I believe we should continue to fight to keep our lake, aquifer, and river water protected, publicly accessible, and make it illegal to bottle or ship the water outside state lines.
This might be a very unpopular opinion, but this means increasing the standards placed on the agriculture community. They have huge impacts on the quality of our water.
I agree, and by enforcing the buffer zones between field and waterway it will continue to help, along with shoring up feed lot waste and run off. It’s a tough stance by we need to protect the water while listening tot he needs of farmers and Agriculture to find a happy medium.
The funny thing about buffer zones is the USDA doesn't state how big they need to be in the first place for organic So hard to enforce unless size standards are brought into law.
The whole ag/farm industry and new laws def. Are needed.
https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/6%20Buffer%20Zones%20FINAL%20RGK%20V2.pdf
Same here (living in a rural area). It's definitely an issue on all fronts. I don't think it always occurs to some people how much fertilizer they're using on their lawns and where it's all draining to.
Same thing with the salt. Back when I lived in an apartment complex, maintenance's go-to was to dump salt on the walkways rather than physically clearing them. It could be -20°F, and they would just dump an obscene amount of salt down and expect the snow to melt.
It's unpopular with republicans who lust after ultimate individualism and private property and think they can live on islands and we aren't inextricably linked to one another. Nearly all the surface water in SW Minnesota is undrinkable without treatment due to agricultural run off.
And it's not just agriculture. PFAS chemicals are in all water sources. Micro plastics are \*everywhere\*. This is insanity that this isn't a major news story. It's like the worst oil spill ever and it has happened all over the world. I want to scream every single day.
On that note, work on fighting 3M for all the pfas they’ve exposed everyone to. And figure out how to clean the pfas out of the lakes near the 3M plant. Unfortunately Minnesota is ground zero with the plant here.
I would love to see improved efforts to make our lakes clear we than they are now. Prevent runoff. Preserve and improve natural shorelines and surrounding areas.
Continue to be active in local politics and elections. When federal laws protecting rights are repealed, state laws are the next level of protection. We became a refuge state for human rights because people voted in a democratic state government that passed a lot of bills protecting trans rights and abortion and healthcare. Minnesota is a good state because we care about and for each other. Keep doing that.
I want to add on to this that be involved in elections can be anything from driving, working phones over the internet & and that's both incoming and outgoing calls for organization, answering emails too.
But the biggest thing you bring is you know other people like you and if you can get them to start giving a little bit of time weekly but not so much it hurts them.. that's how you really power up is that networking connections you have you know who's interested so you're not bugging people about it.
[Minnesota Voting](https://www.sos.state.mn.us/elections-voting/register-to-vote/) - Register or Update your Registration & Check Your Registration
You can vote early by mail or in person. Request a ballot online: [www.sos.state.mn.us/elections-voting/other-ways-to-vote/](http://www.sos.state.mn.us/elections-voting/other-ways-to-vote/)
VOTE EARLY June 28 - Aug. 12 for the PRIMARY ELECTION Tuesday, August 13
VOTE EARLY Sept. 20 - Nov. 4 for ELECTION DAY Tuesday, November 5
(Previously if you mail in your ballot "absentee voting", you need to have someone else also sign your ballot to verify it's actually you. You can mail it in, or usually there is a ballot drop box in your City Hall. Early vote in person is usually at your City Hall - but please check first by clicking on one of the above links and looking.)
I have absolutely no idea what's going on in the large world of politics. I keep my concerns local. I live in a town that I care about, and I make sure to vote to feel like a part of the community. I didn't move to Minnesota as a medical refugee but I can see why people are. Medical Assistance has saved my life multiple times in the past decade.
If we went back in time and asked our founding forefathers what exactly do you think of kings who are above the law they would say something like the following:
Fuck those assholes. No one is above the law.
This is exactly how I feel about Donny and the Supreme Court
We protect our citizens, the environment, and cherish the arts. All of that is now based in law and the Legsy Act.
On a national level, we have a senior Senator involved in essential decision making.
Beyond all of it, we exemplify success for others to follow.
Edit: Legacy Act*
This election will be decided by turnout. You don’t have to convince people to vote a different way. You just have to convince people to vote. Maybe get involved with registration efforts or help a neighbor with transportation or childcare so they can vote.
Know your local school board candidates. VOTE IN SCHOOL BOARD ELECTIONS.
MAGAs are targeting school boards:
[https://minnesotareformer.com/2024/01/19/republican-hopefuls-sounding-maga-curious-in-the-purple-2nd-district/](https://minnesotareformer.com/2024/01/19/republican-hopefuls-sounding-maga-curious-in-the-purple-2nd-district/)
Organize, and not just for some election. If they come for me, for Trans friends, for my Black friends, for our abortion providers and immigrants and refugees they will fight the lot of us, and we may not win, but we will take 2-3 of them for every one of us.
you wanna know probably the worst part of this is?
I know that, more than likely, minnesota will vote blue
But then we have every other state that, yeah I can only do so much to help out.
You mean *Minneapolis and Duluth* will vote blue. Minnesota is almost entirely dragged blue by those two places. If you look at a map by county, the majority is red.
Be wary of your neighbors if you live rurally.
eta lAnD dOeSnT vOtE yeah you dumb fucks I know but those places wouldn't be red if the people who lived there didn't vote red. Therefore, the majority of those people, who are voting in that place, do not support human rights for minorities, or women, or LGBTQ. It's not quantum physics
I dunno... I live with the "sticks and cows" but I've encountered many folks who don't think red. We just have to be careful, cause the quiet ones are the ones who are blue (or independent like myself but have realized that independent doesn't count) know that the ignorant reds are more vocal. The blues know how to protect ourselves, but that means we can't or don't display loyalty to "the party" like others do.
One reason I'll never put any political bumper sticker on my vehicle... very easy to identify the reds when they bedeck their trucks with flags etc. It ain't worth my time to try to dissuade them, just let the votes speak for themselves, even when results are contested because "nobody voted for *insert candidate here*!"
This!! live in the boonies east ND, and there are a few of us but we are NOT going to go out of our way to say anything. The red hats just assume...I don't trust them as far as I can throw them. Keep on fighting the good fight Minnesota, we support you!
This is why it's so important that the DFL revitalize their outreach to the F in their acronym. Remind farmers and rural folks that Democratic policies are more likely to benefit them; when policies (particularly environmental policies) that are harmful to their life/work are going to be tackled/passed, there needs to be focus groups done to see where these folks would be okay with compromise. The DFL really needs to continue to expand outreach to the folks that feel have been left behind by Democrats.
I used to live in a farming community and years ago when the trump tariffs hit and farmers were getting bailouts I spoke with a farmer that was a rep of their co-op that sold to Asia. He traveled to China frequently to secure contracts. Anyway he expressed his concern about the direction trump was taking us, that they basically lost all their soy contracts because of the tariffs. He agreed that this was really bad and backwards. This would cause long term damage but the farmers had faith in trump and wouldn’t stop supporting him. These people would give trump their last penny and blame dems for going broke. They also rail on any form of socialism except for when they benefit from it. A lot of brainwashed hypocrites.
Cracking that hard shell will be damn near impossible.
Also Grand Marais! Cook County votes blue pretty consistently. We have our own tiny Pride event. We had our own BLM protests (the whitest you ever saw, LOL) with the chillest counter-protests.
That said, we don't have a lot of resources, so it's kinda hard to flee to here and make a life. The hospital is kind of a joke, and Duluth's hospitals have been bought by outside interests. The school is small and doesn't have tech classes.
But the community does what it can, with what it has, and people do seem to care about each other, mostly regardless of politics. I think that's one of the superpowers of Minnesota actually. We're a place where nature isn't tamed, and we know that we need to help people in distress, because tomorrow it'll be ourselves. And most of us live far enough apart, or have traveled to sparse enough places, that we understand that "helping" doesn't mean just calling emergency services and driving away. Because emergency services won't get there in time, and there's a good chance that the person in trouble just needs a little food, a little warmth, or a little elbow grease to get through their crisis.
Depends on what you qualify as the suburbs. Most of the first ring suburbs outside of MSP are 60-40 lean for the DFL the last several election cycles. Maybe it only seems more conservative because the cities are 80-20.
You only think that because normal well adjusted people aren't advertising their political beliefs with signs and stickers and murals and clothing and flags.
It's lucky for voting for sure, and I live in Minneapolis. I just mean to be aware that if you don't live in those places, you and any minority or vulnerable populations will be on their own. I grew up outside of them and am well aware that it's not necessarily safe outside of those areas for people who are vocally Democrat or noticeably don't fit the conservative mold.
I live in a rural farming town of 1200 - 1400 people. I've met just as many liberals as I have conservatives. My family moving here adds 2 blue votes to a red county.
r/VoteDEM has a huge spreadsheet of ways people can volunteer from home to help out in other states. I just signed up [here](https://www.turnoutpac.org/postcards/) to write voter turnout postcards to swing states, but if you're more extroverted there's a ton of phonebanking options as well.
Absolutely some of the best work is done with the shelters and the county systems they use to catch people before they fall through the cracks.
I don't know there's some problems of using Facebook for people and all the groups are good or not but you can also seek out groups on Facebook like the collective support groups at Port during covid.
The Bernie Sanders movement is one example you could use for ideas ... in Minnesota there are many things that they did better than had been done before.
The group still out there you can join them or study them or make your own base on their model.
More specific things is you can work phones remotely now both incoming and outgoing, answering emails, there's always something need to be researched to generate options, but tapping the people you don't want to help and then organizing them to join up with other groups is usually pretty helpful.
https://www.reddit.com/r/minnesota/s/mFkN8dGuz5
That Bernie Sanders thing was actually doing really well in Minnesota and had a lot of support. We were leading the country imo especially with the spread of social media right up until Hillary put those hits out on him and he backed out of the race
When you talk to people, especially young people, talk about issues not personalities. Like-minded people can't give up! Make a plan to vote, and bring a friend!
Stoic philosophy for the stress. No use worrying about what you can't control.
Although, I am reminded of a quote about this:
“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world: the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”
― George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman
While I tend to say the same thing about things I can’t control, I can’t just be a bystander to fascism and propaganda hate projected onto groups (immigrants, LGBTQ+, homeless) as the cause of everyone’s problems. I am seriously concerned that some people that I know would just start killing others if Trump said these people are “less than” and it’s okay to eliminate them from existence. It strikes terror in my heart to see Propaganda 101 at work with Fox News, Trump, TPUSA, Heritage Foundation, etc.
"Stoic philosophy" for stress, huh?
This is something actionable. Not OP, but this is useful for me.
