Last year, nearly 500,000 Minnesotans used SNAP, but cuts are threatened in Washington
Now is the time to keep anti-hunger programs funded.
By SOPHIA LENARZ-COY

FOOD SHELF AND VOLUNTEERS

​
HUNGER
The cost of groceries was front and center during this year's election. And for good reason — families across the country, and certainly here in Minnesota, are feeling the stress of increased prices at the checkout line.

Since 2020, we've seen a steady, and alarming, increase in visits to food shelves statewide.

Part of the reason for this spike is that hunger is on the rise, but at the same time it's also true that our food shelves have earned a sterling reputation for reliability — they've done an incredible job adapting, responding to and meeting the needs of Minnesotans.

But there's only so much our food shelf partners can do. They are part of a greater ecosystem to help address rising food costs and food insecurity. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, better known as SNAP, is an incredibly efficient and effective program for lowincome Minnesotans and a vital part of this ecosystem.

For every meal a food shelf is able to provide, SNAP provides nine.
Last year, nearly 500,000 Minnesotans used SNAP — it's a program that reaches and assists children, college students, families and seniors, the latter of which has seen one of the highest increases in food insecurity in our state.

In Minnesota, senior food shelf visits are up 64% since 2020. But of all these numbers, there's one that keeps me up at night: Right now, the minimum average SNAP participant in Minnesota receives just $5.16 per day. Certainly this is not enough for anyone to live on, let alone purchase fresh, healthy food.

There's long been a myth that those who utilize food shelves, rely on SNAP or participate in other benefits programs don't like or value healthy food. We know this isn't true. What is true, is that fresh, healthy foods — fruits, vegetables, eggs, meat — are often not accessible or affordable when living on a SNAP budget. When you're looking to maximize $5.16 per day, you have to make trade-offs. There are times where you might be forced to choose cheaper calories, not because it's your first choice, but because economically, it's smart.

SNAP is funded at the federal level as part of the farm bill, and incoming legislators are in talks to slash the budget for it — up to a $30 billion cut.

This type of drastic cut would have an immediate and devastating impact on families already struggling to get food on the table. It would also send shock waves through the rest of the hunger ecosystem, straining food shelves and other hunger relief programs.

The impact of hunger is pervasive. We know that when people's basic needs are met, starting with access to healthy food, they experience improved health outcomes, meaning fewer visits to emergency rooms, which reduces medical costs. We know when people are wellfed, they perform better at school or work. Additionally, research from the Food Action & Research Center (FRAC) shows that every dollar spent on SNAP generates about $1.54 in local economic activity.
Simply put, we can't cut SNAP funding and expect people to be able to eat healthier.

And if this cut comes, we can expect costs to rise in other areas. We know the intersection between health and hunger is real — and we know that when preventive measures are taken to keep our community well fed, it relieves the strain on our local health care systems.

The truth is, many Minnesotans are one unexpected bill or lost paycheck away from qualifying for, and needing, programs like SNAP or visiting food shelves to get food on the table. Raising awareness, empathy and support is needed now more than ever. So is building our community to support food security in Minnesota!

Donate to or volunteer at a local food shelf, talk to your friends and family about the issue, support organizations working in the anti-hunger space, write to or call your legislators to encourage smart policies that support (and fund!) anti-hunger initiatives.

Hunger is a statewide issue, and the solution is multifaceted, takes all of us and definitely includes keeping SNAP funded.

Sophia Lenarz-Coy is executive director of The Food Group.

Think of your financial choices as a path to discovery
Money decisions can put you on a route that is forever changing.
By ROSS LEVIN For the Minnesota Star Tribu​ne

IF YOU WANT YOUR FINANCIAL LIFE TO BE REWARDING, CONSIDER YOUR PATH TO BE A CHANGING ROUTE SHAPED BY MOVEMENT RATHER THAN AS A STATIC MAP.

I use a navigation app when I am trying to get somewhere because it often takes me on routes that I would not have uncovered myself: It might guide me to less traveled streets, but they are nonetheless roads.

When you chart your financial course, you might want to be on a road, but you are really on a path. And as the poet Antonio Machado wrote, "The path is made by walking."

Every financial choice you make sets you on a path of discovery. There is not a GPS to effortlessly guide you. Instead, you bushwhack your way through what you thought life would be like to get to the way it really is.

Homeownership, for example, will take you on various paths. Some of these lead you to unexpected pleasures: a community you enjoy, maybe more space or something to call your own. But you invariably will also make discoveries you weren't completely prepared for: surprise repairs, intensified levels of upkeep and more responsibility.

Prepare yourself for this incredible trek by focusing on a couple of keys.

Build in elasticity. Nothing goes exactly according to plan. Keep at least a couple of months' expenses relatively liquid. Having access to credit lines helps you navigate surprises. Set up a home equity line of credit that you will hopefully never use but is there if you need it. Have a credit card that you don't use but can serve you in an emergency. After doing this, freeze your credit by contacting the three major credit reporting agencies. Your credit is easily unfrozen if you need it later. It is often easiest to receive credit when you need it the least, so plan in advance.

Don't fall in love with your balance sheet. It's a bunch of numbers that change all the time. Your path is made by taking the steps necessary to move forward, but you can count on some blisters along the way. Markets go up and down. Determine how much you want to save and where it needs to go rather than hyperfixating on your investments.

