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The Club PUBlication 09/02/2024

9/2/2024

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Dems wary of plans to subvert vote
By AMY GARDNER and YVONNE WINGETT SANCHEZ
The Washington Post

CHICAGO
As invigorated Democrats celebrated Vice President Kamala Harris's nomination, some of them were doing so with a wary eye on new developments in what they fear could be efforts by former President Donald Trump's allies to create doubt about the election and muddy the result should it not go his way.

In Atlanta, the Georgia State Election Board on Monday approved a rule that critics said would empower county election officials to withhold certification of results without justification, potentially thwarting a popular result.

The board's Trump-supporting majority also signaled plans to adopt nearly a dozen additional rules in coming weeks despite warnings from state and local officials that the lateness of the calendar all but guaranteed confusion and mistakes.

Also this past week, election officials in at least three battleground states received nearly identical letters from the American Conservative Union explaining its plan to monitor ballot drop boxes and scrutinize those using them to vote.

The letters prompted concerns from election officials about the possibility of voter intimidation.

"The whole thing is an absurd sham to cover up direct efforts to intimidate voters by a bunch of CPAC-recruited vigilantes," said Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes. The effort's purpose, he added, is "to intimidate voters — and we absolutely will not be cooperating with them."

In Wisconsin, meanwhile, the Texas-based group "True the Vote", which peddled false claims of widespread ballot fraud after the 2020 election, is teaming with sympathetic sheriffs to monitor polling locations and drop boxes. True the Vote's founder, Catherine Engelbrecht, said in a text that the program is "mainly focused" in Wisconsin "but we do have a scalable program."

With Democrats' renewed optimism has come concern among some that the newly competitive race will invite election interference. Trump has said that the only way Democrats can win is by cheating, and he has not committed to accepting the results if he loses.

Democratic election officials and nonpartisan democracy advocates gathered in Chicago last week to assess the threat — and to explain what they are doing to address it.

Their greatest worry, several said at an event hosted by the Brennan Center for Justice, is the possibility of civil unrest.

Even if efforts to subvert election results fail, they said, an army of angry Trump supporters could resort to violence just as they did at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

"Those who are trying to destroy our election system don't believe in the fairness of the game," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said.

" They don't believe in letting the people decide."
Those pushing for tighter election rules and more surveillance of voting say the steps they are advocating will increase public confidence in the November results.

"My interest is in the cleanest, most transparent accountability rules under the existing laws that I can get before voting starts," said Ken Cuccinelli, former Homeland Security deputy secretary under Trump and a former Virginia attorney general who now leads the Election Transparency Initiative and is supporting many of the new rules being adopted in Georgia.

"I want to see good rules in place before the voting starts, and I want to see them followed. And that didn't necessarily happen everywhere in 2020."

Trump's efforts to overturn the results in 2020 centered on the six most competitive battleground states that year, where Biden's razor-thin victories fueled conspiracy theories about forged ballots, intentional miscounts and other false claims of fraud.

Democrats and voting rights advocates said they are paying particularly close attention to efforts to empower local election officials not to certify results, which could impede the process of declaring a winner and create an opportunity for violence or disorder by stoking unsubstantiated worries that fraud tainted the election.

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The Club PUBlication 08/26/2024

8/26/2024

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How 2020 riots, Walz’s response unfolded

Minneapolis Police Department's third precinct station on fire the night of May 28, 2020.

Actions of Minneapolis, state criticized in reports.
By ANDY MANNIX and LIZ SAWYER • Star Tribune staff

Soon after news broke that Tim Walz would join the Democratic ticket as a prospective vice president, his opponents coalesced on what they see as a major weak spot in the governor's record: his response to the 2020 Minneapolis riots.

His Republican rival, JD Vance, told crowds that Walz "let rioters burn down Minneapolis."

The sound bite appeared in a new campaign ad for Donald Trump's ticket, cut over footage of rampant fires and looting, followed by more claims on social media that Walz "was nowhere to be found" during the civil unrest.

Walz was a little more than a year into his first term as governor when Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd, and video of the fatal encounter ignited five days of protests that evolved into riots. The unrest caused an estimated $500 million in damages to Twin Cities buildings, culminating on May 28 with the torching of Minneapolis' Third Precinct police station.

Walz ultimately imposed a citywide curfew and deployed the Minnesota National Guard; soldiers and other law enforcement snuffed out most of the violence by May 30.

In the four years since, politicians in Minnesota have debated whether the Guard should have been deployed earlier and have traded blame as to who is at fault for allowing the situation to spiral out of control.

Through videos, interviews, data requests, city and state investigative reports and other public documents, the Star Tribune has pieced together a timeline of Walz's response to the riots. It began with a promise to protect the rights of peaceful protesters, then turned to pleas for them to go home amid destructive demonstrations, and ended with Walz blaming leadership in Minneapolis City Hall for their "abject failure" to suppress heavy looting and arson.

Walz did not respond to requests for comment for this story.

May 27: Outrage prompts widespread unrest
Walz held his first news conference about 48 hours after Floyd's killing, promising that the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension would investigate and expressing a desire for a federal civil rights probe. Chauvin and the other three officers had already been fired.

