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The opinion columns listed below were written by Jerome F. Winzig for the Northern City Journal, which was published weekly in Minneapolis, Minnesota from January 2000 to March 2002 and from July to September 2004 before being suspended due to personal commitments.
2004:
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13 September 2004 (Vol. 5, No. 38)
Confronting a Cult of Death
The slaughter in Breslyn, Russia comes from a terrorist cult of death that should be universally rejected. An additional way to combat it is for the West to welcome Muslim immigrants.
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6 September 2004 (Vol. 5, No. 37)
Reforms Both Parties Should Support
America in 2004 desperately needs reforms that will benefit everyone, including the poor, rather than merely paying lip service to the idea. Both parties should support them but do not.
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30 August 2004 (Vol. 5, No. 36)
No Straight Talk about Prescription Drug Re-Importation
When George Bush and John Kerry talk about drug re-importation, they ignore the reasons for high drug prices and the reasons for lower prices overseas.
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23 August 2004 (Vol. 5, No. 35)
Resolving Public Subsidies of Wal-Mart Health Care Costs
Tax policies, not employers, are responsible for rising health care costs. The solution is to make all health insurance and out-of-pocket health care expenses individually tax deductible.
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16 August 2004 (Vol. 5, No. 34)
Microsoft Minnesota Settlement Transfers Millions to Lawyers
Microsoft consumers get small vouchers while lawyers seek $59.4 million plus expenses. This is wealth transfer on a grand scale and is happening all the time.
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9 August 2004 (Vol. 5, No. 33)
Social Security Has No Investments
A Lutheran investment magazine advises us to save a million dollars for retirement, but Social Security has nothing whatsoever invested for tens of millions of retirees.
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2 August 2004 (Vol. 5, No. 32)
Islam's Ninety-Five Theses?
To this non-Muslim, Irshad Manji's The Trouble with Islam can be compared to Martin Luther's 1517 "Ninety-Five Theses" and is worth reading for believers of all faiths.
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26 July 2004 (Vol. 5, No. 31)
The Problem with Our Schools Is Us
Our schools' challenges involve not just money, but also student behavior, parental attitudes, and our communities' attitudes towards education.
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22 July 2004 (Vol. 5, No. 30)
Lawsuit Frenzy over Minnesota's Timber Wolves
The environmental success story with Minnesota's timber wolves is overshadowed by yet another lawsuit in an environmental litigation craze.
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19 July 2004 (Vol. 5, No. 29)
Surely We Can Do Better
In a country of almost 300 million people, we ought to be able to field better candidates than the six men currently running for president and vice president.
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13 July 2004 (Vol. 5, No. 28)
Bridging Generational and Political Differences
This column resumes after a two-year lapse in an effort to propose solutions that bridge generational and political differences.
2002:
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19 Aug. 2002 (Vol. 3, No. 11)
Why Is This Column Silent?
This column has been silent due to a lack of readers. The author's feelings aside, that's a loss, because ordinary Americans lose when the conventional wisdom of the mainline news media prevails.
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25 Mar. 2002 (Vol. 3, No. 10)
The Insidious Effects of Minimum Lot Sizes
Mandated minimum lot sizes use government power to isolate the poor, create traffic congestion, worsen urban sprawl, and make housing less affordable.
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11 Mar. 2002 (Vol. 3, No. 9)
Making People Poorer This Week
The news stories of this past week contain many examples of how supposedly good motives conceal the pernicious outcome of many public measures.
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4 Mar. 2002 (Vol. 3, No. 8)
Apprehensively Awaiting Zimbabwe's Election
Sadly, Robert Mugabe's 22 years in power have left Zimbabwe ill-prepared to cope with any of the possible results of this week's elections.
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25 Feb. 2002 (Vol. 3, No. 7)
Bush's "Axis of Evil" -- Hysteria or Words of Hope?
Many have harshly criticized President Bush's characterization of Iran, Iraq, and North Korea as an "axis of evil." Taken in context, however, his words offer hope.
