Earth Week Goes Mainstream

Did you notice Earth Week this year? Back in 1990 lots of people turned out for the 20th anniversary of Earth Day to volunteer on cleanups but there was little commercial impact and almost nothing done in the days before or after April 22nd. By 2000 some college campuses (including ours) had built a week of activities around Earth Day in an attempt to expand the engagement over a longer period and make it about more than just picking up trash.

This year the green really hit the fan. Sure, the same old groups were out picking up trash and the predictable speakers were talking about environmental issues on campuses across the country. But in this post-Bush world "green" is no longer something to sneer at and as a result Earth Week went mainstream. While a Google search turns up mostly campus events the most telling sign of change to me came from our local newspaper-- or rather, the ad inserts in our local paper. Companies from Target to Home Depot to Macy's were running Earth Week promotions and many of the ads actually had green color schemes in place us the usual corporate red/orange/blue.

This isn't to say that Target's display of cheap Chinese gardening tools makes them green. But it is a sign that green has gone mainstream. It may be a fad, it may be a sign of the state of the economy, or it may be a shallow attempt to market to people's general fears that things aren't going well environmentally.

But wouldn't it be cool if it was really a signal that change has come, conspicuous consumption is falling out of favor, and that consumers may actually be choosing stores and products based on factors besides price? Here's hoping that ten years down the road we can look back and say 2009 marked the beginning of a trend that really did lead to some positive changes for the planet and the entire community of life on Earth.

-Dr. DRL

Court slams door shut on Norm Coleman's fingers

In case you out-of-state readers missed it, the ruling on Norm Coleman's election challenge came down today and his claims were dismissed with prejudice. He's done, even if he tried to push this to the MN Supremes for a final appeal. Gov. Pawlenty should issue a certificate of election tomorrow but it sounds like he's going to wait for the court to refuse to hear Norm's case first.

A great rundown of the decision has been posted on DailyKos, with lots of juicy legal detail at Campaign Silo.

Franken is no Paul Wellstone but he's a damn sight closer than Coleman and could grow into the role. Hopefully he'll be seated soon so we Minnesotans will actually have two senators again.

-Dr. DRL

Conservative "tea party" protest another astroturf project

This may come as no surprise, but a bit of digging by progressive bloggers has turned up the dope on the "tea party" protests conservatives planned for April 15th. Lauded by conservative blowhards like Glen Beck as a grassroots response to Obama's economic plan, they are in fact a carefully orchestrated effort by conservative foundations to spread anti-tax propaganda. Just like virtually every other conservative "grassroots" project in recent decades, the teabaggers' party is also turning out to be just another example of astroturf, fake grass that costs a lot more than the real thing and isn't nearly as good.

Details at Think Progress and Firedog Lake. For an up-to-the-minute summary of all the teabagging you can handle, check out Save The Rich for more.

The best part? The tea parties are backed by Freedomworks.org which is run by our old friend, former Republican House Majority Leader Dick Armey. That's some real grassroots man!

-Dr. DRL

April newspaper column: paying taxes is patriotic?

Here's my April newspaper column. Since it ran on April 1 the local right wingers pretended it was a joke-- but I'm serious. Before condemning taxes in general we really should recognize the benefits they bring. Minnesota is fortunate to have had good leaders in the past but we've been coasting on their investments for a decade now.

-Dr. DRL
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Times Writers Group: 'Taxes are bad' is disingenuous

By Derek Larson • April 1, 2009

St. Cloud (MN) Times


Tax Day is just two weeks away. While most of us paid our taxes for 2008 long ago, anti-tax complaints are rising in the media and likely around kitchen tables as well. A bit of historical perspective, though, shows that Americans haven't always felt so bitter about paying their taxes. In fact, at times it seemed like the patriotic thing to do — even when the top rate climbed above 90 percent.

During World War II, cartoon celebrity Donald Duck appeared in short features calling on all Americans to pay "taxes to beat the Axis."

"Taxes," the narrator proclaimed, "will keep democracy on the march!" Not a very subtle piece of propaganda but likely an effective one during that time of global crisis.

Today we face another global crisis — an economic one this time — and our country is engaged in not one but two wars. But instead of silly cartoon ducks reminding us to pay our income tax on time, we face a regular media barrage from conservatives claiming taxation is destroying the economy and that government is really something we'd be better off without.

Of course, some of them also have directly stated the goal of destroying government by starving it of operating funds, so that sentiment is no surprise. What is surprising, however, is that so few people speak out in support of the opposite view — that taxes are the price we pay for everything from abstract goods like "freedom" to literally concrete things like highways. Not paying your fair share, as Donald Duck knew, is fundamentally unpatriotic.

Minnesotans know that folks elsewhere envy us. Our state and many of our cities rank highly in "most livable" surveys every year. Thousands of newcomers move here annually, despite the sometimes challenging climate. Corporations invest here. Students come here for college.

We are national leaders in many things and rank near the bottom in very few. Minnesota enjoys frequent top five rankings among "best states to live in." Top 10 rankings for most statistics that matter to children, including quality of education, children who are read to daily, and bottom 10 rankings for children living in poverty. The highest voting rates in the country. A No. 1 ranking for adults with high school diplomas. The list is almost endless.

But all this comes at a price. Our state tax burden falls somewhere between No. 10 and No. 17, depending on how it is calculated and which year's figures you use. While the anti-tax zealots are quick to point out our relatively high tax burden, they always ignore the benefits those taxes bring: quality of life unmatched in other states and a society that does better than most at making sure those toward the bottom have what they need to get by.

There is an alternative of course: We could slash taxes and government programs, as many conservatives suggest. But the economic renaissance and subsequent golden age they predict is at best a fantasy and at worst an intentional deception.

The Census Bureau's list of the 10 states with the lowest per capita tax rates includes Oregon, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, Missouri, Colorado, New Hampshire, Texas and South Dakota. Of these only South Dakota and Colorado even break into the top 25 places to live, much less the top 10. Many on the low-tax list are used as object lessons about how not to run a state or as places you'd never want your job transferred, essentially the opposite status that Minnesota enjoys.

As our leaders face tough budget decisions in St. Paul and Washington, they would all do well to remember Donald Duck's lesson. Thankfully we're no longer fighting a war against global fascism, but we are fighting real wars on multiple fronts, at home and abroad.

Taxes are the primary source of revenue for the public goods and services that make Minnesota and the country as a whole places people want to live. Citizens will always have complaints about government priorities but claiming taxes are the root of all evil is the sort of inflammatory rhetoric that Minnesotans can live without.

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This column will be available on the St. Cloud Times web site until it moved to the pay archive on April 8th.