Tag Archives: immigrants

January 15, 2009 · 10:23 am

News Day – January 15

“What part of justice do you want us to stop doing?” That’s the question posed by MN Supreme Court Chief Justice Eric Magnuson in a highly unusual news conference making the case for increased state funding for the court system. “Flanked by county attorneys, sheriffs, public defenders and district judges, Chief Justice Eric Magnuson said the entire court system in Minnesota is already $19 million short and will suffer under a 10 percent budget cut,” reported MPR’s Elizabeth Stawicki.

“Trespass, worthless checks, traffic and ordinance violations, juvenile truancy, runaways, underage drinking, consumer credit disputes, property related and small civil claims. Imagine we take all that off the table because we can’t do it,” Magnuson said. Dakota County Attorney Jim Backstrom spoke on behalf of Minnesota prosecutors and said in addition, the courts won’t be able to process harassment cases, putting many people in the state at risk of harm.

In the Strib, Rochelle Olson reported that Magnuson pointed out that courts account for only two percent of the state budget and that judges are not getting raises, though union employees will get contractual raises. He said the courts need an additional $43 million, not the cuts that the Pawlenty administration has asked for.

Pawlenty spokesperson Brian McClung responded that courts need to “reexamine their priorities” and cut budgets.

“Report says security at RNC was a success” Ya think? While the Strib headline makes nice, Grace Kelly at the Minnesota Progressive Project blog pulls no punches, noting that “Over $100,000 of St Paul money was spent on an RNC Commission consisting of carefully government-connected people,” to produce what she terms “a whitewash.” Over at the Minnesota Independent, Paul Demko offers “What a riot: Outside panel presents mild critique of RNC policing. Read the report on the St. Paul city website

Preventing the next recount? Instant Run-off Voting, approved by Minneapolis voters by a 65-35 margin in 2006, won again yesterday in court. Implementation has been delayed by a MN Voter’s Alliance court challenge, but Hennepin County District Judge McGunnigle ruled that they “have failed to demonstrate that IRV is either unconstitutional or contrary to public policy.” MVA said it will appeal.

Jeanne Massey, chair of FairVote Minnesota, which has backed IRV, said:

There is now great awareness about the need for runoff elections in our state contests that are highly competitive, because we have a strong third party presence in the Independence Party, and we no longer have majority winners in our high-stake elections.

In St. Paul, the Strib noted, the Better Ballot Campaign petitioned for a referendum on IRV, but decision on the referendum was postponed, pending the outcome of the Minneapolis lawsuit.

IRV provides that if no candidate gets a majority of the votes, the lowest candidate is eliminated and those voters’ second choice candidate gets their vote. If that doesn’t result in a majority, the next-lowest candidate is eliminated and their votes redistributed. The process is repeated until one candidate gets a majority of the votes.

Ice-cold electricity Grand Meadow Wind Farm started selling electricity December 4, reports the PiPress, and is now fully operational. Xcel Energy’s first wind energy facility is a 100.5 megawatt wind farm east of Austin. The Minnesota Municipal Power Agency and Avant Energy of Minneapolis also have projects under development. By 2020, MN law requires at least 30 percent of power from renewable resources.

MN Job Watch Ecolab announced a thousand layoffs yesterday, including 100 in Minnesota. Jessica Mador at MPR reports that the MN cuts will be divided equally between Ecolab international HQ in downtown St. Paul and a research center in Eagan.

[Company spokesperson Michael] Monahan said the restaurant and hotel-related segments of the company’s business have been hardest hit by the downturn. He said the company is still growing in health care, pest elimination, and fast food industries, as well as in Latin America.

A SCHIP in time? Congress passed a bill to expand the Children’s Health Insurance Program on Wednesday. The bill, previously vetoed by King George II, has the “enthusiastic support” of President-elect Obama, reports the NYT, which says Obama will likely sign the bill soon after his inauguration. First, the Senate must sign the bill. The main point of difference between Senate and House, says The Daily Kos, is the Legal Immigrant Children’s Health Improvement Act (ICHIA), eliminating the current five-year waiting period for legally residing immigrant children.