Raise your standard of living slightly more slowly than raises in your income. Enjoy spending by managing it. We appreciate assets more when we have to make choices around them.

If you want your financial life to be rewarding, consider your path to be an ever-changing route shaped by movement rather than as a static map.

Spend your life wisely.

Ross Levin is the founder of Accredited Investors Wealth Management in Edina. He can be reached at [email protected].

THREE MILE ISLAND A NEW TEST
A plan to restart one of the reactors that didn’t melt down in 1979 is part of U.S. efforts to expand its nuclear power capacity without raising emissions.
Story by REBECCA F. ELLIOTT • Photos by GEORGE ETHEREDGE • The New York Times

FINANCIAL BACKING FROM MICROSOFT IS BEHIND THE PLAN TO RESTART A REACTOR AT 3 MILE ISLAND. A BALANCE TO MEET INCREASING POWER AND REDUCING POLLUTION TO MEET GLOBAL WARMING STANDARDS.

MIDDLETOWN, PA. - The concrete cooling towers that rise from a sliver of land south of Pennsylvania's capital became symbols nearly a half-century ago of the risks of nuclear energy.

Now, a plan to restart one of the two reactors at Three Mile Island is at the leading edge of efforts to greatly expand the country's reliance on atomic fission to meet the growing power demands of homes, businesses and data centers.

Refurbishing this aging plant — a fenced-off maze of pipes, valves, pumps and turbines in the middle of the Susquehanna River — depends on the financial backing of Microsoft. The technology giant has agreed to buy all of the electricity the plant generates, most likely starting in 2028, for 20 years.

Three Mile Island's proposed revival reflects how vastly the perspectives on nuclear power in the United States have shifted since a cooling failure led to the partial meltdown of one of the island's reactors in 1979.


Once the target of fierce opposition, nuclear power plants are now coveted for generating large amounts of electricity around the clock without releasing the emissions that contribute to climate change.
What's less clear is whether expanding U.S. nuclear capacity will pencil out economically.

Resuscitating the Three Mile Island reactor that didn't suffer a partial meltdown amounts to an early test of whether an industry known for blowing timelines and budgets can deliver on its promises.

Joseph Dominguez, the CEO of Constellation Energy, which bought the reactor in 1999, is confident that he is laying the groundwork not just to bring Three Mile Island back to life but also to add further to the company's nuclear power fleet, the largest in the country.

"Twelve months from now, Constellation will have started on the path towards building new reactors," Dominguez said in a recent interview.
No reactor set to close permanently has been brought back online in the United States, and only three new ones have been completed in the past quartercentury.

The last two, built in Georgia, arrived seven years late and cost around $35 billion, more than twice as much as planned. Others have fared even worse: Utilities spent roughly $9 billion on two nuclear reactors in South Carolina before abandoning the project in 2017.

If Constellation and others succeed in scaling up nuclear power — currently around 19% of the U.S. electricity mix — the result would largely be due to the financial backing of some of the world's most valuable companies. These plants would also be eligible for federal tax credits.

Microsoft is effectively paying Constellation to bring Three Mile Island back online, while Google and Amazon recently struck deals with startups developing smaller reactors that they hope will power up in the 2030s.

All three tech giants pledged to decarbonize their operations, but their data centers are consuming huge amounts of energy, making those goals more difficult to meet.

If this proves to be another false start for the nuclear industry, it will mean all the money in the world wasn't enough to overcome the technological and regulatory hurdles to expanding the use of fission, in which atoms are split to create heat and make steam that is used to generate electricity.

"It's an industry with a really substantial burden of proof based on all of the disappointments — all of the very expensive disappointments," said Peter A. Bradford, who served on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission during the partial meltdown at Three Mile Island in March 1979.

It was then that America began to fall out of love with nuclear power.

Ken Bryan was on the island, working the night shift, when the telephone rang. It was just after 4 a.m., and alarms were sounding in Unit 2, the newer of the island's two reactors.

The warnings came so quickly — hundreds of them — that the control-room printer couldn't keep up.

It later became clear that a valve designed to regulate pressure in the reactor had become stuck in an open position, allowing cooling water to escape as steam. The core overheated, and the plant released radioactive material.

"The reactor's supposed to get hot, but not that hot," Bryan, 80, said in an interview.

Some 6 miles away, Patricia Longenecker was asleep on the farm she shared with her husband and two young children.

Hours later, she heard the news come over the radio, and soon it was just about all her neighbors could talk about.

"There isn't a person in this room this evening who hasn't asked the question, 'How much radiation has my family received?'" she would testify that spring, during a state hearing at her children's elementary school. "How is it going to affect our health?"

Studies ultimately found that the radiation had a "negligible" effect on people's physical health and the environment, according to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Public backlash was swift, however — and grew after the 1986 accident at the Chernobyl nuclear plant in Ukraine. Facing steep construction costs and heightened public opposition, dozens of planned reactor projects were canceled.

Three Mile Island's undamaged reactor, down for refueling during the accident, remained offline for six years. It resumed operations in 1985 over the objections of residents and activists, providing power for nearly 34 years before shutting down in 2019 as utilities opted for cheaper electricity from natural gas plants.

By early 2023, Constellation was exploring whether to fuel it up again as long-flat U.S. electricity demand was poised to rise.

In addition, the dangers posed by climate change have become more visible in the wildfires scorching the West and the hurricanes buffeting the Southeast.