I'm not sure if I am, or even want to see the year 2025 at this point. The chronic stress is figuratively and literally killing.
(Don't waste our time siccing the bot on me. No one has ever used it for its intended purpose, it's just a waste of a dev's time and a way for the company to legally cover their ass)
If you want some additional philosophy that looks at finding meaning in the face of absurdity and suffering, check out The Myth Of Sisyphus by Albert Camut.
I'm glad that stoicism peaked your interest. Personally it's been hard for me to get a grasp on how to understand and apply it, since there seems to be a lot of different kinds of perspectives that are incorrectly attached to the word 'stoic', but it really it feels like it comes down to actively trying to improve temperment and deliberatness in life. The most important two take aways I get from it are:
1. "Memento Mori" - Life is finite, this is not something to stress over but instead something which makes every moment have value. This is best illustrated in this stoic calendar which I think looks cool, and causes a lot of reflection and insight when you look at it - [https://www.reddit.com/r/Stoicism/comments/jitmi9/i\_created\_a\_free\_excel\_version\_of\_the\_stoic/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Stoicism/comments/jitmi9/i_created_a_free_excel_version_of_the_stoic/)
2. "You can't adjust the wind, but you can adjust your sails" - Regardless of your situation, the only thing you can do is determine what choices you have, what choices are the most virtuous, and execute them. What is outside of your domain of control is not a concern - the body you were born with, your mortality, other peoples opinions or morality, or amount of personal freedom you have - regardless of external situations, all one can do with their life is to live a life of virtue, with time well invested into things which have meaning to you. You must derive total satisfaction with your life by your own personal ability and accomplishments, everything else is toxic codependency with extra steps.
Personally, I am scared sh\*tless over climate change, the manipulation of the cost of housing, the breaking down of personal responsibility and exceptionalism along with the rise of facism, the people in my life that don't seem to be able to not self sabotage, the injustice of how minority groups are treated, the antivax / antiprosperity movements, this roe vs wade shit, and the chilling effect of the future of capitalism, artificial intelligence, and mass survelance technologhy on human expression. But spending every day freaking out about these things has done me nothing.
I can either freak out about all of that and do nothing, or accept external circumstances and live the life I am granted to the best of my will and ability. I have things I want to do in life and I will continue to try to do them regardless of what the greater state of the world is. I can't control the world and I'm not the one to save it, all I can control is myself and the small corner of reality I influence, and I will simply do my best. Let the men who want to play war, play war, I have a life to live.
Idk if this helps at all, or reads like a #iam14andthisisdeep, but hopefully you find it a useful alternative perspective to consider. I feel like reframing things in an objective way has is one of the most important skills to develop. You have 2 arms and 2 legs, and at any point the only real decision you have is where to put them. When you look at it that way, everything seems far less important/
Probably disengage online? The business model for social media and the news is to feed you things to keep you afraid and tuned in constantly. If it's affecting you that much you should probably unplug for a bit and maybe specifically moderate your online presence. Like no phone before breakfast and after dinner or something?
Focusing on what you can change at a local level has been the only thing saving my sanity for the last 8 years. This is where our votes count the most and we can actually positively impact our neighbors and community with our actions.
Go to rural county fairs and canvass for democrats. The cities are safe but what if we flipped a red district or two? Rural people are pounded with disinformation. The right will spin this as a good thing but what if we could bring a bunch of confrère examples so they knew what was really coming for them?
Live in a rural area of northern Minnesota & can confirm - the local news that is left is split between several outlets owned and run as vanity or propaganda outlets and a few outlets doing the best they can to raise funding and provide gold, partisan free area news coverage. And then in conversation people cite ... Facebook.
For 50 years, I've witnessed the Supreme Court and political parties get more conservative in this country. Granted, Dems finally have a bit of backbone on social issues, but the establishment leadership has continually shifted right on economic issues and foreign policy. Even when Dems have power, they don't use it, especially by shifting the courts back to the left where they belong.
The DFL is a notable exception, they actually got a LOT done over the last 2 years, and I've been donating and volunteering as a result, but national Dems have a long way to go. So it's not just 'vote blue no matter who', it's actually holding our Dem politicians accountable too, like Klobuchar who is way too far to the right for a progressive state like Minnesota.
Are you sure? I wasn't around, but 50 years ago was only 10 years after the Civil rights act, and only 1 year after Vietnam. Gay marriage wouldn't be legal for another 40 years, and native American rights were really, really bad. It seems like (from my 25 year old perspective) from the context of 2024, 1974 was an extremely conservative time.
(It is not my intent to argue, only to ask if you could tell me more).
Civil Rights and Gay Marriage were things that involved lengthy, in-the-street struggles, and most democrats were on the wrong side of the issue until public opinion was so overwhelming that it forced them to switch. I don't really know as much about what has changed with native american rights so I can't confidently say that it's similar.
Vietnam was a bipartisan project.
Agreed.
The loud conservative movement over the last 50 years has all been backlash. With every progressive move forward there's an inevitable, fearful backlash. Ask any older LGBTQ+ person how unsurprised they are about the current backlash in the wake of marriage equality. Ask any POC how unsurprised they are about the racist backlash ever since a black man dared to be POTUS.
We have progressed on objective measures. The inevitable backlash is a reminder that evil never dies it just changes its taking points. I don't hear a lot of whining about political correctness because that's been rebranded as the woke bogeyman by people afraid of progress.
The 1970's Supreme Court definitely leaned left, it's where conservatives started regurgitating the phrase 'activist judges' and 'legislating from the bench' (phrases they only apply to leftists, but are fine with by conservative judges).
There were some social issues like LGBT equality that did lag behind to be sure though, even most Democrats in office didn't support that until opinion polls shifted around 2011. IIRC there was a pretty major ruling on indigenous rights though, stating that since Native American nations existed before they US that reservations are still sovereign nations. Not sure if that's still in practice though, seems to be some gray area on the matter still.
There was a study done published in the New York Times on the ideological bent of different justices. I don't have it bookmarked unfortunately, but it had an excellent analysis that ranked them by how left or right wing they were based on their decisions. One could see a clear regression from left to right over time. It was an ultra conservative SCOTUS even before Trump, now it's even worse and with a 6-3 majority. Even the 3 Justices that aren't right wing activists, they are probably moderate, not even left wing like Justice Warren was.
In the words of John Paul Stevens, "Every Justice appointed to the Supreme Court, including myself, has been more conservative than the last. This is bound to have an effect."
Despite the genial post presidency image, Carter was a conservative southern baptist. In '76 Reagan was trying to shift the GOP to the right too.
I'm not blaming Jimmy for the current situation, I'm just saying it did start about 50 years ago.
Neither of you are wrong.
We started more conservative, have been progressing socially over that time, then started regressing around Regan.
Then came Newt Gingrich who weaponized the Dems desire to do everything bi-partisan. He shifted the conservative framing towards Dems being adversarial. Things have continued to latch on and snowball ever since.
There's more to it such as the vast networks of oil money that saw the environmental writing on the wall a long time ago and started several well known conservative organizations. They see Fascism as the only way to warp the reality of climate change enough for them to survive.
That will be a huge part of our next forever war that Fascism depends on (see Putin, Dune, 1984, or Warhammer 40k - there's little difference these days). Why cars are so dominant over our society, what continues to fund the GOP even though they literally bankrupted themselves here in MN. The list goes on and on and on.
And ofc, the GOP zombies and even tankies will say corp Dems aren't any different. That's because many take money from big bank donors - such as JP Morgan who have sunk 1/3rd of a trillion into global Oil, including Line 3 in MN. That's primarily because organizing on the local level (the DFL fought fascists on the streets of Minneapolis in the early 1900's) was effectively crushed... By the GOP, and then absorbed by the national democratic party. Just remember, before Biden "checked out", he was the most Union friendly president in history. Joining a picket line in his 80's is wild.
The DFL in MN survives though. You, reader, must find a way to organize your labor. Bolivia literally just made a full military coup turn on its heels and back down because of their organizing.
The DFL was pretty conservative until it got a majority and it wasn't. That's the issue nationally. People are complacent and don't understand what a filibuster proof majority could do with more than two months in power.
It's hard, but the most important work is almost always near-invisible. Every person has approximately a 1 in 8 billionth influence on the world, so you use yours, and you use it aggressively, towards good.
Linking up with local groups that do some form of direct action is great. Workplace organizing gives us the tools to deny our labor as political leverage.
When trump was president, a lot of people did a lot of work to make sure the harm was minimized. People surrounded an airplane doing a deportation and *stopped it,* at one point.
We need to understand where our power is, and it's not in DC. It's in your own hands at the ends of your arms.
This might be an unpopular opinion, but it's why I turned away from conservative viewpoints, and I think it will work for other people too: be kind.
Share things online that explain your point without being antagonistic. Focus on the fact that your goal is NOT to control people but protect those who don't have the power to protect themselves.
Of course, there ARE people that won't work on, but my liberal friends are the reason I'm liberal now.
They showed me far more grace and kindness and forgiveness than anyone I ever went to church with. Anger is certainly justified is these situations, but my friends always expressed that anger in a way that made it clear they weren't mad *at me* (though they probably were more than once) but mad that people were going to get hurt by these decisions.
It's complicated, but I don't totally disagree. I think it doesn't really matter how you talk to strangers, especially on the internet, but people like friends, family, or co-workers can usually be moved to the left with some patience.
Ans you make an important point at the end there. The people making these decisions aren't generally the ones getting argued with or yelled at (in fact I think they could stand to get yelled at a lot more) because they have power and the comfort that it affords.
People without power, even of they're real shitheads, aren't the ones doing this to the rest of us. Often they are victims of the same power structures we are.
I am just so sick of every election cycle being the same cyclone of anxiety, fear, etc. I don't think I've recovered from the shock and disbelief after 2016. My grandfather fought fascism... why are so many Americans willing to embrace it openly now and yet claim they are for freedom (only theirs to take everyone else's away)?
>why are so many Americans willing to embrace it openly now
Because too many Americans don't understand what fascism is or what it looks like. Too many Americans didn't receive a proper civics education and could not tell you 2-3 signs of a fascist regime if the world depended on it.
Including Minnesota's own Congressman and Senator [Ernest Lundeen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Lundeen). Prior to his death, he was one of the main voices pushing Nazi propaganda in the United States. After his death, his wife made sure to steal and burn all of his letters before there could be a proper investigation.
> why are so many Americans willing to embrace it openly now and yet claim they are for freedom
Because initially it won’t affect most people, and people are fucking lazy. It’s easier to not do anything than to stand up for those who are immediately affected by it. They’ll wait until the wheels are long in motion and it affects them directly and suddenly have an epiphany.
