Minnesota Videos

Madame Speaker, I have been a proponent of a national health care system as long as I have been in Congress, today we take a bold step towards that goal. America has the finest doctors, the latest medical equipment, and cutting edge technology that is the envy of the world. But millions of Americans cannot access this system because they can t afford health insurance. Those who are insured know that they are only one layoff away from losing it, or that rising premiums could price them out of coverage. This bill is not perfect, but is it a good bill. The three committees worked hard to address the concerns of the people of my district, and over the past few days we have addressed my own concerns: regional disparities in Medicare reimbursement that have penalized Minnesota health care providers; ensuring that taxpayer dollars are not used to fund abortion services. Last summer I met the Skare family of Cloquet, Minnesota. Whose son was born with a congenital liver disease that required him to have a liver transplant as a small child. Today, the family of this 20-year-old is buried under mountains of medical bills, despite the fact that they have insurance. They have to constantly fight insurance providers to make them live up to their commitments. This bill will ensure that families like the Skares will not be held hostage to insurance companies. And it will protect all Americans from being denied coverage due to pre-existing conditions. Today, we are keeping faith with the American people, ensuring that quality, affordable health care is available to everyone.**http://the-uptake.groups.theuptake.org/en/videogalleryView/id/2565/

It's ITL for Nov. 6, 2009, featuring interviews with TaxGirl, the Christian Science Monitor's man in Afghanistan, and a Pulitzer Prize winner on the incipient federal Shield Law. Plus nifty H1N1 vaccine and Hamid Karzai-inspired music. Damn!

Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty is proposing a constitutional amendment that would cap government spending to the prior budget period's income level. DFL Senate Majority leader Larry Pogemiller and Sen. Tom Bakk say they are willing to listen, but critical of the Governor for being unable to achieve balanced budgets under the existing system.**http://the-uptake.groups.theuptake.org/en/videogalleryView/id/2556/