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11 Feb. 2002 (Vol. 3, No. 6)
Lawsuits without Clients
The notice in the mail promised nearly $15 million to the lawyers and as little as 7 cents a share to some stockholders at the expense of the rest of us.
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4 Feb. 2002 (Vol. 3, No. 5)
From Argentina to Zimbabwe
Argentina's Eduardo Duhalde and Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe both impoverish their people by destroying the rule of law, attacking free markets, and invalidating democracy.
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28 Jan. 2002 (Vol. 3, No. 4)
Hennepin County's African American Men Project
The African American Men Project needs to include more than just professionals and the non-profit and public sectors, and it must address the problem of the media.
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21 Jan. 2002 (Vol. 3, No. 3)
Kennedy's Call for Bipartisanship Is Less than Candid
Last week, Senator Kennedy said we needed a bipartisan approach but proposed a partisan series of tired, big-government solutions and belittled his opponents.
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14 Jan. 2002 (Vol. 3, No. 2)
Why Did the West Legitimize Yasser Arafat?
Why does the West continue to recognize a self-centered thug who murders even his own associates as the leader of the Palestinian people?
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7 Jan. 2002 (Vol. 3, No. 1)
Ice Cores Indicate Skepticism Needed on "Global Warming"
Possibility of impending ice age based on drilling into Greenland's ancient ice sheet tells us to be cautious about wrecking the world's economy to avoid supposed global warming.
2001:
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31 Dec. 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 52)
After Two Years
After two years of this column, our most serious problems still need a different approach than offered by either liberals or conservatives.
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24 Dec. 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 51)
Christmas Choir in the Colonnade
The sounds of a high school girls choir singing a West Indies spiritual spanned the centuries and renewed the spirit of Christmas.
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17 Dec. 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 50)
Paranoia about Our Northern Border
The concern about guarding the U.S border with Canada is based on unproven assumptions and does not provide improved security.
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10 Dec. 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 49)
On the Proper Role of Government
When government is defined too expansively, the public good falls victim to private gain and democracy itself is corrupted.
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3 Dec. 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 48)
Advent in Afghanistan and Israel
During this time of terrorism and war, what does the preparation time of Advent have to say to us and how does it affect the people of Afghanistan and Israel?
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26 Nov. 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 47)
Democracy Is a Necessity, Not a Nicety
Full-fledged democracies, with all of their strengths and weaknesses, are the most powerful deterrents to the malevolent aims of tyrants and terrorists.
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19 Nov. 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 46)
Islam Did Not Attack Us
Sadly, the Rev. Franklin Graham says Islam attacked Christianity on September 11. But that's what Osama bin Laden wants us to think, and that belief leads to unholy war.
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15 Nov. 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 45)
Why Do We Ignore North Korea?
Kang Chol-Hwan's new book exposes the atrocities of North Korea and challenges us to take notice of the people who are fleeing the country.
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5 Nov. 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 44)
Why Should We Subsidize Baseball?
Subsidizing baseball isn't about having fun. It's serious business that leads to the hijacking of public funds for private purposes, and it has no end.
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22 Oct. 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 43)
Needed: A Declaration on Terrorism
We need a declaration of terrorism that's as convincing as it would need to be if we were bombing American targets to ferret out terrorists hiding in the hills and mountains.
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15 Oct. 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 42)
State Workers' Strike Addressed Wrong Problem
In the just-settled strike, the state of Minnesota and its employee unions fought each other instead of joining forces for a simple change in federal law to revolutionize health care costs.
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8 Oct. 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 41)
The Global Security Act of 2001
A lot of measures are proposed today in the name of security. What we really need, however, is enlightened self-interest that helps both America and the rest of the world.
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1 Oct. 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 40)
Pandering to Fear
FDR said the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. Perhaps he should have added a warning about those who encourage fear and make it worse.
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24 Sept. 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 39)
What Are We Fighting For?