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January 13, 2009 · 9:41 am

News Day – January 13

Crime decreasing … for now Looking at FBI figures, the the PiPress reports that crime in St. Paul rose slightly during the first six months of the year, compared to 2007. “Slightly” means 0.2% or ten more crimes than in 2007. St. Paul police say that the crime figures showed a decline by the end of 2008. In Minneapolis, the Strib reported that crime fell during the first six months of 2008. Nationwide, violent crime fell by 3.5% and property crime by 2.5%. Final crime stats for the entire year will be available in the fall.

But can it last? Though crime stats show decreases, city governments across the state face major budget cuts. MPR interviewed Wadena Mayor Wolden:

Wolden said cities are struggling with Gov. Pawlenty’s admonition not to cut budgets for public safety.

“We understand that. We’re not dumb. We know that people want to dial 911 and have somebody show up at their door in 60 seconds, 24/7/365. It’s what we do. That’s why they pay taxes,” Wolden said. “We are going to try to hold them as harmless as possible. But this is forcing our hand. This may have to be the cut.”

Liberians need a pathway to permanent residence. Once again, Liberians lawfully in the United States under a grant of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) face forced departure as the latest extension of TPS expires in on March 31. TPS was first granted in 1991, and extended year to year until 2007, when President Bush changed the status to Deferred Enforced Departure (DED). Liberians who fled war and persecution, have lived here for more than a decade, starting businesses, buying homes, and raising families. Each family has its own story. MPR tells one of the stories:

The possibility of deportation would pose an immediate dilemma for Kirkpatrick Weah. He has two young American-born sons who both need special education. He’d have to decide whether to take them with him to Liberia, where the schools may not offer the programs that can help them succeed, or whether to leave them in the U.S.

Minnesota is home to about 25,000 Liberians, one of the largest populations in the United States, and many live under the threat of departure on March 31.

MN Job Watch: Hutchinson Technology, which had announced layoffs of 1100 just a month ago, increased the number to 1380, according to the Strib. The new plan calls for cutting 950 jobs in Hutchinson (pop. 13,929) and 50 in Plymouth. According to the Strib:

They are not alone. Many manufacturers are swinging the employment axe as the grip on the economy tightens. Manufacturers scrubbed 600,000 jobs and shut dozens of plants last year. In Minnesota, 3M, Andersen, Select Comfort, Pentair, Imation and other manufacturers cut 8,500 jobs in just 10 weeks. Hundreds more are coming as retailers Best Buy, Linens and Things and now Cost Plus World Market shut stores and trim corporate staff.

California-based Seagate Technology announced cuts of 800 jobs in the United States. The company employs 53,000 worldwide, about 8,000 in the United States, and about 3,300 in Bloomington and Shakopee, according to the Strib.

Ford is offering buyouts in St. Paul. “About 240 of the 771 union members working at the St. Paul Ford plant are eligible for the buyouts, said Roger Terveen, president of UAW Local 879” in the PiPress. The buyouts would take effect in January. The last round was in 2006.

Gubernatorial tease Both T-Paw and Wisconsin Guv Jim Doyle say they’ll make a major announcement of a joint initiative on Tuesday at 11 a.m., and neither is telling what it will be, AP says, except that it involves efficiency and spending cuts.

Immigrant struggles MPR reports on the struggles of immigrants, many of whom had professional degrees and practices in their home countries, to make a new life in Minnesota. For Damaris Perez-Ramirez, that meant leaving her PhD in psychology and 12-year psychology practice and starting over.

Starting from scratch meant cleaning houses, working as a translator and coordinating parenting classes for Latinos in the Twin Cities. These weren’t exactly the kind of jobs she had in mind when she arrived in Minnesota in 2001. …

A recent report by the Migration Policy Institute shows that, nationally, more than 1.3 million college-educated immigrants are either unemployed or working in jobs such as dishwashers, taxi drivers or housecleaners.

Gaza war update Yesterday the Israeli government banned Arab political parties inside Israel, and even TPM confessed to not being sure what to say or think about the decision, which may well be overturned by the Israeli courts. As casualty figures, with the death toll nearing 1,000 and the number of injured topping 4,000, Bill Moyers presented a searing indictment of the Israeli war (“Brute force can turn self-defense into state terrorism”), and Naomi Klein urged a boycott of Israel. Israel warned (promised?) continuing escalation.