Speaker of the House, Margaret Anderson Kelliher spoke with The UpTake's Mike McIntee about Govenor Pawlenty's proposed amendment to the Minnesota constitution that would limit spending in any biennium to the amount of revenue that came in the previous two years. Speaker of the House, Margaret Anderson Kelliher: I think it's a very curious timed announcement. I know the Governor is traveling this weekend down to, I believe, Iowa and I think it's another case where the Governor is putting politics ahead of the good policies that Minnesotans need. You know the strange thing about the Governor's proposal is exactly what Senator Pogemiller said, we're not clear that the Governor has ever proposed this himself in the budgets that he's put forward to the legislature. He's always overspent what is going to come in the door, even in the projections that we have. And think the other thing is that folks would probably be interested in knowing is that when Michelle Bachmann was a state senator she had a proposal like this. I think it wasn't modeled after the colorado law like this or the Colorado constitutional amendment like this. And she wouldn't even come to the Senate tax committee to present the bill. So, I think it's kind of interesting that the Governor is now jumping on this bandwagon. What folks should understand is that this is even more restrictive than any of the other constitutional amendments around the country that have been proposed like this because this binds you to the revenues in the previous two years. So it's almost like saying that even if the economy is improving, we would have to ignore the improvement in our economy and increased revenues. We couldn't put those to schools or health care or anywhere else. We'd have to live under the old scenario. I just think it makes no sense at all. I don't know if it evens things out at all as the Governor says. Mike McIntee: The Governor was trying to make it sound today like well, if we had a "windfall" as he put it, more dollars coming in the door, well, heck we'd be able to decide to spend them. Is that going to be the case by your reading of this constitutional amendment? MAK: Oh, I don't think so. According to the Minnesota Budget Project, which has taken a quick look at this, their analysis of this is that even if that money is coming in the biennium, the biennium we're budgeting for, we have to live by the previous biennium. So here's the example that Minnesotans should understand. So if the revenue collected by the state in the 2010 and 11 biennium, because we budget on two year cycles, is about $31 Billion, $34 Billion. And if say the revenue in this next, it drops by three or four billion, you have to ignore that three or four billion. You cannot put that into your schools and you actually add to the deficit situation going forward. I just think it doesn't make sense. I don't think it's well thought out. And I also believe that Minnesotans recently, last year, just a year ago yesterday, actually decided to make investments in things they value through the legacy amendment. So this is sort of flying counter-productive to where Minnesotans are at in terms of the sorts of things that they value in their state. MM: What struck me about the Governor's announcement, that it might be just political as opposed to actually trying to solve a problem, is one of the reporters asked him 'Well Governor, how does this effect the shifts that have been made.' And the Governor said 'I'll have to get back to you on that.' But that's one of his favorite tools. Why wouldn't he have an answer to a very basic question like that? MAK: I think that gets to ... I believe this is more about politics than good policy for Minnesotans. And its more about political ambition for the Governor than actually doing the right thing by the school kids of our state. And so you look at that and it's pretty clear that the Governor, one of the Governor's favorite tools of shifting actually would violate this very constitutional amendment. MM: Well, let's talk a moment about school kids, because there's nothing in this amendment that says schools. How do we get from what he has in this amendment to schools? MAK: Well, because we're talking about the amount of revenues collected and the ability for legislators and a Governor to make decisions, priority decisions about where the money goes. I'll give you examples of what has happened in Colorado under the similar type of constitutional amendment. In Colorado, the spending on their K-12 schools has gone from 35th to 49th in the nation. That's a pretty big drop since 1992. The average per pupil spending fell by $400 because this thing handcuffs you in a way that you cannot make those choices and in fact what happens is that certain areas of the budget. Say corrections, and this has happened in Colorado where if you have courts that are sentencing criminals, there is more precedent for them to be sentencing the criminals, than school kids to get what they need in classroom because it is such a constrain to budget. MM: The other thing that strikes me political about this is the Governor had an opportunity to sit down and discuss ideas with you and other Minnesota leaders at the Leadership summit, and he said "no no no, we don't discuss those things now." Yet suddenly it's time to discuss these things and we're not in session. I don't get the equivocation here. Have you been able to figure this out? MAK: Well, two things about that Mike that I think are interesting. This idea never came up. And remember we were in a multi-partisan group, both independence party members , republicans and democrats with the former Governors , Speakers and Majority Leaders and Finance Commissioners of the state in early September and not a person raised this idea of a constitutional amendment as the answer to our budgeting woes in this state. They all raised the question of using good judgment and balanced position in Minnesota for a brighter future. The other thing of course is we had breakfast with the Governor just two week ago. And this was again never, never brought up or discussed. MM: Let's for the moment say there is no politics involved . And I know that's a fairy tail, but let's just for the moment say that. Senator Tom Bakk in the tax committee said "hey Governor, come on down. We're willing to talk about this. I hope you show up like Michele Bachmann didn't, and we can discuss what this really is. Are you willing to give this a hearing in the legislative session? MAK: I think that it's probably one of those things that depending on who is carrying the bill, it looks like Representative Paul Kohls might carry the bill, and where the bill would start. Certainly the chair of the committee where it begins might decide to give a hearing if it is in chair Lenczewski committee she may say let's talk about these issues. I think one of the big issues that chair Lenczewski and others might ask the Governor or the representative of the Governor is how does this at all get away from the pattern of this Governor has been, which is to push the tax burden onto the property tax payer. And that has been also another favorite tool of the Governor of the state of Minnesota, Governor Pawlenty, and that is the massive rise in the amount of property taxes that people are paying across the state. And I think it's pretty clear that this would do nothing to relieve people of the property tax burden and I'm sure that Representative Lenczewski, Chair Lenczewski would love to ask the Governor that question. MM: Bottom line. Do you think this bill has a chance of getting through the legislature which the DFL has control of in the House and the Senate? MAK: Always difficult to predict something, but I would say this is not one that is going to find a lot of favor right now in the Minnesota House. And I think actually opposition could even be bipartisan. In the past when we've seen ideas like this, very few Republicans even vote these types of ideas. But we certainly are willing to entertain the idea. This is once again the other interesting fact about this is the Governor doesn't need to sign or veto a constitutional amendment. It has to go through the legislative process. And then if the legislature passes it, it goes right out to the ballot. So that is another feature of constitutional amendments that I find interesting. MM: And 17 of those last 18 constitutional amendments have passed. So the legislature is a very important gate on this. **http://the-uptake.groups.theuptake.org/en/videogalleryView/id/2557/