Nuclear power had also grown more popular, with 56% of U.S. adults favoring new plants, up from 43% in 2016, according to Pew Research Center surveys.

"The trade-off is: Are you concerned about the dangers of nuclear power, or are you more concerned about the dangers of climate change?" said Patrick McDonnell, who previously led Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection.

"Climate change is the biggest issue we face."

Goldman Sachs projects that U.S. power demand will grow more than 2% a year on average through the end of the decade, with data centers consuming around 8% of the country's electricity by 2030, a jump from roughly 3% now.

The day Constellation announced in September that it would spend around $1.6 billion to restart Three Mile Island — a plant big enough to power more than 700,000 homes and employ upward of 700 people — the company's stock rose 22%.

C onstellation and Microsoft haven't disclosed the financial terms of their deal, but the investment bank Jefferies estimated that Microsoft may have agreed to pay $110 to $115 per megawatt-hour, or nearly double the market rate for wholesale electricity.

"In their wildest dreams, Joe never thought that he could get the off-take agreement he got from Microsoft," said Jigar Shah, director of the Energy Department's loan programs office, referring to Dominguez of Constellation.

Constellation anticipates that the reactor vessel won't require any repairs, and the steam generators — costly equipment that help produce electricity — were replaced about 15 years ago. The company had them inspected in May and said it found no corrosion.
The main power transformers that connect the plant to the grid will need to be replaced at a cost of around $100 million. The plant is also getting a new name: the Crane Clean Energy Center.
"We know how to run this reactor, so as long as the equipment is in good shape, the level of complexity here is — I would describe it as significantly lower than building a new reactor," Dominguez said.
Unexpected hurdles could arise, and meaningfully expanding nuclear capacity would require not only reviving shuttered reactors but also building new ones.

To make it more economically feasible to build reactors, companies will need to manufacture many of them rather than one-off models, the Energy Department has said. Adding new reactors to existing nuclear sites would further reduce costs and other hurdles.

Dominguez said Constellation was exploring with clients what such an undertaking would entail, including who would shoulder certain risks.
"We'll pick a technology that we think is being successfully deployed by others and where we have a chance to effectively buy the next, call it the next six, units from a company that's already built the first six,"Dominguez said.

Some investors remain wary.
"We're going to need new nuclear," said Bobby Edemeka, a portfolio manager at investment manager Jennison Associates, which holds around $300 million in Constellation stock. But, he added, "I personally won't be investing in those companies that are building new nuclear until the industry has proven that it's possible to get these done on time and on budget."

After this election, our country needs to heal
LAURA YUEN Columnist

Half of America woke up Wednesday to a country they barely knew. Devastation and disgust, outrage and disbelief: How could we send Donald Trump, with all of his defects and felonies, back to the White House? The other half rejoiced in vindication, or at least felt comforted by hoisting the nation back on what they consider the right track.

Now that the election is over, the question is: How will we all carry on? Rose McGee was one of those Americans who was pained by news of a second Trump term. She wonders what it would be like to engage with some of her Golden Valley neighbors who planted Trump signs in their yards.

McGee, who voted for Kamala Harris, is a professional facilitator with the Minnesota Humanities Center. She also brings together people over her Sweet Potato Comfort Pie and conversation across communities, in hopes of fostering racial healing. "My work is trying to figure out how people can have conversations in ways that they can move forward and function together," she said.

And yet if she ever were to sit down with a Trump-supporting neighbor, she is stumped as to what that conversation might sound like.

"I don't know," she said. "That's why I'd like to have it."

Maybe her first question would be: Where are we out of alignment? As a Black woman, she cannot afford to be aloof about matters that directly affect her. Trump's racist and misogynist rhetoric, his support from white supremacists, feel awfully personal. "If you're not particularly in support of issues that I consider to be human rights, does that mean you're not concerned about me as a human being?" McGee wonders. "It's deep and complicated."

Pat Garofalo, a Republican who lives in Lakeville, stepped down from public office this year after serving two decades in the Legislature.
He said after the DFL took total control two years ago — winning the governor's seat and majorities in the Senate and House — Minnesotans lost something that had always made him proud: the ability to work together. (As of writing this column Wednesday morning, it looks like the Minnesota House is now evenly split.) The polarization Garofalo started to experience in the statehouse mirrors what is unfolding in society at large, he said.

"Legislators don't fall from the sky," he said. "You have more and more people on both sides of the aisle who don't want to hear things that are different from what they believe. Everything they get fed to them just confirms everything they already know.

There's less of a willingness to learn."

Despite that, politics hasn't driven a wedge between him and Democratic friends. He even made a point to share on social media that he and his family recently hung out with a DFL family and their children. "We all had a great time," he wrote, and that was pretty much the post.

"It's not like they're Martians or something," Garofalo told me. "We're good friends, we can tease each other, and we can talk about things that aren't political. Elections are important. But they're not more important than family or friendship."

This age of polarization also worries Naomi Ko, a Minneapolis-based artist who backed Harris. Her comedy troupe, Funny Asian Women Kollective, performed its 10th anniversary show three days after the election. The group aims to bring more visibility to Asian American women and fight the kind of anti-Asian hate that surged during the COVID-19 virus. The show offered an opportunity to heal.

"Friday night is an opportunity to laugh, to be in community, and not feel so isolated," she told me before the event.

"We deserve to have joy in our lives. We're going to try our damn hardest to bring a little light to our community."