As we respond to terrorism, we need to define what we are fighting for because that affects whether people in the rest of the world will be fighting against us.
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17 Sept. 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 38)
A Just Response
A big military response will not prevent another terrorist attack. A hasty attack against the wrong enemy will make things much worse.
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10 Sept. 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 37)
Social Security "Cookie Jar" Myth Invites Intergenerational Strife
Those who claim the Social Security "cookie jar" is real are leading us down a path toward violence in the streets as generations fight over trillions of dollars in unfunded retirement debt.
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3 Sept. 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 36)
Ignoring Ordinary Palestinians
The news media in Israel's strongest ally tend to ignore the lives of ordinary Palestinians, who live in circumstances Americans would consider outrageous and oppressive.
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27 Aug. 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 35)
"Survivor" TV Is an Ignorant Insult to Kenya
The filming of a fake "survivor" series in a part of the world where survival is often a daily challenge is offensive to Africans and ignorantly flaunts America's wealth.
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20 Aug. 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 34)
Mayoral Issues That Make or Break a City
The candidates running for mayor of Minneapolis need to rethink the city's current approach to basic services, public safety, housing, corporate subsidies, graffiti, and neighborhood democracy.
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13 Aug. 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 33)
When Government Makes Housing Less Affordable
Something is drastically wrong when a city government refuses to let someone purchase and restore a run-down house, and continues the court fight even after the home has been remodeled.
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6 Aug. 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 32)
Making New Technologies Work for Human Development
The mainline news media give much attention to professional anti-globalization and anti-biotechnology demonstrations but virtually ignored this year's report of the United Nations Development Program; perhaps they think it's too politically incorrect.
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30 July 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 31)
U.S. Becomes a World Community, Diverges from Europe Again
Just as it did 225 years ago, so today the United States is taking a different direction than Europe, with immigration remaking the country into a democratic world community.
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23 July 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 30)
12 Attitudes That Make Traffic Congestion Even Worse
Freeway congestion would not be as bad as it is if it were not for a dozen driver attitudes that slow traffic and make our daily commutes more difficult.
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16 July 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 29)
Bundled Cable Packages Trap Us into Paying for Trash TV
If cable channels were unbundled and customers were free to select only those channels they wanted, trash TV would be forced to compete in the marketplace.
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9 July 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 28)
Urban Drag Racing: Glamorizing the Unthinkable
One week after the release of "The Fast and the Furious," two accidents illustrate the selfish insanity that characterize those who drag race on city streets.
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2 July 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 27)
Patients' Right to Sue One Other
The Patient's Bill of Rights will increase health care costs and enrich class-action lawyers. A far better (and simpler) solution would make all health care premiums tax deductible.
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25 June 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 26)
Using Religion for a Political Cause
When religious leaders claim their factually-incorrect viewpoint is morally correct, they are misusing religion for a political cause and doing great harm.
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18 June 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 25)
When Zealotry Compromises Safety
The zealotry of air bag advocates led them to oppose mandatory seat-belt laws, ignoring clear evidence that seat belts were far more beneficial. As a results, many thousands of Americans died.
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11 June 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 24)
Ignoring the End of Social Security for Yet Another Year
We are once again ignoring social security's impending collapse in 2015, forfeiting the opportunity to invest this year's surplus in market funds to provide real wealth for future retirees.
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4 June 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 23)
Bipartisan Compromise Produces a Lousy Tax Law
The new tax law -- the product of bipartisan compromise -- makes our tax code worse. For example, it waits nine years to phase out the estate tax, then restores it one year later.
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28 May 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 22)
Suburban Influences on Urban Crime and Other Observations
The police precinct advisory council meeting shared several insights, including how suburbanites contribute to urban crime and how some crimes can easily be deterred.
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21 May 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 21)
Angel Island and Ellis Island
Historian Ronald Takaki describes Angel Island and other omissions in the saga of how Asian Americans arrived in this country and made their homes here in spite of racial prejudice.
