Supporting Girl Scouts and chatting with Al
Apr 26, 2006 News
Thursday I represented the nominating committee at the Cannon Valley Girl Scouts annual meeting and read the names of the new slate of officers and directors. This year’s dinner and meeting were held at the Country Joe Garage in Lakeville. Proprietor Joe Miller has been an active supporter of Scouting in general, earlier this year they hosted a Cub Scout pinewood derby.
I made it back to Northfield just in time to see the last documentary at the NDDC Documentary Film Festival. It was the story of Northfield native Ole E. Rolvaag, 
author of Giants in The Earth and Boat of Longing. The film was called, Letters from America:The Life and Times of O. E. Rolvaag. I was struck by Rolvaag’s insight about how the early immigrants had lost that sense of their cultural traditions so valuable to him and seemed lost in a downward spiral of consumerism. Much like the social critic Veblen offered in his critique of the leisure class.
Friday night, after taking in the Cannon River Watershed open house where I learned about the importance of conserving rain water with a rain garden, I visited with a writers’ group to talk about the possibility of future projects promoting the work of local writers. Then I made my way to Buntrock Commons for the 2nd Annual Wellstone dinner, where Al Franken was speaking. It was a great evening. I had the privilege of welcoming everyone
to Paul Wellstone’s home town. What I wish I had said and meant to say was, how hard that last year was and how much Sheila meant to Paul and meant to people in Northfield. Many who knew them had an equal attachment if not more to Sheila and Paul knew how much she meant to people and his campaign.
I also reminded visitors that this was the home district of Thorstein Veblen who influenced the generation of New Deal economists that worked with FDR. “Where did Veblen get his ideas?” I asked the crowd and then answered, “From the Prairie progressives that shaped our party at the turn of the century.” I also thanked Al for his speaking out about the Republican roll back of FDR’s legacy. We were also treated to great speeches by Matt Entenza, Amy Klobuchar, Coleen Rowley and a host of other state legislative candidates. Franken’s speech began with some comments about religion and the values of our founding fathers, which led him to comment on his father’s death. He described his father who was not particularly religious being asked if he minded if the Rabbi would come to his bedside to chat with him. Al’s father apparently replied, “I don’t really see the point but if 
he thinks it would make him feel better I can’t see the harm.” To which the young Al replied with a laugh. The rest of the evening was filled with cutting satire and Al’s heart felt expression of his belief in the values of the Democratic party, values that are about people caring about each other and the future we all hope to share.
DFL Endorsement
Apr 26, 2006 News
This past week I took some of my students to a STARS youth conference in Minneapolis. They did a presentation of their small business project to raise money for the local food shelf. They did a great job explaining how to make and market the Soy Sense Candles they make in Cheryl Mathison’s business class. I enjoyed observing their growing positive sense of self.
It was a tiring week that began with my final preparations for the endorsing convention. I was pretty confident I had the delegates to carry me through, but one never knows for sure. In a contested race it is always about making sure they will be there and they will vote for you. It was gratifying after the second ballot to go over the top. I want to congratulate my opponent Tim Lies for making a great effort and giving me a credible challenge. Ultimately I believe it makes me
a stronger candidate.
I want to thank Anne Maple for placing my name in nomination and Cary Coop and Cynthia Child for their seconding speeches. Here I am with my son, Gareth before the convention convened. My speech from that night:
I’m David Bly you know me. You know I’m a teacher and that I work with at risk students. You know I listen and care about each and every one of you. Some have doubts about me. It’s not that you don’t like me as a person you wonder can I win. I make no excuses for the past. But I want you to know that I am a better candidate than I was in 2002 and in 2004, I have a new and energetic campaign team and I have a new plan to win this seat.
I ran in 2002 because I was concerned about what I saw coming when an aggressive taxpayers’ league saying state government was too big and too costly when the cost of government was actually going down, argued Minnesota should stop investing in its future. I did better in 2002 than most people thought I had a right to hope for.
In 2003 and 2004 I saw all the things I feared come to pass. Throwing people off state health insurance, cuts to eligibility for childcare, cuts to early childhood education, cuts to k-12 education, increases in college tuition and shifting of costs to local governments. These cuts hurt real people. Like the young mothers in my school program who used the day care that closed due to lack of funds. Property taxes went up, fees went up, further shifting the burden of the cost of government to middle and lower income folks. We were lied to again and again about why the shortfall existed and what could have been done about it. Over half of the budget shortfall was a failure on the part of our state government to deal with Ventura’s idea to shift education funding from property taxes to the state budget. But they had no way to pay for it. Ventura had recommended a sales tax on services but it was rejected in favor of spending down the surplus. When the surplus was gone it left a huge whole in the budget. It was dishonest not to own up to it. I believe government should be both honest about what things cost as well as how to pay for them.
