I grew up reading comic books wanting to be a superhero. Comics taught me that those who speak the truth are heroes, all the rest are liars.

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Oogles of Omens

Minnesota has a shining bright northstar to guide it, but the star has been obscured by ever growing number of clouds. Today's news headlines says it all, the northstar is possibly fading away:

Record Number of Heating-bill delinquencies jump
Utilities, facing a record numbers of past-due accounts, have begun disconnecting service for thousands of customers...

MN Unemployment jumps above national average
Minnesota's unemployment rate in May jumped above the national jobless rate for the first time on record going back 31 years.

The future of downtown is threathen by beggars
87% reported reported being panhandled at least twice in the past month..
(note- I don't personally agree with the bend of this article but I believe there is a growing beggar population and it's root cause needs to be explored)

State's Labor-force Participation Slips
Other bad news in May’s report included the state’s labor-force participation rate, or the number of people employed or looking for a job, slipped to 72.9, its lowest level since the early 1990s. It was near 77 percent six years ago

From first rate to third world? Not yet but we need to pay attention to the omens...our state is changing under the tutelage of 'not new taxes' and vetoes of necessary legislation. Without a committment to improved schools, healthcare, roads, and jobs, Minnesota is doomed to slid every deeper into a state of disarray.

1 comment:

Missy said...

I do not even know where to begin on the beggar stuff.....