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14 May 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 20)
The Coalition to Keep Poor People Poor
Free trade, which helps the poor, can only be restricted by government coercion in response to pressure from special interest groups that stand to gain from limits on trade.
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7 May 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 19)
Settlement Gives Law Firm $3.1 Million, Consumer 38 Cents
Law firm wins millions for itself and small amounts for its class action "clients," then sues columnist who dares to criticizes its conduct.
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30 April 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 18)
Springtime and Conservation
Conclusions while hanging awnings and cleaning fans this spring: we need to change our throw-away attitudes and apply free-market principles to energy consumption.
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23 April 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 17)
Talking Sense about Arsenic in Drinking Water
The personal vendetta against President Bush because of his suspension of new EPA rules on arsenic makes reasonable discussion impossible and excludes other possible solutions.
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16 April 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 16)
Oh, Cincinnati!
We cannot put the anguish in Cincinnati behind us until we reflect on the causes of the riots and make difficult personal, societal, and governmental changes.
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9 April 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 15)
Chinese Spy Plane Collides with U.S. Fighter Near Pensacola
As we try to get China to return our spy plane's crew, imagine our reaction if a Chinese spy plane were to crash-land on a military base inside the U.S.
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2 April 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 14)
When Taxes Take 64 Percent of a Family's Pay Hike
Marginal total tax rates on some middle income families are as high as 64 percent. Such rates are unfair and unreasonable, and constitute bad fiscal policy as well.
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26 March 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 13)
A Tale of Two (More) Sports Stadiums
The proposals to spend $800 million to build two more sports stadiums in the Minneapolis area are based on economics that favor team owners over taxpayers and citizens.
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19 March 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 12)
Humanity Needs to Be in Space
Even though Mir will crash to earth later this week, humanity needs to build a permanent human presence in space, return to the moon, and reach for the solar system.
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12 March 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 11)
California Governor's Energy Irresponsibility Threatens the Nation
The disturbing actions of California Governor Gray Davis are worsening California's energy crisis in ways that bring to mind how the Smoot-Hawley Act of 1930 deepened the Great Depression.
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5 March 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 10)
Estate Taxes Solidify Elite's Economic Power
Contrary to popular belief, estate taxes actually prevent the middle class from becoming wealthy enough to challenge the economic power of the super-rich.
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26 February 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 9)
Biggest Peacetime Tax Increase Is Coming
The federal government, which already spends over 20 percent of GDP, is looking at a surplus as high as $7 trillion and -- absent a tax cut -- the biggest peacetime tax increase in American history.
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19 February 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 8)
Do Embargoes Prop Up Dictators?
Last week's bombing raids on Iraq should remind us that our embargoes of Iraq and other countries are ineffective; they prop up dictators and hurt the very people they are supposed to help.
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12 February 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 7)
When Evil Is Celebrated and Encouraged
The lyrics of some musicians are unremittingly crass and astonishingly evil, yet they are nominated for awards and recognized as leaders. The consequences of such topsy-turvy standards are horrific.
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5 February 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 6)
Goodbye, Father Tim Kernan
In conventional terms, Father Tim Kernan's life was complicated by problems and suffering. But many of us are richer people because of this extraordinary man.
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29 January 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 5)
Letting Sports Figures Get Away with Murder
The murder cases of NFL players Ray Lewis and Rae Carruth, and the advent of the XFL, indicate that the sports industry is getting away with murder, literally and figuratively.
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22 January 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 4)
California's Manmade Energy Crisis Is Stupid
California's manmade electrical energy crisis was avoidable and can be corrected before it wrecks California's economy, but only if the state's politicians are humble enough to change their ways.
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15 January 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 3)
Racial Politics on MLK's Birthday
The idea that only one political party's policies can benefit persons of color is a hazardous notion does not benefit any Americans.
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8 January 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 2)
Taxing Services Is a Confused, Back-Door Income Tax
The confusing set of tax changes proposed by Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura has the same flaws inherent in all complex tax schemes: unintended consequences and unforeseen inequities.
