Editorial: Balance jobs and preservation needs

Nov 22, 2009 at 02:45 PM

St. Paul's Port Authority is poised to close on its biggest land deal in the last 20 years. To complete the purchase of the former 3M site that began last year, the agency is set to buy the last parcel and continue its work to revamp the 46-acre plot into a job-producing zone. Part of the Phalen corridor development, the plan is to attract a combination of light industrial, business and other enterprises to the area.

But a disagreement over whether a handful of buildings on the site should be preserved or torn down in two years could get in the way of sealing the deal. That shouldn't happen. The Port Authority should buy the land and come to terms with the city and community over the proper amount of time to let those structures stand.

Last year, the Port Authority agreed to buy the 3M site on the city's East Side in two stages. First, it bought 35 acres for $3.5 million. Now the agency is ready to buy the remaining 11 acres for $1.5 million.

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New York Times: Obama, cancel drug deal

Nov 22, 2009 at 02:48 PM

OBAMA, CANCEL DRUG DEAL

Make industry pay more for reform

The drug industry has been ramping up its prices in advance of any health care reforms that might clamp down on its profits. The industry's rapid price escalation over the past year threatens to make a mockery of its deal with the Senate Finance Committee and the Obama administration to contribute $80 billion over the next decade to help pay for covering tens of millions of uninsured Americans.

The industry's contribution will consist of drug discounts to certain Medicare beneficiaries, larger rebates on drugs bought for Medicaid beneficiaries and new fees on the industry.

We complained earlier that the industry's contribution looked small when measured against the $1 trillion needed to cover most of the uninsured or against the $3 trillion likely to be spent on drugs in this country over the next decade. The administration got political benefits from the deal: The drug industry has not opposed health care reform as it did in previous years and has actually run commercials supporting it.

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Readers Write for Monday, Nov. 23

Nov 22, 2009 at 02:47 PM

HOUSE TAKES ON PAWLENTY

A group decision to support most vulnerable

Gov. Tim Pawlenty's elimination of essential public services through unallotment raises serious and important issues of constitutional law. The question is whether the governor's action was legal, not just whether it was wise.

Last week the Minnesota House of Representatives made a decision to support six poor, elderly and disabled people in their legal challenge to Pawlenty's actions. I was proud to support the decision by the House to file a friend-of-the-court brief on their behalf. Spending hundreds of thousands in taxpayer dollars to file a separate lawsuit would have been a far more difficult proposition.

So far, no other organization or government entity, aside from Legal Aid, has stepped forward to support these six people and the tens of thousands like them.

Contrary to a Nov. 18 letter, the House decision was not a unilateral act by House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, but a decision arrived at through a democratic process and at a public meeting.

Go-it-alone governing led Pawlenty to unallot programs on which our most vulnerable citizens rely for their basic needs. Anderson Kelliher led the Minnesota House of Representatives -- together -- in standing up to him.

REP. STEVE SIMON, DFL-ST. LOUIS PARK

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Letter of the Day: For Lutherans, there is sadness, Thanksgiving and dissension

Nov 22, 2009 at 02:46 PM

RUTH ANN JACKSON, DEEPHAVEN

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THE REV. ROBERT S. NELSON, EDINA

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TOBY WALDOWSKI, WOODBURY

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Mike Sweeney: With level playing field, future is bright for news

Mike Sweeney| Nov 22, 2009 at 02:01 PM

Photo by Star Tribune

Mike Sweeney is the chairman of the board of directors for the Star Tribune.

It has been almost two months since I became chairman of the new Star Tribune, and I'd like to share my impressions of our company, our newspaper and the evolution of the news industry. My colleagues have stressed the special obligation a news organization has to be open and transparent. If we ask you to have confidence in our reporting, we must let you know who we are and where we are going. To that end, although we are a privately held company, we will soon be sharing on our website the same information on our ownership, our board, our executives and our financial results that publicly held companies must provide.

Today we are a profitable company with a healthy balance sheet and the financial resources to fulfill our core mission of being Minnesota's most important news source. Following the financial restructuring completed in September, we are more efficient and more innovative. The combined readership of our print and online offerings has never been higher.