Video by Matt Johnson Press release from Take Action Minnesota:St. Paul, MN - A day before the U.S. House is expected to take up an historic debate of health care reform legislation, Minnesotans financially and emotionally devastated by lack of access to affordable health care held a press conference at the Capitol to share their stories of why a public health insurance option is urgently needed. Their message? We re counting on Minnesota s eight U.S. Representatives to pass H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, including a public option, when it reaches the floor for a vote later this week. A vote is expected as soon as Saturday. The press conference announced the release of twenty-four personal stories of Minnesotans for whom a public option would make all the difference. The twenty-four stories, from around the state, are being emailed one per hour, for twenty-four hours, to all eight of Minnesota s U.S. House members and their staffs (starting at 6am this morning, and continuing until 5am tomorrow morning). The stories put a face on the health care crisis in Minnesota and have helped to personalize the urgency for Congress to provide a bold federal solution. Dan McGrath, Executive Director of TakeAction Minnesota, one of the organizational members of the HCAN coalition, opened the press conference by sharing his own story of being diagnosed with Type I diabetes as an adult, only a few months after his employer began offering insurance. McGrath said that while his story ended well, far too many end in tragedy and could be avoided if Americans were given the choice of a public option alongside private insurance plans. One such story is that of Nora Longley, who died in May 2009 of adrenal cancer. Her uncle, Bob Parker, spoke passionately that Longley might have lived if she had been able to access health care and gain treatment earlier than she did. Had a public health insurance option been available to Nora early on, when she was struggling to afford coverage and was found ineligible for MinnesotaCare, her cancer would have been more treatable. For our family, a public option may have allowed Nora the chance to live. McGrath said that the stories being sent to Minnesota s congressional delegation today bring an emotional reality to the debate going on in Washington. These are real lives that have been wrecked by our current health care system. Opponents of reform don t want to hear these stories. But the majority of Americans, in poll after poll, say they would benefit from the choice of a public health insurance option. And the Minnesotans telling their stories today are depending on Congress to pass a public option. It s do or die time. To access the twenty-four stories as they are released one per hour throughout the day, please visit www.TakeActionMinnesota.org. **http://the-uptake.groups.theuptake.org/en/videogalleryView/id/2560/

A short trailer for the upcoming short film "Fabled" Video by Todd Wardrope & we dance Music by Spigot

Apple Valley resident Andy Anderson, 90, and Minneapolis resident Floyd Lewellen, 100, celebrate milestone birthdays together as volunteers at the Minnesota Zoo Nov. 7. Service is what keeps them going, they say. Video produced by Jeff Achen.

The election was barely over, yet the legacy media immediately wanted to know was Mayor R.T. Rybak running for Governor? It's a question he's answered repeatedly over the last year with the same answer: yes I'm likely to run, but I haven't made a decision yet.Reporters for The UpTake and the Minnesota Daily wanted to know about how the Mayor was going to follow through on creating more jobs in his next term. The Mayor gave detailed answers, which you can find here. http://the-uptake.groups.theuptake.org/en/videogalleryView/id/2553/But then the radio, and newspaper reporters started in. Q:What about the Governor's race?Mayor R.T. Rybak:Well I've been saying for many months that it's likely I'm getting into the race and I'm saying the same thing now 'cause I but I won't be making any definitive measurement for a little bit of time. (inaudible) And I'm going to take a breath and then make a final decision. Q: You said it's likely? Rybak:Yeah It's likely. Nothing has changed. What I think is important is I haven't made my decision yet. Q: Then you'll think over that in a couple weeks? Rybak:I think a couple months (inaudible) Q: What are you waiting for? Rybak:I think it's important for me to stop and take a breath after this race and go back to work immediately to the pile of things on my desk. It's incredibly exciting to me to get that work done and then move forward. I think one of .one of the things I did a year ago is say I'm going to be as honest and direct as I can and say that it is likely I'm going to run for Governor, but I have a job to do so I'm going to take that work, and that's my first work and I'll do everything necessary to continue to move forward on Governor's race as I've said for the past year, so that I can have the option to make the decision (inaudible) . Q: What would likely turn you the other way, that you would not run Rybak: I'm not thinking too much about that tonight. I'm staying very focused and I think as I've traveled around the state I've become very encouraged by the reception I've gotten. I'm very discouraged by the condition of the state. And both of those lead me to the likelihood and that's no different than I've said for several months and it won't be for some time now. I'm not going to be saying much about the Governor's race tonight or for a bit. I'm going to go back to work. Q: Is there anything for you to file paperwork with the Campaign Finance Board Rybak: We're looking at those issues. There are some issues that are we have technical filings that need to take place for exploratory committees and others. And that's all the things that are going to be sorted out in the next couple of days or weeks. Q: Now I've talked to a lot of your supporters and you've been focused on today's results but they're also very interested in your run for .(inaudible) Rybak: My message to them is to have a good time tonight. Nothing has changed. I've been very direct with people and I think that was a little disarming to people at first because they're not used to politicians flat out saying 'I'm likely to enter the race'. And I asked the people to make a judgment on voting for me based on that. So that I didn't have any surprises for anyone. And I think people were really, really appreciative that I was open and direct with them. And ah, they ah, we'll just take a breath and see what's next. But right now I got to get back to work tomorrow. And that's really exciting for me right now. I've got some good stuff. Q: Have you met the threshold on (inaudible) because in the news business .Rybak: I haven't been looking at numbers I let other people do that. Q: Have you heard: (cheering)Video: Craig Stellmacher, Transcript: Mike McIntee**http://the-uptake.groups.theuptake.org/en/videogalleryView/id/2554/

Hiroshima Day Memorial, Powderhorn Park, Minneapolis 8/6/09 Directed by Bart Buch Music by Brian Eno :

Photographs by Craig Stellmacher of Trees Sky and Water.