Community Solutions Podcast

www.commsolutionsmn.com- Now that the 2024 presidential race is set between Trump v Biden, what is the Democrats play? It looks like Trump is ahead in all of the important places for now. What does that mean for the Dems in the House and the Senate? Will Biden even make it to the general election? Is Harris the heir apparent? Is it time for them to look to 2026 legislative elections, and just skip it this year?

The World Health Organization (WHO) is working with the nations of the world to create a set of protocols to future pandemic response. This isn't meant for coordination between nations. This is to give the WHO sweeping powers to declare a worldwide pandemic and control the behaviors of billions of individuals around the world.

This is a war against "disinformation", "misinformation", and "malinformation". This is what the World Economic Forum said was the greatest threat (including climate change) at Davos this year. They've got to shut us up so they can control the narrative. This agreement is an official treaty, which gives it unique authority. This treaty would give them authority over passports, treatments, and alternate remedies. Biden may sign this by May, but it looks like the senate will not give them the 2/3 vote that they would need to pass this, but we need to keep an eye on it and let our elected officials know what we think. There's a bill to push back, but lawmakers need our help.

www.commsolutionsmn.com- Another state primary down, and another state primary solidly in the "W"column for President Trump. Nevertheless, Nikky Haley is staying in the race with no path to the nomination. It's certainly her right to do so, but at what point is she helping Joe Biden and the Democrats?

We declare the inauigural "Conspiracy Week", where we discuss our favorites from JFK, to AI, and the crazy things we see happening with the Biden administration.

Lastly, we discuss the previous purpose of NATO and what it has become. It was devised to stop the advance of communism in post war Europe, but after the fall of the U.S.S.R., there was really no need for NATO anymore. Don't worry, outdated government doesn't ever go away, it just gets repurposed. The scope of NATO has expanded, the number of countries have grown, and has us head to head against Russia once again. Are we on the brink of war with Russia? Will Ukraine be admitted?

NATO has a budget that's over $1 trillion annually (largely funded by the U.S.A.). It keeps adding countries (31), having just added Finland and Sweden most likely coming on soon. Are we getting our money's worth? Should we still be involved in it? We have an important discussion as to America's role in this organization that seems to be pushing the world ever closer to another world war.

www.commsolutionsmn.com- The Robert Hur report came out, not clearing President Biden of wrongdoing, but rather claiming that he is incompetant to stand trial, so no charges. So if he's too bad off to stand trial, how is he well enough to be the president of the United States? Which is it? Are you comfortable with that? ...or are they trying to expose him to get rid of him? We discuss, but would love to hear what you think.

There has been a ton of discussion around the recent "Border Bill", it's defeat in the House, and the new Senate Foreign Aid Bill... just not in the mainstram news. Speaker Mike Johnson promised that the Border Bill was DOA. There was quite a bit of accusation floating around, that the Republicans were anti-border, but there was no honesty around the details of this bill. There was a small sliver of money going to the border, but half of the money in the bill was going to Ukraine. There's money going to Israel, but also to Gaza. There's money going to our military in these various areas where there are skirmishes.

The bill also didn't close to the border, just directed migrant to ports of entry after so many have crossed... oh, and President Biden can suspend that at any time. What kind of border bill is this anyway? So the Senate figured they'd fix it by taking out all of the border stuff and passing the Foreign Aid Bill with the help of Republicans. You're dead to us.

www.commsolutionsmn.com- This last week, Ilhan Omar made a speech that was smilar to a Donald Trump speech... except that it was about Somalia. It called for a Somalia-first policy, including a secure Somalian border. If the Squad didn't have hypocrisy, it wouldn't have any political strategy at all. Never mind that she took an oath to put our country and our constitution before all others and to defend it against all enemies, she was elected to represent everyone in MNCD5,  not just one group within it. Of course no one else's interpretation of the Somali language was accurate and the local news media either ignored it or ran cover for her. The Democrats seem to be ok with it too, as any challengers have been soundly put down. Their own undemocratic primary process is designed to keep people out that the party doesn't want.

We can't keep our own border secure, because there is no political will in the Executive Branch to do it. We've seen people on the terrorist watch list come across. We've seen all kinds of crime in our big cities. Much of it is done by American citizens, but enough is being done by people that have crossed the border illegally that we're hearing about it on a regular basis.