And we are continuing to innovate. StarTribune.com is by far the most popular Minnesota-based website, but we believe it can be much better. During 2010 we'll make a significant investment in the website, adding up-to-date architecture that will allow us to provide more robust information in a format that is simple to navigate. The printed version of our newspaper generates the majority of our revenue, and it won't be going away any time soon. We will print and deliver a great newspaper as long as our customers want it.

The quality of journalism at the Star Tribune has never been higher. Of the 270 people who work in our newsroom, 115 are reporters. And 100 community bloggers write for our website. In 2000, when technology was less helpful to journalists, we employed 126 reporters. No news organization in Minnesota comes close to matching our reporting resources and expertise.

In my 30 years in business, I have never seen a more exciting marketplace than today's news industry. Citizens are more interested in news than ever, and there are countless organizations willing to provide it. For-profit businesses and nonprofits are all vying for your attention. Large technology-driven companies like Google and Yahoo are competing with niche businesses like Politico and the Huffington Post. And the nonprofit world has responded with terrific sites like Minnesota's own e-democracy.org and MinnPost. Against this robust backdrop, our community is facing important public policy questions. One that particularly concerns us is whether the government should provide taxpayer dollars to subsidize news media companies. From the Star Tribune's perspective, the answer is a resounding "No!" We don't want or need taxpayer subsidies, and we see no reason for government to disrupt an already robust, innovative market.

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Jill Burcum: Northstar: Riding the rigid rail

Jill Burcum| Nov 22, 2009 at 02:28 PM

Photo by Star Tribune

At 6:10 p.m. in Minneapolis, the last north-bound Northstar of the day takes on passengers at the Target Field Station before heading north to Big Lake.

I could barely contain my excitement after getting a sneak preview last summer of the new Northstar Line now gliding into Minneapolis from the northwest suburbs. Stepping into the gleaming blue-and-yellow rail cars, I happily pictured myself settling in with a latte and a newspaper for a stress-free ride to work -- a stark contrast to my daily battle on the roads through congestion-plagued Hwys. 10 and 252.

But after taking Northstar to work on Monday -- couldn't resist riding on its first official day of operation -- I'm back behind the wheel of my dusty Volkswagen. And with rare exceptions, maybe snowy days that really snarl traffic, that's where I plan to stay. The reason? The state's sparkling, much-needed new rail line has an Achilles' heel barely mentioned during last week's inaugural festivities: its limited schedule.

By design, it serves commuters lucky enough to have an 8-to-5 schedule who never work late, but few others. If you're relying on Northstar to see the Holidazzle parade, for example, you're out of luck unless you go on a Saturday. On Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, the last train out of Minneapolis leaves before the first light-filled float rolls down Nicollet Mall at 6:30 p.m. Planning to take in the Twins, see the Timberwolves or cheer on the Vikings? Some home games fit Northstar's regular schedule, but a fair number may not. Fortunately, Northstar can run additional special trains to serve sports fans or others attending big events, but only 30 times a year. The Twins alone have 81 home games in 2010.

Then there are commuters like me. My workday starts and ends later than most: 9 to 6. That's problematic on both ends. The last of the five morning trains into Minneapolis that I can catch leaves at 7:42 a.m. I had to be at the Coon Rapids station more than an hour before I normally back my car out of the garage.

Having the last of the five evening trains out at 6:10 p.m. also leaves zero wiggle room to deal with day's-end demands. I made the train Monday night, but rushed through a key interview so I could leave work early to catch the Hiawatha Line in time to get to Northstar's Target Field station by 6:10 p.m. I also had a backup ride ready.

To be fair, those who pushed long and hard to make the $317 million Big Lake-to-Minneapolis Northstar Line a reality always intended it to serve only as a "commuter rail,'' meaning a train that operates during peak times to ease rush-hour congestion. Doing so likely saved several hundred million dollars. Northstar's more limited service meant it didn't need costly new tracks built for exclusive use, unlike light-rail projects. Instead, it purchased the right to run at certain times on tracks owned by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad.