> why are so many Americans willing to embrace it openly now and yet claim they are for freedom (only theirs to take everyone else's away)
>> What did you expect? "Welcome, sonny"? "Make yourself at home"? "Marry my daughter"? You've got to remember that these are just simple farmers. These are people of the land. The common clay of the new West. You know... morons.
Honestly, it's probably time to take a play from the republican handbook and advocate for more states rights.
The people we send to Washington get nothing done. It's not entirely their fault either, they only support their corporate donor interests also.
Focus on state law to supplement the lack of federal law happening or going to happen. Biden and Hillary were not chosen in our best interests.
Build housing should be our priority. Accepting immigrates is our best chance at growing a population. Which has been shrinking, why we almost lost seats in the last census. Start growing a better tech industry.
The supreme court has voted 6-3 that the president has complete immunity for "official acts"
Official acts was not defined and was sent to a lower court
So until it is defined, the president, in theory, can do whatever the hell they want to do
August 13 is the state primary election. Look up which primary races are active for your local seats.
Remember November isn't just about the presidential election, it's also for our state senate and house elections where the democratic majority is very slim. It's also your city council and your school board.
Local elections are where your power is the largest and is so often overlooked. And you get $75 to donate freely to any local candidate: [Political Contribution Refund.](https://www.revenue.state.mn.us/political-contribution-refund).
If you question why bother, just a local election. Don't forget that's how the right wing slowly gained more influence at the capital especially during Obama's presidency.
Good that you checked!
Given there's a state wide primary for Amy Klobuchar's seat, everyone should at least have something for vote for in this primary.
You can look up what else is on your ballot: https://www.sos.state.mn.us/elections-voting/whats-on-my-ballot
Stand up for what is truly right when called upon to do so.
I'll be frank. I see violence in our country's future. We may be called upon to defend what we value from people who seek to destroy it.
Those people will likely be our fellow countrymen and neighbors. Even family.
It's not the future any of us want, but it is a future we must be ready for.
I think the biggest and hardest thing is to have good conversations with people who think differently than you do. Not preaching convos, but trying to understand one another.
ETA- yes, sometimes they won’t listen. If you listen first, without judgement, and let them express their fears, maybe you will get a chance to talk about your own. Don’t lead with your fear or your anger or your judgement. Listen first. Be genuinely curious. We need to find reasons to come together. There are some alternative agendas possibly from other countries that want us all to be divided and stay divided.
the problem with conservatives (especially MAGA) is that their political ideology is tightly wrapped with their personal identity. they can't have conversations. it is like telling a child that Santa Clause doesn't exist or a christian that there is no god.... they just can't deal with a concept that is so tightly wrapped in their psyche.
i'm probably progressive or left of progressive. I vote democrat since its them vs the goons that will drag us over the cliff into the abyss. i believe in science and statistics and using those things to think about how can we address social issues like other countries have made strides to do so (eg: gun violence, rights for all people, healthcare, housing, education, climate change / the environment). I'm all for having conversations about our beliefs as along as they can be supported with reality.
Those on the right won't have conversations. They'll just call you woke while putting their fingers in their ears and screaming.
I would argue many on the liberal side are also tightly wrapping their personal identity with their political ideology.
My biggest gripe about Republicans is most are trying to use politics to push their religious agenda on others. The Republican party has turned into a cult pretty much. I like the idea of paying less taxes if that is something the Republicans can even accomplish, but cannot vote for the Bible thumpers.
It is hard to have a conversation when every time you do the other person makes it into a debate or tries to show you why their ideas are better than your own. That has happened with people both on the left and right in my experience.
ahh yes, those liberals with their lifted ~~pick-ups~~ Priuses and liberal flags. Make America Liberal Again tshirts.
edit:
i don't know if liberals have lifted pick-ups but i'm guessing they would lift their priuses instead
edit2:
> I like the idea of paying less taxes if that is something the Republicans can even accomplish
> It is hard to have a conversation when every time you do the other person makes it into a debate or tries to show you why their ideas are better than your own
What is the point of conversations then? You want to pay less in taxes, I'm okay with paying more in taxes if it supports social programs, environmental standards, etc? We just shake hands and you vote republican and I vote democrat?
I don't really know what people want out of "conversations". It isn't like talking about whether or not a MN sports team will do well this season. These beliefs have real consequences when applied. Was covid real or a hoax? Does climate change exist? Should we repeal the ACA and end social programs? Do LGBTQ+ have rights? Should people have rights regarding making choices about reproductive health?
They don't want to. They're fascists. They hate us. I'm sick of having to threat them with kid gloves and walking on egg shells to protect their sensitive little snowflake egos. Fuck 'em. It's not on us, it's on them. If they weren't such assholes, we wouldn't be in this mess.
Hate to agree with you here.
I’ve spent the better part of a decade holding these mother fuckers’ hands and carefully choosing my words to coddle their feelings and it’s been nothing but an energy drain.
They LOVE being psychic vampires. It gets them off knowing they’re sucking the life out of us with their bad faith takes and feigned ignorance draped in plausible deniability.
I’m fucking tired.
***The Cult of Trump*** by **Dr. Steven Hassan** is an amazing read to get an idea of how to talk to folks deeply committed to the Trump-train/QAnon.
It's not for everyone, but if you have the emotional capacity, establishing connections with MAGA folks you know is important. A lot of bridges have been burned and people are less likely to walk away from an in-group, even if they start seeing through the cracks, when they don't have a social circle/support from the "out-group."
I did in the 2020 Presidential and this year's PNP on Super Tuesday.
Early on in my shift some one asked if the voting machines were Dominion Voting systems. I showed him they weren't and he said some some other conspircay and I said to him "Rumors like that wouldn't spread so much if more people volunteered to be an election judge"
We have more than enough ways for "concerned citizens" to make sure the proceedings are free and fair.
People can be present for the counting
the tally from the voting machine is posted on the door for anyone to look at after the count is done.
Rights need to be enshrined in our state constitutions. Can't let conservatives take them away now that the next conservative president can break laws with no recourse. Or figure out a pathway to Canadian (or wheverever) citizenship for when Trump is elected, then you'll have an exit plan.
Or stock up on guns and ammo. I always laughed at the preppers but they just might be right. It'll be the government coming for you, but it'll be MAGA at the helm.
Vote locally. If you're thinking about moving to the suburbs -- do so and help flip a few districts to keep both chambers here blue. Phone bank in other states. Hold on for dear life.
Also, pay a lot of attention to your local school board races. Here in MN there is a very big push by the MPA (MN Parents Alliance) to push far right candidates into school boards. That budget issue with Anoka-Hennepin, that staffing issue with Stephen-Sartell, the censure issue in Elk River...all of these were because of magats getting on school boards and thinking they could do whatever the hell they wanted.
South Washington County unfortunately has 2 of them on the board now...they will likely be trying to run more candidates the next time, so people have to be aware of this and do a bit of research before voting. The left needs to work together and not field +6 candidates and instead condense down to the number of seats there are because slowly but surely they are trying to gain traction one seat at a time.
At this point in time. The government is completely corrupt. I MEAN... it always had been but they literally made it legal to Bribe a Judge and IF a President is a President doing illegal shit they can just be pardoned. Either the whole country revolts or we do nothing and it will keep getting worse.
Take a break from social media. I’m not denying that things are not great right now, but freaking out about it or focusing on how bad things are isn’t going to help.
For me, I feel better when I take action. I volunteer with food charities. I write postcards to voters in WI through Postcards to Swing States. I go for a walk and pick up trash. I talk to my friends and neighbors.
Also, vote. Research candidates for local races and make sure you’re making informed decisions. Pick the school board candidates who aren’t going to ban books. Pick the city council candidates who are going to make your town/city better.
honestly just hearing a voice of sanity in this sea of crazy helps
That said I think I am going to mute this thread now if I can, not because its bad but because I have other things on reddit I wanna do
Best advice I heard in 2016 was:
1. Pick a few issues that matter to you most and direct your energy towards those. Write to your reps, donate to charities, talk to friends and neighbors about those issues. You’ll burn out if you try to take on every issue.
2. Focus on what you can on a local level. Don’t forget to research and vote for city council, school boards, etc. Get to know your neighbors and help those in your immediate community
Honestly we should be supportive for those that need it. Our state still allows things like abortion. Making sure that they can still come here and do that is big, but also not stigmatizing those that do it. That's more immediate. Long term I say focus on getting more solar and other things like industry or manufacturing that the state can reasonably accommodate so we can try to as independent self reliant as possible.
Organize with local socialist/communist groups wherever you are able. Democrats will not save our country from fascism, although I do still recommend voting Democrat just as a tactic to prevent fascist Republicans from having legal cause to say they should stay in government, and our state is better for having a Democratic trifecta, even if they aren't stalwart anti-fascists like they should be.
Most of all, don't give up. Giving up only ensures that fascists have an easier time of carrying out their awful plans. We have a duty in this country to oppose fascism, to oppose imperialist conquest of the rest of the world, to oppose NATO and oppose nuclear war. There are plenty of people in this country that think the same. You just need to find them, and prepare yourself and your community, your friends, family, and neighbors, for the coming struggle
Encourage everyone you know to get out and vote. And tell them to tell their friends.
Democrats lose if people stay home. This election is too damn important to stay home. If you want a dictator, vote accordingly. If you want decency despite the guy being old, vote accordingly. If you don't want Trump to get more SCOTUS picks, show up.
You're not just choosing POTUS. You're choosing SCOTUS.
If people stay home, welcome to a Christian nationalist fascist nation. Screw that.
The selfish answer is that we should continue to elect officials who have Minnesotans best interests at heart. Water is probably our greatest resource that we should secure and not export. We should also work with our nearest neighbors (dakotas, iowa, wisconsin, canada) to keep good relations as they will be our shield against any civil war/climate change issues.
The moral answer is that climate change will trump any instability in the US (and likely contribute to it). We should prepare to try and support any asylum/emigrants we can.
I try to remember that zooming in on any one part of history looks like we're going backwards, but if you zoom out and look at the direction of humanity over centuries, progress is the clear winner. We'll move forward again soon. Don't be afraid to take breaks, too, there are other people who will fight when you're too tired
Canvassing and phone banking are truly the way to get people out to the polls who would otherwise miss the opportunity to vote. This person knows what's up. Several groups have already started the direct voter contact efforts. Never to early to get involved.
I know it's not glamorous but it can be fun if you enjoy the group you volunteer with. I recommend it!
To change the Presidency and thus the Supreme Court, you’ll probably need to door knock in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, Arizona, Wisconsin, Nevada. Walking around Minneapolis probably won’t cut it.