The night before, thousands had marched from the location of Floyd's death to the Third Precinct on E. Lake Street. The protesters had been mostly peaceful, though some had broken windows at the police station and in squad cars. Minneapolis police responded by shooting rubber-coated bullets and chemical irritants indiscriminately into the crowd without issuing any official dispersal order, and some threw rocks back at them.

Walz said he shared the "urge of just a primal scream" watching the bystander video, and that protesting is "how people express their pain, process tragedy and work to create change."

"I would encourage them to do so with a mask, to socially distance," he said. "We certainly don't want to see things turn violent in any way, but I also think this is a pretty normal response."

Later that evening, looters broke into a Target store across the street from the precinct.

Mayor Jacob Frey called Walz about 6:30 p.m. to ask that he send in the National Guard.

"We expressed the seriousness of the situation. The urgency was clear," Frey told the Star Tribune in 2020. "He said he would consider it."

At 8:13 p.m., Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo forwarded an email to Minnesota Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington asking for the Guard and providing mission plan details. "MPD has expended all available resources," the email said, including assistance from surrounding law enforcement agencies.

That night, rioters set ablaze an AutoZone across the street from the precinct and destroyed other buildings.

Walz tweeted that the area near the precinct had become "extremely dangerous."

"For everyone's safety, please leave the area and allow firefighters and paramedics to get to the scene."

May 28: Assault on Third Precinct station
U.S. Gen. Joseph L. Lengyel of the National Guard warned two of the highest-ranking officials at the Pentagon that the situation in Minneapolis was about to get a lot worse.

Lengyel said the Minnesota National Guard was expecting up to 75,000 people to descend on the city that weekend, in emails to Deputy Secretary of Defense David Norquist and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley. The Guard had 200 military police officers standing by to assist.

"They are prepared to be armed should MPD and the governor request it," Lengyel wrote, in emails obtained by the Star Tribune through a Freedom of Information Act request.

State Adjutant General Jon Jensen followed up an hour later with more details, saying he expected a "late afternoon" deployment. Walz activated the Guard at 2:30 p.m. and declared a peacetime emergency. The Guard was given missions to support the Minneapolis Fire Department, St. Paul critical infrastructure and the State Capitol complex.

Crowds were far smaller than expected that night but still overwhelmed the law enforcement response. Police surrendered the Third Precinct about 10 p.m. It was soon breached by a man with a Molotov cocktail, and by midnight the south Minneapolis police station was engulfed in an inferno.

May 29: Guard mission expands
About 12:15 a.m. Friday, Walz authorized a new mission for the Guard at the Third Precinct.

By the time the soldiers arrived, about 3:45 a.m., the building had been burning for hours.

Jensen said the delay also came from lack of information, such as details related to equipment for the mission, and he was concerned about soldiers moving into an unfamiliar area in the darkness.

Walz said "there's an argument to be made" that adding soldiers to a protest over police brutality could be a "catalyst" in the situation, and he was trying to strike the right balance.

"You will not see that tonight," he said, vowing to restore order heading into the weekend. "There will be no lack of leadership, and there will be no lack of response on the table."

"I will assume responsibility if the issue was the state should have moved faster — that is on me."

Yet, arson, looting and violence continued in parts of the city that night, forcing residents to flee their homes or douse flames with buckets of water and garden hoses.

May 30: Soldiers across the Twin Cities
Shellshocked residents held meetings Saturday in city parks and at neighborhood intersections, sharing safety tips and organizing patrols to protect their own homes.

A somber Walz struck a new tone at his news conference: "The situation in Minneapolis is no longer in any way about George Floyd."

That night, several thousand National Guard soldiers dispersed across the Twin Cities to try to restore order. MPD and the State Patrol clamped down on anyone out past curfew, firing rubber-coated bullets and tear gas and making mass arrests. The use of force targeting journalists led to several major lawsuits and expensive settlements.

Walz hailed a night of fragile peace in Minneapolis, following what he called "the most complex public safety operation in our state's history."
The aftermath

On June 1,
Trump privately praised Walz's response to the riots, saying on a call to governors that Walz "dominated" the situation and that other states should follow his example, according to audio obtained by ABC last week.

"I was very happy with the last couple of days, Tim," Trump said. "You called up big numbers and the big numbers knocked them out so fast it was like bowling pins."

Meanwhile, Minnesota Senate Republicans released a scathing report accusing the governor and other elected officials of being too sympathetic to the plight of the protesters, "causing them to lose sight of their responsibility to protect the public from criminal acts committed during the riots."

The city and state each commissioned independent after action reports. They identified a breakdown in communication, including Minneapolis failing to enact its emergency planning protocols.

Neither points to Walz — or any other individual — as being solely responsible.

Staff writer Abby Simons contributed to this report.
Andy Mannixl; 612-673-4036 Liz Sawyer; 612-673-4648

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The Club PUBlication 08/12/2024

8/12/2024

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Stranger gives car to arson victim

By SYDNEY PAGE Washington Post

Carla Bannister was startled awake at 4:30 a.m. by police knocking on her front door. They told her that her car was on fire.

"I was terrified. I was discombobulated," said Bannister, 38, who lives in Cincinnati with her 4-year-old twin daughters.