Not to mention, the wide open border is exacerbating child trafficking, drug traffing, labor trafficking, and organ trafficking. The cartels seem to be able to do as they please and the Democratic Party policies seem to facilitate the conditions for these horrific crimes to flourish. You'd think that they would want to stop those things.

What rights do states have to protect themselves from this onslaught? Do counties, cities, or school districts have a right to do the same if their governor won't do the right thing? Join the discussion below! Check out the Community Solutions Podcast on your mobile device's podcast app or click on the button for other options.

www.commsolutionsmn.com- Well... It's January, and with that, we have new city council and school board members in select locations. St Paul has set a record. No, not for the most females on an elected body, but for possibly the most juvenile and uninformed public meeting in history. They sat around and cheered that there were no elected men on the council, had a guy run around the room with a bubble machine, and praised Hamas... minus one council woman.

The Iowa caucuses just happened, and President Trump cleaned house. It's early in the process, but things look like he's the one to beat. We give you our expert analysis on Iowa and the contests that lay beyond.

We also address the recent attacks on our free speech. Where does free speech go too far? Misinformation/malinformation on social media? Petitioning our government for grievences? Violent rhetoric? Burning down buildings?  The elites and world leaders are pushing to shout down any dissenting voices. People are called conspiracy theorists, just for standing in opposition to the official story and no evidence is needeed.

How do we stand against the Facebooks, CNNs, and the World Economic Forums? Local city councils, county boards, and school boards are also shutting down the voices of residents and parents. We preserve our right to speak by continuing to speak out in our daily lives, no matter what the cost. They can only silence us if we let them.

Check out the Community Solutions Podcast on your mobile device's podcast app or click on the button for other options.

www.commsolutionsmn.com- We’re back with season 8, and we’re off to a raging start. We’re going after an issue that seems like a national issue, but it really doesn’t get more local than what’s in your wallet. The Federal Reserve has been talking about issuing a new currency… a progammmable digital-based currency.

This isn’t the first time a new US currency has been implemented. Most times the American consumer got the short end of the stick on the conversion. This new currency will no longer have physical money, but will be completely digital and run through the Federal Reserve system. This will have huge implications for you, because the Fed will be able to track and trace every dollar you earn, invest, and spend.

This currency will be programmable, which means that they can control how you use your money. All they have to do is program the restrictions on your account to allow you buy certain things or not, spend your money somewhere or not, or donate to a certain organization or not. The Chinese are already putting parts of this in place with their social credit system. The World Economic Forum has already lauded China as the gold standard.

President Biden has already tasked the government with designing this currency, creating the programmable technology, and laying uot a plan for implementation. It’s all ready to go, now we’re just waiting for an economic emergency. At some point, things will crash and they will step in with this ready-made solution.

Check out the Community Solutions Podcast on your mobile device’s podcast app or click on the button for other options.

www.commsolutionsmn.com- We have recorded 299 episodes over seven seasons. That's a bunch more than most podcasts. We have stood the test of time, and taught many in Minnesota (and elsewhere) all about the ins and outs of local government. We've done shows on budgets, government handouts, local elections, transit, property taxes, and bike lanes. You can only tear apart so many Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports before it sounds like we're doing the same show over and over.

We're not going anywhere... after all we still face the same old problems. But we're facing a whole lot of new problems as well. We want to make sure that we look at any issue that affects us locally and continue to provide solutions that might actually change the game that's being played. We're looking for people of courage and innovation to stand up against the corruption and growing shadow of autocracy in our world. Join us as we tease what's to come; the future of the Community Solutions Podcast.

Have you checked out our Spotify playlist? At the beginning of each episode, Jason quotes some song lyrics that have to do with the subject matter of the podcast. Andrew never knows what they are, but now he can… and so can you! We’ve launched the Spotify playlist: “Community Solutions Music From the Podcast!” You can listen to Roundabout from Yes after listing to Episode 30 on Roundabouts… or kick back and enjoy a rocking playlist just for the thrill of it. We add a new song every week. Subscribe and enjoy!