"I think we need that perspective shift," she added. "At least for two hours."

I've worried about our country and how we'd power through, regardless of who won this election. For people who are appalled by Trump, four years is a long time to live in despair or bitterness. But we can still have hope. We can make our local communities better. We can model respectful conversations for our children and grandchildren.

We can listen with curiosity, rather than instant judgment.

But we should also do other things: Take a break from the news. Get outside. Adopt the puppy. Call your friend. Clean the house. Hit the gym. Make the trip. Volunteer. Find reasons to laugh, perhaps, amid the tears. If you're tormented by the results of this election, don't suffer alone.

If you supported Trump, check in on your friends, neighbors and colleagues who did not. Your compassion at this time won't be forgotten.

A phrase I am clinging to in this postelection fog comes from conservative New York Times columnist David French, who says, "Protect the vulnerable and speak the truth."

If Trump does follow up on his promises of mass deportations and punishing his enemies, there will be many people to defend.

As for the truth, we all have the responsibility to remain informed and levelheaded, while making sure any news articles we share are from credible sources. Don't let the algorithms that lord over our social media feeds push us to unwarranted outrage.

And if you're grieving today, remember to keep fighting for the future you want. That won't stop.

You know why? You're half the nation. And you're still here.  [email protected]

Don’t let anger get the best of you OUTSWIMMING THE SHARKS By HARVEY MACKAY For the Minnesota Star Tribune A VERY GOOD LESSON FOR ALL OF US!

A monk decided to meditate alone, away from his monastery.

He took his boat out to the middle of a lake, dropped anchor and closed his eyes to begin his meditation.

After a few hours of serene, undisturbed silence, he suddenly felt the bump of another boat colliding with his. He immediately grew angry at being interrupted and opened his eyes ready to scream at the clumsy boatman who had dared to interfere with his meditation.

But when he looked around, he saw only an empty boat that had become untethered and floated to the middle of the lake.

At that moment, the monk suddenly realized something: All anger comes from within.

From then on, whenever someone irritated him or provoked him to anger, he reminded himself of the empty boat.

In reality, we all have anger within us. All it needs is someone, like an empty boat, to provoke it. Anger causes so many problems not only in society, but also personally. Anger can lead to unacceptable actions that we immediately regret.

Rather than enabling us to see possible solutions, we become so entrenched in our own position that we become irrational.

Buddha, the religious teacher, said, “Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.”

Experts say extreme anger can add to our stress and take a toll on our physical and mental health, including elevating blood pressure, compromising liver function and causing stroke. Apply that to a business, and the results are financially devastating. The cycle is deadly.

Dealing with anger is a challenge we all face, and it is important to handle it constructively.

When I feel anger bubbling up, I remind myself of a few key strategies:

Pause and delay.
As Thomas Jefferson wisely advised, when you are angry, count to 10 before you speak. If you are very angry, count to 100. This delay gives you time to cool down and think more rationally. Don’t forget to take deep breaths to calm your nervous system and reduce the intensity of your anger. Physical activity can be a great outlet for the energy that comes with anger.

Reflect and respond.
If possible, step away from the situation that is making you angry.
This can give you the space you need to think things through.
Instead of focusing on the anger itself, try to find a constructive solution to the problem at hand.

Never underestimate the value of a good night’s sleep. When you are well rested, you are more likely to control angry impulses.

Giving someone a piece of your mind rarely leaves you with peace of mind.

Perspective and empathy.
Anger can lead to outcomes that nobody wants. It is better to walk away than to escalate a situation to the point of no return. Try to understand where the other person is coming from.

A man named Mark had a bad temper. One day he was complaining to his friend Hugh that no one wanted to spend time with him because he got angry so easily. He asked his friend, “What can I do?”
Hugh advised him to buy a few bottles of expensive wine and whenever he got angry, to break one in a sink.

Mark responded, “Why would I throw away good money and wine?”
“That is what you are doing when you get angry,” Hugh advised. “You are wasting your energy and your health, and harming your relationships with your family and friends.”

The next day Mark bought several bottles of fine wine. He eventually learned to control his anger — and found a better way to use the wine!

Mackay’s Moral:
An angry person is seldom reasonable; a reasonable person is seldom angry.
Harvey Mackay is a Minneapolis businessman. Contact him at 612-378- 6202 or email [email protected].

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Scary power of cognitive dissonance

I COULD NOT HAVE SAID IT BETTER GOOD JOB BRUCE!

​Why in the world would millions of people post — or broadcast, text, tweet, view, or forward — things like hurricanes are "weather weapons"? The tempting answer is that these people are nuts. But if we say that we are missing the chance to better understand ourselves and the political mess we are in. -​bruce peterson U of M Law-

A mismatch between our actual conduct or beliefs and our fictional self-image is so painful that we do whatever it takes to preserve the fiction.

According to misinformation researcher Mike Caulfield of the University of Washington, people spread conspiracy theories neither to persuade anyone nor to trigger action. Their purpose is more profound — to sustain beliefs that can't stand up to actual facts.

Atlantic staff writer Charlie Warzel has explained that hurricane conspiracy promoters are desperate to debunk global warming and justify their distrust and grievances.

We are seeing the latest example of the scary power of the phenomenon of cognitive dissonance to distort our thinking.

Though I am outraged at the harm done by misinformation — death threats to meteorologists! — I have come to see it as a sad product of our universal human fallibility.