Surveillance footage from her apartment building showed that someone intentionally torched her 2007 Chevrolet Traverse in the parking lot on the morning of July 9.

"This is definitely not a common thing that occurs in our area," said Nicco Gumino, a detective with the Woodlawn Police Department who is working on the case.

"You can see him lighting something on fire, throwing it into the vehicle, and it just ignited," Gumino said.

The arson incident is still under investigation. Bannister said she has no idea who targeted her car or why someone would do this to her.
"I'm not a mean person or an evil person, so I don't have anybody that I would suspect that would do this to me," said Bannister, who is a manager at a local business.

Bannister was worried about what she would do without a car. She has car insurance, but not full coverage. Her insurance company is assessing the damage.

In the meantime, Bannister had no way of driving her daughters to day care or getting herself to work.

"I was overwhelmed and just at a loss," she said.

Then a total stranger showed up with a stunning offer: Jim Davenport wanted to give Bannister his old vehicle.

"She needed the car more than I did," said Davenport, 67.

Davenport — who bought a new car for himself last December — saw a TV news report about Bannister's car and was disgusted by what happened to her.

"Everything in life comes full circle, and this guy will get what's coming to him," he said. "It's just a matter of time."

Aside from some dents and dings in his old vehicle, "it's a great running car," he said.

"I felt bad for what happened to her," said Davenport, who works as a security guard. "I figured, why not bless her with a car?"

He went to the police station in an effort to track her down, and officials contacted Bannister to let her know that someone wanted to give her their old car.

"I was in awe," Bannister said. "There are good people in the world."
Davenport met Bannister at the police station July 12 to give her the car.

"He handed me the keys and told me where to go to get the title," said Bannister, who requested that the make of the vehicle not be disclosed because she is concerned about someone targeting her again.

After such a frightening event, Bannister said, meeting Davenport helped restore her faith in humanity.

"He's a very nice man, a very genuine-hearted person," she said.

Davenport has esophageal cancer, which has spread to his liver.

"I don't know how much time I'm going to be in this world," Davenport said, noting that he has another old vehicle that he also intends to give to a person in need. "I want to bless somebody else with another car."
He said he was glad to be able to help Bannister during a difficult time.

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The Club PUBlication 08/05/2024

8/5/2024

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Confront your fears and learn from them

OUTSWIMMING THE SHARKS
HARVEY MACKAY

A city mouse went on a visit to his cousin in the countryside. The cousin welcomed him with a modest meal of beans. The city mouse turned up his nose and said, "I cannot understand how you can live with such poor food. Come to the city, and I'll show you what a real feast is like."

The two mice traveled to the city. In the dining room, they found the remains of a meal left by humans who lived in the house, and soon the two mice were enjoying jellies, cakes and puddings. Suddenly, they heard a noise. The country mouse said, "What is that?"

"It's just the dog who lives here," his cousin replied.

Just then, the door flew open and in charged a huge snarling dog. The two mice ran off.

"Goodbye, cousin," said the country mouse. "You're going so soon?" said his cousin. "Yes," he replied. "Less at peace is better than more in fear."

Fear is a fascinating adversary.

It is not just an emotion; it is a force that can dictate our actions and affect our lives profoundly.

But fear has only as much power as we allow it to have.

When we are faced with fear, we have a choice. We can let it paralyze us, or we can confront it and learn from it.

Fear often prevents people from taking risks. By stepping out of your comfort zone, you open yourself to experiences that can lead to success.

Managing your fears requires you to regulate your emotions, which enhances your emotional intelligence.

When you do that, it can improve your relationships and decision making.

Identifying your fears helps you understand your limitations and the boundaries you need to push. It reveals your values and priorities by highlighting what you are afraid to lose or fail at.

By anticipating what you're afraid of, you can then take steps to mitigate risks.

I'll be the first to admit I have some fears that follow me. On the silly side, I'm afraid of embarrassing myself on the golf course. I have never let that stop me from playing, and somehow, I have survived every double bogey that becomes fodder for a lot of ribbing from my buddies.

More seriously, I fear threats to my company — another pandemic, supply shortage, finding enough qualified staff.

However, we keep the doors open despite it all.

We all have fears; it's how we deal with them that matters.

Use fear as a signal you are about to do something brave and worthwhile. Every encounter with fear is an opportunity for growth.
Whether you succeed or fail, there is a lesson to be learned in your bravery.

Every time you face fear you build resilience, which is the ability to bounce back from setbacks. Confronting and overcoming fears leads to personal growth and a stronger sense of self-efficacy.

"Do the thing you fear to do and keep on doing it. ... That is the quickest and surest way ever yet discovered to conquer fear," advised Dale Carnegie, the motivational author.

Being courageous isn't about the absence of fear; it is about moving forward despite feeling afraid. It is about using fear as a catalyst for growth, not a barrier to success.

Mackay's Moral: When you make friends with fear, it can't rule your world.

Harvey Mackay is a Minneapolis businessman. Contact him at 612-378- 6202 or email [email protected].

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The Club PUBlication 07/29/2024

7/29/2024

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Biden bows out,
putting country first

Voters can now focus on the significant policy differences between the two political parties, not just the presidential candidates’ personal capacities.