Don’t forget that you can also subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify!

www.commsolutionsmn.com- It's no secret, we hate odd year elections. Very few people come out, and the majority of those are activists, union members, and the uber political. Should 3,500 people decide who makes policy for a city of 50,000? Why don't we just make it easy for people to vote? We hear so much about making it as easy as possible for everyone to have their voice heard, and then so many places have these odd year elections. They are done solely so one side can control the election results. This is the wrong way to go about it.

You will find odd year elections in small cities like Appleton and in big cities like Minneapolis and St Paul. Some races have competition and some are completely uncontested. How do races even go uncontested, let alone an entire slate of races in a single city or school district? There were numerous referendums and sales tax implementations on the ballot, which passed more in the metro than outstate. Minneapolis also has a number of races where candidates are either on the Democratic Socialist ticket and the Socialist Workers' Party ticket. Ilhan Omar hand-picked the new mayor of St Louis Park. Have fun with all that. We have to stop with the odd year elections. They do nothing, but secure the DFL's hold on local elections.

We also discussed the recent death of Matthew Perry and those that went too soon that have left an impact on us. It prompts a discussion on the search for meaning, and I think we may have figured it out.

Have you checked out our Spotify playlist? At the beginning of each episode, Jason quotes some song lyrics that have to do with the subject matter of the podcast. Andrew never knows what they are, but now he can… and so can you! We’ve launched the Spotify playlist: “Community Solutions Music From the Podcast!” You can listen to Roundabout from Yes after listing to Episode 30 on Roundabouts… or kick back and enjoy a rocking playlist just for the thrill of it. We add a new song every week. Subscribe and enjoy!

Don’t forget that you can also subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify!

www.commsolutionsmn.com- The war in Israel is front and center on the world stage, and there are a number of things that are starting to surface, that we didn't think that we would ever see again. When Hamas blindsided Israeli families and concertgoers on not only their Sabbath, but also on a huge religious holiday, it proved its cowardice and barbarism. At least everyone is condemning it.

Well... not everyone. We are seeing universities engaging in professor-led protests, where hordes of rabid demonstrators shout slogans that are code language for killing the Jews. This is totally unacceptable on every level. The Democratic Socialists of America have been squarely on the side of Hamas. We've seen the pure hate coming from people like Ilhan Omar and Rashide Tlaib, but the DSA in Minnesota has been hard at work spreading discrimination. This was on full display at the protest they were involved in at Bryant Square in Minneapolis. DSA has Minnesota chapters in the Twin Cities, Duluth, Red River Valley, and they all use the same antisemitic language. It's time to choose a side. Who are you standing with?

We also discuss new speaker of the House, Mike Johnson. Who is he? Will he do anything different than McCarthy? Is there hope for the future yet? Also, MN Rep Dean Phillips (CD3) is officially in the presidential race. Look out, America!

Have you checked out our Spotify playlist? At the beginning of each episode, Jason quotes some song lyrics that have to do with the subject matter of the podcast. Andrew never knows what they are, but now he can… and so can you! We’ve launched the Spotify playlist: “Community Solutions Music From the Podcast!” You can listen to Roundabout from Yes after listing to Episode 30 on Roundabouts… or kick back and enjoy a rocking playlist just for the thrill of it. We add a new song every week. Subscribe and enjoy!

Don’t forget that you can also subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify!

www.commsolutionsmn.com- If we want to change the direction of our government, it takes us getting serious about our local elections. Top-down government never works, but yet we almost completely ignore the offices that are closest to us. The real problem is that we are playing a game that progressives created and wrote the rules to. Almost every city in Minnesota (and really, in the nation) are either a weak mayor/council or manager/council form of government. The progressives created this so that administrators could run the day-to-day operations of the government.

Our government was set up to have separation of powers to limit the strength and function of each branch. We need to have some elected representation to provide oversight of the city employees. That should be the function of the mayor. The mayor should decide the direction of the administration, have veto power, propose a budget, etc. Stong mayors have traditionally had a full-time position, and in smaller cities, that's just not feasible. We lay out a case for a new approach to all local government bodies, starting with the history, methodology, and our ideas for necessary reforms in order to strengthen the local government against the state and federal government, but make it more responsible to the people.

