Shot in the Dark

What Do They Want? A Cookie?

So among all the bad news about the pandemic, it seems there is a silver lining: the administrations in Minneapolis and Saint Paul are being forced to stop playing Sim City with real money and people, and actually do he things city governments are supposeed to do.

Or, well, try. Emphasis added by me:

In Minneapolis, meetings to discuss the hotly debated Upper Harbor Terminal redevelopment have been postponed. Discussions about millions in funding for neighborhood organizations and reimagining the city’s transportation networks have been pushed to the summer.

In St. Paul, the pandemic prompted the city to postpone public hearings on a tenant protection ordinance and a ban on conversion therapy. A community meeting on the future of Ayd Mill Road was canceled and replaced with an online video.

The coronavirus is causing a major slowdown for the two cities, which have in recent years raised the minimum wage, overhauled zoning and made other changes consistent with a progressive policy agenda for workers and the environment. Now, they’re scrambling to find ways to meet the immediate needs of struggling residents while protecting their own workers.

In bold, you almost literally see a shopping list of “progressive” virtue-signals – gone (until the spigot turns back on).  

I’ve said it for years – especially since the Walking Dead was the most popular show on TV:  catastrophe makes everyone a conservative, one way or the other.   

“It’s nice to want to change the way things happen, but we don’t have the luxury of promoting change at this point,” said Minneapolis City Council Member Lisa Goodman. “We have the responsibility to make sure we provide the basic services of the city.”

And, when conversations on those more ambitious goals resume, they won’t look the same.

And one can hope that the people of MInneapolis and Saint Paul, when they see how badly the Cities take care of the basics after a decade of no practice, react to that change in the “conversation” by changing the way they’re governed.

Likely? Absolutely not. But if we don’t have hope, why bother?

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Mitch Berg

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23 responses to “What Do They Want? A Cookie?”

  1. mjb003 Avatar
    mjb003

    The fear I have is that possibly the city will try to do more now that no one is watching, no community meetings where loud people show up and question the city.

    On the other hand, I realize in a city like St Paul that the fear is irrational. There really aren’t any loud people keeping the city in check. So, business as usual, COVID-19 or not…

  2. Greg Avatar
    Greg

    Doing the business of government is so boring that perhaps, hopefully, knock on wood, the people whose real joy is remaking society to match an image that only exists in their fever dreams – will simply find something else to do.

    Probably at the U of M.

  3. bosshoss429 Avatar
    bosshoss429

    mjb003;
    That is happening in Virginia right now. Over the weekend, Gov. Blackface signed a raft of anti-second amendment laws, abortion support and green energy laws. I other words, he went full dictator. Of course, he had help because so many left wing swamp dwellers and government types live in VA, voted for a full Democrat controlled state legislature.

  4. kinlaw Avatar
    kinlaw

    You beat me to it boss. Plus, some dhimmi dictators somewhere have decreed that protesting is “non essential”, so no protests, as mjb points out. That’s what stopped Governor Klanrobes (got that from Tucker) last time.

    This is getting scary, and as I said yesterday, big changes are coming.

    And by the way lefties, if you think that means more Tea Party rallies, think again. We tried polite; it didn’t work.

  5. Night Writer Avatar
    Night Writer

    Except that Burgermeister Frey has a semi-secret triumvirate sub-Council that meets in private to make decisions that require speed (and won’t stand up to scrutiny). They’re not evil, just efficient.

    I would love it, though, if after this is over a lot of suburbanites that commute into the cities realize that WFH is great, and they don’t have to subject themselves to the Councils’ social experiments, especially where roads and transit is involved. Turn the whole City into bike-paths – who cares? Let them play in their sandbox without the dollars sucked out of the pockets of commuters, and go ahead and turn the LRT lines into mobile homeless shelters.

  6. jdm Avatar
    jdm

    Let them play in their sandbox without the dollars sucked out of the pockets of commuters

    Oh, don’t you worry, those dollars will get sucked out of those same pockets, the only issue is whether it’s directly or not.

  7. Joe Doakes Avatar
    Joe Doakes

    How wicked do we believe Democrats are?

    Are they evil enough to intentionally ratchet up outrageous burdens on already struggling people, hoping someone will snap and show up with a rifle so they can wave the bloody shirt to justify door-to-door searches to disarm the public once and for all?