A critical though unsung test of leadership comes when it's time to exit the public stage, with the ideal leave-taking done at the right time, accompanied by grace and selflessness.

While President Joe Biden's troubling debate performance strongly suggested that he should have stepped aside sooner, his decision to do so now nevertheless exemplifies the latter two qualities. On Sunday, Biden, 81, announced that he will not run for re-election. It's a decision that certainly couldn't have come easily but one that prioritizes the nation's needs over his own.

Biden has ably served his country, with the strong economy in particular reflecting well on his stewardship. Among other accomplishments: the bipartisan infrastructure deal; passage of the CHIPS and Science Act, which will strengthen U.S. leadership in technology research and manufacturing, and the protections his administration has put in place for Minnesota's beloved Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. He also merits praise for his commitment to reproductive health freedom after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.

The wisdom that comes with Biden's age was sorely needed after the COVID-19 pandemic and the exhausting chaos of former President Donald Trump's time in the White House. But the challenges ahead mean there can be no doubts about the stamina of the nation's next CEO.

Biden assuaged some of these concerns in follow-up interviews and speeches after the disastrous debate in late June. But he couldn't erase all of them. Another four years of the world's toughest job just didn't seem realistic. Voters should apply that same hardheaded assessment to Trump, who is 78, and is known to fall asleep in the courtroom, forget names, mangle words in speeches and expound at length on head-scratching topics like sharks and electrocution.

With just three and a half months before Election Day, Biden regrettably leaves his party with scant time to designate a successor and re-engineer a campaign for the White House. It's a daunting undertaking, and the party should be given room to determine its best course of action. A challenge like this can be the crucible in which the next generation of Democratic Party leaders is forged. Hopefully, they'll rise to the occasion at the party's national convention in Chicago on Aug. 19-22.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz increasingly has had a high-profile role, becoming one of Biden's leading defenders in recent media appearances. The Star Tribune Editorial Board hopes that party leadership role continues after Biden's exit. Walz is an energetic voice not just for Minnesota, but for the Midwest, a region where Democrats have lost precipitous amounts of political ground in the past decade.

Biden's decision is also an important opportunity for voters during the 2024 campaign. With capacity concerns about him now moot, Americans can and should focus more deeply on the policy differences between the two political parties. They're significant.

The Republican National Convention, which was held in Milwaukee and concluded July 18, put a disturbing spotlight on immigration. Signs displayed there called for "Mass Deportation Now!" While there are valid border security concerns, this supposed solution ignores this reality: that immigrants are a crucial part of the workforce in agriculture, meatpacking, construction and other industries. We're already in the midst of a historic labor shortage, and mass deportations would only exacerbate it. Basic humanity should also have a role in the nation's immigration policy, with this quality not readily apparent in Republicans' deportation sloganeering.

Other key policy differences:

Ukraine.
Trump's new running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, is among the leading congressional opponents of Ukrainian aid. Biden's foreign policy, one his successor likely would continue, has forged international support for Ukraine and kept munitions flowing to it. While Trump's allies have recently touted his ability to broker a peace deal in the conflict, voters should question whether that "peace" involves rewarding Russia's aggression with Ukrainian territory, something that will only embolden Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and other empire-minded autocrats.

Climate.
When oil executives complained about Biden's renewable energy and electric vehicle policies, Trump told the industry to raise $1 billion for his campaign, then vowed to reverse those Biden initiatives, according to the Washington Post. The overt suggestion of policy changes for the highest bidder is alarming, as is the lack of commitment to fighting climate change.

Reproductive health care.
Trump has taken credit for striking down abortion protections, saying in a 2023 speech that "I was able to kill Roe v. Wade." While he now appears to understand his party's vulnerability on this issue, he also chose a running mate in Vance who has supported a federal abortion ban and has opposed exceptions to rape and incest, though his views may have evolved. In contrast, Biden has wielded executive action to safeguard reproductive health care. His successor must continue to make reproductive health care freedom a top priority.

Protecting the Boundary Waters from mining.
The Biden administration put in place a 20-year moratorium on risky copper mining near the BWCAW. Trump during his first administration installed industry lobbyists intent on allowing a Chilean mining conglomerate to open a mine in this sensitive watershed. The apparent pay-to-play offer for Big Oil also raises deep concerns about Trump kowtowing to the Chilean firm for the right sum.

Time may be short between now and Nov. 5, but there's still time for a healthy and informed campaign that focuses on these stark policy differences rather than age. Biden's selfless step has made that possible.
His exit also stands in welcome contrast to Trump's graceless, selfish handling of his 2020 defeat. Biden deserves his nation's thanks for his time in White House and his decision to serve one term.

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The Club PUBlication 07/22/2024

7/22/2024

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Project 2025 will guide Trump’s dismantling of democracy

Everyone should familiarize themselves with this road map to autocracy.
FROM THE EDITORIAL BOARD OF THE ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

The necessary if alarming national debate over President Joe Biden's cognitive fitness shouldn't obscure the reason the stakes in that debate are so high: Former President Donald Trump has been fundamentally, dangerously unfit for office since before he took the oath the first time, in ways far worse than the ravages of age that are central to Biden's situation. That's why it's so urgent that Democrats field a candidate strong enough to prevent Trump's return.