We give our early take on the horrific attack of Hamas upon Israel. We lay out the ten-cent history of the area to give you insight into the events that led up to this war. It's a take you won't get in too many other places. We also discuss our thoughts about how 2024 is shaping up.

Have you checked out our Spotify playlist? At the beginning of each episode, Jason quotes some song lyrics that have to do with the subject matter of the podcast. Andrew never knows what they are, but now he can… and so can you! We’ve launched the Spotify playlist: “Community Solutions Music From the Podcast!” You can listen to Roundabout from Yes after listing to Episode 30 on Roundabouts… or kick back and enjoy a rocking playlist just for the thrill of it. We add a new song every week. Subscribe and enjoy!

Don’t forget that you can also subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify!

www.commsolutionsmn.com- Our fantastic legislature passed a 1% increase in the sales tax this year that just took effect. This pushes Minneapolis' sales tax up over 9% and St. Paul is almost at 10%! Of course, the DFL wants to claim that this increase is "for the kids", yet the kids never seem to be any better off. Our taxes keep going up, and it's getting harder to keep up with the increases. Part of this money is set aside for "affordable housing" and the rest is for transportation. They want to build affordable homes, rental units, and provide rental assistance. It's part of the $0.50 tax on deliveries and pegs the gas tax to inflation.

As if that wasn't enough, Golden Valley wants to go over and above that to implement another 1.25% sales tax (along with further bonding) to go toward public buildings because they haven't saved a single red cent. If the sales tax isn't approved by voters, Golden Valley says they will find another way to make you pay it. The cost for these projects is $190 million over 30 years, but inflation will push that number. Just for a comparison, Hudson, WI has a 5.5% sales tax. Pretty sweet, huh?

We also discuss the removal of (former) Speaker of the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy. There's a lot of ideas going around regarding who should be next. We set the Republicans straight.

Have you checked out our Spotify playlist? At the beginning of each episode, Jason quotes some song lyrics that have to do with the subject matter of the podcast. Andrew never knows what they are, but now he can… and so can you! We’ve launched the Spotify playlist: “Community Solutions Music From the Podcast!” You can listen to Roundabout from Yes after listing to Episode 30 on Roundabouts… or kick back and enjoy a rocking playlist just for the thrill of it. We add a new song every week. Subscribe and enjoy!

Don’t forget that you can also subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify!

www.commsolutionsmn.com- We hear all around us about the impending doom that is climate change. A group called C40 Cities in collaboration with Arup advisors have come up with some ambitious climate goals so that we can all save the earth... or something like that. There's a problem, however, that if we do these things, we will have to completely give up our way of life. Their JUMP Campaign demands things that no one wants to do, including the elites that say these things and then will keep doing them after they've forced you to stop. First, they expect that we will eat a largely plant-based diet. Second, that you buy no more than three new pieces of clothes per year. They also want to limit your freedom to travel. Are you sold yet?

Washington DC, New York, San Francisco, Houston, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philidelphia, Portland, Phoenix, Seattle, New Orleans, Miami, Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal have all signed on to implement these standards. Do you like your car? Too bad! Do you like to eat meat? Too bad! Is this really the kind of future you want? You have to say something now. You have to stop voting for anyone that is behind these kinds of policies. Our freedom is on the line. This is not a drill.

We also discuss the assassination of Rev Martin Luther King Jr, and whether James Earl Ray is the sole perpetrator or not. There were signs that he may have been the mastermind and signs that maybe he wasn't. Let us know what you think!

Have you checked out our Spotify playlist? At the beginning of each episode, Jason quotes some song lyrics that have to do with the subject matter of the podcast. Andrew never knows what they are, but now he can… and so can you! We’ve launched the Spotify playlist: “Community Solutions Music From the Podcast!” You can listen to Roundabout from Yes after listing to Episode 30 on Roundabouts… or kick back and enjoy a rocking playlist just for the thrill of it. We add a new song every week. Subscribe and enjoy!

Don’t forget that you can also subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify!

www.commsolutionsmn.com-  Ramsey County is trying to pass a $842 million budget, and there is no expense spared. It's 750 pages of endless spending to the tune of almost $1 billion. They have huge personnel costs, as they have well over 4,000 employees. There is all sorts of state aid and federal aid, mixed with bonding, to meet the demands that they have laid out.