  8. Night Writer Avatar
    Night Writer

    Oh, don’t you worry, those dollars will get sucked out of those same pockets, the only issue is whether it’s directly or not.

    jdm – you can’t avoid the suckage totally, but I think the more people realize that they don’t have to gear their lives around working in the central city, the “appeal” of super-density housing and mass transit will fade, especially in the post-pandemic (and pre-next-pandemic) world. People will go back to wanting larger spaces and “WFH Caves” – and realize that their job is just as accessible from Thief River Falls as it is from Minneapolis or Bloomington, so why live in or near Minneapolis or Bloomington? The metro areas will still seek “regional solutions” to their funding shortfalls, but perhaps we’ll start to see a demographic population shift (and voting) out to the out-state areas.

  9. jdm Avatar
    jdm

    NW, everything you write is true, but it is naive to think that the powers-that-be can’t or won’t make up any funding problems in the Twin Cities. That’s why I wrote (OK, implied) “indirectly”. For example, the beauty of the Met Council as a government body is that their already existing funding and grant mechanisms could provide a model for hidden funding of Mpls roads or St Paul police using in part taxes from Thief River Falls. Maybe not right away, but working the system is what bureaucrats do.

  10. mjb003 Avatar
    mjb003

    “but I think the more people realize that they don’t have to gear their lives around working in the central city, the “appeal” of super-density housing and mass transit will fade, especially in the post-pandemic (and pre-next-pandemic) world. People will go back to wanting larger spaces and “WFH Caves” – and realize that their job is just as accessible from Thief River Falls as it is from Minneapolis or Bloomington, so why live in or near Minneapolis or Bloomington?”

    I’ve been having the same thoughts. I hope this is one of the positives that come out of this whole ordeal.

  11. Bill C Avatar
    Bill C

    I’ve said it for years – especially since the Walking Dead was the most popular show on TV: catastrophe makes everyone a conservative, one way or the other.

    I’ve also had this same thought for years now. It’s why all variations of collectivism require walls (physical and virtual) to contain the population, and brutal dictators willing to use military might and deadly force to enforce their policies on the captive population.

    Because at the end of the day, what is the most base-level, genetically wired instinct of them all? Self/family-preservation. And nothing about collectivism is self-preservationist.

    It’s also why 3rd world nations don’t care about the environment. They’re trying to survive so they can feed themselves, not get hit with filth-born pandemics, and grow to 2nd world status.

  12. bosshoss429 Avatar
    bosshoss429

    Well, here we go. This is from my rep, Dean Phillips.

    “The COVID-19 pandemic has forced all of us to make unprecedented changes to our daily lives, but one thing remains the same – our government is at its best when we all participate, so I’m on a mission to bring every eligible voter to the table. That is why I want to hear from you:

    There were check boxes in this area that didn’t copy, but the choices are:
    Vote by Mail
    Online voter registrations
    No Excuses Absentee Ballots
    Election Day as a National Holiday
    Voter Information Campaigns (added by me ?????)
    None of the above
    Other

    “Throughout our history, we have never failed to hold regularly scheduled elections regardless of war, disaster, or economic crisis – and this year is no different. Our elections must occur on November 3, 2020. But Americans shouldn’t have to choose between their health and their vote, and states across the country are considering a variety of ways to modernize their elections and keep voters and poll workers safe.

    Valuing democracy, means doing everything in our power to ensure that our elections are safe, secure, accessible, and fair. That’s why I introduced the Voter NOTICE Act yesterday – a bill that requires states to inform voters of any upcoming changes to their elections and gives them states tools to effectively communicate those changes.

    The 2016 elections were a 20-year low for voter turnout. With safety concerns and emergency process changes, we could be headed for even lower participation. With so much uncertainty as a result of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, it is crucial to ensure all Americans have the information necessary to participate in our democracy.

    As always, my office is here to help you. If you feel you’ve been treated unfairly by a federal agency or you aren’t getting an answer about your benefits, my team will do their best to help you receive a fair and timely response. If you or someone you know needs help with a federal agency, please let us know.

