News Cut: January 13, 2009 Archive

The seat belt issue

Posted at 7:30 AM on January 13, 2009 by Bob Collins (52 Comments)
Filed under: Politics

Allen Kelling won't be around to hear this year's legislative debate over whether you should be required to wear seat belts. The 19-year-old Braham, Minn., man was killed Friday night when his car was broadsided at the intersection of Hwys. 107 and 70, the Star Tribune reported in the section of the paper that contains several similar incidents day after day after day. All are sad stories of, in many cases, senseless deaths. Allen was not wearing a seat belt, according to the newspaper. A passenger in Kelling's car and the person driving the other car were not seriously hurt. They were wearing seat belts.

An annual bill that would give police the power to stop you for not wearing a seat belt is one of the first initiatives of some lawmakers. It would cost the driver $100 for not wearing a seat belt and the driver would get fined $75 more for each passenger not buckled in.

The debate will offer nothing new. Proponents will point to a declining death toll on the state's highways as evidence why it's needed. Opponents, backed by talk show hosts who have wrung out every last shred of material from the Franken-Coleman recount, will claim this is the line in the sand Minnesotans must draw between freedom and fascism. It's bad enough we're already required to use our turn signals.

Three years ago, Republicans killed the bill by sending it to a committee and not giving it a hearing. Two years ago, DFLers in the Senate ganged up on it. Last year it was the House's turn and even some of the more -- and now retired -- liberal lawmakers said no. Turning the issue on its head as only the Minnesota legislator can, some of the most conservative Republicans voted for it.

I won't bother wading into that end of the debate. I am interested in this aspect of the issue: Forgetting the issue of whether it is isn't or isn't the law to wear your seat belt, why don't you? Is it too hard? Uncomfortable?

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The 'tour' starts tomorrow

Posted at 7:10 AM on January 13, 2009 by Bob Collins (2 Comments)
Filed under: Economy, Schools

I'm kicking off a three month experiment on News Cut tomorrow when I visit Century College in White Bear Lake to hear the personal outlook by some of the students there and -- I hope -- hear about their journey on the road to the future.

MPR Morning Edition host Cathy Wurzer asked me about it this morning on her program. Listen

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DTV assistance

Posted at 11:17 AM on January 13, 2009 by Bob Collins (2 Comments)
Filed under: Economy, Tech

I wrote last month about an initiative to provide assistance to low-income people for converting their analog TVs to ones capable of receiving digital transmission signals. At the time, the people putting the effort together, could not say where in the Twin Cities (One of seven cities in the country targeted) such people could get help.

Now they have:

Lao Assistance Center
503 Irving Avenue North, Suite 100A
Minneapolis, MN 55405
(612) 374-4967

Main Street Project
2104 Stevens Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55405
(612) 879-7578

The official opening is tomorrow afternoon. It's a bit of a pity a center couldn't have been opened in St. Paul.

Coincidentally, I got my "coupons" for discounts on converter boxes yesterday. They're not really coupons at all, actually. They're ATM style cards. Initially, I ordered the cards because I've been thinking about getting rid of Dish Network and going back to the old days of sticking an antenna on the roof, and pocketing the cash I'd save.

Instead, however, I'm going to donate them to people who need help and for whom TV is important.

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A year in Minnesota

Posted at 11:48 AM on January 13, 2009 by Bob Collins (3 Comments)

MPR's Tom Weber has just finished his sentence first year in Minnesota. Guess what? He's staying. Being the creative sort he is, he's pulled together images of his first year here:

The message on this cold day? Quit your bellyachin'. You love it here and you know it. And, no, I can't explain why one of YouTube's suggestions if you liked Tom's video is someone playing "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" on Guitar Hero.

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What price passion?

Posted at 12:59 PM on January 13, 2009 by Bob Collins (9 Comments)
Filed under: The jobs we do

On Sunday, the New York Times ran a piece from local-boy-makes-better Thomas Friedman, in which he called for an end to the federal income tax for teachers.

One of the smartest stimulus moves we could make would be to eliminate federal income taxes on all public schoolteachers so more talented people would choose these careers. I'd also double the salaries of all highly qualified math and science teachers, staple green cards to the diplomas of foreign students who graduate from any U.S. university in math or science -- instead of subsidizing their educations and then sending them home -- and offer full scholarships to needy students who want to go to a public university or community college for the next four years.

Philip Greenspun, the former MIT computer guy and educatior, takes Friedman to task today.

Were we to implement the tax break immediately, 100% of the benefits would flow to existing teachers because no new ones will be hired until September. Friedman implies that these existing teachers are untalented because they are paid so little (topping out at just over $100,000 per year after 22 years, or age 44 for the typical person who starts after college) I don't think he believes that the untalented will do a better job without the distraction of paying federal income tax, so perhaps he is holding out hope for five years from now. In September 2009, a truly talented young person, hearing about this tax break, will decide to go to a teacher's college to pursue a Bachelor's in Education. In September 2013 that person will have graduated and be ready to work. Assuming an average career length of 30 years, by 2014 fully 3 percent of our schoolteachers will be the talented ones attracted by the tax break and taxpayers will only be wasting 97 percent of their money by paying the untalented legacy schoolteachers extra.