Ramsey County has hundreds of millions in debt. That's a ton of extra money that its residents are paying just in interest payments. Ramsey County doesn't care. You're just an open wallet to them, and most governing bodies have the same attitude.

We also discuss the $535 million funding gap for Southwest Light Rail. Hennepin County and the Met Council decided to get together for a little "Let's Make A Deal" to cover this endless financial sinkhole.

Have you checked out our Spotify playlist? At the beginning of each episode, Jason quotes some song lyrics that have to do with the subject matter of the podcast. Andrew never knows what they are, but now he can… and so can you! We’ve launched the Spotify playlist: “Community Solutions Music From the Podcast!” You can listen to Roundabout from Yes after listing to Episode 30 on Roundabouts… or kick back and enjoy a rocking playlist just for the thrill of it. We add a new song every week. Subscribe and enjoy!

Don’t forget that you can also subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify!

www.commsolutionsmn.com- It's no secret, our school districts are struggling with discipline issues. The inmates run the asylum, with schools allowing them to talk back to teachers, be physically violent with teachers, and with grading standards being erased. Parents no longer back the teachers, and the Teacher's Union is the one empowering the students over the teachers. Teachers need to give feedback to their unions and threaten to stop paying dues if they don't start to back them.

That said, Minnesota School Resource Officers (SRO's) are being pulled from schools by the police and sheriff departments because a new law from Walz and the MN Legislature have made it impossible to restrain students, even if they pose a danger to themselves or someone else. For fear of being sued, these departments have pulled their officers. Some conservatives are clamoring for a special session, but do we really believe that will change things? We don't trust any of 'em.

We also remember Bob Barker passing away at the age of 99 by discussing a little game show history.

Have you checked out our Spotify playlist? At the beginning of each episode, Jason quotes some song lyrics that have to do with the subject matter of the podcast. Andrew never knows what they are, but now he can… and so can you! We’ve launched the Spotify playlist: “Community Solutions Music From the Podcast!” You can listen to Roundabout from Yes after listing to Episode 30 on Roundabouts… or kick back and enjoy a rocking playlist just for the thrill of it. We add a new song every week. Subscribe and enjoy!

Don’t forget that you can also subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify!

www.commsolutionsmn.com- Just about everyone agrees that the Met Council is way too powerful. They threaten cities with litigation if they don't fall into line. So what glorious ideas are both Republicans and Democrats agreeing upon to fix this problem? Dismantle their authority? Of course not! We're going to elect them! People don't know who their county commissioner or park district representative is, and yet they will make an educated decision regarding their Met Council rep?

Both parties in our legislature are making excuses as to why they can't strip the Met Council of its power over our counties and cities. There is little political will to make significant reforms over just changing the window dressings. The legislature is rushing this through, wanting some elections as early as 2024. Who will be ready to run? Only the people they are already grooming.

We also discuss a recent meeting one of us attended in a room full of lefties regarding John Marty's bill for single payer healthcare in MN. It's interesting how they tried to control the crowd and guide their thought process to accept a single-payer solution. There's just a little bit of pressure. Tune in to see how the other half lives!

Have you checked out our Spotify playlist? At the beginning of each episode, Jason quotes some song lyrics that have to do with the subject matter of the podcast. Andrew never knows what they are, but now he can… and so can you! We’ve launched the Spotify playlist: “Community Solutions Music From the Podcast!” You can listen to Roundabout from Yes after listing to Episode 30 on Roundabouts… or kick back and enjoy a rocking playlist just for the thrill of it. We add a new song every week. Subscribe and enjoy!

Don’t forget that you can also subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify!

Golden Valley is a mess. In their pursuit for "equity" they are destroying the city. They wrote an equity plan that required all contractors looking to do business in Golden Valley to answer certain equity-related questions. They put equity ahead of fairness and have a plan to ensure things work that way. Equity has become the foremost standard in hiring police officers, which by the way, they are at 50% capacity. Scott Nadeau (a whitey) was the interim police chief, wanted the job, and was passed over for Virgil Green (who is black). Mayor Shep Harris influenced the decision toward Green. Jesse Smith (who was on a city equity-based task force) encouraged people to find dirt on Nadeau and engage in race-based hiring. Are hiring quotas a fair way to grow a workforce?