    Keep the faith, keep in touch, and stay safe,”

    Image’
    Dean Phillips
    Member of Congress
    Image

    Click here to tell me what issues are most important to you.
    Click here to sign-up for my newsletter updates.
    Washington, DC Office
    1305 Longworth HOB
    Washington, DC 20515
    Phone: (202) 225-2871 Minnetonka Office
    13911 Ridgedale Drive, Suite 200
    Minnetonka, MN 55305
    Phone: (952) 656-5176
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  13. Still 15% wealthier than Obama left me Avatar
    Still 15% wealthier than Obama left me

    Some crew in N. Carolina organized a protest the degenerate governor in Raleigh for today. 28,000 people liked the idea, 2500 RSVP’d. 100 showed up and ONE WOMAN stuck it out and got hauled off. Not one person lifted a finger to help her, and no one came to bail her out.

    The stasi learned all they need to know.

    The only threats they need to take seriously are from urban Negro populations, who show up, spontaneously and ready to go at the drop of a dime.

  14. Still 15% wealthier than Obama left me Avatar
    Still 15% wealthier than Obama left me

    [organized a protest on Fedbook]

  15. Still 15% wealthier than Obama left me Avatar
    Still 15% wealthier than Obama left me

    BTW, re: urban Negro populations rising up.

    The stasi isn’t concerned about them during the bat flu lockdown test; they won’t complain since they are not complying with it anyway.

  16. Still 15% wealthier than Obama left me Avatar
    Still 15% wealthier than Obama left me

    In retrospect, I failed to directly address Mitch’s “I’ve said it for years…catastrophe makes everyone a conservative, one way or the other” canard. And since we cannot edit comments, I will post the corrected version.

    Some conservative crew in N. Carolina organized a protest on Fedbook against the degenerate governor in Raleigh for today. 28,000 conservatives liked the idea, 2500 conservatives RSVP’d. 100 conservatives showed up and ONE CONSERVATIVE WOMAN stuck it out and got hauled off. Not one conservative lifted a finger to help her, and not one conservative came to bail her out.

    The stasi learned all they need to know about conservatives. Pfffft.

  17. shakingmyhead Avatar
    shakingmyhead

    Swiftee – that turnout per like on Facebook sounds about right.

  18. bosshoss429 Avatar
    bosshoss429

    There were also protests in Ohio at the Statehouse. The Governor, Mike DeWine is a RINO. It looked like there were at least 100 people there on the first one on April 9 and then “about 75” were reported on Monday. They were orderly and their interactions with law enforcement, at least the two that were shown, were respectful and polite.

  19. jdm Avatar
    jdm

    Not one conservative lifted a finger to help her, and not one conservative came to bail her out

    They should’ve attacked or fought with the police?

    Bail her out? Is that a metaphor or she was arrested, jailed, and no one paid her bail?

    I think this story, apparently intended to shame, is missing a detail or three.

  20. Still 15% wealthier than Obama left me Avatar
    Still 15% wealthier than Obama left me

    smh, the Raleigh PD responded to news accounts by stating “protesting is not an essential activity”.

    Read that as “Pfffft. Go sit by your dish and stfu”

  21. Still 15% wealthier than Obama left me Avatar
    Still 15% wealthier than Obama left me

    “is missing a detail or three.” Well look it up, man. jeeze.

    First off, if a few more conservatives had bothered to show up in the first place, the cops would have stood down. Second, even if 1/2 of the pitifully small turnout had stood their ground, instead of meekly going home, the cops would have stood down…when was the last time you read of 50 people being arrested at once?

    Finally, yes, she was cuffed and hauled off to the cop shop. If even 1/2 of those conservatives had followed the arresting cop to the cop shop, blowing their horns the entire way, they would have released her quickly.

    The point is, I see a lot of tuff talk from conservatives that amounts to didldy squat where the rubber meets the road.

  22. bosshoss429 Avatar
    bosshoss429

    Massive protest against Gretchen “Stalin” Whitmer’s latest edict, banning powered watercraft in Lansing and violating citizen’s rights extending lockdown to end of April. Hundreds of cars downtown around the capitol and more coming.

  23. Let Them Eat Leisure! | Shot in the Dark

    […] The other day, a media story noted that the Covid crisis was forcing the Twin Cities’ mayors to stop playing Sim City and start focusing on the basics. […]

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