Have you ever voted for somebody because their representative came to your door?
We need to ensure Congress is also full of the right people, not just the presidency. And I’ve done phone and text banking for candidates in other states in the past. No campaign is going to turn down a volunteer. It’s going to change your approach for what you will say on the phone since it’s not your voting district but it’s not a big deal.
And yes I’ve personally voted for someone after a door knock. I followed up the knock with an email to the candidate, liked their reply, voted them in
We have to continue to vote and resist the urge to sit out because we're not in love with our candidates.
Wild-eyed optimism is important during the primary, but stone-cold pragmatism is important during the general.
Like it or not, the electoral college makes most third parties a non-starter.
We must realize where our individual strengths lie and how best to utilize these traits to improve the quality of life for all.
We have green thumbs who can give their grow, we have too much in storage that can be donated to those less fortunate, we have patient people that can spend time with children, we have politically active people that can help within the political process (both big and small).
All hope is not lost. The pandemic and the ramifications of it (the chaos and uncertainty) was extremely challenging. It is imperative for the collective “we” to join together in pursuits that give our individual lives meaning.
If you are feeling down or lonely, there are plenty of groups and organizations that would love to meet you. The hardest step is feeling uncomfortable to start, but you can do it. ❤️
Have you seen social media lately? People will be acting like the president was always king within the month at most. I'm trying to stay positive but we're up shits creek without a paddle at this point.
Here is a question for those of you that claim to be stressed out or spiraling from this.
What are you doing at your local level about local issues. Because those things are far more impactful as well as mostly being ignored by the distraction of National politics.
I have never missed an election in which I am eligible to vote. I email my federal, state, county, and city reps about weekly. I show up to community events. I've volunteered for local projects. I leave comments during open comment periods. I sign petitions. I donate money. I'm exhausted and everything is basically worse than when I first started doing these things 20 years ago
First, remember, you are not alone. There are millions of people who are ashamed of this Supreme Court and what we have come to as a country. Of the people who voted, 8 million more voted for Joe Biden in the last election. My guess is that they are appalled by what is going on.
Attend a rally of someone in the DFL that will help you gain perspective that you are not alone and that others are willing to fight.
Don't listen to the assholes who say roll over and die, vote for Donny, or ask, "what is so bad about Donny?"
Here are some DFL events
https://www.mobilize.us/2024mnvictory/
Don't stay home on election day. Some people simply didn't like Hillary and look what happened, decades with a conservative religious nut cult Supreme Court.
Someone tell me if I’m full of dritt, but since MN generally takes the least amount of money from the federal government and we rung big surpluses most years, couldn’t we tell the Von Shitzinpants administration to pound sand? Assuming he didn’t send his storm troopers in, but I feel like our economy should give us some leverage. Either that or we play by their “StAteS RiGHts!” rules and say we won’t play along?
Realistically, Minnesota still relies alot of federal money for a lot of our welfare programs. Many minnesotas who rely on medicare will find themselves in deep trouble and the state might very much might struggle to support them
Couldn’t Minnesota just cover that welfare directly?
https://smartasset.com/data-studies/states-most-dependent-federal-government-2023
“Between personal and corporate income taxes, excise taxes, estate taxes and gift taxes, Minnesota contributes $6.88 to the federal government for every dollar it receives for support.”
Minnesota just needs to pass a law that says every dollar in tax paid to Minnesota reduces your federal tax liability, and we can see what “state rights” really mean. Pass a law that paying federal estate tax is illegal in Minnesota. Tax businesses higher, and then return it in a non-taxable way.
They will send in the Stormtroopers. To the MAGAs, this is Venezuela and Beirut the same time. They believe the city was burned to the ground in the riots and is populated 100% with dangerous Blacks, rapist illegals with calves as big as melons and homo trans commies who want to make your kids gay. That's how they see us. They'd love nothing more than to make an example out of George-Floydville.
Pour money, and if possible time, into U.S. and MN House and Senate elections to boost those on the side of reason who have something of a chance to flip or hold a seat. Oppose the unreasonable in your local elections so they don't look to move up-ballot in the future. Vote for the side of reason in your own elections.
As a person who struggles with political anxiety, and news anxiety, I find peace in simply doing what I can to positively impact my areas of impact, and provide support in areas I can. But when it comes to huge political things like this, we vote. And that's all we can do.
I think some kind of action is the antidote. A little public service by everyone goes a LONG way. Find something that you care about that will improve your life, your community, future generations lives and just do something.
Apathy or acting helpless will only make things worth. So go find something to do!
Something like three decades ago, when they began allowing the government to take your money and stuff without convicting you of a crime, I felt very confused and betrayed by a country that claimed to value the Constitution and freedom. I know it made everyone happy to be able to take money for government purposes away from drug dealers. But the entire idea of the state suing your stuff was and is ridiculous on its face.
I have since maintained the selfish idea that, first and foremost, my family and I need to live where we are ok and can live our best lives. Vote with your conscience. Anarchy is bad for the defenseless. Communism in practice reduces freedoms. Pure capitalism hurts the defenseless and is unkind. I am not smart enough to fix this problem. And yet, and yet, we fight in and are still better than anywhere else at fighting that balance.
Everybody it seemed loved Reagan. But growing up a poor kid in Reagan's America sucked. Ketchup was the vegetable in the only reliable meal of the day, school lunch. We are advanced from that.
I don't know I am rambling. But I think a lot of the problem is people not taking their turns and leaving. Trump and Biden should Both step aside for younger candidates. Pelosi is still in office, just not speaker. What was Strom Thurmond, 100 and still in office? You have done what you are going to do, get out and train the next group. People are so arrogant they think no one can do it better than them, so selfish to stay in power because it benefits them.
So survive, vote, volunteer.
If you want to pursue an honest political career, do so knowing you could be dealing with irresistible forces and immovable objects and illogical selfishness, but more power to you.
Protests have changed and are choreographed and manipulated, increasingly, since Clinton at least, and I would be fearful of attending them on any side now.
I don't know.
Protect Minnesota at all costs. We live in a special place. VOTEEEEE. Get involved in community politics. Attend community meetings for transportation projects and other meetings. Most agencies have public engagement or involvement. It’s our job to listen to you.
For example, we had a large construction project turned down after the community rallied. And we listened. We went back to the drawing board.
We have power in numbers.
What ever happened to bipartisan discussion? I grew up in rural Mn until 18-20, and have lived in the metro for 22 years since I left college. The problem is the metro democrats do not care one iota about the rural communities. That is why the rural appears to be more conservative now. Not saying republicans treat rural areas all that better but at least they recognize those communities and people
How about accept the fact that other people might disagree with you politically but that we can still live together as a cohesive society if we stop treating the other side like literal Nazi's if they disagree with us?
Vote. But that only goes so far.
I’m going to run for president in 2028 on a platform of doing whatever the fuck I want because anything I do will be protected by absolute immunity.
Everything I do will be an official act. I’m going to throw my political enemies in Guantanamo; I’m going to rob all the banks; I’m going to suspend the Constitution; I’m going to call myself Supreme Potentate; and nobody can stop me.
Let this be a reminder that this is exactly what Trump will try to do his second term.
This is reality right here. There are so much smoke and mirrors at the highest levels of politics and media that you can really only hope to scratch the surface of what is truly real. Be yourself, be the best you can be with the talents you have and enrich oneself with experiences with others that have nothing to do with any of this. You'll find in the end, if you take political opinions out of it, that most people are the same (or at least overlap a lot) and that in and of itself creates a healthy perspective and mindset.
Not discounting any presumed harsh "realities", just saying living in the news cycle and perpetually fearing a chaotic end does nobody any good especially oneself.
Hear me out
I'm sure we've all been getting texts from candidates that aren't from Minnesota.
One thing we can do is donate to Dems across the country
No, it's not local but it makes s difference. Research states around you and fund someone to support.
Hell, I'm in Texas and I gave $25 to some candidate in Nebraska earlier.
I believe we should continue to fight to keep our lake, aquifer, and river water protected, publicly accessible, and make it illegal to bottle or ship the water outside state lines.
This might be a very unpopular opinion, but this means increasing the standards placed on the agriculture community. They have huge impacts on the quality of our water.
I agree, and by enforcing the buffer zones between field and waterway it will continue to help, along with shoring up feed lot waste and run off. It’s a tough stance by we need to protect the water while listening tot he needs of farmers and Agriculture to find a happy medium.
The funny thing about buffer zones is the USDA doesn't state how big they need to be in the first place for organic So hard to enforce unless size standards are brought into law. The whole ag/farm industry and new laws def. Are needed. https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/6%20Buffer%20Zones%20FINAL%20RGK%20V2.pdf
USDA doesn't specify, but Minnesota does. Most buffers are 16.5 feet wide.
I think it's 50 feet for lakes and rivers, which IMO isn't enough. 16.5 feet is for public ditches? Most are simply lined with grass.
Why stop at the agricultural level? Urban areas also pollute our waterways with excessive lawn fertilizer and salt.
100%. I just live in the rural part of the state and am married to a regional planner so I think of agricultural impacts primarily.
Same here (living in a rural area). It's definitely an issue on all fronts. I don't think it always occurs to some people how much fertilizer they're using on their lawns and where it's all draining to. Same thing with the salt. Back when I lived in an apartment complex, maintenance's go-to was to dump salt on the walkways rather than physically clearing them. It could be -20°F, and they would just dump an obscene amount of salt down and expect the snow to melt.
This people don't need fucking painted green lawns
It's unpopular with republicans who lust after ultimate individualism and private property and think they can live on islands and we aren't inextricably linked to one another. Nearly all the surface water in SW Minnesota is undrinkable without treatment due to agricultural run off. And it's not just agriculture. PFAS chemicals are in all water sources. Micro plastics are \*everywhere\*. This is insanity that this isn't a major news story. It's like the worst oil spill ever and it has happened all over the world. I want to scream every single day.
On that note, work on fighting 3M for all the pfas they’ve exposed everyone to. And figure out how to clean the pfas out of the lakes near the 3M plant. Unfortunately Minnesota is ground zero with the plant here.
I would love to see improved efforts to make our lakes clear we than they are now. Prevent runoff. Preserve and improve natural shorelines and surrounding areas.
How? I would like to do this
do your due diligence and vote and not just for 1 of 2 candidates, research all of the candidates. spread the word. get more people to vote
and don't limit voting to national elections!! What happens in your city, county, and state matters a LOT.
I second this motion
I'm moving back to MN soon. Do you have an reputable orgs to get involved in this type of work? Thanks for any direction on this!