We are like a figure skater on a pond, trying to look good but not knowing where the ice is thin. We desperately want to believe — and for the world to see — that we are rational, competent and honest, that our lives are coherent because our actions match that selfimage.
But the foundation of mind and emotions that underlies our rosy self-image is too frail to support such lofty aspirations. Unchecked emotions swamp our reason. Cognitive biases bedevil us. We overrate our intelligence and integrity.

So at best our skater will sometimes get his feet wet. A mismatch between our actual conduct or beliefs and our fictional self-image — cognitive dissonance — is so painful that we do whatever it takes to preserve the fiction. We change the facts, we change our memories, and we even change a picture of airplane contrails into a sure sign of government hurricane manipulation.

Recognizing the power of cognitive dissonance can help us appreciate why people so often seem immune to obvious facts — and maybe help us become more open-minded ourselves.

In their fascinating book "Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me)," psychologists Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson show how self-justification fueled by cognitive dissonance has stopped police and prosecutors from accepting compelling new evidence that they got the wrong man and economists from admitting that their predictions were bad.

"I am a skilled professional. This annoying new evidence is obviously wrong."

All of us fall prey to cognitive dissonance. My cheerful wife occasionally offers me, shall we say, suggestions for improvement. And after 50 years I have learned that she is usually right. How I wish I could have listened more to what she had to say instead of leaping to the defense of my virtuous self-image.

Solomon was blunt about it:
"Whoever loves correction loves knowledge, but whoever hates reproof is stupid." (Proverbs 12:1, World English Bible).

Avoiding the discomfort of cognitive dissonance shapes politics. Donald Trump is overwhelmingly supported by the people who voted for him in 2020 despite his encouraging an insurrection, being found liable for sexual abuse and civil fraud, threatening revenge against political opponents, and refusing to commit to accepting the result of the 2024 election. The greater the evidence of his misconduct, the stronger will be the need of his supporters to dismiss it.

Before Donald Trump's New York conviction on 34 felonies, only 17% of Republicans said that a convicted felon should be allowed to be president. Immediately after the verdict, that portion rose to 58%.

"I am a good citizen. I wouldn't vote for a true felon. But this case was just a political witch-hunt."

Am I just lecturing Trump supporters to wake up and smell the coffee?
​Well, yes, but there is plenty of cognitive dissonance to go around. New York Times columnist David Brooks cites it for extremism on the left.

I remember the message of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. as hopeful and welcoming. He had a dream everyone could share: White and Black people could partner in creating an America that lived up to its beautiful ideals. All of God's children, Black and white, could be free at last.

Sure, Southerners resisted, but overall the message was so compelling that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 passed with huge majorities of both parties.

Sixty years later there is ample cause for frustration, but instead of building on what has been accomplished, some messages about race from progressives today are only condemnatory. America is hopelessly stained by structural racism. White privilege is a character blot.

Why so little perspective? A tenet of the progressive left is that the world consists of oppressors and the oppressed, and the oppressed are the good guys.

But loud leftist voices often come from students and faculty at privileged universities and journalists at elite publications, i.e., card-carrying members of the oppressive system.

Enter cognitive dissonance. Brooks suggests that the way to reconcile the internal conflict between one's identity as a progressive enemy of an oppressive system while enjoying privileged membership in that very system is to be its most shrill critic.

It is no surprise that the political opinions published by student newspapers at elite schools are much more progressive than those at other schools.

So are we fated to blunder around in the fantasy we create of our own perfection? No.

Tavris and Aronson highlight a powerful inner resource: self-compassion. If we remember that no one is right all the time, and we still don't let ourselves off the hook too easily, we can work on a more genuine self-image: "I was wrong. My mistake caused harm. I can accept this and remain a smart, decent person who tries to do the right thing."

Our nation is freighted with rigidity. The human tendency is to dig in just when we should be opening up to new, challenging information. If ever there was a time to take a hard look at ourselves, this is it.

Bruce Peterson is a senior district judge and teaches a class on lawyers as peacemakers at the University of Minnesota Law School.

Q - What does this mean "by the people for the people"

"By the people for the people"

is a phrase that often signifies a government or system that is directly controlled and governed by the citizens it represents.
​It implies:

Democracy:
The people have a say in how they are ruled, typically through voting and other forms of participation.

Equality:
All citizens are considered equal and have equal rights and responsibilities.
​
Representation:
The government's actions and policies should reflect the will of the people. This phrase is often associated with democratic principles and ideals, and it can be found in various contexts, such as government documents, speeches, and slogans.
​_________________________________

 Q If it is the will of the people, is it considered democratic to support those less fortunate?

Yes, supporting those less fortunate is considered a democratic principle. Here's why:

Social justice:
Democratic societies often strive for social justice, which means ensuring that everyone has equal opportunities and is treated fairly. Supporting those less fortunate is a way to promote social justice.

Compassion:
Compassion and empathy are often valued in democratic societies. Supporting those less fortunate demonstrates compassion and a willingness to help others.

Collective good:
Democratic societies often believe in the idea of the collective good, which means that the well-being of the entire community is important.

​ Supporting those less fortunate can contribute to the overall well-being of the community. While there may be different approaches to supporting those less fortunate, the principle of doing so is generally considered to be consistent with democratic values.
​_____________________________________________

Q What is Fascism?