Neither mentioned a dilemma that I didn't think about either, until I was out at Minnesota West Community and Technical College in Worthington a few weeks ago. Gary Gillin, the Dean of Communication & Enrollment and Amber Luinenburg, the campus marketer, were giving me a tour of the campus, which featured some well-equipped labs for plant research. We also discussed the the nursing program.

In both cases, I remarked about the demand for both in today's economy; biofuels and nursing are growth areas.

"You have to have the passion for whatever career you're going to go into," both stressed to me. It was a light-bulb moment then, as it was when I read Friedman's column.

The dilemma? How do you attract people to an industry as important as teaching without making it about the money? And what is the point at which the passion for what you do becomes secondary to the monetary benefit you derive from doing it? Is it possible to provide a financial incentive without ending up with people who are only doing something for the money?

Somewhat related: Be sure to read Elizabeth Baier's excellent story today on highly-educated immigrants who came to the United States, only to start from scratch. On the one hand, we want talented people to go into particular careers. On the other, we present significant obstacles to the ones who want to.

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Franken v. Timothy Pawlenty and Mark Ritchie

Posted at 3:03 PM on January 13, 2009 by Bob Collins (6 Comments)
Filed under: Politics

3:04 p.m. I'm listening to a conference call with attorneys for Al Franken. They're filing a lawsuit against Gov. Pawlenty and Mark Ritchie, the secretary of state, seeking an election certificate.

3:06 p.m. Attorney Marc Elias is citing the law I highlighted yesterday. "All we are seeking is something all Minnesotans should insist on: full representation in the United States Senate."

3:07 p.m. Elias says the general provision of the law not specific to Senate elections says that a certificate of election should not be issued until the contest has been determined by a court. He says there's a "tension" there between the two paragraphs I cited yesterday... one speaks in mandatory terms, and one speaks in a more general way. He says the provision they (Franken) relies on is more specific.

He says the state of Minnesota, in the second provision, did something important, making clear it doesn't apply to state senator or state representative because the Minnesota constitution gives the final decision on who to seat to the legislative bodies.

Elias says that's also true at the federal levels. "We believe to harmonize the tension (between the two subdivisions of the law)... is to recognize that just as the state House and state Senate have final determination there and an election certificate cannot be held up pending a judicial contest, likewise the same is true for the U.S. House and U.S. Senate.

He cites the Supreme Court case I referenced in yesterday's post.

Q&A

Q: Why aren't you filing this in federal court?
A: We're not alleging a conflict between state and federal law. We think state law needs to be read against the backdrop of the U.S. Constitution and the Supreme Court of Minnesota has been sensitive to that. We're bringing a question of state law interpretation.

Q: Doesn't Franken look greedy here in the court of public opinion?
A: No. We asked the governor and secretary of state to do what the law compelled them to do.

Q: What are the odds this will succeed given the fact the Republicans threaten to filibuster this issue?
A: The chances of a filibuster disappear once an election certificate is issued.

==> Franken camp tries to end questions but the guy's volume is too low <==

Q: Why pursue this when you're ahead?
A: We're confident that we'll prevail in the process. We gained votes in the recount, during the recount reconciliation, and during the improper absentee ballot process. We feel very good. The question is ... your readers and your listeners face an uncertain economic world and should the people be deprived full representation in the Senate because Sen. Coleman wants his day in court.

(Bob notes: They're suggesting -- appropriately -- a responsibility to deal with economic issues in the Senate. Would this be a bad time to renew my request to the senator-elect to answer some questions about economic issues and a few foreign policy issues facing the Senate?

Franken camp shouts "last question." (There are, of course, many questions left to answer, but perhaps the Franken camp recognizes the more difficult questions still to be asked).

Q: All top lawyers seem to see the plain reading that you shouldn't get your certificate.
A: We'll let the Supreme Court make that decision.

Update 4:44 p.m. - Tom Scheck has audio up of the follow-up Coleman conference call.

Update 4:44 p.m. It's Lawsuitpalooza. Tom Scheck reports a group of Franken voters is suing Ritchie and several counties, because their absentee ballots weren't counted.

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Talking weather

Posted at 11:04 PM on January 13, 2009 by Bob Collins (2 Comments)
Filed under: Weather

James Chatto of Faribault is feeling the "Embrace winter" vibe I've been referring to from time to time this winter.

Chatto wants to close the 300 block of Central Avenue in his city starting Jan. 25 to create a temporary ice rink and host ice sculptures, the Associated Press reports. It would take three days to build and give the city four days to ice skate on a main drag in town. A coffee shop owner isn't so sure it'll be good for business. But look at it this way: I'll drive to Faribault to skate down the middle of downtown (and obviously document it here). I only have to go across the skyway to get a cup of coffee.

We're not the only ones having a tough winter. So is Europe. On Tuesday the head of the World Meteorological Association muted a sudden enthusiasm for the pleasantries of global warming saying it's not the answer for those who are tired of snow.

If you're looking to beat the winter blues, the Weather Channel has put together a list of the best places to go. Number one on the list: Antarctica.

update 9:01 a.m. - Via The Current's Barb Abney, we learn about the 1st Annual Rowdy with the Rubbers Downhill Benefit for Winter Depression (facebook).

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