My fear is that this tradeoff -- limited schedule for a lower price -- may jeopardize Northstar ridership, as well as the success of this line and other regional rail projects. Anoka County Commissioner Dan Erhart and other farsighted Northstar champions are positioning one of the nation's fastest-growing population corridors for a future in which energy prices are increasingly uncertain. While hard-core environmentalists hope skyrocketing gas prices cause us suburbanites to abandon our communities and pile into Warehouse District condos, that's simply not realistic. Better to start putting in transportation infrastructure like Northstar now vs. scrambling to do it 10 or 20 years down the road.

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Lori Sturdevant: And, as always, obstacles in the transit path

LORI STURDEVANT| Nov 22, 2009 at 02:22 PM

During a couple of fits of frustration this year (he's had several) while attempting to mollify potential neighbors of the Central Corridor light-rail line, Peter Bell has pondered aloud the larger significance of its bumpy road to construction.

"Can we still build big things in this state?" the Metropolitan Council chairman asked. "If we had not already done so, could we build the interstate highway system today?"

Another time, he sighed: "Maybe the amount of checks and balances we have put into decisionmaking for infrastructure projects don't allow us to do big things anymore."

The most recent source of Bell's aggravation has been a dispute with the University of Minnesota. Corridor planners and university leaders have been oh-so-slow to come to an understanding about how best to keep vibration and electromagnetic interference from disrupting research in buildings on Washington Avenue, adjacent to the proposed rail line.

They're just about out of time if the project is going to stay on schedule and within budget. The $940 million project counts on receiving half of its funding from the federal government. Unless that money is in President Obama's 2010 budget, this railroad won't be running as scheduled in 2014. Obama's support likely hinges on securing a deal with the University of Minnesota early next month.

Word from last week's Central Corridor talks was encouraging. A new memorandum of understanding is finally in the works.

Far be it from this columnist to jinx a pending deal by rehashing points of prior dispute. (Besides, I'd have to turn this column over to my electrical-engineer husband to do the topic justice.) I'd rather root for the Central Corridor with Bell's bigger question in mind.

The next phase of light rail signifies more than a new way to get from downtown Minneapolis to downtown St. Paul. It's also about demonstrating that Minnesotans still have big ideas for building this state, and can pull them off without getting tripped up by parochial interests or what's-in-it-for-me thinking. (And no, I don't consider the University of Minnesota a parochial interest.)

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Katherine Kersten: At U, future teachers may be reeducated

KATHERINE KERSTEN| Nov 22, 2009 at 06:57 PM

Do you believe in the American dream -- the idea that in this country, hardworking people of every race, color and creed can get ahead on their own merits? If so, that belief may soon bar you from getting a license to teach in Minnesota public schools -- at least if you plan to get your teaching degree at the University of Minnesota's Twin Cities campus.

In a report compiled last summer, the Race, Culture, Class and Gender Task Group at the U's College of Education and Human Development recommended that aspiring teachers there must repudiate the notion of "the American Dream" in order to obtain the recommendation for licensure required by the Minnesota Board of Teaching. Instead, teacher candidates must embrace -- and be prepared to teach our state's kids -- the task force's own vision of America as an oppressive hellhole: racist, sexist and homophobic.

The task group is part of the Teacher Education Redesign Initiative, a multiyear project to change the way future teachers are trained at the U's flagship campus. The initiative is premised, in part, on the conviction that Minnesota teachers' lack of "cultural competence" contributes to the poor academic performance of the state's minority students. Last spring, it charged the task group with coming up with recommendations to change this. In January, planners will review the recommendations and decide how to proceed.

The report advocates making race, class and gender politics the "overarching framework" for all teaching courses at the U. It calls for evaluating future teachers in both coursework and practice teaching based on their willingness to fall into ideological lockstep.

The first step toward "cultural competence," says the task group, is for future teachers to recognize -- and confess -- their own bigotry. Anyone familiar with the reeducation camps of China's Cultural Revolution will recognize the modus operandi.

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Nick Coleman: Won't you please help end recession?

NICK COLEMAN| Nov 22, 2009 at 02:12 PM

Thanksgiving Day is coming, and Mr. Turkey said: "It's very careful I must be, or I will lose my head."

That little ditty, still popular among today's vegan-leaning schoolchildren despite the gruesome fate on the chopping block, might serve as a warning to consumers as we head into a holiday shopping season that could help revive the economy.

Don't lose your head. You'll need it.