The 2005 session is more a record of what did not get done than what did get done in almost any arena the environment, transportation, energy, health and human services. The house rejected supplemental funding for education in the Greiling Dorman bill, and although they eventually voted to increase education funding the increase in the formula was so small it did not make a dent in the 2003 cuts.
But we all remember that the 2005 session is the session where the wheels came of the wagon and they were forced to compromise. That compromise is what gave schools the 4% increase that legislators are patting themselves on the back for. But over a ten-year period it amounts to only a 1.4 increase. Today students sit in crowded classrooms.
In the coming years our population in Minnesota will be vastly different than it is today. We will be top heavy with a much larger elderly population and a smaller working population. And a higher percentage of that working population will be non-white. If we want prosperity the answer is not gated communities but investing in education and making sure those workers have good wage earning jobs. But also a sense that we are a community and we need to take care of each other, which is why I believe in Public institutions, public education, public roads, and universal health care.
If we refuse to invest in each other – in our common future – we are abandoning our prosperity.
The Democratic Party has always been about Hope, Fairness and community building. That’s why it is my campaign slogan. You know what I stand for; I have not wavered: Education, single-payer health insurance system, clean energy, clean environment, good jobs.
I want your endorsement because I know I can win. I have the energy, the commitment and the desire. All I need is you. Thank you.
Since that day I have been meeting with supporters and out in public participating in church and community meetings. This last Monday I attended a presentation by Glenda M. Russell of the New Leaf Community Service in San Francisco. Civil Rights on the Ballot: Costs to Individuals and Communities. She talked about the adverse effects legislation like the Marriage Amendment the Minnesota House is trying to find a way to pass on communities and citizens. She also talked about how important it is to put your energies in to building up community rather than fighting and tearing things down. What we give our time and energy to controls us, so we better find things important enough for that expenditure.
Good Friday
Apr 26, 2006 News
Easter time always takes me back to the year my father died 1968, it was a Good Friday stuck between sleet and snow and spring blossoms. I remember waking to a white sky and my mother running up the stairs to tell me my father had passed away in the middle of the night. He remains perhaps the strongest influence in my life someone I always try to live up to. Always hopeful yet tempered by the limitations reality puts on us. For my father the limitations of a short life kept others from knowing him and diabetes kept him from achieving his dreams. He gave equally of his time to everyone. People liked him, he was a good listener someone they could trust.
All of his adult life he was involved in Boy Scouts wanting to build character and give to boys what he had been given by older mentors. He was quiet about the service he gave to others, never promoting himself always praising others. He was someone who when asked if he had changed the world might say, “It was not required of me to change the world only to believe and act as if I could.” I find I often think about the things I learned from my father like that our joy is deepened by our knowledge of sorrow and loss; and we only lose when we give up.
I don’t know how many of you caught it but there was a great Easter program on Meet the Press involving a conversation about God in Society, I was intrigued by the comments 
that Michael Lerner made about how we have lost our sense of the spiritual replaced by those things we can know and measure with our senses. It struck me that regardless of what God you believe in or whether you believe in the divine there is wisdom in this comment that what we value must be more than what we can see. Whether in education or in social status there has to be more to it than just what we can measure with standards or consumption. We must also be measured by who we are to each other in fellowship and community. We are a great nation and a great people when we embrace the world not when we strike out against it.
Some thoughts and places.
Apr 8, 2006 News
Thursday I went on a short field trip with my Alternative Learning Center students. We were invited to share a meal with St. Olaf students at their 'honors' house. The theme for their house is 'food and conversation' and they have been inviting various people from the community to meet and have a conversation. It reminded me of how simple it can be to gather and share each other's gifts in a hopeful way. It was so encouraging to see these very different young people gather, prepare a meal, talk about issues that concerned them, have fun and talk about the future. If only our legislators could do the same. 
My students come from different communities and all walks of life and it was interesting to watch them visiting with the St. Olaf students who didn't seem so different when we learned about their lives and hopes, dreams and fears. It made me think about what a great place our community, our state can be when we dream together with the well being of everyone in mind.
When we were visiting at St. Olaf other ALC students went to visit a homeless shelter in the cities and then had plans to visit the James J. Hill House. These two extremes represent two distinct halves in our country, I hope the students are moved to think about how these two very different people can live together and be one country.
In 1944 talking to a despondent nation that had weathered economic depression and war, FDR proposed an Economic Bill of Rights here are just a few of them:
The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the nation;
The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation;
The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which will give him and his family a decent living;
The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or abroad;
The right of every family to a decent home;
The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health;
The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment;
The right to a good education.
All of these rights spell security. And after this war is won we must be prepared to move forward, in the implementation of these rights, to new goals of human happiness and well-being.