A second Trump term would almost certainly be even more disruptive to the norms of democracy than his first term was. The institutional guardrails on presidential power that restrained his worst instincts last time — that prevented him from using the military against civilians, from weaponizing government against his critics, from shattering NATO, from overturning a national election — won't necessarily hold now that he understands where they are and how they work.

Instructions for disassembling those guardrails are contained in a roughly 900-page document titled Project 2025. Compiled by more than 100 conservative organizations and backed by more than 200 officials from Trump's first administration, it is nothing less than a blueprint for systematically consolidating power around the presidency to a degree that approaches autocracy.

No one should buy Trump's recent, implausible disavowal of that blueprint. And everyone should familiarize themselves with it — especially those considering voting for Trump in November, or just not voting, in light of Biden's struggling campaign.

Project 2025 is the brainchild of the Heritage Foundation, the far-right think tank behind some of Trump's most radical policies in his first term. The organization's president, Kevin Roberts, said in a recent interview that the current project, implicitly premised on Trump's return to office, will drive "a second American revolution" — one that "will remain bloodless if the left allows it to be."

If that doesn't make the hair on the back of your neck stand up, consider some of the project's specific recommendations and goals for a second Trump term:

It would place much of the federal bureaucracy, currently made up primarily of nonpolitical civil servants, under direct control of the president by stripping their civil-service protection.

That would give the president an army of potentially tens of thousands of ground-level political foot soldiers, interacting with countless regular Americans on issues from tax enforcement to law enforcement to Social Security and Medicare and countless other areas of everyday life. No longer would expertise in a given area determine who fills those functions; political fealty to the president would become the only criterion.

It would greatly expand the role of the U.S. military on domestic soil, using armed forces to capture undocumented immigrants in the U.S. and deploying soldiers for other domestic law enforcement purposes.

That possibility must be pondered in combination with Trump's reported interest in invoking the archaic Insurrection Act to use the military against Inauguration Day protesters on his theoretical first day back in office.

It would set the stage for even more draconian restriction on abortion rights, starting with banning the abortion drug mifepristone, even in states where abortion remains legal.

In a truly Orwellian turn, it would even scrub a long list of offending phrases from "every federal rule, agency regulation, contract, grant, regulation, and piece of legislation that exists," including: "sexual orientation and gender identity ... gender equality ... abortion, reproductive health, [and] reproductive rights."

It would turn the civil-rights function of the Department of Justice on its head: Instead of taking legal action to protect minorities, women and others from discrimination, its mission would become persecuting local governments, universities, corporations and other entities that dare to institute DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) policies that are designed to counter discrimination.

• It would turn the FBI into little more than the personal police force for the president, diminishing the agency's staffing and eliminating the director's 10-year term — thus making that person a purely political appointee who can be hired or fired at will based on literally nothing but loyalty to the president.

• It would aggressively turn back the clock on environmental and climate progress, repealing regulations designed to reduce carbon emissions, gutting the EPA and downsizing agencies, including the National Weather Service, which it labels "drivers of the climate change alarm industry."

There's much more of this dystopian fantasy, all of it easily available online at project2025.org.

This radical-right manifesto has been out there awhile but has come under renewed scrutiny lately.

Trump responded to recent public outrage over the plan by claiming on social media last week: "I know nothing about Project 2025. I have no idea who is behind it. I disagree with some of the things they're saying and some of the things they're saying are absolutely ridiculous and abysmal."

None of that is believable or even coherent. Some of Trump's closest allies are publicly behind the project, including likely officials in a second Trump administration. And if he knows "nothing" about it, how does he declare in the same sentence that it's "ridiculous and abysmal"? Does that include the plan to strip civil service protections, which Trump himself tried to do in his first term? Lies and incoherence are nothing new from this ex-president — and these policy goals should look familiar as well, reflecting as they do so much of Trump's disdain for constraints on the power of the presidency. This document should serve as a warning that there are actually worse possibilities in the White House than potential infirmity.

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The Club PUBlication 07/15/2024

7/15/2024

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Homeowners insurance erodes

Storms and wildfires are getting worse. Property insurance companies can’t keep up. Homeowners are paying the price.

Climate change is coming for Americans' homes and wallets. And in a pretty spectacular fashion: In Iowa, insurers lost $1.3 billion in 2023 alone due to an unprecedented series of storms that devastated the state.

The Midwest, normally considered a safe haven from homeowner nightmares such as hurricanes and wildfires, is now getting wracked by increasingly destructive weather, as warmer temperatures are heightening the severity and frequency of storms.

In June alone, record floods overwhelmed communities in southern Minnesota, leading to major infrastructure and property damage and costing millions in repairs. Hail is the most expensive weather event, even more than tornadoes. Damages from hail now total in the billions annually and are steadily increasing with warming temperatures.