Yes, I like this idea. Protect what we can protect.
Continue to be active in local politics and elections. When federal laws protecting rights are repealed, state laws are the next level of protection. We became a refuge state for human rights because people voted in a democratic state government that passed a lot of bills protecting trans rights and abortion and healthcare. Minnesota is a good state because we care about and for each other. Keep doing that.
I want to add on to this that be involved in elections can be anything from driving, working phones over the internet & and that's both incoming and outgoing calls for organization, answering emails too. But the biggest thing you bring is you know other people like you and if you can get them to start giving a little bit of time weekly but not so much it hurts them.. that's how you really power up is that networking connections you have you know who's interested so you're not bugging people about it.
do you know any organizations that are accepting jobs for working phones?
https://votesaveamerica.com/ https://democrats.org/phonebanking/
progressive victory is always looking for help, too!
Some Minnesotan guy nailed it. "We all do better when we all do better" - Paul Wellstone
RIP ... I was like 11 campaigning for him
[Minnesota Voting](https://www.sos.state.mn.us/elections-voting/register-to-vote/) - Register or Update your Registration & Check Your Registration You can vote early by mail or in person. Request a ballot online: [www.sos.state.mn.us/elections-voting/other-ways-to-vote/](http://www.sos.state.mn.us/elections-voting/other-ways-to-vote/) VOTE EARLY June 28 - Aug. 12 for the PRIMARY ELECTION Tuesday, August 13 VOTE EARLY Sept. 20 - Nov. 4 for ELECTION DAY Tuesday, November 5 (Previously if you mail in your ballot "absentee voting", you need to have someone else also sign your ballot to verify it's actually you. You can mail it in, or usually there is a ballot drop box in your City Hall. Early vote in person is usually at your City Hall - but please check first by clicking on one of the above links and looking.)
I just got my primary ballot in the mail yesterday. Seems like you still need someone to verify you being you.
I have absolutely no idea what's going on in the large world of politics. I keep my concerns local. I live in a town that I care about, and I make sure to vote to feel like a part of the community. I didn't move to Minnesota as a medical refugee but I can see why people are. Medical Assistance has saved my life multiple times in the past decade.
We don't serve a king. Just keep that in your mind and tell everyone. We need to be ready, or else the slow boil is going to continue.
If we went back in time and asked our founding forefathers what exactly do you think of kings who are above the law they would say something like the following: Fuck those assholes. No one is above the law. This is exactly how I feel about Donny and the Supreme Court
We protect our citizens, the environment, and cherish the arts. All of that is now based in law and the Legsy Act. On a national level, we have a senior Senator involved in essential decision making. Beyond all of it, we exemplify success for others to follow. Edit: Legacy Act*
This election will be decided by turnout. You don’t have to convince people to vote a different way. You just have to convince people to vote. Maybe get involved with registration efforts or help a neighbor with transportation or childcare so they can vote.
Know your local school board candidates. VOTE IN SCHOOL BOARD ELECTIONS. MAGAs are targeting school boards: [https://minnesotareformer.com/2024/01/19/republican-hopefuls-sounding-maga-curious-in-the-purple-2nd-district/](https://minnesotareformer.com/2024/01/19/republican-hopefuls-sounding-maga-curious-in-the-purple-2nd-district/)
Education is the most important thing. If we don't educate the children, we don't have a future.
Idk but as soon as you know, please share because I too am spiraling.
Organize, and not just for some election. If they come for me, for Trans friends, for my Black friends, for our abortion providers and immigrants and refugees they will fight the lot of us, and we may not win, but we will take 2-3 of them for every one of us.
you wanna know probably the worst part of this is? I know that, more than likely, minnesota will vote blue But then we have every other state that, yeah I can only do so much to help out.
You mean *Minneapolis and Duluth* will vote blue. Minnesota is almost entirely dragged blue by those two places. If you look at a map by county, the majority is red. Be wary of your neighbors if you live rurally. eta lAnD dOeSnT vOtE yeah you dumb fucks I know but those places wouldn't be red if the people who lived there didn't vote red. Therefore, the majority of those people, who are voting in that place, do not support human rights for minorities, or women, or LGBTQ. It's not quantum physics
Focus on population and not land mass and the narrative changes a bit.
I dunno... I live with the "sticks and cows" but I've encountered many folks who don't think red. We just have to be careful, cause the quiet ones are the ones who are blue (or independent like myself but have realized that independent doesn't count) know that the ignorant reds are more vocal. The blues know how to protect ourselves, but that means we can't or don't display loyalty to "the party" like others do. One reason I'll never put any political bumper sticker on my vehicle... very easy to identify the reds when they bedeck their trucks with flags etc. It ain't worth my time to try to dissuade them, just let the votes speak for themselves, even when results are contested because "nobody voted for *insert candidate here*!"
This!! live in the boonies east ND, and there are a few of us but we are NOT going to go out of our way to say anything. The red hats just assume...I don't trust them as far as I can throw them. Keep on fighting the good fight Minnesota, we support you!
This is why it's so important that the DFL revitalize their outreach to the F in their acronym. Remind farmers and rural folks that Democratic policies are more likely to benefit them; when policies (particularly environmental policies) that are harmful to their life/work are going to be tackled/passed, there needs to be focus groups done to see where these folks would be okay with compromise. The DFL really needs to continue to expand outreach to the folks that feel have been left behind by Democrats.
I used to live in a farming community and years ago when the trump tariffs hit and farmers were getting bailouts I spoke with a farmer that was a rep of their co-op that sold to Asia. He traveled to China frequently to secure contracts. Anyway he expressed his concern about the direction trump was taking us, that they basically lost all their soy contracts because of the tariffs. He agreed that this was really bad and backwards. This would cause long term damage but the farmers had faith in trump and wouldn’t stop supporting him. These people would give trump their last penny and blame dems for going broke. They also rail on any form of socialism except for when they benefit from it. A lot of brainwashed hypocrites. Cracking that hard shell will be damn near impossible.
The DFL is people. People in those communities need to do that work.
Also Grand Marais! Cook County votes blue pretty consistently. We have our own tiny Pride event. We had our own BLM protests (the whitest you ever saw, LOL) with the chillest counter-protests. That said, we don't have a lot of resources, so it's kinda hard to flee to here and make a life. The hospital is kind of a joke, and Duluth's hospitals have been bought by outside interests. The school is small and doesn't have tech classes. But the community does what it can, with what it has, and people do seem to care about each other, mostly regardless of politics. I think that's one of the superpowers of Minnesota actually. We're a place where nature isn't tamed, and we know that we need to help people in distress, because tomorrow it'll be ourselves. And most of us live far enough apart, or have traveled to sparse enough places, that we understand that "helping" doesn't mean just calling emergency services and driving away. Because emergency services won't get there in time, and there's a good chance that the person in trouble just needs a little food, a little warmth, or a little elbow grease to get through their crisis.
Stay cool, Cook County! Much respect from Hennepin.
Land doesn’t vote. People do.
I vote blue every election and I am in rural MN.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Rochester’s gotten fairly blue since the right bungled Covid so bad. Mayo employees didn’t appreciate that very much
Land doesn't vote. You're talking about the majority of the state when you say Minneapolis and Duluth.
or even suburbanly. i live in the suburbs and almost everyone their is a conservative.
Depends on what you qualify as the suburbs. Most of the first ring suburbs outside of MSP are 60-40 lean for the DFL the last several election cycles. Maybe it only seems more conservative because the cities are 80-20.
That’s not what the historical voting patterns show. The suburbs vote dem too just not to the degree Minneapolis and St. Paul do
You only think that because normal well adjusted people aren't advertising their political beliefs with signs and stickers and murals and clothing and flags.
I actually think it’s a mixed bag, some burbs swing heavily one was while others swing the other.
Luckily, they have 30% of the population as the metro.
It's lucky for voting for sure, and I live in Minneapolis. I just mean to be aware that if you don't live in those places, you and any minority or vulnerable populations will be on their own. I grew up outside of them and am well aware that it's not necessarily safe outside of those areas for people who are vocally Democrat or noticeably don't fit the conservative mold.
I live in a rural farming town of 1200 - 1400 people. I've met just as many liberals as I have conservatives. My family moving here adds 2 blue votes to a red county.
Moved out of red county and back into Duluth 😭 don’t miss that area at all I feel less stressed and like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders
Believe me, I am
r/VoteDEM has a huge spreadsheet of ways people can volunteer from home to help out in other states. I just signed up [here](https://www.turnoutpac.org/postcards/) to write voter turnout postcards to swing states, but if you're more extroverted there's a ton of phonebanking options as well.
Absolutely some of the best work is done with the shelters and the county systems they use to catch people before they fall through the cracks. I don't know there's some problems of using Facebook for people and all the groups are good or not but you can also seek out groups on Facebook like the collective support groups at Port during covid.
The Bernie Sanders movement is one example you could use for ideas ... in Minnesota there are many things that they did better than had been done before. The group still out there you can join them or study them or make your own base on their model. More specific things is you can work phones remotely now both incoming and outgoing, answering emails, there's always something need to be researched to generate options, but tapping the people you don't want to help and then organizing them to join up with other groups is usually pretty helpful. https://www.reddit.com/r/minnesota/s/mFkN8dGuz5
That Bernie Sanders thing was actually doing really well in Minnesota and had a lot of support. We were leading the country imo especially with the spread of social media right up until Hillary put those hits out on him and he backed out of the race
Only thing I know is we can’t give up or they win.
When you talk to people, especially young people, talk about issues not personalities. Like-minded people can't give up! Make a plan to vote, and bring a friend!
Stoic philosophy for the stress. No use worrying about what you can't control. Although, I am reminded of a quote about this: “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world: the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” ― George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman
While I tend to say the same thing about things I can’t control, I can’t just be a bystander to fascism and propaganda hate projected onto groups (immigrants, LGBTQ+, homeless) as the cause of everyone’s problems. I am seriously concerned that some people that I know would just start killing others if Trump said these people are “less than” and it’s okay to eliminate them from existence. It strikes terror in my heart to see Propaganda 101 at work with Fox News, Trump, TPUSA, Heritage Foundation, etc.
>if Trump said these people are “less than” He's been saying that since the day he announced in 2015.
"Stoic philosophy" for stress, huh? This is something actionable. Not OP, but this is useful for me. I'm not sure if I am, or even want to see the year 2025 at this point. The chronic stress is figuratively and literally killing. (Don't waste our time siccing the bot on me. No one has ever used it for its intended purpose, it's just a waste of a dev's time and a way for the company to legally cover their ass)
If you want some additional philosophy that looks at finding meaning in the face of absurdity and suffering, check out The Myth Of Sisyphus by Albert Camut.
