating
workforce here in the US. “This is more than just wage competition,” Ellison says. “Lawmakers need to hear from the people what the government can do to help businesses grow and compete.” American businesses should not chase lower international wages at the expense of innovation. Harry Moser, founder of ‘The Re-shoring Initiative’, agrees that we must be an innovation country and a manufacturing country. The Re-Shoring Initiative helps companies to better understand the full cost of offshoring their operations overseas. They face the extra financial burdens of natural disasters, political instability, declining value of the US dollar, soaring
Congressman Keith Ellison oil prices, and other delivery problems. Moser says that there are many financial benefits when companies re-shore their
operations to the US. “We are working to change the mindset for businesses to reflect the fact that keeping operations local reduces the total cost of ownership,” he says. “Reshoring is not only the best way to keep your own job, it will help eliminate the trade deficit and to lower national unemployment.” E.J. Ajax and Sons Inc. is a third-generation progressive metal stamping contractmanufacturer located in Minneapolis. Ajax lays claim to fifty full-time employees and made it to the US Chamber of Commerce’s ‘Top 50 Small American Businesses’ for 2011. E.J. Ajax, the company’s
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Reader questions GOP imposes beg-borrow-and-steal budget King Tut image COMPLAINT
RESPONSE
By Rev. Les Lester Communications Chair St. Paul, MN I visited the “Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Pharaohs” exhibit a short time ago, in St. Paul, and what I beheld was out of character for the great North Star state. King Tut, a black pharaoh, is depicted in the National Geographic (the convener of the exhibit) promotional materials as Caucasian. As a state institution, the Science Museum of Minnesota is a “steward of the public trust” and in that capacity it is expected that you (the institution) give the public the best for its tax dollars.
By Kim Ramsden Co-Director of Communications and Public Relations, Science Museum of Minnesota The Science Museum is proud to host Tutankhamun: The Golden King and The Great Pharaohs. This is the exhibition’s first and only stop in Minnesota. It has reached across North America and features stunning objects from King Tut’s tomb, as well as from the tombs of some of the most important rulers throughout 2,000 years of ancient Egyptian history. Rev. Lester claims that our promotional materials contain artist’s renderings and artistic depictions of King Tut. This is not true.
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Education
Youths develop skills for green economy
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Capitol Report By Rena Moran State Rep. District 65A The Minnesota Legislature met in a Special Session on July 19 to pass the budget agreement reached by Governor Dayton and the Republican majority. The broad agreement was based on a past offer from Republicans that included $1.4 billion in revenue: $700 million from increasing the school shift and $700 million in appropriation bonds backed by future tobacco settlement money. State Representative Rena Moran (DFL – St. Paul) said she was disappointed in the final budget agreement. “This Republican budget will set our state back by
Aesthetics (i am) Isis
begging, borrowing, and stealing to close the budget gap on the backs of middle class families,” Rep. Moran said. “I appreciate Governor Dayton’s hard work to end the shutdown, compromise and get people back to work. He has been a statesman and risen above politics and partisanship to do the best thing he could for Minnesotans. However, I simply could not support a Republican budget that steals from our children, and borrows against our future instead of making millionaires pay their fair share in taxes.” The K-12 Education Finance bill contained an increase in the school shift of $700 million. The bill also contained Rep. Moran’s provision allowing full-service school zones; these allow districts to create zones providing transportation to schools for students who would otherwise not be eligible for transportation, but she voted against the final bill. “The Republican budget
borrows an additional $700 million from Minnesota school districts– essentially mortgaging our children’s future to balance our current deficit,” Rep. Moran said. “We’re now stealing $2.3 billion total from our school children — with no way to pay it back. Using our schools as a piggy bank forces them to engage in short term borrowing themselves, which takes needed funds away from Minnesota classrooms.” The compromise version of the Health and Human Services bill saved Minnesotans from being thrown off their health care, but still contains deep cuts, especially for children. The bill cuts child care funding by over $26 million, including direct cuts to the Child Care Assistance Program, and cuts Children and Community Services Act grants by $22 million. “Despite protecting Minnesotans from losing health care, the compromise still hurts our children,” Rep. Moran
Freedom From Fear Awards
Welder frees workers from Texas labor camps
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said. “These are deep cuts to a program that helps lowincome families afford child care while parents are working, searching for employment or pursuing education that would lead them to a good job. Cuts to Children and Community Services grants are incredibly painful for children suffering from dependency, abuse, neglect, poverty and disabilities. We’re squeezing the life out of programs that children and families desperately rely on.” The compromise version of the Public Safety and Judiciary Finance bill contained smaller cuts than the conference committee report passed by Republicans, but was still marked by tough cuts to domestic violence prevention programs, abuse shelters, battered women services, victims of child sex abuse, at-risk youth, and sexual assault victims.
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Commentary How I spent (am spending) my summer
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