The local DFL includes a significant minority which is progressive on some issues, but mostly the local DFL is "solidly Republican."
The DFL has become the cartoonish stereotype of "Joe Six-Pack." The DFL embraces increasing debt and regressive taxation. The local DFL fights to waste public dollars on unsustainable professional sports infrastructure. The local DFL wastes more resources on unsustainable road-expansion projects. The local DFL ignores clear facts about resource depletion, environmental degradation, and resource wars. Science is as anathema to the local DFL as it is to the current administration in DC. Local Democrats on Global warming: "If it is real (which we don't know) then it is not our problem. Even if it is our problem we can do nothing about it. We cannot and we will not change. More cars and fossil fuels please." Local Democrats on Peak Oil: "If it is real (which we don't know) it is not our problem...We cannot and we will not change...." Local Democrats on War: "If it is real (which we don't know) it is not our problem....We cannot and we will not change...." Our current Republican Governor shows off his fuel-guzzling SUV as a symbol of the great progress we've made in relation to energy independence and environmental issues. If we had a Democratic Governor, he or she would do the same thing. The reassurance of such symbolism is hollow to the point of spin-slick deception. We need no less than fundamental paradigm shift. Incremental change keeps us in the same place while giving an illusion of progress. The Democrats are taking us the same place that the Republicans are, but with slightly different rhetoric. This is why most people do not bother to vote. Those who do vote seem largely satisfied with the message of entitlement to life as Wal-Mart consumers. The system ensures equilibrium for "the electorate" as long as we accept increasing violence (to our habitat and fellow humans) to feed the system. We need to change our fundamental understanding of the way we relate to our habitat and to others. But this is not the DFL story. The local DFL story is: "We will never change." "Death of the Old Guard"? Hardly! Meet the new guard, same as the old guard.... --pedaling for peace and ecojustice from Lynhurst -- Gary Hoover REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[email protected] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