Fascism is a far-right political ideology that emphasizes the importance of the nation or race above individual rights. It is characterized by:

Authoritarianism:
A strong, centralized government that controls all aspects of society.

Nationalism:
A strong sense of national identity and pride, often accompanied by xenophobia.

Militarism:
A focus on military power and preparedness.

Corporatism:
A close relationship between the government and businesses.

Suppression of dissent:
The suppression of opposition and criticism. Fascism often involves the use of propaganda, censorship, and violence to maintain power. It is a totalitarian ideology that seeks to control every aspect of people's lives.

Examples of historical fascist regimes include:
Nazi Germany
Fascist Italy
Francoist Spain
​
It's important to note that fascism is a complex ideology with varying interpretations and manifestations. However, the core characteristics outlined above are generally considered to be essential elements of fascism.
​___________________________________________________

Q what is liberalism 

Liberalism
is a political philosophy that emphasizes individual liberty, equality, and consent of the governed. It is characterized by:

Individual rights:
The belief that individuals have fundamental rights and freedoms, such as freedom of speech, religion, and assembly.

Limited government:
The idea that government should have limited power and should not interfere with individual liberties.

Rule of law:
The principle that everyone is subject to the same laws and that no one is above the law.

Economic freedom:
The belief that individuals should have the freedom to pursue economic opportunities and accumulate wealth.

Social progress:
​A commitment to social justice and equality, including the promotion of human rights and the elimination of discrimination.

Q what does the word "government" mean

Government refers to the organization or system that governs a country or state. It is responsible for making and enforcing laws, providing public services, and protecting the citizens. Governments can take many different forms, such as democracies, monarchies, dictatorships, and republics. In essence, a government is the institution that has the authority to rule over a society and make decisions that affect the lives of its citizens.

YOUR CHOICE MATTERS!  WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT HOW WE WANT TO BE GOVERNED. OR, WE MAY FIND OURSELVES
(AS STATED BY ONE POLITICAL CANDIDATE),
​
"YOU'LL NEVER HAVE TO VOTE AGAIN"

​THINK - VOTE

’25 Social Security COLA to be 2.5% Moderating inflation tempers monthly payment increase. By DANIELLE KAYE The New York Times

​
Tens of millions of Americans receiving Social Security benefits are poised to see a 2.5% increase in their monthly checks next year to keep pace with inflation, the Social Security Administration said Thursday, an uptick that’s on a par with average annual increases in recent decades.

The average monthly benefit for retired workers is set to increase by $49 to $1,976 starting in January, up from the current average of $1,927. While retirees and their dependents account for a majority of the more than 72 million Social Security beneficiaries, millions of others will also see their checks go up, including disabled workers, survivors of deceased workers and people with low incomes, as part of the Supplemental Security Income program.

“This adjustment means older Americans will receive needed relief to help better afford essential items from groceries to gas,” Jo Ann Jenkins, chief executive of AARP, said in a statement.
The cost-of-living adjustment is in line with the 2.6% average annual increase over the past 20 years, but it’s modestly lower than the 3.2% rise beneficiaries received this year.

And it’s significantly less than the 8.7% uptick for 2023, when pandemic-related disruptions and supply shortages drove up inflation sharply. At that time, the Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate to its highest level in decades and has only recently started to cut it as inflation has cooled.

The 2025 Social Security adjustment, known as the COLA, reflects the slowdown in inflation.

“The COLA is meant to replace what people lost in buying power because of price increases,” said Teresa Ghilarducci, an economist at the New School who specializes in retirement security. “So we want that COLA to go down.”

Social Security calculates the adjustment using the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, taking the average inflation readings from July, August and September of the current year and comparing them with the same period from a year earlier.

But the index tracks a range of goods and services that are purchased primarily by younger working people, not by retirees, who often spend more of their income on housing and health care. The costs experienced by Americans over age 62 tend to outpace the index, Ghilarducci said, making the annual adjustment fall short of what retirees actually need.

The adjustment is often mostly eaten up by the increase in Medicare Part B premiums, which are automatically deducted from Social Security checks. Some experts, including Ghilarducci, say Social Security beneficiaries also need an increase in their baseline benefits to maintain their buying power.

Social Security is largely funded through payroll taxes, which are split between employers and employees. This year, they each paid 6.2% of wages (self-employed workers paid 12.4%), up to a taxable maximum of $168,600. Next year, up to $176,100 of earnings will be subject to these taxes.

Any potential cost-of-living adjustment is incorporated into benefits at the start of the new year, meaning beneficiaries receive raises after they have already been facing higher prices for the goods and services they buy.
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“The COLA is so important to people because it is a reliable source of getting some extra income, and that is something that is highly valued in retirement,” said Mary Johnson, an independent Social Security analyst. “But at the same time, seniors are in a situation where it’s not going to be enough.”

OWNER VICTIMIZED IN CHECK-THEFT SCAM Thieves are increasingly stealing checks from the mail and then altering or counterfeiting them. Story by MIKE HUGHLETT Photo by RICHARD TSONG-TAATARII ​The Minnesota Star Tribune

The check wasn't in the mail — it had been stolen.

But by the time Jeremy Dohm learned his $5,752.87 check to a Michigan supplier had been purloined and counterfeited, his New Prague car wash equipment business was out $55,752.87, the amount printed on the sham check.

"It was a stunning moment," he said.