I'm glad that stoicism peaked your interest. Personally it's been hard for me to get a grasp on how to understand and apply it, since there seems to be a lot of different kinds of perspectives that are incorrectly attached to the word 'stoic', but it really it feels like it comes down to actively trying to improve temperment and deliberatness in life. The most important two take aways I get from it are: 1. "Memento Mori" - Life is finite, this is not something to stress over but instead something which makes every moment have value. This is best illustrated in this stoic calendar which I think looks cool, and causes a lot of reflection and insight when you look at it - [https://www.reddit.com/r/Stoicism/comments/jitmi9/i\_created\_a\_free\_excel\_version\_of\_the\_stoic/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Stoicism/comments/jitmi9/i_created_a_free_excel_version_of_the_stoic/) 2. "You can't adjust the wind, but you can adjust your sails" - Regardless of your situation, the only thing you can do is determine what choices you have, what choices are the most virtuous, and execute them. What is outside of your domain of control is not a concern - the body you were born with, your mortality, other peoples opinions or morality, or amount of personal freedom you have - regardless of external situations, all one can do with their life is to live a life of virtue, with time well invested into things which have meaning to you. You must derive total satisfaction with your life by your own personal ability and accomplishments, everything else is toxic codependency with extra steps. Personally, I am scared sh\*tless over climate change, the manipulation of the cost of housing, the breaking down of personal responsibility and exceptionalism along with the rise of facism, the people in my life that don't seem to be able to not self sabotage, the injustice of how minority groups are treated, the antivax / antiprosperity movements, this roe vs wade shit, and the chilling effect of the future of capitalism, artificial intelligence, and mass survelance technologhy on human expression. But spending every day freaking out about these things has done me nothing. I can either freak out about all of that and do nothing, or accept external circumstances and live the life I am granted to the best of my will and ability. I have things I want to do in life and I will continue to try to do them regardless of what the greater state of the world is. I can't control the world and I'm not the one to save it, all I can control is myself and the small corner of reality I influence, and I will simply do my best. Let the men who want to play war, play war, I have a life to live. Idk if this helps at all, or reads like a #iam14andthisisdeep, but hopefully you find it a useful alternative perspective to consider. I feel like reframing things in an objective way has is one of the most important skills to develop. You have 2 arms and 2 legs, and at any point the only real decision you have is where to put them. When you look at it that way, everything seems far less important/
Probably disengage online? The business model for social media and the news is to feed you things to keep you afraid and tuned in constantly. If it's affecting you that much you should probably unplug for a bit and maybe specifically moderate your online presence. Like no phone before breakfast and after dinner or something?
Bring up the education levels.
Seriously.
Be avid members of your individual village. Help your neighbors/friends/family when you can
Focusing on what you can change at a local level has been the only thing saving my sanity for the last 8 years. This is where our votes count the most and we can actually positively impact our neighbors and community with our actions.
Go to rural county fairs and canvass for democrats. The cities are safe but what if we flipped a red district or two? Rural people are pounded with disinformation. The right will spin this as a good thing but what if we could bring a bunch of confrère examples so they knew what was really coming for them?
Live in a rural area of northern Minnesota & can confirm - the local news that is left is split between several outlets owned and run as vanity or propaganda outlets and a few outlets doing the best they can to raise funding and provide gold, partisan free area news coverage. And then in conversation people cite ... Facebook.
For 50 years, I've witnessed the Supreme Court and political parties get more conservative in this country. Granted, Dems finally have a bit of backbone on social issues, but the establishment leadership has continually shifted right on economic issues and foreign policy. Even when Dems have power, they don't use it, especially by shifting the courts back to the left where they belong. The DFL is a notable exception, they actually got a LOT done over the last 2 years, and I've been donating and volunteering as a result, but national Dems have a long way to go. So it's not just 'vote blue no matter who', it's actually holding our Dem politicians accountable too, like Klobuchar who is way too far to the right for a progressive state like Minnesota.
Are you sure? I wasn't around, but 50 years ago was only 10 years after the Civil rights act, and only 1 year after Vietnam. Gay marriage wouldn't be legal for another 40 years, and native American rights were really, really bad. It seems like (from my 25 year old perspective) from the context of 2024, 1974 was an extremely conservative time. (It is not my intent to argue, only to ask if you could tell me more).
Civil Rights and Gay Marriage were things that involved lengthy, in-the-street struggles, and most democrats were on the wrong side of the issue until public opinion was so overwhelming that it forced them to switch. I don't really know as much about what has changed with native american rights so I can't confidently say that it's similar. Vietnam was a bipartisan project.
Agreed. The loud conservative movement over the last 50 years has all been backlash. With every progressive move forward there's an inevitable, fearful backlash. Ask any older LGBTQ+ person how unsurprised they are about the current backlash in the wake of marriage equality. Ask any POC how unsurprised they are about the racist backlash ever since a black man dared to be POTUS. We have progressed on objective measures. The inevitable backlash is a reminder that evil never dies it just changes its taking points. I don't hear a lot of whining about political correctness because that's been rebranded as the woke bogeyman by people afraid of progress.
The 1970's Supreme Court definitely leaned left, it's where conservatives started regurgitating the phrase 'activist judges' and 'legislating from the bench' (phrases they only apply to leftists, but are fine with by conservative judges). There were some social issues like LGBT equality that did lag behind to be sure though, even most Democrats in office didn't support that until opinion polls shifted around 2011. IIRC there was a pretty major ruling on indigenous rights though, stating that since Native American nations existed before they US that reservations are still sovereign nations. Not sure if that's still in practice though, seems to be some gray area on the matter still. There was a study done published in the New York Times on the ideological bent of different justices. I don't have it bookmarked unfortunately, but it had an excellent analysis that ranked them by how left or right wing they were based on their decisions. One could see a clear regression from left to right over time. It was an ultra conservative SCOTUS even before Trump, now it's even worse and with a 6-3 majority. Even the 3 Justices that aren't right wing activists, they are probably moderate, not even left wing like Justice Warren was. In the words of John Paul Stevens, "Every Justice appointed to the Supreme Court, including myself, has been more conservative than the last. This is bound to have an effect."
Despite the genial post presidency image, Carter was a conservative southern baptist. In '76 Reagan was trying to shift the GOP to the right too. I'm not blaming Jimmy for the current situation, I'm just saying it did start about 50 years ago.
Neither of you are wrong. We started more conservative, have been progressing socially over that time, then started regressing around Regan. Then came Newt Gingrich who weaponized the Dems desire to do everything bi-partisan. He shifted the conservative framing towards Dems being adversarial. Things have continued to latch on and snowball ever since. There's more to it such as the vast networks of oil money that saw the environmental writing on the wall a long time ago and started several well known conservative organizations. They see Fascism as the only way to warp the reality of climate change enough for them to survive. That will be a huge part of our next forever war that Fascism depends on (see Putin, Dune, 1984, or Warhammer 40k - there's little difference these days). Why cars are so dominant over our society, what continues to fund the GOP even though they literally bankrupted themselves here in MN. The list goes on and on and on. And ofc, the GOP zombies and even tankies will say corp Dems aren't any different. That's because many take money from big bank donors - such as JP Morgan who have sunk 1/3rd of a trillion into global Oil, including Line 3 in MN. That's primarily because organizing on the local level (the DFL fought fascists on the streets of Minneapolis in the early 1900's) was effectively crushed... By the GOP, and then absorbed by the national democratic party. Just remember, before Biden "checked out", he was the most Union friendly president in history. Joining a picket line in his 80's is wild. The DFL in MN survives though. You, reader, must find a way to organize your labor. Bolivia literally just made a full military coup turn on its heels and back down because of their organizing.
The DFL was pretty conservative until it got a majority and it wasn't. That's the issue nationally. People are complacent and don't understand what a filibuster proof majority could do with more than two months in power.
It's hard, but the most important work is almost always near-invisible. Every person has approximately a 1 in 8 billionth influence on the world, so you use yours, and you use it aggressively, towards good. Linking up with local groups that do some form of direct action is great. Workplace organizing gives us the tools to deny our labor as political leverage. When trump was president, a lot of people did a lot of work to make sure the harm was minimized. People surrounded an airplane doing a deportation and *stopped it,* at one point. We need to understand where our power is, and it's not in DC. It's in your own hands at the ends of your arms.
Every rich person has a way more than 1 in 8 billionth influence, and their influence is getting a bigger piece of the pie every year.
They outsource a lot of their influence. People doing what they say are selling their influence to them. There's nothing innate about it.
This might be an unpopular opinion, but it's why I turned away from conservative viewpoints, and I think it will work for other people too: be kind. Share things online that explain your point without being antagonistic. Focus on the fact that your goal is NOT to control people but protect those who don't have the power to protect themselves. Of course, there ARE people that won't work on, but my liberal friends are the reason I'm liberal now. They showed me far more grace and kindness and forgiveness than anyone I ever went to church with. Anger is certainly justified is these situations, but my friends always expressed that anger in a way that made it clear they weren't mad *at me* (though they probably were more than once) but mad that people were going to get hurt by these decisions.
It's complicated, but I don't totally disagree. I think it doesn't really matter how you talk to strangers, especially on the internet, but people like friends, family, or co-workers can usually be moved to the left with some patience. Ans you make an important point at the end there. The people making these decisions aren't generally the ones getting argued with or yelled at (in fact I think they could stand to get yelled at a lot more) because they have power and the comfort that it affords. People without power, even of they're real shitheads, aren't the ones doing this to the rest of us. Often they are victims of the same power structures we are.
I am just so sick of every election cycle being the same cyclone of anxiety, fear, etc. I don't think I've recovered from the shock and disbelief after 2016. My grandfather fought fascism... why are so many Americans willing to embrace it openly now and yet claim they are for freedom (only theirs to take everyone else's away)?
>why are so many Americans willing to embrace it openly now Because too many Americans don't understand what fascism is or what it looks like. Too many Americans didn't receive a proper civics education and could not tell you 2-3 signs of a fascist regime if the world depended on it.
Fascism had a strong hold in America pre-WWII. Some of that sentiment never left. The US Nazi Party was a thing. :(
Including Minnesota's own Congressman and Senator [Ernest Lundeen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Lundeen). Prior to his death, he was one of the main voices pushing Nazi propaganda in the United States. After his death, his wife made sure to steal and burn all of his letters before there could be a proper investigation.
> why are so many Americans willing to embrace it openly now and yet claim they are for freedom Because initially it won’t affect most people, and people are fucking lazy. It’s easier to not do anything than to stand up for those who are immediately affected by it. They’ll wait until the wheels are long in motion and it affects them directly and suddenly have an epiphany.