They acknowledge that Golden Valley is built on stolen Native American land, but don't do a dang thing to give the land back. Put your money where your mouth is. Why aren't they doing anything about it? Because they're not serious about it. They're spouting off empty words so that they sound like they are embracing woke values without having to live by them. Shep isn't running for election, so who will be the face of Golden Valley? They continue to move hard to the left, and the people complain. Yet they keep voting for these results. How about trying something different? These things are coming to your town if you aren't aware. Now is the time to plan a run in 2024. If you have odd year elections, get in now! Don't risk taking one more step backwards.

We also discuss the recent revelations in the Hunter Biden debacle. The news and the documents supporting these claims have been public knowledge for a couple of years, but only now is the discussion being forced into the mainstream of American discourse. What took so long? Why are they finally having to talk about this? We give our opinions on all of this.

Have you checked out our Spotify playlist? At the beginning of each episode, Jason quotes some song lyrics that have to do with the subject matter of the podcast. Andrew never knows what they are, but now he can… and so can you! We’ve launched the Spotify playlist: “Community Solutions Music From the Podcast!” You can listen to Roundabout from Yes after listing to Episode 30 on Roundabouts… or kick back and enjoy a rocking playlist just for the thrill of it. We add a new song every week. Subscribe and enjoy!

Don’t forget that you can also subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify!

www.commsolutionsmn.com- Minneapolis Public Schools just approved a $976 million budget. That's almost $1 billion! They cite rising costs and lower enrollment. Shouldn't fewer students equal fewer dollars spent? Maybe they can afford it? Not a chance. The district is running a $42 million deficit. This is absolutely irresponsible. Kim Ellison (yes, of the Keith Ellison "Ellisons") is a major factor here. Minneapolis is spending $27,000 per kid. That's a lot of money. Where is it all going?

Minneapolis is talking about closing schools and has great ideas for those locations... like housing homeless people. They are basing the poor results on COVID lockdowns and the recent teacher's strike. They refuse to discuss poor student performance. The state of Minnesota is threatening to take over the district to right the ship, but we know that won't help stop the madness.

We also discuss the case of John Thompson's kid killing some people with his car. The video was leaked, and the Hennepin County Attorney, Mary Moriarty, is worried about the leak and not the crime. Also adults took to getting naked in front of kids in pride parades this year. No one's getting arrested. Something is seriously wrong with our society.

Have you checked out our Spotify playlist? At the beginning of each episode, Jason quotes some song lyrics that have to do with the subject matter of the podcast. Andrew never knows what they are, but now he can… and so can you! We’ve launched the Spotify playlist: “Community Solutions Music From the Podcast!” You can listen to Roundabout from Yes after listing to Episode 30 on Roundabouts… or kick back and enjoy a rocking playlist just for the thrill of it. We add a new song every week. Subscribe and enjoy!

Don’t forget that you can also subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify!

www.commsolutions.com- I'm sure that you all heard that there was a huge tax surplus in St Paul. Don't stay up waiting for your check. It ain't coming. So after spending all of the extra money they stole, that should be the end of it... right? Of course not!!! They passed a bonding bill in a non-bonding year with Republican help! Thanks guys!!! Remember, that a bond is a debt instrument, so it's a hidden tax, because you will not only need to pay back the principle on that debt, but the interest too. How do you feel about your tax money being used paying back interest on loans for the rest of the state to get goodies you'll never see or use?

Republicans argued for $200 million more than the DFL originally requested. Some of it was for property acquisition. Sen Karin Housley secured funding for two projects in Stillwater. Forest Lake is getting funding for three projects. Oh, we're just getting started. There is a 38% increase in public spending, which is obscene. When is enough, enough? Didn't get what you wanted? Don't worry, next year is an actual bonding year! Oh, by the way... is education fully-funded yet?

We also discuss our feelings on how the presidential primaries are shaping up. The fix seems to be in on the Democrat side, and the Republican primary seems to be all but decided, but there's some interesting things happening. This should be a fun one to watch. This episode goes out to the late Iron Sheik.