Unfortunately, this is a nationwide trend, and the insurance companies responsible for covering homes damaged by severe storms simply cannot keep up. In six out of the past seven years, in Minnesota alone, home insurance companies have lost money, and the losses are rapidly increasing. This is positioning Minnesota insurance companies to drop high-risk homeowners from insurance plans en masse, something already happening in high-risk states such as Iowa, Florida and California. The remaining insurance companies subject desperate homeowners to explosively expensive premiums, which, in Iowa, have increased by over 40% for some high-risk homeowners.

This phenomenon continues to worsen in the storm-ravaged Midwestern states bordering Minnesota, as well as flooded Florida and fiery California, as they struggle to contend with their new realities. High-risk, governmentrun insurance providers such as FAIR and the Citizens Property Insurance Corp. have stepped up to insure the properties most insurance companies now refuse to cover, though the expense is unsustainable for homeowners.

These government programs are meant to be a temporary fix, not a realistic long-term solution. However, they've become a critical lifeline for millions: In Florida, Citizens Property is now the largest insurer for property in the state. Bad news for Minnesotan snowbirds and Floridians alike.

Part of the reason for this issue is construction quality of houses in the United States. Minnesota has taken small steps to encourage sturdier houses — it now requires insurance companies to offer discounts to homeowners who reinforce their homes against natural disasters, promoting measures such as strengthening roofs against high wind and hail. It's not enough. The macro forces creating this problem are greater than Band-Aid-level measures can effectively counter.

The insurance companies will be fine. They will narrow and adjust their markets and policies as needed to be profitable. Homeowners are the ones paying the price, literally. They have no choice but to pay.

What can be done? Climate change isn't going to reverse itself overnight.

Storms, fires and floods aren't going anywhere. American contractors aren't going to suddenly start embodying the brick-house style from the "Three Little Pigs." But there is a silver lining to this hardship, and a potential remedy within it.

Many of the states devastated by these storms are predominantly red states, run by governments that historically have denied climate change and have pushed against sustainable developments. Perhaps lawmakers will pursue policies with the new hardships their constituents are battling in mind.

Storms are getting worse. Property insurance companies can't keep up. Homeowners are paying the price.

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The Club PUBlication 07/08/2024

7/8/2024

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Know how to give, and take, criticism
OUTSWIMMING THE SHARKS
HARVEY MACKAY

A prominent New York critic was leaving the theater after a Broadway opening and met the producer in the lobby. The latter took one look at the critic's suit, which was rumpled as usual, and said with some annoyance, "That's a fine way to dress for my opening. Your suit looks as if you slept in it."

"It's no wonder," the critic replied, "I just woke up."

Touche! Criticism gets a double whammy.

Ask any manager what the least favorite part of their job is. Nine times out of 10, the answer will be when it becomes necessary to criticize an employee's work. This is a tough situation to be in anywhere, but especially at the office, where people can decide not to accept your advice and quit.

Offering criticism to employees is a delicate task, but when done correctly, it can lead to growth and improvement.

One of my favorite sayings is, "No one ever kicks a dead dog," which means you have to be doing something to get criticized. My point is not to take criticism personally. When a coach or a friend or a boss is criticizing you, that usually means they really care, and even though it may not feel like it, they want to help you.

Pro basketball great LeBron James said: "I like criticism. It makes you strong."

As a boss, remember first and foremost the goal of criticism is to improve performance, not belittle or demoralize. Keep the focus on the behavior or the outcome, not the person. Prepare your feedback by being specific, timely and objective. Vague comments can be confusing.

Be clear about what behavior needs to change and why. Offer feedback as soon as possible after the event. Waiting too long can make it seem less relevant or important.

Also pick an appropriate setting. A private, comfortable space is best for offering criticism. Never criticize in public. Give the employee a chance to respond. There may be factors you are unaware of that are affecting their performance.

Remember, the way you offer criticism can either inspire improvement or cause resentment. It is not just what you say, but how you say it that matters.

Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill said: "Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things."
In the comic strip "Peanuts," Lucy, who constantly criticizes Charlie Brown, is one of my favorite characters because she always says exactly what is on her mind.

Peeved at Charlie, she once told him, "You, Charlie Brown, are a foul ball in the line drive of life."

She is just as tough on her little brother, Linus, who always has his security blanket clutched in one hand and his thumb resting safely in his mouth.

"Why are you always anxious to criticize me?" Linus asks Lucy.
"I just think I have a knack for seeing other people's faults," Lucy says.
"What about your own faults?" replies Linus.

Without hesitation, Lucy answers right back, "I have a knack for overlooking them."

Mackay's Moral: Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a person's growth without destroying the roots.

Harvey Mackay is a Minneapolis businessman. Contact him at 612-378- 6202 or email [email protected].

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The Club PUBlication 06/24/2024

6/24/2024

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Debt plan could help credit fitness
By DAN DIAMOND and AARON GREGG
Washington Post

The Biden administration Tuesday announced rules to block medical debt from being used to evaluate borrowers' fitness for mortgages and other types of loans.

The proposed rules from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau arrive less than five months before Election Day and are poised to be part of President Biden's closing argument that he is addressing pocketbook issues as voters rank the economy as their top concern. The White House has repeatedly focused on the issue of medical debt, saying it disproportionately harms low-income Americans and communities of color.

"Medical debt makes it more difficult for millions of Americans to apply for a car loan, a home loan or a smallbusiness loan, all of which makes it more difficult to just get by, much less get ahead," Vice President Kamala Harris said . "No one should be denied access to opportunity simply because they have experienced a medical emergency."

The rules would ban credit reporting agencies from incorporating medical debt when calculating credit scores. They would also bar lenders from using medical debt to determine loan eligibility.

The proposal will undergo public comment until Aug. 12 before officials begin drawing up a final version, meaning November's election will probably determine the rules' fate. Administration officials have said the rules would probably be finalized next year. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump did not seek to remove medical debt from consumers' credit reports during his four years in the White House.

Adam Rust, an expert with the Consumer Federation of America, said the new rules would have significant impact because they would directly affect millions of people, many of whom took on involuntary or errant debts.

"When medical debt can affect credit scores, it leads to downstream harms in very important parts of our lives, like the ability to get housing or find a job," Rust said.

About 15 million Americans have medical bills on their credit reports, according to a study released in April by the CFPB. The figure used to be significantly higher — the agency in March 2022 found that medical bills appeared on about 43 million credit reports — but major credit bureaus voluntarily adopted limits on which medical bills were included in reports.

Those limitations removed medical collections under $500 and those that were less than a year past due; the proposed rules from the CFPB would cover all medical debts.

People affected by medical debt disproportionately live in the South or in low-income communities, according to the CFPB.

Experts have warned that medical debt is linked to numerous health and financial harms, such as worse mental health or delays in obtaining additional medical care.

Medical debt "can lead to other kinds of financial vulnerability," Cynthia Cox, vice president at KFF, a nonpartisan health care research organization that has analyzed medical debt, wrote in a text message. "It's a difficult cycle for people to pull themselves out of ."

In a September briefing about the administration's intent to focus on the issue, Harris and CFPB Director Rohit Chopra argued that unpaid medical bills and the related debts have little predictive power in determining whether a consumer will pay down an unrelated loan.

Harris and Chopra have chastised debt collectors, who they say are known to use credit reports as a cudgel to manipulate debtors into paying bills they know are incorrect.

The amount of debt consumers have, and their history of making timely payments, can significantly affect the interest rate offered by lenders, which in turn influences how much consumers must pay monthly to service the loan.

Democratic mayors in Washington, D.C., New York and other major cities in recent years have worked to relieve residents' medical debt by purchasing existing balances for pennies on the dollar and immediately canceling them.

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The Club PUBlication 06/17/2024

6/17/2024

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HEAT STREAK LIKELY TO REPEAT
Twelve months of record warmth have Earth nearing a dangerous threshold
By SCOTT DANCE • Washington Post

CAROLYN VAN HOUTEN - WASHINGTON POST - FLORIDA: Inspecting dead coral in Novemberat a reef off the coast of Key Largo.

A streak of record-setting heat that began last summer has now persisted for an entire year across the globe, researchers announced Wednesday, pushing Earth closer to a dangerous threshold that the world's nations have pledged not to cross.

The data released by European climate scientists showed May was the 12th consecutive month during which average global temperatures surpassed all observations since 1850, and probably any extended period for more than 100,000 years. Over the past year, according to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service, global temperatures averaged 1.6 degrees Celsius (2.9 degrees Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels.

Under the landmark 2015 Paris agreement, the world's leaders pledged to limit Earth's temperature rise to 1.5 degrees C (2.7 degrees F) over preindustrial levels, to avert some of the worst effects of global warming. The fact that the planet surpassed this mark for one year does not amount to a permanent shift, but it comes as scientists are warning that it is likely to happen again — within a few years.

The World Meteorological Organization said that it is highly likely that, for at least one calendar year in the next five, temperatures will exceed 1.5 degrees C above preindustrial levels once more.

This unprecedented stretch of warmth prompted an urgent call by the United Nations to ban fossil fuel companies from advertising and encourage the public to stop using their products.

"For the past year, every turn of the calendar has turned up the heat," U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a special address in New York. "Our planet is trying to tell us something. But we don't seem to be listening."

Researchers have linked the rise in temperatures to the El Nino climate pattern and decades of global heating from human emissions of greenhouse gases.

A decade ago, scientists had estimated that the chances of the planet warming 1.5 degrees C by 2020 were nearly zero. Now, the probability of that happening by 2028 is an estimated eight in 10.

A yearlong surge of record heat
Global temperature records have been broken by significant margins since last June, as a burgeoning El Nino began releasing vast stores of heat from the Pacific Ocean. During the periodic climate pattern, warmer-than-average waters pool along the equator in the central and eastern Pacific, transferring warmth and moisture into the atmosphere and triggering extreme heat waves, floods and droughts around the world.

In July, temperatures rose above the 1.5-degree C warming benchmark for a month, the first time that had happened.

That warming trend has continued largely unabated. In India and other parts of South Asia, temperatures have climbed well past 110 degrees F in recent weeks, pushing many people to the brink. Millions of Americans in California, Nevada and Arizona are experiencing their first intense heat wave of the season this week.

Recent flooding in Brazil caused widespread death and destruction, and could become the country's costliest disaster on record. The multiday rains that caused the deluges were made twice as likely by extra heat energy added to the atmosphere by human activity, scientists said this week.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration expects this year's Atlantic hurricane season to be exceptionally stormy, with 17 to 25 named tropical cyclones. Record ocean temperatures are a major factor.

Global surface-air temperatures last month averaged 1.5 degrees C higher than the 1850-1900 global average, according to Copernicus.
Carlo Buontempo, the Copernicus director, said that as remarkable as the trend is, "this string of hottest months will be remembered as comparatively cold" without action to reverse it.

Emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas act to trap heat within the atmosphere, preventing it from escaping into space.

A separate study published by a group of 57 scientists on Wednesday found that human activities were responsible for 92% of the warming observed in 2023, the planet's hottest calendar year on record.

It said the rate of warming in the past decade is "unprecedented in the instrumental record."

Data on global temperature records come from direct observations from ground sensors dating back nearly two centuries, satellite observations in more recent decades, and evidence from historical records and geologic analyses that go further back in time.

While this data may not allow scientists to determine how hot it was on a single day or over a period of months many thousands of years ago, it does give confidence that the planet has not experienced such rapid and sustained warming since the end of the last ice age about 125,000 years ago.

Accelerating predictions of warming
As warming has surged, projections of Earth's temperature trajectory have accelerated.

The latest version of a periodic report on near-term warming, also released Wednesday, shows it has become nearly a certainty that global temperatures will continue to cross into dangerous territory.

At a sustained average of 1.5 degrees C above preindustrial levels, the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has warned that weather will become so extreme, many people will struggle to adapt to it.

"The difference between 1.5 and 2 degrees could be the difference between extinction and survival for some small island states and coastal communities," Guterres said.

Scientists now estimate an 86% chance that at least one of the next five years also surpasses the record average annual temperature observed across the globe in 2023.

Guterres used the data to stress the urgency of climate action ahead of a June meeting in Italy of the Group of Seven — the world's wealthiest democracies — where matters of war and global trade are expected to take center stage.

Guterres is now demanding all countries ban advertising from fossil fuel companies, and media and tech companies stop taking those companies' ad dollars.

Last month, the city council of Edinburgh, Scotland, voted to ban advertisements for fossil fuels as well as ads for SUVs and aviation. Amsterdam similarly has prohibited advertisements of gas powered cars and airplane trips in the city's center and subway stations.

After French President Emmanuel Macron asked 150 citizens to help with climate policymaking, his nation banned advertisements for coal, petroleum and hydrogen made from fossil fuels in 2022. Fossil fuel companies can sponsor events.

"We are playing Russian roulette with our planet," Guterres said. "We need an exit ramp off the highway to climate hell."

This story contains material from the New York Times.

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How 2020 riots, Walz’s response unfolded​

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​Carla Bannister was startled awake at 4:30 a.m. by police knocking on her front door. They told her that her car was on fire."I was terrified. I was discombobulated," said Bannister, 38, who lives in Cincinnati with her 4-year-old twin daughters.

Confront your fears and learn from themOUTSWIMMING THE SHARKSHARVEY MACKAY

​Biden bows out, putting country first

Voters can now focus on the significant policy differences between the two political parties, not just the presidential candidates’ personal capacities.

Project 2025 will guide Trump’s dismantling of democracy

​Everyone should familiarize themselves with this road map to autocracy.FROM THE EDITORIAL BOARD OF THE ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

​Homeowners insurance erodes​Storms and wildfires are getting worse. Property insurance companies can’t keep up. Homeowners are paying the price.

Know how to give, and take, criticismOUTSWIMMING THE SHARKSHARVEY MACKAY

Debt plan could help credit fitnessBy DAN DIAMOND and AARON GREGG ​Washington Post

HEAT STREAK LIKELY TO REPEATTwelve months of record warmth have Earth nearing a dangerous thresholdBy SCOTT DANCE • Washington Post

Archives

Dems wary of plans to subvert vote
By AMY GARDNER and YVONNE WINGETT SANCHEZ
The Washington Post

How 2020 riots, Walz’s response unfolded

Actions of Minneapolis, state criticized in reports.
By ANDY MANNIX and LIZ SAWYER • Star Tribune staff

Stranger gives car to arson victim

By SYDNEY PAGE Washington Post

Carla Bannister was startled awake at 4:30 a.m. by police knocking on her front door. They told her that her car was on fire.

"I was terrified. I was discombobulated," said Bannister, 38, who lives in Cincinnati with her 4-year-old twin daughters.

Confront your fears and learn from them

OUTSWIMMING THE SHARKS
HARVEY MACKAY

Biden bows out,
putting country first

Everyone should familiarize themselves with this road map to autocracy.
FROM THE EDITORIAL BOARD OF THE ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

Homeowners insurance erodes

Storms and wildfires are getting worse. Property insurance companies can’t keep up. Homeowners are paying the price.

Know how to give, and take, criticism
OUTSWIMMING THE SHARKS
HARVEY MACKAY

Debt plan could help credit fitness
By DAN DIAMOND and AARON GREGG
Washington Post

HEAT STREAK LIKELY TO REPEAT
Twelve months of record warmth have Earth nearing a dangerous threshold
By SCOTT DANCE • Washington Post