He thought his bank, Minnwest, would cover the loss. But the bank claimed it wasn't responsible. The bank that accepted the counterfeit check in Michigan, JPMorgan Chase, finally ponied up his $55,753, after three tense weeks.

Dohm learned the hard way that check theft via the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has surged in recent years. While some thieves still simply plunder checks from residential mailboxes, the illicit trade has grown more sophisticated and uglier.

The robberies of mail carriers have increased, and thieves also have targeted master keys that can open up collection boxes. And criminals have improved their game, using better technology to alter, counterfeit and market stolen checks.

"We are talking about organized crime," said David Maimon, a Georgia State University professor who specializes in cybercrime and has documented the burgeoning market for stolen checks on the dark web.

When Maimon started his stolen-check research in 2020, he found about 400 checks on the dark web per month. Now, that number is around 7,000. The dark web is a marketplace for criminals, including peddlers of stolen identity and financial information.

A nationwide surge in check fraud targeting the U.S. mail started during the pandemic, according to the U.S. Financial Crimes Enforcement Center (FinCEN), a division of the U.S. Treasury Department.

From March 2020 through February 2021, USPS saw a 161% increase in mail thefts, with criminals generally looking for checks, according to the division. And from 2020 through mid-2023, bank reports of check fraud soared, FinCEN reported last month.

"Check fraud is at a scale we have not seen in the past," and mail theft is the "number one" cause, said Paul Benda, executive vice president of risk, fraud and cybersecurity at the American Bankers Association, a trade group. "The amount of money that can be made is staggering."
Thieves more inventive

The rise in check theft comes paradoxically as checks have been increasingly supplanted by electronic payments. Still, many companies, including Dohm's, use both payment systems.
"Some vendors just prefer a check," Dohm said.

His business, Autowash Systems Inc. (ASI), builds, repairs and services car wash systems, ringing up just north of $20 million in sales annually and employing about 50. The company focuses on the Upper Midwest, but has suppliers across the country.

ASI's pilfered check was headed to ABC Wash Systems in Rochester Hills, Mich. It was one of 15 checks picked up by a postal worker at ASI's office on Aug. 20. The other 14 checks arrived at their intended destinations.

Dohm said he discovered the missing check after ASI's controller, Stephen Mueller, received a call on Sept. 5 from a PNC Bank branch in Texas. PNC had been presented with a $5,753 check from Dohm's company, made out to a woman in Manvel, a city 25 miles south of Houston.

PNC asked for verification of the payee's identity. Mueller had never heard of her, but the check carried the same number and dollar amount as the check ASI had written to ABC in Michigan. PNC did not honor the bogus check.

After the PNC call, Mueller rushed to scrutinize ASI's checking account.
He found that another bogus check with the same number as the ABC check had been honored on Aug. 30 — but for $55,753. It was made out to a man in Harper Woods, Mich., a Detroit suburb about 30 miles southeast of ABC's location.

Dohm called his bank, Redwood Falls-based Minnwest, to figure out what happened.

He said the bank, which has a branch in New Prague, told him the check was cashed by JPMorgan Chase in Michigan. Dohm said Minnwest also told him that the checks presented to Chase and PNC were counterfeit versions of the check originally made out to ABC.
Minnwest told Dohm it was not responsible, and he would have to recover his stolen money from Chase. On Sept. 5, Minnwest sent an indemnity request to Chase.

Dohm reported the incident to the New Prague Police Department, which is investigating. He also filed a report with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which has been plenty busy in recent years dealing with the huge increase in check thefts.

Robberies of U.S. postal workers and property increased sevenfold between fiscal years 2019 and 2023, according to a May report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

Besides the surge in stealing "arrow keys" — the master keys that open collection boxes — postal inspection audits have also turned up lax security for arrow keys at post offices around the country, including in Minnesota. A Postal Service audit released earlier this year found that 17 arrow keys were missing at an Eagan branch.

Banks push prevention to customers
Dohm said he was dumbfounded that the $55,753 check was cashed in the first place, particularly since it was a fairly large amount originating from a business.

"We don't write checks often to individuals, if ever," he said.
The phony ASI check was deposited into a Chase account at an automated teller machine, the bank said, declining to disclose the ATM's location.

Suspicious the check could be fraudulent, Chase said it "restricted" the depositor's account the day after the deposit was made. That means the depositor couldn't access the funds, though the check was still debited from ASI's account at Minnwest.

Chase declined to comment further on the fraud's particulars.
On Sept. 20, Minnwest informed Dohm that Chase had recovered his $55,573 and the money had been credited to his account. The bank told Dohm he got his money back only because Chase still had access to the illicit funds on deposit.

Dohm said he wasn't too happy with Minnwest's response to the incident. "The attitude was, 'I'm sorry and it's too bad that it happened, but there's not much we can do,' " Dohm said.

The bank, in a statement, said that "in any attempted fraud situation, Minnwest Bank prides itself on making every effort to remediate the impact to our customers, and to help educate our customers on how to best protect their operations against future fraud attempts."

Minnwest told Dohm that ASI was liable for the loss. That's because after an attempted check fraud earlier in 2024, ASI had declined a $35-a-month service from the bank called "positive pay," which individually reconciles each cleared check against the original.

Dohm said Minnwest didn't make it clear that he would be liable for check fraud if he didn't sign up. ASI did upgrade to a higher security check paper. But the new check paper didn't stop the counterfeiters.
Now, he's signed up for Minnwest's positive pay.

