vote for change!

Mwahaha! :-)

Funny. Is this the same Starfire that appeared on Donny Ness's website telling people what a great mayor he was going to be.

How about a T-Shirt saying these statements:

"NE$$"

"Time to take your Medicine, Donny."

"Bell would of been better"

is the full shirt going to be blue. If so put my name on the list and e-mail me when they are ready to order.

You mean "would have" been better. "Would of" is not really English (you son of a troll)!

Can you make me one that says, "Thank god Bell lost"?

love this, Starfire.

And Speaking Of Mayors!!
I miss Mr. Nice!@#$%^&*!!!
Couldn't he run for Jaros' seat?
I know he doesn't have as many shoes as Reinert, but a nice pair of tennies and something formal would probably be enough.
Oh wait, is he dead?

Now, I understand that "rational" and "the blogosphere" go together about as well as middle school and sodomy, but can any reasonable person (Democrat, Republican, conservative, liberal, independent, whatever) explain to me how, were Charlie Bell to have been elected, this situation would right now be different?

I'm asking this quite earnestly, because my conception of this budget shortfall is one that assumes that, like the events of September 11, this is a situation that takes place regardless if Mr. Ness, Mr. Bell or Mr. Nice is in office.

Am I wrong here?

If I am, what do people suggest that Mayor Ness have done (or done differently) since his November election to overcome this substantial burden to the City of Duluth?

Or is it that people are really upset about the measures that he has initiated to deal with the problem?

It's all Fedo's fault. If he would have kept Duluth's population at or above 100,578 (or even 92,811), there WOULD OF been more tax money.

This IS funny. Let's face it, we have a $6.5 million problem and we are doing everything we can to get through it - a little spare change wouldn't hurt.

A lot of change is necessary.

We've got a structural deficit and there's only one way get out of it - that's to make a lot of tough choices. Cheap shots from cynics are just part of the job.

But this shirt is not a cheap shot. Put one aside for me, Scott.

This is a response to Donn Ness saying that they are doing everything they can to get out of this $6.5 million problem..

Do you really think that closing public libraries, removing trash cans from public parks, and all your other dumb ass schemes will make a change?

Most young duluthians like myself love this city. We have grown up here and hate seeing it go down the drain. I am not going to throw cheap shots at you, I am saying what most people want to say.

The unemployment rate in duluth is a problem (6.5 when the national average is only 6.0), why don't you try to help that instead laying people off and making it grow?


WE WANT OUR CITY BACK

If you want to slag on the Mayor's "dumb ass schemes" go right ahead. But here's a tip: offer an alternative. It's exceedingly lame to whine and bitch about what's getting cut without offering suggestions on where you think the cuts should come from. Maybe in Happyland the crisis could have been avoided by creating thousands of new jobs in the first 8 months of his administration. Unfortunately we live in the real world with real problems. And sometimes solving these problems is going to take some short term sacrifice.

Surely the "Young People Of Duluth" should know that it's easier to MAKE a mess than it is to CLEAN IT UP...when they were messing their diapers, Fedo, Doty and others were messing up the city.

Zra we aren't children. We are all politically active and educated, don't give us that statement about making a mess is easier then cleanin one up. WE have heard it already..

At least we are out on the streets trying to physically clean up after people. We aren't the mindless underage minors you see loitering outside or The Grace in canal park.
To Chris.
Here is an alernative, Get of YOUR ass and help. Pick up some garbage. Don't give your pocket change to a city that will waste it, give it to someone who actually needs it like a homeless person that would like a hot meal.
If we are going to have to live with Donn Ness as mayor then we should learn to live with the lights off because we aren't giving him our change, not everyone can afford to give up their pocket change, some of us are students that are furthering our education so that we can fix the mess the Donn is going to worsen. Whether you like it or not we are the future of this city.

And one more thing as far as offering suggestions, many of us that are students would be willing to volunteer so that you don't have to close the libraries or community centers. We would enjoy spending time with the kids that we are hoping will someday have a clean city to live in. We would sit with them and help them with there homework.. All you need to do is reach out and ask for help, have faith in the young people of this city. We are capable of more then you think

Young go getters- Quit talking about it and make it happen! "We would be willing to volunteer..." What do you need an invitation?!

http://www.volunteermatch.org/search/index.jsp?l=Duluth%2C+MN+55816%2C+USA&k=

Selling off city assets is a good start and Ness is trying "some" of this. How about selling the Zoo? Water and gas or just gas? Golf courses? Redirect or shut down stormwater utility? What's the story on retiree health care? Stop car allowances for Mayor and others? How about DARE program? Has it been cut? Is it an essential city service? The list can go on and on. How about 10's of millions in casino money sitting in the bank right now? How much is the rent for the Mt Royal branch of the library? Is it a branch we really can't afford any more. Why can't the UMD library be more kid friendly and used more by the general public? We "all" paid for it. Why continue building a lakewalk when we are broke? More maintenance involved. All supervisors and mayor take a 5 to 10 percent pay cut. Cut down the number of city councilors. We don't need nine.