The traditional start of the Christmas spending orgy comes Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, and rarely, if ever, has so much been riding on the hopes that shoppers will throw aside their fears -- and their late-payment notices -- and shop until they drop or the recession stops. It's not likely to be that easy.

Black Friday, as it used to be called when it could be counted on to put retailers in the black for the year and when predawn shoppers trampled each other in angry scrums fighting for the last Tickle-Me-Elmo doll, may only be gray this time. According to the National Retail Federation, consumers expect to spend 3 percent less on shopping than they did last year, and two out of three American families say they are worried about the economy and plan to spend less, look for sales bargains, use coupons, make do with last year's decorations and hold the purse strings tight.

With unemployment high, jobs still being lost, credit hard to get and Americans skeptical that a recovery has begun, this could be the modern-era equivalent of all those Christmases your grandparents told you about, when their stockings were filled -- if they were full -- with oranges, a wooden top and a pack of chewing gum. All of this brings us to the patriotic consumer's dilemma: Shopping is good for the country's economy, but dangerous to your family's financial security. What are we supposed to do? Mary Jane LaVigne and Reverend Billy have the answer:

Nothing.

To be more precise, they say "buy nothing" on Black Friday. Buy nothing from the big-box stores and buy nothing from the corporate consumerism pushers. Instead, spend your money locally, spend it thoughtfully, and avoid spending it on cheap, trendy junk that clutters your closets after it breaks and might have been made in a sweatshop or an overseas factory where workers are paid poorly and treated worse.

And, most of all, ask yourself WWJB: What Would Jesus Buy?

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Letter of the Day: State has bigger priorities than a Vikings stadium

Nov 22, 2009 at 02:25 PM

Photo by Getty Images

Zygi Wilf, owner of the Minnesota Vikings

Two stories in the Nov. 19 Star Tribune caught my attention.

The first was that Hennepin County Medical Center has to reduce care to the poor because it is facing a crippling loss of state health care funds. HCMC will have to cut 150 to 200 jobs and close two clinics on its downtown campus.

The second story reported that the Minnesota Vikings "are drawing a line in the sand over a new stadium."

Doesn't Vikings owner Zygi Wilf realize that the economy has changed since Target Field was first proposed? People are suffering and desperately in need of state aid. Taxpayers realize this. The thought of any state aid for a new football stadium is ridiculous and will be political suicide for anyone who supports the idea.

DENNIS YELKIN, HOPKINS

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Readers Write for Sunday, Nov. 22

Nov 22, 2009 at 02:29 PM

BIG STONE II

Blocking it actually hurt environmentalists' cause

How ironic. By blocking the construction of the Big Stone II power plant, environmentalists have ensured that the vast wind potential of South Dakota will not be developed for the foreseeable future because the wind-power developers are unwilling to spend the money for the transmission lines that Big Stone II would have provided.

Environmentalists have a stranglehold on this country that limits progress in many areas.

ED NYGAARD, PRESCOTT, WIS.

BREAST CANCER EXAMS

Following guidelines could cost lives

As a three-time breast cancer survivor, I am incensed and appalled by the recommendations for cancer screenings ("A major shift on breast exams," Nov. 17). I especially disagree with the conclusion that breast self-examinations provide no value. I discovered the tumors in my breasts each time through self-examination, and at age 83, I'm alive to tell the tale.

The proponents of these guidelines speak of raising undue anxiety in women, but it seems they failed to consider the freedom from anxiety that occurs when mammograms show that no cancer is present.

One wonders about the accuracy of the data cited in the research and whether monetary considerations influenced their findings.

I hope that the previous guidelines, upheld by the Mayo Clinic and the Cancer Society, will supersede the unfortunate revisions.

EUNICE HAFEMEISTER, MINNEAPOLIS

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In the late 1800s, women in their late 20s and 30s were given hysterectomies for the purpose of "calming them down" from feminine mood swings. In the early 1900s, Sigmund Freud treated women for their anxiety, relabeling it sexual frustration. In the 1950s and 1960s, women were declared unfit for executive positions because the anxiety and disequilibrium of their monthly periods would cause them to make "emotional" decisions during "that time of the month."

And now, to spare us the anxiety of a false positive, we are told to forgo mammograms until we turn 50 and then have the procedure less frequently.

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