Banks "would really love to get people off checks," said Denda of the banking trade group. "Checks are an inherently insecure form of payment."
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Harv's Corner I Voted!

Early voting has begun. 
It's important before you cast your vote that you know what you are voting for.  Today I present Donald Trump with an outline of his platform and what you can expect if he is elected.  Please read carefully and then
VOTE!

Donald Trump, R
Seeking a return to the White House, with Ohio Sen. JD Vance as his running mate this time, Trump wants to accomplish much of what he couldn't do during a term that was sidetracked by the global pandemic. The Republican wants the extension and expansion of his 2017 tax cuts, a huge increase in tariffs, more support for fossil fuels and a greater concentration of government power in the White House. Amid a bitterly divisive campaign, Trump survived an assassination attempt during a July rally in Pennsylvania and an apparent attempt on Sept. 15 while playing golf in Florida.

CLIMATE
Trump denies established climate science, disparages renewable energy and champions unlimited production of fossil fuels. His administration rolled back more than 100 environmental protection regulations, and he plans a similar agenda if elected again. He has called for unlimited oil and gas drilling, pledging to "end Biden's delays in federal drilling permits and leases" and to "remove all red tape that is leaving oil and natural gas projects stranded." He has also called for building more coal plants and eliminating a Biden regulation that would force many existing plants to close.

ECONOMY
Trump enacted a large package of tax cuts as president and pursued protectionist trade policies, including a trade war with China. He wants to cut taxes further and enact more sweeping tariffs. He says he would not cut Social Security or Medicare benefits but has not provided a plan to keep the programs solvent. Trump has also criticized high interest rates, the Federal Reserve's primary tool to control inflation. He argued in August that the president should have a say in the decisions of the Fed, which normally operates independently of the White House.

DEMOCRACY
Trump is the only U.S. president who has refused to accept his loss. He tried to overturn the 2020 election and has sought to delegitimize the electoral system. He has used dehumanizing terms like "vermin" to describe his political opponents. Trump has indicated that he would end the norm of Justice Department independence, vowing to use the levers of government to punish his political opponents and anyone whom he deems to have engaged in "unscrupulous behavior" in this year's election. He has floated the idea of pardoning himself, something no president has tried to do.

ABORTION
Trump's Supreme Court appointees enabled the overturning of Roe v. Wade, ending federal protections for abortion. He has boasted about that fact on a number of occasions, saying he accomplished what no Republican president before him could and calling himself "proudly the person responsible" for the overturning of Roe. He has repeatedly, and falsely, claimed that "all legal scholars" supported overturning it. He has said that he would not sign a federal abortion ban but that states should be allowed to enact any restrictions they choose.

ISRAEL, GAZA
Trump has sought to position himself as a champion of Israel, and as president, he took actions that favored the country. He supports Israel in its war in Gaza and has condemned pro-Palestinian demonstrators in the United States, but he has also urged Israel to "finish up" the war because it is losing support. He said recently that he doubted a two-state solution was possible. Trump has described criticism of Israel as antisemitism, and his administration took steps to designate campaigns to boycott Israel as such. He has also made antisemitic remarks.

IMMIGRATION
Trump enacted sweeping anti-immigration policies when he was president, including separating migrant children from their parents. If elected again, he wants to round up millions of immigrants in the U.S. illegally and detain them in camps before deporting them en masse. He told Time magazine in April that he said he might deploy the military against migrants both along the border and in nonborder states, claiming that a law that forbids the use of the military for domestic law enforcement would not apply because people who are in the U.S. illegally "aren't civilians."

UKRAINE
Trump has repeatedly taken issue with U.S. aid to Ukraine and says he will continue to "fundamentally reevaluate" the mission and purpose of the NATO alliance if he returns to office. He has claimed, without explanation, that he will be able to end the war before his inauguration by bringing both sides to the negotiating table. (His approach seems to hinge on Ukraine giving up at least some of its Russian-occupied territory in exchange for a cease-fire.) On NATO, he has assailed member nations for years for failing to meet agreed-upon military spending targets.

EDUCATION
Trump has said he wants to "get rid" of the Education Department and "let local areas and, frankly, states handle education." In September 2023, Trump released a 10-point plan that included "restoring parental rights," proposals relating to students' gender identity, and allowing for the direct election of principals. He proposed incentivizing schools to eliminate teacher tenure, reinstating a commission focused on teaching U.S. history and allowing for "universal school choice." Trump lauded the Supreme Court decision ending the use of race in public and private university admissions.

GUN CONTROL
As president he banned bump stocks in response to the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting, though the ban has since been overturned by the Supreme Court. His campaign stated, "The Court has spoken and their decision should be respected." He reversed Obama-era regulations that required those eligible for Social Security Administration mental disability payments to be blocked from buying guns, and made it easier for gun-safety devices to be more widely accessible. The former president is a gun owner and has stated in the past that he "always carries a gun."

LGBTQ RIGHTS
Trump has pledged to keep transgender women out of women's sports and says he will ask Congress to pass a bill establishing that "only two genders," as determined at birth, are recognized by the U.S. As part of his crackdown on gender-affirming care, he would declare that any health care provider that participates in the "chemical or physical mutilation of minor youth" no longer meets federal health and safety standards and bar them from receiving federal money. He would support a national prohibition of hormonal or surgical intervention for transgender minors.

THINK!   VOTE!
(HARV)