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1 January 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 1)
On the Seventh Day of Christmas
In many ways, secularism has co-opted the season of Christmas. We forget the arrival of the Savior and throw our Christmas trees away midway through the twelve days of Christmas.
2000:
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18 December 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 49)
Was the Supreme Court Decision a Bad One?
Some are outraged by the U.S. Supreme Court's December 12 decision on the Florida recount, but the seven principles laid out in the court's decision seem pretty clear.
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11 December 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 48)
If My Car Ran Like a Personal Computer
If my car ran like a personal computer, the dashboard would sometimes rearrange itself, I'd get error messages about the car's "illegal" operations, and I'd often have to pull over to shut off the engine and restart the car.
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4 December 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 47)
Statewide Florida Recount Wouldn't Change the Outcome
Statistical projection of already-completed manual recounts would increase Bush's statewide margin of victory by 176 votes. Counties selected for recounts by Gore had fewer so-called "anomalies" than many other counties.
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27 November 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 46)
Why Didn't Gore Demand a Statewide Recount in Florida?
The central enduring question of the 2000 presidential election is why Al Gore did not seek a statewide recount in Florida, but instead requested recounts in just four selected counties.
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20 November 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 45)
States Could Easily Reform the Electoral College
If all states used the electoral college reform procedures already used in Maine and Nebraska, there would already be a clear, justifiable presidential winner and the Palm Beach County controversy wouldn't make any difference.
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13 November 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 44)
Those the Campaign Left Behind
Most of this year's presidential campaign was targeted at the American middle class and ignored those left behind by the general prosperity of the 1990s. The problems of the underclass are largely out of sight and there are no easy answers.
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6 November 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 43)
37 Murder Witnesses Remain Silent
When 37 people witness the murder of an 11-year-old boy and refuse to say who did it, we are faced with a societal breakdown so severe that it can only be fixed with uncommon solutions from both liberals and conservatives.
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30 October 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 42)
Unrebutted Trillion Dollar Lie Defines This Campaign
Faced with one candidate whose ideas could bankrupt the country and lead to generational strife that would leave little time for our significant problems with racism, our best choice is that a timid George Bush will somehow learn to lead the nation while in office.
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23 October 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 41)
Buchanan Campaign Demonstrates the Results of Public Campaign Financing
Pat Buchanan, who says, "We have our $12 million," uses that public money to advertise views like evicting the UN from its headquarters, militarizing our border with Mexico, and extolling Robert E. Lee and George Armstrong Custer as respected leaders.
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16 October 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 40)
Culture Can Teach or Destroy Moral Values
While some forms of popular culture are neutral and others address fundamental moral values, more than a few openly flout basic moral values. Recent examples include the TV series "Titans" and "The Geena Davis Show," and LL Cool J's music video, "Imagine That."
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9 October 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 39)
Privatize All the Federal Trust Funds Now
The $1.9 trillion in federal trust funds is a paper balance that has already been spent on other programs. If the funds were privatized, $148 billion in incoming trust fund revenues would have to be put into real investments each year.
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2 October 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 38)
Taco Shell Recall Is Frivolous Rich Country Luxury
Some African leaders regard Western biotech hysteria -- like the recent U.S. taco shell recall -- as "eco-terrorism" that has nothing to do with food safety and is based on an anti-biotechnology lobby that actively promotes misinformation and fear.
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25 September 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 37)
The Top Ten Reasons to Vote This November
The important issues in the presidential election are not debate formats and subliminal advertising, but rather criminal justice, social security, the IMF/World Bank, Medicare/health care, the underclass, education, world trade, civil litigation, racial justice, and taxation.
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18 September 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 36)
Why Not a Joint Israeli-Palestinian Democratic State?
A joint Israeli-Palestinian democratic state would be more equitable and provide a better basis for a long-lasting peace than any proposal currently being negotiated.
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11 September 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 35)
What Presidential Debates?