Have you checked out our Spotify playlist? At the beginning of each episode, Jason quotes some song lyrics that have to do with the subject matter of the podcast. Andrew never knows what they are, but now he can… and so can you! We’ve launched the Spotify playlist: “Community Solutions Music From the Podcast!” You can listen to Roundabout from Yes after listing to Episode 30 on Roundabouts… or kick back and enjoy a rocking playlist just for the thrill of it. We add a new song every week. Subscribe and enjoy!

Don’t forget that you can also subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify!

www.commsolutionsmn.com- On their way out of session, the Minnesota Legislature passed an education omnibus bill. As you know, we hate omnibus bills. So much junk passes through in these things, and the Republicans are just as complicit as the Democrats. They could choose to stop this horrible practice with a unified "no" vote, but they refuse. Is education now fully funded? Instead, Republicans and Democrats are falling all over themselves to spend this money to serve their Education MN masters.

Not one word of this deals with academic outcomes, but has a whole lot of bad in it. $74.4 million was set aside for personnel aid and workforce development for student's mental health. $45.2 million was earmarked for school library aid. $37 million of our money was given for "Grow Your Own Teachers" grants. $430 million for a special education teacher pipeline. This is only the tip of the spending iceberg.

Don't forget the conservative policy changes. All schools have to drop their Native American mascots, unless every Minnesota tribe ok's it. Schools have to limit their use of suspension and expulsion. There's also a provision that prohibits schools from participating in the PSEO program if they require a faith statement to be admitted to the school. This is specifically an anti-Christian measure. Crown College and the University of Northwestern are suing the state, because this is purely unconstitutional. Way to legislate conservatively, Republicans.

We also discuss the recent Republican failure on the raising of the debt ceiling. It turned out that there was nothing gained, and the president was still saying that it wasn't good enough and that he'd just do it under the 14th amendment. There's no way that stands up to judicial scrutiny.

Have you checked out our Spotify playlist? At the beginning of each episode, Jason quotes some song lyrics that have to do with the subject matter of the podcast. Andrew never knows what they are, but now he can… and so can you! We’ve launched the Spotify playlist: “Community Solutions Music From the Podcast!” You can listen to Roundabout from Yes after listing to Episode 30 on Roundabouts… or kick back and enjoy a rocking playlist just for the thrill of it. We add a new song every week. Subscribe and enjoy!

Don’t forget that you can also subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify!

www.commsolutionsmn.com- Police departments are starting to fly surveillance drones over cities. Don't we have a fourth amendment anymore? Aren't we supposed to be secure in our persons, homes, papers, and effects? How can this be allowed? Yet if we say anything, the same people that marched in the streets and ran for office on the platform of defunding the police call us anti-police. Hello, pot? Meet kettle. But since when hasn't hypocrisy been an artform for these folks. Those who want to hide abortions and sex changes from parents on the grounds of privacy, neglect our privacy when they want some of our info or property.

Over 70 law enforcement agencies in MN are using drones including Minneapolis, Robbinsdale, Bloomington. They are supposed to get a search warrant to fly them, but there are rules to get around that too. Using them for rescue might be one thing, but using them for a threat assessment or to spy on people is unreasonable behavior. In Warren, MN, they are tracking heat seepage from resident's homes. Did you give them permission to do that? They joined forces with other MN and German cities in the Climate Smart Municipalities Partnership. This doesn't seem legal to me, but hey, what does that have to do with it anymore?

We also discuss the official "end" of COVID. The new Congress doesn't seem to be doing enough to fulfil their promise to get to the bottom of the origins on COVID. When they have subpoena power, why isn't there more pressure to get to the bottom of this?

Have you checked out our Spotify playlist? At the beginning of each episode, Jason quotes some song lyrics that have to do with the subject matter of the podcast. Andrew never knows what they are, but now he can… and so can you! We’ve launched the Spotify playlist: “Community Solutions Music From the Podcast!” You can listen to Roundabout from Yes after listing to Episode 30 on Roundabouts… or kick back and enjoy a rocking playlist just for the thrill of it. We add a new song every week. Subscribe and enjoy!

Don’t forget that you can also subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify!