Dane Smith, president of Growth & Justice, has a op/ed in the Pioneer Press today.
DFLers and liberals and their constituencies must face up to the fact that citizens are frustrated at some level with government and that they want more performance and accountability standards. The obvious fact that the I-35W bridge's safety was ultimately the responsibility of government can't be ignored.
Republicans and conservatives and their constituencies, as Pawlenty has begun to do, need to acknowledge that a reasonable increase in the amount of revenue we put into the common wealth is necessary and vital for our economy and safety.
Lee Lynch, former chair of G&J, has one in the Strib.
I am passionate about our celebrated quality of life in Minnesota. Over the years I've recruited professionals to Minnesota by emphasizing our arts and parks, our health and wealth, our safety and accessibility, and our great university.
But lately I've had a gnawing in the pit of my stomach because of some sobering trends. In the past few weeks it was announced that our vaunted "job machine" was slowing down. Now we are just average in the generation of new jobs. Then we were told that our percentage growth in personal income has dropped out of the top 10 for the first time in decades. On a variety of indicators, state economist Tom Stinson said recently, we're losing ground: "It's gone on long enough that it is disquieting."
In the State Theater last night, rock and roll original Patti Smith put more fire into a similar message about uniting for the common good. I'll do a separate post on her appearance.