The current spat between Gore and Bush about debate formats obscures the fact that, unlike the Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858, the ones proposed this year are really glorified press conferences.
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4 September 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 34)
Lying About Social Security: The 1990s Big Legacy
The legacy of the Clinton-Gore era--with support from both parties--is a massive set of lies about social security. The biggest lie is about the non-existent Social Security Trust Fund.
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28 August 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 33)
Just Who Won This Lawsuit, Besides the Attorneys?
Class action lawsuit on alleged stock price manipulation nets some stockholders eight cents or less per share, but attorneys walk away with $6.35 million.
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21 August 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 32)
Senior Citizen Discounts and Generational Conflict
When preferences by age extend down to age 50, we begin to approach a time when half the population will receive preferences based solely on age, regardless of need.
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14 August 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 31)
Exposing FDR's Role in the Pearl Harbor Attacks
A new book indicates Roosevelt not only knew about the Pearl Harbor attack in advance, but--astoundingly--set about to provoke it and deliberately positioned American ships in Hawaii so they could be attacked.
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7 August 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 30)
Democrats Should Run Bob Kerrey for Vice President
With a reputation for fiscal responsibility coupled with a compassionate approach to government, Senator Bob Kerrey of Nebraska would add the greatest depth to the Democrats' presidential ticket.
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31 July 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 29)
Gore's Proposals to Federalize the Nation Are Disappointing
Instead of providing ideas on how to extend prosperity to all Americans, Al Gore has offered a dispal series of proposals that seem intended to federalize the nation. We need better.
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24 July 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 28)
Debt Relief Bill Is Really a Bailout of Big Lenders
The $970 million in the so-called "debt relief" bill passed by the U.S. House will not benefit poor countries but instead will reward big lenders for making bad loans to corrupt leaders and will encourage them to do it again.
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17 July 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 27)
Meaningful Campaign Finance Reform: Full and Immediate Disclosure on the Web
Last month's campaign finance reform bill doesn't disclose enough. Requiring full and immediate disclosure of all political expenditures would do more than any other campaign finance reform measure.
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10 July 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 26)
Why Bush Should Choose J.C. Watts as His VP
Choosing J.C. Watts, Jr. for Vice-President would challenge a powerful racist stereotype, provide the Republican Party with an articulate spokesperson, and balance the ticket immeasurably.
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3 July 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 25)
Death Taxes Clobber the Middle Class, Not the Wealthy
Estate taxes helped disinherit the heirs of the Chicago Daily Defender, penalize the frugal and the self-employed, and keep the middle class from seriously threatening the power of the extremely wealthy.
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26 June 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 24)
The Great Crayon Scare: An Orchestrated Panic Attack
Last month's crayon scare was not an objective news story but a case of biased, sensation-seeking advocacy journalism supported by quotes from selected sources.
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19 June 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 23)
An Absence of Personal Moral Leadership
Moral leadership is lacking when a principal pulls a fire alarm instead of confronting rampaging students.
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12 June 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 22)
On the Limits of Government
Recent efforts seek to ban wearing deodorant in public, outlaw smoking on county property, and increase penalties for medical researchers. But there are limits to what government can and should do.
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5 June 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 21)
The Korean War, Fifty Years Later
Fifty years ago this month--on a rainy Sunday morning on June 25, 1950--North Korea launched a full-scale invasion of South Korea. Today, the aftermath of that war is worth thinking about.
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29 May 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 20)
Personal Responsibility for the Public Good: From Boulevard Trees to Schools
Residents neglect their boulevard trees and blame the city. Citizens and school officials neglect their schools and blame the state. But responsibility for the public good starts with each one of us.
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22 May 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 19)
The News Media Are Key Proponents of State-Run Lotteries
Newspapers and television news programs have become shameless promoters of state-run lotteries, abandoning all pretense at objectivity as they use lotteries to attract readers and viewers.
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15 May 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 18)
Labeling Bio-Engineered Foods Would Be a Disaster
Proposals to label food as genetically modified would require incredibly expensive duplication at all levels of the food chain, ultimately threatening agricultural improvements desperately needed to feed the world.