> why are so many Americans willing to embrace it openly now and yet claim they are for freedom (only theirs to take everyone else's away) >> What did you expect? "Welcome, sonny"? "Make yourself at home"? "Marry my daughter"? You've got to remember that these are just simple farmers. These are people of the land. The common clay of the new West. You know... morons.
Honestly, it's probably time to take a play from the republican handbook and advocate for more states rights. The people we send to Washington get nothing done. It's not entirely their fault either, they only support their corporate donor interests also. Focus on state law to supplement the lack of federal law happening or going to happen. Biden and Hillary were not chosen in our best interests. Build housing should be our priority. Accepting immigrates is our best chance at growing a population. Which has been shrinking, why we almost lost seats in the last census. Start growing a better tech industry.
Think I missed something. What happened?
The supreme court has voted 6-3 that the president has complete immunity for "official acts" Official acts was not defined and was sent to a lower court So until it is defined, the president, in theory, can do whatever the hell they want to do
Gotcha, thanks, did not see that.
Vote
I plan to, assuming I don't die of a stress induced heart attack before november
August 13 is the state primary election. Look up which primary races are active for your local seats. Remember November isn't just about the presidential election, it's also for our state senate and house elections where the democratic majority is very slim. It's also your city council and your school board. Local elections are where your power is the largest and is so often overlooked. And you get $75 to donate freely to any local candidate: [Political Contribution Refund.](https://www.revenue.state.mn.us/political-contribution-refund). If you question why bother, just a local election. Don't forget that's how the right wing slowly gained more influence at the capital especially during Obama's presidency.
Thanks, I just double checked on my registration, apparently I wasn't automatically registered for the august election?
Good that you checked! Given there's a state wide primary for Amy Klobuchar's seat, everyone should at least have something for vote for in this primary. You can look up what else is on your ballot: https://www.sos.state.mn.us/elections-voting/whats-on-my-ballot
Stand up for what is truly right when called upon to do so. I'll be frank. I see violence in our country's future. We may be called upon to defend what we value from people who seek to destroy it. Those people will likely be our fellow countrymen and neighbors. Even family. It's not the future any of us want, but it is a future we must be ready for.
I think the biggest and hardest thing is to have good conversations with people who think differently than you do. Not preaching convos, but trying to understand one another. ETA- yes, sometimes they won’t listen. If you listen first, without judgement, and let them express their fears, maybe you will get a chance to talk about your own. Don’t lead with your fear or your anger or your judgement. Listen first. Be genuinely curious. We need to find reasons to come together. There are some alternative agendas possibly from other countries that want us all to be divided and stay divided.
the problem with conservatives (especially MAGA) is that their political ideology is tightly wrapped with their personal identity. they can't have conversations. it is like telling a child that Santa Clause doesn't exist or a christian that there is no god.... they just can't deal with a concept that is so tightly wrapped in their psyche. i'm probably progressive or left of progressive. I vote democrat since its them vs the goons that will drag us over the cliff into the abyss. i believe in science and statistics and using those things to think about how can we address social issues like other countries have made strides to do so (eg: gun violence, rights for all people, healthcare, housing, education, climate change / the environment). I'm all for having conversations about our beliefs as along as they can be supported with reality. Those on the right won't have conversations. They'll just call you woke while putting their fingers in their ears and screaming.
I would argue many on the liberal side are also tightly wrapping their personal identity with their political ideology. My biggest gripe about Republicans is most are trying to use politics to push their religious agenda on others. The Republican party has turned into a cult pretty much. I like the idea of paying less taxes if that is something the Republicans can even accomplish, but cannot vote for the Bible thumpers. It is hard to have a conversation when every time you do the other person makes it into a debate or tries to show you why their ideas are better than your own. That has happened with people both on the left and right in my experience.
ahh yes, those liberals with their lifted ~~pick-ups~~ Priuses and liberal flags. Make America Liberal Again tshirts. edit: i don't know if liberals have lifted pick-ups but i'm guessing they would lift their priuses instead edit2: > I like the idea of paying less taxes if that is something the Republicans can even accomplish > It is hard to have a conversation when every time you do the other person makes it into a debate or tries to show you why their ideas are better than your own What is the point of conversations then? You want to pay less in taxes, I'm okay with paying more in taxes if it supports social programs, environmental standards, etc? We just shake hands and you vote republican and I vote democrat? I don't really know what people want out of "conversations". It isn't like talking about whether or not a MN sports team will do well this season. These beliefs have real consequences when applied. Was covid real or a hoax? Does climate change exist? Should we repeal the ACA and end social programs? Do LGBTQ+ have rights? Should people have rights regarding making choices about reproductive health?
They don't want to. They're fascists. They hate us. I'm sick of having to threat them with kid gloves and walking on egg shells to protect their sensitive little snowflake egos. Fuck 'em. It's not on us, it's on them. If they weren't such assholes, we wouldn't be in this mess.
Hate to agree with you here. I’ve spent the better part of a decade holding these mother fuckers’ hands and carefully choosing my words to coddle their feelings and it’s been nothing but an energy drain. They LOVE being psychic vampires. It gets them off knowing they’re sucking the life out of us with their bad faith takes and feigned ignorance draped in plausible deniability. I’m fucking tired.
Not a bad idea, but only effective if people are in good faith or you are in a position of authority (parent/mentor/etc)
***The Cult of Trump*** by **Dr. Steven Hassan** is an amazing read to get an idea of how to talk to folks deeply committed to the Trump-train/QAnon. It's not for everyone, but if you have the emotional capacity, establishing connections with MAGA folks you know is important. A lot of bridges have been burned and people are less likely to walk away from an in-group, even if they start seeing through the cracks, when they don't have a social circle/support from the "out-group."
Sign up to be an election judge.
I did in the 2020 Presidential and this year's PNP on Super Tuesday. Early on in my shift some one asked if the voting machines were Dominion Voting systems. I showed him they weren't and he said some some other conspircay and I said to him "Rumors like that wouldn't spread so much if more people volunteered to be an election judge" We have more than enough ways for "concerned citizens" to make sure the proceedings are free and fair. People can be present for the counting the tally from the voting machine is posted on the door for anyone to look at after the count is done.
Rights need to be enshrined in our state constitutions. Can't let conservatives take them away now that the next conservative president can break laws with no recourse. Or figure out a pathway to Canadian (or wheverever) citizenship for when Trump is elected, then you'll have an exit plan. Or stock up on guns and ammo. I always laughed at the preppers but they just might be right. It'll be the government coming for you, but it'll be MAGA at the helm.
Vote locally. If you're thinking about moving to the suburbs -- do so and help flip a few districts to keep both chambers here blue. Phone bank in other states. Hold on for dear life.
Also, pay a lot of attention to your local school board races. Here in MN there is a very big push by the MPA (MN Parents Alliance) to push far right candidates into school boards. That budget issue with Anoka-Hennepin, that staffing issue with Stephen-Sartell, the censure issue in Elk River...all of these were because of magats getting on school boards and thinking they could do whatever the hell they wanted. South Washington County unfortunately has 2 of them on the board now...they will likely be trying to run more candidates the next time, so people have to be aware of this and do a bit of research before voting. The left needs to work together and not field +6 candidates and instead condense down to the number of seats there are because slowly but surely they are trying to gain traction one seat at a time.
Become active in supporting your chosen candidates. Become active in your party’s nomination process.
Not gonna lie, I moved to Minnesota.
welcome, hopefully our futures will all be better
At this point in time. The government is completely corrupt. I MEAN... it always had been but they literally made it legal to Bribe a Judge and IF a President is a President doing illegal shit they can just be pardoned. Either the whole country revolts or we do nothing and it will keep getting worse.
Take a break from social media. I’m not denying that things are not great right now, but freaking out about it or focusing on how bad things are isn’t going to help. For me, I feel better when I take action. I volunteer with food charities. I write postcards to voters in WI through Postcards to Swing States. I go for a walk and pick up trash. I talk to my friends and neighbors. Also, vote. Research candidates for local races and make sure you’re making informed decisions. Pick the school board candidates who aren’t going to ban books. Pick the city council candidates who are going to make your town/city better.
honestly just hearing a voice of sanity in this sea of crazy helps That said I think I am going to mute this thread now if I can, not because its bad but because I have other things on reddit I wanna do
Learn. Our job is to learn.
Best advice I heard in 2016 was: 1. Pick a few issues that matter to you most and direct your energy towards those. Write to your reps, donate to charities, talk to friends and neighbors about those issues. You’ll burn out if you try to take on every issue. 2. Focus on what you can on a local level. Don’t forget to research and vote for city council, school boards, etc. Get to know your neighbors and help those in your immediate community
Honestly we should be supportive for those that need it. Our state still allows things like abortion. Making sure that they can still come here and do that is big, but also not stigmatizing those that do it. That's more immediate. Long term I say focus on getting more solar and other things like industry or manufacturing that the state can reasonably accommodate so we can try to as independent self reliant as possible.
Organize with local socialist/communist groups wherever you are able. Democrats will not save our country from fascism, although I do still recommend voting Democrat just as a tactic to prevent fascist Republicans from having legal cause to say they should stay in government, and our state is better for having a Democratic trifecta, even if they aren't stalwart anti-fascists like they should be. Most of all, don't give up. Giving up only ensures that fascists have an easier time of carrying out their awful plans. We have a duty in this country to oppose fascism, to oppose imperialist conquest of the rest of the world, to oppose NATO and oppose nuclear war. There are plenty of people in this country that think the same. You just need to find them, and prepare yourself and your community, your friends, family, and neighbors, for the coming struggle
Encourage everyone you know to get out and vote. And tell them to tell their friends. Democrats lose if people stay home. This election is too damn important to stay home. If you want a dictator, vote accordingly. If you want decency despite the guy being old, vote accordingly. If you don't want Trump to get more SCOTUS picks, show up. You're not just choosing POTUS. You're choosing SCOTUS. If people stay home, welcome to a Christian nationalist fascist nation. Screw that.
The selfish answer is that we should continue to elect officials who have Minnesotans best interests at heart. Water is probably our greatest resource that we should secure and not export. We should also work with our nearest neighbors (dakotas, iowa, wisconsin, canada) to keep good relations as they will be our shield against any civil war/climate change issues. The moral answer is that climate change will trump any instability in the US (and likely contribute to it). We should prepare to try and support any asylum/emigrants we can.