America's own rightful place in the world depends in large part upon how fully these and similar rights have been carried into practice for our citizens.
Franklin D. Roosevelt, "The Economic Bill of Rights" excerpt from 11 January 1944 message to Congress on the State of the Union
For sixty years we have been a better society because of this investment and yet these are the rights that the extreme right in our country wants to do away with. You can read more about this in Joe Conason's book "The Raw Deal" in which he explains how Bush Republicans are trying to destroy Roosevelt's legacy.
I was out and about this week, here’s a sample of the things I visited: THURSDAY, APRIL 6th: 4:30pm Carleton forum 149 Olin Hall at Carleton College: "An unhealthy start in life: Why pollution matters for children's behavioral health," by Colleen Moore of U.W. Madison. In her presentation Dr. Moore talked about the impact of addressing the problem of Lead in the environment on society and health. I was unaware of the impact Lead can have on behavior problems and learning. It makes one wonder what the effects of mercury and other chemicals may be having on children.
THURSDAY, APRIL 6th: 7pm, Science Center, Room 274. St. Olaf College Health
Insurance Forum Kip Sullivan of the Minnesota Universal Health Care Coalition, was at St. Olaf on Thursday, April 6th to present the background history of our current health insurance system and explain why a universal single-payer insurance system is a better plan. This event is open to the public and co-sponsored by the Northfield League of Women Voters and the St. Olaf Nursing Dept. For more information, see the MUHCC website.
FRIDAY, APRIL 7th : Arts Ala Carte Celebration at Northfield High School. 
This event showcased the talents of hundreds of talented students and featured vocal and instrumental ensembles, a student art exhibit and booths of the Honors Art students who demonstrated in various media, including painting, ceramics and filmmaking. 
They had numerous displays including one called 'edible art' featuring art made out of food, like this piece depicting a quiet scene on Bridge Square.
SATURDAY, APRIL 8th: Belle Plaine Showcase, Belle Plaine Elementary School 8am to noon. Hosted by the Belle Plaine Chamber of Commerce. Various agencies, businesses and civic groups displayed information about their organizations. I was their with the Belle Plaine DFL.
SATURDAY APRIL 8th: St. Olaf College AAUW Luncheon at 12:00 with a presentation at about 1:00: Mary Cecconi of Parents United for Public Education presents "A Crossroads for Public Education in Minnesota.” Mary gave a very informative presentation about how crucial it is for our state to invest in public education.
As the campaign for the endorsement is winding down here are some final thoughts I would like you to consider about me, and the campaign.
I was convinced by the overwhelming number of people who care about health care, education, and the environment who implored me to run again. "The third time's the charm," they say. Becky Lourey told me she ran three times before she gained a seat.
Social scientists know that an election is a moment in time with a lasting result. Close elections are a mystery.
There has been talk by some of a "western strategy" and the need for a new name in the house campaign. Please consider the facts:
In 2002 next to Hatch I was the top Democrat vote getter in the four Scott County precincts (Belle Plaine, Belle Plaine Township,Helena Township, and Cedar Lake Township).
In 2004 in the same four precincts I was the top Democrat out polling John Kerry. This was also the case in Shieldsville, Erin, Forest, and Wheeling Townships.
In both 2002 and 2004 I was the winner in Rice County, and in Northfield.
In 2003 I started the group of Democrats that has met monthly at the Belle Plaine Library since then and joined them in many of their projects.
On the other hand in the 2004 Belle Plain City elections, Lies got 909 votes for city council, the winning candidate for mayor got 1,132 votes and I got 1,299 votes in the city of Belle Plaine. I received more votes than any council member or mayoral candidate. Voters were able to vote for two candidates for city council so out of 2,700 votes cast, 1,800 did not vote Lies as their first or their second choice.
I have good name recognition. Most of the votes are in Northfield. There is no evidence an untested candidate from the west will do better than I can in Northfield. I will represent the entire district.
I will take a leave of absence from my job in Sept. and Oct. (something I was unable to do in '04) in order to campaign full time at the end of the campaign.
My campaign is about Hope, Fairness and Building Community this is what also guides the work I do on a daily basis and what I hope to bring to the Minnesota Legislature as I represent you. I believe in:
Fair taxation based on ability to pay
Clean water, clean air and clean energy initiatives.
A sustainable future for our children and grandchildren.
A better education for our kids one that prepares them for the challenges ahead.
Responsible classroom sizes and resources. No more classes of 40 in schools lacking basic resources.
Universal single payer healthcare system
I will fight for these issues in the Minnesota House upon election and until they are achieved.
You have my commitment.
Please contact me if you have any questions.
If your a delegate I'll see you at the convention April 11th 6:30pm registration at the American Legion in Montgomery, 102 Elm Ave. Sw Here is a link to a map of Montgomery