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8 May 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 17)
Unseemly Fuss over Lutheran-Episcopal Accord Hurts the Gospel
Last year, the Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) passed a new Lutheran-Episcopal accord by a margin of almost 70 percent. The fuss raised since then by those opposed to the accord is not good for the church.
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1 May 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 16)
It's Time to Lift Our Economic and Trade Sanctions
Since economic and trade sanctions are ineffective and hurt the wrong people, the United States should lift embargoes against North Korea, Cuba, Libya, Iran, Myanmar, Iraq, and 64 other nations.
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24 April 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 15)
Wealthy Mercenaries Plunder the American People
A new elite is grabbing for power in America, funded by massive legal settlements against governments and companies. All of us pay for this in the form of higher prices and extra taxes.
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17 April 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 14)
Facing the True Causes of Homelessness
We ignore the key causes of homelessness: subsidies that favor homeowners, high personal taxes, discharging mentally ill people to the street, and a culture that devalues education.
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10 April 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 13)
Inadvertently Stirring Our Conscience on Abortion
Accusations in the debate about whether to honor the author of the 1973 Supreme Court decision on abortion remind us this issue involves serious ethical concerns.
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3 April 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 12)
Failing to Parent
Child care workers, youth leaders, and teachers see the human consequences of parents who fail to parent. It is a serious social problem we need to address.
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27 March 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 11)
Get the IMF and World Bank off the Back of the World's Poor
A strong body of evidence indicates that the policies of the IMF and World Bank benefit large banks while harming people in developing nations.
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20 March 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 10)
Gas Is Cheap, Government Is Not
Media hype about gasoline prices ignores the fact that, in constant dollars, today's gas prices are lower than they were in the 1950s. Taxes, on the other hand, are far higher.
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13 March 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 9)
Addressing the Graffiti Explosion Before It's Too Late
Graffiti vandals are sometimes glamorized or excused. But the truth is that their dismal and depressing handiwork has serious consequences for our neighborhoods and communities.
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6 March 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 8)
Using State Surplus for Tax Cuts Would Benefit the Most People
Minnesota's eighth consecutive tax surplus could reduce individual income taxes by 10%, sales taxes by 15%, or corporate income taxes by 100%. All would benefit Minnesotans, especially the last.
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28 February 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 7)
Treating Taiwan Fairly
China is threatening the 22 million people of Taiwan with war to reunify on its terms. But Taiwan is the largest Chinese democracy in the world and deserves to be treated fairly.
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21 February 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 6)
Kubi, Nigeria and Free Trade with Africa
Free trade is an issue of justice and fairness. It would provide African nations, including members of our sister congregation in Kubi, Nigeria, with the ability to compete and succeed in the world market.
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14 February 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 5)
Monthly Phone Bill Reveals Regulation Run Amuck
Phone bills across America contain a convoluted patchwork quilt of government-mandated fees and charges designed to benefit a complicated web of private and corporate interests.
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7 February 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 4)
Riding the Chicago Avenue Bus
The Minneapolis Route 5 bus that runs along Chicago Avenue reveals an amazing cross-section of the city's neighborhoods, and its passengers are a contrast in economics.
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31 January 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 3)
Dr. King Was a Christian Preacher
As a nation, we seem to be forgetting that Martin Luther King was a Christian preacher and prophet. How many young people today would understand his last speech, when he said he had been to the mountain and had seen the promised land?
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24 January 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 2)
Waiting for a Social Security Disaster in 2013
The impending Social Security crisis of 2013 is as predictable as Y2K was, but nothing is being done, and the consequences of inaction are far greater than they were for Y2K.
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17 January 2000 (Vol. 1, No. 1)
Doing Right by Elian, His Family, and Cuba
There are some basic principles that should be followed in the Elian Gonzalez case. One is having his father and other interested family members appear in family court. Another is dropping the U.S. embargo against Cuba.
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