And the recount saga goes on … Yesterday, MN Supreme Court Justice Alan Page appointed the three judges who will hear the Coleman lawsuits in the election/recount battle. MPR reports:

They are:
• Elizabeth Hayden of Stearns County who was appointed by DFL Governor Rudy Perpich in 1986;
• Kurt Marben of Thief River Falls who was appointed by Independent Jesse Ventura in 2000, and
• Denise Reilly of Hennepin County who was appointed by Republican Arne Carlson in 1997.

Franken also asked that the Guv and SoS issue him a certificate of election yesterday — both declined, pointing out that the law requires them to wait until after the court decides on all legal challenges.

Popular public schools Choosing a school is a mind-boggling process for parents of kindergartners. Last weekend, TC Daily Planet visited the school choice fairs in Minneapolis and St. Paul and talked to parents.

Parents at both fairs moved aggressively from booth to booth, peppering parent volunteers and administrators with questions. Many were so intent on their search that I found it hard to stop them for an interview.

“It’s definitely overwhelming,” said Caralin Dees of St Paul, who was looking for a kindergarten for her four-year-old daughter with her husband Matt. The couple said they hadn’t done much research before the fair. “We’re looking for an elementary with a math-science focus…but really, how much do we want to limit her. I mean, she’s only four!”

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January 7, 2009 · 9:53 am

Pig brains and politicians

An Austin man has sued Hormel over exposure to pig brains, reports the Strib. According to Dale Kinney’s legal filings, Hormel’s “process of using compressed air to harvest pig brains has led to a medical investigation involving the Mayo clinic, the Minnesota Department of Health, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).”

The Washington Post described the illness and its cause last year:

The ailment is characterized by sensations of burning, numbness and weakness in the arms and legs. For most, this is unpleasant but not disabling. For a few, however, the ailment has made walking difficult and work impossible. The symptoms have slowly lessened in severity, but in none of the sufferers has it disappeared completely.

While the illness is similar to some known conditions, it does not match any exactly. Nor is the leading theory of its cause something medical researchers have studied. That is because the illness appears to be caused by inhaling microscopic flecks of pig brain. …

[Investigators’] working hypothesis is that the harvesting technique — known as “blowing brains” on the floor — produces aerosols of brain matter. Once inhaled, the material prompts the immune system to produce antibodies that attack the pig brain compounds, but apparently also attack the body’s own nerve tissue because it is so similar.

Hormel says this plaintiff wasn’t an employee. Maybe he’ll have better luck than actual employees. As MPR previously reported, some immigrant workers have been denied workers’ compensation despite being diagnosed with an auto-immune disease that attacks the neurological system. The worker interviewed by MPR couldn’t get workers’ comp to even pay for the meds prescribed for her condition. And, yes, workers are entitled to workers’ compensation for injuries suffered on the job, regardless of whether they are citizens, permanent residents, or undocumented workers.

Of course, if you listen to Minnesota Employment Commissioner Steve Sviggum, no undocumented workers should get compensation for lost work time or for permanent injuries suffered in the course of their work. He wants to change workers’ compensation insurance laws to deny them coverage of anything but medical bills. Lose a hand? Out of luck. Permanent neurological damage? Go back to Mexico.

Rep. Carlos Mariani responded to Sviggum’s outrageous proposal:

If one follows this thinking to its logical conclusion, denying work comp to undocumented would encourage employers to hire undocumented workers because doing so would shield them from the expense incurred for making the worker whole when injured on the job. It would also reward the employer for having unsafe work conditions since they would not incur the cost that follows from those conditions. The savings in expenses: from full work comp costs, and from the expense of maintaining a safe work place could be substantive and could alter the societal balance that exists between protecting workers while running efficient industries. What is posed as an issue that only affects undocumented workers becomes a sector-altering dynamic that undermines organized labor, not to mention that it creates two competing social value systems operating in our economy. … It seems to me that if you want to end the employment of undocumented workers in our society, then making it easier for employers to not bear the work comp costs of injured workers achieves the opposite.

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