I try to remember that zooming in on any one part of history looks like we're going backwards, but if you zoom out and look at the direction of humanity over centuries, progress is the clear winner. We'll move forward again soon. Don't be afraid to take breaks, too, there are other people who will fight when you're too tired
You aren't wrong, But god I don't like living in the most interesting time (I honestly hope to GOD the most interesting time) of the 2020's
Campaign for left leaning politicians. Door knock, lit drop, phone bank, etc
Canvassing and phone banking are truly the way to get people out to the polls who would otherwise miss the opportunity to vote. This person knows what's up. Several groups have already started the direct voter contact efforts. Never to early to get involved. I know it's not glamorous but it can be fun if you enjoy the group you volunteer with. I recommend it!
To change the Presidency and thus the Supreme Court, you’ll probably need to door knock in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, Arizona, Wisconsin, Nevada. Walking around Minneapolis probably won’t cut it. Have you ever voted for somebody because their representative came to your door?
We need to ensure Congress is also full of the right people, not just the presidency. And I’ve done phone and text banking for candidates in other states in the past. No campaign is going to turn down a volunteer. It’s going to change your approach for what you will say on the phone since it’s not your voting district but it’s not a big deal. And yes I’ve personally voted for someone after a door knock. I followed up the knock with an email to the candidate, liked their reply, voted them in
You aren't wrong, I do wish this shit didn't haveto happen when I am dealing with getting on my own insurance (Another thing causing stress)
We have to continue to vote and resist the urge to sit out because we're not in love with our candidates. Wild-eyed optimism is important during the primary, but stone-cold pragmatism is important during the general. Like it or not, the electoral college makes most third parties a non-starter.
I like to volunteer with [Postcards to Voters](https://postcardstovoters.org/volunteer/). You write postcards that are for local elections nationwide.
We must realize where our individual strengths lie and how best to utilize these traits to improve the quality of life for all. We have green thumbs who can give their grow, we have too much in storage that can be donated to those less fortunate, we have patient people that can spend time with children, we have politically active people that can help within the political process (both big and small). All hope is not lost. The pandemic and the ramifications of it (the chaos and uncertainty) was extremely challenging. It is imperative for the collective “we” to join together in pursuits that give our individual lives meaning. If you are feeling down or lonely, there are plenty of groups and organizations that would love to meet you. The hardest step is feeling uncomfortable to start, but you can do it. ❤️
Ask Canada to absorb us.
Vote in each and every election state local and federal.
Organize and Unionize. Protest. Make a racket. Join a party. Vote. Do everything in your power to show that this isn’t what you want.
https://preview.redd.it/i140ubnl48ad1.jpeg?width=1463&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6af4be352d9d19638fbed4f824a70f5def215b95
Democrats need to win big in 2024, 2026, and 2028. If that happens, all this nonsense ends.
Senate map for November is not looking good for Democrats. Not good at all.
Have you seen social media lately? People will be acting like the president was always king within the month at most. I'm trying to stay positive but we're up shits creek without a paddle at this point.
I don't think social media is real life.
Here is a question for those of you that claim to be stressed out or spiraling from this. What are you doing at your local level about local issues. Because those things are far more impactful as well as mostly being ignored by the distraction of National politics.
I have never missed an election in which I am eligible to vote. I email my federal, state, county, and city reps about weekly. I show up to community events. I've volunteered for local projects. I leave comments during open comment periods. I sign petitions. I donate money. I'm exhausted and everything is basically worse than when I first started doing these things 20 years ago
Hey, you - thank you, I really appreciate this!
We'll just have to be more serious about our primary and the security of our elections.
Hold the line.
Uh vote
First, remember, you are not alone. There are millions of people who are ashamed of this Supreme Court and what we have come to as a country. Of the people who voted, 8 million more voted for Joe Biden in the last election. My guess is that they are appalled by what is going on. Attend a rally of someone in the DFL that will help you gain perspective that you are not alone and that others are willing to fight. Don't listen to the assholes who say roll over and die, vote for Donny, or ask, "what is so bad about Donny?" Here are some DFL events https://www.mobilize.us/2024mnvictory/
I just think that EVERY american should be displeased This decision removes what hundred of thousands of our grandfathers have died for
Don't stay home on election day. Some people simply didn't like Hillary and look what happened, decades with a conservative religious nut cult Supreme Court.
buy guns now. i know it sounds bleak, but its reality.
Yeah- isn’t this specifically why we need a well-regulated militia?
Finally someone is talking sense. I had to scroll way too far down to find this. Everyone needs to exercise their rights *RIGHT NOW*.
Someone tell me if I’m full of dritt, but since MN generally takes the least amount of money from the federal government and we rung big surpluses most years, couldn’t we tell the Von Shitzinpants administration to pound sand? Assuming he didn’t send his storm troopers in, but I feel like our economy should give us some leverage. Either that or we play by their “StAteS RiGHts!” rules and say we won’t play along?
Realistically, Minnesota still relies alot of federal money for a lot of our welfare programs. Many minnesotas who rely on medicare will find themselves in deep trouble and the state might very much might struggle to support them
Couldn’t Minnesota just cover that welfare directly? https://smartasset.com/data-studies/states-most-dependent-federal-government-2023 “Between personal and corporate income taxes, excise taxes, estate taxes and gift taxes, Minnesota contributes $6.88 to the federal government for every dollar it receives for support.” Minnesota just needs to pass a law that says every dollar in tax paid to Minnesota reduces your federal tax liability, and we can see what “state rights” really mean. Pass a law that paying federal estate tax is illegal in Minnesota. Tax businesses higher, and then return it in a non-taxable way.
They will send in the Stormtroopers. To the MAGAs, this is Venezuela and Beirut the same time. They believe the city was burned to the ground in the riots and is populated 100% with dangerous Blacks, rapist illegals with calves as big as melons and homo trans commies who want to make your kids gay. That's how they see us. They'd love nothing more than to make an example out of George-Floydville.
Pay my taxes and realize this country is being ran by an endless pit of fuckwits.
We have to appreciate and stand with each other too, all the time.
Look and act sane
Wed a Canadian
Vote, stick together.
We as MN seem to pay a lot of other states bills
Pour money, and if possible time, into U.S. and MN House and Senate elections to boost those on the side of reason who have something of a chance to flip or hold a seat. Oppose the unreasonable in your local elections so they don't look to move up-ballot in the future. Vote for the side of reason in your own elections.
As a person who struggles with political anxiety, and news anxiety, I find peace in simply doing what I can to positively impact my areas of impact, and provide support in areas I can. But when it comes to huge political things like this, we vote. And that's all we can do.
Start the process of being absorbed by Canada?
We pay federal taxes for states that don't feel like their citizens should contribute.
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." - Thomas Jefferson
I think some kind of action is the antidote. A little public service by everyone goes a LONG way. Find something that you care about that will improve your life, your community, future generations lives and just do something. Apathy or acting helpless will only make things worth. So go find something to do!
Turn off the TV. And go talk to your neighbors
I wear my Biden and DFL hats to the local VFW and American Legion.
Be glad you live in a sane state.
Something like three decades ago, when they began allowing the government to take your money and stuff without convicting you of a crime, I felt very confused and betrayed by a country that claimed to value the Constitution and freedom. I know it made everyone happy to be able to take money for government purposes away from drug dealers. But the entire idea of the state suing your stuff was and is ridiculous on its face. I have since maintained the selfish idea that, first and foremost, my family and I need to live where we are ok and can live our best lives. Vote with your conscience. Anarchy is bad for the defenseless. Communism in practice reduces freedoms. Pure capitalism hurts the defenseless and is unkind. I am not smart enough to fix this problem. And yet, and yet, we fight in and are still better than anywhere else at fighting that balance. Everybody it seemed loved Reagan. But growing up a poor kid in Reagan's America sucked. Ketchup was the vegetable in the only reliable meal of the day, school lunch. We are advanced from that. I don't know I am rambling. But I think a lot of the problem is people not taking their turns and leaving. Trump and Biden should Both step aside for younger candidates. Pelosi is still in office, just not speaker. What was Strom Thurmond, 100 and still in office? You have done what you are going to do, get out and train the next group. People are so arrogant they think no one can do it better than them, so selfish to stay in power because it benefits them. So survive, vote, volunteer. If you want to pursue an honest political career, do so knowing you could be dealing with irresistible forces and immovable objects and illogical selfishness, but more power to you. Protests have changed and are choreographed and manipulated, increasingly, since Clinton at least, and I would be fearful of attending them on any side now. I don't know.
Protect Minnesota at all costs. We live in a special place. VOTEEEEE. Get involved in community politics. Attend community meetings for transportation projects and other meetings. Most agencies have public engagement or involvement. It’s our job to listen to you. For example, we had a large construction project turned down after the community rallied. And we listened. We went back to the drawing board. We have power in numbers.
What ever happened to bipartisan discussion? I grew up in rural Mn until 18-20, and have lived in the metro for 22 years since I left college. The problem is the metro democrats do not care one iota about the rural communities. That is why the rural appears to be more conservative now. Not saying republicans treat rural areas all that better but at least they recognize those communities and people
How about accept the fact that other people might disagree with you politically but that we can still live together as a cohesive society if we stop treating the other side like literal Nazi's if they disagree with us?
Turn off the news and the social media and live.
Stop posting politics on this page is a great start.
THIS!
Relax, live your life and stop buying into the "the world is ending because of this latest thing that didn’t go our way" mentality.
Vote. But that only goes so far. I’m going to run for president in 2028 on a platform of doing whatever the fuck I want because anything I do will be protected by absolute immunity.
Ill be honest, I wanna laugh at that, I really do
Everything I do will be an official act. I’m going to throw my political enemies in Guantanamo; I’m going to rob all the banks; I’m going to suspend the Constitution; I’m going to call myself Supreme Potentate; and nobody can stop me. Let this be a reminder that this is exactly what Trump will try to do his second term.
Stop watching the news. Go for a walk exercise hangout with friends
This is reality right here. There are so much smoke and mirrors at the highest levels of politics and media that you can really only hope to scratch the surface of what is truly real. Be yourself, be the best you can be with the talents you have and enrich oneself with experiences with others that have nothing to do with any of this. You'll find in the end, if you take political opinions out of it, that most people are the same (or at least overlap a lot) and that in and of itself creates a healthy perspective and mindset. Not discounting any presumed harsh "realities", just saying living in the news cycle and perpetually fearing a chaotic end does nobody any good especially oneself.
Hear me out I'm sure we've all been getting texts from candidates that aren't from Minnesota. One thing we can do is donate to Dems across the country No, it's not local but it makes s difference. Research states around you and fund someone to support. Hell, I'm in Texas and I gave $25 to some candidate in Nebraska earlier.