Thank you for that helpful resource chad.. The duluth art institute just recieved some new volunteers.

yeahhhh....libraries run by volunteers....hmmmm. sounds awesome.
Lunt- the t-shirt is very cool.
Mr Nice could run a library.

Something to put the change in!!

Let me know what you guys think..

Young Whipper Snappers...you're educated? good for you! politically active? bravo! Welcome to my world...what do you want, a cookie?

Get out into the city you claim to love so much and DO something with that education and drive...instead of whining about it here.

Maybe you should spend a little more time hanging out in front of the Grace...perhaps some of that good intent of yours will rub off on some of the other kids.

The reality is that we have a $14 million deficit, plus the retiree healthcare trust fund.

One real solution is getting rid of the significant fat at the Duluth Fire Dept. I believe Councilor Stauber handed the Chief and Assistant their ass quite handily at the Forum on Tuesday.

I have spoken with several Duluth cops that echoed the exact same thing. This City is being taken for a rider by Netland, Kemp (AFSCME) and Duluth Fire Dept.

They have significant responsibility for the situation we are in right now and they simply do not give a crap about Duluthians. The Union Dogma is absolute BS.

Duluth can no longer be all things to all people. The libraries is a reasonable start, but spend a little time looking at DFD's budget. The fat is unreal, and they have the nuts to try and defend the fleecing of Duluthians, as does AFSCME.

The Unions are the real threat to Duluth. I pray the administration recognizes and cuts there.

It would behoove the administration to form a task force, like the retiree task force, to analyze efficiencies in government and make recommendations to the City on what can be cut, after all, it is our money.

How about cutting back on police salary? I think that the duluth police do a shitty job anyways, we should show them that by cutting into their salary.

When I sit outside my apartment at night you wouldn't (or maybe you would) believe the amount of cops that flash their lights just to go through a red light. Or the amount of cops that I see smoking and BREAKING THE LAW by throwing the cigarette butt on the ground. I do not support, nor do I enjoy having law breaking police officers. I hope you don't either

Real alternatives to the layoffs:

1. Mayor Ness takes a pay cut.
2. Greater Downtown Council pays for their own flower pots.
3. Visit Duluth pays for their own ads.
4. The TIF districts certain very well-to-do business owners (*cough*Goldfine*cough*) enjoy are retired.
5. The city reform property taxes in a way that would progressively raise the percent paid on very high-value private homes, and lower the percent paid by the poor.
6. I'm sure there are others the business community and their puppets in city government don't care to consider.

7. This year, at least six people dissapear from the ship of gouls. Their bodies are harvested for organs and sold on the black market.

Does anybody remember that we are suffering from statewide cuts made by our superstar governor Pawalenty in order to get/stay elected? Doesn't really matter who the new mayor is, the shit already happened....

While the organ harvesting thing is a great idea, and making the old school duluth plutocracy get their overfed bellies reduced is the actual answer, I think a program where we could all contribute and get a named brick might actually have legs

I'm comfortable with my belly just the way it is, thank you very much.

I agree with police state's comments. There are definitely too many police in the city and the country. Cutting the force in half would be just a start to backing away from fascism and balancing the budget too.

Signs there are too many police:

-I saw one squad car pull over a another squad car driving 55 mph down 2nd street with no cherries or headlights after they nearly crashed at the 9th ave intersection.

-We imprison more people than any other country in the world, (including authoritarian China with its 1.6 Billion people)

-Police pick on people for inane reasons like having things hanging from their rear view mirrors.

-1 in 7 Minnesotans has at least one DUI, yet go to a bar any night of the week and watch the whole bar drive home drunk at closing time. Is this enforcement strategy really working? Maybe what we need rather than cops patrolling is safe alternative transportation options. Getting home at 2:00 am safely and legally is never a problem in Chicago.

- Are we still fighting this inane drug war? How much does this cost our local government.

-Have you ever asked an officer for help or reported a crime to them. They usually can't be bothered with the paper work. I don't feel that police generally look out for my interests or that I should pay their salaries.

Do we really need an army of officers, a cavalry, helicopters and riot mobiles to protect war mongers from hearing what peace activists have to say?

- Defying disbelief the "friendlies" have enough time to arrest journalists and "infiltrate" vegan pot lucks.

To me anyways it's an obvious place to start to balance the budget. Now how to deal with unemployed, power tripping, weapon wielding, fast car driving ex-cops who have to find real jobs. That part is kinda scary.

Viva La Resolution!!!
Let it be known that The Resolutionary and I will be on street patrol from now on!